I CAN Sell This House

I Need to Fill You In

2009-04-17T07:25:00.004-04:00

Hello, beautiful house. Dig that porch--it goes all the way around!

So, we've been very busy for the past few weeks. We found a house and are now under contract! In retrospect, we are Very Happy that the first house fell through, as what will soon be our new home is perfect for us. Lesson to buyers: everyone finds their perfect house. It might only take a weekend, or it might take several months, but your perfect house is out there. Just as I tell sellers to attract the right buyer, for one house, you are the right buyer. So, if you're having a hard time, don't feel discouraged. Know that your house is there, and shop for it with intent.

To sellers: now more than ever I suggest using a Realtor. Unless you have been around the block many times or are a Realtor yourself, now isn't the time to sell without representation. The house we are buying was offered For Sale by Owner, and after going through this whole experience (we close in two weeks), we realized (with insight from our amazing Realtor) that they had really just been testing the waters. When we made our initial offer, they were actually quite taken aback. As the process moved along, it became obvious that the sellers could have benefited from being represented by a less emotionally invested third party--a Realtor. I know that when we sold in Florida, we relied heavily on Paula and appreciated her cool head and keen insight. And more recently, during the shopping/offer/negotiation process, Steve's professionalism has been invaluable.

At any rate, I do apologize for not keeping up with posting here. I guess my excuse is that we are buying a house! Before I go, here are some items for you sellers to keep in mind, based on some observations that I made while continuing to shop and eventually making an offer and signing contracts. Most of these observations do not pertain to our new house. The sellers had it beautifully staged.

Do whatever it takes to have all of your belongings packed up and out of the house the day before closing. You want the house to be completely empty, because the buyers will be doing their final walk-through and need to be able to see the whole house. After closing, the house is no longer yours, and if your stuff is still in the house, it belongs to the new owners. To avoid any sticky situations, just have all of your belongings out the day before.
In your face religious iconography is a turn off. I'm sorry, but it's true. We went into one lovely home, and they had a religious music station on the television as well as religious artwork on every wall of the house. I think it's wonderful that you have the strength of your convictions and your faith, but just know that not every potential buyer believes what you believe, or in exactly the same way that you believe it, so tone it down to keep your pool of buyers as broad as possible.
Buyers like candy. Have a candy dish out so prospective buyers can have a treat. Chocolate is always good, although we enjoyed the Jolly Ranchers that our sellers had available!
This may sound elementary, but please clean your carpets before you start showing your house. Paying someone $150 to clean all your carpets could keep you from losing $2000 in "carpet allowance" during negotiations, so don't be cheap and make sure the carpet is pristine.
If your painted railing at the front of your house is peeling, please scrape and paint it. I don't care how cute your house is. If your railing looks neglected, I'm going to just assume that the rest of your house has been neglected, too.

And the Saga Continues

2009-03-09T10:57:00.003-04:00

It looks great now; just patch the holes once you take it down.

It has been about two weeks since I last posted. I apologize for my absence; the house hunting saga continues, though. We did put an offer on a house, but the negotiations fell apart. The sellers were holding firm to 99% of their asking price. As a seller, I certainly understand that you want to make the most money possible on your most expensive investment, but you also have to understand a bit of psychology. Everyone is well aware that it is a buyers' market right now, and buyers are on the lookout for really good deals. As a seller, you absolutely have a right to make as much profit as possible, but you also have to build some cushion into your asking price.

This can be a bit tricky, because you don't want to price your house $20,000 above all the comps in your neighborhood figuring that you will settle for x-$20,000. A buyer will most likely not even look at your house--it could be out of their price range. What you have to do as a seller is to walk a fine line between building in 3-4% cushion without alienating potential buyers. For example, had the sellers of the house we had wanted priced their house maybe $4000 more than they did, they would have had more room to "come down" to our price, and we would have perceived them as willing to compromise. As it was, we perceived them as folks who really were not serious about selling.

We are continuing to look at houses. We saw two on Saturday--one that was more-or-less well staged and one that was horrible. The horrible house just had an air of neglect about it. The carpets were stained; there were leaves all over the carpet in the living room. Yes. Real leaves. From outside. There were large holes drilled through the bedroom wall and into the closet to accommodate a flat-screen TV. There were patches on the wall that had been spackled over but not painted--the whole thing was just bad. The other, nicely staged house, still had a couple of issues. Two of the rooms were painted in stripes and polka dots for their children, in eye jarring color combinations of green & purple and peach & red. Our first thought was, "How many coats of paint will it take to cover that?"

So, sellers, keep your eyes on the prize: build in enough of a cushion into your asking price so you are seen as someone willing to make reasonable compromises. It could make the difference between selling and not selling. We are living proof of that. Our Realtor will be keeping an eye on that house, just for curiosity's sake. It will be interesting to see when they sell, and for how much.

And The Winner Is.....??

2009-02-25T16:53:00.005-05:00

Good job with the carpet. Now just lose the guns, please.

Well, we are making an offer on a house! It will be official on Monday, but we're "All Systems Go," so there you have it. Let me talk to you a minute about how we arrived at our offer price. First, I looked at the 5 neighborhood comps and what they sold for versus what the asking price was. In Realtor-speak, this is the SP/LP% (sale price/list price %). I took the average of the 5 and got one price based on that number. Then, I looked at the sale price per square feet (sp/sf) and took an average of the five. I based another price on that number. Then, I averaged the two together, and arrived at our magic number.

Now, we would like the seller to pay closing, so I added x thousand dollars to our magic number to cover closing. And there you have it. I shot this adjusted magical number to our Realtor and our loan person (of course). Our Realtor recommended offering a bit lower than the magic number so that we could negotiate up to it, if need be. Our loan person said that it was right in line with the other homes that had recently sold. Of course it was; I have a calculator!

Okay, so there you have it. We will hear in a few days whether the sellers will accept or counter our offer. So, I will let you know what happens. Until then, I want to talk to you as a recent seller/current buyer: make sure you have priced your house so that it is in line with your neighborhood. If your price is either much higher or much lower than an average range for the area, buyers will say "I don't think so!" in the former case and "What's wrong with that house? Are they desperate?" in the latter case. Work with your Realtor on coming up with a number that you are, if not over the moon about, at least satisfied with. Know that you will most likely have to come down in price, at least a bit, so build that cushion in to your asking price.

I'll leave you with a couple of more observations about some houses that we recently saw: personalized door knocker (Our thought: Oh, great, they'll take that with them, and we'll have stupid screw holes in our door). Broken, cheap, builder-issue doorbell (Seriously? Spend $15 and get an upgraded ringer at the home improvement store). Dirty--really dirty--white carpet (Again--seriously?)

I've Been Searching, and It Hasn't Been Pretty

2009-02-16T09:39:00.006-05:00

Welcome?

We looked at ten houses yesterday. Some were staged very nicely. Some others? Not so much. As sellers, you absolutely have to remember that no part of "you" should be visible in the house. Of course, I don't mean you can't have a microwave, clothes in the closet or a cross stitched pillow on the couch. You need to live as comfortably as possible while you are engaged in the selling process. What I should NOT see and what you should NOT have in your house is anything that points to who you are as a person. Yesterday, we learned that one home owner has a mouse pad business, another is a Physician's Assistant and yet another is a big fan of huge, gas-powered model airplanes.

This third person actually carved a room out of half of the 2-car garage so that he could keep all his airplane stuff. Guess what? It's no longer a two-car garage, and any owner who wants to use it as such is looking at some serious demolition. Ridiculous.

Here are some other things we noted during our tours. First, the good:

Clean, uncluttered counter tops
Staged dining room tables
Freshly cleaned carpets
Mowed lawns
Open blinds; lights on
Beds were all made with extra pillows
Toys contained in "kid areas."

Now, the not-so-good:

Air freshener that was so potent we could barely breathe.
Liberal display of religious iconography
Odd paint color choices--mind-bending fuschia comes to mind
Over-staging: a child's tea party setup in the corner of a loft that could have been more effectively staged as a small reading area.

And last, the downright awful:

Dogs left inside in a downstairs room with a note saying not to go in there. There went 100sf we couldn't see.
Closets crammed with all kinds of stuff that needed to be in storage
Obviously dirty underwear on a shelf in a walk-in closet
Half-finished bottle of Sunny D on the front porch

Sometimes, it's better left alone. This tiny TV looks
silly in the large cabinet.

