Burlington Township, NJ

I have been selling homes as a Realtor in Burlington County for 5 years and have been staging homes for the real estate market for 2 years. I have helped many sellers determine what repairs to make, what needs to be updated, and what it would take to market their homes with staging.

And then it happened... (queue the scary music)

My own home is for sale! I know the stats-- staged homes sell faster and for more money. As part of my marketing plan, I needed to stage the house! So-- would I be able to take what I dished out? Live what I preached? Take my own advice? (Here's where my clients gleefully cheer, "ha-ha, now SHE has to do it!)

OK, first things first. De-cluttering. We all hear the word; we all know we have to do it, but until you're selling your home, you usually aren't forced to do it.

What needed to go?

• The family photos: Packed away! People are distracted by faces and I want them to focus on the house. Also, my goal is to help buyers see themselves living in my house, not me. Family photos may give buyers the sense they are invading on my territory. I did leave out a couple of travel photos-- my theory is that pictures of me in exotic locations may help buyers envision a lifestyle that can be theirs! (Because my life is soooo glamorous... )

• Extra furniture: I determined what I really want to move with me. Did I buy it in the last decade? Have the kids and pets wreaked havoc on it? Do I use it? Is there really room in my new home for it? If not, it was sold in the moving sale or on Craigslist, or donated.

• Anything that doesn't bring on my "happy face": I use this method all the time in de-cluttering. When I consider the item, I take note of what my face does. Do I scrunch up my face and think, "oh yeah, Aunt Mable gave me that." Do I get a worried look and think, "what am I going to do with that?" Or-- do I smile and say, "Oh, I always loved that!" I pay attention to my face and if the item doesn't make me smile, it is outta here! I keep only the things that bring me joy!

Once I determined what I'm keeping, I packed away anything that is not useful or beautiful and left out only my best items for staging. I packed anything smaller than my hand-- it's a much cleaner look to have one beautiful item on display rather than several small ones.

OK, now that's done and I have a lot less I have to deal with! I can tell you it's a really good feeling to unload stuff that's just been taking up space! What wasn't packed or sold, got donated or trashed. It is also much easier to keep everything clean since there's not nearly as much stuff!

Next on the list: Repairs, painting, and updating. Carpets and windows were replaced, bathrooms updated, painting done just about everywhere. A ton of work, really. Still recuperating. And this was all BEFORE the actual staging of the home began!

Am I going to be able to keep this up?

Stay tuned for my next post:

My First Hand Experience with Staging my NJ Home-- Part Two: The Staging

Michele Rose is a Realtor and Professional Home Stager in Burlington County, NJ. She has been assisting both buyers and sellers with their real estate needs for the last 5 years. In 2007, she formed Rose-Colored Staging to help sellers market their homes with professional home staging.

NJ First Time Homebuyers,

Time is Running Out!

The deadline to qualify for the $8,000 Federal Tax Credit is November 30. If you have not owned a primary residence in the past three years, you may qualify. Get the information you need to take advantage of all the incentives now available to you as a New Jersey first-time buyer! 

I am sure that you have heard this before.  You may be thinking that there is no way that  you can afford to buy a home....especially in NJ. 

You Might Be Wrong!

I have included below some recent (less than 30 days ago) home sales in Burlington & Camden County, NJ.  You will notice that there are plenty of homes available for under $1,100 per month.  The total payment below is based on a mortgage rate of 5.5% and I estimated homeowners insurance.  These figures should be used as guidelines only.  But the bottom line is that affordable homes are available.

Secondly - take a look at the seller concessions.   An FHA loans requires 3.5% down payment.  You will notice that in many cases, the seller gave the buyer a concession (ie. free money or to make it plainer...the seller paid most of the buyers closing costs).

Finally - The Government (Uncle Sam) is willing to give you an $8,000 tax credit to buy your new home.  Once again....more free money.

But time is running out.

