When you think about updating your home, maybe you think about granite counter tops? Flooring updates? Bathroom remodels?  While all of these updates can help you net more for your home, they also require cash up front.

What if you want to sell, but don’t want to put substantial money into these updates? Debbie Lea of Showcase Home Stagers says you can still improve your home’s visual appeal and perceived value. Debbie works with each of our clients, and her staging services are included as part of our marketing plan. Her innovative ideas, and eye for design have greatly enhanced our listings.

Debbie recommends looking at your home the way it will appear in the online listing. After all, your home’s online photos will be your first showing. Does

It's a common misconception that you have to show your home to generate interest from buyers.  We're finding that there are ways to attract buyers in the early stages of preparing a listing, even before your home is ready to show. Take, for example, a listing we have at 2 Thornhill Circle, in Wexford Village. Before the home was even officially ready to show, the sellers had eight showing appointments lined up.

How did this happen? We used an effective selling strategy:
1. Have a Professional Staging Consultation
2. Finish Staging the First Floor
3. Professionally Photograph the First Floor
4. Make the Listing Available on the MLS and Online
5. Continue Staging the Rest of the House
6. Have the Rest of the Home Photographed and Filmed
7. Open the Home for

You've heard the saying, "location, location, location" when it comes to real estate. Where your home is located matters, and highlighting the neighboring perks can go a long way when you're ready to sell.

When we work with sellers, we help them prepare their home for listing. This includes staging it, photographing it professionally, and highlighting the home's best features. But marketing the home doesn't end there. We also focus on the neighborhood. What parks or trails are nearby? Are there key restaurants, shopping or a library within walking distance? These features are important to buyers. They often won't even visit a home unless they are sold on the location.

 We recently listed a home in the Midvale Heights neighborhood. The home is

Have you ever watched those HGTV programs and wished your home could be updated? Do you look around your home and wonder how to transform it for greater appeal? If you know that your current home is temporary, you could benefit from services to improve your current property- and prepare it for a future sale. All the while, you can enjoy the decor and staging that was prepared for the future listing.

One of our clients chose to approach their home this way. Two years ago they had us in to walk through their property in Midvale Heights. We offered suggestions for improvements and helped them stage it to show its best features. They completed the updates, and we captured photographs of this home, well in advance of it ever listing. Now, two years later,

When you list your home, you want to generate as much interest as possible. We're finding that featuring your home's strongest photo, inside or out, is an effective way to grab buyers' attention. The traditional curbside photo is fine, but it doesn't always tell the strongest story for your home. You might have a stunning kitchen - like our listing in Westmorland. We had photos taken of both the kitchen and the exterior. As you can see, the home is lovely inside and out. In this case, we've featured the kitchen as the first photo in the listing, because buyers will be more excited about this feature.

A home we recently sold in Faircrest is in a similar situation. The home has a gorgeous, modern kitchen. The exterior is very nice and well kept - but

Listing your home doesn't require an overwhelming amount of work up front. You can plan and prepare, with enough time to complete needed projects well. If you prepare well, you should be able to sell it quickly in the current market, and for a great price. In order to make a listing successful, our team puts this marketing plan together in bite-size pieces:

1. Work with a Professional Home Stager. Your listing agent may offer to pay for this service. We do this as part of our marketing plan for all of our clients. The home stager can go through your property, rearrange furniture, relocate decor and offer you good tips for maximizing the beauty and functionality of your home. The stager can also recommend paint colors, flooring changes or new light

Let's face it. Winter in Wisconsin is long, cold, and, while often it is pretty, it's also messy. Trees are bare, landscaping is rarely visible, and your home can't have the same curb appeal that it has in warmer weather. Take this listing, for example. The home is in excellent condition and offers fabulous views. But the drab gray of winter keeps you from appreciating the rolling hills and beautiful views behind it.

In this case, we didn't have access to a previous season's photo. We posted interior photos first. The listing sold successfully, but it could have shown even better, with seasonal photos. That's why we recommend that you start a collection of exterior photos now. When you list your home, you'll be able to show it at its best, and create

Have you been considering a housing change? Maybe you've been in your starter home for a while, and you're ready for more space, and higher end amenities. This fall is the perfect time to make that change, with the best opportunity to both sell high, and purchase at a competitive price. Let me explain.

How the Starter Home and Move Up Markets Vary

There is a shortage of affordable housing in Dane County. Homes priced under $250,000 are selling quickly due to a limited supply of listings on the open market. For example, right now there are only 1.8 months of inventory in all of Madison. For homes in the $200,000 to $250,000 price range, there are only 1.4 months of supply. Homes that fall within this price range sell rapidly, and often at or

Killer listing photos motivate buyers to act quickly and schedule immediate showings. That's why our number one priority for every listing is to capture beautiful photos. Sometimes that means a second or even a third photo shoot is necessary to get the listing photos just right. This was the case with our new listing at 148 Inverness Circle in Bergamont. 

This home has some wonderful views of the surrounding countryside, but the weather during our first two photo shoots didn't cooperate. So we scheduled a third photo shoot and captured these beautiful balcony views. 

148 Inverness Circle Balcony Views

All of these panoramic views were captured from the back deck of the property.

148 Inverness Circle - More Exterior Photos

We

Selling your home is a big deal. Some of your most important personal and family goals hinge on the success of your sale. Of course you have a lot of money, time and energy on the line, too.  

Choosing the right real estate agent can make all the difference between having a positive and a negative home-selling experience. Below are 8 questions which will help you select the right agent for your sale. 

Listing Agent Question #1

Why are you in real estate? This is an open-ended question that has no one right answer. Hire an agent who has a passion for real estate that goes well beyond making a sale. For example, an agent may truly value the trust that is earned and the relationships that are built during the home-selling process. She might enjoy