There are no words. Wait! There are four: Buy a laundry
bag.

If you see yourselves in anything in this post, please take the time to depersonalize your space. It truly could be the difference between selling and not selling. With the glut of houses on the market, you have to find a way to stand out from the crowd. The good news is, there are still plenty of folks who are doing it wrong, as we found out yesterday. Narrow the field and increase your odds by doing it right.

For more information, or to order a copy of my ebook I CAN Sell This House: Secrets to Selling Quickly in a Buyers' Market, please visit. I CAN Sell This House.

A New Perspective

2009-02-12T06:27:00.003-05:00

So, my husband and I are now in the market for a house! It's very cool, because it's definitely a buyers' market, as it was when we sold. Being on the other side of the equation gives me a whole new perspective, of course, and I've been trying to look critically at the houses that we have been seeing so I can pass on my observations to you all, as you are staging and selling your houses. I know that you have lost a bit of leverage, since there are so many houses on the market right now, but there are still things that you can do to help your house stand out. And frankly, I've been a little amazed at how some of the sellers whose houses we've seen haven't done those things.

First and foremost, and this may sound like a little thing (but it's not): Keep your infotubes full! I cannot stress this enough. When we are driving around and see a house that's for sale, we immediately stop to look for "words." If the tube is empty, our immediate reaction, fair or not, is "They don't really want to sell this house." A neglected infotube could be just an oversight, or it could be a sign of greater neglect. Either way, we don't even consider those houses. So, if you are still in the house you are selling, for goodness sake, keep that tube full! And if you're not in the house, make sure that your agent keeps the tube full. It makes a difference. Remember, I am now your potential buyer, and you've already lost me!

Depersonalize, please! I consider myself to be a fairly sophisticated buyer--one who is able to look beyond the stage at the bones of the space, but many potential buyers just see what they see. They see the pictures, not the walls behind them. They see the carpet, not the floor underneath. Make sure that what these buyers are seeing is the most tastefully generic stage you can possibly set. We went into a lovely home last weekend--2300sf, soaring ceilings, lovely staircase, immaculately kept. It truly was a lovely home. We didn't like the layout; it wouldn't work for us, so we passed. But the people who live there and are trying to sell have written off a large portion of their potential market. There were family photos all around the house and a lot of art--everywhere--that was very personal to them, because it was all religious art. Whether the art was Christian, Islamic, Hindu or Zoroastrian, it makes no difference. Many people will walk into that house and walk back out because they can't see beyond the stage. I'm not saying you have to be Peter and deny your religion, but you do have to be sensitive to the fact that not all buyers will believe the same things you believe, and many might actually be put off.

As we continue our search, I will continue to bring reports of what I'm seeing out there. I hope that this new phase in our lives will help to focus your resolve as sellers as you get your house sold!

For more information, or to order a copy of I CAN Sell This House: Secrets to Selling Quickly in a Buyers' Market, please visit I CAN Sell This House.

View Your House Through Buyer-Colored Glasses

2009-01-30T10:28:00.003-05:00

If you've lived in your house for a long time and have raised your children and created wonderful holiday (and everyday) memories there, there is a good chance that you will not see your house clearly when it comes time to stage it to sell. Just as we see our beloveds through rose-colored glasses, minimizing the negatives while maximizing the positives, so we see our home. But when it's time to sell, it's time to take off those rose-colored glasses. Put on the buyer-colored glasses and really look at the house as an asset to be liquidated, not as a warm and personal home-environment.

This can be a difficult exercise, but I believe it is a necessary one if you are going to be able to dispassionately assess the strengths and weaknesses of the house and stage it neutrally but effectively.

Here is a handy list of items that we might overlook as happy homeowners but really need to focus on as determined house sellers:

Keep the lawn trimmed and leaves raked
Clean up bed lines
Bleach or pressure wash the driveway
Sand and repaint trim
Wash the walls if necessary (You might even see that you need to paint)
Polish or change out door knobs
If you have wood floors, make sure they are in good condition
Keep entry way swept and clean at all times
Clean scuff marks off floors
Clean and seal all grout
Polish countertops
Polish faucets and bath fixtures; change out if they are dated
Make sure all window treatments are in good repair, not faded and dust/dirt free
Corral kids' toys in one contained area

These are just a few ideas, based on some of the things that we did when we successfully sold our house. For more information, please visit I CAN Sell This House.

Home Staging for Dummies

2009-01-21T10:58:00.004-05:00

The Dummies series are fantastic resources. They are written by experts in their fields, and they are written in plain language that not only tells you what to do, but how and why to do it. Written by two renowned experts in the home staging world, Christine Rae and Jan Saunders Maresh, Home Staging for Dummies is a book that you need. I am not, nor do I plan to become, a home stager. I staged our house successfully for sale because I knew I had to. I read some information on the Internet, and I consulted with my Realtor about my best course of action. Of course, our house was on the market for less than a month, and our whole selling journey went very smoothly.

For those of you who are having some difficulties, or for those of you who need a little more inspiration and how-to guidelines for staging, I am certain that you will benefit from the information in this book. Do not get me wrong: of course I'd like you to buy my book, but I CAN Sell This House, Secrets to Selling Quickly in a Buyers' Market provides a how-to manual from everything from pinpointing your reasons for selling to finding a Realtor on through to what to do at closing. Although there is a helpful chapter or two on staging, the stage is not the focus of the book. So, I cannot in good conscience say, "You will be an expert home stager after reading my book," I can say, "You will be an expert after reading Home Staging for Dummies."

Whether you buy it because you need to stage your own house or because you want to stage other peoples' houses, do buy it. You will not be sorry.

Staging a Guest Room

2009-01-14T12:24:00.004-05:00

I think that staging a guest room might be one of the easiest staging jobs to do. Basically, the guest room should look like a room in an upscale hotel or bed and breakfast. The little touches that make these establishments sometimes command upwards of $300/night can also help convince your prospective buyer family that "this house"="oasis."

And it doesn't take much.

rich, neutral walls
coordinated fabrics
a lush throw draped over a chair or even the foot of the bed
lots of pillows
generic but warm art on the walls
a basket of new magazines

Some extra tips that won't break the bank.

Hang a cozy bathrobe in the closet on a padded hanger
a bottle of linen spray on the nightstand
replace "cool white" bulbs with warm light bulbs
an orchid or other beautiful exotic plant or flowers on the dresser

Get inspiration from the pages of decorating magazines and travel magazines. Remember, you want the room to appeal to as broad a spectrum of people as possible, so keep it minimal without being cold, and keep it neutral without being austere. And always, always, do your staging with the intent that you CAN sell this house.

For more information or to request free sample chapters of I CAN Sell This House: Secrets to Selling Quickly in a Buyers' Market, please visit I CAN Sell This House.

New Year, New Attitude

2009-01-05T12:25:00.003-05:00

I hope your house hasn't been on the market for months, but if it has, rather than worrying about all the time it has been for sale, consider the new year a new start for the listing. Know you can sell. What you've been doing thus far is obviously not working, so take a tour of the house and look at it objectively and with fresh eyes. What can you do differently with the staging or marketing that will help your house to stand out from the pack in the new year.

You can choose to be depressed that you haven't sold, or you can choose to make a fresh start. Change your attitude, change up what you're doing, and get that house sold. Make sure you "de-holiday" your house quickly and put all of the decorations in storage. You won't need them again in this house, anyway. Think about these inexpensive ideas for staging:

stain the deck
pressure wash the driveway
clean the windows
get a new welcome mat
add some lovely seasonal potted plants in the bathrooms
put down new kitchen mats
change out your dining table stage to reflect the season

Remember, everything you do, do with the express intention of finding your buyer family and selling that house.

For more information or to get free sample chapters of I CAN Sell This House: Secrets to Selling Quickly in a Buyers' Market or to order the ebook along with the Bonus organizational tools, please visit I CAN Sell This House.

New Year's Resolutions

2008-12-29T15:37:00.003-05:00

First, I am sorry that I only posted 7 tips for the 12 tips of Christmas. That was 5 tips too few. Real fast now: tips 8-12: 8) Keep a positive attitude. 9) Be thankful for what you have. 10)Don't forget to enjoy the holiday. 11)Have a "Last Holiday in This House" party for the neighbors. And the last tip--not specifically for the holidays: 12) Put a link to your MLS page in your email signature. You never know who might click that link.

