Debbie Fiskum-The Home Decor Genie! Perfect Home Staging's Blog

I Want To Sell This Home Fast. Can't You Just Make it Look "Nice?"

Fri, 25 Dec 2009 14:48:17 -0800

When I walk into a home that I've been asked to look at for staging, it's always a new and exciting challenge. My mind starts coming up with scenarios about all the stuff that could be done to make it look fabulous! So, I put my report together and recommend changes that could put this home out ahead of the market. Then the shoe drops and what was once a possiblity is now just a matter of what is the least we can do to get this house sold?

It's so frustrating when sellers won't do what needs to be done to make their house the best it can be. One that I've been working on is in an upscale neighborhood but is an older home. The owners have never painted the white walls. They re-did the flooring in the kitchen and bathrooms - with a blue-patterned vinyl stick-on tiles! It desparately needs the countertops upgraded and some of the cabinets could use a facelift.

Now, I understand that all of this will cost them a little bit of money. But, they want to know: can you just make it look nice so we can get it sold? Oh, and we want the going price for this market! I can certainly come in and make it look better with plants, artwork and some furniture. But the fact remains that people will notice that this home hasn't been upgraded and other ones in the area have.

A little bit of staging goes a long way to improve the emotional appeal of a home, but nothing will hide the fact about what the home really has to offer. Upgrades are important and a good home stager should recommend these. If the seller can't or won't do these then they will have to settle for less when the home finally does sell. Our job is to keep letting seller know from our experience what it takes for a house to sell quickly and for a good price!

For more information on what it takes to stage a home well, get my new ebook: Stage Your Home Yourself-Insiders Secrets That Will Get It SOLD! http://www.bit.ly/JmeYp

Or if you'd like a sample that includes the introduction and the table of contents, download it here: http://bit.ly/79ggbs

Let me know what you think!

I Want to Sell This Home Fast. Can't You Just Make it Look "Nice?"

Fri, 25 Dec 2009 14:45:01 -0800

For more information on what it takes to stage a home well, get my new ebook: Stage Your Home Yourself-Insiders Secrets That Will Get It SOLD! http://www.bit.ly/JmeYp

Or if you'd like a sample that includes the introduction and the table of contents, download it here: http://bit.ly/79ggbs

Let me know what you think!

Do It Yourself Home Staging Or Hire A Professional Home Stager?

Sat, 05 Dec 2009 15:58:35 -0800

When a home owner puts their home on the market, they don't want to wait forever to get it sold, or to suffer price reductions. So, the best solution is to prepare their home so it shows well and encourages buyers to make great offers.

How can we do this? Home staging is the art of preparing their home so it showcases the best features of the home and minimizes the less than desirable ones. Homes that are staged, almost always show better, sell faster and bring a better price than those that aren't staged.

As a professional home stager in Denver, of course I recommend that they have a professional come in and stage the home. I can do it faster, better, I know the market and what will get them the best price. So an investment in home staging generally will come back to the home owner in a higher price and more efficient sale.

However, there will always be those out there that insist on "doing it themselves" and that may be ok - if they know what to do! Here are a couple of options for home owners who want to do their own:

I offer Virtual Home Staging that lets sellers submit photos online and get a report plus a discussion about what will enhance their home. They can then decide if they want to do it all or if they should hire some of it done. If they do the work, they will usually get a better sale.

Another alternative is to do it by the book! Stage Your Home Yourself-Insiders Secrets That Will Get It SOLD!
In this "ebook" sellers can go though each room step-by-step to stage it themselves and get their home ready. My exclusive Home Staging Checkists will help them prioritize the entire project and even help with budgeting!

Either of these "alternatives" may a good way to pass on another service to your clients and help them sell their home. Right now, both products are offered at special, introductory prices.

I'm looking for realtors that want to promote these products and earn an additional commission when their clients buy. Let me know if you'd like to become an affiliate!

To better and quicker home sales! Let's work together to help our clients!

Got Clients That Want To Stage Their Home Themselves? This might help...

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:30:52 -0800

Now, before going further, I'd like to say that I am a home stager - and pretty good at, I think. I believe in staging homes and I believe that they should be staged by a professional. However, we all have those people who want to do it all themselves and that includes home staging!

