Home Staging and More - Free Conference Call

New Format for Teleseminars Gets Answers for Home Sellers

Are you having trouble selling your home?

We have some ideas that can help you in today’s difficult market.

Join our special conference call on Facebook. The advantages of this call system:

* You can type your questions in so I can see them.
* You can mute yourself by clicking on a microphone icon.
* You can “raise your hand” to speak.
* You can even upload your pictures so I can see your house outside and inside.

How to participate:

1- Join Facebook
http://www.facebook.com

2- Join my Conference Call for Home Sellers. Click the link below to add the conferencing application and join the call.
http://apps.facebook.com/freeconference/conf/show/11113

3- Join the group: Jeanette Fisher’s Home Seller’s Helpline
Click on the Groups button on the left under applications.
Search for Jeanette Fisher’s Home Seller’s Helpline or try this link:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=9721931758&ref=mf

I know all this seems complicated, but the conference call will be unlike all the other teleseminars we’ve done. This is a hands-on experience where you will get answers to YOUR home selling questions.

Joy in technology!

Jeanette

Beyond Home Staging - Use Marketing Psychology

Are you selling your home? I'll bet you want to sell right
away, for the highest possible price.

Even if your home is listed, you could benefit from using
Internet marketing tools. Internet marketers learned how to
grab your attention and motivate you to buy, NOW. How do they
do that? They build up benefits to the reader--not features
of the product. Internet readers want to know, within
seconds, "What's in it for me?" You can use these sales tools
to sell your home.

The Realtor’s number two sales tool--right after the sign--is
the sales flyer. Most real estate agents use a sales flyer
template which showcases their listings using archaic
marketing methods. For some reason, agents don't follow
successful Internet marketing sales-copy techniques. Listing
agents put a pretty house picture in the middle, list the
home's features in detail, and then add a big picture of
their face. But, buyers don't care how pretty your agent is!
Home buyers want to know why your home beats every other
house in the area. Buyers want to know what your house can do
for them!

Make your flyer motivate home buyers to look at your home and
to remember it. This requires that you spend some time
thinking about what's in it for your buyers. Why would they
like living in your home? What makes your home better than
the other houses for sale in your area? Marketing Psychology
turns features into benefits.

Think about why your large back yard benefits the buyer.
Instead of saying "large back yard," give a reason to care,
such as: Room to play in your large back yard. Why is your
patio unique? Does it have a built-in barbeque? Then list the
feature as a benefit: Entertain in your private park with
built-in barbeque. Why does a buyer care about paint? No work
needed, fresh paint throughout. Why does a buyer care about
new kitchen appliances? No worries, all new kitchen
appliances under warranty. What's great about your
neighborhood? Easy walk to great schools and downtown
shopping district.

Take advantage of the marketing research done by the Internet
sales masters. Create a benefit-driven sales flyer to sell
your home, now.

More about Marketing Psychology at Sell Home Fast.

Copyright © 2007 Jeanette

Home Staging Question: Should I NOT put up a tree?

Q: Should I NOT put up a tree? I don't want to exclude people with other religions from buying my home.

A: Go ahead and decorate your home for you and your family and or friends. If your home looks too crowded, scale back and use less of your usual ornamentation. Don't clutter up all your table tops, mantle, and rooms with too much Christmas decorations. Especially, avoid hanging extra little items on the walls.

Home buyers will not be offended seeing your Christmas tree. Every where they go, they see trees and Christmas decorations. They're used to our holiday traditions.

And, if you decorate tastefully so your home shines through with love, you might even sell your home during the most difficult month to sell!

More about Home Staging.

Merry Christmas!

Jeanette

Sell Your Home with Fire

If you have a fireplace, be sure to light it even if it's daytime. This is one reason why you should stage your home each time buyers come to see it.



Enchant your home buyers with an outdoor fire. Find a fire feature to suit your home style and take advantage of this growing trend among landscape designers. Entice your buyers with a fire and invite them to stay longer connecting to your home. Light your fire, a few candles or torches, and serve warm drinks. Turn your backyard into a buyer's dream with fire.

Get the real truth about Home Staging.

New Home Staging Strategies

Only eight homes sold last month in our local area's largest real estate office of Lake Elsinore. In our mountain community of Wrightwood, three houses sold. Typically, the office in Lake Elsinore would have sold over 50 houses and the Wrightwood community would have sold ten or more houses.

What can you do to sell your home?

Try some decorative paint techniques along with Design Psychology. Find out how to sell your home fast and use faux art to give you home the high end designer look on a dime.

Joy in selling,

Jeanette

Home Staging in a Buyer's Market

Staged Kitchen

The niche in the island did not show up until accessories were added. What's interesting, this is a model home. Are the developers serving real food in your nearby models? I've seen clowns painting faces, blowing up balloons and twisting them into animals, serving children oatmeal cookies, and filling crystal wine glasses for the adults. Home buying can be a real party!

For more information on how to REALLY stage your home, read the free articles at Home Staging Information.

Joy in selling,

Jeanette

Home Staging a Flip

We staged our home featured on Flip That House after the final filming. The staged house looks so much better in the book than in the TV show. What amazed us all is how much larger some of the rooms looked with furniture.

The front porch looks much better staged, too!

Besides Home Staging, What Can You Do?

First, a note about home staging vacant houses. On the final film day for Flip That House, we didn't have the main bedroom staged. After, we needed a guest bedroom so we added furniture to the bedroom. The small room looked larger!

Here are some tips for sellers who found a house they want to move on to:

Problem: You've Found Your Dream House but Your Old Home Hasn't Sold - Besides Home Staging, What Can You Do?

It's a situation more and more Americans are likely to find themselves in as more homes come on the market but are taking longer to sell. What can you do if you locate your dream home before you've sold your current one? You have several options.

Your first option would be to get more aggressive about selling your current house, especially if you live in an area where lots of homes have been sitting on the market for considerable lengths of time. You could offer great terms, help with financing and closing costs, a lower price, or anything else that may help sell your old home faster. Talk to your agent about your options for moving your home quicker.

In the meantime, you could make an offer on your dream home contingent upon the sale of your current house. The slower the market is in your area, the better your chances of finding out that a seller is willing to give you a reasonable opportunity to sell your home and free up the capital you'll need to buyer theirs.

You also have a couple of financing options that might help if the seller is unwilling to sign a contingency agreement. First, you could tap into a home equity line of credit based on the equity you've built up in your current house. Interest rates are still fairly reasonable for such lines of credit, and they're relatively easy to obtain. Be careful to read the fine print, however, because some of these types of loans can carry prepayment penalties or exit fees.

Finally, you could take out a bridge loan to fill the gap. They're harder to find, so be prepared to have to make a few calls, and the interest rates are generally higher, but if you can prove to a lender that you can make both your current mortgage payment and the payment on your new home until you manage to get your old home sold. They often carry up front fees and points that can equal up to two percent of the amount you want to borrow, as well, so you may want to save this as your third option.

As the housing market continues to slow, more and more homeowners are going to find themselves in similar situations. That can mean good or bad news, depending upon how you choose to look at it. For instance, if the seller of your dream home refuses to sign a contingency offer, consider walking away from the sale--at least for the time being. As more and more houses come onto the market, you're going to see an even wider array of "dream homes" for sale--many of them with much more motivated sellers. You may even find that the dream home you initially walked away from becomes available to you later, if the seller becomes frustrated enough to come back to you with an offer--perhaps with an even better price than you had originally offered.

In the meantime, you'll have that much more time to sell your own house, which will allow you to avoid having to borrow more money just to get into your new home.


Home Staging with Design Psychology

Beyond Home Staging: Flip That House with FAUX



Copyright © 2007 Jeanette Fisher

How do You Stage an Empty House?

There are some home staging companies out there that will try to convince you that you need to bring in truckloads of furniture to stage an empty house, but I don't think that's necessary, and it may even be counterproductive. After all, the whole idea is to encourage home buyers to envision their own furnishings in your home when they walk in. On the other hand, you don't want someone to walk in and get a feeling of coldness and sterility, either.

When I have an empty house to stage for sale, I begin by putting up window coverings to lend a feeling of softness to a room, because fabric adds texture, which the mind translates as added softness. By window coverings, I'm not talking about blinds. I'm talking about soft fabrics. Blinds can add an even greater feeling of sterility to a room. Keep the coverings pulled back, though, to allow as much light and air into a room as possible. That will make the room feel larger and more friendly.

