Jane Ann Lance, ASPM, IAHSP, WCR

My ActiveRain friend, Frank Llosa's brother in Texas was looking for a listing agent. Here are a couple of points from his blog: Read these excerpts from his amusing, yet educational blog:

"When my brother mentioned staging, one Realtor's reply was "Sure we can do that, or we can list, wait two weeks and then stage it. That might save you some money."

What! Boy did this tick me off. Made me want to pull my hair out and look like I did before my hair drug medicine.

Any good marketer knows that you have one chance to make a great impression. You want all marketing efforts to peak at the same time (even down to the exact best day to list, which I think is Thursday). 80% of your visitors will see your vacant stale house? No way. "Run from that Realtor!"

But doesn't it sound so good? "to save you some money." Everyone wants to save money!! Even though that might "cost" you tens of thousands. "

"Find a great stager 1st and you will find a great Realtor. (kinda sounds epic?)

Whenever I jump into an abyss (non DC area) to help a college friend, or a relative find a Realtor... I first find a great stager (I use ActiveRain). I ask the stager "Who uses you frequently and always uses super wide angle photos?" Man oh man this eliminates 97-99% of the Realtors and leaves me with some great options. I'm sorry, while it won't guarantee anything, if I find a Realtor that requires all of their listings be staged, I am 99% confident they will not be a Sucky Listing Agent. Ask Dave and Bill, they were thrilled when their houses sold in a down market for over what they were expecting."
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(Shameless plug) We work with the cream of the crop agents who understand marketing! And they all use wide angle photos because we provide them at no extra charge. We are marketing partners to our clients all the way. If you need a good agent, call us and we can steer you to the best. If you are thinking about selling your house, we will help you get the most equity out of your home. That's just what we do at Enhanced by Lance. 251-377-2527

Read more of Frank's blog: http://blog.franklyrealty.com/2009/03/virginia-listing-realtor.html#more-174

How many clients have you had that loved their wallpaper and resisted when you advised them to remove it or paint over it? Yeah, me too! The job of removing wallpaper is time consuming and often results in having to repair the sheetrock beneath because of improper installation or insufficient proper preparation.

When working with my "Staging to Live" clients, I have always advised them NOT to install wallpaper because when they got ready to sell, the wallpaper would have to be removed or neutralized. It just wasn't worth it!

I have now become aware of a new wallpaper product that will allow the current homeowner to enjoy their personalized walls NOW, but will remove so very easily when the time comes to sell. It's called Easy-Walls and is actually not paper, but a breathable woven product. It goes on easier than paper and then can be removed simply by pulling off DRY!!

I am no longer advising my homeowners against personalizing their walls with paper. This is a win-win for everyone.

Here's a video showing the installation and removal of Easy-Walls. http://www.easy-walls.com/livedemo.htm

Prompted by an email I received, I want to remind everyone that September is National Preparedness Month.

This is the time we should all be aware of the items and information we should have available should an emergency occur.

Living in a hurricane prone area, we (personally) always have the usual items ready: batteries, water, canned goods, first-aid kit, etc. But what about all those items of information and the documents we need to keep safe? If your house were to flood or burn, would you know exactly what was destroyed?

Now would be a good time to itemize your household belongings. If a written list is too daunting a project, then take the video camera and document. Place this in a safe place and consider making more than one copy. Place in a safe place and give the copies to a friend or family. If you have to evacuate your home, take the video with you, for insurance documentation.

What about your other documents, such as birth certificates, medical and insurance records and financial documents?

Both personal and business documents should be scanned and uploaded to a USB drive to take with you if needed. Back up your entire computer to an online service or an external hard drive.

Better safe than sorry - September! Get a Kit, Make a Plan, Be Informed & Get Involved! More info on www.ready.gov.

Jane Ann Lance, Enhanced by Lance, Mobile, AL, 251-377-2527

Oftentimes, a seller may not realize that they are sending signals about their home to potential buyers. When selling your home, you should be aware of several areas where you could be turning away buyers or giving the buyer ammunition to cause you to lower your price.

Big Turn-offs!

Pests! If a buyer opens your cabinets, will they find bug spray, mouse traps, roach motels or rat poison? Are any of these products out in full sight? If the answer is yes, you've just told potential buyers that if they buy this house, chances are they will inherit these same pest problems. ADVICE: Remove any pest control products before the house is placed on the market.

Have you heard the old adage to bake bread or cookies, etc. before any showing to influence a buyer? Hogwash! People know what you're doing! And buyers feel as if you are trying to trick them. Worse, they feel you may be covering up some odor. (The same with strong potpourri, etc.) ADVICE: Your house should smell CLEAN. Lemon scented cleaners will be the most pleasing scent for your buyer's nose.

Your refrigerator is talking! If a buyer looks into your fridge, the way it looks sends a big signal about how you have maintained the house. If it looks like a toxic waste dump, it says to the buyer, "This is the way everything in this house has been maintained." However, if it shows neat and clean, it will make a buyer think that the rest of the house has been maintained in the same fashion. ADVICE: Even if you are taking your refrigerator with you, it sometimes is a negotiating factor and buyers will look at the condition, so keep it spotless. That advice goes for other appliances as well. Don't forget to clean the water tank and the Heating/AC units.

Not enough storage! Know a quick way to increase the amount of perceived storage in your home? Remove 1/3 - ½ of contents in all closets and cabinets. When closets are crammed full, pantries are in disarray and cabinets are stacked to the gills, buyers cannot imagine how all their "stuff" could fit in. ADVICE: Since you are moving, take this opportunity to go through all storage places in your house and purge everything that isn't going to the new house. Then, pack all out of season clothing, holiday decorations, etc. and either move off-site or place neatly in the garage or out of the way area.

These are just a few of the ways your house could be "saying" negative things to a potential buyers. As professional Stagers, we have been trained to spot the things that could impact a swift and profitable sale for you. With a personalized property analysis report, you will know EVERYTHING that could help you sell your house faster and for more money. This is one of our most valuable products.

At Enhanced by Lance in Mobile, AL, we have staged millions of dollars of houses for sale. Let us help you too! Pricing gets you in the game....Staging gets you the offer! 251-377-2527, info@EnhancedByLance.com