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It’s a rare buyer who can see past the clutter, peeling paint, and stinky pet odors. Here, professional home stagers unlock the secrets to staging your own home. Follow them then schedule that open house—and watch the offers come in! First impressions “These days, it’s all about  curb appeal  so don’t forget your front door,” says Jerry West Sanders,  an interior designer and home stager at Sanders-West Consulting and Design LLC of  Olympia Washington and Phoenix, Arizona. Keep up on lawn maintenance and give the shrubs a shear if necessary. If your door is showing its age, consider giving it a fresh coat of paint. Update the house numbers and paint the mailbox if it’s near the front door. In addition, Sanders says a potted plant on either side of the entrance is very welcoming to a prospective buyer. Watch for falling stuff Buyers want big and deep closets or at least ones that can be organized; a pile of hats and a soccer ball falling out on their head isn’t a good impress

Make your home warm and inviting to boost your home’s value and speed up the sale process. The first step to getting buyers to make an offer on your home is to impress them with its appearance so they begin to envision themselves living there. Here are seven tips for making your home look bigger, brighter, and more desirable. 1.  Start with a Clean Slate Before you can worry about where to place furniture and which wall hanging should go where, each thorough cleaning right down to the nitpicky details like wiping down light switch covers. Deep clean and deodorize carpets and window coverings. room in your home must be spotless. Do a 2.   Stow Away Your Clutter It’s harder for buyers to picture themselves in your home when they’re looking at your family photos, collectibles, and knickknacks. Pack up all your personal decorations. However, don’t make spaces like mantles and coffee and end tables barren. Leave three items of varying heights on each surface, suggests Barb Schwa

New rules have taken effect that will change your home buying experience! The Know Before You Owe mortgage initiative is designed to empower consumers with the information they need to make informed mortgage choices. It includes the implementation of the TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosure rule, which is often referred to as “TRID.”  Mortgages are complex and confusing. This new rule primarily does two things: It simplifies and consolidates some of the required loan disclosures, and It changes the timing of some activities in the mortgage process. If you are a buyer and would like to better understand the complicated process of applying for a mortgage, click here for a helpful step-by-step guide that includes information on the mortgage process and the new  regulatory changes.  This booklet is a toolkit that can help you make better choices along your path to owning a home.

As you gather up your belongings and pack them away to prepare your home for potential buyers, try to picture your home through the eyes of a buyer. Consider which items should be left out for buyer appeal. Often the wrong items are left on display -- things like family photos, personal keepsakes, and treasured belongings. All of these items should be safely packed away which very often creates open space (a plus for buyers) on shelves, refrigerator doors, and desktops. Buyers often make a decision within just seconds of seeing your home about whether or not they want to buy it. So What do you see in about 10 seconds? When you walk up do you see children’s toys scattered across the front lawn. Do you see overgrown shrubs and weeds? Do you see chipped paint on the front door, a screen that’s torn? Do you spot oil spills on the driveway? Answering yes to just one or two of these questions can be damaging to the buyer's first impression of your home -- before the buyer has eve

When selling your home, the goal is to sell it quickly for the highest price while spending as little as possible on renovations. With a limited budget and a little effort, you can greatly increase your home's appeal by focusing on what prospective buyers can see on their first visit. The experts at BuyOwner.com offer the following recommendations for preparing a house for sale and staging it for showings. Tip #1: Refresh the Exterior First impressions count when it comes to selling a home. Most buyers won't even leave their car if they don't find the exterior appealing. The best ways to improve your home's exterior include: -Repairing and/or replacing trims, shutters, gutters, shingles, mailboxes, window screens, walkways and the driveway. -Painting siding, trim and shutters and lamp and mailbox posts. -Pressure washing vinyl siding, roofs, walkways and the driveway. -Washing windows. Tip #2: Spruce Up the Lawn and Landscape Home buyers associate the condition of your

Whether you're planning a move across town or across the country, making your move hassle-free is what it is all about. Besides the traditional garage sale and packing of boxes, there are a few details you won't want to forget before you begin loading the truck: Plan Ahead Experts recommend scheduling moves at least one month in advance, especially during the peak-moving season between May and September. Some estimates indicate 80 percent of all moving and storage business is done when schools are out. That's when employees are most likely to be transferred. Ask Questions Take the time to get as much information as possible from moving companies before selecting one. Check on truck size and availability. Ask about moving supplies, such as boxes, dollies and furniture pads. Find out about protection plans for your possessions. Ask about lost or damaged property claim procedures. Determine price differences in packing the truck yourself or having it professionally packed. Get

