Homes Still Sell in Down Markets

The housing market may be down, but people are still buying homes. If you have a home to sell, now more than ever, you need to really market it...(More)

Good Photos Can Close a Home Sale

With the majority of people starting their home search online, outstanding photos of a home are more important than ever. When a home is for sale, a picture isn't just worth a thousand words; it could be worth thousands of dollars...(More)

Simple Household Products Can Clean Better and Cheaper

You could save money, improve the cleaning process, and eliminate in-home use of many chemicals that may be hazardous to your health. Here are some hints for a more natural way to clean your home...(More)

When You Talk, Do People Listen?

It can be frustrating when you want to discuss a serious matter but the person you are talking to doesn't seem to understand your point. There are techniques you can use to make sure that you are better heard – especially when it counts the most...(More)

Homes Still Sell in Down Markets

While some homes are languishing on the market, others are selling quickly. A good real estate agent and accurate pricing are two reasons for success, but exceptional home marketing also plays an important role.

A good way to start is by watching the home selling programs on HGTV. These shows will help you to see your own home with more objective eyes. You'll have a better appreciation of what buyers want and how your home could be better marketed to meet those desires.

This is the first step to seeing your home as a product to sell, instead of a place you live and love. With that in mind, take a pad and pencil, get in your car, and drive around the neighborhood to look at other homes. Now, pull up to the curb outside your own home and write down your first impressions. Be sure to include the positive as well as the negative.

Go through the front door and tour the home just like a home shopper would. Jot down notes of things that could be improved and features you need to highlight as you go through. Be sure to open closets and look in attics and basements – potential homebuyers certainly will.

Study your list and prioritize the changes you could make to better market your home. Here's a list of suggestions to get you started:

• Remove anything you love. If there's a beloved ceiling fixture, window treatment, appliance, or other items that shoppers feel should go with the house, replace it before anyone sees it. Once you tell a buyer that item is not part of the deal, the buyer will want it all the more, and the whole sale could fall through.

• Clean, clean, clean: windows inside and out, light fixtures and ceiling fans, even the inside of the refrigerator. Everything should be dust-free and sparkling every day your home is on the market.

• Make it impossible for shoppers to wonder who currently lives in your home. Eliminate family photos, awards, and evidence of a home business. Stowing travel mementos, books, collections, and other items that reflect your personality and special interests, is also a good idea.

• Consider leasing storage space. Use it to store over-sized toys, out-of-season clothes, and other personal items; basically anything you don't have to use while your home is on sale. Diminish your home's furnishings, too. Less furniture makes rooms look bigger.

• Check your curb appeal. Lawns, flowerbeds, shrubs, and trees should all look well-maintained. The door area should be in pristine condition – a non-working doorbell is not a good way to start a home tour.

• Make small repairs. Dripping faucets, cracks and small holes should be repaired. If your home is filled with vibrant paint colors, you might want to repaint in a more neutral shade. After all, a fresh coat of paint is always more appealing.

• Avoid scented air fresheners, candles or other sources of fragrance. Home shoppers are just as likely to wonder what smell you're trying to hide, instead of appreciating the aroma. Even the scent of fresh baked cookies can be suspicious.

If your home is attracting shoppers but getting no offers despite your marketing efforts, you may want to consider hiring a home staging professional; this could be particularly important if you need to move out of your home before it sells. Home staging "sets the stage" so others can see your home as a place they would want to live; it's a small investment that could pay off nicely at closing.

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Obviously, a quantity of photographs is highly desirable when posting a home listing online, but bad photos can hurt as well as help. Of course, the best possible option is to have a professional capture ideal images of your home, but sometimes there is neither time nor money for that option.

Here are some suggestions for creating a gallery of good pictures of your home now that can be of use when you decide to sell.

• If you don't have one, invest in a good digital camera. Not only does this eliminate the expense of film and developing, it will immediately provide the digital files you need for online posting.

• Study books and magazines that feature beautiful homes so you can get a better idea of angles, lighting and other techniques that enhance a photograph.

• Try to collect pictures of your yard in different seasons. Then, you will have images with summer blooms and fall foliage no matter what season you put your house up for sale.

