Staging New Hampshire

Speechless Sunday...Where's The Nipple?

Sharon Tara New Hampshire Home Stager (Sharon Tara Transformations) — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 08:48:48 -0600

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8 Myths of Staging to Sell - Busted.

Sharon Tara New Hampshire Home Stager (Sharon Tara Transformations) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 14:21:38 -0600

Donna Ross, a home stager in Sydney, Australia, wrote this great myth buster post and I just had to share it.

Via Donna Ross - Home Staging, Sydney, Australia (Great Impressions Real Estate Staging & Consulting - Sydney):

Home staging (or property styling as it's commonly known as on the Australian property scene) is really an art, not a science. One of the many things a professional home stager understands is that it's the house that's up for sale, not the home owner's bread baking ability or taste in music. So, from the sublime to the rediculous - here's 8 myths of staging to sell - busted!

1. Buyers can see past my stuff
No - they can't. 95% of house hunters shop with a 'what you see is what you get' eye. You'll be maximising your chances of a better and quicker sale if you take the time to clean out, clean up and keep your look simple.

2. Baking bread, brewing fresh coffee and playing soft music will make a buyer fall in love with my house.
Maybe once upon a time this was true - but most would-be buyers are onto that old trick. It's more likely to trigger alarm bells, with many wondering what it is you're trying to hide. Your buyers will be happy with a place that looks and smells clean.

3. I'll need to clear everything out to help buyers see themselves living here.
This is only partly true. Wall to wall family photos are distracting, as is your porcelain rooster collection. These things are best put away. But don't go overboard, otherwise you'll end up with a look that feels cold and sterile.

4. If it's an original feature - it adds value.
Sometimes yes - but often no. Generally a property built less than 50 years ago without being updated is more likely to appear dated, rather than classic.

5. My place isn't worth staging.
All homes are worth taking the time to present in a positive light to buyers. The trick to knowing where to start and what to do is in having a good idea of what buyers in your target market will expect, along with learning more about what competing properties in your area are offering.

6. Empty rooms look bigger.

This is rarely the case. Buyers will always prefer to see how a room is used and what will fit in it, rather than be left to guess. Very large rooms can also be too intimidating for some. Even borrowed furniture can help buyers get an idea of scale and give the eye something of interest to focus on.

7. Converting a bedroom into a home gym won't be a problem.
Bedrooms are one of the most valuable commodities of the 'for sale' property. Having a home gym set up in a bedroom will prompt buyers to wonder why that is. I remember once looking at a house where this was the case. When I came across the bedroom with the gym in it, I immediately began to question if a bed would even fit. Always give the rooms in your house a purpose.

8. No need to worry about wardrobes and cupboards.
Home storage is a big deal to most buyers and is surprisingly valuable. Prospective buyers will open storage cupboards in kitchens and bathrooms, so keep them tidy. Keep only what you're using on a daily or weekly basis, and pack the rest away ready for the move.

Have you got a staging myth you'd like busted? Share them with me here.

Donna Ross

Great Impressions Real Estate Staging

"I love helping Sydney home owners and real estate agents catch the eye of choosy buyers with their 'for sale' listings, with fast, simple and inexpensive decorating fixes."

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Follow Me on Twitter: My Google Rank Drops. Why?

Sharon Tara New Hampshire Home Stager (Sharon Tara Transformations) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 09:01:34 -0600

Bart makes a valid point - after going to all the trouble of getting people to your website, don't send them away to a place where they can find your competition and easily get so distracted that they never return to your website.

Via Bart Wilson (Voyager International):

For years now, we've been reading and seeing how to get our Websites ranking higher on a natural search results page on Google.

Two years ago, Twitter comes along and now the spirit of true, Herd Mentality, thousands of REALTORS have moooooved on over to copying what the other REALTORS are doing -- hoping and praying the technique will generate more leads and sales commissions.

We copy the same links; Follow Me on Twitter. And we make the mistake of putting too many Follow Me links on our home page despite the fact you've probably spent years trying to get people to COME to your website... you tell them to GO AWAY.

Weeks later, your visibility goes down and you are left wondering what the heck just happened?

