Rochester Real Estate - The Year in Review

Happy New Year Everyone! This is a perfect time of the year to reflect back and plan for the future. As I look back over 2008, the thing that keeps coming to mind is "The Day the Phone Stopped Ringing!" Literally! I was having a little slower than average year with about 20 sales when suddenly, around September 1, 2008 no one wanted to look at real estate, no one wanted to sell real estate, no

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas!

Santa's sled should have no problem swooping from roof top to roof top here in the Rochester area as we have about 2 feet of snow on the ground. And once he gets inside, boy what treasures for his eyes! I put out an invite to my former clients and all blog readers to submit photos of their holiday decoration, and boy, what a treat it has been. I received several entries from Mendon, including

Fran and Pat (yes, the one and only from http://www.patandfran.com/ fame!) from the neighborhood of the arts e-mailed me a beautiful photo of their Christmas tree. It's been several years since I've been inside their home so it was nice to get a glimpse of it from the photo. I received several entries from the suburbs as well! Mark and Tricia of Mumford sent a photo of their beautiful red Isaac

Buying and Seller Real Estate During the Holiday Season

It is a question that comes up a lot this time of year, “should we keep our house on the market through the holidays?” One for thing is certain, you have a much better chance of selling it if it is on the market than off. That being said, keep in mind that there are fewer home shoppers during late November and the month of December. Those that are out there are generally pretty serious shoppers.

Let's Have Some Fun! Contest Time....Send me your photos.

Maybe it's your mantel. Or perhaps you have a knack at stringing garland along your staircase. Is your tree too pretty for words? Does your yard cause traffic jams? Maybe I'm just nosy but I'm just dieing to know how you decorate for the holidays. So I'm asking all readers of my blog, even first-time readers, to send me your digital picture of your holiday décor (inside or out) before

"Let's Say Thanks" In support of our troops

I found a wonderful web site and since it is Thanksgiving week, it is an especially good time to visit it. It is designed to allow the public to send postcards to the troops overseas. The post cards were designed by school children across the country and they are adorable. You choose a design, then choose a message or write one of your own, then hit the send button. Xerox then takes care of

What's all the Twitter About Twitter?

Do you twitter? I'm trying! I just signed up this morning and so looking for twitter pointers. Right now I've got one follower. It's Barack Obama! I guess things have slowed way down since the elections because I got a notice that he was following me about 30 minutes after I signed up to twitter. How's that for big brother watching over your shoulder!Anyway, I'm serious. My Twitter handle

A Winter Blanket

Some of my least favorite words in Rochester are "Lake Affect!" Well, we've had some lake affect over the past few days which left a nice blanket on Nathaniel Rochester. Photo taken at the Sculpture "Reflecting," located at South Avenue and Alexandria Streets, in the South Wedge. For more information about Nathaniel Rochester and his interesting life, go to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/

Difficult Economic Times

Usually, I can hardly wait to check my e-mail. You might say I'm an e-mail-holic! But it seems that in the past few weeks, I've found more bad news e-mails than good news e-mail. And pretty much all of the bad news has to do with employment, or more accurately, lack of it. All the scary news on television starts to hit home when you hear from a recent client that they no longer have a job or

M&T Bank Offers Up to $7500 for First Time Home Buyers!

Usually, the first home is the most difficult to buy. In most cases, you must still pay rent while trying to pull together the funds needed for closing costs and down payment. Well, M & T Bank has a very nice program to help low and moderate income buyers save for a down payment.The M & T First Home Club is a savings plan in which participants must make a monthly deposit into a M & T savings

When Things Don't Work Out

One of the very best things about being a real estate agent, is turning over the keys to excited buyers at closing. There is always such optimism about the new beginning.But sometimes things don't work out to be happy ever after, especially in today's economic climate. I just noticed a listing for a house I just sold a couple of years ago. It sold for $127,500 but is now being offered at $114,000

Please Vote!

To watch the media today, it's easy to conclude that the next president has already been chosen. But in the last few weeks I've asked hundreds of individuals if they knew who they were voting for and many, perhaps even most, were still undecided.I've found a web site that takes personality, race and even Saturday Night Live out of the mix and instead focuses on the issues. You answer 12 questions

Rochester Foreclosures

Last week I showed two properties back-to-back that were listed as potential short sales (the bank agreeing to taking less than owed, i.e., shortage) but when I arrived both had bright "Winterized" caution stickers and duct-taped toilets that indicate foreclosure. So I was surprised when I got an e-mail stating that in the state of New York, foreclosures are down 10 percent in the third quarter

Have a super Halloween!

I'm in the Capture Rochester Book!

Maybe you got an e-mail from me asking you to vote for my photos. Maybe I tried to bribe you with coffee and asked you to vote for my photos. Or maybe it was the tears as I pleaded with you to vote for my photos. Whatever it was, it worked because not only is one of my photos included in the Capture Rochester Book but it also won a People's Choice Award for being one of the top 25 photos in the

Say Somthing Nice

It's been tough to blog lately. I'm a firm believer in the saying that if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. So I've been silent. There is not much nice to say about the local real estate market right now.I've got clients, mostly buyers, but they just are not finding anything to buy. It seems that with all the doom and gloom in the news, sellers are not selling unless

Yes, There Still Are Mortgages Available in Rochester!!!!

I know that this mornings headlines scream that the credit crunch hits local, but after surveying several banks and mortgage brokers, I've learned there are still mortgages available in Rochester! In fact, you don't need perfect credit either. FHA insured mortgages are still available for individuals with a credit score as low as 580 with 2.25% down payment!!! Minimum down payments will increase

I Feel Like I'm 16 Again.

When I was 16, it seemed like the whole world evolved around the phone. There were no e-mails or text messages. In fact, there were no cell phones and instead of voice mail, there were busy signals or no answers. As a result, there were many hours spent fretting, waiting for the phone to ring.Well, I'm feeling like I'm 16 again. I didn't sell a single house in September and I've spent many hours

What Do You Think? A Quick Survey about Rochester Real Estate.

Blogging is all about telling you what I think but for a moment I'd like to switch roles. I'd like to know what you think. The news, as usual, is full of doom and gloom and is reporting an economic crisis. Are you feeling an impact from the economy and is it impacting your decisions about real estate? I've put together a quick and unscientific survey about the 2008 Rochester Real Estate Market.

Rochester River Walk

I set a goal this year to walk the entire Riverwalk, a 15 mile urban trail that starts at the Port of Rochester and runs south along the Genesee River to Genesee Valley Park. I've done numerous mini trips and have yet to see the entire thing, but I got to tell you it is TREMENDOUS. The walk includes a lighthouse, three waterfalls, numerous historic districts, the Erie Canal aqueduct, many parks

FHA Changes Rules on Buying a Second Property!

I've worked with many a first time homebuyers that have long term goals of building a portfolio of investment property. Often they start with a starter home with plans to stay there for just a few years. As they get more established in careers, they plan to buy a bigger and better home but retain the starter home for rental income. Well, that scenario is about to become a whole lot more

Investing in Rochester

With all the turbulence in the stock market the past few weeks, I'm starting to hear from investors again! As one client put it yesterday, he's losing money in his 401K but seeing a 20% return on his city of Rochester rental properties. He wants to buy at least one more property before the end of the year.What is nice about this particular client is that he knows that rental properties do not

Fannie and Freddie Under Control

What does the news about the Federal Government takeover of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac mean to Rochester area home buyers and sellers? The biggest immediate news is a significant drop in mortgage rates.

Home buyers Kerry Ryan and Joel Jensen have an accepted purchase offer on a property with a scheduled closing of October 15. Their inspections are done and mortgage commitment received two weeks

The Real Estate Dog

I lost my business partner this week. Tasha, our beloved Lab and Rottweiler mix, loved to sleep in my home office and so we nicknamed her "The Real Estate Dog." And she was so attuned to my routines that as I would prepare to leave for a business appointment, she would plant herself at the back door, wag her tail and plead to go with me."No, Tasha, I'm not selling dog houses today. You'll going

Open House Lima, NY

Come on by 2084 Michigan Ave in the Village of Lima for an open house at a sweet little ranch. Everything is updated.....new kitchen, new roof, new windows, new flooring and more, all for the price of $124,900.This property features 3 bedrooms on the first floor and one (possible two) in the walk-out lower level. Two full baths!The kitchen is super nice with lots of counter space and storage.

