Who Dat?

I went to a super bowl party last night. Now I must confess, I am not really a fan of football; baseball is really my love, however there was the promise of interesting people and reallly good food. So I went to the party, and I got caught up in "the story" of the the game.

I decided before the game I was going to cheer for the underdog. That is what I always do when I have not been keeping up with what is going on in the sports world. And if they had the cutest uniforms, that would cinch my decision. Well of course that turned out to be the Saints.

I took a back seat within reaching distance of a table of food, and in the company of a few other guests like me, that were more interested in eating and talking, and of course, watching the insanely expensive commercials.

By the end of the evening, I had had my fill of wine, burger, brats, chips, and oh that beloved french onion dip! Handfuls of M&Ms somehow found their way to my mouth also. What a night! Meanwhile I had some good conversation and I also watched that guy intercept the ball and go dashing down the field for a spectacular touchdown. Did you notice how he pointed to one of his backers (is that what you call them?) to say "get him out of my way!", all the while running down the field and hanging onto that ball for dear life! And the lovely way he crossed the line...pulling up to a gentle stop and basking in the glory with his back still to his team, he was really in his moment!

When it was all over, I watched Drew Brees hug his son and I am sure I saw tears in his eyes. And I know it must have been his wife's idea to put those ear protectors on the tot's head. It was very touching and I was really glad the underdogs had won. That New Orleans had won. Something to be happy about! The Saints have a great story and now they are "America's Team", so it seems I made a good choice in the beginning. I was so caught up in their story. That was a very good feeling.

Now, getting  caught up in this football thing was fun and interesting, however getting caught up in someon's story can be an unnecessary distraction when buyers are shopping for a home.

When staging your home for sell, don't leave your story parts out for buyers to get caught up in. What story parts am I talking about? Well here is a short list:

Photographs of family and friends

Children's artwork on the fridge

Trophies are a biggie (be it sports or hunting, they will distract the male buyer, and could unnecessarily keep him from focusing on your home while the wife gets frustrated at him for being distracted....not a good thing).

Mail, especially utility bills or checks...

Jewelry and other small valuables such as cell phones or keys

Collections of any sort

Your chilld name on the wall or on backpacks, books, etc.

Calendars with  your family's schedules in plain view

Your religious preference, be it with books, ornaments, art, etc.

Your alma mater, proud as you might be

A TV left on

Items with your favorite team's logos, even if it is the Saints!

All these story parts can have the buyers thinking about you and your life, your kids, your profession, your hobbies, your religion, etc. This is not what you want the potential buyer to be thinking ablut. You want the buyers to be thinking about themselves in your home. They should not even know what your style is....they should only know they feel good in the space, and they should be visualizing themselves living there. That is what happens when a home is well staged.

So "Who Dat" living here in this home? "Don't know, don't care, cause it soon will be me and my family living here, Dat's Who!"