You can also add inexpensive panels to a room, either plain or lacy, depending upon the style of home and the actual room you're staging. For instance, if you're doing a bedroom, where privacy is important, you don't want the panel too sheer. The same applies if there's a view you want to block out. Use something that is less transparent, but not so solid that it doesn't let light through. The worst thing you can do is make a room feel dark and closed in. Always strive for warmth and airiness when you're staging a room.

The next thing I'd recommend is to put a round table in a breakfast room or kitchen, and sometimes even in a dining room. I also add an absolutely gorgeous fabric skirt that reaches all the way to the floor, surrounded by four chairs, even if they're garden chairs.

I also space a few chairs around the house, in case buyers want to sit and talk. The longer I can keep them in a house, the better my chances of selling it, and people are most comfortable sitting around a round table. Psychologically, sitting at a round table means that no one can be at the head of the table. Everyone is equal and will be more open to expressing themselves openly and honestly.

There are lots of other staging ideas, of course, but these are my favorites, and I've had a great deal of success with them--without having to spend very much money!

Read more about staging our Faux Flip featured on Flip That House for Habitat for Humanity

Copyright © 2007 Jeanette J. Fisher

Jeanette Fisher to Stage Hopalong Cassidy's Home for June 2nd Auction

Best-selling author Jeanette Fisher, who will soon be featured in an episode of TLC's popular series, Flip that House, has been asked to stage the home of one of America's greatest cowboy heroes for three open houses before it is auctioned off on June 2, 2007. Fisher has written two best-selling books on flipping and staging houses, making her uniquely qualified for the task of making William Boyd's Palm Desert home attractive to potential buyers.

Read the full story: Home Staging Hoppy's House

Pricing Your Home? Check out these websites...

Many websites offer free home valuation tools. Zillow leads the foray since February 2006. For the most part, these "free tools," designed to either capture real estate client leads or to sell advertising, gave us little help in pricing an investment house. This is the result from my quest today:

Bank of America
The value of this property is estimated between $232,000 and $264,000. Listed as 1 bedroom and 1 bathroom manufactured home. The home has 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and is stuck built.

CyberHomes
Nothing happened (twice) when I entered address; page changed to empty box.

Eppraisal.com
Estimated Value Range: $241,901 - $327,277 Listed erroneous square footage of 898; home has over 1300 square feet. Such a wide value gives little help.

HomeGain
Value Estimate:$ 255,780 - $300,264 Erroneous square footage of 898 and comps from 2005!

RealEstateABC
"We're sorry! We were unable to locate any properties matching your search in the city you entered."

Reply.com
Compares our property with lakefront houses sold for over $2M; states our home worth $335,699.

Zillow
$302,012 Inaccurate information about our property and comps more than a year old.

Conclusion:
We need to go look at houses on the market in the neighborhood to see what buyers see and price our home to sell accordingly.

Sell Your Home for Top Dollar: Sell Home Fast

Copyright © 2006 Jeanette J. Fisher
Lake Elsinore Realty

Home Selling Idea Besides Home Staging

If you have staged your home to sell and still need help to get that SOLD sign, here is an old idea to help you.

Home Sellers: Entice Buyers with 321 Buydown
With the real estate market beginning to slow down across the country, some sellers, real estate agents, and lenders are starting to rediscover some old methods of financing that were used to help move properties back in the 1980s, when interest rates soared well into the double digit range. One of the most effective techniques that's being revisited involves "buying down" a home's mortgage rate.

Sell Your Home Fast with 321 Buydown

Home Staging for Fall and Halloween Fun

Home buyers love houses that they can picture themselves entertaining in--in style.

Here's a source for a fun carnival mirror that you can use again next year in your new house. And, it rolls up for easy packing! Only $27 dollars from Fun House Mirrors. Decorate your home with something different!

Here are two articles for Halloween Decorating:

Low-Cost Halloween Decorating Ideas

Unusual Halloween Decorating Ideas

Enjoy!

Free home staging tips, ideas, and information: Staging Home for Sale

Should You Stage an Open House?

A home seller asked me if holding an open house would help sell her home. As real estate investors, we do stage open houses for our remodeled houses. However, if your selling your personal home, here are some facts about open houses to consider.

In 2202, a survey by the Real Estate Center at Texas A & M University found that private open houses for other agents were more effective than public open houses. The agents surveyed thought public open houses troublesome, dangerous, and generally ineffective except for agents who needed to build a client base. The survey said "Although open houses are popular with sellers, they appear to be losing their appeal among agents. Sellers see the open house as an indication the agent is actively promoting the listing. Agents know, however, the odds are long that an open house will produce a buyer."

A more recent survey conducted by The National Association of Realtors in 2005 found that open houses led to only 7 percent of all home sales. In their profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, the NAR, reported that 42% of home buyers found open houses to be "Very Useful" as an information source. In fact, 55 percent of home buyers do look at open houses to gather information. However, of the nine categories listed where buyers first learned about the home they purchased, open houses was not even mentioned.

Findings include:
Most people attending open houses are not serious buyers.
Most open houses are held merely to appease sellers.
Many come to see the open house because they want to sell their house and are checking out the competition.
Agents pick up new listings at open houses.
Three out of four agents think open houses are effective in interesting buyers in homes other that than the one being shown.

Should you stage an open house to sell your home?

Not many homes actually get sold because of an open house. You get a lot of looky-lou's and unqualified buyers. Sometimes, thieves look for easy targets by visiting open houses.

Most of our houses sell on MLS--right away. This is because agents are working with qualified buyers and watch the new listings. Agents like to show properties that are staged to sell.

Free home staging tips, ideas, and information: Staging Home for Sale

Copyright © 2006 Jeanette Joy Fisher

FSBO Home Sales More Popular?

If you're ready to sell your home, you might consider selling it yourself to save the commission costs.

It's not easy to sell a home yourself, but it can be done. There are many things to know when trying to sell a home without the benefit of a real estate agent, but many people across the country do, and the trend may actually be on the increase, according to statistics from a number of sources.

Of course, there's considerably more involved in selling a home than the average homeowner realizes, which goes a long way toward explaining why so many homes are sold by real estate professionals. In fact, last year, only some 13 percent of all American home sales were by FSBOs. That figure is actually down somewhat from the nationwide peak, which occurred in 1987, when some 20 percent of all homes in the U.S. were sold by their owners.

Not obvious in those figures is the fact that almost half (40 percent) of the FSBO transactions took place between people who already knew each other and in many cases were related, according to figures published by the National Association of Realtors.

There are some signs that perhaps the FSBO market is gaining some momentum in recent months, however. For instance, the number of FSBO home sales increased by a stagger 71 percent in 2005, according to statistics on the www.ForSaleByOwner.com website. According to that site, the strongest FSBO area is in the Atlanta, Georgia, region, which accounted for 3.8 percent of all FSBO transactions in the country.

Part of that strength undoubtedly stems from the fact that Atlanta's real estate market is still relatively strong. Such market strength makes it easier for homeowners to attract potential buyers to take a look at their homes. Home prices are continuing to rise, and jobs are relatively plentiful, which makes Atlanta somewhat of an anomaly in today's real estate world.

Another strong FSBO market, boasting a whopping 166 percent increase in FSBO listings last year, is Denver, Colorado. Other fast-rising FSBO markets include Dallas, Texas (119 percent); Cleveland, Ohio (96 percent); Indianapolis, Indiana (96 percent); Cincinnati, Ohio (93 percent); New York, New York (84 percent); Houston, Texas (24 percent); and Chicago (16 percent).

With prices rising across the country, it's no surprise that the main reason listed by FSBOs for going it alone is to save on real estate commissions. Nationally, those commissions average about $14,000, which is a sizable enough amount to get nearly anyone's attention. Those figures are based on a 6 percent commission on the sale of a $231,000 home, which was the national median price for existing American homes in June 2006. As the housing market continues to soften, the money that can be saved by selling a home yourself can become increasingly more attractive.

Even the venerable National Association of Realtors has recently conceded that the FSBO market, even if may be small when compared to the overall real estate market, is a growth sector worthy of paying attention to. They recently published a booklet called "A Field Guide to Working with FSBOs" that's available to anyone for free at: www.realtor.org/libweb.nsf/pages/fg210.