Sunflowers at Highland Park

I've been working with a number of families relocating to Rochester and they have suggested that I add some blogging posts about fun and/or unique spots to visit in Rochester. I've added a tag line of Discover Rochester so click on it for fun places to explore.If you are near Highland Park this summer, you may want to check out the sunflower patch that was planted near the corner of Goodman St

Getting “PUNCHY” about Great Real Estate Reads

While many people think that a home stager’s job is just to be glorified interior decorators... we actually do much more. So while making a home look good is important, a stager’s job typically begins with a much less glamorous task of putting together a Punch List of repair and maintenance tasks sellers need to complete prior to going to market.

So whether you are a home seller or a real estate blog reader, a Punch Lists can be of great value. These lists simplify, guide and direct us as to where we should focus and invest tour time and efforts. That is why I am calling my top 5 choices the “Punch List of Real Estate Do Reads” submitted for this week’s Carnival of Real Estate.

Making my top 5 list (in no special order) for this week are:

DO READ: “3 Bogus Real Estate Statistics - Know Them or Be Burned By Them” by Joe Manausa at Really Better Real Estate. I gotta admit I enjoyed Joe’s discussion on why he feels the 80/20 Rule, 153 Days is the average market time, and Average Selling Price is 97.3% of List Price are all bunk.

DO READ:  “Every House’s Value is Dropping Except Mine!” by Amy Bohutinsky at the Zillow Blog. Amy, I can only say “from your blog to seller’s ears!” Nice job.

DO READ:  “When Do Schools Start In St. Louis” by Karen Goodman at St. Louis Real Estate Insights. While I don’t live in St. Louis, I gotta admit I found Karen’s post to be quite interesting, and would venture to bet that what Karen notes as a trend in St. Louie takes place all over the country.

DO READ:  “Fannie Mae Adds New Risk-Based Pricing and ‘Adverse Market’ Fees for All Conforming Mortgage Applicants” by Dan Green at The Mortgage Reports. If you have read any of his past posts you know that Dan is as prolific as the title to this post of his is long.  In this post he shares great insight as to why he expects that loan-level pricing adjustments will continue to increase for a 5th and 6th time before 2009.

DO READ:  “How to Sell My House” by Surfer Sam at Surfer Sam Online. With each new day a new seller comes to market. Because this is so, the advice Sam offers never is old. In this post Sam does a nice job breaking get a home sold down to the basics.

I hope find my list of 5 my “to do” list of real estate blogs for this week informative. However, I gotta admit reading through all the posts submitted to the 103rd Edition of the Carnival of Real Estate left me a bit punchy. But I am glad to be a host... cause each week the Carnival points to something that expands my knowledge and understanding to the ever changing, complex and multifaceted world of real estate.

Blog on!
Me

All the Listings, All the Time

To see everything currently on the market in the Rochester, NY area click on http://www.rochestersbesthomes.com/

Hot Areas! South Wedge & Highland Park Area

It was reminiscent of 2005!I had an appointment to show a property at 8:30 last night in the Ellwanger Berry/Highland Park neighborhood and when I arrived, there were people lined up on the street to get in. It wasn't too big of a surprise since the last three properties I tried to show in this neighborhood sold before I could get in.In a similar fashion, I put a "for rent" sign up on my South

Selling Your Vanilla Box

We all know that the real estate market is in a major slump. Nothing seems to make that grim point more real then when one takes a short drive through any neighborhood. For it is there we see, dotting the front yards of so many homes, a multitude of For Sale signs. But while looking at a sign in a front yard makes a tangible point of reference for what is happening with the sales of single family homes, what is taking place with regard to the condo market is sometimes harder to see. Because often there is no sign, it is easy to overlook the fact that there are many many condominiums for sale too.

In some ways selling a condo is harder then selling a single family home. First, it is not uncommon, especially in larger developments, for one condo in a building to be selling against another condo configured with the exact same floor plan, features and finishes. And, except for slight differences in the exterior façades, it is also not unusual to find one building full of condos to be pretty much the same as another building full of condos in the same neighborhood.

Sellers need to understand that with so many condos to choose from, they all start looking the same to the buyer.  In the buyer’s eye, without much distinguishing one from another, they become just another Vanilla Box.

While there are many configurations of the Vanilla Box, the typical Vanilla Box of today has the door in the rear, sliding patio doors to a balcony in the front, and a kitchen in the middle with stainless steel appliances, granite counter tops and an island that separates the kitchen space from the open dining/living room area. All are pretty much the same…floor to floor, building to building, neighborhood to neighborhood.

With so many condos being relatively the same, the chance for a sale is quite competitive. Plus, if you are a home seller that is currently living in a Vanilla Box, in a neighborhood that offers similarly priced NEWLY constructed Vanilla Boxes… keep in mind that a shiny new Box is much more appealing to a buyer, than a scuffed, scratched, and worn used Box.

Good news is that the hope for a sale of your Vanilla Box is not a lost cause… for either the independent owner trying to sell their unit, or for the builder trying to sell one or more units. Both, for different reasons, can benefit from hiring an EXPIRIENCED home stager.

Stagers will help individual seller trying to sell their unit in a number of ways. First, they will point out the problem areas that make a used home look used, and then offer low cost ideas and solutions that make the condo feel new. Next, while it is a fact that a furnished property is easier to sell then vacant; sellers need to understand that due to size constraints of the home (typically condos are more compact) furnishings in the condo needs to be set in a way that  they actually help the condo show and flow for touring… and a stager can help here too. Good staging is a balance between adding the right amount of visual appeal, without having the interior décor distract the seller’s eye from the property they are considering buying.

For the builder, a Stager can also be of great service. Who hasn’t been a bit surprised to experience a builder’s empty vanilla white unit after touring their lush and lovely model? For this reason large builders have for years had model properties for buyers to first tour. Today, the opportunity and benefit of having a model unit need not be a selling advantage reserved only for the larger builder. Smaller builders can hire a Stager who can provide low cost, yet beautifully designed staged-model solutions. PLUS, if the builder is selling multiple units in one building, should the staged unit sell, the staged model can be moved from one unit and re-set in the next. The added flexibility of a “rolling” model offers yet more flavor and appeal to the Vanilla Box.

So yes, without a doubt this is a tough market, especially for condo owners. But properties are selling. Fortunately, builders and owners of Vanilla Boxes can change the flavor of their offering from FOR SALE to SOLD… with the help of a Home Stager.

Flavor It Forward...

Me

Real Estate is Local!

Every time I watch the news these days I have an anxiety attack. Price of Oil! Recession! Crime! Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac! Global Warming! Cancer! Depression (no, not the economy; me!) And just about the time that I'm convinced that times are too difficult to sell real estate, my phone starts ringing.Fortunately, real estate is local and the Rochester market is not all doom and gloom.

Welcome Back David!

Most of my real estate dealings are residential transactions but every once in a while I get to dabble in commercial real estate. I was tickled pink when my friend David Soldi called me when he decided he want to open his own salon and spa. We spent several months searching until we found a nice spot in East Rochester.Finding the spot was easy compared to what followed. For the next few months,

Capture Rochester Dot Com

I finally did it. I signed up and submitted a few photos to the Capture Rochester program being conducted by the Democrat and Chronicle. You can check out my photos here: http://www.capturerochester.com/people/MaryShelsby And if you want to vote for them, well, I'd like that very much too!It is a pretty neat project for those that love photography. Photographers submit their photos, complete with

Be Careful of Estimates

The Internet brings lots of helpful information at our fingertips. Unfortunately, not all of it is accurate. And it is difficult to know what is reliable information and what isn't.Case in point, is the fair market value of real estate. A lot of what Realtors do is recommend prices for property, both to buyers and sellers. These profession opinions are based on going in and out of a lot of

Stagers Should Picture What They Preach

Without a doubt the end result of a home’s staging should be a great visual impression. Because this is so, home staging has come to be viewed as an “image” industry. But as a relatively new industry, home stagers have much to learn from their counterparts in other more established image industries such as advertising, interior design, and landscaping. Professionals in these fields know that to sell and grow their own businesses; they must first present a good visual image of themselves. This impression starts with the logos, business cards, and websites they use to market their products and services.