Too many redirects from your home page is not only stupid, it's the fastest way to see your page one #1 Google rank drop to #2. Then, it drops to #3. And the slide just keeps on a-sliding down... down... down.

Just look at Santa Fe Properties. A former SEO client of mine. For seven years, they were on page one #1. Then a year ago, they too got bit by the Twitter Follow Me bug. And the Linked In Bug. And one from Christies Great Estates.

This is the part that I just cannot understand.

You spend thousand of dollars on a new site and SEO work. Then you spend MORE money with your offline marketing efforts telling next time home buyers to GO TO www.SantaFeProperties.com.

FINALLY when you get people USED to going to your website, you now tell these same visitors to go away and find you now on Twitter. Or Linked In. Or Christies Great Estates. Or somewhere else.

So, naturally some of your visitors do leave your site where there are lots of competitors just waiting to gobble up the leads you just told to FIND ME ON SOME OTHER SITE. What the...?

That might sound a bit silly, but this is exactly what your website says to visitors you've tried to come to your website for months or even years of working to improve your Google ranking. Now that they find you, you tell them to find you someplace else.

Trust me, this can be leading up to; Lead sabotage. And thousands of REALTORS and brokers are just watching their leads drop, and they think by placing the Follow Me links on their website will increases leads... it can create the opposite effect.

People will click on things and links because you give them reason to do so. They are not immune to Herd Mentality either.

After a few clicks, is it any surprise why your visitor is now looking at properties from Amazing Realty instead of yours? For too many REALTOR websites, it's clear to me that too many of you are suffering from Mad Cow Disease, just like Denny Crane from Boston Legal.

It doesn't have to be that way. You can use Twitter and other links to your advantage, but you need to use them wisely and correctly.

There are SMARTER ways to use Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. Below are Bartman's Top Ten SAFE Ways to Use Social Media effectively to keep people coming BACK to your website from other channels out there.

1.) Don't put offsite links on your home page.

If you have page one # 1 ranking on Google now, be careful how many links to offsite websites you ADD to your home page.

2.) Rule of thumb: Place your Follow Me on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn on your Contact Me pages and other pages inside. This is especially important if you are just now building links to your home page.

3.) One Way Link Bulding.

ActiveRain.com, Curbed.com and many other Real Estate blogs can be used to build one way, incoming links to your properties. Don't just link all links to your home page. This is not a smart idea. Build links to point to your properties and about the life style and communities you know about.

4.) 1888FreePressRelease.com.

A great place to post your FREE press releases with links pointing BACK to your website.

5.) PRWeb.com.

The BEST place to post your Press Releases. $100 - $200 cost each, but you get to go BACK and edit the links to make them SEO friendly and point them to your website pages.

6.) Get links from Title, Mortgage companies even Landscapers and custom home builders.

They might have a crappy looking website, but ask them for a one way link from their site to yours. NEVER give a link back to them as this will give you what is called Google PR Hemorrhage. Never give reciprocal links BACK to any website until AFTER one year AFTER you've held a page one position on Google.

7.) Social Media Pay per Post, Pay per Blog.

There is one firm out there that seems to have done it right. SocialSpark.com is the one to see. You can buy ads on this system to be inserted into popular blogs out there. This is a great way to build awareness of your website for geo-centric, local searches.

8.) StumbleUpon.com

It's a web site that says what id does and does what it says. It emails hundreds of thousands of people every week with suggested Websites they should visit. Visitors to the site indicate a few sites and topics they like. And weekly, StumbleUpon will deliver the user a cornucopia of Websites and some of them... NEED to be your real estate website.

9.) Sell LifeStyle. Don't sell just homes.

This is the big trap of conventional thinking. But next time home buyers today can get their house with or without a REALTOR. So when they come to your website, dazzle them with Life Style. We're just now completing a website for Jane Paulus of Edina Realty now. The website is here: www.TwinCitiesHomefinders.com -- See the emphasis on Live -- Work Play and the rich page content of living in Minneapolis. Google loves this stuff and so will your next time home buyers.

10.) Get your Banner Ads on the iPhone, BlackBerry and Mobile Devices.