Remember, before you show your home, if you want to get top dollar, stage your home, first.

Free home staging information: Staging Home for Sale

Copyright © 2006 Jeanette Fisher

Fall and Winter Home Staging Tips

We're celebrating the return of cool weather in Southern California. Home buyers won't feel like sitting in their air conditioned cars and will be motivated to take a look inside. However, early nightfall means that most home buyers will wait until the weekend to shop for a new home. Plus, the coming holiday season traditionally slows home sales.

Home shoppers today, motivated by a housing need instead of greed, or fear of losing the sale to another buyer, select the house that they fall in love with. How do you create a toasty warm and inviting buyer's dream home?

To sell a home during a buyer's market, you need to do more to make your house feel like home to a qualified buyer who will pay more for your property.

Why would a home buyer pay more?

Because they fall in love with the home and the possibilities the house offers to improve their lives.

In the new edition of Dollhouse Real Estate Newsletter, find out how to stage your home for fall and winter selling.

See the sample newsletter and join today for instant access to the latest Real Estate and Home Staging Ezine.

Copyright © 2006 Jeanette J. Fisher

Is it better to finance all the remodeling or pay cash from a savings account?

Question from reader: Is it better to finance all the remodeling or pay cash from a savings account?

Answer from Jeanette Joy Fisher

Funding source for remodeling expense all depends on your situation, personal finances, and goals.

Home sellers who need to make repairs and remodel to get their home ready to sell want to consider their credit consequences. For instance, a home seller who desires to purchase another home right away would not want to jeopardize their credit score or financing abilities by charging up their credit cards.

If you have plenty of room on your credit cards to pay for improvements, it might be best to keep your savings intact if you won't receive a large payout from selling your home. Even if you don't use all the cash for a down payment, cash reserves in the bank make mortgage financing easier. However, if you go over the 50 percent proportional amount owed on your credit cards, you can lower your credit score at a time that you need it most. Credit balances with less than 30 percent of available credit used boost credit scores. If you will receive a large check at closing, using savings to pay for remodeling would keep your credit in shape and you will have funds for your new home.

If you want to upgrade your home to sell it, make a plan of changes that make a difference in your bottom line. Paying $30,000 to remodel a kitchen might not give you that much more in a sale. But, a new coat of paint, a new faucet, and hardware for under $500 might add $5,000 to your sales price. Explore the changes you need to make that will help sell your home fast.


These replacement kitchen cabinets, off the shelf at Lowes, cost less than $300. They were painted a lighter shade of green than the bottom cabinets.

Prepare your home for sale without spending extra money.

Copyright © 2006 Jeanette J. Fisher

Home Staging Like a Horse Race

Today's home seller needs an edge like home staging to make their homes stand out in a buyer's market. Besides staging your home your home, you need to pay attention to all the home selling steps.

Selling a house is like a steeplechase race horse jumping over hurdles.

Some race horses make the jumps look so easy; they run and jump in rhythm under the jockey's guidance. As a home seller, your job is to make home buyer's hurdles easy to jump. Home buyers make up their minds about a house on each step they take or every barrier they cross. You need to make sure your buyer crosses each barrier. Here are eight hurdles for you to win the house race.

Hurdle #1 Listings and Ads with Benefits

Buyers make up their mind about the advertisement or listing whether or not to continue reading. That means they approve of the basic features and price.

Home shoppers must see something in the advertisement or listing that makes your house stand out in a buyer's market. To entice a buyer to pick up the phone and call about your house, the buyer must read some benefit that they need or desire. This should be your property's best benefit to the buyer, such as "Enjoy the panoramic views of Cleveland National Forest from your large deck and entertain in style with custom barbecue" or "Move right in without fixing or painting a thing. Owners will even help with your costs."

Hurdle #2 Yard Signs that Attract the Eye without Destroying View of Home

The yard sign should look professional and not take away from the appeal. Many over-sized yard signs clutter the landscape. Put the sign to the side a bit and consider a shorter sign for smaller houses.

Instead of wasting words with the all the amenities, make the phone number legible from the street and list the best feature not obvious from the curb.

Hurdle #3 Non-Generic Sales Flyer

Perhaps a house shopper will be interested enough to get out of their vehicle and pick up a sales flyer. This means that the flyer needs to be written with sales copy that gives motivation to see the property. A "ho-hum" generic flyer with a long list of features should be rewritten using Marketing Psychology with strong benefits to the buyer.

Hurdle #4 Curb Appeal that Pulls the Buyer Inside

When shoppers pull up in front of your house, the first glimpse must impress them enough to get out of their vehicle to see what's inside. For condo sellers, the development has to pass approval and your unit should stand out with added appeal like large potted plants near the door in colorful containers. The typical house needs pizzazz near the front door to draw the eye into the house. You must entice the buyer to cross the threshold to see what's inside.

Hurdle #5 First Impressions Entice Buyers

Inside, the typical house shopper makes up their mind within 15 seconds whether or not they're interested in your house. This is why the first sighting inside must pass inspection and peak interest.

Hurdle #6 Lasting Impressions Sell Houses

To encourage shoppers to spend more than the usual four minutes previewing a house, use home staging strategies. Buyers select a home based on their emotions. They choose the home they connect with and one they think "feels like home." This just doesn't happen in four minutes.

Houses that spark fantasy about living in the home, enjoying a better lifestyle, and entertaining friends help buyers make up their minds.

Hurdle #7 Make the Purchase Easy

Buyers make offers on houses when they feel comfortable with the paperwork. If you're selling by owner, have a basic contract on hand that doesn't confuse buyers and have a closing agent or escrow officer draw up the formal documents later. If you're selling by agent, your agent must be trained on how to handle negotiations beyond just filling out forms.

Hurdle #8 Keep Sale on Track for the Finish Line

During the sale process, monitor all the closing details. Keep your home staged for the most important date: appraisal day. Invite you buyers to return early in the sale for their walk through so they stay "in love" with your home. Make sure all the appointments are made and kept, such as inspections, and contracts signed on time.

Turn house shoppers into motivated buyers, help your buyers jump the hurdles, and you'll win the house race.

Free home sellers checklists, reports, and teleseminars: Sell House Fast

Copyright © 2006 Jeanette J. Fisher

America's "Dream Home" Maker Jeanette Fisher helps sellers create buyer's dream homes.

Home Sellers Teleseminar at 6 PM Pacific

I can't believe I forgot to list the time in the announcement!

6 PM Pacific/ 9 PM Eastern

Joy,

Jeanette Fisher

FREE "Home Sellers" Teleseminar - August 23

Are You Serious About Wanting to Sell Your Home for Top Dollar?

These are the questions readers sent in. If you have more questions, join our teleseminar and send your question by replying to your teleseminar announcement email.

Q: If a house has been on the market for 9 months, is it better to take it
off the market, fix it, and re-list it at a higher price?

Q: Which style seems to attract the buyer, contemporary...?

Q: Other than curb appeal, what is the next best area?

Q: How often and when to lower the price?

Q: Should I list with an agent or sell myself?

Q: What is the fastest strategy to use to sell my home?

Q: How do I market to sell a house in a buyer's market (Michigan)?

Q: How do you stage an empty house?

Q: How to make a high-end home look more expensive

Q: Best interior colors to use?

Q: What kind of kitchen (and house) improvement makes the biggest impact?

Q: What do I need as a FSBO (e.g. Purchase software regarding contracts,
Find a title company, etc.)

Q: Best interior colors to use

Q: Any legal issues regarding selling a home?

Q: How to improve staging?

Q There is a black screen door on the front door of a condo should I
remove it to show red door or leave on? Screen door is in excellent condition
and is an added plus as it allows cross ventilation in condo unit.

Join our FREE Home Sellers Teleseminar

(If you miss this one, get your questions in for the next Home Sellers Teleseminar.)

http://sellfast.info/free_home_sellers_teleseminar.htm

Hot Summer Landscaping Home Staging Tips

You might think it's too hot to work outside in your garden during this summer's unwelcome heat extremes. However, if you're selling a home, you might want to suffer the heat or pay someone to help you. Your landscaping needs to arouse buyers' expectations and entice them into viewing the inside of your home.

