Introduction to Home Staging

I am in a writing course and have been using bits of a novel I wrote but still in it’s early stages during the course as a guide. Now we have to write an introduction and synopsis. I am afraid that if I reveal the story somebody will pinch my idea. But it will help me with the novel. Any suggestions?

Copyright your work… that way, no one can steal it.

Then you can discuss it without worrying

my parakeet is fluffed up and has his head tucked into hes left wing
he has been lethargic and has sat on the floor of the cage all day
he cannot stand on a perch for even only a few minutes because i dont think he has the strength to do so
i dont know if he has been eatting or drinking because i wasn’t home the whole day
but i remember two days ago i got him a new box of spray millets and he was nibbling away on them happily

my parakeet is sick, isnt he?
how should i take care of him through the night just until tomorrow when i can take him to the vett
i want him to live through tonight

Get warm lamp next to his cage.
Spray millet two days ago isnt real substantial food. Make sure they never ever run out of food….a quality budgie seed blend.
They can go without water sometimes but never without food.
Try and be more careful and attentive about keeping this bird fed and fed well.

I am tasked with selling my mother’s house now that she has gone into a nursing home. The realtor is insisting that I complete a long shopping/decorating list to "stage" the house for sale. I had assumed it would be sold empty, after a few necessary repairs and upgrades.

The idea of staging completely throws off my timeline in terms of having an estate sale to sell furniture, etc., having the house professionally cleaned by a service, having the hardwood floors refinished, etc., etc., etc. It makes a really complicated, stressful job a whole lot worse for me.

Is staging really necessary or can I just tell her I want to sell it empty? I’m not looking to soak every possible dollar out of the sale, I just want to get it done.

Thank you.

They are only suggesting what they think will sell the house more quickly. You are the seller and in control and remember they are working for you. So do what you want to do, if they insist, get another agent.
Good luck.

Are there necessary certifications and/or training? What else do I need to know about this business? Any books that can be recommended? Websites? Thank you!

You need to know how to explain to people that their kids’ art has to come off the fridge, and painting over the purple wall in the living room is well worth the money. Anyone can pack up people’s stuff and clean off shelves and garages. Psychology and tact are the skills that are the hardest to master, especially when it comes to religious and/or ethnic themes and items. Negotiation skills will serve you well, and an understanding of different personality types, biases, and traditions.

Connections with realtors will be almost mandatory. Work for free for 6-8 homes to get some experience and references if you do not already have a customer base that is easily reachable.

Your efforts to sell your home this fall season can be aided by some simple decorating that reflects autumn and/or the popular holiday of Halloween. Some effective touches can not only ’round out’ your staging; they can also encourage potential buyers to imagine decorating the home themselves by creating a warm, inviting atmosphere.

The first rule of Halloween decorating is: don’t go overboard! You’re staging your home, not throwing a Halloween party. No skeletons, NO fake blood and nothing that is meant to jump out and startle people! You want people to enjoy their tour of your home; not have a heart attack when the fake bat drops onto their head.

A fall staging theme can be as simple as warm fall colors being featured in the decor. Or, it can be tastefully elaborate, with some kind of decoration in every room that ‘ties’ the rooms together.

In homage to the holiday, you can use pumpkins and the small pumpkin-like gourds to accent your porch, tables and mantelpieces. Pumpkins are definitely an attention getter, both in terms of size and color. Use them wisely.

If you decide to carve your pumpkins, make sure that they are carved in harmless, “happy” expressions, if they have faces. One idea is to use your jack-o-lanterns to highlight the numbers of your address. Or, you could carve a tiny house into one.

If you do decide to go the jack-o-lantern route, use candle substitutes. The last thing you want is to find the perfect buyer, only to have your home burn to the ground because a candle fell over. Flameless flickering lights are available cheaply from local stores, especially around Halloween.

Flowers and plants are popular with home stagers and you can make them work for you. Chrysanthemums and dried leaves are good fall choices for the home stager. A vase of these in a room can provide some attractive natural color that calls to mind the crisp warmth of fall. Planting hardy fall flowers like mums can also add some color to an otherwise fading garden.

One idea for home showing is have business cards printed up with a picture of your home and contact information. Tie these to Halloween candy bags and put them in a fall/Halloween themed bowl for prospective buyers.

Halloween and fall provide you with a great decorating scheme to bring your house together with warm, inviting colors and decorations that reflect the fall harvest/Halloween season. This can help prospective buyers imagine decorating your home for their seasonal celebrations and encourage them to think of your home as their own.

Marci McFarland
http://www.articlesbase.com/real-estate-articles/staging-your-home-for-autumn-and-halloween-574602.html

We are buying a model home and the builder asked us to make an offer on any furniture in the house. We have no idea how much (or how little) to offer.

From experience, I can tell you that the builder paid 25% under the going rate for that furniture. He would like to get that back, but would be willing to take a small hit since it is now slightly used for display and he would have to pay for it to be moved and stored. He would be happy to get half of what that identical furniture is going for at a Haverty’s or Rooms to Go in your area of the country. If he needs the money, and they all do right now, he will let it go for less.

Reasonable offer would be 25% of current retail price for identical furniture. Negotiate from there if you really like it.