Just because you're page one on Google doesn't mean you can't get more leads. Google now offers a Paid Search program that allows you to snag 50,000 banners for $18 bucks or thereabouts. Create Google Visual Ads that are shown on mobile devices. It's cheap and it's effective.

Lots more good stuff to come later. I'm trying to get our company moved to Colorado Springs, but if anyone needs more help on these items above, call me or email me.

I'm always glad to be of service to you all.

Bart Wilson | Chief Marketing Officer | SEO Rockstar

Voyager International. The Real Estate Marketing Company

Tel: (505) 466-2483 iPhone: (505) 204-8097

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Wordless Wednesday - Eeyore Kisses

Sharon Tara New Hampshire Home Stager (Sharon Tara Transformations) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:08:38 -0600

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DO WE SEE EYE TO EYE?

Sharon Tara New Hampshire Home Stager (Sharon Tara Transformations) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 07:10:41 -0600

Most people hang their art too high, or have difficulty arranging artwork on the wall. This post by Kim Dillon has great tips on making the job easier.

Via Kim Dillon (Creative Eye Home Staging):

I'm 5 foot, 10 inches tall. If you are 5'2" or 6'4", we probably don't see eye to eye--at least, when it comes to hanging art!

Hanging art at eye level is a rule that just doesn't work! A better rule to begin the process: leave 1/3 of wall space above the picture and 2/3 of space below. Another guide I find very helpful when hanging art over a table or sofa is to leave two fists of space between the top of the furniture and the bottom of the picture. Both of these are easy, no measure methods.

When you really want to delve into the finer points of hanging art, I found a very complete article at this link: http://interiordec.about.com/od/artindecorating/a/Gwheretohangart.htm

Once you have decided where to hang the art, here are some more tips/tools I find helpful:

Hercules Hooks--they are my favorite tool and save lots of time and aggravation!

To keep things on center--use two hangers (or nails) about 5" from each outside edge (bumpers on the bottom of pictures helps with this as well and protect walls, but if you are staging with the home owner's own art, you may not want to take the time to add bumpers).

For staging, keep art around the room at approximately the same height so the eye has an easy journey!

Cut our shapes the size of frames and tape on wall with painter's tape before attempting to hang groupings. You can even measure where the nails should be!

Wear an apron to keep your tools handy!

I would love to know any other tips you have to make this job faster!

Submitted by Kim Dillon, Creative Eye Home Staging serving areas of Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland.

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Don't Underestimate The Power Of Negative Impression

Sharon Tara New Hampshire Home Stager (Sharon Tara Transformations) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:53:26 -0600

Let me be the first to admit it: I've been known to whine and complain. I'm not perfect and I haven't yet mastered a positive attitude. I'm not alone...there is no shortage of people willing to piss and moan right along with me. Misery loves company and, more times than not, people will dwell on what's wrong, not on what's right. Negative energy is quite powerful.

It is much easier to complain and whine about problems than it is to come up with solutions. Today's buyers are looking for a home they can move right into, not a house they have to improve or customize to meet their needs. They are more likely to notice negative features before positive ones, and the negative features will make a stronger impression on them.

Don't underestimate the power of negative impression. Think about it....if you got ten compliments on a new haircut and then one person made fun of your haircut, the negative comment would be the most memorable of all the comments you received. One negative erases the ten positive...it's that powerful.

Positive marketing begins with preparation and positive impression begins with quality MLS photos. When listing your house, the pictures you choose for the MLS are crucial to the impression that is made. Show eight fabulous pictures and then one bad one and it's the bad one that will get the most attention. The bad picture is the one that will make the strongest impression on potential buyers.

There is a lot of attention given to the power of positive thinking, but when it comes to selling your house, it is very important that you take into consideration the power of negative impression.

Something you should keep in mind when preparing your house for sale. is that it is very difficult to see your own house through buyer's eyes. Your emotional attachment hinders your ability to be impartial. If you want buyers to notice the positive features in your house, those features need to be highlighted and the negative features need to be minimized.

Consult with a professional home stager to learn more about creating the right impression through preparation and presentation.

