1. First Impressions Roll out your carpet for potential homebuyers by sprucing up the entryways. Welcome mats, planeters filled with  beautiful flowers, and clutter-free foyers set the stage.

    2. Sell the space, not your stuff! Remember the goal of a successful showing is to make a prospect feel at home- like it's theirs, not yours. Put away  all your personal collections. Less is more: open up your space so prospects can see they're buying.

    3. Paint and elbow grease works wonders. New paint and a thorough cleaning will give you a "bang for your buck." Remember netural walls are your best bet when staging a home for sale. Home Depot has all the right shades to make your home inviting. Check out www.homedepot.com for fun tools and netural colors.

   4. Go with the flow. Arrange furniture for easy traffic flow. Considering a peice of furniture at an angle, such as a desk or couch. Angles add intrest and can create a open feel.

   5. See the light. Arrange window treatments and move lamps to dark corners, so that natural light comes through the room. Brighter is better, and it will make your rooms look larger.

  6. Go green. Live plans can add decrative flair, without spending much. Plants and cut flowers have a way of lighting up your room.

  7.  Don't forget the outdoors, espically this time of year.  If you have a deck, porch or patio, clean and replace worn cushions. Bring new life into your deck with a fresh finish. Home Depot has a variety of deck stainging and sealing products.

  8. Make the kitchen sparkle.  De-clutter the countertops by removing, food processors, toasters and other items. If you have a breakfast table or counter, put out table settings and place mats, napkins and dinnerware.

  9. Warm up an empty home. If your home is vacant, consider renting furniture. Ask your real estate professional for advice, based on your home's features and selling points.

1. Clean everything thoroughly. Ask a friend to help you assess your efforts-especially in sensitive areas such as odor removal.
2. Put out clean towels, new soap, a nice tablecloth and fresh flowers.
3. Don't be at home during a showing or open house. Your absence will put buyers at ease so they'll feel free to linger and ask questions.
4. If you do stay, be polite, but let your sales associate do the talking.
5. Don't apologize for the condition of your home.
6. Make sure kids and pets are out of the house.
7. Unclutter all areas of your home to create an impression of spaciousness and plentiful storage space. A great way to clear away clutter and make money at the same time is to hold a yard or garage sale.
8. Nothing makes a home look newer faster than a fresh coat of paint. Neutral colors such as beige, white, off-white and gray have a broad appeal to prospective buyers. These colors suggest newness and cleanliness. It's a good idea to stick to neutrals when making any improvements prior to selling your home.

CURRENT PERC, SEWAGE PERMIT AND 4 BEDROOM SEPTIC DESIGN. LOT PARTIALLY CLEARED AND DRIVEWAY CUT IN. LEVEL TOPOGRAPHY LOCATED IN POCONO MOUNTAIN WATER FOREST. HOUSE BLUEPRINTS AVAILABE FOR 5,000 SQ FT HOME. ALL YA' HAVE TO DO IS START BUILDING!

Created by the I.R.S. in 1990, section 1031 of the Internal Revenue Code allows taxpayers, with the aid of a Qualified Intermediary, to sell investment or income property solely for the purchase of other "like-kind" property within 180 days and to defer the capital gains taxes normally associated with such a sale. In essence, the taxpayer is exchanging one income property for another and deferring the gain in the process.

Known as a 1031 or a tax-deferred exchange, this strategy can be utilized again and again, allowing taxpayers to continue to defer gains throughout their lifetime and to accumulate more and more quality real estate.

With a 1031 Exchange, taxpayers can also consolidate, diversify, or convert the nature of investment properties in preparation for relocation, retirement, or even setting up heirs to inherit gain-free properties in the future. With a little planning, the 1031 Exchange can be a perfect tool for acquiring an ideal retirement home or setting up an inheritance for one's children.

By learning the basics of 1031 Exchanges, you can enhance your value as an advisor to your clients. And here's the best part: there are specific marketing strategies loan officers and real estate agents may utilize together to attract clients who will benefit from these transactions.

Have you ever noticed that some of your most innovative thoughts have happened at the oddest times? The reason for this is that your brain wasn't occupied with your ongoing "to do" list, so it was finally free to explore new ideas.

If you want to do more creative thinking, then you need to establish a system for organizing your tasks. Begin by collecting them in an in box. What should you do with the items once you've accumulated them? According to David Allen, the best-selling author of Getting Things Done, the first step is to ask, what is it? Is it actionable? If you can't act on it, then put it into one of three categories: reference, such as a noteworthy article; someday-maybe, which is a task that you might do later; and trash. The filing principles we're discussing here work equally well with manila folders and a circular file, but in our example we'll be using Microsoft Outlook.

Many of us use Outlook's tasks function, but for some the list has degenerated into an "amorphous blob of undoability", according to Allen. He suggests organizing Outlook tasks using categories. For tasks that require no immediate action, but might happen eventually, produce a category called someday-maybe. Create each task in this category with a potential start date and a scheduled reminder. If there are items that should be referenced, you can file them in an appropriate folder on your hard drive or in a file cabinet. Remove trash as soon as you can.

If the item is actionable, you will have to decide on the next step. This step will either be to do it, delegate it, or defer it. If a task can be handled in 2 minutes or less, Allen says simply do it. It will take longer to file and retrieve it later.

If you can delegate a task, do so. Outlook gives you the option of assigning a task to somebody else, setting due dates and priority, and sending the task to a recipient in your contacts list. It will also notify you when the task is reported done. You can file this task in your new Outlook category, waiting for.

If you can't handle a task immediately, Allen suggests deferring it to a category where it can be done. Examples include: @phone, if you have to call a client; @home, if you need to mow the lawn; @office, if you need to prepare a presentation, etc. If a task has to be done at a specific time on a specific day, put it in the Outlook calendar. Don't forget to set reminders.

Of course you will have projects that can't be handled as simply. Any task that involves more than one step should be filed in the task manager under projects. David Allen suggests that on a weekly basis, you should review all tasks listed under projects and ask yourself, "What is the next action?" This will ensure that you continue to make forward progress.

Do you ever find that you're having trouble pulling your car into the garage because you have so much stored in there?  Clean it up by storing everything you can at a helpful relative's home or a rented storage unit.  This way, your garage area will appear larger, and when it comes time for you to move, you will be more organized.