Be leary of staging hypocrits. If home stagers are going to pitch the need and importance of investing money to ready properties (which is a home seller's "product") for market, then the stager needs to invest money to do the same for what they sell... their staging services. To be fair and judged credible, a home stager needs to invest in their business image. But more than just spending money. A stager's image, communicated through business cards, brochures, and websites, must demonstrate knowledge of and skill to apply basic design principals. Why? Well, basic design principals are universal and govern all visual creativity, including the skill and ability to properly stage a home.

Picture what they preach. Another area, where real estate stagers need to practice what they preach, is in the portfolios they use to sell their ability. First and foremost, the work they show MUST ONLY be theirs... and it better look good. If stagers are going advise sellers and Realtors as to the importance of using good photography to capture and present a home, then again, a stager needs to do the same with photography they show of the their work. A stager's portfolio is a key, yet often overlooked tool that communicates quality, skill and ability.

Seller’s looking to hire a stager can use a stager’s online portfolio to pre-screen and judge a stager's talent and ability. The best portfolios address the following 3 points.

• Versatility & Proficiency - Every market is different and examples of the work a stager shows should represent the types of homes being sold in the markets they serve. However the more depth and diversity a stager can show the better. The most compelling portfolios will show staging work that was done in both big and small homes, vacant and occupied homes, low to high end homes, and the ability in to work with a variety of design styles.
• Same View Point - Proof of a stager's skill and ability is often shown in Before & After photographs. But quite often the Before photo is taken from a totally different position in a room, from the After photo. The best sales testament that shows a stager’s ability and talent come from having Before & After photographs taken from the EXACT same angle.
• Quality Photos - While it may not be possible to take the perfect Before, the After image needs to be well photographed. Stagers that invest the time and money to take quality photos visually communicate their commitment to their profession.

Just as a home that is for sale is being judged by how it looks, sellers can use the business images a stagers shows of themselves to judge skill and ability. The best home stagers will picture what they preach.

Stage It Forward...
Me

Itchy Belly

The folks at Eagle Vale Golf Course in Fairport were nice enough to allow me to wander the course to attempt to photograph blue herons. The herons were not very cooperative but this teen-aged goose didn't seem to notice me as he scratched his belly.It's summer in Rochester and the weather is simply glorious! I hope you are getting out to enjoy it!

The Latest in Home Design

Believe it or not, I spent a few free hours this afternoon viewing houses for fun. It was Realtor Day at Homearama 2008 and so I went to preview 7 beautiful homes that feature the latest in design and features. It was great fun. Here's a slide show of the some of the houses I got to see today. Maybe because it is tougher and tougher to pay for a tank of gas, but these luxury homes sure seem to

See Why & How Seller Used Staging... and ends up selling in 10 Days!

A Day at the Zoo

I learned something pretty cool about the Seneca Park Zoo recently. If you take someone to the zoo that is in a wheel chair, the person pushing the chair gets in free. That is so cool!And so if you know someone in a wheelchair, take them to the zoo today! The weather is just about perfect. For more information about our zoo, go to: http://www.senecaparkzoo.org/

Open Sunday, 1 to 3, Henrietta NY

I hope you will stop by to see me Sunday, June 15, between 1 and 3 for an open house at 3 Langston Point, in Pittsford (take Stone Rd to Tumbleweed, then left on Cobblefield to Langston Pt.) It's a 1996 built colonial with 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths and a list price of $249,000. The yard is simply awesome! For inside photos and details, go to www.RochestersBestHomes.com/813862 . Some other open houses

When Wallpaper Attacks, It Can Kill the Sale

In today’s real estate market more and more home sellers are relying on home staging tips and advice to guide them in ways to best prepare their homes for selling. So last week, when I was hired to tour a seller’s property to give them my “Buyer’s Eye” advice, a monster of a problem reared its ugly head. The wallpaper in my client’s home was so extremely ugly I told them I just had to write a blog about it and use it as an example on how monsters like this will negatively affect a home’s sale.

So for the fun of it, and to drive home my point, I present to you (below) what I saw. So hideous was this wallpaper, I have to admit it almost looks like a cliché. However be wise, while not all wallpaper is as ugly this, it still is a problematic issue that sellers need to pay attention to. Fortunately, my clients were motivated and open to advice and willing to take it down. They know they had to present the most competitively appealing property as possible to sell in today’s market. But when it comes to wallpaper, not all sellers are as accepting of staging advice. I have found that the topic of wallpaper usually results in eye rolling, harrumphing, justification and/or avoidance with sellers. So if you are serious about selling your wallpapered home, you need to look it from a sellers view. Keep in mind, regardless of how “fantastic” you think your home’s wallpaper is, it is a HIGHLY personal expression of taste, so chances are potential buyers will NOT like it. Second, buyers want to buy their dream home ready for today, not yesterday. Wallpaper is trendy and needlessly ages a home.

But most importantly, what sellers need to know is this…. when buyers see wallpaper they don’t like, they see dollar signs. When it comes to spending their hard earned money to buy their dream, buyers will scrutinize and negatively react to your wallpapered home as, hopefully, you reacted to my extreme examples above.

So you need to know that any and all the resistance you have about removing wallpaper will be the EXACT same resistance a buyer will have about it too. Buyers know removing wallpaper is an arduous task that can be costly. Because this is the reality of buying a home with wallpaper, buyers know in this market they can and will move on to the next home that does not have that monster to battle.

Stage It Forward...
Me

Assessed Too High!

A couple of weeks ago I got a call from the town of Henrietta assessor's office. They asked me about a former listing that I had that was assessed at $145,200 but sold after 18 months on the market for $115,000. "The house didn't appear to be distressed. In fact, looking at the old listing it looked quite nice. Were we that wrong," the assessor asked?My professional opinion is that the house

Million Dollar Homes

Once upon a time, it was extremely rare for a house to go on the market with an asking price of a million dollars or more. Today, that's not real unusual, as noted in the real estate section of today Democrat and Chronicle. I've put together a list of Rochester, NY area million dollar listings. Many of these gems are waterfront property but the rest are just simply pure luxury!

View all

Hot Properties

Perhaps the fasting moving properties these days are single family homes for less than $100,000. It seems like most times when I call to get an appointment for one of my buyers, I'm told there is already an offer in. Dang it!Here is a list of approximately 60 open houses this weekend of single family homes in Monroe County listed for $100,000 or less. Enjoy the great weather and call me if you

Advice For First Time Home Buyers

I got an e-mail today that was very similiar to many that I've received in the past. It read, "My husband, Peter, and I are thinking about buying a house in the near future as we are quickly outgrowing our apartment (we have 2 young children). We have so many questions, and have no idea where to start. Do you have any advice?"I referred them to a blog that clients of mine did several years ago

5 Simple Factors That Keep Your Home From Selling

Believe it or not, even though the market is “bad” homes are still selling. Of course they are not selling at the rate they used to… but they are selling. So if you are trying to sell your house and find yourself asking the question “Why isn’t my home selling?” you may be surprised to know that the answer to that question is quite simple, but a bit multifaceted. The sale of a home in today’s market is dependant on a five factors that if not seriously considered and advantageously applied will keep your home from selling.

The first factor you must look at is PRICE. The asking price of a home today can not be dependant on what the price would/could have been in the “good old days”. The price of your home must be appropriate for today’s market… AND, because there are so many other homes in the market, it also needs to be aggressively competitive. Home buyers want and will spend the least to buy the most they can. Holding out for more, will only result in MORE time on market… so be wise.

