Mary Stephens's (marystephens) Blog

 When you sell property in a planned community, there are special considerations and some extra work. Selling the community helps sell your unit. Before meeting with your agent, gather general information about the development, as well as any special required items for the MLS listing.  When you ...

Some sellers feel overwhelmed by the magnitude of the job and don't know where or how to begin. If they can't do the work themselves, they worry about finding the time, money and manpower to accomplish it. Whatever your concerns may be, there are good reasons why you should do your best to overco...

Smart selling requires that you prepare your house for market by evaluating its physical condition, including systems such as plumbing, heating and electrical, and components such as the foundation, roof,doors and windows, floors, fixtures and finishes. The time to begin the evaluation depends on...

Sellers should know about the health risks associated with radon, a naturally occurring gas you can't see, smell or taste. Radon can be found anywhere, and the Surgeon General has issued the following Health Advisory: "Indoor radon gas is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United Stat...

More and more sellers are choosing to get a home inspection before listing their house as a competitive tool and to help ensure that that the selling process goes more smoothly, with fewer surprises. This is by no means a complete list, but a typical home inspection includes an evaluation of the ...

  It can be a strategic error to insist on setting an unreasonably high initial listing price, thinking you'll have room for a reduction if there are no takers, or if repair issues arise. You risk getting no offers or taking longer to sell, due to stiff competition from more determined sellers. A...

Choosing a Real Estate Agent - The Initial Listing Appointment The goal of your initial appointment with prospective agents is to become acquainted with them in order to make a final choice.  A smart seller is prepared and the house is staged before making the appointments. After asking for reco...

Choosing a Real Estate Agent - Part One A smart seller doesn't let personal relationships get in the way of sound business judgment when choosing an agent to market his house.  He chooses an agent through a process that weighs personal qualities and professional expertise.Although there are new ...

 MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT STAGING Don't be deterred by misconceptions about staging.  Staging is not decorating, it's a crucial real estate marketing tool for all homes. Stagers are not critics; they're allies who help you protect your equity. Although the value of staging has been recognized for ov...

Working With a Professional Home Stager Home staging in the real world is different from what you see on television. Professional home stagers are trained to apply interior design principles to real estate marketing to create a desirable product. Staging makes your house more competitive, increa...