Marianne Sweet

This week, five fellow Home Stagers and I donated our talents and furnishings to stage the vacant property at 159 Highland in Clawson. We will be holding a preview Open House tomorrow, April 24th, from 4-6pm for real estate agents and press. A $5 donation at the door includes a tour of the house, refreshments, [...]

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As I head to Florida for a much-needed vacation and annual Spring Training game (Go Tigers!!!), I leave you with an excellent Q & A reblogged with permission from my staging colleague Cindy Bryant of Redesign Etc, Inc. in Houston, TX.  Her post on Active Rain is spot-on and truly reflects the most common questions [...]

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We know that the three most important factors for a successful real estate sale are location, price and condition.  While the seller can make changes to the price and condition of a property to hasten a sale,  no one can amend the location. What happens when the location of the house itself is desirable, but [...]

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With the brief glimpse of spring that we experienced over the weekend, thoughts turn to buying and selling houses.  “The Real Estate Season” is fast approaching, although maybe not fast enough for some of us! Sellers?  Be prepared.  If your house has good curb appeal and is priced appropriately, your showings will increase.  Put your [...]

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Realty Times recently published an article titled “What’s In, What’s Out With Home Buyers in 2009?” . Author Mark Nash gives a rundown of how the real estate market may look this year and what he feels buyers are looking for. While Mr. Nash makes some very valid observations, I must take issue with a [...]

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While the holidays will be just a memory and an extra bag of garbage for pick-up in a couple of weeks, these weeks could be crucial for those who are actively listing and showing their houses.  Buyers who are braving the elements and interrupting their holiday commitments to view houses are serious about finding their next [...]

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Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, a perfect time to pause, reflect and give thanks for all of the blessings we have in our lives. As I reach 4 1/2 years of owning a home staging business, I realize I have much to be grateful for.  I have met some incredible people along the way, many that I am [...]

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Take a quick look at this photo: What did you see? Did you notice: The beautiful bay window? The window seat? New high-grade carpet? A fireplace to the left? Plenty of room to put a proper desk? The incredible wooded view outside the windows? The french door? Neutral wall color? Probably not.  Like most potential [...]

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This would be funny if it weren’t so true. Well, it’s a little funny.  In an uncomfortable kind of way. The abundance of foreclosures may put a damper on Halloween trick-or-treating this year, but it doesn’t have to. Stage those foreclosures to sell them! Vignette and surface staging can go a long way to warm [...]

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As a home stager, I am called by real estate agents and homeowners to help prepare their properties for sale. While it is impossible to say how long the house would have taken to sell had I not been involved, I firmly believe that the changes implemented have made a difference in the DOM. I [...]

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There’s a thief in my neighborhood. Actually, there are at least 1000, according to Rochester Hills’ City Naturalist Lance Devoe. Deer.  We all love them.  Watching Mama Doe and her babies meander through the yard is nature at its finest.  On one snowy day last winter, we had 10 deer frolicking through the back forty.  [...]

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