Stroudsburg, PA

My husband and I will be heading to the closing table in a few weeks...next stop...the bank! While many say it is a great time to buy, but not to sell, I say...

"It's a great time for both...if you do it right!"

Flipping homes in this market is not for the faint of heart. You need determination, education, dedication, patience, guts, savvy and a strong dose of faith and trust! Do your homework, do it right, and there is money to be made. Here are five quick tips:

• Don't pay too much! ~ Your money is made when you buy not when you sell. Pay too much and you may have trouble recouping when it comes time to sell.
• Get it looked at. ~ While you may not need to do a full inspection, we always have "Our Guy" come and check things over prior to purchasing as he may pick up on some big money fixes that we will need to consider.
• Work it out!!! ~ Figure out all the cost involved, purchase price, renevation cost, holding cost, commisions, taxes...and then... add in several thousand as a buffer.
• Have a clear idea what the selling price will be before you buy! ~ So many investors skip this step and get burned when their agent disappoints them at listing time. Make sure there is good room for profit ahead of time.

And Last but MOST important...

• STAGE, STAGE, STAGE... and then stage some more! ~ Lucky for me, I am a stager but even if I weren't, This would be one piece of the puzzle I would never leave out. This is the secret ingredient that assures our success. Hire a professional! Staging will set you apart from all of the other investors out there who still have not realized the value of this investment...Hire a professional!

Here are some of the before and afters of our most recent project...

I originally posted this photo and was delighted to see all of the creative and imaginative responses to what various people saw in the shot. You can read them here... What do you see?

The reason I was intrigued with this scene was my sheer amazement of God's great design and the "intelligence" of some of his smallest creatures. I was sitting on my deck, reading my prayers the other morning while the sun was still struggling to find it's strength. I suddenly noticed a lot movement in one particular tree. I had to strain my eyes to see what, to my surprise, was a half dozen birds hiding on the uppermost limbs. I had never seen these birds here before and they were only in this type of tree. There was another tree beside it that was frequented by many a blue jay but these birds knew that this particular tree was the one that would camouflage them the best.

It is amazing to me what we see and what we don't see at times. How many, sitting in the same spot, would have missed these birds?? As Stagers, our job is to see what others don't and then transform it so that others can fully appreciate what is there. Sometimes we need to blend elements, one into the other so that they don't JUMP OUT, so it is softer, more subtle like the birds. We need to find those things that are hidden from homeowners eyes because they have become immune to them over the years. We are called to look more closely, to pick out potential problems, to use our visual perception. We have vision and we use that vision to create a scene that causes buyers to feel at peace and to fall in love!! :)

This is why Staged home sell faster...because we see what needs to be seen, we know how to make it work and we love getting great results!

Here are the close ups of the same shot. There are at least 4 or 5 birds here and a few more were on the other side. They are all in the original photo above!!

~Apostle Art Home Staging & Design offers professional real estate staging services to sellers, real estate agents and investors, as well as Design Services for homes and businesses located in the Pocono Mountains Region and beyond. www.apostleart.com ~

If you are selling your home or are a Real Estate Agent with Vacant or Occupied listing located in North Eastern Pennsylvania, The Pocono Mountains, Greater Stroudsburg Area and beyond...Please call us now so we can bring life to your listing and get you results with our Professional Home Staging Services...570-972-7939.

Saturday, September 4 is the annual Stroud Fest that you don't want to miss! From 11am to 6pm, visit downtown Stroudsburg for food, music and more! Enjoy a beautiful day in the Poconos with the whole family! It's free admission AND free parking! There's even a 5K race starting at 8am to get your Labor Day Weekend started! For additional information, you can check out stroudfest.com.

Nestled in on busy North 9th St. (Rt. 611) in Stroudsburg, is a restaurant with a non-descript name and a location where if you blink, you can miss it, but you will want to overlook the name and look out for the location, because the place is dynamite. You walk in and you are greeted by Barbara, one of the owners. There is a beautiful Italian feel to go along with large tables, because your meals are served family style. The portions are huge are more than enough to share. You will want more to take home with you as well. Danny is the chef and he and everyone else makes sure you are enjoying your meal and experience. My wife, son and I ordered chicken parmagian (which is served over your choice of pasta, i.e: fettuccini, linguini, spaghetti) and meatballs and spaghetti. You can tell that all the meals are freshly prepared with the finest ingredients. The meatballs had delicious pieces of garlic in them -so tasty. The chicken parmagian was delicious as well, the pasta cooked just right (al dente) and the sauce was flavorful and thick. I am thrilled to have found Danny's Fettuccini Bar and you will to once you visit. You are encouraged to BYOB of a nice wine as well. You can call Danny's Fettuccini Bar at 570-424-9999 or visit them on the web at: www.dannysfettuccinebar.com.

Like golfing? The Poconos is home to many courses, and we're at prime golfing season now! If you're looking for a deal, the Cherry Valley Golf Course in Stroudsburg offers a Free Friend Friday on July 2 & July 9! Starting at 3pm, bring a friend along to golf with you, and your friend golfs for free! It is a beautiful course nestled in the Pocono Mountains, and when you're finished playing your round, head to the Creek Club Grille for a bite to eat! They offer delicious pub fare food, and is a great setting to relax after 18 holes!