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Wordless Wednesday - Jack Meets Zack

Sharon Tara New Hampshire Home Stager (Sharon Tara Transformations) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:21:08 -0600

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Free Advice For Sellers - Show Them Something They're Not Expecting

Sharon Tara New Hampshire Home Stager (Sharon Tara Transformations) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:11:48 -0600

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:

The Secret To A Fast Home Sale

Are You Preparing Your House To Sell Or Sit?

NH Home Stager Reveals Secrets To Selling

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Grandson Arrived Early! First Photos Of Zachary James

Sharon Tara New Hampshire Home Stager (Sharon Tara Transformations) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 15:03:22 -0500

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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Wordless Wednesday - JACK o Lantern

Sharon Tara New Hampshire Home Stager (Sharon Tara Transformations) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 19:19:57 -0500

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Do you REALLY know your neighbors? Click to find convicted felons in your neighborhood.

Sharon Tara New Hampshire Home Stager (Sharon Tara Transformations) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:18:23 -0500

Not a bad idea to check out your area and see just who is living in your neighborhood...

Via Janna Rankin Scharf - Realtor Coeur d'Alene and North Idaho Homes (Keller Williams Realty Coeur d'Alene):

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 Scharf provides 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 dreams may 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!

Janna Rankin Scharf AB, GRI, CSP, CNS, CLHMS 208.651.9700

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My Blog Is Enhancing All Of My Relationships

Sharon Tara New Hampshire Home Stager (Sharon Tara Transformations) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 19:08:48 -0500

In a recent post, Bob Stewart asked the question:

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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Live like you are dying and list like you're bank owned.

Sharon Tara New Hampshire Home Stager (Sharon Tara Transformations) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 15:03:52 -0500

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.

Via Steve Loynd, Alpine Lakes Real Estate Inc., Loon Mt, NH.:

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

   steve@alpinelakes.com toll free 800-926-5653 /cell 603-381-7898

    MLS search and Realtor web site: www.alpinelakes.com

    My outside Blog: www.steveswhitemountainblog.com

   Lincoln NH & Local interest site: www.localism.com/nh/lincoln

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Strategies for Selling your Home in Today's Market

Sharon Tara New Hampshire Home Stager (Sharon Tara Transformations) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 17:19:57 -0500

Via Tammy Mercado (Dressed to Market, LLC):

"is your house Dressed to Market?"

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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Stopping Foreclosure One Cake at a Time!

Sharon Tara New Hampshire Home Stager (Sharon Tara Transformations) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 14:34:39 -0500

I just had to share this heartwarming story of the success of one woman who saved her home from foreclosure. What a great story!

Via Janna Rankin Scharf - Realtor Coeur d'Alene and North Idaho Homes (Keller Williams Realty Coeur d'Alene):

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 Scharf provides 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 dreams may 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!

Janna Rankin Scharf AB, GRI, CSP, CNS, CLHMS 208.651.9700

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Thankful Thursday...My Favorite Comfort Food - Jackaroni

Sharon Tara New Hampshire Home Stager (Sharon Tara Transformations) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 16:11:31 -0500

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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It's Not Always About The Height Of The Corn

Sharon Tara New Hampshire Home Stager (Sharon Tara Transformations) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 21:30:56 -0500

Most people have such busy lives it's difficult to find time for family. My family used to get together for birthdays, holidays and cookouts, but it just doesn't seem to be happening as frequently any more.

A few years ago I put together a family trip to a local corn maze. It was a wonderful way to spend a Fall afternoon. After the maze, we returned to my house for soup and apple crisp and then we visited a local haunted house. We had such a great time that we made it a yearly family "tradition."

Yesterday was our "corn maze" day and as the hay wagon approached the maze my uncle mentioned that the corn didn't seem very tall.

I just figured it was an optical illusion and as we got closer the corn would get taller.

We couldn't believe it when we arrived and the corn was not even shoulder high. It was the most pathetic corn...a poor crop, due to the very wet summer we had.

As we wandered around, actually looking over the top of the corn, we joked about "getting lost" and "finding our way out" and we even whined a little about getting our money back. It was very disappointing.

I'm proud to say that we

made the best of it.

We had a lot of laughs and

in some areas of the maze (not many)

the corn was actually taller than we were.

