Keep the Staging Up-To-Date - Buyers Expect to be WOWED! Over the past few years, I have collected a shelf of books on home staging and home decorating.  Today, I was perusing a book on home staging written in 2004. The after photos were nicely staged and clean and clutter free, but  the burgandy colored pillows and print bedspreads made me think how dated this master bedroom is.   In fact all the printed bedspreads I saw made me want to gag.   Like wallpaper, printed bedding can be so personal!  Today, floral printed bedspreads just don't make the nice, neutral modern buyer look you want in the Master bedroom.   Just like the clothes fashions, home decor changes from year to year.  What is in vogue one year can become fuddy duddy in a year or two.  You need a professional home stager t... 02/05/2011

SPRING IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER!!!   NOW WHAT CAN A STAGING CONSULTATION DO FOR YOU?   With all  the bad snow and ice around the country even here in Abilene, Texas, spring may seem like a distant memory, but in six short weeks it will be SPRINGTIME!  Now  what can a staging consultation do for you???   1. Give YOU  a plan to follow to get your house ready to put on the market. 2. Create a step-by-step CHECKLIST for each room. 3.  Make  a LIST OF FURNITURE to remove or put into storage to make your your house look bigger! 4.  Give you a plan to highlight the best features of your home such as the fireplace, the window seats, the built in bookcases and all the unique features.  The reasons you loved your home and bought it will most likely be the same reasons the NEW buyer will want yo... 02/03/2011

The Ladies Home Journal was the only thing in the mail box today, I usually get at least one bill!  Must be all that ice in Dallas.   Flipping right to an  article on  home organizing, I picked up on a tip given and that is to take before and then take after photos when organized to motivate yourself to keep it that way because the contrast will be so great.   I thought wait a minute that is what home stagers do --- take before and after photos.   A photo provides perspective on what needs to go away and it is so simple to make a staging plan from a photo.    That's when I realized the best budget-minded staging tip for a do-it-your-selfer or a FSBO is to take your own before photos.  I guarantee that if you don't want these photos published on the front page of your local newspaper, yo... 02/02/2011

A friend of a friend emailed me asking me if I could help her with how to declutter,  She did mention the fear that she's a bit of a hoarder and that really worries me!  There are lots of blogs extolling the need to declutter but some of us need a little more specific help.  This does work.  I have used it.  The key is to keep the decisionmaking going.   Here goes.  This is the Box Theory of Decluttering.   Get five card board boxes and label them:   1. TRASH 2. GIVE IT AWAY! 3.  SEll IT!   (put an ad in the paper or sell at a garage sale) 4. PUT IN STORAGE 5.  THINGS THAT GO IN A DIFFERENT  ROOM.   TACKLE ONLY ONE ROOM OR CLOSET AT A TIME.  DO NOT RUN FROM ROOM TO ROOM PUTTING THINGS AWAY ONE AT A TIME.   THINGS THAT ARE JUST OUT OF PLACE IN ONE ROOM GO IN BOX #5.   If you are torn bet... 01/29/2011

STAGED TO LEASE!!!!!   THIS IS A LIVING ROOM -  of a very nice four bedroom LEASED house in Taylor County NEAR ABILENE TEXAS.   I staged the living room with a rental living room set and ADDED SOME decor items.  This home has been continuously rented with NO VACANCY since staging to lease. STAGING  is not just for HOMES FOR SALE!  With more homeowners considering leasing instead of selling, staging is a way to increase appeal and reduce leasing time. For more information about STAGING TO LEASE, call Beverly at  CARLSON PROPERTIES!   01/25/2011

Get Your Ducks in a Row and Stage To Sell This Spring!   The Spring Selling Season is just around the corner and now is the time to call for a professional staging consultation.  A professional stager will assess the buyer appeal of your home and can provide recommendations to increase the amount of equity return. A written consultation will give you a written checklist on how to prepare your home for sale and much of it at little or no cost.   Cleaning, decluttering, packing up collections, and doing minor repairs are the minimal requirements  and will have to be done anyway.  However, a professional stager can give you recommendations  to showcase the unique features of your home, define the purpose of each room and space, how to arrange the furnishings for maximum comfort and style.... 01/23/2011

