Well that’s it. The bubble has officially burst, or at least it’s losing air. Everyone has said it would happen, and well, quite frankly, none of us wanted to believe it. Some cheered, others jeered and while still others were brought to tears. The housing market has been off the charts the last several years and it is finally starting to correct itself.

So, what do you do if you still need to sell? What if you still have a mortgage that is reflective of the heydays? What if you over financed ever so slightly? Perhaps you are a broker or investor sitting on too much inventory. This reminds me of the saying, ‘when the going gets tough, the tough get going." No, that does not mean they leave town, they just have to become more creative in selling their homes. What surprises me continually is that so few people are willing to do anything differently than before and yet they still expect everything to work in some sort of magical different way. This gives me pause.

As an investor, I need to move my inventory within the guidelines I have set for myself within my business plan. That means I am creative in every sense of the word. Not only do I offer creative financing, and marketing that would make even the greatest guru’s take a second glance, but I stage the heck out of my properties, regardless of my exit strategies.

Lately, staging seems to be a buzz word in the home industry. It implies that you hire a designer or a professionally trained stager to come in and make your home perfect. Now while I think a perfect home is lovely, I don’t think it is what sells a home. I know for a fact that my homes, and all of those that I stage or consult with, sell faster and higher because of my three staging secrets. I guess now you want me to tell me what those are… Well, let me give you a hint. Have you ever bought one of those candy bars at the checkout counter in the grocery store? If you have, what was your reason? Why did it appeal to you? How did it taste? When you can answer these questions with passion, you will be well on your way to understanding the secrets behind highly effective and very inexpensive staging.