Spring has sprung!

Spring is a great time to refocus and retool if you are planning, hoping or trying to sell real estate. As the weather changes and the rain stops, everything starts to bloom and house shoppers start to come out and look at new real estate options. As you have heard 1,000 times, you only get ONE chance to make a first impression. Real Estate is no different.

• Buyers shop first from the curb appeal, make sure that you tidy up your yard after all that rain!
• After buyers have decided that they like you curb appeal enough to make an appointment- they then shop with all of their senses, address them ALL: sights of your home, sounds, smells, and feel- we will skip taste!
• Sights- Make sure that your home looks GREAT- clean, tidy and clutter free!
• Smells- Make sure that is smells fresh, the best way to do that is to let in the smells of spring! Baking cookies is good too!
• Sounds- Make sure that it is peaceful, not over stimulated in the sounds- remove pets during showings- chatty birds and barking dogs can be a huge seller turn-off.
• Feel- Make sure that it is not too warm or too cold, either one can be a distraction from a great home.

Good luck and happy seeling!

Spring is Here!

Spring means 2 important things to home sellers on the central coast!

1. The rains have come and watered the weeds, and now the sun is shining and making every weed in sight take ahold of your yard! So get the weeds under control before your house is hiding behind a jungle of weeds.
2. Spring is a rare time in real estate when potential buyers have a renewed faith in the real estate market, if you are a seller.... don't miss it!

Staging for Spring!

We just got back from the Las Vegas Market and Furniture Show! Yippee- good fun was had by all and we got tons of great new ideas and stuff! Its hard to focus on Spring while its still raining, but get ready for the spring selling season! I firmly believe that this spring staging is going to be crucial to stand out from the crowd in this crazy market! Here are some quick tips for successful spring selling 2009:

• Depersonalize (as always)!
• keep the chill off your house, turn the heat on so that its not chilly when buyers enter to view your home.
• make sure that your home is priced right for your neighborhood, even the best stager can't fix - way over priced!
• Keep the rain and mud outside.
• Remember staging is all about selling, its not about high fashion - make your house look great- in a warm, neutral way, not decorator specific!
• In this tough market- get real with your budget for staging, landscaping and repairs!
• Pre-plan for success and you should see results!

New stuff headed our way!

I am off to the LA Gift Show to pick up new goodies for home staging! I will be back next week with new toys for decorating the homes of the central coast! I look forward to sharing with all of you great new gadgets and tricks for making your home look its best when you are selling!

Winter Staging Tips

Happy Holidays and happy winter home selling. As winter gets off and running there are some things to keep in mind when your home is on the market.

• As it gets rainy and wet, make sure that your door mats are clean and dry, and at each door, so that when people show your house, they don't track muddy footprints throughout.
• Make sure that your heater runs at least enough to keep the chill away, since a frigid house can be a turnoff to buyers.
• Change your heater filter regularly during the winter- it helps your heater and it helps reduce the musty smell of winter -plus filters are a cheap way to keep an expensive appliance working well.
• With sunset being so early, many buyers will be seeing your home at dusk or in the dark- make sure that it all looks as good in the night as it would during the day.
• Remove tripping hazards and illuminate dark spots in your driveway and rooms.
• Make sure that your entry light has a good bulb and gives good illumination.
• Set a few lights on timers that come on at dusk.
• Check your rain gutters and drains- few things show worse than if your house looks like it could flood from a small drizzle, just because you forgot to clean away the debris blocking the flow of water.

Good luck and happy winter home selling! For more information or to contact us directly please check out our website: www.LightBrightandAiry.com

Staging + Professional Photos / Virtual Tour Sale!

Light Bright and Airy Home Staging and Central Coast Virtual Tours are now offering a coordianted sale for a limited time only.

Staging + Still photos
Includes: Photos sized and formatted for the MLS
· Hi resolution photos for flyers and submission to real estate magazines
· Slideshow with no branding for the MLS
· Slideshow with office branding
$475 right now only $400

Staging + virtual tour
Includes: Photos sized and formatted for the MLS
· Hi resolution still photos for flyers and submission to real estate magazines
· Virtual tour with no branding for the MLS
· Virtual tour with office branding for internet
$600 right now only $500

To check out our websites, please visit:
www.LightBrightandAiry.com
www.CentralCoastVirtualTours.com