I love researching home
décor topics, drafting and editing my blog posts, interacting with my readers, creating
unique DIY projects for home staging, and photographing whatever I think will
interest people staging their own homes.
This whole blogging idea wasn’t my own. It was my adult
daughter who suggested it.
“Mom,” she said, “You really ought to write a book
about home staging. I’ll help you get a blog up and running to sell it.” It
sounded so simple.
Life lessons are everywhere
I did not know blogging would grow to consume so much of my attention
and time. Any blogger knows what I am talking about. Most bloggers work hard. The
truth about blogging is that, as my hairstylist from years ago, Mister Charles,
told me about my hair, “Honey, the more attention you give it, the better it’s
going to look.” Life lesson.
My daughter knows me well. She knew I would embrace the
challenge of self-imposed deadlines, and of creating original copy and images.
She knew how I always loved making a home more livable, more beautiful. Every
house we lived in was always being re-arranged and tweaked. On a shoestring.
When I began investing in real estate, she watched how I turned properties no
one else wanted into hot sellers.
I always looked forward to the next flip. And I always made
money.
Although I had plenty of my
own ideas, I also researched what home stagers, designers, decorators, color consultants, organizers, and remodelers had taught, and I put
a more practical spin on all of that.
I added what I had learned in the construction
industry, in the real estate field, in advertising and magazine editing, and in
a lifetime of crafting, decorating, painting, gardening, and sewing. I didn’t
pick this stuff up in a book.
My staging books aren't glossy, full-color, hardcover
books of eye candy. They're eBooks, so that means you can access it immediately
as soon as you download it. You can read it on your computer.
You don’t need a
Kindle or a tablet. You can print it if you wish, but the home staging one is over 150 pages, so
you probably won’t print that one.
My books are full of nuts and bolts advice. Maybe some of it will be
familiar to you. I give you all the professional shortcuts to effective cleaning
and organizing. I give you foolproof formulas for furniture arrangements. I
give you ideas for filling wall space, arranging furniture so rooms look big, making no-sew pillows, and creating the
features that buyers want and need, that unlock your home’s hidden assets, no
matter what your budget or decorating skills.
All for just $4.99!
That’s the price of each eBook. Talk about a return on your investment!
And for the record, I don’t ask you to buy power tools or
have exceptional DIY experience. I don’t send you to Target and IKEA with a
long shopping list of cute and trendy accessories. What I do give you is tips
you don’t find elsewhere.
Maybe you don’t need to read the pointers on hosting a
profitable garage sale. Maybe you don’t need to know tips for selling an historic
home, a mobile home, or a home on the water. Well, you can just skip those
sections. The table of contents is hyperlinked to every section; jumping around
in my home staging book is easy!
Here's what others have told me
"Just wanted you to know
that we sold after 12 days on the market. Buyers wanted our house so much they
didn’t quibble about the price or terms. What a blessing and a big relief.
Thank you for putting us 'in the driver’s seat.'" – Harvey and Alicia
B.
I’m so glad I went
ahead and downloaded your book. Thanks for making the advice you give so clear
and well organized. No wasted words or self-promotion! Love that!" -- Katherine S.
"I thought I knew how to
stage my home because I’d watched enough HGTV. LOL. But I ordered the books
anyway, because I like what I’ve read on your blog. I have to say, the book’s
opened my eyes to what can be done without wasting money. These are really
great ideas, ones that are practical and frugal instead of pie in the sky. I
can’t hire a team of workers to stage my home. But now I know how to do it
myself!" -- Paige Marie A.
"Barbara, I used your No
Sew Window Treatment Book to make window coverings in three bedrooms, and
everyone is really impressed with the difference they make, especially my Realtor. These rooms needed draperies bad, but I didn’t have money for
anything fancy. I followed your directions for using fleece to make ones that looked full and luxurious. I didn't spend much money or time! I’m delighted. Thank you,
thank you!" -- Kim G.
"I’ve just done a quick
look though the book I ordered, and I can see that I’ll be picking up new ideas on every page... just the kinds of things I can handle on
my own to make my home show better… Now, I have a new boost of confidence that
I’ll be able to get the price I want!" -- Andrea K.
"My house sold the first month it was on the market, and
similar homes are not selling. I didn’t underprice. What made the difference
were the simple changes I made after reading your book – arranging furniture,
choosing paint colors, what to hide, what to show off, cheap decor, and too many other small tips that put the house over the top. Buyers
were SO happy to have found a move-in ready property." – Shelly L.
"Congrats to you on a
successful staging book. I read it cover to cover and learned all I needed to
know to transform my condo into something sale-able! I made more money
that I ever made." -- Samuel G.
"…Should be required
reading for all home sellers. I recommend it to all my (real estate) clients. Makes my job so much easier." Kelly M.
"We were near foreclosure on our townhouse. We were desperate. We didn’t have a staging budget which I was told was needed if we wanted to get out and not lose our investment. The money we spent on your ebook saved us hundreds if not thousands of dollars. I was able to make improvements using your techniques (and I am not a handy or crafty person!) Happy ending, we got a purchase offer at the first open house. We close in three weeks. We can pay off my mortgage and have the money we wanted to move." – Ari K.
"As a real estate
broker, I won’t work with a seller who doesn’t buy your DIY home staging book.
It fills a real need. I applaud your efforts, and I have seen the
results!" -- Charles P.
"I’ve been reading your
blog in preparation for selling our home. It’s been an education for me because
I’ve never sold a home before. My husband helped me get our house ready to
sell, and sell it did after just three weeks. It looked awesome after following
your rules. We hated to move, but we now have the money to buy our dream home." – Crystal and Allen H.
"I’d recommend your staging book to anyone trying to sell a home. Competition is tough in our area, so we knew we had to outshine the comps…Your book showed us how, and we were able to do it on a tight budget. We were able to put the profits toward fixing our new home the way we want it. We’re even using some of the same ideas there, too!" -- Libby
"My home was on the
market for seven months, Not one offer so I bought your book I found out
there were plenty of small things I could do to improve things, just little things that were keeping my house from
standing out. I made changes in each room. I painted my front door and updated
the bedding. I rearranged some furniture. I boxed some things for
storage. I was able to sell two weeks after I finished staging according
to your suggestions. -- A.M.J.
"I hate to move from my house now that it looks so nice! It's gorgeous, thanks to your book. We are closing next week." -- Melinda
You could be next
These quotes above are from actual emails when readers took the trouble to write and tell me how much they appreciated the eBooks. They love to tell me when a home is sold!
Would you like to be signing that purchase offer on your house soon? Would you like to relax, knowing that a buyer has fallen in love with your home? That you can move on to the next chapter of your life?
I have been there
I know what it’s like to wait for an offer, and I know that
if you’ve staged your home with confidence, knowing that your home is all that
it can be in a competitive market, the wait is easier. And the sale comes
faster!
You could even leave the closing table with money in your
pocket, because the right kind of staging is both frugal and profitable. Your
home will sell for more money than your competition that isn't staged.
Think about it: every home is already staged, whether it’s
intentional or not. If your intent is to sell your home and to stage it
yourself, you need my eBook.
I love to text my daughter every time I sell another eBook.
She knows how proud I am of both my eBooks. Almost as proud as I am of her.
Okay, that’s an exaggeration.
Go
here now to instantly download both of my books. And let
me know when you sell your home, so I can add my personal congratulations to
you on a job well done. That’s why I blog, for you and for myself.