New Year's Resolutions

I think we can all agree that the number one resolution for people selling is "I Will Sell This House." Wake up with that thought in your head. Go to bed with it in your head. Do something every day with the express intent of selling the house.

If you received presents for Christmas that you don't really want, see if you can make them work on your stage. If you can't, please donate them to someone who can really use them. Now is not the time to be re-cluttering. Keep the house as stripped down of clutter as you possibly can. You want your buyers to see space for their stuff, not space cluttered up with your stuff. Resolution 2: "Give to those less fortunate." There is always someone who is in worse shape than you, so channel your worry about selling into helping others. Click the picture to join your local Freecycle chapter. Or visit Charity Navigator to see which charities will accept what you have.

Check back here for more tips and information. Also, please visit I CAN Sell This House to request free sample chapters of my ebook, I CAN Sell This House: Secrets to Selling Quickly in a Buyers' Market.

Countdown to the Sale!

2008-12-19T10:04:00.003-05:00

Tip #7: An Intention Every Day

I'm sure most of you are familiar with Advent Calendars. You open one window every evening starting on December 1 right through Christmas Eve. Behind each door, depending on the calendar, is a picture, a Bible verse, or a piece of candy. I propose an Intention Calendar for your sale. Of course, you can't know when you will sell exactly, but you can certainly write down your intentions every day. What you can do is make a Christmasy green felt banner with little red pockets on it. Every day during the holiday season, get together with your family and come up with one affirmation of your intention to sell. Or maybe an invitation to your buyer family. Whatever it is that has meaning for you--a small prayer, a mantra, even a little picture of you holding the house keys out. Every day, have a short "ceremony" and place one of these little prayers/intentions in a pocket on the banner. Make the banner in your chosen Christmas themed colors, and hang it in the kitchen or family room. This way, you can have a personal invitation to your buyer family right out in the middle of your stage, "disguised" as an Advent Calendar!

The Scents of the Season

2008-12-16T18:58:00.004-05:00

Tip #6 Make it Smell Like the Holidays

During most of the year, unless you are having an open house, I suggest that the scents you use in your rooms are as neutral as possible. Maybe some fabric refresher and a clean-smelling air sanitizer. And that's it. The holidays are different, though. Although not everyone celebrates Christmas, most of the major religions celebrate holidays right around the time of the winter solstice, so the scents of the season will be familiar to most potential buyers and make them feel at home.

Simmer some mulling spices, hang or display clove-studded oranges, make ornaments out of cinnamon dough. Use plug in air fresheners with holiday scents--evergreen, cranberry, spice, etc. I would caution you about using too many different scents. Choose one scent, with only slight variations, and let it be the predominant holiday scent of your staged house.

Tone Down the Outdoor Decorations

2008-12-15T12:44:00.005-05:00

Tip #5: The Outdoor Decorations

One person's trash is another person's treasure. But, at the holidays, one person's festive display is another person's tacky nightmare. Please don't get me wrong. I enjoy a profusion holiday lights and props. Rarely, though, does an over-the-top display featuring a light-up nativity next to Frosty the Snowman next to Santa's sleigh next to a blow-up snow globe with a penguin in it with lights zigzagged throughout the yard and strung willy-nilly among the trees and from the eaves inspire me to say, "Gee, I'd love to live here!" More likely, I will appreciate their enthusiasm, but I won't be compelled to replicate it in my own yard.

Consider your buyers' feelings when approaching a staged house. Most showings will happen during the daylight hours. And, many of the lighted decorations really look their best when lit. Often, they just look a little sad and tacky in the harsh light of day. I suggest you decorate with wreaths or evergreen boughs with bows and electric candles. These decorations don't lose impact in the daylight hours. While they might be enhanced by a spotlight on them at night, they still look welcoming, timeless and cheerful during the day.

My husband and I went for a walk yesterday and came across many tastefully decorated houses. I actually said, "Wow! That's a great house. I'd love to live there!" a couple of times, mostly just based on the impact of the decorations set against the backdrop of the house. Decorations that we saw and that looked lovely in the day included a wreath hanging from a broad red ribbon in every window and on the door, pine bough sprays in every window sill with a red bow and a candle (the candle, of course, was inside), large snowflakes in each window, garland wound around columns and railings, and large red bows on the rockers on the porch. Decorations that did not play so well in the daytime included lots of strings of lights--they just looked a little sad during the day--and large prismatic light-up snowmen and Christmas trains. If you simply must have a large blow-up Santa in the yard, make sure the fan is on during showings. There is nothing sadder than a crumpled up Santa in the middle of the yard.

If You Have Kids, You'll Need a Children's Tree

2008-12-12T10:34:00.002-05:00

Tip #4 The Children's Tree

I've already talked about the importance of a unifying holiday theme for your house. If you have kids, though, I doubt they will be on board with this. They'll be making crafts and bringing them home. They have special ornaments that they got as infants and to commemorate special days. They'll make paper chains and string cranberries and popcorn. Don't get me wrong. This is wonderful. Especially during this "transitional" holiday season for your family, you need to uphold the traditions your children love.

I recommend you set up the main, themed Christmas tree in a formal area of your home. You should also set up a children's tree in a less formal area--the family room, den or even the playroom, if you have one. This can be a table top tree, and this is where you will display all of your children's Christmas crafts and ornaments. The true message this sends to your children is that they are important enough to have their own tree. The message it sends to your potential buyers is that there is a specific place in the house for children's decorations--the crafts don't take over the whole house. You can still have a themed Christmas stage for showing purposes without losing the unique quality of your children's Christmas.

Now, your house appeals to buyers with children and those who do not have children. This is what you were shooting for, because you are trying to appeal to the broadest segment of potential buyers as possible. I know it's tough to live on a stage, but you can do it; I know you will do everything possible to sell that house.

For more information about my ebook, I CAN Sell This House: Secrets to Selling Quickly in a Buyers' Market and to receive free sample chapters, please visit I CAN Sell This House.

The Cookie Jar Isn't Just for Santa

2008-12-10T20:01:00.003-05:00

Tip #3: The Holiday Cookie Jar

People like cookies. The thing is, folks rarely eat cookies "out." Very few people order cookies for dessert at a restaurant. Cookies are home food. When you leave the house for a showing during the holidays, leave a small plate of holiday cookies on the table next to your fliers and other selling information. Better yet, put them on a domed cake stand. Leave a note saying something along the lines of "Take one. Happy Holidays!" or something. "Have a cookie on the house!" probably isn't the right thing to say, although it is a little bit funny. Whatever you write on the note, though, this is the intention: "Cookies are home food. You are enjoying this cookie in your new home." So, write the note while holding that intention. It certainly won't hurt, and at the very least, it is a nice gesture and is another way to help your house stand out in a crowd.

For more information, and for a free sample chapters of the ebook I CAN Sell This House: Secrets to Selling Quickly in a Buyers' Market, please visit I CAN Sell This House.

You'll Need a Card Wreath

2008-12-09T19:41:00.004-05:00

Holiday Staging Tip, the Second

You'll really need one of these. Let me just say that I'm not affiliated with this product in any way. I don't make any money by encouraging you to buy this. You can even make your own, if you'd rather. Click on the picture, though, and it will take you to a site where you can buy a card wreath.

Christmas cards are a wonderful way to keep in touch; to send a yearly newsletter; to say "Happy New Year." They are reminders of the people who live in a home. Christmas cards represent personal relationships, and as such, they really don't have a place in a staged house. If you take all the cards you receive and arrange them on a card wreath, these personal notes, these reminders of the lives lived in the house, become just another holiday decoration.

This doesn't mean that you can't read and enjoy your cards. It just means that you can't leave them displayed all over the mantel, counter tops and bedside tables. Read the cards and acknowledge the relationships signified by each card. Then, put them on the card wreath with the intention that they become set dressing on your holiday stage and that they will help you sell your house.

The Twelve Staging Tips of Christmas

2008-12-08T15:53:00.003-05:00

In the spirit of the season, and as a nod to a famous Yuletide song, I thought I'd offer up twelve tips during this Christmas season--one a day. As I said before Thanksgiving, it can be quite difficult to live on a stage during the holidays, especially if children live in the house. Sellers need all the help they can get, and I hope these tips will make your seasonal stage go as smoothly as possible.

