Ever had to turn an "Okay" listing to an "OH WOW!" listing?

I had a frustrated seller call me recently. He and his wife had their home for sale for a vey long time with no offers and very little traffic. He was looking into hiring me for the job as his listing was due to expire with the last realtor. I was wondering myself why it had not sold since by the exterior appearance it seemed to be an attractive home in a gorgeous wooded setting in popular Forest Hills area, Grand Rapids, MI. The price seemed within the realm and it had plenty to offer for the money.

As I entered the home I quickly figured out what was an obvious problem. The interior appearance-boooring...yawn, yawn. The views of the woods and wildlife from inside were amazing, but as I scoped out the interior views I was left unimpressed.

There definately was potential. The home had dramatic ceilings and interesting angles. It was just hard to see it through all of the white and grey haze. That was the big problem. The walls, were all painted white or blah light grey on the main level. This, coupled with the fact that it was vacant and there was nothing left inside for any kind of warmth.

It is sometimes hard to be honest with potential clients about their home because we want them to like us. We don't want to tell them that the home they have lived in and loved for many years needs some interior makeovers in order to produce a sale. A lot of the time it is a simple matter of paint and proper staging. That computes to an inexpensive way to create WOW factor to ultimately sell the home. There is an easy way to communicate this to the sellers by just saying "I don't mean any offense Mr and Mrs seller, but if you want to sell this home, these are the things that are neccessary." Taking along before and after pictures like the ones below can be helpful too.

When these kinds of changes are made, it usually makes all the difference in changing an active listing to a sold listing.

Here are some examples of some before and after shots of some homes where we added color to the walls:

Living Room Before Makeover Living Room After Paint Makeover:

Master Bedroom Before Makeover Master Bedroom After Paint Makeover

Before and after photos where we staged the home:

Living Room Before Home Staging Makeover Living Room After Home Staging Makeover

Dining Area Before Home Staging Makeover Dining Area After Home Staging Makeover

If you have a listing that has been sitting on the market for some time and you feel it is priced right but producing no offers or showings, you may want to take a second look at the interior and see what your potential buyers may or may not be seeing. Is it warm and inviting? Are the wall colors boring? or distracting? Is there too much stuff or not enough stuff to showcase your home? It may be time to try a little Dr 9021-0H Makeover. Keep the colors neutral. I like a sand color on the walls. If using a bold color, use it as an accent on one wall in the room. If your adding furnishings don't overdue. Less is often more, as they say.

It will definately be well worth the added effort and your clients will see the value of your expertiese in these areas. After all they want to see that SOLD sign in their yard.

Have Fun!

Sue Prins

Five Star Real Estate Professional

Visit me on my website at www.sueprins.com

I wrote a previous post on my trip to SoCal but what I did not discuss was our journey there on the airplane. Being prone to air sickness, a white knuckled flyer, preferring a stalled automobile over a stalled airplane, flying (as you guessed) is not my favorite form of transportation. Yeah I know, it is far safer to travel to CA by plane than auto. I also know the stats of air accidents over car accidents and all that stuff. What can I say though; it's just not my thing.

Having said all of that, I have to admit there really is nothing like slicing through a cloud in the sky, or looking down through the small circular window and seeing a mountain range with a tiny postage stamp size town nestled in one of the valleys. It makes me feel so small and gives me an awesome sense of how big God is.

At one point in our journey we flew smack dab over the Grand Canyon. And Grand it was!!! So vast. It seemed to go on for miles and miles, even from the airplane.

At another point we flew through a thick layer of clouds and as we got above the fluffy pillows, it seemed like they were so thick that if you jumped out on top of them you would just bounce from cloud to cloud to cloud. I know my imagination was in overdrive at that point.

I was thankful it was a clear day. I saw so much beauty from my little circular window. I was amazed at the changes in the land that lie so far beneath me. As we headed towards the John Wayne Airport in Santa Anna CA, I saw snow capped mountains, green rolling hills, baren dessert areas,even burnt sections of land from the recent fires. There were those mass clusters of housing developments tucked in and around the mountains as well.

Then it seemed all all at once there it was! The expansive pacific ocean. It was a majestic sight . The sun was glistening on the water and tiny ships danced on the waves below. I was hooked! As we rounded back towards the land I could see a coastline that went on for what seemed like eternity. I saw miles of both sandy beaches and rocky shorelines. It was truly awesome.

My knuckles weren't so white anymore. I was really enjoying my birds eye view. It made me appreciate the beauty of our planet and the spacious skies we were flying through.

I know pictures don't do justice but I wanted to share with you a "computers eye view" of some of the beauty I saw. Hope you enjoy them.

Have an amazing day!!!

Visit me on my website at www.sueprins@grar.com

What makes Grand Rapids Michigan such a special place to visit? And even better- to live? I am sure I can come up with a lot of wonderful attributes that make Grand Rapids a stand out but what I think makes it so special is #1 the friendly people and #2 the variety of things to do and see within a relatively small radius.

I will write a subsequent post about the later of the two but for this post I will focus mostly on the subject of the people in GR.

I would like to share with you an article that I came across, written by a visitor to GR, who agrees with me about the people here in our fair city. This person is admittedly not a world traveler but has visited other large cities across the nation. Her name is Joann Fizpatrick. She is the former editorial page editor for The Patriot Ledger, a Boston news source.

I am hoping you will take the time to read this article. If you live in or around Grand Rapids, it will definitely put a smile on your face and make you very proud to live here. If you do not live here and read it, be warned, it may cause you to want to live here.