The next factor is CONDITION. The better condition your home is in, the more attractive it is. Buyers do not want to spend their money repairing and making simple updates once they take possession. A home that is “move-in ready” is going to be snatched up long before a similar home that needs attention. Investing in a home inspection and addressing any major issues earlier on may cost you some money, but it will never cost you the sale. However, problematic issues, discovered by the buyer’s inspector, will still cost you money and also may be just enough to kill the sale. Besides hiring a home inspector, who focuses more on structural and mechanical conditional issues, you might want to also work with a home stager who will focus on the numerous smaller maintenance details and repair concerns that influence a buyer’s perception of condition.

PRESENTATION, both on-line and in person, is third factor that needs to be taken into account. The on-line presentation of your property needs to be captured and shown in first rate photography. Gone are the days when a Realtor could take poor quality digital snapshots and loaded them into an MLS system. Today’s buyer, who lives are busy and hectic as yours, depends on the Internet to help them prescreen properties. Better photos capture and tell a better sales story. In addition to having quality photos taken of your home, it still must look great when being toured by a buyer. An experienced home stager will guide and direct you to set and present your home so it can be easily toured and distinguished from your possessions in it.

Hiring the right listing AGENT is the fourth key factor essential in getting your property sold. Selecting a Realtor, solely because they recommended the highest listing price, may be the biggest reason why your home will not sell. Picking a savvy and strategic Agent who has skillful with a variety of marketing tactics and who is adept in working through a myriad of sales issues that can stop a sale once a buyer makes an offer is crucial. An experienced Realtor, who has a proven track record that demonstrates they have mastered both the marketing side and the sales side of real estate, will earn every penny they are paid for selling your home.

The fifth and final factor has to do with your INVOLVEMENT. Sellers need to fully share concerns, needs and objectives with the selected Agent right from the start and continue until the property is sold. But while candid honesty is key, it must also be two way street. Your Realtor must not only listen to you, but you must listen to them. So stay informed, watch the market conditions, and objectively listen to the feedback after showings. Then consider and act on key information you gather as if you were the buyer. Ultimately your home’s sale is controlled by you… NOT your Realtor.

So that’s it… the secrets are finally revealed on how to sell your home in a tough buyer’s market. How you choose to work with and apply these five simple factors will make, stall or totally keep your home from selling. In closing, if you think that just because you have a few of the factors under control your home will sell, you are wrong. It really takes all five working in together.

Sell It Forward...
Me

Happy Memorial Day

May your holiday be safe and enjoyable.

Use FLOWER POWER to Sell Your Home

Before you put your home up for sale in the market, do yourself a favor and take a short walk and a quick drive.

First walk across the street and take a good hard discerning look at your property and then, after your walk, take a drive around your neighborhood and look at how your home measures up to the rest of the homes… whether they are for sale or not. The better you home looks, compared to your neighbors and the neighboring competition, the better chance you have to sell.

Buyers assume the better a home looks outside the better it will look on the inside. So while there may be specific repair maintenance issues that can and should be attended to with your home’s physical structure… don’t overlook the fact that you can fuel your home’s sale with a little FLOWER POWER.

How can you tap into the power of the flower to sell your home? Well consider the following:

Garden beds should be cleaned out, weeded and planted with plants that are appropriate for the time of year and/or region you live in. No need to be exotic… old standard annual flowering plants, like marigolds, geraniums, petunias and impatiens, are typically very hardy and will add color and appeal buyers like. Turn over the dirt or add fresh mulch. Add dirt or mulch to bare areas under large shade trees. Deadhead (remove) blooms on flowering plants once they dye.

Trees, shrubs and vines should be pruned and trimmed. If a bush or tree is dead or dying, remove it and replace it with a similar size and type of plant if at all possible. Cut out any dead wood and cut out or back tree limbs touching the home and/or roof. Overtime small shrubs can grow so large that they become large bushes that need be trimmed back or removed entirely. Remember, people buy homes that are light and bright, so any plant that keep sunlight from entering the in and block the view out should be tended to.

Lawns need to be green, mowed, weeded and trimmed. Reseed bare patches in the lawn. Make sure the edges of all flower beds are clearly defined. Trim grass along sidewalks and the driveway. Pull any weeds or sprouts of grass growing out of cracks in the drive or walkways. Weeds tend to be hardier then grass in draught conditions and therefore stand out in lawns in an unbecoming way. So if you live in an area under water restrictions, be sure to weed the lawn. Oh… and don’t forget to clean up Fido’s lawn contributions.

Decks and patios are common to most homes. But a deck or patio that is actually set with furniture and flowering planters can instantly be seen as a bonus living area. Buyers will most likely tour the inside of the home before the outside. Since the buyer will first see the deck or patio as they are inside looking out. So when setting the deck or patio, strategically consider the first visual impression from the inside looking out onto these outdoor spaces.

Finally, and most importantly, make sure the front door’s stoop/porch is blooming beautiful. As the realtor fumbles for keys, trying to figure out how to open the door, buyers are standing behind looking around with anxious, yet critical, eyes. Yes, this space should be neat and swept clean, but colorful flower filled beds and planters will add welcoming interest and visual appeal like nothing else.

Blooming gardens and well maintained lawns will never scare off a buyer. So in this time when fuel prices are at a record high and the real estate market is at a record low… remember you can always rely on flower power to sell your home.

Bloom It Sold...

Me

The Butler Did It!

Whether you are staging your home for sale or just getting ready to entertain, a properly set table is impressive. And if you want to set your table properly, take it from the pros.....professional butlers. that is. I found a cool web site....The International Guild of Professional Butlers http://www.butlersguild.com/ with complete instructions on how to set a table plus at least a dozen ways to

A Hedge Against the Economy

Several weeks back CNN Money Magazine predicted Rochester's housing prices to increase 2.7%, ranking it second in the country for fastest growing markets. And while that is very good news for the Rochester real estate market, there are a few things to keep in mind. First off, this is only a prediction. Second, this is a cool off of the 4 to 6% appreciation we've been seeing in recent years.As I

Open This Sunday

Tomorrow concludes the Liliac Festival for 2008 but the peonies are about to pop at Highland Park. If you are like me, you might prefer to wait until the crowds are done to go see the park and so I've encluded a list of open houses for your Sunday afternoon. The hottest listings in town these days are home priced for less than $125,000 and so that's what is on this week's list. Open House

4 Family Home on Rochester East Side

I recently listed a 4 Family Home located just two blocks from the new luxury condos (www.RochestersBestHomes.com/800254) on South Union. It's a great location, just a short walk to down town. The building includes two studio apartments and two one bedroom apartments but could easily be converted to a two or three family unit. It also features off-street parking on Canfield St, which is a

Attack Duck!

Yes, my photos are usually in focus. But when I took this shot last night I was shaking with fear.I was showing property in Avon, NY last night and this duck seemed very happy to see me. When I reached out to pet him, he bit me! It hurt and left a pretty good mark too.Enjoy the rest of my photos from Avon, NY!

U of R Employees Offered $9000 Incentive to buy City Homes!

The University of Rochester and the City of Rochester each are offering $3000 in assistance to full and part time employees of the University of Rochester that buy a home in select neighborhoods in the City of Rochester. In addition, Advantage Federal Credit Union and Canandaigua National Bank & Trust will provide an additional $3000 in assistance. The targeted areas for the incentive program are

Brainstorming about Rochester's Future

Last night I attended the Rochester Neighbors Building Neighborhoods Planning Meeting for Sector 6. I wasn't sure what to expect but I was pleasantly surprised. (more info here: http://www.nbnsector6.org/)We arrived, had a light supper and then were quickly broken into groups. As a group, we had six minutes to throw out our most creative ideas about improving Rochester on a given topic. We

Open houses on Mother's Day

I was very surprised to find more than 100 open houses today. After all, it is Mother's Day. With all the publicity this week that Rochester's real estate market ranks second in the country, it's no wonder. Here's the list: Open House ReportMe? I'm hanging out at the Lilac Festival!