Tip, the First

Choose a specific color scheme to unify your decorations. I grew up in a house where all sorts of ornaments and decorations were displayed together, regardless of the style (homemade vs. heirloom) or color. While this certainly made for a festive and colorful holiday, it failed to convey a unifying theme.

This year, purchase a tree that is truly in scale with the room (often people tend to buy a larger tree than the space should hold), use white lights, and decorate the tree with a decided color scheme. You can choose gold and red, blue and silver, green and white, silver and gold--whatever scheme you like. Just make sure that all the ornaments and decorations reinforce the scheme.

Here are some inexpensive ways to carry a holiday color scheme throughout the house without breaking the bank.

Most Christmas tree lots will give away the extra branches that they cut off the bottoms of trees. Use these--they're free.
A bowl of simple glass or satin balls make a simple and elegant decoration. Depending on the size of the bowl, you can use it as a centerpiece or even in the powder room.
Purchase some inexpensive fabric and some fusible tape and make an inexpensive custom runner for your dining table, end tables or sideboard.
Tie ribbons that match your color scheme around the bases of your candles.
Place a branch or two of evergreen in a tall vase. Accent with colored ribbons, beads, glass or satin balls or glittery vines from a craft store. Place on the mantel or on a side table.

Why is St. Joseph in Your Yard Upside Down?

2008-12-04T22:06:00.004-05:00

Here's a tidbit for you. Apparently, in the murky past, nuns used to bury a wee St. Joseph in hopes of getting more land for convents. Nowadays, it's said that if you bury your own wee statue of St. Joseph upside down near your For Sale sign or the front door, your house will sell faster. Okay, let's leave that alone for a second.

Another tidbit: I read a couple of days ago that someone in Germany (I think) did a study on the effect of making the sign of the cross over water with bacteria in it. The prayers and signs were made by believers and non-believers alike, and in all cases, the bacteria was drastically reduced in the water. Here's the main point--everyone was aware of the purpose of the experiment: to reduce the amount of bacteria in the water. Whether the technicians were Christian or not had no bearing on the outcome. It was the action, not the belief, that created change.

What do these two little bits of information have in common? a)Doing something with intent can get you what you want, and b)Even going through the motions--just the act--is powerful enough to get results.

What do I take away from this in regard to selling a house? I don't think the power is in the statue of St. Joseph. It's in the belief that it will help you sell. If you believe burying a hickory nut will help you sell, and you follow through and bury that nut, it will, indeed, help you sell. Maybe you purchased a special memento to commemorate the purchase of your home. Maybe that could be your St. Joseph.

And if a family member isn't necessarily completely on board with the whole intention-driven selling plan, that's okay, too. Have them go through the motions. Either way, as demonstrated in the sign of the cross experiments, you'll get positive results.

Do I have any science to back up any of these claims? Not a lick. What I do have is the abiding belief that everything is energy and can be directly effected through words and intention. The energy doesn't care if you believe the words (although you might).

I know you can sell that house! For more information, and to get free sample chapters of the ebook I CAN Sell This House: Secrets to Selling Quickly in a Buyers' Market, please visit. I CAN Sell This House.

Selling a House Using Squidoo

2008-12-03T12:46:00.002-05:00

Want a new and unique way to market your house? Try writing a Squidoo lens about it! Visit Squidoo to get started, or check out this lens to see Squidoo power in action. I know this is a short little post, but I think you'd be better served by going to Squidoo and getting started than you will be by reading a really long post. I know you can sell--be creative; act with intention, and get 'er done!

An Attitude of Thanksgiving

2008-12-01T11:11:00.004-05:00

Wow--I have been away for a week, and it's good to get back. I thought that, since we in the US have just celebrated Thanksgiving and we're heading on into other celebrations of thanksgiving--Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, etc, that I should take a minute to list what I was thankful for during our selling process. Perhaps you can take the lesson and approach your selling process with a spirit of thanksgiving, as well.

I am thankful that the house is staged.
I am thankful to the wonderful people I hired to get the house in great shape.
I am thankful that the house is clean and in good repair.
I am thankful that I've emotionally detached from the house.
I am thankful that I have a great Realtor.
I am thankful for my partner and husband and all his help in keeping the stage set.
I am thankful for the support of my friends.
I am thankful for the Internet and how it helps me market the house.
I am thankful that gas prices are lower and folks are willing to drive around and look at houses again.
I am thankful that our buyers found their new home in our old house.

Approaching the sale with an attitude of thanksgiving leaves your heart open to search for your new home even as you sell the old house. It also leaves you open to welcome new owners. When you are filled with a spirit of Thanksgiving, it's impossible to feel negative. So, while selling is stressful, and trying to have a joyous holiday season while selling sounds impossible, approach everything you do to sell with a spirit of hope and thanksgiving. Best to you during the holiday season. I know you can sell!

For more information and for a free sample of my eBook, I CAN Sell This House: Secrets to Selling Quickly in a Buyers' Market, please visit my site.

Now The House is On the Market.....Now What?

2008-11-24T21:48:00.003-05:00

You handled everything on your pre-listing To Do list masterfully. And now that the house is listed, the pressure is off, right? Wrong. You now have two things that you must deal with simultaneously. First, you must maintain the stage at all times so the house is ready to show at the drop of a hat. At the same time, you and your Realtor must market the house as creatively and aggressively as you can. After consulting with your Realtor, you might find that you have to take the lead in marketing. Chances are, your Realtor is dealing with multiple listings at once, so while you can come up with a marketing plan as Team Sell This House, it will most likely fall to you to take the lead in implementing the plan.

To maintain the stage:

Keep everything dusted (including the plants).
If you use it, put it back.
If you get it dirty, clean it.
Keep the lawn trimmed and edged.
Make sure the lawn and any plants get enough water.
Make the beds every day--be able to bounce a quarter off of them (practically, anyway).
Polish the counter tops.
Make sure the stove, oven and microwave are spotless.
Keep the pantry neat and organized.

There are countless other tips on maintaining a stage. Here's a good place to go for some more.

To market:

Keep the Info Tube full at all times. An empty tube means you don't want to sell.
Place ads on every free on-line classified website you can find.
Post fliers.
Decide if you will have an Open House. If yes, do it right.
Network--post the house on your facebook or myspace page.
Twitter account? Tweet your house.
Post to real estate forums with a link to the MLS page in your signature.
Have some money to spare in your fix-it budget? Buy an ad at the local movie theater--maximum exposure to buyers in your area.
Have just a few dollars to spare? There are a few sites that will let you place a targeted ad for very little money.

These are by no means exhaustive lists. For more ideas as well as for complete information on how to buy my very successful house selling action plan, visit I CAN Sell This House and sign up for the Free Sample.

If you don't usually read the comments, I wanted to bring this to your attention. A reader wrote:

I wanted to let your readers know that they can place a free home listing on www.infotube.net, the website operated by the manufacturer of InfoTube and InfoBox.

The website is easy to use and all user information is strictly confidential. Infotube.net is a great way to expose your property and showcase your listing.

So there you have it: another great way to market your house!

My Selling A House To Do List

2008-11-20T21:13:00.008-05:00

I lots of time just ramble on about metaphysical issues when it comes to selling, but at the end of the day, the actions are just as important as the intentions. It's the convergence of the two--your intentions make your actions more focused, and your actions give your intentions immediate physical manifestation.

But today, I'll focus on the actions. Here's an example of a really good selling To Do list.

Research Realtors. Find three you like and interview them at the house. Ask all of them the same questions. (a good list of questions)
Stand back and take an objective look at every inch of the house. Make a list: what gets fixed; what gets spruced up; what gets cleaned. Set a budget and prioritize within that budget.
Choose ONE purpose for each room in the house (and out in the yard) for staging. Inventory everything in each room/yard. Get rid of anything that a)doesn't support the room's purpose, b)is personally identifiable, c)is too "niche-y." You're going for comfortable but generic. Think "room display at Bed Bath and Beyond."
Store, sell, give away or donate everything that is a)clutter, b)not seasonal--nobody wants to see your Snowshoes in June, unless you're in Australia), c)personally identifiable or d)trash.
Clean everything. Dust everything. Sweep everything. Make sure the lightbulbs all work.
Get a new welcome mat and a not-obnoxious wreath for the door. Make the entryway as spacious-feeling and welcoming as possible. After all, everyone who steps over that threshold is potentially stepping into their new home.
Do your research and price your house for the market. Only use comps in your own neighborhood, so you're comparing apples to apples.
List.