If you have talked about staging to them and offered them good reasons to stage their home, but they still insist on doing it themselves, have I got a deal for you! You can now offer them an instantly downloadable "ebook" that will walk them through each step of the way to stage their home. It includes my exclusive "home staging checklists" that will help them prioritize the job and even help them set a budget for the project!

They will also get my "going green" tips and suggestions so they can feature these as they show their house. The book will also help them decide which things they really can do themselves and what things are better hired-out.

So, if you're looking for a way to get them to prepare their home so it will show well, this just might be the thing! Right now, I'm offering this ebook at an introductory price of only $19! It will be $27 and I'm looking for affiliate partners that are interested in cross-promoting and earning a commission of up to 50% on each book sold.

If you'd like to read a sample which includes the introduction and the table of contents, download it here:

Sample of Stage Your Home Yourself..ebook

If you are ready to check out the whole book, click on the link below.

Stage Your Home Yourself-Insiders Secrets That Will Get It SOLD!

I'd love to know what you think and if anyone is interested in partnering with me as an affiliate, please let me know. I'd be happy to send out special offers that you have as well. We can help each other out as we help out clients!

Testimonial from a customer:

Debbie, What a great book you have written! I liked your style, it is easy to read and feels like I'm sitting there talking with you. I think I can use this book to re-do my house just by using the checklists. I swear sometimes this house looks like a warehouse! If people buy and read this book, it will be very helpful for them.

Linda Backhaus, Auckland, New Zealand

Need an alternative to offer your clients for home staging?

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 19:01:37 -0700

Are you looking for a way to get your clients to stage their home? (and believe me, MANY of them need it!). Don't get me wrong, I STILL believe that most homes need a good stager that comes to the home and works with the client to get the home staged. However, I realize that some people just won't hire a home stager and some of the agents don't pay for it. (a lot of them in Denver do however - thank you!)

So, as an alternative, I offer you my newest "e-book" that you can have your clients buy - or better yet, offer it to them at your cost as a gift! Right now for a limited time, it's only $!9!! It will go back up to $27 but get it now while it's on special!

What will you get in this comprehensive book on home staging? You'll get:

My exclusive, easy to use "home staging checklists" that will walk them through every step of staging their home to sell
"Going Green" suggestions to feature when selling their home
Help to prioritize the job of staging their home
Tools to help set a budget and get the job done
Great design principals that they can use in their new home

Now you can offer your clients either an in-person home staging session, or this great e-book to help them do it themselves!

Check it out here

http://www.ptstaging.com/StageYourHomeYourselfebook.html

Let me know what you think!

Debbie

Staging Consultations for $75!

Thu, 03 Sep 2009 19:04:32 -0700

The Home Decor Genie is now offering your clients staging consultations starting at $75! That's a REAL bargain, considering many of the them are over $100! Here's what I'm offering:

$75 I'll spend up to 2 hours at a clients home (or office) and go through everything. I'll let them know just what needs to be done to get it in top selling condition. They will have to take notes and remember what I tell them. We won't do any "hands-on" stuff at this one, but they will know what needs to be done, what is most important and why it should be done.

$150 They will get the same as above, except that I will furnish them a detailed, written report that they can then use to go through the home room-by-room and get it staged. We may also do some "hands-on" stuff while I'm there. I often rearrange some furniture with permission, or straighten shelves and let them see what a little staging can do! Sometimes we get the whole job done while I'm there! Another bargain for those serious about getting their home SOLD!

Now they are free to do the work themselves or have my team come in and do it for them. It's up to them and there's no pressure to do more. All other services are billed at an hourly rate. It's easy for them and easy for me!

And to save even more - my new ebook: Stage Your Home Yourself! Insider's Secrets To Get It SOLD! is just about ready to launch! I'm looking for some realtors that want to partner up with me. Let me know if this interests you!! (You don't have to be in Denver to be a partner)

Let me do the "dirty" work and you maintain that special relationship with your client. I'll tell them the hard stuff that they need to hear!

The Home Decor Genie!

Upgrade to granite countertops for less!

Sun, 24 May 2009 22:52:45 -0700

If you're staging a home for a quick sale and it needs a kitchen update, here's a way to save a little cash! You can get granite for less by checking some of the resellers or outlets. They often have overruns and full runs that you can get for a lot less than full service dealers.

Nothing sells a home like a well-designed kitchen!