SUNROOM BEFORE STAGING!!!   and now AFTER!!!!   AFTER STAGING   This sunroom was painted a neutral color, the exercise equipment removed, and  the wall mounted television removed by the owners.  Then the stager added neutral panels to the east windows and a casual style sitting conversation furniture group was arranged on the east side.   Opposite this conversation group, a  round breakfast  table with four chairs was set for casual dining and entertaining. (not shown in this photo)    This house is SOLD and staging helped make it happen in 2010.    For any question about home staging to sell or live, call Beverly Carlson at 325-721-2429.  Abilene's most experienced  home stager.  01/14/2011

 FAVORITE THINGS TO DO IN ABILENE!   GO SEE A MOVIE.    My favorite place to see a movie in Abilene is the Paramount which  has been restored to its original glory.   The inside is beautiful and twinkling star lights shine on the ceiling.  The snack bar prices are even reasonalby priced to get your popcorn and movie candy fix.  There is usually a movie on Friday and Saturday nights at the Paramount.  Last Friday, the movie was "To Kill a Mockingbird."   2.   VISIT THE ABILENE ZOO  The Abilene Zoo is a favorite of mine because it is only a ten minute drive from most parts of town and so walkable.  One can see a variety of animals, giraffes, zebra, bears, and monkeys all within an hour or so walk through the zoo.  The Abilene Zoo is a real treat here in West Texas.  San Angelo doesn't hav... 01/11/2011

Is HOME STAGING Boring?    If you have been at a Toastmaster meeting, you may have learned that  the worst thing you can do as a speaker is to  be boring.  But if you have heard some of my speeches, well some times I am BORING.  At my best, I am witty and funny and charming, okay I am getting carried away with my self.  I'll need to go in for an EGO adjustment soon along with my other therapies.  Back to topic:   Is HOME STAGING Boring? YES!  Here's why!  Staging is not DECORATING.  Decorating is one person's taste, one person's idea of how their surroundings should look.   Decorating is very personal while staging is impersonal, to appeal to the most  buyers possible.   In this months House Beautiful, there is an article showing a very neutral living room, complete with taupe walls, lo... 01/03/2011

THE LINK TO MY MOST POPULAR BLOG IN 2010 ABOUT SHOWER CURTAINS DOESN'T WORK FOR ME IN MY PREVIOUS BLOG. My computer gives a message that that blog # doesn't exist.  Don't you love computers that think they know better than you?! I'm STILL alive and well, I promise.  My computer may not be or my knowledge of the computer may not be well.   I'm one of those people I don't read the directions until I absolutely have to.  I will figure it out later, but for now, click on my name or "Abilene"  or "Taylor County" and enjoy scrolling down my 2010 and 2009 blogs. Enjoy!  Beverly   Any questions about home staging, call 325-721-2429. 01/02/2011

HERE'S THE LINK TO MY MOST POPULAR BLOG WRITTEN IN 2010, WHICH  GOT 1513 VIEWS,  I guess there's a lot to love about shower curtains!   http://activerain.com/blogsview/1713711/shower-curtains-and-staging-   My most popular blog to date was actually written in 2009 entitled "If you can smell it, you can't sell it."  It got   2990 views!!!   I would like to give credit to Barb Schwarz, the CEO of www.stagedhomes.com as this saying is in her staging training material.    Any questions about home staging in Abilene, call Beverly at 325-721-2429,      The photo below is one of my favorites, showing an ordinary "3rd bedroom" transformed by staging as a home office. This home was staged and had a contract in a month and closed in under 2 months from the day of staging in in 2010.     01/02/2011

Okay I admit it, just want to see the counter of # of blogs roll over to 125.  The good news after 12   weeks of medical treatment, I am feeling pretty normal, well I may be exagerating a bit there, pretty close to pretty normal.  I am splurging big time staying up late.  but it is New Years Eve.  I have a consistent pattern of making New Years Resolutions and then breaking them.  God decided to fix me this year so I can keep my New Years Resolutions. God had a different idea for me this year. He has blessed with a decided priority and that is to thank Him for all my wonderful friends and family who have surrounded me with love and support.   #1 resolution is to Thank my friends and family for their love and support during  my time of illness. #2 resolution is to to trust God for my eve... 12/31/2010

  Have You Actually Told a Buyer They Don't Need to Have an Earnest Money Deposit? It's one of those passing rules you hear the robot voice say in your continuing education class but somehow you pass over it like nothing and move on to the new tax laws and equal housing rules. But in most states buyers don't actually have to have real money to put down as an earnest money deposit. Have you ever told a buyer that? Probably not. What would Mr. or Mrs. Seller think if you brought an offer with absolutely no money down to secure the offer? What would they say? Several years ago, sellers would laugh in your face if you offered them a no earnest money buyer. What security is that? But now? Would a buyer's offer be accepted if there were no earnest money deposit but a full and solid offer to b... 12/28/2010

