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metro detroit home stager: Stage That House for Higher Appraisals - 04/01/10 06:29 AM
From my page on www.mioaklandcounty.com (more "investigative" than "bloggy"!) ...
 
If you are still on the fence about the value of professionally staging a home for sale, here is another benefit to consider:  staged properties command higher appraisals.
Certified Residential Appraiser Linda Shurtliff, owner of Troy, MI-based Reliable Residential Appraisals, LLC agrees.  “A staged home has much more appeal than an unstaged home.  A staged home has no clutter, very few personal items and appears clean and welcoming.  A home that is well-maintained, has good functional utility including strategic staging of furniture, has fresh paint and is clean will appraise higher than one … (12 comments)

metro detroit home stager: HomeGain Announces Top 12 Home Improvements for Sellers ... STAGING IS #2 !! Or is it #1?? - 11/05/09 10:38 AM
HomeGain announced the results of their 2009 home improvement survey.  These are the top 12 DIY projects that give the biggest ROI for home sellers.  Here's the link to the article: 
http://www.prweb.com/releases/homegain-real-estate/home-improvement/prweb3164374.htm
 
HERE ARE THE TOP 5:
1. Cleaning and de-cluttering ($200 cost / $1,700 price increase / 872% ROI) 2. Home staging ($300 cost / $1,780 price increase / 586% ROI) 3. Lightening and brightening ($230 cost / $1,300 price increase / 572% ROI) 4. Landscaping ($320 cost / $1,500 price increase / 473% ROI) 5. Repairing plumbing ($385 cost / $1,250 price increase / 327% ROI)
Home staging … (14 comments)

metro detroit home stager: Stage Rooms for Their Intended Purpose When Selling a House - 09/10/09 07:04 AM
Reblogged from my page on www.mioaklandcounty.com and http://mioaklandcounty.realestatetomato.com/
 
 
When potential buyers view a house for sale, they need to see rooms presented as they were intended.  The master bedroom shouldn’t be an exercise room, the bathroom shouldn’t be a pet station, the garage shouldn’t be a storage unit, and unless you have more than 3 bedrooms, resist the urge to make one an office.
This is especially important when it comes to dining areas.  People want to see where they will gather for meals and entertain their loved ones.
I recently staged a 900 sq. ft. house for a … (16 comments)

metro detroit home stager: Staging Rules for Selling Your Home During the Holidays - 12/19/08 09:03 AM
Reblogged from my page on http://mioaklandcounty.com :
While the holidays will be just a memory and an extra bag of garbage for pick-up in a couple of weeks, these weeks could be crucial for those who are actively listing and showing their houses.  Buyers who are braving the elements and interrupting their holiday commitments to view houses are serious about finding their next home.  Be sure your house is show-ready and tastefully decorated. 
Maureen Francis gave some great advice in her earlier post Selling Your Oakland County Home During The Holidays.  This home stager would like to expand on her words of … (3 comments)

metro detroit home stager: The Power of Decluttering - 11/05/08 05:49 AM
(Reblogged from my page on http://mioaklandcounty.com/blog/ )
Take a quick look at this photo:

What did you see?
Did you notice:
The beautiful bay window? The window seat? New high-grade carpet? A fireplace to the left? Plenty of room to put a proper desk? The incredible wooded view outside the windows? The french door? Neutral wall color? Probably not.  Like most potential home buyers, you likely noticed only the clutter, disorganization and plethora of toys.  And the flat-screen TV sitting in the window!  If you were searching the internet for a new home, chances are you would not be in a big … (16 comments)

metro detroit home stager: Freebie Staging for a Friend......A Labor of Love! - 10/27/08 08:44 AM
One of my oldest and dearest friends is listing her home in South Lyon's Hidden Lakes for sale.  I've known Marilyn since high school, which incredibly means that I've known her longer than I haven't (we don't need to do the math, do we?). 
As she is a single mother to a 5 year old girl and has a busy schedule as a flight attendant, she needed help getting her home ready to sell.  She asked if I would stage it for her, and I happily agreed without hesitation.  Diane, another high school friend, made the hour-long drive with me to assist.  … (18 comments)

metro detroit home stager: Staged "Lite" and SOLD Within a Week - 09/14/08 08:09 PM
This gorgeous Franklin Village house sold in less time than it took to finish staging it!
Staged "Lite" with a small budget from a Relo company...meaning accessories (5 bathrooms!), an inflatable bed and 2 table/chairs sets only.  No major furniture anywhere.  The offer came in close to it's $675k asking price. 
The Relo company is happy, the Realtor is happy, and I am ecstatic!  Although this means I'll be destaging soon, and that's never fun.
Note:  Photos taken with my phone and not great--the colors are all off.  My camera had gone missing (darn teenagers!).
  
   
   
   
                                                                             ^This … (67 comments)

metro detroit home stager: I Wanted to Stage My Vacation House! - 07/30/08 03:10 PM
I spent last weekend in beautiful Lexington, Michigan on Lake Huron with my high school friends.

Two of my friends stayed in a camper, which is not my cup of tea.  I stayed with my third friend in a mobile home which belonged to a friend of hers.  It was the second house from the lake and afforded us a great view of the lake and the magnificent sunrises.  The weather was perfect, the lake warm and the company delightful. 
So what does this have to do with staging?
The home we stayed in was for sale, along with several … (16 comments)

metro detroit home stager: Don't Let Your Furry Friends S(p)oil a Sale! - 07/10/08 06:10 AM
Dogs are people too, right?  Not when it comes to selling a house. 
As hard as it may be to accept and implement, when a property is on the market all traces of your beloved pets should be out of sight.  This includes the food dishes, toys, cages, pet beds, litter and yes, the pet itself.
Now before you label me anti-animal, let me assure you nothing is further from the truth.  My household has included pets of all shapes and sizes for two decades.  At one point, I was Zookeeper (and Proud Mama) to a dog, five cats, two guinea pigs and numerous … (19 comments)

metro detroit home stager: It's Hard to Sell a House in the Dark! - 05/22/08 08:27 AM
Yesterday I wrote a lengthy post about how busy we've been at Home Sweet Home Staging the last couple of weeks, and outlined one of the projects nearing completion in Birmingham, MI (one of Detroit's most prestigious suburbs).  I finished the text, clicked on the "insert image" button and POOF!  My text completely disappeared!  Aaaaack!!! 
My post gave details about the house (1950, vacant, 4 baths, and full of exquisite dark wood walls and trim), the budget (not much), the fact that is is bank-owned (i.e. no rental furniture allowed, NO WATER), the cleaning involved (TONS, which ate up most of the budget … (12 comments)

metro detroit home stager: #1 Rule in Home Staging......NO Playboy Bunnies!! - 03/13/08 11:55 AM
I was asked to stage a vacant house which had been on the market for 6+ months with no offers.  It definitely needed furniture in place to give it some "oomph" and show how lovely the property truly is. 
As I toured the house to take measurements and devise a plan of action, I discovered this in the main floor bedroom:
Now, I don't know about you, but I'm not sure a potential home buyer would find that to be a positive feature.  I suspect some would be quite turned off by it, in fact. 
Upon further inspection of the house, I … (66 comments)

 

Marianne Sweet, Home Sweet Home Staging, LLC Rochester Hills, MI

Rochester Hills, MI

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Home Sweet Home Staging

Address: Rochester Hills, MI

Office Phone: (586) 212-8400

Cell Phone: (586) 212-8400

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