If you are interested in exploring your options, feel free to call, text or email me today.

Have a great day

Make This YOUR Best Year Ever

Leander McClain, Burlington /Camden County, NJ Realtor & Real Estate Consultant, Keller Williams Realty, 1814 Route 70 E Cherry Hill, NJ 08003 856-685-1677 Direct

Search NJ & PA Home Listings @ www.NJSouthRealEstate.com

Leander McClain's Profile

Recent Posts

How To Buy A Home Part 1

Economic Stimulus $8,000 Tax Credit

Twitter Revolution

Always Have A Dream

Search Houses For Sale

Burlington Township Home Sales - July 2009

# of Homes For Sale = 164

# of Homes Sold = 16

# of Months Supply = 10.25

Type of Market = Buyers

Have a great day

Make This YOUR Best Year Ever

Leander McClain, Burlington /Camden County, NJ Realtor & Real Estate Consultant, Keller Williams Realty, 1814 Route 70 E Cherry Hill, NJ 08003 856-685-1677 Direct

Search NJ & PA Home Listings @ www.NJSouthRealEstate.com

Leander McClain's Profile

Recent Posts

How To Buy A Home Part 1

Economic Stimulus $8,000 Tax Credit

Twitter Revolution

Always Have A Dream

Search Houses For Sale

I recently was the victim of a sty in my eye-ick, right? Now, I remember my dad always said when this happens, rub a gold ring on it and it will go away. He even used to keep a gold ring in the medicine cabinet! Well, I did... and it worked. I don't know why or how, but it worked.

So what does this have to do with real estate?

Well, I've been wanting to start a newsletter to send to my email list and I thought it would be fun (along with real estate info) to include a helpful household tip-something tried and true that makes life a little easier.

Recognizing my limited knowledge :-), I'd like to open this up to you all (or "y'all" for some of you!) to contribute your fun little hints for around the house. Nothing "magical," just home remedies, cleaning helps, health helps, garden tips, etc. that might be Useful. When we have a great big list, we'll all have great tips to pass on to our mailing list!

So to start us off, here are a few:

1. Plant a banana peel right next to a rose bush-they love it!

2. Quarter an orange or other citrus fruit and run it through the garbage disposal to freshen and clean it.

3. Sprinkle coffee grounds around acid loving plants such as azaleas, hydrangeas, and rhododendrons to give them a treat.

4. To freshen your microwave, heat vanilla extract in a mug or bowl for a few seconds (don't burn it!)

5. If your heating and air conditioning unit is in an enclosed area (like a laundry room), place an air freshener near it-the scent will be gently circulated throughout the house.

6. When shopping for flowers for the garden, don't forget to add white and yellow, especially along walkways. They will brighten your garden in the evening when all the other flowers have faded into the background.

7. Stubborn stains on clothes? Lestoil directly on stains, even old ones, does the trick and usually does not fade the fabric.

I'm sure I have others but that's enough to get us started. So how about you?

What are your tips and tricks for around the house?

OK-- this is going to be an interesting job! The homeowner has lived in the house for over 30 years and has made very few changes in that time. The bones are great: it has the charm of the Cape Cod style, four bedrooms, two full baths, some hardwood flooring, a cozy fireplace, and it's in a great location in an historic town. The house, however, is in need of some major updating!

When staging, we always keep in mind who the target audience is-- who is likely going to be looking at this house? In this case, our target market is first time homebuyers. That means that this home needs to appeal to them. According to a 2006 National Association of Realtors survey, the median age of first time homebuyers is 32. So when we stage a home, we need to keep those homebuyers in mind.

Now, I know these photos may be a bit alarming but stay tuned!

We have great plans for this home and can't wait to get the work done and get this house sold!

Come back for "Part Two" of our Amazing Transformation!

The Very Cluttered, Dark, & Dated Kitchen

The Other Side of the Kitchen

The Living Room

Come Back to See Part Two of Our Transformation!