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Let's get moving and home stage

Sherry Gallagher-Warden

The purpose of staging a home for sale is to sell your home quickly and get top dollar for doing so! The average increase in sale price of a Staged versus a Non-Staged home is 6.9% (www.stagedhomes.com/public/statistics.php, 2006). It's a bit like designing a stage for a play--everything is in just the right place; perfectly arranged, and comfortably set to impress potential buyers.
Making a great first impression is essential when it comes to selling a home because most people are looking for a home they can move right into without having to do a lot of work. Statistics show that a potential buyer decides to buy or not to buy a home in the first 3 to 5 minutes after walking through the door--I call this the "blink" factor.
The hardest part of preparing your home for sale will be realizing that it is no longer your home; it's now a 'product'. It can no longer reflect you. Therefore, it must be arranged and decorated so that the potential homebuyer can see him/herself living there. In other words, the way you live in your home and sell your home are two different things.
Preparing a house for sale starts from the curb and goes all the way through the house to the back yard. The fact is today's homebuyers can be very selective as to which houses they want to even take the time to see. The internet allows potential buyers to rule out houses by just looking at pictures online. They may choose to drive by several houses before deciding which ones they will visit. Here's just a sampling of helpful suggestions:           
1. Is your front door old, dated? Consider hanging a new door or at least paint the existing one.
2. Edit! Edit! Edit! It's important to remove obstacles that might distract potential homebuyers from actually "seeing" your home.
3. Remove all personal family photos--for two reasons--you want homebuyers to
envision themselves living there and for safety reasons--strangers will not know who lives there.
4.  Clean out all closets, built-in cabinets, and pantries. Pack at least half of       their contents away for your move. This gives the impression that your storage      areas are more spacious.
5.  Remove busy wallpaper. Repaint walls with neutral colors such as warm off-       whites, tans, taupes and/or soft golds.
It is a fact that homes which are properly prepared before they appear on MLS, sell faster and at a higher price than similar, unprepared homes. Remember, you only have one time to make a great first impression--Stage your home today!

ST. Patrick School
information night

St. Patrick School, 38 E. Water St. will be holding an information night Thursday, March 27 at 6:30 p.m. in room 206 for families and individuals who want to learn more about the school.
Academics, social and spiritual development will be addressed along with information concerning tuition, EdChoice Scholarships (vouchers) and financial assistance.
St. Patrick School is a parochial elementary school in Hubbard for grades K-8. the school is a full day Kindergarten program and offers small class sizes for individual attention for all students.
The school offers foreign language classes and computer classes for grades K-8 as well as several band programs and many other exciting programs.
For more information call the school at 330-534-2509 and visit www.stpatshub.com.

Exploration into the Prayer Mystery Seminar

The Prayer Shawl Ministry of Unity Church Centre cordially invites all interested people to attend the "Exploration into the Prayer Mystery" Seminar on Saturday, April 5 from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. at the Unity Church Centre in Girard.
The seminar will explore several aspects of the Shawl Ministry from: How to organize a Shawl Ministry, How to teach knitting techniques. Enhancing member's spiritual journeys through knitting.
The seminar is $15 to also participants which includes: breakfast, lunch and materials. You can either contact Lynn Denning at 330-539-0122 or visit the unity Church's website at www.unitycentre.org to obtain a registration form.

Annual Spring-Gas Up

Antique Tractor Club of Trumbull County will be having their Annual Spring-Gas Up on April 26 at the Tractor Supply Company, 3800 Elm Road, N.E., Warren, OH. The admission will be free. Displays of antique tractors and equipment with trophies for a variety of classes. Food on the grounds. Coloring contest and games for the kids for information call 330-638-8229 or write P.O. Box 722, Cortland, OH 44410.
For those interested in antique equipment, we have monthly meetings the 4th Tuesday, at the Ali Baba Grotto on Perkins-Jones Rd., Warren, OH off the route 5 bypass.