Kathy Strader's (kathystrader) Blog

Home Staging on a Shoestring Budget in Houston, TX          Not so long ago, I put my own place on the market. I decided that I had to do what I would advise a client to do in the same situation. The process gave me great insight into the challenges my clients face. I literally had to keep remind...

How to Make a Sunken Living Room Disappear (Home Staging in Houston, TX)      The first thing she said to me is, “I need your help.” She went on to tell me about a house that had been on the market for about 160 days, and had not received an offer. It was in a neighborhood that was in high demand...

Recently, while watching a morning news show, I saw a segment on how we use our phone for everything except talking to each other. We text, tweet, IM, etc., but actually have a conversation? Not so much. Wired magazine actually predicted the death of the phone call. This story reminded me of some...

Sometimes it's important to work for that pot of gold. But other times it's essential to take time off and to make sure that your most important decision in the day simply consists of choosing which color to slide down on the rainbow. ~Douglas Pagels,These Are the Gifts I'd Like to Give to You   ...

Recently, I was spending part of a Sunday afternoon visiting open houses. I stopped by one house where I knew a Realtor I had worked with in the past would be. She saw me pull up and beat me to the door. After giving me an enthusiastic “Hello!” she said, “You’re gonna love this one.” Her tone was...

I’ve never been someone that enjoys wondering the mall and combing through stores just looking for something to strike my fancy. I’m very task oriented so I when I shop, I know what I want, and I’m reasonably sure where I can get it. I want to park, pick, pay, and go. One exception to this has al...

Over the past few days, I’ve been giving a lot of thought to customer service and reasonable expectations. Interestingly enough, this began to weigh on me not because I had received poor customer service, but because I was bending over backwards trying to give it. In the real estate business, we ...

A major part of home staging is de-cluttering. For most people, it is not exactly a pleasant task, but it is oh so necessary. Think about how good you feel in a room that has been cleared of stacks of paper and piles of books and magazines. You want buyers to have that feeling when they view your...

They are out there, I know they are; Real Estate Agents that just don’t get it. I suppose there are bad apples in every industry, but the truth is the bad apples make us all look like fools. If you are a part of the Real Estate industry, and you are reading this blog, then it is unlikely you are ...

A quick search on the Internet will reveal several opinions on what months are the best for selling your home. Ask Realtors and they too will have many points of view. The truth is that the best month for selling a home is not the best month for buying a home and vice versa. Here’s the rub, a big...