Staging New Hampshire

Sam Callahan, the son of a Realtor (and my friend & Active Rain member) in Silicon Valley, is 14 years old and has cancer which is not responding to two different types of chemotherapy.  His cancer, Ewing's Sarcoma, had metasticized before it was discovered on September 22nd. 

Sam writes about his battle with Ewing's Sarcoma on the Sam's Team website: http://www.samsteam.org/About_Sam.html He is an amazing 8th grader with a good attitude who wants to beat this thing.  If you read his "about Sam" page, you'll find he's a great writer, too.

Normally, we can feel very helpless to "do anything" besides offer our compassion, thoughts and prayers. 

But this time, there IS something you can do, and it only takes a couple of minutes.  It may not change how he feels after radiation or chemo, but it will lift his spirits and those of his family and friends to see an outpouring of support.  And it will help Sam and his family to make a little goal they've set up for themselves.

In addition to the website, Sam's family & friends have a "fan page" on Facebook.  It's called I'm On Sam's Team.    Their modest goal is to have 5000 fans by St. Patrick's Day.  I'd like to help them get there.  As of this moment, they have 2608 fans.  They want people to know about Ewing's Sarcoma and they want people to know about Sam and his battle with this cancer.

What To Do:  So, my Active Rain friends, I know a lot of you are on Facebook.  If not, this might be the right time to join! 

1. Please take a moment and log into Facebook.
2. Go to the Search bar and key in I'm On Sam's Team
3. At the very top, in the middle, there's a button which says Become A Fan - click on it

That's it.  How easy it is to send some support and encouragement!  Of course, read through the website and the FB page too!  But it only takes a minute to "fan" a page. 

Just to reiterate, Sam is someone I know, it's not one of those fake internet hoaxes and he's part of the real estate family (his dad's a Realtor).  Join us on Sam's Team!  Please re-blog!

As a stager I end up in a lot of homes.  On any given day I can find myself in a cute cottage or a multi-million dollar mansion. One thing that is common among every single home I walk into, no matter the size, location, or price is the need to be clean when your house is on the market.

 

You would never go buy a nice dress, find the perfect shoes and jewelry, have your hair and nails done and forget to take a shower, would you?  Then why hire a Realtor, pay for a stager, rent furniture when necessary, leave the lights on for showings and not clean the house? 

Putting your house on the market without giving it a good deep cleaning is like going to the prom without taking a shower.

 

 

 

So, let's talk about some of the common areas home owners miss when they put their home up for sale:

                                      

1.Windows - Good clean windows let the sunshine in and open up a house. Dirty fingerprints, smudges from dog noses and kids stickers can block the outdoors from coming in and also make the house feel small.  Give those windows a good cleaning inside and out and don't forget to clean the sills.

2. Cabinet Doors - Years of cooking in the kitchen can leave cabinet doors with layers of dirt and grime. Wipe them down with a good cleaning agent, including the handles. Bathroom cabinets can accumulate the dirt too. Years of opening and closing along with toothpaste spills can be hard on the doors.

3. Baseboards - It's amazing the kind of impression good clean baseboards can leave with a buyer. It's one of those things a buyer won't notice if it is done, but they will notice it if it is not done.

4. Return Air Vents - This is an area that collects a ton of dirt (especially in the Middle Tennessee area). Wipe down the vent and go ahead and change the filter while you are at it - unless you are one of those homeowners who changes their filters every month. ;) When a buyer sees a dirty return air vent they wonder if the hvac system is in good shape.  Don't plant a negative seed in the back of their mind!

5. Light Fixtures - Yep, get up on that ladder and clean out that dead bug collection you've had for years. While you are up there you can change the light bulbs too. Buyers like light and bright not dark and dirty.

6. Door Handles - Especially if you have little ones, door handles and the area around them can mysteriously collect the sticky from jelly, candy, and who knows what else the little hands get into. Cute when it is your kid - not so cute when it is someone else's.

7. Showers/Tubs - Keep the science experiment at school and remove all the mold and grime that is growing in the shower and tub.  Bathrooms are considered money rooms and can make or break a sale. Don't lose a buyer because your bathroom can be mistaken for a science lab.

8. Tile Grout - Here is another opportunity to dazzle a potential buyer. When tile grout looks old and dingy it makes the bathroom seem dirty and cheap. To clean grout mix 1 part baking soda to 1 part hydrogen peroxide. Grab an old toothbrush and scrub away. In no time your grout will sparkle like a new set of pearly whites.

9. Kitchen Appliances - Yes, buyers will look inside your refrigerator, oven, and dishwasher. Toss out old food, wipe down the doors, and don't forget the top of the fridge.  Years of melted cheese pizza on the bottom of the oven can send shivers down a buyer's back. You may not have the most updated appliances, but super clean will go a long way.

10. Exterior - Many times houses with siding can grow fungus in areas that don't get much sun throughout the day. Rent a power washer and remove all signs of it. Mold is a dirty word in real estate and will run buyers off faster than a speeding bullet no matter what type or if it is harmless.

 

Taking care of the little things (like taking a shower) can make all the difference in the world.  If you want to have a good time at the prom or entice the buyer to write an offer on your home a good, deep cleaning is a must. 

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Anthea Click is the President of Fresh Perspectives Property Merchandising Services specializing in staging vacant homes, model homes and owner occupied redesign in the Middle Tennessee area including:Nashville, Brentwood, Franklin, Spring Hill, Fairview, Murfreesboro, Hendersonville, and Lebanon. She is also a certified CSP Elite instructor, educating agents on how to incorporate staging into their business. For information on staging your home for sale contact us at 615-465-8086 or visit our website www.fresh-perspectives.com.