Ahhhh, The season of LOVE

Yes, February is the season of Love with Valentines Day and Spring getting that much closer, and Love is exactly what you want when buyers come to view your home.

Home buying is an emotional issue first and rational second. Buyers make some kind of decision within seconds of driving up to your house. Curb appeal should not be overlooked when preparing your house for sale. All the concrete and the outside of the house should be power washed; windows inside and out cleaned;gutters should be clear of all debris. The bushes trimmed up and edging complete. Also put in some flowers for color and interest. These are inexpensive ways to make sure people don't pass your house by when looking. You will also give buyers the sense that the home has been well maintained which furthers their "warm and fuzzy" feelings about the place.

Outdoor areas to entertain are always big in warm weather states, so don't neglect the backyard. Make sure it too has been given the once over and is up to snuff. If you have a patio area, play it up. A nice table, chairs and umbrella; potted flowers or plants for warmth and interest. An awesome outdoor area can sell a house even if the interior may lack certain things the buyer is looking for.

I wish everyone lots of love in everything you do. Next month "March Madness!"

Have a Simply Stunning day............

Hello All!

Hello All! My name is Gera Gleason and I own Simple Solutions Staging and Redesign. I started this business because I feel home staging is a valid service that helps people and I like "redesign" as a method of updating the home as you don't necessarily need to buy all new items to get a new feel in your home.

Since spring will be here soon, I want to start with Home Staging. As per the real estate staging association "Real Estate Staging is the act of preparing and showcasing residential or commercial property for sale."

Preparing the property has many phases: exterior cleaning and repair; interior cleaning,
de-cluttering and repair, possible updates to fixtures, flooring and paint.
Then the staging comes in, with the a certain methodology and eye for design, to give your home a "WOW" factor that will appeal to a broad base of buyers. The wow factor is achieved by proper furniture, accessory, art and lighting placement.

Once you have decided to sell your home , in essence, it stops being your home and has now become a product. You have to make your product stand out from all the other products out there so it will sell quickly and for top dollar. Now granted if you dont stage your home or do any repairs, updates, etc it will eventually sell, but how many times did you have to drop the price? Although it may not feel like it, that IS money out of your pocket! Take a look at the home on the market in your area (I like realtor.com) Sort the homes by price reduction. For a fraction of the cost of one of those price reductions the home could have been professionally staged, sold and the sellers well on their way to the next phase of their life. Staging is the first step to Sold.  In 2013 per studies conducted by RESA (real estate staging association) homes that were staged prior to being put on the market sold 73% faster than non staged homes. In other words, an average of 40 days on the market vs. 143 days. Something to think about.

Until my next installment, have a Simply Stunning Day.......