Up next--the marketing, but that's for another day.

For more information, please visit I CAN Sell This House to request a free sample of my ebook I CAN Sell This House: Secrets to Selling Quickly in a Buyers' Market.

I Know: A Sun Room Will Help Us Sell!

2008-11-19T21:40:00.004-05:00

People, don't add a sun room just so you can sell the house. Seriously. If you were investing in your home and adding more livable space for you to enjoy, that would be one thing. But you're selling, and every cent you spend on "upgrades" is one cent less in profit. Now is the time to be as miserly as possible. Think minimum outlay for maximum benefit. In almost all cases, if you are weighing two options, choose the one that gives you the biggest bang for your buck.

New cabinets vs. refacing? Get out that belt sander. New carpet vs. deep cleaning? Call Stanley Steemer. Granite vs. laminate? If you and your Realtor have decided that new countertops are necessary, go with the laminate. The reality is that your buyers will be able to buy for less than they had budgeted for a year or two ago. If they want granite, unless all the other kitchens in the neighborhood have granite countertops, they can do it themselves.

Try inexpensive "spruce ups." Add a chair rail and paint the wall below a slightly darker shade. Make sure that none of the window treatments are dusty, dirty or broken (goodbye ugly metal mini blinds that the dog mangled seven years ago). Add some beadboard in the bathroom, kitchen or breakfast nook. Polish your wooden floors. There are plenty of things that you can do to make your house stand out and call its new owners without breaking the bank. Change out your drawer pulls. Pressure wash the driveway. Stain the deck. Set a "spruce up" budget of no more than 1-2% of your asking price and stick to it.

My Number One Tip for Selling A House

2008-11-18T21:35:00.003-05:00

Selling a house is a big deal. In some markets, it's relatively easy to sell. In others, it can be challenging. But, whether you're selling in a great market or a stagnant market, selling is always a big deal. I heard a story once about a lady who just "decided one day" to sell her house FSBO, and as she was walking back to the house to put away the hammer after pounding her sign into the ground, a guy (maybe it was Richard Gere) pulled up to the curb and asked her if she was serious about selling. She said yes, and the deal was done. That, my friends, is the exception that proves the rule. It takes focus and work to sell a house.

If you've been reading some of these posts, or if you have purchased a copy of I CAN Sell This House (and please write me and tell me about your experience if you have), you know that I focus a lot on intentions. My number one tip for selling a house is to do at least one task every day with the express intent of selling the house. Whether it's staging-related: cleaning the windows, fluffing pillows, arranging some cut flowers or marketing related: placing ads, posting fliers, posting to forums, do that task with the intention that that act will help to draw your buyers closer. You can even say this to yourself--or out loud, if you don't feel too weird about it. "I am fluffing these pillows to help attract our buyers," alone might sound silly, but it is one breadcrumb. All the breadcrumbs you sow become the path that leads your buyers home.

Worries: Just as Powerful as Intentions

2008-11-17T22:09:00.004-05:00

I read a very compelling bit of philosophy a few weeks ago. I cannot remember the source right now, but this man's theory took the Law of Attraction to a whole new level. What he asserts is that an Armageddon (of sorts, at least) will occur, not necessarily because it is foretold in The Bible, but because so many people all over the world expect it to. In other words, we will bring about our own destruction because we are expecting it, worrying about it, and wondering not if, but when it will happen. The end of the world is a self-fulfilling prophesy.

It's a very interesting (albeit disturbing theory), and it seems to logically follow that if you can attract what you want, you can also attract what you don't want. And now to the part about how all of this relates to selling your house. No matter how good your intentions to act with intent and be positive that your buyer is out there and that you are doing everything in your power to attract them, all of us have moments of doubt and worry. "We could be stuck in this house with no way out." "We might have to show this house 100 times before we find our buyers." Not good thoughts to have, especially if we take for truth that to a large extent our intentions bring about our reality. Try and focus on what you want to have happen, not on the fear of what might happen.

Because we are all human, it is natural to have some fears. When this happens to you, and it might, do not fight the thoughts. Rather, try and complete those worrisome thoughts with a positive outcome. Try to turn the worries into intentions for your sale. "We could be stuck in this house with no way out, but we won't be because everything we are doing is drawing our buyer to us." "We might have to show this house 100 times before we find our buyers, but every showing we have brings our buyers closer." Don't fight the negative thoughts. Just add to them and turn them into positive intentions to sell that house.

The Judicious Use of Live Plants

2008-11-15T19:20:00.008-05:00

Every staging book will tell you to use plants--put them in the corners, on windowsills, etc. And they're right. You should use plants when you're staging. I don't think that the staging books talk enough about why you should use plants. Remember, a stage is a generic and minimal environment designed specifically so potential buyers can project their lives onto it. But, because it is so minimal, you run the risk of having the space look too Spartan.

Plants have a relatively small footprint, but they can also spread out to fill an otherwise bare corner. Rather than putting a small table with a footprint of 2 1/2 feet, squared in an empty corner, place a large plant in the same corner. You'll save about 1 1/2 square feet of floor space, and the plant will probably be taller than the small table, so it will fill the space more effectively.

Most furniture is all about straight lines, angles and corners. Bringing in a natural element can help to break up those lines and warm up the entire space. There are no straight lines in nature, so use nature to your advantage. Plants also provide a live element in what can otherwise feel like a fairly sterile space. Placing a couple of attractive potted plants on side or end tables or on a mantle can make a space feel more friendly. It is perfectly fine to use a couple of silk plants, especially in rooms that don't get any natural light, but try and stick with live plants in most of the spaces.

And to carry through the theme of intention, explain to the plants that their job is to help attract new owners. Studies have shown that plants grow stronger and more quickly when spoken to or when played music, so you might as well get them on your side when it comes to staging, as well!

For information on I CAN Sell This House, click here.

Holiday Decorating on a Stage: Thanksgiving Edition

2008-11-14T14:34:00.005-05:00

Some of you might be facing an interesting dilemma right about now: your house is staged, and the holidays are coming. At no other time of the year are traditions more important, and it is very difficult to take the personal element out of the holidays. If you're like most people, you probably have decorations from family heirlooms to children's crafts to everything in between. I know my mom still brings out the pinecone turkey I made in 3rd grade--faded construction paper finger-feathers, and all.

So, I understand this could be a difficult time. Here's what I recommend: if you do not have children, consider using some fairly generic but tasteful holiday decorations--maybe a couple of small seasonal topiaries on the mantle, or a wicker cornucopia with baby gourds in it on the dining room table. Underscore the season with an appropriately-colored table runner, welcome mat or kitchen towels. A wreath of fall leaves and pinecones would make a nice addition to the entryway. Now is the time when you can use the pumpkin-spice plug in air freshener--it is seasonally appropriate.

If you have young children, they will inevitably bring home crafts from school, day care or Sunday school. Encourage them to give some of the crafts to relatives or special friends, but set up a small children's table and chairs in a corner of the bedroom, family room or play room. Tastefully display the craft items on the table, and arrange a couple of stuffed animals in small chairs at the table. Displaying the items all in one place in an area that makes sense rather than scattering them thoughout the house will strike a balance between having children help decorate and having their decorations take over the refrigerator door.

How to Live on a Stage, Part 2

2008-11-13T15:54:00.004-05:00

I have one word for you first. And then a bunch of words. The word is: cubbies, they're not just for kindergarten anymore. They have kid cubbies and grown-up cubbies, Ikea cubbies and Target cubbies. Even Pottery Barn Cubbies. While you don't want your entire house to look like a roll top desk, judicious use of cubbies in usually-messy areas can help you successfully live on a stage while the house is on the market.

You know where they can be most effective? Walk-in closets. If, like me, you didn't have a custom designed walk-in closet in the master suite, cubbies can provide needed storage and organization that does double duty: you can hide your stuff, and people will perceive the closet as more functional. Hard to beat.