Just a few hours left! Free Call: How to Use Social Networking to Build Clients

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 21:52:06 -0700

If you need help on how to use social networking to build your client base and increase sales, don't miss this call

http://tinyurl.com/cwcqw3

I'll be on the call too! I need all the help I can get. Let me know what you think if you join the call!

Debbie, The Home Decor Genie!

Use Social Networking to Blast Your Sales!

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 16:09:02 -0700

Are you wondering how Twitter, Facebook, and other networking sites can boost your client base? People all over are using these and you should too! If you're confused or just need a little help, Biana Babinsky is holding a FREE teleseminar Fri. Apr 17. If you are interested in how you can use these online social networking sites, check it out here:

<a
href="http://www.avocadoconsulting.com/prod/products/product_info.php?ref=288&products_id=51&affiliate_banner_id=46">How
To Get Clients</a>

I'll be on the call too! I need all the help I can get. Let me know what you think if you join the call!

Debbie, The Home Decor Genie!

Home Decor Genie hosts and Open House at the Vision of Home Tour

Tue, 31 Mar 2009 12:14:14 -0700

Come by the open house today for the Vision of Homes Tour! (www.VisionOfHome.info) Check out the apartment decorated by "yours truly", The Home Decor Genie!

The Vision for this apartment was written by Steve Kozleski, a Denver area firefighter. His ideal apartment would "Bring the Outdoors, In" so I created a place that is calming, soothing and filled with reminders of the outdoors. This is home decorating at it's best!

Come see the wall-sized mural, the indoor fountain and the beautiful log furniture!

Open house today:

2-6pm

Parliament Apartment Homes

4363 S. Quebec St

Denver, CO

Let me know what you think!

Home Decor Genie Great Home Decorating Ideas at the Vision of Home Tour

Tue, 31 Mar 2009 11:52:19 -0700

Home Decor Genie Great Home Decorating Ideas at the Vision of Home Tour You'll get some new home decorating ideas if you visit some of the apartments on the Vision of Home Tour in Denver.

Get the info here: Vision of Home Tour

and go see some (or all) of the places! Each one features a "vision" written by a fairly well-known person in Denver (like Mayor John Hickenlooper, Denver Broncos Cheerleader, A Denver Firefighter, etc.)

They write their vision of an ideal apartment. Then someone, like me, gets to bring it to life by decorating it to fit the theme. It's home decorating at it's best! I had so much fun doing the apartment at
Parliament Apartment Homes in the Denver Tech Center (4363 S. Quebec St., Denver)

If you love the outdoors, you'll love the fountain, aspen log furniture, and large wall murals! Then, I really encourage you to VOTE! If you think Parliament fit the theme and is well-done then cast your vote for your favorite home decorator. Check out a couple of photos below.

[caption id="attachment_531" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Dining area with log pub-style set"][/caption][caption id="attachment_533" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Room-sized mural in the living room"][/caption] Let me know what you think! More later! Sorry about the pics - I'm so new at this tech stuff!

Any Realtors In the Denver Area Specialize in Working With Seniors?

Sun, 01 Feb 2009 20:01:53 -0800

Hi, I was just wondering if any of you work with or know of realtors that work specifically with senior citizens. My partner & I are looking to connect with you. We offer a "downsizing service for seniors" that assists them after they (or their family) makes the decision to move.

It can be quite overwhelming for them to plan and execute a move and all the details that go with it. When my parents needed to move from their home in Sun City, AZ to Denver to be near us, it was actually paralyzing for them. Until we got them some help, they were not able to get going on the things they needed to do and make the contacts they needed to do to move.

This is a collaboration of my company, Perfect Transformations and Cathy Burkhart of DCB Services. Please let us know if you know people who need our services!

Thanks, Debbie Fiskum, The Home Decor Genie, Denver

Help! I Need Help Setting the Appointment!

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 15:33:46 -0800

Anyone have good suggestions out there for setting the home staging appointment when a new customer calls? I signed up for a service and have been getting a few leads. However, it seems that many are "fishing" and I can't seem to set the appointment.

When they ask, "how much", I try to steer the conversation to find out what they need or are looking for, but they either come back to price or don't want to set an appointment. (maybe it's what I'm saying...or not saying...) help!

What about "free" consultations? If you offer free ones, do you make your money on the report or do you just give your advice away for free and hope they'll hire you?

