It is common knowledge that you need to prepare your house for sale. You would have to be living under a rock not to know that you have to "declutter"to make your house more desirable, and it is highly unlikely that you haven't seen some form of home staging show on television.
So, I have a question for you....
What gives?
How is it possible that there are so many filthy, cluttered, poorly maintained houses out there on the market?
I'm not talking about running into one every now and then. I'm talking about more times than not...
The market is cluttered with "BEFORE" pictures!
Maybe it's just me...maybe it's the nature of my work...
I am, after all, called in to give advice. Maybe I'm only seeing the ones that really need help. Maybe I've spent too much time checking out houses on the MLS.
For those who are serious about selling their house? Here is some free advice...
Get the buyers' attention. Show them something that they are not expecting.
Surprise them!
After a long day of touring nightmares,
make your house the house of their dreams.
Show them something they didn't see in any of the other houses. Show them clean, organized, freshly painted. Show them light and spacious.
Here is a novel idea:
Clean under the sink, organize all the cabinets, drawers, and closets. Clean inside the oven and refrigerator. Clean all the windows.
It's really not that hard to impress buyers when your competition is so bad!
More information on preparing your house for sale:
We were pleasantly surprised Wednesday night when my daughter, Jaime, called to say that she was in the hospital. Her due date wasn't until Friday. They were keeping her overnight, although she didn't expect anything to happen. She was having some cramping, but it certainly didn't feel like labor to her.
Thursday morning around 9:30 not much had changed, and the doctor decided to break her water. That is all it took to get things moving. At 11:50 am little Zachary James was born.
Jaime spent less than 2 hours in the birthing tub. For anyone considering a water birth, she highly recommends it.
Both mother and son are doing very well! Here are my first photos of my new grandson:
He did not enjoy his first bath at all!
But, it was so cute to see him grab on to the side of the tub!
To all of you that have requested pictures:
Be careful what you wish for! This grandmother has a camera and she is not afraid to use it!
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Professional Home Staging services for the New Hampshire Seacoast
Do you know your neighbors? I mean REALLY know your neighbors?
I'm blessed to live in a wonderful community that is postcard pretty, peaceful and relatively safe. That being said, there are criminals amongst us, no matter where we live. People who have, and would, do harm to us and ours. Are you safe? You have a right to know.
Life would be good if the dangerous and unsavory characters were readily apparent, if something about them that made it obvious to us that danger was present so we would know to keep our distance and keep our guard up.
That is not the reality, but there is a site we can go to that will pull up a map of our neighborhood with homes of felons flagged. It's felonspy.com. Just enter your address and up pops your neighborhood map flagged with names, age of the felons and crimes committed. I pulled up my own rural neighborhood and was surprised by the close proximity of 5 men from 22 to 45 who had been convicted of: attempted rape, 1st degree unlawful imprisonment, attempted sexual conduct with a child, and two convicted of aggravated sexual abuse.
Take a minute to check out your neighborhood, and then pass the link on to the people you love and care about.
Janna Rankin Scharfprovides a superior level of real estate services to home buyers and sellers in Coeur d'Alene and Kootenai County, Idaho. Visit www.JannaScharf.com to search for homes in the Coeur d'Alene MLS for anywhere in spectacular North Idaho.
No matter how grand or modest your real estate dreamsmay be, you can turn to me in confidence. Give me a call today and let me know what I can do to be of service to you!
How are you using your blog to enhance your existing relationships with clients and prospects?
My blog is enhancing ALL of my relationships. It's a source of communication in both my business and my personal life. Sure it started out as a form of marketing, a way to get my website recognized by Google. But it has developed into much more than that.
My blog is posted to Twitter and Facebook which, in addition to helping create business connections, has become a great way for family and friends to stay connected to me. There are people who only read my blog for the "family/personal" posts, but each time they do...they are reminded of my business.
My clients and prospects are sellers and realtors. Their primary reason for visiting my blog is for advice on preparing a house for sale. Clients find information on home staging in my posts, but they also get to know me on a personal level. I also write about my life and family, local happenings, creative ideas and favorite recipes. Even after their house sells, many clients still follow my blog to see what is going on in my life and to continue getting creative and helpful ideas they can use in their life.
I use my blog to establish a connection with people. I want them to feel like they know me and, even if we have never met, I want them to consider me a friend.
I use my blog posts in my monthly Newsletter. Each month I incorporate at least one post linking back to my ActiveRain blog.
Bob's question about using my blog made me realize that I am not using my blog to it's full potential.
Once the posts are written and read, they are history. I wanted a way to use the posts again, recycle them, or reintroduce them in another format. I've been wanting to create a second monthly email of some sort and until now haven't been able to come up with an idea for one.