Many cubbies come ready-to-assemble. Since they are just basically cubes, this is pretty easy, I did it myself, and I'm no Bob Vila. Sometimes putting small items in a cube is not enough. What if it still looks messy? This is where cubby drawers come in handy. These are great--they are sized to fit and come in fun colors, or just black or beige, depending on where you're using them.

As a bonus to your buyer, you can leave the cubby storage in the walk-in or in the kids' rooms. Check with them first; they might not want it. But, if you don't need them in your new place, what nicer way to welcome the new owners than with some bonus storage space?!

How to Live on a Stage

2008-11-12T11:26:00.004-05:00

We have already established a difference between decorating a home to live in and staging a house to sell. In staging, there will likely be a lot less "stuff" around than in decorating. Multi-purpose rooms will show as single-purpose rooms. Personal identifying items and objects are gone, and the decor reads "generic." How are you supposed to live in a place like that?

First, remember that, though it might be inconvenient, you are living on the stage with the intent to attract your buyers to the house. Know that the stage is a temporary situation. As a matter of fact, taking into account the Law of Attraction, the more you tell yourself that it's temporary, the more temporary it's likely to be.

Also remember that, more than just living on the stage, you need to maintain the stage. That means everything has a place, and everything must be in its place. Picture every item on the stage with an imaginary footprint line drawn around it. If you move something, put it back in the outlines. If you unfold a towel, fold it back. If you use the coffee maker, clean it immediately and put it where it back on its footprint.

Here's one trick that I used to make life on a stage a bit easier. I put out "show towels." Nice, fluffy, beautifully presented towels arranged artfully on the towel rods. We never used them. We used our "B Team," working towels for showering and drying our hands. Whenever we left the house, the working towels went into the dryer, and the show towels were always there, ready to wow our buyers with a feeling of, "This isn't a bathroom; this is a spa!"

Can You Sell a Friend's House?

2008-11-11T10:39:00.003-05:00

I had someone email me yesterday wondering if my eBook, I CAN Sell This House: Secrets to Selling Quickly in a Buyers' Market, could help them sell their friends' house. That's a tough question. If you've been following along with me, you know that one of my main focuses is emotional detachment. I'll say it again, "It's relatively easy to sell a house. It's almost impossible to sell your home."

If you are trying to sell a house for a friend, you probably don't have that emotional attachment to the property that the friends might have. I suppose that it would really depend on the friends' state of mind: are they sad about having to sell? Do they wish they didn't have to sell? Would they rather hold onto the house? I don't know the answers to those questions, and the questioner didn't give me the back story.

I told the truth as I see it: I cannot guarantee that using my action plan can help you sell your house or your friends' house. I can only guarantee that I CAN Sell This House is a progression--from emotional detachment, through depersonalizing, to staging, listing and maintaining the stage through closing--that, if followed with intention, gives you the best possible chance for the house to attract its new owner.

Again, I must stress that in this down market, you are best served by hiring an expert Realtor who can advise you through all stages of the game. So--can my book help you sell your friends' house? I don't know. I do know that, if you are sincere in wanting to sell your own house and are ready to cut emotional ties to the house, your mantra must be I CAN Sell This House.

Can't See the Forest for the Trees

2008-11-10T10:09:00.004-05:00

I've been thinking about my Friday post--about my friend and his analogy about I CAN Sell This House. A rather trite proverb came to mind, but maybe it's only trite because we don't stop and think about what it really means: He can't see the forest for the trees.

In the context of selling a house, I think the "forest" is the real estate market and potential buyers as a whole. The "trees" are your ties to your house, both emotional and physical. There's the tree of "kids' measuring stick" on the back of the kitchen door. Another tree might be the energy you put into building that swing-set, or maybe it's your collection of baseball cards displayed in the den. There's a tree of anxiety about selling--can you find a buyer and if you really want to sell in the first place. Yup, trying to sell your home is impossible because of all the trees in the way.

When you get your head and your heart in the right place--when you've emotionally distanced yourself and can objectively assess the house (not your home)--your job is to blaze a trail through the forest to lead your new buyers to their new home. Work with your Realtor to decide on what that trail should look like: will it include Internet ads (it should)? Will it include an Open House (maybe)? Will it include a spiritual component in which you ask the house to call the new buyers to it (that depends upon your comfort level)?

Whatever your trail ends up looking like, make sure that every blaze is added with the intention of bringing your buyers to their new home. It's a subtle shift, but it is a shift. Rather than focusing on actions to sell, focus on actions to attract.

With Each Page I Read, I Backed Up a Step

2008-11-06T19:33:00.004-05:00

I had a really interesting conversation with a friend and Realtor yesterday. I had given him a copy of my book, I CAN Sell This House: Secrets to Selling Quickly in a Buyers' Market. He had some really good feedback for me, including a wonderful metaphor that I hadn't even considered when I wrote it.

He said that he felt like he started reading standing inside a home, and with every page he read, he stepped back farther and farther until he was at the end of the driveway looking at the house. I was thrilled with his assessment, because that's what any seller needs today. As a seller, you need to cut all those emotional ties to your home so you can concentrate on just selling a house. I've said it before, but it bears repeating, "It's easy to sell a house. It's almost impossible to sell your home."

So, many thanks to Steve Jourdain for his insight. If you need to sell your house and either haven't figured out how to emotionally detach or don't realize that it's necessary, maybe my book can help you, too. Please take a look. Just so you can make sure, I offer a free sample with no strings attached.

Vote, America

2008-11-04T11:43:00.002-05:00

Taking a break from the norm to encourage everyone to vote today. It has been said a thousand times before, at least, but this truly could be the most important election in our country's history. I voted early, and I am very excited about what is happening. Whether energized to vote Obama or McCain, everyone is energized, and everyone is seeking positive change. We may differ on how we think that should be achieved, but hopefully our intention behind our vote, whether blue or red, is an intention for positive change and unity in our country. Go America!

Using Social Networking to Get Buyers

2008-11-03T10:58:00.005-05:00

I have just had a revelation! I've recently begun using facebook, Twitter and Squidoo to get the word out about my ebook and some of my other websites, but you can just as easily use these powerful tools to spread the word that you are selling a house! Seriously.

Make a facebook page about your house. Put links to your MLS listing and to your Realtor's page. Spread the word that way.

Join Twitter and throw out a tweet: "Selling my house in (city, state). See (MLS page)" With Twitter, though, make sure that you have enough people following you to make it worthwhile. Join, find people to follow by having Twitter search your address books. From there, find out who is following those folks, and follow them, too. It has been my experience that you can build up quite a number of followers within a couple of days. Expect about a 25% return on followers. That is, if you follow 200 people, expect about 50 of them to follow you. Once the word gets out, it spreads fast. Tweet at least a few times about the house. "Staged my house to sell. Visit (MLS page)" or "Had two showings today. Visit (MLS page)."

Join Squidoo and make a lens about your house. See if there is a real estate group on Squidoo and join it. Send an email to all of your friends letting them know you have a lens up on Squidoo. Tweet about your lens on Twitter.

Bookmark your Squidoo page on Del.icio.us, StumbleUpon, Technorati, Digg--all of that. The more you get that URL out there, the more people will find it. And the more people who find it, the more potential buyers you have.

And this just scratches the surface. I'm telling you, I never dreamed that social networking could be so powerful. But just go for it. Remember, you are doing at least one thing every day with the express intention that it help you sell that house. Might as well make it the most powerful thing ever.

One caveat--and it's a big one: make sure you are also giving on these sites. If you approach all of these methods with a grasping, grabby manner, people will be able to tell. Make sure you give at least as much as you get--the Internet should enrich everyones' lives, not just yours.

Using Your Intuition to Make Sound Selling Decisions

2008-11-01T17:47:00.004-04:00

Type in "real estate" into any search engine, and you will immediately be overwhelmed with an avalanche of information. Some good, some not-so-good, and lots that conflict with each other. What's a person to do? You want/need to sell your house, you're willing to put in the work necessary to be successful, you've distanced yourself emotionally and are acting with intention. You've found a Realtor with whom you'll be able to work.

Sometimes, though, a question will come up or a situation will arise that you will need to figure out all by yourself. Your Realtor can advise you, of course, but ultimately, the decision is yours. Any decision you make when it comes to selling a house, especially in this market, is an important one. How do you know if you're making the right decision?