Buyers think they care more about the inside of the house than the landscaping, but in reality, most buyers won't even get out of their car if the front landscaping lacks the promise of great details inside. Here are some quick and easy landscaping tips to get you in out of the heat fast and to get buyers interested in your home.

Hot and Cool Summer Colors

Usually, I advise home sellers to plant bright flowers like yellow and red to catch buyer's attention. However, if you live where the sun is making everything extra hot, make your home feel cooler with abundant white flowers. If you have gorgeous flowers in multi-color, don't rip them out. Just add a lot of white to tone down the exuberant warm colors. A few flats of white alyssum go a long way and this hardy plant holds up in extreme heat.

Add green foliage to cool down your landscaping. If you have a lot of boring dirt between plants, these brown areas look and feel parched. Also, hanging luscious ferns add a tropical flair to landscapes.

Hot Summer Back Yard Landscaping Tips

Add umbrellas for extra shade. You might find umbrellas at your local supermarket for better prices than at home improvement warehouses or discount stores. In our area, Albertsons has the best buy on umbrellas. Select umbrellas in cool colors; floral patterns look pretty but often have warm colors. Place your umbrellas in big pots or even in the dirt around your garden.

Set up a table and chairs in the far corner to make your entire yard feel like it works hard to offer plenty of entertaining spaces. Add a white or green table cloth to the table setting and a vase of white flowers. Fabrics like cotton give a texture which feels cooler than metal or wood.

Add water features like a plug-in fountain or simply a children's play pool. Even if you have no small children, the water looks refreshing.

Water before showing. When you know buyers are on the way to preview your home, water. Wet lawns and foliage bring down the air temperature (unless you live in a high- humidity area). A freshly watered lawn looks greener.

Set out iced tea, lemonade, and ice water. Stage a bowl of green apples. Offer your "guests" refreshment. Turn home shoppers into buyers. Get them to connect to your home because it feels like home.

Home Staging Information

Copyright © 2006 Jeanette J. Fisher

Some offer Prayers to Sell their Home

By Jeanette Joy Fisher

Here's a home staging practice that your buyers won't see.

Statue of St Joseph

It may be frowned upon by some religious practitioners, but praying and paying homage to St. Joseph is being used every year by thousands of home sellers. Although the ritual is most common in Italy, home sellers around the world go through a rather precise ceremony to ask Jesus' father's help to find a home buyer.

There isn't a great deal known about Joseph, Mary's husband, even though he played a significant role in the Christian birth story. It's commonly known that he was a skilled carpenter and lived for many years in Nazareth, but there are no records of his death, even though the bible suggests that Joseph was alive when Jesus was twelve years old.

Eventually, the Roman Catholic Church designated Joseph the patron saint of workers, and he has his own feast days. St. Joseph also became popular among Spanish-speaking Catholics in the New World, as evidenced by the various towns in the western United States named San Jose, which is St. Joseph in Spanish.

Perhaps it was originally Joseph's carpentry skills that brought him to be associated with helping people to sell houses, although the exact origins of the ritual are unclear. However, among believers, it's important to note that Joseph was always able to use his home building skills to make sure that his son had a roof over his head.

If you want to offer prayers to sell your home, read about St Joseph Selling Home

Copyright © 2006 Jeanette J. Fisher

Home Staging Information

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Bathroom Remodeling Tips for Selling Your Home

Today's home sellers need to do more preparing their homes for sale to compete in a buyer's market. With all their housing choices, home buyers get pickier everyday. If you want to make small changes to sell your home or investment house, consider remodeling the bathrooms.

Bathroom Remodeling Tips

Real Estate Staging

Because more homes on the market benefit from real estate staging, those not staged look bland and insipid by comparison.


Popular TV shows inspire home sellers to use real estate staging strategies to sell their homes faster and for more money. Shows like Sell this House, Designed to Sell, House Doctor, and Buy Me! raise awareness for real estate staging and home staging services. Because more homes on the market benefit from home staging, those not staged look bland and insipid by comparison.

Real Estate Staging, sometimes termed home prepping, house fluffing, and even house primping (maybe next it will be house pimping?), simply means merchandising your home like a product. Think of your home as a house to sell. Just like any product for sale, you can use marketing psychology to make your home stand out in a crowded real estate market. You can either hire a home stager or learn the art of decorating a home to sell quickly and for top dollar.

What do home buyers want?

Read about a home buyer poll and real estate staging.

Joy,

Jeanette Fisher
America's "Dream Home" Maker
Joy to the Home(TM), Design Psychology
Homes for glorious living and top-dollar sales
http://homestaging.us

Home Staging Training

New service for people looking for a career change and real estate agents who want an edge in the competitive market:

Home Staging and Redesign Professional Training with a difference!

Learn how to use Design Psychology strategies for home staging and redesign.

For more information, see http://HomeStagingQueen.com

Staged Homes - 11 Top Reasons to Stage Your Home for Sale

If you're selling your home or investment house, take advantage of home staging trends. Here are ten key points about staged homes.

1. Staged Homes Sell in Less Time

Surveys on the effects of home staging range from stating that home sell for 30 percent faster to the Christian Science Monitor's statistic that staged homes sell twice as fast. Last year, during the hot seller's market, The National Association of Realtors found that staged homes sold in 13.9 days as opposed to 31 for non-staged homes. Imagine what the effect will be during a buyer's market.

2. Staged Homes Sell for More Money

Homes that sit on the market usually get lower offers because home shoppers think that there's something wrong with the house and that the desperate home seller is an easy mark for a low offer. Research proves that staged homes sell for more. The NAR statistics indicated that staged homes sold for an average of 6.9 to 10% over listing price.

3. Staged Exteriors Entice Viewing

When homes shoppers first pull up in front of a home for sale, they make up their minds in SECONDS whether to get out of their comfortable vehicle or drive on. A manicured front yard with staging additions like flowers in colorful pots near the front door and a bench to sit makes buyers want to see what's inside. Entice your buyers to come in, not drive on.

4. Staged Entryways Affect Buyer's Decision

Once they cross the threshold, home buyers know within 15 seconds whether they like the home or not. You must captivate your buyers right away with a setting staged for your target buyer. Entice your buyers to take a good look, not hurry through.

5. Staged Living Rooms Make Buyers Feel at Home

Beyond the usual deep cleaning and decluttering, staging your living room with suggestions of activities gives buyers ideas like how it will feel to entertain in the space. Spur imagination with props like a cocktail tray set out. Entice your buyers to move in, not move on to the next home.

6. Staged Kitchens Sell Houses

Because the kitchen ranks paramount in home shoppers list of requirements, spend extra time staging the space. Remove all appliances on the counter and dress the space with flowers and bowls of fruit. Buyers pay a premium for kitchens that are ready to move in and not ready to work on.

7. Staged Homes Tell Buyers that Your Home Is Loved

Buyers desire a well-maintained home. Homes that show well speak to the buyers that you care enough to keep on routine maintenance.

8. Staged Homes Attract Agents

It's a fact that real estate agents love staged homes, too. Get agents to keep your home on the top of their "must show" list. Agents show staged homes even when they fall short or exceed the buyers wish list because savvy agents know buyers choose homes based on their emotions and not their "must have" lists.

9. Staged Homes Get More Advertising

Your agent and even other agents will want to show your home and they will advertise it more than an ordinary home just to get the phone ringing. Benefit from all the extra exposure at no extra cost to you.

9. Staged Homes Appraise for Top Dollar

Once you sell your home, you need the appraisal to come in high enough to cover your buyer's mortgage. Make sure you keep your home staged for the all important date--Appraisal Day. Too many home sales fall through just because the appraised value didn't meet the sales price.

10. Staged Homes Keep Buyers on Track

When you create a buyers' "Dream Home," they can't wait to move in. Use staging magic to avoid "buyer's remorse." Motivated buyers make sure they get all their paperwork in on time and won't jeopardize their purchase.

11. Staged Homes Help Home Sellers Move

Besides selling your home, the act of staging helps you get rid of clutter, pare down your furnishings to the best--those worth moving, and gets you organized to move on to your next home, hopefully your "dream home!"

To see reason # 12, go to Staged Homes

Copyright © 2006 Jeanette J. Fisher

Home Staging Vacant Houses without Moving in Truckloads of Furniture

If you moved before selling your home, you might be left with a vacant house costing you double mortgage payments. Here are some home staging tips to help you.

Home staging has proven to sell houses in less time and for more money.