Spring Market

No, I've not disappeared from the face of the Earth. It's spring time and more than the leaves have reappeared......so have the buyers. I've been working with five buyers for every listing which has kept me running all over a five county region. (Boy, the executives at oil companies must love me!) And when I'm not showing property, I've been sneaking over to Mendon Ponds Park for a little

The A-B-C’s and 1-2-3’s of Home Staging

I often now receive inquires about home staging, from home sellers all over the country, that typically start by asking a question such as, “Can you give me a little information on how staging works and what staging a home costs?” Since so many start their inquiry with the same question, I thought it would be helpful to answer with what I call the “A-B-C’s of Home Staging.”

A is for ABOUT home staging in general. Actually, if you are going to stage your property you need to know that it is ABOUT a 2 step process. The first step is the “prepping of the property. Prepping the house basically attends to the conditional issues that need to be repaired, cleaned and/or updated. The second step is ABOUT the “pretty visual” that people think of when they think of home staging. This step has to do with the physical setting/arranging of the furnishings and/or accessories within a house. The combined goal of the 2 steps is to create a house that shows it best and ultimately will draw the interest of the widest buying demographic possible.

B is for BASIC types of staging services. While there are 6 Basic types of staging services, it is important to note that all stagers offer all six. The services a stager offers the better it is for you. Since you actually won’t know what you will need until the stager visits for the first time, a stager that provides more service types is better equipped to guide you based on your needs and not cut short the impact of staging because of their own limitations.

The 6 BASIC staging service types are:

1. Consult Staging: This type of staging solely taps into a Stager’s knowledge. First focusing on the condition of a home, a Stager visits a property to meticulously instruct on all that must be done to best prep and then set the property for market.



2. Re-Arrange Staging: This type of services relies on both the Stager’s knowledge and their physical labor. Once a home’s conditional needs are met, a Stager arranges the property by physically setting it using only the seller's existing furniture and decorative accessories.



3. Enhance Staging: Again, once conditional issues are addressed, the Stager will then set the interior space. But not only are the existing furniture and accessories used, but the Stager will bring and blend in decorative accessories and/or furniture from their inventory. These “props” are loaned or rented to the seller while the home is for sale.



4. Reseller Vacant Staging: When a "preowned" house is vacant, there is not much else to look at, conditional issues and concerns are amplified and ultimately fixated on by buyers. So while it is important that conditional needs be addressed, a Stager is hired to then maximize the home’s visual appeal by fully setting it with the appropriate furnishings and accessorizes.



5. Rehab Vacant Staging: When conditional issues throughout a older property are repaired and updated to today's trends, a Stager is hired to then maximize the home’s visual appeal by fully setting it with the appropriate furnishings and accessorizes.



6. Model Vacant Staging: While conditional in new construction is not an issue, “life-styling” is. Models typically rely more on projecting a “life-styled” visual appeal then a preowned vacant. A good Stager understands and designs within a specific life-style marketing concept when furnishing, accessorizing and setting a vacant spec / model property.

C is for COST to hire a home stager. What hiring costs actually are depends on how much Talent (knowledge), Time (physical labor) and Treasure (props) a stager provides. If a seller has a limited amount to spend, then the best value a stager can provide is the Consult. For as little as $100 (in some markets) a Stager can be hired to scrutinize a property and provide professional staging advice and guidance. From there it is realistic to expect to pay anywhere from $35 to $75 per hour for a stager’s services. As for props, the fees for renting these items will vary based on just what is being rented and the length of time the items are being rented for.

Sellers are not only realizing the cost of staging will pay off, but actually ARE benefiting from making the investment. Let’s face it; if “time is money” then reduced market time is a great return on investment. So regardless of staging solution proposed, a good stager will do all they can to maximize the return on a seller’s staging budget so that the house sells… 1-2-3.

So there you have it, today’s blog lesson on the A-B-C’s and 1-2-3’s of home staging.


Staging It Forward...
Me

Not All Staging Bananas Are Ripe & Ready

So my home selling pets, would you like to pick a house stager but are not sure which in the bunch to hire? Plus does the fact that when you think about it, it seems like there are more and more people becoming Home Stagers almost overnight?

Well, you are right; it can be a tough to know which stager you should work with, especially since staging is still relatively new in most parts of the USA. You are also right if you noticed that there are many new bananas rapidly joining the staging bunch.

To make a wise and informed pick, you need to understand that unfortunately a “professional stager” may just be an average green Jane or Joe who just fell out of a training tree. Many are transformed into “professionals” because they sat through a one, two or three day foundation training workshop. That's it, as little as one day, and WA LA a new staging banana with a title tacked on.

So be wise, home staging credentials that hype “trained,” “certified” or “accredited” can be a bit deceiving… especially considering that it can take as little as one day to be trained and graduated from foundation training programs. This is not to say that there are well qualified real estate stagers who have been professional trained. But remember, above everything, the ripeness of EXPERIENCE trumps all else... even “credentials."

Unfortunately, the home staging industry is an unregulated wild bunch. Because this so... sellers are at risk, especially in this tough selling market. Actually, picking a green stager could cost you some green. So while staging looks mighty tasty, to those of you who are looking for some hope and help, don’t blindly accept the fact that a stager, with a horde of initials after their name, is experienced and fully yet knows what to do to maximize your homes staged appeal.

So how can you pick out a ripe experienced stager? Well, it is not the difficult, if you keep in mind that home staging is an “image” industry.

Considering it is a stager’s job is to create a good first visual impression of home seller’s property, then a good stager needs to do the same for themselves. A good stager knows the importance of and how to present a good visual first impression of their company and their work.

To start to weed out amateurs from the experienced, first consider looking closely at the stager's portfolio for examples of their work. Also, make sure that you ask the stager if they ACTUALLY staged the properties they show in their portfolio... believe it or not there are some foundation training programs that give green stagers a set of “starter” portfolio photos. Finally if you have any doubts, you can always ask the stager for testimonials from past clients and/or references.

So that’s it, considering its a jungle out there, this is pretty easy. That is all you need to know and do to be a good home selling monkey and pick the ripe stager.

Staging It Forward...
Me


POST SCRIPT of THANKS: Thank you to Rich at the "The Official Active Rain Blog" for seeing the merit in this post and selecting it as a WINNER in the Carnival of Real Estate. CLICK HERE: To read "The Top 10 Rides" in the 89th Carnival of Real Estate.

Happy Earth Day

Every where you look these days there is a green message! And rightfully so. In my 50 plus years on Planet Earth, I've seen such changes to our environment. So last year when I was looking for a new real estate office to call home, I was impressed by the efforts at ReMax First to both be a progressive thinking real estate office but also have a social conscious, especially with environmental

The Waiting Game

Last Monday I wrote an offer on a property in the city of Rochester owned by a bank. We made the "life of the offer" as Wednesday at noon. When I talked to the listing office on Tuesday, they advised me it would probably take the bank 48 hours to give a response. After 36 hours, I started calling.My client simply wants to know if his offer was accepted. Fortunately, this is an investment property

Something to Be Thankful For!

It's been a tough, tough real estate market this spring. Buyers are indecisive, sellers are defensive and most real estate agents are just plain grumpy. In previous years, I've sold as many as five houses in a week during the spring and as many as 7 during the month of March. This year, I've only put together a total of five transactions in first 15 weeks of the year. So I was feeling a bit

You Can Stage It... Even if THEY Still Don't Get It

In the 4 years I have been staging, I now notice a new trend taking place... the number of calls we get directly from home sellers, prior to their hiring of a Realtor, is on a sharp rise. But the odd thing is that while staging has been out there now for a number of years, it still AMAZES me how snubbed, ignored, and misunderstood the staging message has been by the Realtor community in general. For what ever reason, many Realtors seem to have shut down any possibility to understand any opportunity staging offers.

Why aren't Realtors getting it? Well, I have a feeling that what many Realtors think staging is... actually is not all that it is.

• If a seller goes on line and finds a list of "10 Things You Can Do To Ready Your Home for Selling" and does as it advises... THAT IS home staging.


• If seller’s Realtor then comes to look at the home and directs them to do 10 more things, that better readies their property for selling, and they do those things... THAT IS home staging.