Home Decor Genie Now Offers a Valuable Downsizing and Moving Service For Seniors!

Thu, 22 Jan 2009 23:16:01 -0800

Downsizing for Seniors! Home Decor Genie along with Cathy Burkhart now offer several services for seniors to help make their lives easier.
Moving can be stressful anytime, but when you are in your "Golden Years" it can be downright overwhelming! So, PTstaging and DCB Services,LLC have teamed up to help our senior citizens with all the details of deciding when is the right time to move into a senior facility, and what needs to be done to make that happen.
We handle all the aspects of a move including: deciding what needs to go and what should be sold, given away or stored. We coordinate the movers, take care of utilities, help with organizing, packing, unpacking, decorating and re-designing the new place, and clean-up, repair and more.
Sometimes all it takes is a consultation and providing a detailed and prioritized list of "to-do" and other times they may need all of the details taken care of for them. This is especially true if there is no family close by and no one to help with coordinating the move.
We also put on seminars in the Denver area each month to let them and their families know that these services are available. Here, we go into more detail about our services and the services of our affiliate, All About Seniors, who can handle assessments, referrals and placements.

When: Sun, Feb 15 1-2pm
Where: Lone Tree Library
Contact: Debbie 303-359-0280

For more info about what we do, please leave a comment and I'll be glad to answer or even contact you by phone. Realtors, this can be a valuable resource for your clients who need to move, but don't have the ability to do it themselves. We can help.

Seniors - Plan Your Future - What Are Your Options

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 23:49:09 -0800

The Home Decor Genie asks,
Seniors - Plan Your Future - What Are Your Options? Join us for an informal meeting to explore options you have for your future. If you need to downsize, or are thinking about moving, or need to make your home easier to get around in, then join us!

Cyndi and Marnie of All About Seniors, LLC will talk about the many housing options available to you. They can help you plan for a future move or help you right now. They do assessments, placements and referrals and their services are free to seniors and their families!

Debbie and Cathy of DCB Senior Services will discuss assistance that is available to help you with moving, downsizing and all the details that go along with that. And, if you plan to stay in your home, but need help making it easier to get around, we can help with that as well.

When: Thurs morning, Jan 22
Where: the Manor at Marston Lake 4800 Wadsworth Blvd, Lakewood, CO 80123
Time: 10 am
No Charge, and coffee and rolls will be served!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Let me know if you are interested, seating is limited!

Contact Debbie at 303-359-0280

Are You Losing Customers?

Sat, 03 Jan 2009 20:12:03 -0800

The Home Decor Genie ask, "Are You Losing Customers?"

As a home stager in the Denver area, I know how competitive it is and how important good clients are!

Do you know the secret to building a strong and lasting network? I just attended a networking meeting and the discussion was all about building and keeping customers, also known as: Raving Fans!

They discussed how important it is to stay connected to all your clients. This is the place where most people quit in their marketing plan. It's so important to keep "touching" these peope periodically by email, snail mail, and in person when possible. Some of these contacts can be follow-ups for jobs done, but most should just be "staying in touch." Sending a thank-you; or an article that might fit their needs; or asking for a referral occasionally, and just a "hi" once in awhile. You never know where your next home decorating or home staging client will come from and you don't know who your clients will refer to you. The goal is to be the decorator/stager that is always in front of them. The next time they or a friend needs your type of service, guess who they'll call? (Whoever is in front of them at the time!)

I also send a message to clients a week or so after a job and let them know that if they refer someone who uses my services, I'll send them a $25 gift card to the restaurant of their choice. It works! Build your network of Raving Fans and let them work for you.

The Home Decor Genie, www.Home-Decor-Genie.com

Home Decor Genie asks: Denver reators - Could you sell more properties if they were better presented?

Fri, 02 Jan 2009 22:10:13 -0800

Properties that are well-staged by a professional home stager sell better - no question about it! As the owner of Perfect Transformations, I'm also known as the Home Decor Genie! I know what to do to stage a home to get results! Whether a home is occupied or vacant, home staging can improve it's visibility.

Call me now and give your listings the best advantage you can! I'll work with you to get them sold.

Debbie Fiskum, the Home Decor Genie 303-359-0280 or check my local website:

www.ptstaging.com

The Home Decor Genie asks: Are You Ready to Roll for the New Year ?

