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staging: Sometimes You Just Have To Tell Them NOT To Sell - 06/01/09 03:13 PM
It seems that in February of 2007 I was asked to come over to present a CMA and talk about how wonderful I am to a potential Seller.  This particular Seller was in a subdivision I market to all the time and I've actually sold quite a few homes.  I may not be "The King" yet but I do pretty well.  I went full out.  I took lots of pre-listing appointment photos and prepared a nice pre-listing package. I was ready...or so I thought.
The guy in this house had been living in it for decades and it looked like he … (7 comments)

staging: When Staging Doesn't Work - 04/02/09 02:51 PM
Hey don't get me wrong.  I certainly believe staging works for some people some of the time.  Hey, and I certainly don't want to piss of my good AR, Facebook and Twitter buddy, Juliet Johnson, but here is what I'm learning:
Staging may be good for the high end  or maybe the, er, higher end because those are the folks who can afford to keep a staged house staged.  The house cleaners com in on a regular basis and tidy things up, make the beds, etc. and the place is kept looking great.  In fact, it doesn't matter how long the … (15 comments)

staging: Making Your Home Attractive to Buyers - 01/12/08 10:27 PM
Now that you've decided to put your home on the market and make the outside look great (curb appeal) and you've priced your home competitively so that you will attract the most buyers possible it's time to make the inside look great.
In the age of the Internet and with lots of people online looking at homes it is more important than ever to make sure your home looks like a page from a magazine.  I know this is particularly hard if you have kids and/or pets but making your home look clean and attractive will help you sell your home … (1 comments)

staging: Discussion of the DC Metro Area Housing Market on WAMU -- 88.5 FM - 01/03/08 12:21 PM
I just finished listening to almost an hour of discussion on the Kojo Nnamdi Show about the housing market in the DC Metro area.  Fascinating stuff. 
There was a lot of talk about the outer Virginia suburbs (Loudon and Prince William Counties) but there was a healthy dose of discussion about the ARMs that are about to re-set, living close-in to DC vs farther away, and a few call-ins from people who had great success stories about selling their homes in a relatively short period of time.
Guess what?  The people who called in to say they sold their homes quickly (one used … (1 comments)

staging: Preparing Your Home to Sell -- Curb Appeal - 01/02/08 07:36 AM
A big part of what home owners can control when putting their home on the market is the over all condition of their home.  Certainly, curb appeal -- how your home looks when you drive up to it -- is very important.  The grass should be nicely mowed and any gardening or landscaping should look as nice as possible.  Any major items should be stored away.  These include things like toys, trash cans and recycling bins, tools and other big things that take away from the overall appearance of the house.
It's important to have good curb appeal for two reasons: … (2 comments)

staging: How Long Will It Take Your House To Sell? - 12/29/07 09:50 AM
When you're deciding on what to price your home for in order for it to sell, it is interesting to see how long, in general, it is taking for homes to sell in your area. This is known as the absorption rate.
The table below is for all the homes in College Park and Berwyn Heights (20740) during the last 365 days (12 months), 180 days (6 months) and 90 days (3 months). 
This table is very general.  It takes into consideration all homes within all price ranges. Higher priced homes as well as lower priced homes.  Believe it or not, you can … (0 comments)

staging: Preparing Your Home to Sell -- Location - 12/27/07 08:46 PM
There is an old saying that says the three most important things about real estate is "Location. Location. Location."  This has been repeated so often by so many that no one questions it anymore.  The fact of the matter is that, as important as location is with real estate, it is not the only important aspect.  As I mentioned in my two previous posts, Price and Condition, are equally, in not more important than Location.
It is location that you, as a home seller, have no control over.  Your house is on it's piece of the earth and, more than likely, it … (0 comments)

staging: Preparing Your Home to Sell -- Condtion - 12/24/07 09:35 AM
Back in the days of the boom, home sellers really didn't need to do anything to fix up their home in order to prepare it for sale.  Heck, all they really needed to do is put it on the market, advertise a bit and, WHAM!, people seemed to be ready to line up to buy it.
In fact, many people didn't even tidy their place up.  Clothes on the floor, dishes in the sink, dirty carpets and marked up walls were pretty normal. And that's just the cosmetic stuff.  Forget fixing the roof or the leaking faucet or the malfunctioning electrical outlets.
If … (0 comments)

staging: Home Trends for 2008 - 12/21/07 01:52 PM
Every so often Lowe's, the home improvement store, sends me e-mail with tips about selling homes and things to do that might make my job a little easier. It's always interesting to read and since it's just one page I can pick up an idea or two I can pass on to my clients. So, if you're interested in what Lowe's has to say about Home Trends in 2008 all you have to do is Click Here to download and print out the flyer.
… (0 comments)