Beth Baker

Here is a list I put together some of my favorite websites for home buyers, home sellers, home stagers, realtors and others. Some of them you may be familiar with and some you may not. Let me know what you think of the sites or if you have any favorites you would like to see added. I hope you find them helpful. Enjoy!

HGTV Buying and Selling Houses
http://www.frontdoor.com

Set the Stage for Home Selling Success
http://alicetchan.com

Home Selling and Home Staging Tips
http://energizedseller.com

Complete Internet Development Services
for the Real Estate Industry
http://www.mlsfinder.com

Staging Trends eMagazine
http://www.stagingtrends.com

Home Design Software
http://www.homedesignersoftware.com

Floor Plan Software
http://www.floorplanner.com

Home Gain
http://www.homegain.com
Home Sellers check out the Home Seller Maximizer.

NAR (National Association of Realtors) Realtor Magazine
http://www.realtor.org/rmohome/home

Styled Staged Sold Realtor Blog
http://styledstagedsold.blogs.realtor.org

About.com Home Buying and Selling Guide
http://homebuying.about.com

Home Staging Channel
http://www.homestagingchannel.com

Lowes Realtor Benefits
https://www.lowesrealtorbenefits.com

The Decorating Voice
http://www.thedecoratingvoice.org

The Interiority Complex University
http://www.theinterioritycomplexuniversity.com

Inventory Software
http://www.inflowinventory.com

High Quality Silk Tree and Plants
http://www.theplantatrium.com

Decorating Tips and DIY Projects
http://decoratinghomes.com

Interior Design, Home Improvement, Interior Decorating Ideas
http://www.interiordezine.com

Apartment Therapy
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com

Decorate Blog
http://decor8blog.com/

Kahi Lee Design Blog
http://kahilee.blogspot.com

Beth Baker Interiors ~ Home Staging, Interior Decorating & Redesign Makeovers

When you decide to sell your home, for whatever reason, whether you are relocating for business reasons, have out grown your home or are downsizing, it is a complicated and sometimes stressful process. In todays housing market it is even more complicated. You are competing with numerous houses on the market including new and resale homes. To compete you must carefully choose your marketing team, yes, marketing team. The ideal way to sell your home is to have your home professionally staged, professionally photograhed and listed by a professional realtor. Lets look at each one of these steps.

The first step is to have your home professionally staged. Home Staging takes your home to a new level. The way you live in your home on a day to day basis and the way you want to present your home to potential buyers is not the same thing. Once you decide to sell your home it becomes a product for sale. Having a professional stager help you see your home with a fresh eye can make a huge impact on the product for sale, your home.

There are several ways a professional stager can help you prepare your home for sale. The first is a consultation, which consists of a walkthrough of your home. Each room is carefully analyzed and recomedations are made by the stager for you to perform before your home is photographed by a professional photographer. Second, you can have the stager perform the staging process for you. This consists of packing up unneeded items, arranging your furniture to fit the scale and flow of the room and scaling back on furnishings, accessories and personal items. Your goal is to showcase your home and it's charm not your home furnishings and decor which may not suit potential buyers and will be moved to your new home. Everyone has diffent taste and you want to appeal to as many potential buyers as possible, you may not get a second chance. Third, you can do a combination of both where you perform some of the work and the stager performs some of the work. Depending on your time frame and budget the third option may be the best fit.

The next step is to hire a professional photographer to photograph your home after it has been staged both inside and out. These photographs are critical for you MLS listing on the internet. The National Association of Realtors states that over 80% of potential home buyers search the internet for homes and decide which home they would like to see in person. If the photographs do not representing your home in a postive manner buyers may not choose to view your home. Professional photgraphers can be recomended by home stagers, realtors and other real estate professionals.

The third step is to hire a professional realtor. You want to find a realtor who will market your home to the best of their ability and who realizes the importance of the marketing team. I recently worked with a *realtor who follwed these three steps and the house was under contract in 18 days. This particular Doylestown, PA realtor provides both the staging consultation and the photogapher as part of her standard services. In other words, she pays for the services. Even if the realtor you select does not provide these services you should discuss the benefits of the marketing team with your realtor and, and if necessary, seek out a professional stager and photographer yourself . It will save you time and money.

If you follow these three steps it will make the sale of your home less stressful and help you compete in the housing market.

Beth Baker BethBakerInteriors.com Stager
Bob Faulkner FaulknerEnterprises.com Photographer
*Kathy Todd TradeMarkSells.com Realtor

Beth Baker Interiors has become a MirrorMate Frame Reseller. If you are not familiar with MirrorMate frames visit their website www.mirrormate.com for additional information. Transform unappealing bathroom mirrors into beautiful mirrors in a snap with a wide variety of frame styles. Also be sure to checkout their blog www.mirrormate.blogspot.com . Take a look at Kelly Ripas dressing room makeover which iclude a MirrorMate frame Take a peek at some decorating magazines with articles using MirrorMate!

Beth Baker Interiors Home Staging & Decorating Services

Spring is here, thank goodness for those of us who live in cold climates. It's time to get ready for spring cleaning and redo our interiors and lighten up for spring. Remove heavy area rugs and show off gleaming floors. Change out heavy window treatments for light and breezy sheers and valances. Replace pillows with lighter weight, brighter colored versions.

Having a cleaner, brighter home can do wonders for your spirits. Experiment with accessories; move them around to new locations. Remember to group small accessories in groups of 3 or 5 for a pleasing effect. Group like objects together, by color, texture or shape.

Add some new plants to your décor that can be planted outside at a later date or kept inside as house plants. They not only add a new dimension to your living spaces but oxygenate your home.

De-clutter kitchen counters for a streamlined look. Put away items you don't use on a daily basis and add fresh flowers or a new decorative accent piece. Look in your cabinets for decorative dishes to display on a stand or hang on the wall or a colorful pitcher to use as a vase.

Does your paint need refreshing? It's an inexpensive way to breathe new life in to a room. If you decide to do some painting it's a good time to rethink placement of artwork. Try art from other rooms or rearrange placement of current art for a new look.

Try some new or different bed linens in your bedrooms. Try all white for a crisp, clean look. Make up your bed with white sheets and fold a white or cream coverlet or lightweight quilt across the bottom of the bed. Want to add some color choose a quilt or coverlet in a bright color or choose colorful pillow cases or pillow shams for a pop of color.

You don't have to spend a great deal of money or any money to come up with a new spring look. Play with different ideas you come up with to revitalize your home for spring, it's more fun than just cleaning!

Check back for Part 2 Revitalizing Your Outside Spaces

Beth Baker ~ Beth Baker Interiors ~ Bucks County, PA