As the summer buying and selling season is nearing its end, it is even more important to create a lasting first impression with potential buyers. Here are 8 simple tips that will help your home stand out from the crowd. Clean up the yard. Curb appeal is so important. Many buyers will drive by a home and determine if they want to take the time to see the inside. Cut back overgrown shrubs, particularly those that obscure windows or make it difficult to get to the front door. Mow the grass, rake or pick up downed leaves and branches, put away lawn tools, kids' toys and discard or store any outdoor furniture that is rusty or ragged. Plant colorful annuals or put a few nicely planted containers on or near the front porch. Open the drapes and blinds . Sunshine is the world's best decorator and nothing is more depressing than walking into a home where shades, curtains and drapes are closed. Wash the windows - inside and out. For the same reasons as above, no other small improvement

Portable storage units for moving and storage have increased in availability and popularity in recent years. Portable storage units are a great alternative to traditional self storage and are perfect for a home remodeling project. Consider a portable storage unit the next time you need to do any of the following: Getting Rid of Clutter - Whether selling your home or hosting family for extended visits - a storage unit lets you temporarily store non-essential stuff and declutter your living space. Consolidating - Use a storage unit to store extra furniture or boxes when downsizing a home or office. Take your time in deciding what to do with your extra stuff. Moving - Take your time packing and unpacking, without the hassle of a moving van. After you load the storage unit, 1-800-PACK-RAT moves it to your new home or office. Renovations - Protect your belongings during repairs or upgrades. A storage unit helps you keep your furniture, electronics and other valuables safe and out of the

The U.S. Treasury plan to help homeowners avoid foreclosure potentially applies to 75 percent of the mortgages in the U.S., including those backed by Freddie Mac or Fannie Mae (those two organizations are currently devising guidelines). The plan, which provides incentives for lenders and homeowners for completing Short Sales, is many-faceted: It provides incentives to lenders and borrowers for completing Short Sales It streamlines and standardizes the documentation necessary for Short Sales It limits the ability of subordinate lien-holders to obstruct the Short Sales process It sets limits on the time it takes lenders to approve or reject Short Sales requests It steps up pressure on lenders to make permanent the 650,000 trial loan modifications they started earlier in 2009 Incentives to Borrowers Under the plan, borrowers who complete a Short Sale are released from all mortgage debt. Additionally, they receive $1,500 for moving expenses. Incentives for Lenders The plan provides for pay

Knowing the Guidelines Solves the Mystery The appraisal process often baffles consumers. They may feel that their home is worth a higher dollar amount, and so the appraised value doesn't always make sense to them. It is important to know that the appraiser is completely independent from lenders, buyers, sellers, and real estate agents, and that the guidelines to which they adhere are dictated by the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) and Fannie Mae. In most states, the mortgage lenders must also disclose the purpose of the appraisal, as each transaction carries its own set of rules. In essence, these important guidelines help appraisers put a fair market value on homes based on comparable sales in the same area, and the home must be bracketed in size and value. For example, there is no set dollar figure associated with a great view, pool, spa, bathroom upgrades, etc. If a homeowner installs a custom pool that cost them $30,000, but the local marketplace su

Selling a home can be challenging and time consuming for a seller. In today’s market, you must use “every trick in the book” in order to make your home appealing to the greatest number of buyers. Here are some handy staging tips that will help you prepare your home for selling... Get ready to move... Start packing! Before you show your home to any potential buyer be sure to go through your whole house with your agent to finish the Staging process. Meanwhile, here are some quick tips to help you start. Follow these general tips and your home will look better than the competition. Staged Homes sell faster and/or for more money! INSIDE • Clear all unnecessary objects from furniture throughout the house. Keep decorative objects on the furniture restricted to groups of 1, 3, or 5 items. In general, a sparsely decorated home helps the buyer mentally „move in‟ with their own things. • Rearrange or remove some of the furniture in your home, if necessary. Many times home owners have too much fu

Selling your home can be an exhausting experience. Last minute walk throughs, inconvenient calls, price adjustment and the possibility of being stuck with two mortgages are real concerns. If you are not completely prepared you could end up losing hundreds, even thousands, of dollars in profit. The difference between a profitable smooth transaction and a break even, miserable experience is often a fine line. In the majority of cases it comes down to the subtle know how of your real estate agent. By utilizing the knowledge of a well-trained real estate agent, you will ensure the quick, profitable sale of your home. Here are 10 important points that sellers should take keep in mind: Refusing to Make Profit Inducing Repairs - It always costs you more money to sell ‘as is' than to make repairs that will increase the value of your home. Even minor improvements will often yield as much as three to five times the repair cost at the time of sale. Your agent will be able to point out what re