Laughing about it afterward, trying to justify the money spent, we decided the day was not a total loss:

the weather had turned out nice
we got a hayride out of it
most important of all...we had spent quality time together

So what if the corn maze sucked! The important thing is we carried on our tradition!

It was then that we decided our new family motto:

Here is a video from a couple years ago - when the corn was CORN:

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Homemade Halloween Costume Ideas - Part 3: Costumes For Groups

Sharon Tara New Hampshire Home Stager (Sharon Tara Transformations) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 15:59:45 -0500

Fall is my favorite season, and Halloween is my favorite holiday. I really love the creative challenge of making costumes, and over the years my family has participated in many costume contests. This is the final post in a three part series.

Past Posts: Part 1: Costumes For Kids Part 2: Think Out Of The Box

If you are looking for costume ideas this year, I hope these posts will inspire you!

Part 3: Costumes For Groups

Addicted To Love Girls

This was pretty easy...clothes, makeup, and hair had to be identical.

The hardest part was making the guitars using foam board and black electrical tape.

If you have a male to be Robert Palmer, even better.

Want to check out the original?

The Easter Basket

This was a lot of fun, but we had to move as a unit and we had to support the basket. It wasn't always easy.

It was created by sewing felt fabric around a hoop made from pvc pipe and then weaving strips of brown felt through slits to create the basket appearance.

Green netting was attached in bunches to the inside rim, and giant eggs were carefully placed on top.

This was a First Place winner!

A word of caution: You gotta really like someone to walk around in a basket with them all night long! Choose your basket mates wisely.

Box Of Popcorn

Probably the most confining of all the costumes I've worn. There were four of us.

We wore white hoodies, and we had white paper bags with yellow balloons inside them attached all over us. The bags were covering our ears so we couldn't hear well. Our vision was very restricted.

Our plastic face masks only had eye holes, no mouth opening, so not only was it hard to breath, we couldn't read each other's lips. It was very difficult to communicate.

We were positioned back to back, each holding a side of the box. Only one of us could walk straight ahead, one person had to walk backwards and the other two had to move to their side.

It was a physical and mental nightmare. Once we got laughing, there was no stopping.

It was a very long night.

The yellow arrow points to one of our masks.

You really need to be crazy to attempt this!

American Idol Fans

This one is just silly. We were American Idol fans being carried piggy back by Simon, Paula, and Randy.

A lot of work went into this and most people didn't know who or what we were.

There was a lot of dirty comments going on though about the "Paula" head. I'll leave that to your imagination.

The Hand

This has to be our most ambitious, original costume. Credit for the idea goes to my cousin Kathi, who God bless her, was our thumb and spent most of the time on the floor.

Our vision was restricted and we had no use of our arms.

We got really good at moving into formation and had some hand gestures choreographed very well. I was the middle finger and had a starring role.

This was another First Place winner, probably because the hand gestures were a real crowd pleaser!

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Wordless Wednesday - Raft + Beach Towel = Nap

Sharon Tara New Hampshire Home Stager (Sharon Tara Transformations) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 10:30:06 -0500

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Homemade Halloween Costume Ideas - Part 2: Think Out Of The Box

Sharon Tara New Hampshire Home Stager (Sharon Tara Transformations) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 09:51:23 -0500

Fall is my favorite season, and Halloween is my favorite holiday. I really love making costumes, and the more creative, the better. For the next couple of days I will be sharing some homemade costumes I've made in the past. If you are looking for costume ideas this year, I hope my posts will inspire you!

Past Posts: Part 1: Costumes For Kids

Part 2: Think Out Of The Box

One of my favorite costumes was this Rabbit In A Hat.

The hat was created by first making the rim

from cardboard and covering it with fabric. Then

I attached the fabric that formed the hat, using

a hula hoop sewed into the hem to weigh it down.

The hat is actually hanging from my shoulders using

fishing line for straps.

What was convenient about this costume was the fact that I could simply remove the straps from my shoulders and drop the hat to the ground and step out of it whenever I needed to. It transported really easily too.

After making the half girl/half boy costume for my daughter (see Part 1), I decided to give an adult version a try and made this half bride/half groom costume.

The following year, I added half bridesmaid/half groomsman costumes for my mother and my aunt and we were a "half and half" wedding party.

