How should you arrange your living room furniture? 

What pillows and throws should you use with your sofa and chairs? 

What should you display on your built-ins? 

What should you place on your countertops? 

How should you stage your dining room table? 

What artwork should you display on your walls? 

What items should be removed from your home? 

We attend to all of these details for you, and many, many more as part of our standard home-selling process...Thank you Shelley Lazzareschi and Step Inside Media for your staging and photography, on display in these photos...

Staging is a key step in getting a seller’s home ready for professional photos and showings. But sometimes it just isn’t possible to leave behind furniture and decor during moving preparations. In these situations, we often suggest “virtual staging," which involves adding these items to each photo digitally.

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Virtual staging allows buyers to visualize how a room could be arranged and lived in. Including furniture in the image also makes most rooms feel bigger, ironically, as does traditional staging. 

We’re proud to work with Step Inside Media who consistently does a high-quality job selecting furnishings and color palettes that accentuate the beauty of each home. 

We’re always sure to include a note that a

One proven staging fundamental is to selectively move some items out of the home in order to create a clean and uncluttered look inside. Yesterday was an item removal day for these clients, and we made great progress on their staging plan.

Many thanks to Casey's Estate Cleanout Solutions for making this an easy process for our sellers. Casey and his team continue to be a wonderful resource for our clients as they prepare for their big sale.

You don’t need to sign a listing contract in order to start working on your sale. What you really need is a plan. And a good plan includes the following: 

#1) A professional market analysis that helps you select the right list price for your home. 

#2) A customized marketing plan, including staging and cosmetic updates, designed to attract multiple offers. 

#3) A clear understanding of the fees associated with your sale. 

Once you understand and approve of your plan, we get to work. The listing contract gets signed later. In the meantime, we get your home ready for the market. 

One way we can help you ease into the home selling process is to "stage your home in stages", or one room at a time. This photo serves as an excellent example.

Rather than stage the entire home all at once, we helped our new clients by completing the living room, dining room, and kitchen staging first. Staging these 3 rooms gave us plenty of beautiful photos to work with. 

Soon, we'll be marketing this property as a "coming soon listing" as we complete the rest of our staging -- ensuring we'll have plenty of buyers lined up to tour the home when showings begin. 

(photo by Step Inside Media with staging by Shelley Lazzareschi and Dan Miller)

Why do auto dealers detail a pre-owned car before putting it up for sale? 

The dealers know we love stepping into a car that's sparkling clean and free of blemishes. A detailed car gives us the feeling that it's been well-maintained and cared for, which translates into a higher price. 

These are the exact same reasons why we invest so much into the preparation of your home before it hits the market. Investing in staging, cleaning, repairs and simple cosmetic updates attracts more buyers to your sale. Buyers who write cleaner offers, and for prices that deliver a remarkable return on your investment. 

(Staging by Debbie Lea and Shelley Lazzareschi, photography by Step Inside Media.) 

We're excited to share that we're receiving excellent feedback from our sellers about Ann Bolden and her professional cleaning service. Ann is punctual, thorough, and an excellent communicator, too. 

To schedule your own visit with Ann's Cleaning, you can call Ann directly at 608-445-3645. 

Do you need help thinking through all of the steps leading up to your future home or condo sale? Reach out to your Mad City Dream Homes realtor for a helpful conversation. We're here to help. 

(photo by Step Inside Media, staging by Debbie Lea and Shelley Lazzareschi, cleaning by Ann's Cleaning Service)

We welcomed Wendy Broadhead from Benjamin Moore to a recent team meeting. Wendy is an expert color consultant who helps our clients find interior and exterior paint colors that make their home "sing" (as Wendy puts it). She updated us on 2024 trends and insights: creamier, 'boho' neutrals are in; nothing beats having wallpaper professionally hung; and green is nature's neutral. Thank you for your time, Wendy. We had fun learning from you! 

Do you have a color decision that Wendy may be able to help with? We'd love to connect you. 

(photo by Step Inside Media with staging by Debbie Lea and Alan Feder) 

Repairing, cleaning, and (when needed) replacing your carpet will improve your home's aesthetic appeal and maintain its market value. Here are a few carpet care contractors who have capably served our clients over the years. 

• Terry Buechner, for re-stretching rolled-up and "wavy" carpet. Call Terry at 608-212-8705. 
• Stephen Meyer at Phenomenal Carpet Care for all of your carpet cleaning needs. Call Stephen at 608-520-3085.   
• CTW Flooring (608-222-5071), Floors for Less (608-442-1200), and Coyle Flooring (608-509-9437) for new carpet selection and installation. 

As always, we are here to help you make the right connections for any type of project around your home. Call your Mad City Dream Homes realtor whenever you need a little help.  

We love helping each seller create a presentation that makes them feel proud of their listing, no matter the price point. With staging, cosmetic updates, photography, video, and professional marketing of the home and neighborhood -- we have so many wonderful opportunities to create a showcase listing. 

(photo by Step Inside Media with staging by Debbie Lea and Alan Feder)

Have you been wondering about the possibilities for your home? Contact us for a helpful consultation. We're here to help you plan for your future and prepare for an amazing return on your investment.