Faith is the power to believe in what is true or our ability to receive the truth. Did Columbus know for certain the new world would be waiting for him? No, but he had faith in what was true for him – that there was a world to be discovered beyond the ocean -and he acted on it with full faith and conviction.

Power comes when we look forward with the hope of expecting the best outcome. Faith equals power.

What does faith have to do with selling your home? Everything. The only difference between a good outcome and an unsuccessful one is faith. You have to be Columbus. Believe in the new world. Your new world. See yourself travelling to your new home. Imagine how it will feel when you are all settled in. Picture yourself excited and content with the change.

Are you saying to yourself, “but how do I know that will be the outcome?” Ah, that’s where faith comes in. By your thoughts you are creating the result. Your thoughts create your future.

Perhaps Columbus had a vision. What else would have propelled him so far away. What else would have enabled him to convince and persuade others to support and finance his vision?

Does your vision have to be as grand? No but it can be. It can be whatever is true for you.

See yourself pulling up the For Sale sign in your yard and putting it in the garage. Imagine you are signing the back of the check you received at closing. Picture yourself in your car driving to your new home. What does it look like?

One of the best kept secrets to selling your home is having faith. In fact I think it’s the only one that truly counts. When you do everythng with faith and a positive expectation, you will get results. So go buy that new can of paint. Know it’s one sign of your belief your home will sell!

One of the trickiest home decor challenges in your home is making your bed. When you are staging your home for sale, the master bedroom is a key component.Buyers are looking for the “wow” factor in this room. They want to be wooed and seduced!

Staging the master bedroom is essential to get buyers to make that emotional connection to your home. When they walk in, what do you think they want to see? Not your messy bed! Oh no, you have to not only make your bed every day while your home is for sale, but you need to make sure your bedding is fresh, updated and CLEAN. Think luxury hotel. That’s the vibe you want.

Thought I would share with you this other great article from houzz. It not only shows you how to make your bed but it will give you some good ideas for blanket and throw placement as well as the best pillow arrangements.

Your master bedroom will help sell your home. Study and learn. Not only will making a perfect bed give you the edge in selling your home, but you may just enjoy staying in your luxury hotel!

One of the features of our Secrets of a Stager Home Staging Kit is our Do This Not That Guide. We show  you photos of what NOT to do when you are selling or staging your home for sale.

We’ve all heard that picture are worth a thousand words, but when you’re selling your home they are the most important aspect of selling your home successfully. Over 90% of buyers shop online and you have that one chance to make a great first impression.

Here’s an example of a home currently listed for sale for $344,000 that was randomly chosen on realtor.com.

Two first impressions:

1. Photos are not professionally taken and do not represent the home well. If you are taking photos with only natural light and you shoot towards a window you will get a dark photo with bursts of glare. It’s really important to have additional lighting or at least turn on all available lights to counteract the glare coming in from the windows.

Photos taken from odd angles do not help online buyers see the room. A wide angle lens on your camera is invaluable at capturing a wider angle and making your rooms look larger.

The room with the small antique table and contemporary desk needs to be staged. I would remove the small table and re-take the photo to make the room look larger.Even with lights on this room seems dark.

Another tip is take photos on an overcast day to minimize glare from windows.

2. The window treatments in the dining room are very taste specific and distracting. I would remove the “hankerchief” valances while the home is for sale.

I’m sure this is a very nice home, but the photos do not entice because they are dark and somewhat blurry.

You’ll find a lot more DO this NOT that tips in our SOS Home Staging Kit.

In a lot of homes I visit I see that it only takes some very simple changes to make a big difference. When you are getting your home ready to sell and thinking about how to stage it to sell, one idea to keep in mind is fresh.

Fresh means new or different ways to look at your home and how it’s decorated. Fresh means finding an easy way to update the way your home looks and feels and by doing that, you help it to sell.

Remember how you feel when you walk into a model home? It’s like a story that plays out in front of you. They show you exactly how you could live in the home by using all the little emotional triggers to get you to bond with the house. Toys in the childrens’ room, flat screen TV’s on the wall, perfectly matched bedding and towels.

I’d compare it to a hotel room times ten. All of the excitement of being in a new planned environment that reminds you to relax and have fun. You just bring your toothbrush and move right in.

Keep that in mind when you are staging your home for sale. The majority of buyers want to feel that way too. When they walk in your home they want to feel that excitement, the sense of fresh new possibility. Most important, they want to feel how it will be when they are living in your home. Will they be able to have friends over for movie night? Can they see being intimate in the master bedroom?

Or have you left your dirty towels hanging in the bathroom? Have you made it difficult or impossible for them to imagine how wonderful their life will be living in your home?

Smart sellers understand how important it is for buyers to have their model home fantasies.

Your homework this weekend: Go visit a few model homes and see how they do it. Take home a few ideas and tips and you’ll be on your way to selling your home by making a buyer’s fantasy come true.

One of the tricky parts of painting your home is doing the trimwork. Trim is anything that is not a wall. Doors, moldings, cabinets, stair rails etc.

Typically trim work is painted in a satin or semi or even high gloss paint because it gets the most wear. A paint finish with a slight sheen or gloss is going to repel dirt and fingerprints and is going to be easier to wipe clean.

Paints with sheen or gloss are a little more expensive than flat or matte finish paints but it’s well worth the investment. Trim painted with a gloss finish offsets a matte or flat wall finish very nicely and gives contrast.

Although it’s traditional to use a white or light cream trim, styles are changing and it’s now acceptable to paint your trim in a dark or contrasting color to your walls.

The trick to pulling this off is realizing you may only want to paint one room with an unusual trim color as painting it throughout the house may be too much visually. It also may be an issue if you are getting your home ready to sell. If that’s the case go with traditional white or bright white on your trim.

White trim contrasts very nicely with dark walls and woodwork and creates a clean crisp appearance.

How do you paint trim? Use your smallest brush and either a very steady hand or painters tape to tape off the walls surrounding your trim area. A brush with an angled tip makes it easier to cut into corners and tight spaces.

Should you use oil or latex (water based) paint for your trim?

The pros of oil based paint are:  Durable, durable durable.
The cons of oil based paint are: Have to clean with turpentine or cleaner, harder to clean up if spilled, odor. Takes longer to dry.

The pros of latex paint are: Clean with water, low odor, dries quickly
The cons of latex paint are: Chips easily if not applied correctly, not as long wearing as oil based

One thing to remember. Never paint latex based paint over oil or it may chip off.  Instead first sand and prime if you are painting over an old oil based finish before using water based paints. Same is true for the reverse. Oil based paints work better over latex but it helps to sand and prime first to make sure it bonds correctly. Here’s more information about paint from Bob Villa. Not sure if the paint you are painting over is oil or water base? Here’s how to tell.

So that’s all about painting for now. Remember if you are selling your home or staging your home, keep your colors fresh and neutral. It doesn’t have to be beige neutral but this is not the time to experiment with bright colors. You don’t want buyers to look at your walls and see all the labor it will take them to cover that bright paint!