You can pray about it, meditate on it, get advice from friends--all great ideas, so certainly do what is right for you and what fits into your belief system. I will also suggest that you tune in to your intuition and see what it is telling you to do. After all, most researchers agree that we're only using about 10-15% of our brain power at any time. I believe that intuition is how we tap into the other 85-90%: sort of a bridge to the rest of our intelligence.

Not sure how to do that? There are plenty of great books out there that can help you. If you are a fairly intuitive person anyway who can easily get in touch with your inner voice, you might not need any help at all.

For those of us who might need a bit of help though, there are intuition coaches in the world who are extremely skilled at helping you reach your own inner voice and be able to make even crucial decisions with a calm sense of rightness. My friend, Jennifer Halls, is one of those people. You can look into her services at her website, You know.

Nuts and Bolts Resources

2008-10-31T11:42:00.003-04:00

I've told you to find a Realtor and then sent you forth without any really hard information on Realtors. That was mean. I apologize. I am not the All-Knowing Realtor Yellow Pages, but I do know and have worked with some very skilled Realtors. I will now tell you about them.

Paula Harpole—our Realtor, serving the greater Orlando area. Paula is the best. She is professional, knowledgeable and a tough negotiator. She is also empathetic, compassionate and nurturing. This is a great combination. If you are selling in the greater Orlando area, or planning on moving to the area, contact her. Paula is also a certified Relocation Specialist as well as a Fine Home Specialist. She knows her stuff, and I am so fortunate to have been able to work with her and call her my friend!

Mary Lou Dingman—Mary Lou is your lady if you are moving to the Raleigh/Durham area of North Carolina. With 20 years as a resident and 8 years as a Realtor, Mary Lou brings not only her knowledge of the area but her love for the area to the table. With extensive experience in new construction, a finger on the pulse of the market in general, and a manner that will instantly put you at ease, Mary Lou is a force to be reckoned with in The Triangle.

KC Covington—Your go-to guy for real estate in the Charlotte area. Licensed in both North and South Carolina, KC is a native Charlottean and knows the area inside and out. With over 23 years of experience and as one of the top-performing Realtors in the greater Charlotte area, KC mixes intimate and encyclopedic knowledge of the market in the Carolinas with southern charm that just can’t be beat.

If you are selling in the Charlotte/Rock Hill area, the Triangle of North Carolina or in Central Florida, do look them up. They are experts. If you are selling a house anywhere in the Southeast, give one of them a call. They all have extensive networks, and even if you are looking outside their specific areas, they will be able to recommend a wonderful Realtor.

What Role Does Luck Play?

2008-10-29T17:25:00.005-04:00

If you believe that keeping a rabbit's foot, a silver dollar or a special shell in your pocket is going to magically draw your buyer family to you, maybe now is not the time for you to sell. If, however, you believe that you make your own luck, then I say to you, "The more focused the intention behind the work you do to sell the house, the better your luck will be."

I'm sure you've seen someone on a talk show explaining that they "Just got lucky." Well, unless they are talking about winning the Power Ball Lottery, they didn't "just" get lucky. Whatever they have achieved in their lives--either personally or in business--that got them on the talk show in the first place was the result of a concentration of focus and effort on achieving a goal.

When you decide to sell your house, you will 1)disengage emotionally from the house, 2)act with intent to prepare it for listing, 3)stage it effectively, 4)find a great Realtor and work with them to market effectively 5)keep the house show ready at all times, and 6)do at least one thing every day with the express intention of selling the house. Your buyer will find you, and you will be at the closing table before you know it. You and your Realtor know how much work you've put in to realize this sale. If your friends want to call you "lucky," let 'em!

Should You Hire a Professional Stager?

2008-10-27T15:07:00.003-04:00

You've made peace with the idea of selling the house. You're even a little excited about it, because you know it's the right thing to do. It's also the start of a new chapter in your life. Whether or not you are still living in the house you are selling, you will need to stage it to sell. Statistics and sales figures show that furnished houses sell more quickly and for closer to the asking price than do vacant houses. If you want to sell quickly and profitably, I suggest you stage.

While home staging is not difficult, it does require you to objectively decide whether you can stage your house or not. If you think your house already looks awesome, hire a stager. If you are too emotionally tied to the "stuff" in your house to be able to make decisions about editing, hire a stager. If your personality is splashed all over the walls, hire a stager. If you are a hoarder (or just a pack rat), hire a stager.

Staging the house will require you to edit furniture pieces and decor items to suggest a single purpose for each room. When we live in a house, most rooms are multi-purpose. In the kitchen in our home, we cook, pay bills, watch TV, do homework and art projects and leave notes for each other on the fridge. In the staged kitchen in the house you are trying to sell, you cook (neatly). If there's a breakfast bar or a table in a nook, you eat there, too. But that's it.

If you are the kind of person who loves a challenge--a person who can approach staging objectively and who has an eye for minimal but inviting design, then go for it. You might visit my Squidoo lens Top Seven Home Staging Mistakes for some ideas to get you started.

Do You Really Need a Realtor?

2008-10-25T18:10:00.002-04:00

Many people want to go it alone and try and sell their house without a Realtor. If they can sell quickly, they'll save a 3% commission. Let's say that they can sell their house in four months, with a mortgage payment of $1200/month for $150,000. The seller saves $4500 in commission to their Realtor, but while they saved $4500, they also spent $4800 in mortgage payments. Not using a Realtor cost them $300!

I'm not saying that it is impossible to sell without a Realtor. I am saying that having a full-time professional on your team who has a vested interest in helping you sell quickly can be a life saver. They can help you focus your energies. When you're staging, if you're wondering if it's worth it to buy new valances to put over the windows in the guest bedroom or to put down self-stick vinyl tiles in the kitchen, your Realtor can let you know if it's worth your time, money and attention to do those things. They know because, if you've chosen a good Realtor with years of experience and an intimate knowledge of the market in which you're selling, they've seen what works and what doesn't.

A good Realtor will not only list your house on the MLS, but they will make professional flyers, make sure you have an info-tube and a professional sign, and they will work with you to market the house in as many creative and effective ways as possible. You and your Realtor are partners on Team Sell This House. You two will be the Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh of the real estate world.

In a sellers' market, go for it. You will probably be able to sell so quickly that you won't have to factor in the cost of your mortgage payments. In this down market though, it is a real concern. It is best to have a professional on your side, working for you and with you to help you sell that house.

Who Lives Here?

2008-10-23T22:13:00.005-04:00

The way you approach staging a house is very different from the way you approach decorating a house. And both are very different from the way model homes are staged. You decorate your house by choosing a color scheme that you like and then filling the rooms with furniture and rugs and pillows and lighting and art and knick-knacks that all speak to who and what you are all about. You decorate a house to make it a home and to live in it. The designers who stage model houses know that at least two groups of folks will wander through--those who are interested in buying, and those who are looking for decorating ideas. The designers stage accordingly, using furniture and props to suggest uses for each space, but also going overboard with themed rooms. You've seen them--the "gentleman's room" with the dark paneling, burgundy and hunter green wallpaper, hunting prints on the wall and a bagpipe on the coffee table; the "media room" complete with popcorn popper on wheels and a Coke machine and lined with framed movie posters; the "football playing kid" room with football shaped pillows, astroturf on the floor and a comforter cover that's green and white to look like a field. It can all be overwhelming. While folks looking for ideas might have a grand time, folks looking to buy can get distracted by all the hoo-ha going on.

When you stage your house to sell, you want people to be able to see the house and all its potential, not the stuff in the house, and certainly not your personal stuff or taste. Serious buyers are looking to project their lives on the stage of your house. Help them do that by suggesting uses for each space with just a couple of key pieces and keeping visual cues to a minimum--don't clutter everything up. Denote "bedroom" with a bed, one nightstand (or two, if it's the master bedroom or a guest suite) and a chest of drawers/dresser with a mirror. A couple of lamps, a couple of non-descript but pleasing prints on the wall, a couple of simple props--a book on a nightstand, a mirrored tray, a vase of flowers. And that's it. It's not a lot, but you're not staging to live in the house. You're staging to sell the house. All that other stuff that's usually in the bedroom--ironing board, computer, dog bed, big storage chest, basket of videos, television--all need to go. The stage says, "This room is for sleeping. Period."