According to a report by the Christian Science Monitor, March 2006, staged homes sell for 7.4 percent more and twice as fast. Many home staging services will furnish your vacant house with their furniture and charge you a monthly fee, with prices ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 per month.

These high fees may be worth the investment. However, if you don't have the extra cash, there are simple was to get the staged home advantage without spending a lot of money.

New marketing and interior design psychology ideas help you stage homes for sale to motivate buyers and generate top-dollar offers. Instead of leaving investment houses vacant, add a few props to increase your profits.

To gather interior design ideas, visit nearby model homes and take a close look at the way the interior designers dressed the homes to sell. Notice how the designers under-furnished the model homes by using just enough accessories to make a superb marketing presentation, without over doing it to make the rooms seem crowded or small.

You don't need to add as much furniture to your vacant home to encourage buyers to visualize their own furniture in the home. That's the key to your selling strategy--to make your home FEEL like the buyer's dream home.

Use a few props to dress up your vacant house. This helps you sell quickly for more money in many ways:

* Props chosen with your target buyer in mind help reinforce the desired emotions.
* Props add perspective with visual depth -- vacant rooms look flat.
* Props, especially fabric cover round tables, soften the hollow, echo sound.
* Props help to keep property in the mind of buyers who view many houses in a row.
* Props create focal points for buyers to imagine their own furnishings in the home and get them thinking about living in the space.

Learn how to take advantage of interior design psychology home staging. Find out how to profile your target buyer and use interior design details proven to turn houses into buyers' dream homes.

Copyright © 2006 Jeanette J. Fisher

Jeanette Fisher, America's "Dream Home" Maker, invites you to join a free home sellers teleseminar.

Home Staging Information

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Home Staging Basics for a Top Dollar Sale

Every home seller is looking for two things: a quick sale and a good price. That's a given. However, there are ways to help insure that you'll meet both of those goals, both of which involve staging your home before you put it on the market.

In short, staging your home simply means to get it ready to make as positive an impact on potential buyers as possible. There are ways to accomplish that goal without spending a great deal of money. Here are a few simple tips:

In the bedrooms, always make sure every bed is made, since you never know when buyers may want to visit. Encourage everyone in the house to make their beds before they leave in the morning. That will eliminate the need for a mad rush to make beds when a real estate agent calls to make an appointment to show your home.

In the bathroom, keep all toilet seats in the down position, pick up all dirty clothes, keep the counter free of brushes, toothpaste containers, and the 101 other things that often get put there and not picked up. Make sure there are fresh towel hung neatly on the towel racks, as well.

In the kitchen, keep all surfaces clear of clutter and pristinely clean. don't let dishes pile up in the sink, and keep all garbage receptacles are out of sight. Also make sure there are no smells coming from garbage cans under the sink. Offensive odors are often the very first impression buyers get from a room, so make sure none of your rooms, whether it's the bathroom, kitchen, or laundry room, give buyers a reason to turn up their noses.

When the home is being shown at night, all lights should be on to show off your home to its best advantage. During the day, drapes should be open to give each room a light and sunny feel. The idea is always to give buyers the impression that your home is spacious and homey feeling, and flooding rooms with light, whether real or artificial, is a good step in that direction.

Regardless of which room buyers may be viewing, it's important to remember that you'll only have a few minutes to make an impression on them. And as the old saying goes, you only get one chance to make a good first impression. Doing your homework to stage your home to its best advantage can pay big dividends--in both a quicker sale and higher sales price.

Go beyond the basic home staging methods with Design Psychology methods for a top-dollar sale.

Learn how to stage your home without paying high fees. Plus, get the added benefit of expert real estate advice. Stage your home for your profiled buyer's emotions. Explore Jeanette Fisher's Home Staging Information and free information on how to Sell Homes Fast.

Copyright © 2006 Jeanette J. Fisher

Home Sellers: Why Isn't Your Home SOLD?

If your home isn't moving, don't be afraid to ask for your real estate agents' advice and suggestions. However, don't be persuaded to lower your price. Tips for Home Sellers

Color Psychology for Selling Your Home

When painting your home for resale, choosing the right colors can make a huge difference in your paycheck at closing. For instance, did you know that the exterior color of houses selling most quickly is a certain shade of yellow, but that choosing the wrong shade of yellow can kill a sale?

Using Color Psychology to Sell Your Home

Jeanette Fisher's Home Staging Books

More than Home Staging

It Takes More than Home Staging to Sell Your Home

By Jeanette Joy Fisher

The average home buyer only spends four minutes previewing a home. You must get them to invest more time to CONNECT emotionally to your home. The more time a buyer spends in a home, the more they think about where their furniture could go.

More than Home Staging

Sell your home!

Sell Your Home in 3 Easy Steps: Get Ready, Stage, and Sell!

Every home seller wants to sell their home the painless way: without too much work, without legal hassles, and for maximum profit. You can break your home sale into three easy steps to make the process as pleasurable as possible.

http://sellfast.info/ready-stage-sell_home.htm

Gone in 60 Seconds

Why do Home Buyers Keep on Driving by Your Home?
By Jeanette Joy Fisher

Is your home listed with a professional-looking "For Sale" sign and a flyer box attached? Do potential home buyers pull up and get the flyer, or do they stop and look and then drive on? If no one bothers to get out of their car and pick up a flyer, you've got problems. Curb Appeal

Home Selling Advertising Trends

Among homebuyers surveyed, the number one source of information about the home they eventually bought was still their real estate agent. The annual report by the National Association of Realtors profiling home buyers and sellers reveals some interesting information about how and where to spend money when it comes to marketing homes. The study’s findings should be of interest to real estate agents and home sellers alike. Advertising Trends

How to Choose a Home Stager

Home staging is different from interior design, which is intended to make living in a home more pleasant for those who inhabit the space, based on their lifestyle and personal tastes. On the other hand, home staging is meant to make the home more appealing to as wide a range of potential buyers as possible. In other words, interior design is geared toward home owners, while home staging is geared toward home buyers.

What is a Home Stager?

Feng Shui and Home Staging

Bottom line: it doesn't really matter whether or not you believe that Feng Shui concepts are important to home decorating. When you go to sell, you'll find that employing Feng Shui home staging practices can add perceived value to your home in a buyer's mind and just might help sell it faster, and for more money. In case you're not familiar with the concept of Feng Shui, here are some tips for incorporating it into staging your house. Feng Shui Home Staging Tips

Home Stagers

How to Get Your Home Ready to Sell: Should You Hire a Home Stager? The growing popularity of home stagers suggests that their services are generally worthwhile, both in quicker sales and higher sales prices. Home Stagers

Reasons Your Home Isn't Selling - Besides Home Staging

If your home is sitting on the market unsold, here are a few things you may want to look at and reevaluate in addition to reading about home staging tips.

Read the full article: home staging tips

Home Sellers Advice, Win Your Home's Beauty Contest

It's been said that getting your home ready for sale is like getting ready for a beauty contest. You have to take what you've got to work with and enhance it. And you've got to take what's not drop-dead gorgeous and make it look better. Then you're ready to face your competition. Based on that analogy, here are six tips to help your home win the beauty contest and find a buyer.

Home Staging Advice

Stone Farm Sink

If you're thinking about updating your kitchen to make buyers say "WOW!" how about a new farm sink carved from stone?

Contact me from Home Staging advice website and I'll tell you where you can get a stone farm sink.

Enjoy! Jeanette Fisher

Home Staging Website Update

Stop by the new website Home Staging. Be sure to refresh your screen to see the new design. I'll be adding new articles today.

Joy!

Jeanette

Do You Really Want to Sell Your Home?

Moving up?
If you're thinking about selling your home and moving up, do your homework before offering your home for sale. Read what can happen to home sellers who don't do their math. Prepare Home for Sale

Home Staging for Top-Dollar Sales: A Workbook for Applying Design and Marketing Psychology Strategies

Finally!