• If a Stager is hired and they find and additional 10 MORE things for the seller to attend to and the seller and/or the Stager do them... THAT IS home staging.

Just as selling a house does NOT always require a Realtor, staging a house does NOT always require a Stager. However, home sellers who have worked with a good and reputable Stager have learned that we do see more issues that work against the homes sale and offer more creative ideas and solutions to ready/package/market a home for selling in ways they never considered.

First, and most often, the service a Stager does is give advice. We guide, direct and counsel home sellers as to what they can do to BEST to prepare their property for selling. A Stager can also coach sellers on how to quickly, easily and inexpensively accomplish and address that which can be done to help make the home more appealing. Consulting services from good Stagers are, in some markets, less then $100. If needed, Stagers can come in and help do some of the things that need to be done to prepare the home for selling… including “setting” the interior space.

Information is power. The more you and your Realtor knows and understands what home staging does and does NOT do and when to use our services , the more empowered you both are.

So don't let the words "staging" or "Stager" trip you up. While these words are relatively new, what we advise has been given as advice in real estate sales for year. All that has really changed is that there is an entire INDUSTRY now committed to understanding the intricacies of how a home can be best merchandised and marketed as a product so that it entices them to buy.

Staging It Forward...

Me

POST SCRIPT of THANKS: Thanks you REACHED.COM for seeing the merit in this post and selecting it as a WINNER in the Carnival of Real Estate. CLICK HERE: To read "The 8 Top Picks" in the 87th Carnival of Real Estate.

Last Chance for 2008 City Living Sundays

City Living Sunday Part 3 will take place this Sunday, April 13, 2008 at Aquinas Institute, located at 1127 Dewey Ave. Festivities will run from noon to 4 and feature affordability counseling, loan details and how to buy seminars plus approximately 50 open houses in the Northwest quadrant. Click here to see a list of open houses scheduled for Sunday: Open House Report

Buyer Beware!

With all the media attention on the sub-prime mortgage situation, it seems that hardly a day passes when some buyer doesn't ask me about foreclosures. It seems that everybody thinks that is the best way to get the best deal in Rochester real estate. Today was no exception. I was working with a buyer looking for a multi-family investment property in the city of Rochester. He was pretty excited

Chipping Away the "PRICE IS KING" Myth in Home Selling

The way many Realtors and home sellers rely on pricing as a marketing strategy for home selling is not entirely all it is cracked up to be. Believe it or not there is a simple yet profound parallel lesson both Realtor and seller can gain from the way Lay's potato chips are packaged, priced, marketed and sold and how real estate is packaged, priced, marketed and sold.

First, lets me be clear... when it comes to selling anything, be it real estate or potato chips, price IS king. It is a fact that the selling market will only get the price the buying market is willing to pay... this is what makes price "KING". However, I think that too many agents and sellers collapse the concept of "KING" down to mean it is the ONLY thing that matters when it comes to selling real estate. They don't understand the total ramifications of HOW pricing is but one factor managed and integrated into the overall marketing and selling process of real estate.

With that in mind, let's crunch on the pricing lesson of the potato chip...

Recently I saw a persuasive news segment on CBS Sunday Morning. In the piece the correspondent reported on the dynamic and well-regulated world of food labels. Interviewed for the segment was the Product Manager at FritoLay that was responsible for marketing their "natural" potato chip product. FritoLay knows that while Classic Lay's Potato Chips (Bet'cha can't eat just one!) have been a snack "staple" in America for years, consumer tastes change. Because markets and tastes change, FritoLay knows they must ongoingly develop products… including potato chip products.

Surprisingly on camera, the FritoLay's marketing manger shared a company "secret" about one of their newer products... the Natural Potato Chip. She revealed that Lay's Natural Chips are for the most part exactly same product as Lay’s Classic Chips. BOTH are nutritionally the same product and are made using the same type of potato and are cooked in the same way. The only real difference, between the two, is that "natural" chips are salted with sea salt, a salt PERCEIVED to be more natural, are cut thicker and are put in bag that looks more earthy in color and has a matte (paper bag like) finish. Classic Chips go into a shiny red and yellow bag.

Ok, so what! Both bags of chips are the same. What's does that have to do with price?

Well, there is one other BIG difference between Lay’s Natural and Classic chips. FritoLay admitted that they put LESS chips in the Natural chip bag AND the then charge MORE for them. That's right, less product for MORE money. So if price really is KING, how could they get away with this? Well, FritoLay's knows that buyers buy what they want...some potato chip consumers want "natural" chips. Buyers do not perceive Classic Chips as natural... even though they really are. If FritoLay wants to sell chips to the "natural" buyer, they have to sell a product that is viewed as "natural" they know he packaging then becomes essential in driving home the "natural" point.

So even though these chips are basically the same, because the potato chips are packaged in a way that buyers can easily and visually relate to them... they buy them. FritoLay knows that buyers buy products, as simple as potato chips, when they connect to it.

Or said another way... even though homes are often the similar, when homes are packaged (staged) in a way buyers can easily and visually relate to them... they buy them. Stagers know that buyers buy products, as COMPLEX as a home, when they can connect to it. A real estate stager's job is to package a house in a way that the buyer will relate to. In a chip, THAT is what staging is all about.

So, while it is important for a home/listing be priced right, don’t be misguided into solely believing the "Price is King” myth… if you do then your home/listing may just end up sitting there on the market as a Real Estate Couch Potato.

Chip It Forward...
Me

768-770 Grand Ave, Rochester - Open Sunday, 1 to 4

Come on by Sunday afternoon, 1 to 4 pm, to see this very nice 2-family located in Rochester's Culver-Winton neighborhood. Lots of charm remains with gum-wood trim and hardwood floors. Both kitchens and baths have been recently remodeled and the attic has been finished. Newer roof, plumbing and electric! Gas and electric are on separate meters for each unit.Currently, both apartments are rented,

City Living Sunday in NE Rochester

The city of Rochester is once again putting on educational workshops for home buyers this Sunday, April 6, 2008 at East High School, 1801 E. Main St, from noon till 4 pm. Mortgage lenders, Realtors and city officials will all be on hand to answer questions about purchasing real estate in the city of Rochester.In addition, nearly 50 houses located in the Northeast quadrant will be open for touring

Spring Market Has Hit!

The interesting thing about a real estate blog is that when the market is slow, it is difficult to find things to blog about but when it's hot, it is difficult to find time to write. Since returning from my mini-Easter vacation, my phone has been ringing off the hook and I've had appointments, usually more than one, each and every day. I've had three listing presentations, worked with 4 new

It Ain't All Pretty... But it is Darn Good Marketing!

Even though America is a consumer society, it's an odd fact that the typical home seller does not view their property as a product for sale in a marketplace. Because this is so, many home's sales end up languishing. But this need not be the case.

Basic old fashioned marketing principals teaches that how a product is perceived and received within the market can be positively altered and impacted… and this is where home staging can help. More then just being decorators or designers, good home stagers are focused in applying a full array of strategic property marketing principles and practices which positively influence the consumer about a product (your home) in a market.

So even though a staged home might look attractive, it is important to note that staging is NOT solely about making a home just look "pretty." In fact there are homes that CAN look visually attractive and STILL not be staged.

Any Realtor, home seller, or builder who thinks that all staging is is making a home look "pretty" is grossly ignorant to the reality of what a good stager does and therefore probably not using a stager and benefiting from what we do.

The "Why" and "How" a home is prepped and set for its showing and ultimate selling is what a staged home is all about. Be it Macy’s, Best Buy, Safeway, Walgreens etc., what we do is much like what happens every day in these retail stores across America.

Real estate staging is actually more about the process of strategically setting up (merchandising) a property in a manner that makes it not only easy for buyers to tour, but also creates a way for their eyes and hearts to connect to it with a powerfully effective first impression that lingers and stays with them.

Today I am not surprised to find there are many pretty homes that still are not selling. But a staged home, that is priced right, will sell quickly, even during ugly markets.


