Cynthia's Blog

To Furnish or NOT to Furnish a Vacant Home with Rented Furniture?

While it is true that vacant homes appear cold and unremarkable while their furnished competitors appear warm and inviting, it is also true that not all vacant listings are created equally.  If you are a seller and are considering rented furniture to help sell your home, there are some key things to consider, particularly since rented furniture isn't cheap!

Garage Sales Made Easier:  No Prices on Anything!

Twice now I've done this and both times it has been successful:  I didn't put a price tag on one single item.  I mean, does anyone ever actually pay the price on the tag anyway?  And that's the most time-consuming part of the process!

Selling Do's and Don'ts During Your Home's Critical First Two Weeks on the Market

Did you know that the best chance of getting an offer closest to your asking price occurs within the first two weeks?

What’s the difference between Home Staging and Interior Decorating?

One of the most common statements that I hear at a home staging appointment is: "I wish I’d known about you five years ago!"  Sadly, for many people their home looks its best right before they move out of it.  They finalize their Wish-List then get to enjoy it for a month or so.

Another common question I get while staging-to-sell is: "Do you do this for people who aren’t moving, too?"  And of course I do!  My approach is different, however, because the goals are different.  When selling, the home needs to appeal to a variety of people with a variety of style preferences: Buyers.  When decorating, only one or two people need to like it: the Owners.

Is Interior Decorating Your Passion?

"Do What You Love..." That's the beginning of the title of a book that I never read.  I never read it because I am actually living the title.  (It's also the beginning of the quote, "Do what you love and you'll never work a day in your life."  Okay, I do what I love, and I DO work!

Hang Collectibles on Your Christmas Tree

When my grandmother died my father asked my sisters and me to take turns choosing pieces from her costume jewelry.  These were not items I would wear, but among them were glass-bead necklaces with matching earrings, cut-glass brooches...and they look fabulous on my Christmas Tree!

Giant Paint Chips Exist in Your Closet!

Thinking about changing the paint color of something but are wondering how it will look?  Check out your closets for giant paint swatches--shirts,  pants, towels, blankets...whatever you own that is a color.

Buyers Respond: Selling With Pets

I posted the following question in a Home Buying/Selling chat room after I staged a seller’s home and she mentioned that she’d NOT chosen a Realtor who’d insisted that her low-key sweetheart-of-a-dog be permanently removed from the home until the home sold (and the home was clean and smelled fine).

"Buyers, assuming that a listing is clean and smells neutral, how do you feel about pets in the home?  To what degree would it affect your decision to buy if you love the home?  If you have allergies, would it make a difference if you knew that allergens could neutralize within toleration levels roughly 30 days after the pet is removed?"

I received a TON of responses so they’ve been edited for brevity and redundancy.  They’ve been categorized as "I love animals..." "I have allergies..." "Only under these conditions..." and "Regarding dogs..." My favorite comment is the very last one, at the end of this blog.  Enjoy!

Cute Keepsake Idea To Do Before You Move: Children as Tour Guides

While staging the home of a precocious 8-year-old who had all kinds of things to share about her home, it occurred to me: Wouldn't it be interesting if homes tours were conducted by children?  I thought about how the home would be presented from their perspective--their memories of each room, what would stand out as important, and how it might not be the granite counters or upgraded light fixtures!

Keep or Toss?  New Uses for Old Things!

On New Year’s Eve my husband and I have a tradition of walking around our neighborhood at midnight with a bottle of champagne, leaving things behind in the Old Year that we don’t want to carry into the New Year.  We leave disappointments, annoying habits, my desire for chocolate (again).  While some prefer to add resolutions to their plate, we're happy to scrape off any stubborn crumbs and start clean.