Teri Short

It's a moving sale--eHomeStager has slashed the price of consultations! This offer will only be good until June 1st., so hurry! If you live in Southern Maryland, visit my website for more details.

Homeowners, get a great deal on a consultation, and SELL YOUR HOME FAST!

Realtors, get a tax deduction (cost of doing business) along with your great deal, and SELL YOUR LISTINGS FAST!

Have a great Easter everyone!

You know that HGTV show, Cash in the Attic? The homeowners want to buy something, and need to raise cash to do it, so they look around the house for items to auction off.

When you Stage your home to sell, there is cash in every room of a house when those rooms are de-cluttered, re-organized and Staged to sell.

Curb appeal:

You may not find actual cash while digging through the junipers, but if they are overgrown, a little pruning goes a long way and will help you get more cash when it comes time to sell. Buyers won't buy a house they can't see. Hire a Stager for curb appeal, or save money and hire one for a consultation, and you do the physical work. A Stager will use Staging tactics for the least amount of cost, and most impact to "wow" buyers. Think about it--how are you going to get a buyer in the door, if they won't even get out of the car?

BEFORE and AFTER:

Once a buyer does get in the door, they like to feel AT home, not just visiting your home. So make sure that your room serve its purpose. That means don't use your dining room as an office, or have it just plain jane.

A Stager will go through every room in the house and get it ready for a showing. As the picture below can attest, it IS possible to have a kid's room neat and ready to show!

Have you heard of a rose called Black Magic? It's a beautiful rose that starts as a black bud, then swirls open to reveal the captivating beauty of a deep dark red rose. When you hire a Stager, he/she will work magic on your home to reveal its inner beauty that's ready for the finickiest buyer!

Call eHomeStager if you are in the Southern Maryland/Northern Virginia area, and get selling!

But a house for sale had better be!

I just got back from bringing my family to Virginia Beach for a few days of spring break, and when we were walking along Atlantic Ave. looking for a place to lunch, I couldn't help but notice that on every block is a "newsstand" that contains brochure books of what to do and where to go in Virginia Beach.

In these ads everyone is smiling, enjoying the day, etc. In these 'perfect life' ads, there are no crying babies, whiny toddlers, drunken grown-ups and too much traffic.

When a house is for sale, it is on display and it's like a walk-through commercial for the house. Pictures that you post on the web and flyers are ads, and you need to get it done right the first time, or the house will sit. So there had better not be kiddie toys scattered around, laundry and dishes that need cleaning, etc.

How do you get it right? Start with hiring a Home Stager. Even if it's just a consultation and the homeowner does the physical work of Staging. Staging turns a typical living space into a showplace.

Think about ads for a second--on TV and print. If you drink Pepsi instead of Coke, you'll be one of the cool kids. If you use this after-shave lotion, suddenly an attractive girl appears (or perfume and a hunky guy). This is all an illusion. So what is so great about Staging, is that it's not an illusion. Because there it is--in living color, an organized closet, the perfect table setting for a dining room. A home office with stuff put away where it goes, and on and on...

When buyers see a Staged home, they think of their cluttered closets at home and then think, "Hey, look--I can actually have a neat closet!". Or, "Hey, look at this table--I can entertain at this house, look at this updated kitchen...I have to live here!"

Why sell a house as-is, instead of the best it can be?

All this straightening and cleaning can be done. I have three kids who don't pick up after themselves very well, and we sold our house in just over 2 weeks in a downturning market.

Stagers can help with choosing paint colors, updates, including all the furniture arranging, plants, art, etc. So before you pick up a paint brush, pick up the phone and call a Stager! You do have your Home Stager on speed dial, don't you?

This was a great 'before' picture of a bedroom that was begging to be an 'after' pic! The hideous wallpaper came with the house.

This pic below is the 'after' Staging. This house sold in just over two weeks with the magic of Home Staging!

Realtors: do you have your Home Stager on speed dial?

Remember that song by the band, "Cheap Trick"? In it, they sing about shining up old brown shoes, etc.

Why would anyone sell a house without shining it up first? A house for sale wants a buyer.

What would a house for sale say if it could talk? How about, "Shine me up, dust me off, there's some cobwebs in the corners. I feel sweaty (improper ventilation can cause mold). Ahhhh! A termite is bitin' my leg! (leg=2x4's). I need a fresh coat (of paint).

Occupied homes have "stuff". Vacant homes are susceptible to insects and don't show well.

If a house has too much or too little in it, a buyer has a hard time visualizing living there. It is going to be their future home after all, so why not Stage it right, and have sellers take down their family photos and anything else that is "stamped" with their personal taste.

A Home Stager is trained to arrange furniture according to the focal points of the house, banish clutter, and bring in plants and accessories to enhance the home.

A house for sale would say, "Call in a Stager and get me sold!"