Marianne Sweet, Home Sweet's Blog

This is one of the more perplexing things I've heard lately.  Coldwell Banker is holding a clearance sale!  For 10 days this month, buyers can get 10% off any listing.  No negotiating.  10%, right off the top of the asking price.  UGH!!  Wouldn't a grand or two invested in staging the property be...

This gorgeous Franklin Village house sold in less time than it took to finish staging it! Staged "Lite" with a small budget from a Relo company...meaning accessories (5 bathrooms!), an inflatable bed and 2 table/chairs sets only.  No major furniture anywhere.  The offer came in close to it's $675...

I spent last weekend in beautiful Lexington, Michigan on Lake Huron with my high school friends. Two of my friends stayed in a camper, which is not my cup of tea.  I stayed with my third friend in a mobile home which belonged to a friend of hers.  It was the second house from the lake and afforde...

Dogs are people too, right?  Not when it comes to selling a house.  As hard as it may be to accept and implement, when a property is on the market all traces of your beloved pets should be out of sight.  This includes the food dishes, toys, cages, pet beds, litter and yes, the pet itself. Now bef...

Tooling around the web this morning, I happened upon Home Inspection Nightmares on the This Old House website.  Here's the link:  http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/photos/0,,20206857_20470627,00.html Well, now I've seen everything.  This was #2 on the list: As stagers, what would we say about this?...

It's been quite a week for Home Sweet Home Staging, LLC. Since last Friday, a post about me was featured in the Week in Review, I've been tagged, the 4th anniversary of owning my home staging business was celebrated, and 2 houses that I staged have had offers.  I bid on another job yesterday that...

Yesterday I wrote a lengthy post about how busy we've been at Home Sweet Home Staging the last couple of weeks, and outlined one of the projects nearing completion in Birmingham, MI (one of Detroit's most prestigious suburbs).  I finished the text, clicked on the "insert image" button and POOF!  ...

Has anyone else seen this article "The Allure of the Fruit Bowl: Home Staging ‘Twiddles' With a Buyer's Mind"?  Here's the link:  http://blogs.wsj.com/developments/2008/04/08/the-allure-of-the-fruit-bowl-home-staging-twiddles-with-a-buyers-mind/ .  The author quotes a "land consultant" (huh?) fro...

I was asked to stage a vacant house which had been on the market for 6+ months with no offers.  It definitely needed furniture in place to give it some "oomph" and show how lovely the property truly is.  As I toured the house to take measurements and devise a plan of action, I discovered this in ...

Inspirational words can come from many different sources..........a self-help book, a philosopher, Dear Abby, movies with a message, a sage Grandmother, Oprah.But a paper towel roll?  Who knew? "Why not go out on a limb?  That's where the fruit is."  Mark Twain Everytime I rip a towel off the rol...