So, thanks to Bob, I have my idea.
I created an index of all my past home staging posts, grouping them by subject. I included the date they were posted so I know where to find them in my archives.
My current Newsletter goes out the middle of each month.
Two weeks later, at the end of each month, I'm going to send out a mailing entitled:
"In Case You Missed It The First Time"
with links to three or four past blog posts.
I've also got another idea to use past blog post links in follow-up correspondence to realtors. I'll post more details on that as it develops.
Bob's question really got me thinking, and I am excited about the results!
Make friendsin the Rain!
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Professional Home Staging services for the New Hampshire Seacoast
Professional home staging is the art of preparing a home for sale in an attempt to make the home more appealing to buyers, so that the house spends less time on the market.
This post written by Steve Loynd points out a mistake that many sellers make when listing their home...listing too high. Professional staging and the right price will save you time, money and stress.
Live like you are dying, the lyrics of this Tim McGraw song speaks volumes to many different people.
As I listened to what this song is advocating, It occurred to me many sellers should heed this lesson. They put a price on a property that they think "someday" it may sell for. If moving on with your life requires the sale of a property you own...there is not an infinite amount of time to accomplish this sale. Life is Short.
What got me thinking about this, is I have several short sales a bank owned sale and a probate property that are pending. With these sales the process to close will be longer (in some cases much longer) than the time it took to find a buyer. The price was right, the buyers where motivated and the sellers showed their willingness to sell, by pricing the property to sell.
List like the market is dying. Life is Short.
#1 If you are going to buy after this sale...the sooner you sell the sooner you are in the buyers shoes (you are merely trading equity...if you buy a replacement property).
#2 Moving on is far less painful than hanging on (how many months of mortgages, taxes, insurance utilities will be spend holding...after you admit you want to sell).
#3 You may be better off renting for a time (dropping the major maintenance costs and healing your credit may put you in a better place in the long run than draining your savings, while waiting to score on unrealistic re-sales).
My Bucket list doesn't include living in a home I can't afford...and waiting for someone to over pay me for the same privileges. Life is Short.
Steve Loynd, White Mountain New Hampshire real Estate Expert
Even though the market is slowly turning in the "right direction", it still has a LONG way to go. Sellers are having a hard time getting enough money out of their home. This is nothing new, we all know of this problem but some of us don't know how to deal with it when selling your house.
It does not have to cost a lot of money to take measures to make your property more valuable, more desirable. Bottom line, when you decide to sell your house your next decision should be what are my steps to take to prepare it for the market. Your goal should be to dress your house to make people fall in love with it.
There are 3 things that you must consider when selling your house:
1.Product, how does your house present itself, is it "Dressed to Market"?
2. Price, is your house at the right price point for the neighborhood, current condition?
3. Presentation, is your Realtor marketing your house to its full potential?
Curb Appeal, does your property have it?
First impressions are critical. If the outside of your house doesn't look nice, then some buyers might be tempted to drive right on by. Buyers are likely to jump in their car and just drive through neighborhoods that they can see themselves moving to. If the exterior of a house looks horrible, they will be less likely to contact their Realtor and ask to see the house.
Do not have things outside that shouldn't be outside. Keep trash barrels out of sight. Be sure that your mailbox is clean, not rusted. The yard should be trimmed on a regular basis and keep shrubs looking neat. Too much landscaping can be a bad thing. Thin it out if need be. Weeds, really...no way.
Front doors say a lot. Put a fresh coat of paint or stain on it. Change the color to change the look of your porch. Put some flowers or something for the current season on the porch to make it seem inviting.
Clutter, clear it!
While you love your personal photos hanging on the wall or sitting out on furniture, the buyer does not. I am guilty myself. I have several photos of my family all over my home. But when you are getting ready to sell, get rid of anything that says that it is your house. So not only do you want to put away those photos but also anything else that is personal, i.e. diplomas, souvenirs, trophies, etc.
Don't have furniture blocking flow in a room or making the room appear to be too small. Get rid of unneeded furniture.
Other small changes can also make a big difference. Paint color & minor flaws are easy fixes that can make a big difference. Just by changing the wall color you can freshen up the look of a room. Do you have dirty baseboards, caulking that needs re-done, or drywall blemishes? All of these things can appear to be major by looking at them, fortunately, they are not hard to fix.
Is your house naked?
Please don't show it naked. If there isn't furniture in a house then there is not much for the buyers' eyes to stop and look at. Vacant house showings are much quicker than a fully furnished house. If a builder is selling a new market home, they have them fully furnished and looking very cozy and live-able. There is a reason for that.