Stage It Forward...
Me

POST SCRIPT of THANKS: Thanks you HotPads.com for seeing the merit in this post and selecting it as a WINNER in the Carnival of Real Estate. CLICK HERE: To read "The Fools Edition" in the 84th Carnival of Real Estate.

City Living Sundays

With gas prices hitting outrageous numbers, it seems more and more people are considering the convenience and economic feasibility of moving to the City of Rochester. If you fall in that category, I suggest you check out City Living Sundays during the next three weekends.Each weekend will focus on a different section of the city. The festivities start each Saturday at 2 pm with a FREE Landmark

Should I Refinance?

This is a question I get a lot, especially lately with rates as low as they are right now. Today, we will take look at what it takes to wisely move forward on refinancing your home. There are many things to consider before you incur the cost of a new first mortgage. Cost is a good place to start this discussion. A lot of people don't realize that there are closing costs (bank fees, see previous

Think Spring

Ahhh, it's warmer today than it been in a while. The snow and ice are melting. I've seen robins and heard geese flying overhead. Oh, I long for spring!And so I spent the last hour or so going through some of my flower photos from Highland Park and decided to share them. Maybe if we all start thinking real hard about spring, it will come sooner than expected. Be sure to make a point of visiting

When Realtors Commit this Crime… Sellers Do the Time!

Earlier this week I received a phone call from a desperate a home seller looking to home staging as marketing solution that would help finally sell his $499,000 town home... that had been on the market for over 1½ half years. Right from the start, the caller was frank and wanted to make sure I knew that when compared to similar sized units for sale in the development, his townhouse was the most expensive. He also wanted to make sure I understand the price difference was due to the fact that his property had been totally gutted and extensively remodeled… including the kitchen and baths. So while they all were same size on the inside and looked the same on the outside… his was NOT exactly the same as the neighboring “competition”.

Intrigued to know what we would be working with, I hoped to take a little "sneak peak" and pop over to the listing Realtor’s site. I asked the seller for the name of his Realtor and the name of the firm he sold for. Hmmm… I never heard of THAT company. So I did a quick Google search to find the Realtors site. To my surprise NOTHING came up. WOW… the listing real estate company, nor the Realtor, had a website to market themselves OR their listings. OK, that is a bit odd, but it was a small real estate company… after all there are other online property marketing options available to Realtors for their listings.

Luckily the seller happened to know his MLS#. So with no other place to go and see view the property on line, I did what I have done before... I went over to a popular online-listing site here in Chicago that give buyers the power to preview and pre-screen properties ahead of time. At that site I punched in the MLS#. WA-LA! The listing popped up with an exterior shot of the caller’s property! (Shown Above)

But to my surprise and dismay that was the only picture available on line for anyone to look at. The Realtor was relying on just ONE picture on one publicly accessible site to capture and sell all that this totally updated and rehabbed property had to offer. Why wasn’t the remodeled interior of this town home being marketed? If you ask me there is no excuse for this level of service and is nothing less then a marketing crime. Why a crime? Well, if it is estimated that 80 to 85% of homes buyers now FIRST pre-shop properties via the Internet... what would you say about a Realtor relying on one exterior shot for the buying public to preview is? But the story gets worse.

After we hung up, I was now even more curious. Something told me to take a look at this seller’s competition. So I dug a bit deeper. I then found 2 comparable properties within the exact same development. (SEE clipped ads shown in the larger graphic along with larger original ad) One property listed for $84,000 less then the property the caller owned and the other listed for $89,000 less. Now I know there could be a lot of discussion, pro and con, about the effect listing price has on property sale’s probability, this is NOT the point of this post.

The point I am making has to do with marketing. While I know there are many marketing options and tools (like real estate staging) available. Each Realtor, of these 2 cheaper properties, invested the time and money to tap into one of the most basic yet most effective marketing tools available today. Each used MULTIPLE photos posted on easily an accessible listing site to help build and reinforce potential buyer’s interest. Considering the seller, who I was talking to, had a property that costs more AND offered more, would it not be helpful to capture and display those differences to potential buyers? Plus, what does NOT showing the interior communicate to potential buyers?

Finally just let me say that most likly it is not just the lack of pictures that are keeping this property from selling. The point is that Realtors in today’s industry MUST realize that digital photography, which is cheap and easy, coupled with easily accessible on-line listing sites now give buyers the power to preview and pre-screen properties. (Watch my CURB APPEAL SHOW) Any Realtor that chooses to ignore this basic yet very important fact is committing a crime, that ultimately can cause his client's to have to do some time while they wait for their homes to seller.

Market It Forward…
Me

WOW... REUTERS picked up on this post! (Click Here to see)

A Temptation

It's bound to happen. I spend many of my days dashing in and out of homes, most staged to make a visitor fall in love, so it should come as no surprise that from time to time I get urge to move. Well it happened again. But when I mentioned it to my husband, he gave me one of those stern looks and said it's to close to golf season to even kid about moving.I didn't have the nerve to tell him I

Absolute BEST 13 Home Staging Tips

Are you having a hard time determining where to start your own home staging and just what exactly are the best home staging tips? Well... I feel your pain and totally understand.

When I Googled the phrase “home staging tips" today my search I ended up with 29,300 results. WOW, if you even ask this home stager, going through THAT result list is a daunting task and would be far too much research for ANY home seller.

So to help home sellers narrow down their options, I did my own research... and found what I think is a great list of basic tips on HGTV’s website. HGTV lists a comprehensive list that applies to both dwelling & selling. So to help focus the message only on staging, I rewrote them and condensed them down.

So while there is a lot being said out there, this "best of" real estate staging tip list is a great starting place for advice that will surly help any home seller begin their own real estate staging project.

So lets get started...

1. WORK ON YOUR ENTRANCE – Whether you are on a job interview, going on a first date or selling your home… first impressions matter. What buyers see on the outside starts to inform them on what to expect on the inside. So clean it up, touch up the paint, add plants and flowers… in general, make the buyer feel welcome.
2. CLEAR OUT CLUTTER - We think counter tops, cabinets, closets, garages, basements, and attics as storage spaces, but often they become clutter keepers. Purging out the old is not only therapeutic but allows a path for the new. Remember too much clutter distracts and obstructs buyers from seeing what you are selling. So clear it out.
3. LESS FURNITURE = MORE HOUSE - A room full of furniture can feel as cluttered as an accountants desk top during tax season. Removing all but what makes sense and is necessary will make the room fell bigger… plus it may free up a piece better used elsewhere.
4. FLOAT YOUR FURNITURE – Typical furniture arrangement makes me think of young boys at their first junior high dance… wallflowers! When you “float” furniture, bringing it off the walls in into the centerof the room, you'll end up with rooms that result in three positive benefits. The rooms will feel open, interesting and appealing… all working to the seller’s advantage.
5. CROSS POLLINATE – Sellers get so used to seeing their furnishings, art and accessories used one way and never then see it any other way. Moving pieces that have always been used in Room “X” into Room “Y” can give new life and meaning to an old rooms. But don’t stop with furniture… color, texture and style elements that dominate one room can be moved into and amongst others to visually link the home and create flow and continuity.
6. GIVE OLD ROOMS NEW PURPOSE - As time moves on, the way people live and use their homes changes. Extra bedrooms become TV Dens which then become Home Offices. Basements go from being storage areas, to Rec Rooms to Media rooms. Setting up an old room with a new purpose helps buyers see more potential in a contemporary way.
7. LET THE LIGHT SHINE IN – Letting natural sunlight in always helps buyers SEE the home and its features. Draperies that are not open, or even when they are open still cover up a large portion of the window. Either way they can make a room feel closed-in and smaller. However, equally important is the fact that sellers may need to redirect a buyer’s attention from the view out the window. If that is the case, there are plenty of options today that downplay the outside but lets the light inside.
8. LAMP & LIGHT DONE RIGHT – Lighting in a home that is too dim, too harsh, or too cold can work against the sale of it. Warm and balanced lighting is what it is all about. Using a combination of as many of the different lighting types (overhead, accent lamps, and task) in each room will give a home the overall appealing glow buyers like. Oh, and don’t forget to light up the exterior… especially the entrance.
9. COLOR WITHIN THE LINES – Wallpaper is out and color (paint) is in… especially when selling a home. Wallpaper is typically a very personal design expression that overtime looks dated. While the popularity of color does trend, updating with paint it is an easy and inexpensive way to freshen up a home that is for sale. Don’t limit yourself to thinking of white as the only neutral color. Some shades of white can be the worst color to use to “neutralize”. There is a wide variety of beiges, tans, taupes, soft gold and greens that are not only “on trend” in a buyer’s eyes, but will also work well with your furnishings while you are selling.
10. BLACK IS THE NEW BLACK - Every year we hear how “Black is the new _______”. (Fill in the color of your choice.) The NEW _______ is typically a fleeting trend color. But black never goes out of style and most likely already in your home (maybe more then you ever noticed) in its finishes, fixtures and finishes. So use it to your advantage. Link the look of your home together with a variety of black accents, accessories and furnishings throughout that will ultimately create a home with visual appeal that buyers buy.
11. HANG ART ARTFULLY – A general rule of thumb… hang art so it easy to look INTO it and not up or down at it. Considering the average American’s height is 5’8” tall, hang art for that person’s eye level, so that they look slightly above center of the piece, works best. But, besides height, placement is also important. If a seller takes into consideration how a home buyer walks through and tours the home and what walls a buyer actually looks it, will help determine where to put art and where is it’s not as important.
12. COUNT TO 3 WITH ACCESSORIES - When it comes to balance don’t make the mistake and assume it is only created with equal symmetry. Balance can also be achieved using an odd number of items… typically 3. To help you accessorizing a table top, mantle or shelf start by selecting 3 items. One item should be lower/smaller, one medium sized and one taller/larger. Group them. If one, in relationship to any other, seems to big, or small, wide or skinny then swap it out for another.
13. OUTDOORS COMES IN – Bringing flowers and plants into a home is great advice. Adding them does 2 things to a home... they soften it and add life. So while bringing the outdoors in is a great tip, sometimes live plants are not available or practical. Don’t be afraid to invest in QUALITY silk plants and dried flowers, but remember a dusty silk or old faded dried arrangement can look as DEAD as any living plant that died. Finally, avoid seasonal plants and flowers… go for the green basics.