One of my more dramatic creations was a dead couple in their coffins.

I made each coffin by covering a three-sided foam board presentation display with brown fabric, which hung to the floor.

The coffins had straps on the inside which slipped over our shoulders, enabling us to walk around hands free, coffin and all.

My uncle, Jim, hand painted the skeleton bones onto my black body suit. I purchased the mask and gloves. It's great to have an artist in the family!

My husband was a decomposing corpse in the other coffin.

For his costume, I sliced up his shirt, pants and tie with a razor blade. I soaked the shirt in strong tea to discolor it. I attached spiders all over the clothing. He wore rotted teeth and carried a dead lily.

Decomposing Face: See makeup recipe below

My skeleton costume was recycled by my daughter.

1. Lose the coffin

2. Add orange vest and hard hat

3. Add boyfriend in construction barrel

and...voila:

you have a Skeleton Crew.

Here are two examples of Optical Illusion costumes:

Two of our more original ideas:

When in doubt...go in drag!

Recipe for Face Makeup (enough to do approx. 3 faces)

3 TBSP Cornstarch

1 TBSP Flour

3/4 C Karo light corn syrup

1/4 C water

Mix cornstarch and flour. Gradually stir in corn syrup and water until smooth.

Divide into 4 portions. Leave one portion untinted, use as glue. Use 1/4 tsp of food coloring of choice to color three remaining portions.

Decomposing face:

Separate facial tissues into single layer, and tear lengthwise into 2 inch wide strips. Generously paint forehead with untinted mixture and place strip of tissue over area, pat firmly with fingertips. Add more mixture to cover any dry spots of tissue. Continue the rest of face, one section at a time. Avoid eye area. Let dry 15 mins. You can use hair dryer to speed drying. Build up multiple coats of tissue in some areas to look like the skin is falling off.

Use red tinted mixture for blood. Make dark circles under the eyes using eye shadow. Complete with very light face powder to appear really pale.

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Homemade Halloween Costume Ideas - Part 1: Costumes For Kids

Sharon Tara New Hampshire Home Stager (Sharon Tara Transformations) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 11:43:38 -0500

Fall is my favorite season, and Halloween is my favorite holiday. I really love making costumes, and the simpler, the better. For the next couple of days I will be sharing some homemade costumes I've made in the past. If you are looking for costume ideas this year, I hope my posts will inspire you!

Making homemade costumes isn't really that hard. The great part about sewing costumes is they don't have to be perfect and you don't need a lot of sewing experience. There are some very basic patterns that even beginners can understand and work with.

Part 1: Costumes For Kids

Animal costumes are always popular and you can get one simple pattern that will enable you to make many different animals.

Depending on the shape of the ears, type of tail and choice of fabric, one pattern can go a long way.

Using the same pattern, I was able to make these bear costumes for The Three Bears

and a lamb costume to accompany Little Bo Peep.

Other ideas:

Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf

Skunk

Bunny

Dog

For a very easy animal costume - start with footie pajamas and just add mittens, a tail, and ears. I attached yarn to one of those pull on knit hats that covers the whole head (except for the face) to create this lion costume (my very first costume).

Raggedy Ann wig is made from yarn and knit cap too!

My all time favorite costume for my kids was this scarecrow costume.

All you need is an old pair of jeans, flannel shirt and a floppy hat. Hand sew colorful patches to the hat, pants and shirt. Use rope as a belt. I cut the sleeve cuffs off the shirt and tied some string around the wrists to give sleeves a gathered look.

For headpiece: Sew two pieces of fabric to form a sack...like a pillowcase (or just use an old pillowcase) and then cut a circle out for the face.

Place over child's head and loosely tie a rope around the neck.

This half boy/half girl costume looks really difficult, but it was really simple to make.

I just cut the boy clothes in half and attached them over the dress.

This prize winning costume was the brainchild of my daughter, Ashley. She thought up this one all on her own. She called it Psycho Santa.

She used burnt cork to dirty her face, and added a plastic cigar, bad wig, and a hatchet to an old Santa suit.

Cold Weather Tip:

After going to all the trouble of making the costume, it's a shame to cover it up with a jacket. Make costumes big enough so that jacket can be worn underneath.