Home Staging for Top-Dollar Sales
A Workbook for Applying Design and Marketing Psychology Strategies

Publication date: February 17, 2006
108 pages 8 x 11 1/2 inches

Table of Contents:

PART ONE
Prepare Your Property for a Top-Dollar Sale
1. Prepare Yourself and Your House
2. Marketing Psychology Groundwork
3. Existing Conditions and Desired Results
Prioritize and Plan Your Changes
4. Create an Overall Design Plan
Design for Your Target Market (Learn how to profile your buyer)
Establish an Overall Color Psychology Plan
5. Exterior Changes for a Fast Sale
Should you paint?
Front Yard Curb Appeal
Back Yard Magnetism
6. Interior Redesign for a Top-Dollar Sale
General Improvement Needs
The Psychology of Lighting
Window Covering Benefits to Buyers
Wallpaper: Love it or Lose it
Shine and Sparkle
Room-by-Room Interior Design for Top-Dollar Sale
Entryways that Welcome
Living Rooms that Promise Good Times
Kitchens that Evoke Easy Cooking and Enjoyment
Stunning Powder Rooms that Say Self-Indulgence
Festive Family Rooms that Express Happy Living
Home Offices that Convey Organization and Productivity
Main Bedrooms that Entice Fantasy
7. Home Staging with Design Psychology for Dollars
Entice Buyers' Sense of Lifestyle
Create Spaces to Suggest Joyful Living

PART TWO
Sell Your Home with Marketing Psychology
8. Ready to Sell
Your Personal Safety
Readjust Your Sales Price
Secure Your Buyer's Interest with a Home Selling Scrapbook
9. Advertise for Greatest Impact
Set Your Budget
Create Flyers with Marketing Psychology
Create a Financial Flyer for Your Buyers
Get the Phone to Ring with Newspaper Ads
10. Find a Real Estate Agent Who Works for You
11. Prepare to Show with a Checklist
Design Psychology "Lifestyle" Home Staging
Choose Your Home Buyers
12. Protect Yourself with a Sales Contract
13. Keep Your Sale on Track
Home Buyer's Borrower Instructions
Home Staging after the Sale
14. Protect Your Profit after Sale

Endnote
Index

Companion to Sell Your Home for Top Dollar--Fast! Design Psychology for Redesign and Home Staging, which has sold out three times and has a new edition updated in January, 2006. See Sell Your Home Fast.

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Home Staging the Vacant House

Answer to email question:

We stage empty houses with suggestions. For instance, we always use a round table (for signing contracts) with four chairs, a mirror in the entry, a large painting in the living room with a rocking chair, lightweight round table skirted for adding texture, table lamp for extra light, and big potted plants. In the kitchen, a colorful pot and plant, colorful thick kitchen towel for texture and softness, sometimes a mirror above the stove or sink if no window, sometimes a curtain if the view is terrible...

Thick bath towels and rugs in the bathrooms.

Are you in Florida? If is't hot there, you won't need the warming textures we use for winter staging.

I use a lot of fabrics and textures to tone-down a vacant hollow-sounding home. We don't do much in the bedrooms.

Home Staging Tips
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Prepare Your Home for Sale BEFORE You Get to Home Staging

Home Sellers: Prepare Your Home for Sale

You want your home to sell, of course, for the highest possible price, and in the shortest amount of time. Here are a few good tips for making sure that happens, long BEFORE potential buyers visit your home.

First, make sure that your home's curb appeal is at least as good, and preferably better than the other homes that are for sale in your area. Buyers often drive around in the neighborhoods they're interested in, and if they see a home that looks great from the street, they'll generally follow up with a phone call or visit. Make sure your home is one of those that catches home buyers's eyes from the street.

If your home needs paint, carpet, a new roof, or any other relatively major repairs, do them BEFORE any buyers visit your house. Just telling people you intend to repair or replace something does no real good. They only see the old situation. Home buyers don't visualize the new one, nor should they have to. Do the work before anyone comes to see your home.

Make sure you have all the information about your home that a potential buyer might want. That's where a nicely printed, attractive flyer can prove invaluable. It covers all the pertinent information about the home itself and the financial details. Buyers can take the flyer home and use it to make their decision, even when you're not around to answer their questions in person. Remember, buyers, especially first-timers, often need some help when it comes to buying homes. Provide them with all the help they need to make the purchase. Seek help from a mortgage broker with making a financial flyer that gives the buyers details like suggested down payment and monthly payments.

Taking care of these details well before any buyer visits your home can sell your home more quickly and for a higher price.

Copyright © 2006 Jeanette J. Fisher

Join our FREE Home Selling Teleseminar. Get expert advice on Redesign and Home Staging from Design Psychology instructor Jeanette Fisher. More home selling tips and FREE Ebook "Design Psychology for Selling Houses" Sell Your Home for Top Dollar--FAST!

Home Staging and Redesign Teleseminar - FREE!

Don't waste your precious time and hard-earned money fixing things that won't pay you back. Learn what buyers want and how to get that designer's look for pennies.

Free Home Seller's Teleseminar

Yes! We buy houses!

If you want to sell your house thousands below market value, call Jeanette Fisher. However, if you want to sell your home for top dollar- fast, you need to sell to a home buyer who wants to live in your home. Read The Truth about "WE BUY HOUSES."

Home Staging Tips For Sellers with No Money to Spend

Start at the street and clean up the weeds
Remove dead plants and trim overgrown limbs
Plant brown spots with cuttings of ground cover from friends
Remove empty pots and containers or fill with cuttings
Wash the windows
Inside, take down worn window coverings
Pack personal effects: family photos, memorabilia, magazine piles
Open window coverings, let the sunshine in
Air your home out
Get rid of excess furniture
Hold a yard sale and use the money to buy flowers
After a thorough purging and cleaning, your shining home is ready to sell!

More Home Selling Tips to Sell for Top Dollar

Copyright Jeanette J. Fisher
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Should I wait to list my home?

I received three emails asking the same question: "Should I wait until next year or next spring to list my home for sale?"

Each home seller has unique problems selling their home. Without knowing all the details for your particular home and situation, this question is too hard to answer properly.

First, is your home ready to show? Did you prepare your home for showing?

Second, are the agents in your area working during the holiday season or taking time off? How active is your market?

Some reasons to list now:

1. You must sell because of financial problems.
2. You need to relocate.
3. You found a great home to move to and can get a bargain on it now.
4. Interest rates may go up and make it harder for a new buyer to qualify for the higher payment.
5. Buyers shopping during the holidays and cold weather really want to buy. You won't get as many people just looking.

If you want to list now, make sure your agent will take phone calls and WORK.

Use home staging to make your home feel like a safe, warm haven. Here's a checklist so you don't forget in your holiday business:

1. Turn the heat up. (You might feel warm from running around, but your buyers will be coming in from the cold.)
2. Light a fire.
3. Turn on all the lights. Use amber light bulbs to create a warm glow.
4. Play generic soft music without words.
5. Bake oatmeal or sugar cookies with lots of cinnamon. (Have the mixture ready in your refrigerator so you can pop the cookies in at the last minute.)
6. If you don't have any fresh flowers, cut some greenery from your garden like tree branches or evergreen bushes.
7. Dry your sinks and polish faucets. Water spots detract.

If you have specific questions, please email me from my websites.

Jeanette Fisher
Joy to the Home, Design Psychology
Homes for glorious living and top-dollar sales
Home Staging Tips

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Home Staging Spa.mmy Posts

Hi,

If you receive this as an email because you subscribe to the Home Staging Tips blog, I apologise for the intrusion.

Some people have been posting comments on the blog just to get their website links posted on this blog. Google has threatened to shut down my blogs because of this sp>ammy practice.

I love to help home sellers with their legitimate questions so I left the comment ability live. All unrelevant comments will be removed.

If you want your website link on the Home Staging blog, write a good article relevent to the subject and email it to me with your website information.

I should be finishing the Home Staging for Top-Dollar Sales book instead of spending hours removing junk.

Joy to you,

Jeanette

Home Staging Tip: Choose The Right Colors and Placement For Your Flowers

By Willie Jones

Some people have a natural artistic ability when it comes to home décor and design but for most of us we need a little help. A few simple tips on what type of floral arrangements and colors can go a long way in making your home beautiful.

Before you decide on where to put your fresh cut flowers, silks or dried flowers, you need to understand a few simple rules.

Color is very important!

1) If you have vibrant colors in your room such as a red wall and rich colored furniture then you will want to have soft colors for your flowers. An all white or soft creamy yellows can make a better statement than a brightly colored arrangement that will just blend in with the other vibrant colors.