Take yourself and your personality out of the house, and your buyers will say, "Who lives here? There's no way anyone lives here--it's too neat and clean!" I know--it happened with our sale. I even asked our buyer what made our house stand out, and she said that it "felt good" in the house and that she and her husband couldn't believe that anyone lived there!

The Power of Scent

2008-10-22T09:37:00.003-04:00

So many home staging and house selling tip sites and books will tell you, "Bake a pie. Bake some cookies. Bake some bread. The smell will drive people wild and make them whip out their checkbooks on the spot." I admit it, it is possible that the majority of buyers out there might like to smell pie upon entering a house. But I submit, friends, that we are trying to reach the broadest range of folks possible. Statistics show that less than 1% of sales come from Open Houses, so most sales come from individual showings. In a perfect world, we would have prior notice of showings, but in today's world of tons-of-houses-for-sale, we're lucky to get a phone call a half hour before a Realtor shows up with a potential buyer in tow. Hardly time to throw the laundry into the washer and turn on all the lights before you have to skedaddle, let alone bake a pie.

Well, okay, how about candles? Unattended candles, hmmmm. I suppose you could light them and then blow them out right before you leave, but then the house would smell like wax. You could use some of those plug-in thingies or one of those remote spray jobbies, but who knows how many people really want to walk into a house that smells like a Mai Tai or a laudromat?

So, what's a seller to do? What worked well for me was a combination of air sanitizer in a neutral scent with a fabric refresher, again, in a neutral scent. I wanted the house to present as blank a canvas as possible--for all the senses. I wanted the potential buyers to be able to project their lives onto the stage of the house, and that included their being able to decide what they wanted to bake, not being forced to think "If I live here, I must bake bread and drink umbrella drinks." Maybe an extreme view, but, again--I wanted to appeal to the broadest market possible with potential buyers being greeted by a non-specific neutral, clean smell.

The Minimalist Lives Here

2008-10-21T13:04:00.003-04:00

Now that you have somehow managed to settle down and know that selling is the right thing to be doing right now, you need to start taking the U out of your HOUSE. If you can't you're HOSEd. I hope you see what I did there--I wake up at night with these sort of thoughts.

At any rate, you have to step back and depersonalize the space. If you have items that have special emotional significance to you, you need to get them out of the house. I know that sounds mean, but if you're really going to sell it, you have to wipe away any trace of yourself. Not only do I mean that on a spiritual and emotional level, I also mean it on a physical level. Stuff that shouts "I live here!" has to go. You don't have to throw it away, of course; just pack it away and store it, at your mother in law's house or in a storage unit. This includes, but is not limited to, very specific collections or hobbies, wedding, baby and family photographs, and artwork on the refrigerator. There might be some emotionally significant things that are actually a part of the house or yard--a tree planted in memory of a loved one or in honor of someone's birth, a mural on the nursery wall or the room that Hildi did when you were on Trading Spaces. In these cases, you can choose to leave them with the house as long as you can walk away from that emotional connection and as long as these built in items are not obviously personal. A mural that says "Welcome, precious Adelaide, to our family," is a lot more personalized than the lovely Japanese maple outside.

How to Stay Cool

2008-10-20T09:43:00.004-04:00

"That's great, Jen," you say. "Keep cool. Riiiight." Alright, I know, I know. It's easy to say it, but how do you do it? Well, there are a bunch of ways; you have to find the way that works for you. If you are a religious person, you can ask congregation members and your clergy to keep you in their prayers. It always helps to know that people are pulling for you. If you're not a big church goer, you can still have your friends think positive thoughts, send you calming energy, etc--whatever fits comfortably into your world view.

Maybe you're more of an "I am an island" person. Someone who does not look to others. If you work out, you could easily incorporate a "Stay cool" mantra as you're doing your cardio. As a matter of fact, pairing positive talk that everything will work out with the endorphin rush you get from exercise is probably a really good idea.

"Gee, Jen. So far you've given us mystical assignments; where's all the information on the concrete steps I need to take to sell my house?" Well, friends, unless you have your head in the right space, your action plan isn't going to be as effective. I'm not saying that you won't be able to sell; I'm just saying that our negative thoughts are our own worst enemy when selling. Get your head in the game, and I promise the nuts and bolts are coming.

The Case for Keeping Cool, Part II

2008-10-18T18:03:00.007-04:00

As I was saying, believe that selling your house is the right decision. Why? Honestly, because if you have come to the conclusion that you have to sell, you obviously don't have another choice. So, you may as well decide that it is the right thing to do. If you spend a lot of time wishing you didn't have to sell, wishing that things were different, wanting to stay in that house even though you can't, you've set up a war within yourself. A war between what is and what you want. So, no matter what you are doing externally to sell--hiring a Realtor, listing, putting a sign in the yard--internally your thought is "This sucks. I can't believe this is happening. Why us?"

If this is your internal monologue, how in the world can you even begin to focus on what you need to do? Folks, stop the madness. Cry, gnash your teeth, rail against the fates, but then pull it together, take some deep breaths, and just keep cool. Tell yourself that, no matter why you're here, you need to sell. You need to sell quickly so you can get on with your lives.

Do what you need to do to reconcile your internal thoughts with your external reality. The mind is a powerful thing. To paraphrase the NAACP, "The Power of the Mind is a Terrible Thing to Waste." Spending your time wanting something that is entirely at odds with your reality is a waste of time. And believing that you can't sell your house when you're going through the motions creates a kind of psychic deadlock. Look at our little pug friends up there. They're both pulling for all they're worth. If we could hear them, they'd be growling and doing that snore-breathing that pugs do. But for all the energy they're expending, neither is getting anywhere. Get it?

Now we get to the crux of the matter. In a nutshell, here's the case for keeping cool: if you don't keep your cool and surrender to what is, you will expend a lot of energy being anxious and conflicted and you really won't be able to sell. Settle down, reconcile yourself to your reality, and believe you can sell. I believe that you can. Still not convinced? More later...

The Case for Keeping Cool, Part I

2008-10-17T08:05:00.008-04:00

When you know that what you're doing is right and that it will lead you to your goal, the anxiety goes away. You are left with your resolve and your action plan, and you are better able to focus on what needs to be done since you're not spending that time worrying if what you're doing is right.

So, how do you get there? How do you go from panic and anxiety to assurance and purpose? What people have tried to tell me for ever is true: It really is all in your head. At some point, you have to make the conscious decision that what you're doing is correct. I think a lot of the anxiety comes from worrying that all your plans will end in ruin. Gee, talk about a self-fulfilling prophesy!

The fact of the matter boils down to this: if you're here reading this, you want or need to sell your house. Believe that, no matter what events led you to this decision, it is the right decision for you at this time.

More later, but I do want to share this with you. It's my shiny new Press Release about my eBook.

Just Look at The Mess That We're In

2008-10-16T20:55:00.014-04:00

So, here's the thing: there are thousands and thousands of people out there right now trying to sell their homes. On some streets, there may be several sellers competing for the same buyers. Sellers are stressed, and they become frantic as they watch the market slide lower and lower. In some markets, the slide is gradual, but in some places, sellers are on that big slide from The Banana Splits Show (fast forward to :55 if you don't want to watch the whole thing). At any rate, people are scared. Sellers are scared that they won't be able to sell; buyers are afraid to buy as they wait for the market to hit bottom. People are doing desperate and frightening things because of foreclosures and other financial problems. My Uncle Ray, who was a young man during the Great Depression and who remembers being told to walk on the extreme street-side of the sidewalks in New York to keep out of the way of falling bodies--seriously--says he's never seen anything like it and didn't believe he would live to see this. Where is the calm voice of reason in this storm?

Friends, I humbly present myself, as unlikely as that may seem to those who know me, as that voice of calm and reason. I recently navigated the shark-infested waters of the Central Florida housing market, deftly steering our sales course between the burst bubble Scylla and the sub-prime loan Charybdis with relative ease, if I do say so myself. And what did I have that others didn't? Not real estate know-how. Not business savvy. Certainly not deeeeep pockets. What I did have was the absolute knowledge that we would sell our house quickly, no matter what was going on around us. I didn't get the knowledge from a book, or a website or even my Realtor (although she was awesome). I knew we would sell quickly because that was our intention, and that intention was underscored by and reinforced with every action we took to sell our house.