Convenience Tip for storm doors:

When the children come to your door to Trick or Treat, do you open the storm door out into them and have to reach around it to hand out the candy? Remove the screen or glass from your door for Halloween and you can hand out the candy hassle free.

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Speechless Sunday Inspired...There's A Fungus Among Us

Sharon Tara New Hampshire Home Stager (Sharon Tara Transformations) — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 10:48:25 -0500

Inspired today by Leslie Helm's Speechless Sunday post entitled Like Mushrooms After The Rain, I decided to post my own small collection of mushroom photos.

There is something so magical about mushrooms, something very fairytale about them.

My husband has fond memories of walking through the woods with his grandfather looking for mushrooms. His grandfather pointed with his cane to the ones that were safe to eat, and Rick would pick them. I don't know that I would trust to do this today, but it makes for a great memory!

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If You're Fishing For Buyers, You Need To Use The Right Bait

Sharon Tara New Hampshire Home Stager (Sharon Tara Transformations) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 19:34:44 -0500

Planning on listing your house in the near future? Wondering what you can do to increase your chances of finding a buyer and selling it fast?

If you're fishing for buyers, you need to use the right bait.

Unfortunately there are a lot of other sellers with their hooks in the water right now and those buyers have a lot to choose from.

In order to get their attention, you need to have the shiniest house. Your house has to be attractive, appealing, and memorable.

The secret is in the preparation.

You can't do anything about the location. The market will determine the price. Condition is the one thing you have the most control over.

The way you prepare your house for sale could determine just how long your house sits on the market and just how long you sit there on the shore and wait for a bite.

You don't get a second chance at a great first impression. Once they swim by, they don't usually come back again for a second look. Check out your competition and see what their MLS photos look like and then make sure that yours look better.

It's really pretty simple: The one with the best bait usually goes home with the catch of the day!

A professional home staging consultant can tell you exactly what needs to be done to make your home more attractive to buyers.

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Wordless Wednesday - Can You ID The PI?

Sharon Tara New Hampshire Home Stager (Sharon Tara Transformations) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 16:34:48 -0500

Many years ago, back in the early 1980's, we had a murder mystery party and I asked the guests to come dressed as a famous detective. I came across these photos recently and thought it might be fun to see how many of these crazy sleuths you can identify.

Some of them are more easily recognized than others.

A word of caution: guessing correctly automatically dates you!

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The Secret To Spending Less Time Cleaning Your Shower

Sharon Tara New Hampshire Home Stager (Sharon Tara Transformations) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 09:34:12 -0500

Do you know anyone who enjoys cleaning their tub or shower? I don't. It is one of those jobs that people put off as long as possible. I've been in a lot of homes, and I continue to be amazed at the lack of cleanliness when it comes to bathrooms, more specifically tubs and showers.

I've seen some showers that I wouldn't step into fully dressed with my shoes on.

If your house is not for sale and you don't mind black grout lines, that's your business. If you are selling your home then you better scrub those lines back to white.

Of all the rooms in your house, the bathroom is the most important when it comes to cleanliness and the most important when it comes to de-personalizing.

Buyers know, of course, that someone else has been using the bathroom, but buyers don't want to see evidence of that someone else. They need to see a fresh, clean room and emotionally they need to feel comfortable at the idea of making it their own.

Once you have thoroughly cleaned your shower or paid a professional to clean it, here are two ways to prolong the time in between cleanings.

Switch from bar soap to liquid soap. I don't know exactly why, but the bar soap creates much more soap scum buildup. Using liquid will reduce that buildup.
Dry shower after each use. Wipe off excess water and soap residue with a squeegee and then use your bath towel to wipe down walls and floor. Keeping the shower dry prevents mold growth, which thrives in moist conditions. You won't believe how long the shower will stay clean if you get into the routine of drying it. It really doesn't take that long and it will save you a lot of elbow grease in the long run. All family members should develop this habit.

Whether you are living in a "for sale" situation where you have to keep the house in show condition, or just busy and have better things to do than spend time scrubbing the shower, a little extra effort each day can add up to a lot less time scrubbing soap scum and mold.

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