2) If you have neutral colors in the room then brighter colored arrangements will bring life to any room. Look at the color scheme you have going. If the room has white or creamy walls and tan colored furniture for example, you will want to liven things up with colored accent pillows and floral arrangements of browns, reds and yellow. Remember you want to enhance but not overwhelm with them.

The size of your arrangements matters a great deal! You can easily overwhelm with an arrangement too big for a coffee table. If you look at any of the early morning talk shows you can get a good example of what to put on a small table and the larger flowers they put in the back ground. The larger flowers are always behind them and a little to the left or right of them.

It kind of follows the rule in photography, the 3rd, the 3rd and 3rd rule. There is a great motivational print called “Individuality” which demonstrates this perfectly. In a picture of a field of sunflowers, one stands out. All the sunflowers are about a 3rd of the way up. The sunflower standing alone is one 3rd to the right of the picture. Click on the blue letters motivational print and you’ll see what I mean.

This rule can be applied at home. If you look in design magazines you’ll see a floral arrangement on the fireplace and it will most likely be placed to the left or right of the mantle. The only time you will see it in the middle is if it is a long low arrangement or several smaller arrangements.

Larger arrangements are usually placed against a wall where they are accent pieces but make a bold statement. Large arrangements can also be placed in a foyer where it is the focal point and sets the tone of the rest of the house.

Whether you are designing with flowers or flower prints for your home I hope these few tips make it easier for you.

Willie Jones

Willie is a freelance writer, researcher, floral designer, and artist. Thanks very much for reading this far. Please come and visit us at: http://www.artinspires.com

“Make sure you enroll in the free motivational poster drawing at http://www.artinspires.com/. All winners receive a free framed print.”
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

Home Staging Tip: Bird Houses at Flea Market

Check out your local flea market for fun accessories to use for home staging.

Subscribe to "Home Staging Tips" blog

Enter your email in the box on the top right to receive new posts. I don't collect these emails.

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Home Staging Tips: Curb Appeal and Design Psychology

By Jeanette Joy Fisher

Home staging begins at the curb.

Curb appeal is the most important challenge you'll face when selling your home. You must make home shoppers feel like getting out of their car to see what's behind the front door. Imagine prospective buyers driving up and examining your property for the first time. Your goal is to have them exclaim, "What a darling home!" Or, "What a splendid house."

Curb appeal has grown up, and using innovative Design Psychology techniques for marketing homes puts curb allure to work, enticing buyers to come inside your home. One way to make your home outshine the others on the market, upgrading your exterior, doesn't have to cost you a lot of money.

Restore, the outlet store for Habitat for Humanity, resells donated home building materials. They sell light fixtures, window hardware, paint, house numbers, and even white picket fencing. Restore also lets you bargain on merchandise, which means that the tagged price isn't always the final price. You can even sign up for Restore's mailing list and receive notices of half-price sales. We found a great exterior light fixture at Restore for one of our fixers for only $25. The same fixture, available at our local home building supply outlet, sells for $99.

Curb Appeal: Create Inviting Access to Your Home

An alluring home setting begins with the access to your home. A problem with many newer homes is that developers don't provide a separate walkway to the front door. You don't want to make buyers walk around cars and trip over driveway edges to navigate to your front door. If you have no dedicated walkway to the front door, add a simple pathway. A wandering pathway to the front door psychologically feels more inviting than a straight-shot walkway.

If you have a plain, straight concrete walkway, create undulating flower beds on either side to encourage a relaxed, friendly feeling. Adding a water feature near your entry walk also enhances the ambiance because moving water relaxes the body and mind and refreshes the spirit. You want to create a feeling of balance and harmony, like that found in nature.

Avoid Unwelcoming Attributes

* Repair cracks in the driveway with cement epoxy.
* Clean spider webs off eaves, windows and porch.
* Repair or replace broken doorbells.
* Clean or replace dirty or burnt out exterior lights.

Buyers forgive little inadequacies in your home if they love it from the first time they see it. So go a few extra steps beyond curb appeal and lure your prospective buyers inside with Design Psychology methods. Take a little extra time home staging to sell your home fast, and for more money.

Copyright © 2005 Jeanette J. Fisher - All Rights Reserved Worldwide.

Jeanette Fisher helps home owners create homes for glorious living and top-dollar sales. She teaches Design Psychology and real estate investing. Jeanette is the author of many books including "Sell Your Home for Top Dollar--Fast! Design Psychology for Redesign and Home Staging" and the upcoming Home Staging for Top-Dollar Sales. More information on Design Psychology
Free Design Psychology for Selling Houses report

Home Staging--Keep your grass green: Lawn Secrets from the Mow Master

(ARA) - Whether there’s midseason drought or a family vacation, keep your lawn green and healthy this summer with advice from John Deere’s “Mow Master” Bill Klutho.
Q: When my town enforced water restrictions during last year’s drought, my lawn suffered. Besides moving to a rainforest, what can I do? -- Wishing for Water

A: Dehydration can be a common problem, even if there isn’t a drought. Signs such as curling grass blades, a bluish-green color and footprinting (when you can see your footprints in the grass) mean your grass is thirsty. Most lawns need about an inch of water per week, wetting the soil about six inches deep. To measure watering time, put a mark one inch from the bottom of several plastic containers and spread them around the lawn. Clock the time it takes to reach the one-inch mark and water for that length of time in the future. And water in the morning so your lawn isn’t left wet overnight.

When dealing with drought, John Deere recommends following any water restrictions in your area and considering these tips:

* During short droughts, if the grass is still growing, mow on the high side and water infrequently, but deeply, to encourage a strong, deep root system. Watering just a little bit invites weeds to grow.

* Water thoroughly but efficiently, wasting no water on runoff. If the ground is dry and slow to absorb, turn off the water when runoff occurs, wait 30 minutes or more for the surface to dry, then water again. Continue the cycle until you reach saturation levels.

* During severe drought, let your lawn go dormant. Your lawn can actually survive a few months without water and will recover quickly once rain returns. And if water shortages are common in your area, consider planting another breed of turf that is more drought-hardy than your current lawn.

Q: It’s hot! Besides regulating my watering, is there anything special I should be doing this summer? -- Lawn Lover

A: While using fertilizer is most important in the spring and fall, warm-season grass, such as Bermuda, thrives in hot weather and would benefit from a summer feeding. With enough water, the grass will be encouraged to grow, causing it to eat more and requiring you to keep more fertilizer on hand. But if your lawn is dormant because of a drought, there’s no need to feed.

As for mowing, remember that different types of grass require different cutting heights. Cool-season grasses should be cut at 3 1/2 inches, while warm-season grasses are cut at 2 inches. Always follow the One-Third Rule and cut only the top one-third of the grass plant. And even though it’s hot, continue to dress safely for mowing: Wear long pants, a tucked-in shirt and good shoes with lots of traction. Some riding mowers are even designed for you to easily attach a shade canopy or an oscillating fan to protect you from the sun and heat. Make sure to drink plenty of water and rest frequently so you stay healthy along with your lawn.

Q: We’re planning our vacation, but what can I do to prepare my lawn? -- Leaving My Lawn Alone

A: Before you leave town, John Deere recommends you water deeply so the moisture gets down 6 to 8 inches -- that’ll protect your lawn from the sun. Give your lawn a fresh mow with a higher cutting height. That will shade the soil and help hold the moisture in. When you get back, set the mower at its highest cutting height in order to follow the One-Third Rule. Enjoy your vacation, and your lawn will be waiting for you when you return.

Courtesy of ARA Content

Home Staging for Top-Dollar Sales Book Update

Home Staging for Top-Dollar Sales
A Workbook for Applying Design & Marketing Psychology Strategies

The book went to the editor. She says that I need to add a few more forms and charts. Of course, I know what I'm talking about, but sometimes the information needs more detail.

We would have been finished if we didn't have to do another edit for a new edition of Doghouse to Dollhouse for Dollars.

For those of you who already ordered the workbook for Sell Your Home for Top Dollar--FAST!, I promise to work on the book and get it to you, right away. Thank you for your patience.

Jeanette
http://homestaging.us/

Home Staging Tips

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Sell Your Home for Top Dollar--FAST! Design Psychology for Redesign and Home Staging by Jeanette Fisher

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Home Staging: How to Make Your Tract Home Stand Out in the Crowd

Home sellers who wish to market their property in development
neighborhoods face tough challenges. All the houses look similar. All the
houses sell for amounts in the same price range. The market -- whether it’s
a hot sellers’ market or a cool buyers’ market -- largely determines the price,
purchase terms, and length of time to sell. Find out how to make your tract home stand out.