Sat, 27 Dec 2008 17:21:27 -0800

Wow! The Home Decor Genie here. I hope your holidays were fabulous! We spent a lot of time eating, schmoozing and visiting with family. It's always my favorite time of year. It always reminds me that relationships with people are what's really important in life.

With that said, relationships ARE super important! So, my goal is to work on building solid relationships with realtors, and clients in the new year. If I want more referrals, I truly beleive that is the way to go. Since AR is such a great way to meet people, it will be a large part of my marketing plan, along with Twitter, Facebook, and several other social marketing sites. If you don't know how to use these, you can find out. There's lots of help online as well in classes, books and articles!

Since my business is home staging and home decorating, look for some great topics from me about what's new and upcoming in the industry. We'll be keeping an eye on the housing and real estate market and finding new ways to market in these challenging times.

What I do know is: realtors and home stagers can work together to get more homes sold! It doesn't have to cost a lot to stage a home, but it can cost a lot if it sits too long on the market and doens't sell! Let's work together to get this industry moving!

What's your plan for the new year? I hope to see many of you online and get to know you better!

Happy New Year!

If You Weren't There, You Missed a Fun Networking Event!!

Sun, 21 Dec 2008 13:27:09 -0800

Friday, Dec 19 my partner, Cathy and I put on a great networking event in the Denver Tech Center! We had a wonderful talk about "Pampering Yourself and Taking Care of You!" by Cathy Burkhart of DCB Services. Debra Reinhard of Your Castle Real Estate added some thoughts on "Diet and Exercise" and I wrapped it up with some ideas to "Deal With Stress!"

We gave away some great prizes and had a nice time of networking and getting to know new people. This event was a collaboration between myself, The Home Decor Genie from Pt Staging in Denver and Cathy Burkhart who owns DCB Services in Denver. Between the two of us, we can help you clean up or fix up your property for resale or rental and get it staged and ready to show and sell in record time! We also do downsizing for seniors or anyone who needs to move from a larger to a smaller place. We offer decorating services, cleaning, fixing and rental management.

We all agreed that this would be a good event to continue and we will plan another get together for the end of Jan. This one will be a "Closet Party!" If you don't know what that is, stay tuned and we'll fill you in! You'll want to be a part of this one!

These events are open to anyone who wants to network, get info on lots of different subjects, and just meet new people!

Have a Beautiful, Wonderful Christmas!

Debbie Fiskum - www.Home-Decor-Genie.com

To Keep An Inventory or Not?

Wed, 17 Dec 2008 01:49:28 -0800

The issue of buying and maintaining your own home staging inventory is a tough one. Does it really pay to invest in all that furniture? Then, to pay for storage if you don't have a large area to store it (my husband will NOT give up his garage to fill with stuff). Then, you have to move it or find movers. Not to mention the repairs and fix-up if stuff gets damaged!

I have come to a middle ground by keeping a small inventory of accent furniture, plants, accessories, and furniture that I can handle to move around. If the property requires large pieces of furniture, I have to resort to rental companies that definitely either charge too much or require a long rental period. This increases the cost to my clients which is unfortunate.

So, the dilema continues....what do you all do about this? I know many of you maintain an inventory. Do your staging jobs justify the expense of storage and moving this furniture around? What about the initial investment to purchase it?

Thanks for any input!

Debbie - www.Home-Decor-Genie.com

It's still a good idea to stage your listings.

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 16:57:30 -0700

PtStaging is ready to help you with any of your listings whether owner-occupied, vacant or foreclosures. We can get them cleaned up and help them show better. It's still good business to stage these listiings. Often these properties will bring in multiple offers if they look better (and smell better). It could make the difference between sitting on the market for a long time or selling quickly.

We can do minimal staging by just cleaning and de-cluttering. Or, in vacant homes, bringing in only a few accessories (instead of lots of furnitue). Sometimes all rooms need is a suggestion of what can be done.

Is Anyone Else Getting Tired of All the "House Hunters" on HGTV?

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 01:08:44 -0700

I used to really look forward to watching HGTV in the evenings, but lately, there doesn't seem to be any of the really good "design" shows. I miss Debbie Travis, Candace Olson, Design on a Dime, and many others. Some of them are still there, but it's far and few between. It seems it's just one "house hunters" after another or some other poorly done show.