Consult a home stager to work with you to provide the furnishings at a monthly rental price. Give the buyers something to look at.
Stinky houses don't sell
Does your house pass the smell test? Unfortunately, as much as your pet is a beloved part of the family he/she may leave a lingering odor that non-pet owners do not appreciate and therefore your buyer pool is reduced even more.
Do you love to cook with garlic? Many food odors can linger in the air as well as smoke. Try and refrain from smoking in the house while it is on the market. Keep the garbage empty and occasionally grind up an orange peel in your garbage disposal to keep it smelling nice.
You can easily purchase a coffee mug warmer and warm scented oil or scented tart in a glass bowl to infuse a pleasant smell throughout the house. Be careful on the scent that you choose. Do not let it overwhelm the space.
Who is marketing your house?
There are so many Realtors out there, how do you choose? The old fashioned way still works great. Ask all of your family, friends, neighbors...who do they recommend? You could also turn to the Internet. There are so many avenues to get into contact with a Realtor online. Or, if you plan to do it yourself, there are companies like ForSaleByOwner that will give you the tools to do so.
This is a lot to think about but so is selling your house. Why not take some time and prepare it for market in order to make the most money in the process.
GOOD LUCK! make it fun!
"is your house Dressed to Market?"
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Professional Home Staging services for the New Hampshire Seacoast
My new Facebook friend Janet posted a link to a blog by Bake Me a Wish! that tells of a lady who saved her home from foreclosure by baking 4000 Apple Cakes!
Now that's clever! This past summer, 56 year old Angela Logan was facing the foreclosure of her home of 20 years. She decided to bake and sell her much-loved apple cake recipe, an endeavor that struck a cord with people all over the world. When she had more orders than she could manage, New York based Bake Me a Wish! came to her rescue. She has since trademarked her signature cake, now known as the Mortgage Apple Cake. Her motto: Stopping Foreclosure One Cake at a Time!
She has emerged from foreclosure and is now paying it forward. Says Logan, "People really rallied behind me and helped me when I needed it most, so I really want to pay it forward and let my cakes help others. The big lesson I learned through my ordeal is that there is no shame admitting there is a problem and then asking for help. Help is truly out there."
Angela is paying it forward with a new association with GreenPath Debt Solutions, a nationwide nonprofit consumer credit counseling service
"When we learned of what Angela had gone through, what she did to save her home and how her story resonated with others, we were happy to learn she wanted to help GreenPath in its mission..." said Jane McNamara, President and CEO of GreenPath.
If you are facing foresclosure in Coeur d'Alene or the surrounding area, give me a call to talk about alternatives that may be available to you to save your home. As Angela said, there is no shame in asking for help.
Now if you're hungry for Apple Cake after reading this, like I am, here is a recipe that looks fabulous. I found it at Diana's Desserts and I'm going to make one of these as soon as I get home!
Janna Rankin Scharfprovides a superior level of real estate services to home buyers and sellers in Coeur d'Alene and Kootenai County, Idaho. Visit www.JannaScharf.com to search for homes in the Coeur d'Alene MLS for anywhere in spectacular North Idaho.
No matter how grand or modest your real estate dreamsmay be, you can turn to me in confidence. Give me a call today and let me know what I can do to be of service to you!
It's been awhile since I posted baby photos, so I thought I would share some favorites of my grandson, Jack. He has taken over our lives and our hearts and, although he is only fourteen weeks old, he is growing and changing so fast.
He has been a very busy boy:
Making friends with green elephants
Watching his favorite music videos
Learning the hand signals for baseball
Learning to read with Papi
Learning to walk (even if it is only backwards)
Practicing being cute
Mastering the fine art of manipulation, using facial expression
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Professional Home Staging services for the New Hampshire Seacoast
Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.
So, I have a question for you....
For those who are serious about selling their house? Here is some free advice... 
Janna Rankin Scharf
My clients and prospects are sellers and realtors. Their primary reason for visiting my blog is for advice on preparing a house for sale. Clients find information on home staging in my posts, but they also get to know me on a personal level. I also write about my life and family, local happenings, creative ideas and favorite recipes. Even after their house sells, many clients still follow my blog to see what is going on in my life and to continue getting creative and helpful ideas they can use in their life.
I created an index of all my past home staging posts, grouping them by subject. I included the date they were posted so I know where to find them in my archives.
in the Rain!
Steve Loynd, White Mountain New Hampshire real Estate Expert
"is your house Dressed to Market?"
My new Facebook friend Janet posted a link to a blog by 
;)
;)
