Regardless of the real estate market conditions, there are two keys to selling a house quickly.  It must be well-presented and priced right.  So if you are thinking about putting your home on the market, how do you ensure you get those two things right?

Well, that’s easy.

First, you find two well-informed, respected, and trusted experts…a professional home stager to help you with presentation, and a real estate agent or realtor to help you with pricing.  Second, you listen to and follow their advice!  They are the experts, after all.  And they have something very important that most homeowners don’t have when it comes time to sell…Objectivity.

The definition of objective, according to Merriam-Webster.com on-line dictionary, is “expressing or dealing with facts or conditions as perceived without distortion by personal feelings, prejudices or interpretations”.  Let’s face it; most of us are not...

While kids add excitement and life into our households, they also create clutter issues and additional storage and organizational dilemmas.  And although every house has their own unique concerns, this month we will address school papers and sports equipment specifically.

The first step to raising organized children is to realize that you, as their parents, are their first teacher and role model.  What they see you do, and how you live, is what they will mimic.  With a few tips at hand and a goal in sight, the process can begin.

1.  Start by assessing the trouble area.  Is it paper overload from school or sports equipment that cannot be found before the big game?

2.  Assign one home for anything related to school.  This would be the backpack.  After the day’s paperwork has been removed and reviewed and homework is complete, place everything needed for tomorrow’s day back into the...

If you’ve ever discussed decorating or redesigning a home with me, you’ve probably heard me talk about “function first, then pretty”.  I am a true believer that if a space does not serve its function well then it doesn’t matter how pretty it is…you won’t be happy with it if it doesn’t work for you.

The same concept can be applied to accessorizing a room.  I love using “functional” accessories, items that serve a purpose while helping make a space pretty.  Baskets are my absolute personal favorite.  I especially love wicker baskets, which add both texture and warmth, while also serving to contain or hide other objects.  I could spend hours in the “basket” section of Hobby Lobby admiring all the different styles and colors, dreaming up ways I could use them in my home.  (Ok, I know that seems excessive but I don’t actually spend that much time...

Here are some statistics to help quantify the value of staging a home before putting it on the market…

According to the National Association of Realtors, the average U.S. home price is $173,100.

According to Real Estate Staging Association national statistics, staged homes sell on average 7 months faster than un-staged homes (or 78% fewer days on market).

Zillow.com reports that the typical home for sale averages a 1% monthly price reduction.

Trulia.com reports that homes under $2M experience an average 9% price reduction from list to close.

The typical investment in staging a home is less than the first price reduction.

A typical mortgage payment is around 0.75% of list price.

Carrying Costs = Utilities + Maintenance + HOA fees + other monthly expenses

Using these numbers, some basic calculations show us that staging the “average” home results in serious savings:

Monthly Mortgage Payment ($173,100 x...

The largest investment most of us have, is our home. When it comes time to sell we need to get the most we can out of it. It could be the difference between being able to make the move to a bigger home or being able to move at all. Regardless, no one wants to just give their home away; we want and need to make a profit! So how do we protect the equity in our home? By staging and updating a home prior to putting it on the market. The answer may have surprised you as many people don’t understand what Staging involves or that it increases the value of a home, both perceived (what a buyer thinks it is worth) and actual.

When a buyer makes an offer to purchase a home, they have the home inspected to make sure the home is in good shape and that they are making a good financial decision, the home inspection protects their investment. Like a home inspection for buyers, staging protects the seller’s investment by making sure the home will sell quickly and for its proper value....

So why shouldn’t you set the table when you list your home?  Let’s start with the purpose of staging:  to increase the perceived value of your home, getting you the best possible price in the shortest amount of time.  Staging is marketing and creating the perfect home for the buyer through packaging.  Not unlike any other product going on the market, homes should be packaged for a specific buyer. 

So what do I mean by packaged?  Well, depending on who your target market is it could mean a deep clean, pre-packing to remove extra items or changing furniture placement to highlight all the rooms and create spaces your buyer is looking for. 

However, if the target is completely different from the current owner, it could mean updating and adding current art, decor and possibly furnishings.  But, ultimately a staged house should look and feel like the buyer’s home, not like a staged house.  The goal is NOT to look staged, but...