Beverly Carlson

"THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME"-

I even have a door mat that says that! Isn't that what we all want to do at the end of a hot summer day is to collapse in the cooling comfort of a place that feels like home?

This summer heat is trying it's best to melt me and my car and my cat, too. However, my most recent buyer clients are MOTIVATED. They wanted to look at houses NO MATTER WHAT. There's someting especially motivating about a looming apartment lease end date.!

One would think that sellers would be accommodating and leave the air conditioning on, but no such luck IN YESTERDAY'S ABILENE TEXAS SCORCHER OF OVER 100 DEGREES. Fortunately my buyers found THE HOUSE that FELT LIKE HOME. The screened in SHADED deck helped immensely!

The offer is in waIting on approval by both parties, but almost there! YIPPEE!

FINDING A PLACE THAT FEELS LIKE HOME is SO MOTIVATING TO BUYERS!

HAVE YOU EVER hit one of those parking lot speed bumps going way too fast and you were bouncing and abobbin up and down in the car trying to slow the car down in time before you hit the next speed bump?

I hit a BLOGGING DROUGHT speed bump and like hitting the speed bump just abobbin along trying to kickstart the brain to think of something to say. Maybe it has something to do with the 107 degree Fahrenheit West Texas heat or not.

I suspect that it does. But it clouded up yesterday and sputtered and finally spit out a few drops of rain and got me to sit on the porch for a bit and be thankful for the rain and the fresher air.

Here it is Sunday morning and my favorite day of the week, and my favorite time of the day, early morning before the sun comes out and starts the slow bake of the day.

What comes to mind on my favorite morning on my favorite day of the week is that it is so nice to be in a business that you can help people get their houses sold and actually get paid for it!!!!

It's true! PRETTY HOUSES SELL BETTER AND FASTER! That's what I do for a living. I help you make your house pretty enough to sell. It's not fair, but pretty houses sell better! They just do. To find a pretty home check out the staged homes at www.stagedhomes.com.

Call me for an inhome staging consultation that includes curb appeal, paint colors, decor (art, lighting, and plants), and furniture arrangement, vacant or occupied.

WHEW! MY BLOGGING DROUGHT IS OVER!

A former client couldn't find my phone number so she "googled me" and wallah she found me!!!!

What a relief to know that I am not LOST!!!

This may not be the most earthshattering piece of news, but I'm sure that active rain deserves the credit.

When one searches for Beverly Carlson + Abilene, one gets 47 results and most of them are my blogs on activerain. How cool is that?

I know I know, get over myself. Blogging is a form of online journaling and is very relaxing for me anyway.

Active rain blogging has been a good habit for me and has proven itself to me a marketing tool to reach others.

THANK YOU ACTIVE RAIN!!!

To Sell or Lease?

Leasing a Home is an option that many sellers are considering particularly when the house will not sell for what is needed to cover the cost of selling.

Leasing is not without its risk.

If upgrades have already been made, the upgrades will not be so fresh in one to two to three years when you do decide to sell. In fact there is the chance, new investments will have to be made to bring the house to the same quality as before the tenants. The house may have to be repainted and recarpeted prior to selling.

However if the leasing of the home covers your carrying cost of the home, the seller stands to gain because of the tax advantages of elgible deductions such as mortgage interest, repair items, and depreciation.

Take into account that there is a vacancy cost. If a tenant moves out and it takes you a month to get a new tenant moved in, that is your vacancy cost.

Not everybody wants to be a landlord, however. Hiring a property manager is an option and that means that the management fee needs to be considered as well.

Then there is what will make you sleep well at night facter. Do you want to continue maintaining your property and all that entails while it is occupied by a tenant? If the uncertainty makes you nervous or you simply can not risk unforeseen repairs, then selling now even might be your best decision.

My ad is in the Buiness and professional section of the Abilene Reporter News offering STAGING CONSULTATIONS.

NOW WHAT IS A STAGING CONSULTATION?

A Staging consultation is a step-by-step plan written detailed report on how to prepare your property for the market to sell faster and for more money. The consultation will cover the property from curb to curb and give recommendationshow to showcase the house to appeal to the most buyers. If there are extensive repairs or potential remodeling to be completed a stager might recommend doing a cost/benefit analysis of those options before the staging begins.

When a property would benefit from repurposing such as closing in a patio, or reconfiguring the enclosed garage, there is another broader term called real estate merchandising to incorporate repairs, remodeling and then STAGING of course!

A professional consultation is the the best investment bang for the buck to extract the most available equity in your property. The consultation will include a list of furnishings needed for staging (either yours, stagers, or rental) and all accessories. There are many options for decor items.

Often in occupied homes, a stager can find, repurpose, or adapt the owners decor. Any extra items can be purchased, used for staging, and then moved to the new location.

A professional staging plan should define the purpose of each space, and give directions, even a sketch of how to accomplish that purpose along with a list of furnishings, decor, art, lighting, and plants.

NOW IS THE TIME TO GET YOUR STAGING CONSULTATION. We are in the Spring/Summer Selling Season.

BEFORE YOU PUT YOUR SIGN IN THE YARD, CALL BEVERLY CARLSON AT 325-721-2429 FOR A STAGING CONSULTATION .