The first impression when a buyer drives up to your home is critical. Walk across the street and look at it through the eyes of a buyer. What do you see? Here are some helpful tips to help you prepare your home for sale.

Trim and House Paint: Take a hard look at the front door and trim. Give special attention to this because this is where buyers will get their first opportunity to make a close inspection of your home. Does it need repainting or staining? Repainting the doors and trim to help make the house look crisp and in good condition is one of the least expensive things you can do to dress up a home.

Decks, Porches and Patios: Sweep all decks, walks, porches and patios and keep them swept. Remove any moss from all decks, walks and patios. Decks should be pressure - washed, stained or painted if they are in need of it. Reduce clutter on decks, porches and patios so that they look bigger. Det rid of old flowerspots, barbecues, charcoal, planters, construction materials and excess furniture. If you have outdoor furniture create one simple"room setting" of clean furniture that will remind buyers of the usefulness of the space.

Roof: Clean all debris and moss from roof and gutters.

Fences: Repair broken fences and paint if neccessary.

Landscaping: Trim Plants, rake and weed flower beds. If possible, spread new mulch such as beauty bark, gravel, rocks to put a finishing touch on the landscaping. Remove and, if needed, replace all dead plants. Mow lawn and keep it mowed on a weekly basis during the growing season. Trim branches around the roof line to prevent animals, insects and foliage from getting on the roof.

Front yard: "Curb appeal is important". Has your landscaping overgrown the house? Remember..."You can't sell it if you can't see it!" Cut back all shrubs to window height that block light or view from windows. Move all children's toys to the back yard or garage. Clean and sweep paved driveways. Rake, weed or re-gravel/gravel driveways.

Back yard: Re-move any extra items from the yard, such as tools, piles of lumber or auto parts. Repair any cracks in the ceiling and walls. Clean any drains.

If you have any other questions please don't hesitate to contact me by email or phone. Our number is 877.267.4649. We offer complimentary bid/proposals. We also provide Detailed Evaluation Reports that will give you all the information you will need to get your house looking great and ready for it's debut.

Tonight in Atlanta, GA a Realtor Panel was held by the Atlanta International Association of Home Staging Professionals (IAHSP). The Realtor Panel was made up of eight of the top Realtor's in the area. Key note speaker was Barb Schwarz.

This was a night to remember, hundreds of Real Estate Professionals in attendance. The panel spoke on current issues in the Real Estate Industry and how Staging their listings has changed the way they now do business. They spoke about faster sells and homes that sold with more offers when they were Staged.

Barb spoke about her new book "Staging to Sell in a down market". She is the creator of Staging over 35 years ago. She is the CEO and Founder of Stagedhomes.com. The CEO and Chairwoman of the International Association of Home Staging Professionals (IAHSP). She is also the CEO and President of IAHSP Foundation. She is a Professional Speaker for 25 years.

This week Barb is teaching the ASP MASTER'S class in Atlanta, GA. It will end tomorrow night with an elegant graduation dinner where the students will receive their ASPM certificate and ASPM pin.

It has really been a week to remember. We hope to all take the course again together in two years for another continuing education class.

Stage with Divine Style your premier Marin and Sonoma County Staging Company. We look forward to working with you. Please give us a call at 877.267.4649. We are dedicated to making your life easier and assisting you in realizing your dreams.

This whole week October 19th, through October 23rd, 2009 I am re-taking my Accreditited Staging Professional MASTER Class for continuing ed. It has been the best week so far. New and more updated information since my last ASP MASTER's class. It is being held in Atlanta, GA.

I am so thankful to be here with the class and of course with Barb our trainer, founder and CEO of Stagedhomes.com. I have met some of the most amazing women here in the class. They are so talented and I know they will be awesome ASP MASTER'S. They will bring honor to the name and to Stagedhomes.com. I hope to continue to stay in touch with each one of them.

I am excited to get back to California and share all the new information with everyone. I will continue to write more as learn more.

STAGE WITH DIVINE STYLE your premier Staging Company in Marin and Sonoma Counties. Please contact us at 877.267.4649 for every Staging need you have. We are dedicated to making your life easier assisting you in realizing your dreams.

Southern Novato will soon benefit from another grocery store — the highly anticipated Paradise Foods is scheduled to open next week, according to the Marin IJ. I drive by the site regularly and sure enough it is looking good. The entire shopping center (on Ignacio, just west of HWY 101), which lost its anchor tenant Safeway last year (Safeway opened its mega-store across HWY 101 at Hamilton Center — it is the best Safeway in Marin, by all accounts), is looking great.

Below is the article from the IJ — note the shameless self promotion near the bottom of the article ….

Paradise Foods, Novato