I bought some paint for the exterior trim on a rental house and 25 percent discount helps! Painting is the least expensive way to spruce up curb appeal and protect your investment all at the same time.   Additionally,  I understand Lowes will give a 10 percent discount to veterans tomorrow for those who are also veterans.  Happy Veterans Day to all who are Veterans! I'm still available for staging consultations.  Give me a call and see how I can help you stage your home to sell. 11/10/2010

Here are the results of what a little staging rearrangement and decor can do for a home.   BEFORE STAGER ARRIVED!                                   AFTER STAGER ARRIVED AND   AND AFTER STAGING FOR PHOTO SHOOT!     Kitchen corner window is delightful!   MORE KITCHEN NOW CLUTTERFREE and minimal decor needed!     and now another secret,  I turned the dining table (which is really too big for space - let's not  tell anybody that) but really looks much better now!      For help with all your staging consultation needs, call Beverly who has been professionally staging Abilene Homes for over five years.     10/21/2010

I'm still trying to figure out a catchy title for this post and maybe it will come to me and maybe it won't. If you are a home seller in Abilene, TX, then you need to know what I am going to say - that is if you need to get the equity out of your property any time soon. If you are a market tester, a lookee loo, or  have millions already socked away in the bank, then this blog is NOT for you.  Read a book, take a nap, take a cruise, ignore this information. Staging your home is as important to selling your home as mowing the grass is to showcasing your front yard.  You wouldn't not mow your grass would you, if for no other reason, you can be ticketed by the city for tall  grass.  Staging your home is as important to selling your home as is fixing the leaking faucet.  Of course you fix th... 09/26/2010

On this pleasant, rainy Saturday afternoon, the mail man brought me my "TEXAS REALTOR" right to my door. One of the things I love about living in an older home in an established Abilene neighborhood is that the mailboxes are by the door and no having to go to the mailbox in the rain!   The TEXAS REALTOR features an article called:  How do you compare? One of the measures and this is the first time I have seen this is about real estate blogs:   The article says the following realtors Have a blog                         13 percent Do not have a blog               73 percent   Do not  have a blog but plan to in the future         14 percent   Woohoo, Texas Realtors who blog are in the top 13 percent!!!!   Another article I enjoyed reading was "How to improve your negotiateion skills by Ric... 09/25/2010

I just got back from Galveston.  Yes, I did swim in the ocean, but that's not why I went.  No, I didn't get any donuts this time.  I was there for business, business I tell you!  REALTORS® from across Texas went to Galveston for this year's Texas REALTORS® Convention and Trade Expo.  I represent TAR Region 2 as Regional Vice President for the area which includes Abilene, San Angelo, Sweetwater, Brownwood, Stephenville, and Wichita Falls. The event featured dozens of education sessions, social events, networking opportunities, and fun. My friend, Dwight Hale of San Antonio was sworn in as the 2011 Texas Association of REALTORS chairman of the board. Our area's Norman Dierschke of San Angelo was presented with the Distinguished Service Award at the Board of Directors Meeting. This award i... 09/21/2010

Anybody that has been out in the afternoon of Abilene, TX lately knows why it is the dog days of August or is that the dog days of Texas?  Anyway it has been hovering near a 100 for days now or is that weeks now???  I know why it is called the dog days, because the dogs I see at Rose Park are panting.  Even my cat not wanting to be left out pants in this heat.    All these hot days are good for are curling up on the couch with a good read.. Oh, wait, that's my excuse in the winter!  Right now I am reading Second Glance by Jodi Picoult.  School is just around the corner and where did the summer go?  Going back to school was always an exciting time in my younger life.  There was always the lure of new shoes, sometimes a whole new outfit or two, and a new notebook and school supplies.    L... 08/14/2010

Abilene High School is getting some bad press lately due to federal and state classification and ratings of academic standards and progress. When all the hype and hysteria slows down, it seems to boil down to that not quite enough Hispanic students made it all the way to high school graduation. Doesn't this smack of singling out a certain ethnicity?  In the housing market one can not steer to homes based on ethnicity.  But our schools are being evaluated and in the process singling out  an ethnicity.   Lumping all persons in one classification doesn't honor the great heritage of America of rigorous individualism and the desire to be evaluated on one's individual merit.   There is a potential scapegoat affect if one ethnicity gets blamed as the group that ruined a high school's academic ... 08/06/2010