I have no problem with HH, in fact my daughter is in a commercial for them, but it gets a little old. I loved seeing the interesting re-makes that the actual designers and decorators did. Anyone else miss these? I can't wait for the next Design Star. I do enjoy seeing what they put these contestants through.

No matter what, HGTV is still a great place to get ideas, but looking for property on TV just isn't that exciting!!

Just thought I'd make you all jealous w/my BIG FISH STORY!

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 12:56:50 -0700

We all need to take a little time off once in awhile, right? So, here are some of my pictures from our recent trip to MN and Canada. We fished, ate, played and slept! What a fabulous time. !2 of us shared a 60' houseboat on Lake of the Woods, Ontario. It's like camping in luxury. If you've never been there, it's beautiful and very peaceful.

We saw wildlife up close such as: pelicans, eagles, deer, beavers, otters and some of the others even saw a bear! Of course we caught lots of walleye, northern and some bass. There's nothing like cooking and eating fish right there! The scenery is spectacular and you get a chance to re-connect with loved ones.

I now come back refreshed and ready to work. I thougt about staging some of the rooms on the boat, but when you don't have much to work with.....anyway, it was a good time to get away, set some goals and realize that I REALLY, REALLY love what I do! I just started in January of this year as a stager in Denver and have met some really great realtors who send me most of my business. But I hope to start getting more and more referrals from clients who like my work. I've learned a lot about marketing in this new age of the internet and AR is a fantastic tool!

Thanks for all the support of the AR community out there!! Here are a few pics to enjoy and make you a "little" jealous!

Debbie

You don't really need me....do you?

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 21:12:43 -0700

Realtors & homeowners. Do you really need a stager when selling your home? Absolutely not!

You only need a stager if:

you want to sell quickly
you want to get the best price
you can't or don't want or don't have time to "do it yourself"
you need help deciding what stays, what goes and
what to do with the rest

If your listings ALL sell well and without reducing the price, you don't need me.

However, let's face it, most of us need to clear some of the "extra" stuff out. It's time to start packing and de-clutter the house. Once you do that, you can concentrate on creating focal points in the rooms. You can really show off the best features. And you'll create extra SPACE!

Home staging is different than home decorating. They're at opposite ends of the spectrum, actually. In staging, we de-clutter, de-personalize and pair down the furniture to the bare minimum. We want the home to look open and easy to move from room to room. We use accessories to compliment walls or corners, or an entry. We try to make them not too specific, say "country" or "southwest" or any other style that may send some of our buyers out the door.

On the other hand, when we decorate, it's important to sit down with the client and find out what colors they like, what they want to display, what their tastes and style is and what goes with it as far as accessories. We want to make the home or office very personal, so it is uniquely their own. If they like camoflage on the beds, go fo it! If their tastes run towards the formal and traditional, that's what it should be! If they like comfortable and casual, that's another style choice.

So, maybe you don't need a stager, but if you could use a little advice, or don't have the time, you might want to consider using my services or another home stager.

Even if you don't feel like it -- fake it!

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 20:49:41 -0700

Sometimes we just have to "fake-it!" I just finished doing a home staging consultation on a very large, expensive and nice house. It needed some tweaking here and there, but overall it was in pretty good shape. Then, we went outside.

Apparently these folks rarely if ever use their patio and it showed. They had a lovely yard, well-kept, but not too many plants or colorful flowers. The patio chairs were stacked. There was dirt and spider webs everywhere. The chair cushions were in terrible shape.

So, after a look around, I suggested we show off this area as additional living space. With fall approaching, it's a perfect time to enjoy a bererage out on the deck, and even eat out there!! This seemed quite foreign to my clients.

Anyway, long story short, we cleaned it up put the chairs in order and added some nice touches such as potted flowers, a tray of glasses on the table, a nice birdbath in the flower bed and when there's an open house or a showing, they will put out some colorful placemats and dishes. What a novel idea!!

If you aren't staging the outdoor areas, you are missing a big part of the process. A lot of people use their decks and patios as an extra room. This is just as important as the front lawn, or any other room i the house. If your clients aren't big on being outdoors, tell them to "fake-it"and pretent like they are! It will help them in the selling process to highlight this area, and buyers will see themselves sitting out there sipping a cold drink or entertaining their friends.