According to Drew Meyers, Zillow Business Development Manager, “When agents try to differentiate their listings from others or make the homes they represent really pop, home staging has gone from “nice-to-have” to a “must-have” strategy in the selling process.”
I couldn’t agree more! To separate my listings from the competition, I pay for my sellers to have a free two-hour consultation with a professional stager. Recently, a well-staged listing sold to the very first couple to tour the home. While I can’t promise these results, I can guarantee that professional staging is now an important part of the marketing process.
Ready to sell your home? To take advantage of my staging program, contact me. I have sold Katy and West Houston real estate since 1989. Experience does matter!
Spoken by Julie Q. Fuelling |
A few? None? Way too many? How many blind dates have you gone on? Since my parents, happily married for their lifetimes, met on a blind date my heart always erred toward hope.
One of my blind dates actually peeled shrimp and put the shells directly on a linen table cloth. Another brought his brother who “just got in from out-of-town”! Still another, took me to the most depressing movie I have ever seen and I go to a lot of movies. I couldn’t make these things up.
When I list a house, I always tell my sellers that the first impression their house makes is identical to a blind date. Open the door. Take a long look and one of two things comes into your mind:
- What was my girlfriend thinking? How long must I give this before it’s rude to bail?
- This could have potential!
A potential buyer sizes up a house from the porch into the foyer. Dirty porch, Read the rest of this entry »
Spoken by Julie Q. Fuelling |
By Janine Godwin, CPO®, Guest Author
You signed the contract with your Realtor, the ‘For Sale’ sign is in the yard and it’s been weeks since you’ve had any action on selling your home. Could it be due to excessive clutter? If you have taken a look around your home, and the answer is ‘yes’, it’s time to get serious about making an investment in making your home more appealing. This investment could be the time that you put into cleaning it up yourself, or financial by hiring a professional to assist you. In either case, if clutter exists in your home and you want to sell it, that For Sale sign may sit in your yard longer than necessary.
Buyers consider many things when looking for a home – location, neighborhood, amenities, etc, but they are also looking at how a home is presented. Think about it. No one wants to walk in to a home that is messy. People are attracted to cleanliness and order. For example, when buyers walk into a new model home, they are wowed not only by the decorative scheme that the model presents, but they don’t see clutter. It’s attractive. It’s welcoming and they can see all the details the builder wants to showcase. Granted, it may be a bit sterile, but it still looks inviting. Buyers can easily Read the rest of this entry »
Spoken by Julie Q. Fuelling |
For the second year in a row, Realtor Magazine reports that exterior remodeling projects, i.e., maintenance that enhances the value of your property not things like a sunroom, return the most money, as a percentage of cost. This is detailed in the annual Remodeling Cost vs. Value Report-2008. Texas was a region that consistently returned a higher percentage of remodeling costs upon resale.
“Because today’s buyers have much more to choose from in the way of inventory, any home for sale must make a positive first impression,” said National Association of Realtors President Charles McMillan. He continued, Read the rest of this entry »
Spoken by Julie Q. Fuelling |
Ready to put your Katy house on the market? If you’re like me, you watch the home decorating TV shows, the real estate shows, and you know a great deal about what makes a home marketable. I don’t have to convince you that a little bit of effort, done before the sign goes in the yard, will be well worth your while.
You know that you should clean everything and get rid of clutter. Aside from that, how do you broaden the appeal of your house? For starters, try to think of it as a “house” not “your home”. Your property has become commodity for which you want to get top dollar; de-personalize it.
No matter the size of your home, it should always look larger. Remove anything that makes a passage way Read the rest of this entry »
Spoken by Julie Q. Fuelling |
1. Make sure your entrance way says “Hey, look at me!”
2. Prune dead limbs from trees.
3. Paint (or touch up) exterior, repair screens and windows.
4. Clean your windows.
5. Check A/C and heating systems.
6. Fix leaky faucets, toilets, and faulty lights.
7. Vacuum drapes and carpets.
8. Repair wall cracks, re-caulk bathrooms and kitchen.
9. Clear out closets.
10. Remove excess furniture.
11. Keep cats and dogs out of visitors’ way.
12. Mow lawn, edge driveway and walkways
13. Ensure windows, doors, and locks work smoothly.
14. Weed flower beds and trim shrubs.
15. Throw out junk from garage and storage areas.
16. Clean lawn furniture.
17. If you have a pool, make it crystal clear.
For information about Katy area homes, you can search the entire Houston MLS from this blog. For questions or to tour any area homes, contact me directly at 713-818-2404. I have specialized in Katy real estate for over 19 years. Experience does count!
Spoken by Julie Q. Fuelling |
Until recently, “green” paint was a decorative effect perhaps recommended by an interior designer. It had very little to do with science and even less to do with the environment except for bringing nature to mind. Not so today.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, (EPA), indoor air is three-times more polluted than outdoor air; it’s considered to be one of the top five hazards to human health. This unsafe situation is caused mostly by paint emissions and household sealants that continue to release dangerous emissions for years after application. These elements also deplete the ozone layer.
Paint manufacturers are scrambling to produce low Volatile Organic Compounds, (VOCs), or Read the rest of this entry »
Spoken by Julie Q. Fuelling |
A few? None? Way too many? How many blind dates have you gone on? Since my parents, happily married for their lifetimes, met on a blind date my heart always erred toward hope.
One of my blind dates actually peeled shrimp and put the shells directly on a linen table cloth. Another brought his brother who “just got in from out-of-town”! Still another, took me to the most depressing movie I have ever seen and I go to a lot of movies. I couldn’t make these things up.
When I list a Katy house, I always tell my Katy sellers that the first impression Read the rest of this entry »
Spoken by Julie Q. Fuelling |
“Staging?” What does this term mean with respect to residential real estate? I’m sure you’ve heard about staging; the TV home shows, especially the real estate ones, have greatly contributed to this burgeoning trend. In fact, these shows make staging seem like an everyday real estate occurrence coast-to-coast. Like almost all real estate trends that become standard practice, staging originated on the Pacific and Atlantic coasts and moved inwards toward middle America.
According to professional stager Lori Matzke, “Professional home stagers are practiced in the art of preparing a home for resale. They work with the ‘flow’ of a home, eliminate clutter, edit and arrange furniture, and even assist in Read the rest of this entry »
Spoken by Julie Q. Fuelling |
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