Barbara Heil-Sonneck - Home Staging Atlanta

Potential Buyer's expect a deal in terms of price, expect upgrades and want to be wowed. There is a reason why builders spend thousands of dollars staging their model homes. A good advice for any Home Seller is to put the personal decoration taste aside and stage a home to sell!

The Top 5 Factors for selling a Home After Price & Location - Beat your Competition

1. Address the Basics: clean, fresh/new smell & de-clutter - less is more & - lot's of natural light

2. Execute all necessary repairs: Pre-inspection report for homes >8 years

3. Focus on the Main Areas: Curb Appeal, Kitchen, Master bed/bath & Backyard - keep ROI on your mind

4. Consider Key Upgrades: Fixtures, Flooring, Countertops, Paint - changes buyers perception

5. Stage and set the Mood - Create a memorable atmosphere and Wow factor... " The cost of staging your home is less than the first price reduction"

By Jennie Scott, Decorating Consultant personal interiors

I am often asked what to do with window treatments. My answer is “Ask not what you can do for your window treatment, but what canBy Jennie Scott, Decorating Consultant personal interiors your window treatment do for you?” These days, windows need to be energy efficient as well as elegant. Various treatments can make a room cooler in summer, warmer in winter, make ceilings look taller and small windows look bigger.

For a room that is too hot, try shades or drapes with blackout lining. This lining darkens a room so well that you can show movies in the middle of the day! For a room that gets cold in winter, floor-length drapes with lining and interlining will layer a window much like we wear a sweater and a coat.

I see many rooms with tall ceilings, yet the window treatments are hung too low. To draw the eye up to the top, mount the rod or board just under the crown molding. This applies to both valances and draperies.

Some windows are just too small compared to the wall space around them. To make them look bigger, hang full-length drapes so they cover the wall and just the outside molding, leaving the glass open. The extra width of fabric will create the illusion that the window is twice the size.

Texture and pattern play important roles in a window treatment. Blinds and shutters create horizontal lines. Fabrics can create a nubby texture like linen, or a bold statement such as a large floral. These textures not only make the windows a focal point, but help set the tone of the whole room.

For resale, simple treatments in neutral tones with great textures call attention to windows against a painted wall. Try paper shades that look like woven woods from www.target.com that filter light and still provide privacy. Clean and open any existing shutters or blinds to let more light into your rooms. Pull down more traditional treatments like swags and floral draperies and replace them with simple linen panels in a longer length. These panels can always be moved to the next home and shortened to the new windows.

For a punch of color in the kitchen, set the table and coordinate the window with a valance made of matching napkins. Perhaps it is because there are so many choices when it comes to windows that many of us have such a hard time deciding what to do. A professional window treatment expert can measure, design and choose the correct fabric for energy efficiency and style. Napkins folded on the diagonal, gathered and draped over a rod, provide an inexpensive valance for a kitchen window.

Paper shades from Target and ready-made panels from Wal-Mart filter light and help create the Zen-like feeling in this master bedroom.

For an appointment to style your windows, contact Jennie Scott at 770-315-2761 or EnergeticSpaces@aol.com

Art can eat budget. Thankfully, beautiful, high quality

fabrics can be found for a lot less. Fabric-as-art in vibrant colorful pattern, like this one: SARALISA fabric from IKEA. At just $8.99 a yard, you can afford to be dramatic. Not for every Taste, but very impressive...

You can get wood frames made for stretching canvases online or at your local art store, iron the fabric, stretch and staple and voila you have a large piece of art!

In a down economy businesses really start thinking outside the box. We all network or have preferred professionals we work with. What can you offer their clients and how can you incentivize them to ALWAYS send those clients to you? Think beyond your usual boundaries.

* Joint Marketing Efforts, newsletter exchange * Be a referral source for your contacts - Team for Dollars

* Target niche markets - Clearly define what sets you appart from your competition

* Define your Online Marketing Stratgey

* Join a Business Networking group like BNI or Power Core

* Be creative in your offers

I had the pleasure to meet Linda and Millard Fuller in August of 2006 at a conference in Atlanta. After our conversation I felt the desire to get involved and started to serve for the Fuller Center for Housing of Greater Atlanta. I feel very honored that I had the pleasure to get to know Millard Fuller, an inspiring person with a Mission he lived by and the impact he made in the life of so many people...

"Millard Fuller, the founder of Habitat for Humanity and The Fuller Center for Housing, died early this morning after a brief illness. He was 74. Family and friends are mourning the tragic loss of a true servant leader and a genuine heart."

To learn more about Millard Fuller and The Fuller Center for Housing, please visit:

http://fullercenter.org