SORRY... If It's Ugly on the Outside Buyers Ain't Going Inside

CURB APPEAL... well I am sure every home seller has heard about how important it is. But the truth is there just is not as much information out there that helps a seller understand what to do to stage the outside of a home as there is to stage the inside. Which is unfortunate because in some ways staging the outside of a home is even MORE important then the inside. WHY? Well let's face it, if the outside of a home looks bad a seller is probably NOT going to get a potential buyer to look at the inside... they will literally drive on.

So it was good to see that the Chicago Tribune published an article that took new look the “staging story” in its Special Curb Appeal Addition. In today’s Tribune, Carol Monaghan does a great job reporting not only WHY staging outside a home is important, as well as sharing some great home staging tips on just what a seller can do to make the outside of their homes be as appealing as possible.

Carol quotes a certain Chicagoland home stager who gives this simple advice... "Sellers should consider a home's ‘Web appeal’ too, says Craig Schiller, a home stager and principal of Real Estaging in Park Ridge. Because many buyers begin by prescreening houses on the Internet to determine which houses to visit, finding ways to make one stand out can give it an advantage over its competition."

This certain stager goes on to say… "People always say buying a house is the biggest purchase of your life. The reverse is also true: Selling a home is the biggest sale of your life. You want to do all you can to make buyers excited about your house." (Boy I love that quote! I wonder where I’ve heard that before?)

But seriously, while Carol's article offered some great curb appeal staging tips I think the most interesting tidbit she dug up and reported was a fact that every home seller should know… "A recent Real Estate Agent Community Trends survey, sponsored by Jeld-Wen Inc., found 82 percent of real estate agents had buyers refuse to look inside a house based on its exterior appearance."

WOW! 82% of the buyers won't walk into an "ugly on the outside" house! I gotta admit... even this certain stager didn't know that!

Me

Greetings From Vegas

The 2008 ReMax International Convention is in Las Vegas this week and I decided to attend. It's been a long, long time since I've visited sin city. Not much has really changed. It's a bit flashier and I'm truly on sensory overload and this city has gotten really expensive. Our $200 a night room is nice but they want an additional $12.99 a day for Internet and $25 a day for a pass to the workout

OOPS Goes the Staging!

From when we were just little kids we were taught there is a difference between what is right & wrong and what is good & bad. While these initial lessons of life had to do with basic relationship skills and behaviors, as we got older, we expanded in our awareness of good & bad, right & wrong rules that applied to other parts of our lives. Rules, we grew to understand, helped to guide us in subjects we study, the hobbies we undertake, the sports we play, and the work we do. In short, we gained insight and knowledge that there are proper ways things are to be done if you are going to do them well.

So while learned knowledge is a good thing, we also have discovered that correctly applying that knowledge can prove to be a quite a challenge…which also holds true to home staging. Even though there are those who are knowledgeable and appreciative of staging, some have come to realize it takes skill and ability to properly apply that knowledge. This is one of reasons why the staging industry is on the rise.

BUT, if you are young in your understanding of what staging is, there is something ELSE you need to know about it and the people who present themselves as stagers. Be advised… not everyone that says they know staging or claims they are stagers really can do it. There are far too many people now jumping in to an unregulated industry claiming they KNOW how to stage. Their final staging results unfortunately demonstrate their gross lack of understanding and break basic staging rules. AND I have to admit this really ticks me off!

To make my point, let me give you an example of a problematic staging in the form of a short video called "OOPS Goes the Staging!" (Oh… be sure your speakers are on.)

For the sake of fair disclosure, I want to let you know we here at Real Estaging are VERY familiar with the property featured and critiqued in my video… we actually lost the bid to stage it to whoever did the work in the video. So while some might think I am upset because we lost the job that person... that is just not the case. (Anyone that has been in sales for any length of time knows that is the way it is in sales... "You win some and you loose some.")

Anyway, the reason I am so ticked-off is because good and proper staging DOES follow certain rules, practices and procedures that when done well and done right will help the property sell. It is upsetting to know that this Chicago developer finally got the message that “staging helps to sell homes” and they were willing to invest hard earned money, only to get a final "staging" that actually works AGAINST their property's sale. Plus what makes this staging a sadder story is the fact that this was to be the model for a multi-unit property.

Unfortunately, Realtors, home sellers and small builders really don't know exactly what good home staging is and what it is not. Why? Well, for one reason home staging is still a relatively new marketing tool and has yet to be fully embraced as a viable option for selling homes. So if you are wondering, "What is GOOD and what is BAD staging?” or “What exactly makes a staging RIGHT from what makes it WRONG?" Well, to help you let's start with 4 Basic Staging Rules most of you have likely heard of. These basics are...

1. De-clutter and organize the home to minimize visual distractions.
2. Neutralize the home's look so that it appeals to the largest buying audience as possible.
3. Arrange furnishings and accessories to best show the home's space and features.
4. Add what's missing to finalize the home's appeal.

So as you watch the "OOPS goes the Staging!" video keep these very basic real estate staging rules in mind. By the time you are finished with it, you will begin to see and understand a little of what bad staging is and where this staging pooped out. And… in closing, if you remember nothing else I hope your remember this... filling a property chock full of pretty furnishings and accessories is NOT staging!

But when staging is done well and done right... it sells homes! PERIOD!

Me

PS: If you would like MORE detailed explanation of the 12 BIGGEST STAGING OOPS in this property...be sure to click on the "DETAIL" button located along the bottom of the embedded video.

How Did You Spend Your Extra Day?

I worked! Several meetings, showed a piece of property for the third time and just kind of scrambled to try to accomplish a few things before I turned over another page on the calendar.My neighbors, however, were much smarter than me. Heck, with 366 days on the calendar this year they used the extra day to have some fun. We woke up this morning to find a huge igloo across the street. If you are