In her June, 2007 Commentary- America's Heartland- Why Can't We Be More Like Grand Rapids? Joann explains that she visited Grand Rapids Michigan for a wedding. She was so impressed with the city of GR that she used words like; "friendliness," "helpfulness," "kindness," "gleaming," "a city representing good old-fashioned American values" and the like, to describe her experience here. She also compares the cost of living and cost of housing in Massachusetts verses Grand Rapids, giving Grand Rapids the applause for the better value. On a side note- there was a story on The Today's Show not too long ago that would agree with her on that. They too sited Grand Rapids for having such great housing values in comparison to other large cities.

While Grand Rapids may not compare in size to some of the other large cities (like those mentioned in the article and the Today's Show) it more than makes up for it by the size of it's heart. There's no place like home Dorothy. I'm stayin'!

Want to know more about the Grand Rapids area? Visit me on my website @ www.sueprins.com or email me @ sueprins@grar.com. I am happy to be at your service!

I recently took an afternoon off for the soul purpose of taking in some of the new and exciting developments in the Forest Hills area, east of Grand Rapids. I am not talking about housing developments. I am talking about recreational developments. As I meandered my way heading south on Grand River Dr. (between Knapp and E. Fulton), I was surprised to see how beautiful the new bike/walking path is going to be. It is almost finished with some stretches fully useable.

As I followed this gorgeous stretch of road and path, I was noticing how the developers did such a great job of making the path blend in and compliment the nature alongside it. There were sections of wooden boardwalk and bridges where the path wound through wetland areas. There were sections that provided scenic stops. One area in particular had a small covered bridge that you can bike or walk through. It was very inviting. I found myself wishing I would have had my bike along with me.

A nice place to stop along that stretch is the new Roselle Park. It was then that I was faced with another regret. The long and winding asphalt path that headed towards field and woods was calling me, but I had no walking shoes. So there I went heals and all on one of the most beautiful walk ways I have been on in a long time. This Ada Township Park has 247 acres of property that when complete will also include a canoe landing, playground, pavilion, picnic area and fishing pond. What more could you want?

As you begin the trek you can't help but notice 2 recycled and renovated silos. One of them has a winding stairway that goes to the top, complete with a look out platform. I have been told that this will soon be opening for the public. Later on down the asphalt trek I saw an amazing observation deck overlooking a gorgeous field where birds and animals can be viewed. Finally, you arrive alongside The Grand River in all her beauty. The trail does not stop there, as it continues winding its way through woods and field and on back to the parking area. It was such a beautiful hike. I can't wait to walk or run this trail again, only not in high heals the next time. I have blisters to remind me of that.

If you live in the area or plan to make a visit to Grand Rapids, I hope you have an opportunity to see and experience this pathway and Roselle Park, I would encourage you to check it out. It is well worth a drive and a quiet long walk.

Today as I look out my office window (only a week since I took these photos), there is snow on the ground, but don't let the winter weather keep you away. This area would be a most spectacular walk blanketed with white snow. Ada Township's plans are to keep the bike/walking path along Grand River Dr. plowed during the winter season. If you would like to know more about the Forest Hills or Greater Grand Rapids area please contact me by email at sueprins@grar.com or visit me at my website at www.sueprins.com

Get out there and enjoy the day!! Do what I did and take time off to appreciate the beauty of the Forest Hills area.

All Photography- By Sue Prins

I admit I am not the sharpest tool in the shed when it comes to the latest and greatest in this techno world of ours. I am always eager however to inspect the tools, sharpen whatever needs sharpening, and add to the toolbox the ones that I am lacking. That is how I find myself looking at the world of blogging today in relation to the next generation. It is a tool that I needed to add to my toolbox if I want to be relevant with both today's and tomorrows generation (from both a relational and consumer perspective).

I have been a youth leader for junior high and high school students for the past 12 years of my life. I meet with students once a week at a local church. One of many things that I have learned from watching these young people grow from 6th graders on to college graduates, is there ease with all the rapidly evolving technology. Every time there is a new techno toy like i-pods, i-phones, i-tunes, i-this and i-that, they have no reserves or anxiety about these gadgets. They figure them out quicker than I can butter my toast. I, on the other hand, first break out in a cold sweat before realizing I just need to hire a 6 year old to show me how the new gadget works (step by step of coarse) and then I am pretty well good to go.

I am thankful to have the luxury of being around students (including my own kids) who are techno-savvy. I have learned so much from their amazing minds. These young people keep reminding me of how important it is to stay up on the technological side of life. It is a huge part of their world. It is how they resource, purchase, play and connect relationally. This is the wave of the future and I feel I need to stay on top of the surf. I don't want to miss out because I am too stuck in my same old ways of doing things. I would much rather embrace it and recognize the good things that come of it.

I currently have a very active website at http://www.sueprins.com/ and a facebook that I use regularly as another way of getting exposure and for communicating to friends, family members and prospective clients. Blogging on the other hand has been a new venture for me. One for which I am so excited about that I can't wait to get more and more involved in it.

I recently took a blogging class with Lola Audu here in Grand Rapids MI. and she totally fired me up to taking the steps I am taking to getting started into this world of resourcing and venturing out beyond the typical and conventional path of marketing yourself. Lola also offered group and private coaching on blogging which I took advantage of. I am grateful to have this support. It is a bit overwhelming to begin with but I realize if I do not get on board with the next generation and the way they do life these days, I will be left behind in the techno dust particles where it will be much harder to play "catch up". Not I!

To learn more about blogging you can visit Lola Audu on her blog or visit her website at http://www.lolaaudu.com/