Seller Information

Every year about this time I write my annual post about Michigan property taxes. You get one chance a year to appeal them, and this is the time. If you bought your home in the last 12 months, take a close eye to where the assessment notice came in. There could be grounds for an [...]

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HGTV brings us the following list of Home Staging tips for Fall: #1: Focus on curb appeal. Selling a home during the fall certainly comes with one advantage: The season’s beautiful foliage can automatically make your home more attractive for showings. However, you still need to do your part to keep your home looking its [...]

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I recently did a Home Staging Consultation for a homeowner who had already purchased a new home … on MY block, as it turns out. Small world! As he diligently worked his way through his “to-do” list, he discovered an issue and called me for advice. While de-cluttering and rearranging his office, he realized that [...]

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If you are still on the fence about the value of professionally staging a home for sale, here is another benefit to consider:  staged properties command higher appraisals. Certified Residential Appraiser Linda Shurtliff, owner of Troy-based Reliable Residential Appraisals, LLC agrees.  “A staged home has much more appeal than an unstaged home.  A staged home [...]

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Over the last few years, we have helped sellers save a bit of cash on transfer tax. The state legislature “rebranded” this law this week, but the savings to home sellers remained in place. We received the following from the Michigan Association of Realtors, outlining the criteria of qualifying for the transfer tax break: Sellers [...]

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Gary Keller, one of the country’s top brokers and author of best-selling book “Shift:  How Top Real Estate Agents Tackle Tough Times” was on ABC’s “Good Morning America” last week.   Mr. Keller gave his opinion on how to increase your chances of selling in this market. Selling Your House in a Down Real Estate Market [...]

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Most Home Stagers agree, however, that Staging encompasses all 12 of these improvement projects, as a good Stager will advise if, and to what extent, these improvements should be undertaken to increase the marketability of the property. The article can be viewed here: http://blog.homegain.com/home-improvement/homegain-2009-top-12-home-improvements-survey-results/ I have already had an agent ask if $300 for Home [...]

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From my staging colleague Cindy Bryant, owner of Redesign, Etc. in Houston, TX: Helping home sellers achieve their goal. Offers will come faster. Marketing strategy. Effective selling technique. Selling a home for all it’s worth. Taking a tried and true approach. Always looking better than the competition. Get better appraisal values. Internet photos will show a must see [...]

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After owning a Home Staging business for over 5 years, I think I have heard every possible objection to hiring a Stager, from “I know what needs to be done” to “I don’t want someone touching my stuff”.  The biggest objection by far, however, is the cost.  In this economy, people just don’t have a [...]

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When potential buyers view a house for sale, they need to see rooms presented as they were intended.  The master bedroom shouldn’t be an exercise room, the bathroom shouldn’t be a pet station, the garage shouldn’t be a storage unit, and unless you have more than 3 bedrooms, resist the urge to make one an [...]

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A link to a “virtual home staging” site was sent to me recently, and naturally, I had to investigate.  Ahhh … the wonders of Photoshop.  The owners of this site will take uploaded photos of your vacant rooms and plug in furniture to make it appear furnished.  The “after” photos actually look pretty good, although [...]

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