• When taking pictures of the exterior of your home, make sure your home is bathed in sunlight and not lost in shadow. Note the hours of the day when your home's exterior looks its best and pick a bright day to take your outside pictures.

• Capture landscape highlights of your home, as well as general exterior shots. In each picture, be sure the lawn is perfectly trimmed, leaves are raked, beds mulched, and toys put away.

• Inside, open windows and turn on lamps to make each room is as bright as possible.

• De-clutter each room before photographing. Remove personal items like photos and otherwise "dress the scene." Consider setting dining tables for meals, adding fresh flowers, bowls of fruit or other cozy touches.

• Take pictures of each room from various angles. Focus on architectural details rather than furnishings.

• Don't forget to take pictures that show off spacious closets, renovations, and other bonuses your home offers.

• Take hundreds of photos, but only keep the very best. Edit your images as you go along to keep from being overwhelmed.

You still may want a professional photographer to add to your photo collection, but by starting to develop an extensive file of images of your home now, you'll be better able to harness the power of the Internet later.

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Not only are commercial cleansers expensive, they're filled with unpronounceable and sometimes suspicious chemicals. You might have better and less expensive cleaning options already sitting in your pantry. So why not give them a try?

White vinegar is a cleaning powerhouse.

• Mix equal parts white vinegar and water in a spray bottle to clean kitchen and bathroom counters and other lightly soiled surfaces.

• Heat this mixture to barely warm in the microwave before bottling, to clean tougher areas like shower walls. Spray generously, let stand, and then clean away and rinse.

• Pour undiluted white vinegar into the toilet to clean stains and deodorize.

• Replace fabric softeners in the laundry rinse cycle with a cup of undiluted white vinegar. Clothes will be soft and more detergent removed from clothing.

• Get rid of unpleasant cooking odors by boiling a tablespoon of white vinegar in a cup of water.

• Clean windows with a mixture of two tablespoons of vinegar, four tablespoons of ammonia, and a quart of water. Wad up old newspapers to clean for a more lint-free finish.

Baking soda scours away grime.

• Simply sprinkle baking soda on a damp sponge to clean bathtub rings and sinks.

• For extra cleaning power, make a paste of the baking soda and water, apply and let stand for 15 minutes to soften scum and dirt.

• Baking soda is a natural odor-removing agent; keep some in your refrigerator and replace every two months.

Take a shine to olive oil.

• Mix two parts olive oil to one part lemon juice for a natural furniture polish. The juice dissolves dirt while the oil provides shine and protection. Plus, you avoid the damaging silicone oils found in most commercial products.

• Got leftovers? If you kept your cleaning rag away from the mixture, you have a basis for a homemade salad dressing.

If you keep homemade mixtures on hand, be sure to clearly label all containers and keep them out of the reach of curious children. While not as dangerous as many commercial products, items such as ammonia are still a threat.

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When You Talk, Do People Listen?

Clear and concise communications can be hard. Sometimes the more important something is that you're trying to communicate, the harder it is to convey your feelings, position, or needs to another.

Here are some suggestions that may help:

• Establish a friendly atmosphere. Approaching a conversation with aggression is a sure way to doom genuine communication.

• Try to phrase what you have to say in a positive manner. If there is a problem that needs to be addressed, offer a solution instead of a complaint.

• Look the other person in the eyes and keep him or her engaged.

• Don't invade the other person's "personal space;" this automatically causes discomfort, resulting in less openness to your communication.

• Try to be as concise as possible. Stick to the point, without a lot of background or your audience's mind may wander to other things.

• Instead of focusing on "me" or "you," try to emphasize "we" as much as possible; this helps avoid adversarial positions.

• Use questions to advance your message but don't let them turn into badgering.

• Build on points of agreement to strengthen the communication bond.

• Don't give in to the temptation to raise your voice; that will only increase your audience's resistance to your message.

• Admit you don't feel heard and ask the other person to tell you want they heard you say just to reassure you.

Remember, communication is a two way street, so make sure you are listening to the other person as well. Repeat back to them what they said prefaced by "I understand you're saying…" The more you listen, the more you may find yourself understood.

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