Question from home seller

What colors and patterns should I use for new wallpaper?

Don’t hang up new wallpaper. Many people prefer plain walls and buyers prefer choosing their own wallpaper patterns.

If your home already has wallpaper and this pattern fits in with your home's overall design, then by all means leave it up. However, if you have wallpaper that detracts from your home, think about replacing it with freshly painted walls.

Design Psychology Tips for Selling Your Kitchen

You don't need to completely remodel your kitchen to sell your home.

Consider easy, low-cost changes that instantly upgrade a kitchen without major remodeling. These include:
-Replacing your faucet with a fancier model.
-Changing your cabinet hardware.
-Painting cabinet faces or ugly laminate countertops. (Use Marine-grade paint on countertops.)

You may also wish to invest in an attractive portable kitchen island to use as a prop for a kitchen with an open center and insufficient counter space.

Design Psychology Tips for Selling Your Kitchen

Light up dark areas. Use plug-in night lights to brighten dark counters for a thrifty solution. Also, a small lamp looks great on a countertops.

Soften the hard surfaces with fabric, including window treatments and new hand towels.

Packing and storing extra kitchen pots, pans, and utensils generates a more spacious presentation.

Remove all appliances from the countertops. Use a bowl of fruit or flowers to brighten the space. This one step, clearing counter eye-clutter visually expands your kitchen. Each item on the countertops stops the eye for a second. Fewer accessories let the buyers' eye roam freely and they get the impression of a large countertop expanse.

Now matter your redesign budget for preparing you home for sale, little changes like clearing the countertops and adding new dish towels and a bowl of fruit can make your kitchen entice a buyer to say, "This is my new home."

Copyright 2005 Jeanette J. Fisher

Timing and Garage Sales

If your home is already listed, forget holding a garage sale. You don’t have time to prepare your home and put on a successful garage sale. If you have valuable resale items, consider selling them at a swap meet or a consignment store, but donate all other unwanted items to a charitable thrift store.

Budget Concerns for Getting Your Home Ready to Sell

Spend money only on items that will make a difference in your sales price. Of all repairs, fresh paint is the best investment you can make. New kitchen appliances, upgraded bathroom features, and updated lighting fixtures will usually give a good return for your money, as well.

Sometimes, hiring professional help is worth the extra expense. Professional painters work faster and will often cost less than day laborers. Tile installers, carpet layers, and electricians also know their trades and will do a better job than most day laborers.

Contractors should have their own disability and liability insurance -- ask for a copy with your contract. Get everything in writing -- including work to be completed, costs, lists of specific materials to be used, time for completion, and payment schedule.

You can save money on paint, window covering hardware, lighting fixtures and more by shopping at your local ReStore, which is Habitat for Humaity's thrift store. To find a Restore near you, go to
http://www.habitat.org/env/restores.aspx

Copyright (c) 2005 Jeanette J. Fisher

Redesigned sister website

Check out the new Sell Your Home for Top Dollar FAST website and tell us what you think. We changed the ugly template for a Front Page website with more articles to help you redesign and use Design Psychology for home staging.

http://sellfast.info/

Home Staging with Design Psychology

Check out my new Design Psychology website! The website is divided into sections according to what your interest is. For Home Staging with Design Psychology, click on the real estate section and then look for home selling articles.

Summer Selling Home Staging Tips

Grab Prospective Buyers' Attention

Start with the first sighting of your home. Provide a shady resting place near your front door. If you don't have sheltering trees, add umbrellas in heavy pots to shade the entry landing. Support your buyers sense of hearing with a wall water fountain near the front door. Or, you can make a standing water fountain with a small pump, a container with no drainage, a water plant like the common reed, and pebbles.

Cool Down Your Lighting

Yes, the color of light influences the way your buyers feel. Use white and blue iridescent accent lights. Change out your yellow-casting light bulbs with cooler daylight-mimicking light bulbs. Look for bulbs that simulate natural daylight. Soften your rooms lighting at dusk with many light sources instead of a few bright lights.


Copyright © 2005 Jeanette J. Fisher All Rights Reserved.

Interior Design Secrets for Selling Houses

by Jeanette Joy Fisher

New concepts in Interior Design Psychology are helping home sellers net more money in today's competitive real estate market. Therefore, it's worthwhile to spend time planning the changes that will help your home sell for the highest price.

Develop a general design plan, keeping your target market and budget in mind. Your overall design plan really depends on supply and demand. How many houses are for sale in your area? How many houses sell each week? Is the selling season cold, warm, or hot? Is it a seller's or buyer's market?

If the market is moving fast and buyers are lining up to make offers for homes in your neighborhood, you can do less. But whatever your answers to the above questions, you'll still need to do a few things to make your home stand out from the competition.

Know Your Target Buyers

Think about your neighborhood and the buyers purchasing homes near yours. Are they purchasing their first home or moving up? This will be important to your marketing and design plan, since the psychological needs of the two types of buyers differ considerably.

First-time homebuyers seek to control their own environment by owning, rather than renting. Their psychological needs include:

1. Safety and security

2. Sense of place or connection

3. Comfort

4. Self-control

Move-up buyers often enjoy those benefits, too, but they're generally more interested in finding a larger home with more amenities for their comfort, self-esteem, and feelings of prestige.

Once you've determine your potential buyers, you can begin making improvements to your home that will attract them.

(c) Copyright 2005 Jeanette J. Fisher. All rights reserved

Professor Jeanette Fisher, author of Doghouse to Dollhouse for Dollars, Joy to the Home, and other books teaches Real Estate Investing and Design Psychology. For more articles, tips, reports, newsletters, and sales flyer template, see http://www.sellfast.info

Home Staging

How to Use Design Psychology to Stage Your Home for a Top-Dollar Sale

A new business venture to help home sellers, home staging, aids property owners in preparing their home for the best possible sale. Home stagers visit your home and either tell you how to redesign it or actually do the work for you. These services do great work, but they don't always understand interior design. They know what sells houses, but many home stagers could benefit from a little interior design and marketing psychology training to assure the homeowner of a top-dollar sale.

How does design psychology help stage your home for a top-dollar sale? Design psychology helps you with emotions: yours and your prospective buyers. You must learn to love your house at the same time you learn to let go of your home. When you remember why you bought your home in the first place and clean it up with love, your care radiates throughout. Your buyers pick up on the undercurrents in your home; they want to buy happiness and a new lifestyle. You need to let go of your home so that you can be objective about staging your house. Thinking of your house as an investment or product for sale clears your emotions to pack up your personal treasures, which showcase your personality. This means that you create a new setting for your buyers, one that allows them the freedom to visualize their own personal treasures in your rooms.

Design psychology also helps you make easy choices in your home makeover. Understanding the target buyers' emotions means that you know what to leave in your home and what you need to take out for staging. Beyond the usual de-cluttering and super cleaning, you stage your home with suggested activities that speak to your buyers' feelings. Home buyers desire to feel happy, relaxed, and smart about their home choice. Therefore, make over your home with design details, such as colors, lighting, patterns, and textures which support the buyers’ feelings. Happy colors depend on the selling season; use warm colors in cool climates and cool colors in warm seasons. Balance with relaxed colors like grays and sky blues. Stage "smart" activities like reading and playing chess.

Also, you will know, without a lot of agonizing, which colors to paint the exterior. For instance, perhaps you only need to repaint the front door to attract your specific type of buyer. If your property costs less than the average home in your market, you're targeting first-time home buyers. These buyers--typically young and unsophisticated--prefer basic, uncomplicated colors. If you're selling during warm weather, you want to offer a cooling oasis. Maybe, like 80% of houses, your home is basic tan or cream. In this case, you would choose blue or green to freshen your front door.

Design psychology methods help you makeover your home with the buyer's profile in mind. House buyers pick the home they can't live without, even if it costs more than the house next door. Stage your home to attract your target buyers' emotions and sell your home, fast, for top dollar.

Copyright (c) 2005 Jeanette J. Fisher. All rights reserved.

Jeanette Fisher, author of Sell Your Home for Top Dollar, Home Staging for Top-Dollar Sales, and other books, teaches professional real estate investing seminars and Design Psychology.