Today we launched DeweesRentals.com. The site includes lots of information, pictures and videos about renting on Dewees Island, a suburb of Charleston, SC. Dewees is the island between the Isle of Palms and Capers.

In addition to covering many aspects of renting on Dewees, the site includes information on treating the natural environment on the island well.

DeweesRentals.com features 3 homes managed by Simplistate:

1. Home 55 – Across from beach access; pet friendly; sleeps 6 to 8
2. Home 67 – Oceanside, 2nd row; pet friendly; sleeps 6 to 8
3. Home 126 – Intracoastal Waterway and marsh view; pet friendly; sleeps 10 to 11

Please let agent Reggie Fairchild know if your interested in renting a home on Dewees Island.  You can reach Reggie at Reggie@simplistate.com or 843-259-1717.

Photo from AgentGenius - Real Estate Magazine by Russell Shaw

A real estate agent from Arizona has been having some fun with a blog called “Ugly House Photos.”  The blog covers houses that need a “bit” more staging.

After you get done laughing, consider that selling your house really is different than living in it. First impressions are important. Buyers are expecting that “Pottery Barn” look. Having an agent that can help you properly stage your house can make a big difference.

There is a way we live and a way we sell:

As a professional Home Stager and Realtor, I have seen my clients benefit from understanding this concept:  There is a way we live and a way we sell.  Often, these ways are very different.  Understanding this before putting your home on the market can help you tremendously by making your home selling experience less stressful and quite possibly, more profitable.  If you are thinking about selling your home, this article is for you.  In the next few months, I will provide helpful tips for every room of the house, but for now this foundational concept is important.

We live how we want:

One of the many privileges of home ownership is having the freedom to choose how our homes will look and function.  We are all able to express our individual personalities through our own design style and furniture placement.  Certainly, this is the way it should be.  Our homes should be an expression of who we are as individuals.  What works for me may not work for you and vice versa.  Some of us are very sentimental and hold onto everything, giving the home a more full accessorized look.  Others of us can’t wait to clean out our closets of anything we haven’t used that year.  A traditional style may be your preference while your neighbor may have a modern style in their home.  Having a colorful home may not be a big deal to you, but you may notice other people have painted almost every room of their house a different color.  Some of you find great joy in displaying family photos throughout your home and sharing the stories with friends and families when they visit.  Others of us have no personal photos at all.  We are all unique in “the way we live.”  Perhaps our unique way of living needs to be put on the shelf temporarily when we put our home on the market.  In general, a less unique and more neutral look may be helpful for marketing which brings me to my second point….

The way we sell may be different than the way we live because the home’s purpose has changed:

In looking at the second part of this concept, it is important to remember that just as there is a “way we live,” there is also a “way we sell.”  The purpose of your home changes as it goes on the market.  It becomes a commodity and it is extremely important to view and treat it as such.  It may mean you need to change your home’s personal style to reflect what most buyers are looking for.  It might involve painting a room.  Perhaps you might have to pack up some things earlier than you had originally planned.  This may be difficult, but if you can separate yourself emotionally from the home by reminding yourself that it is no longer yours and that you are moving to a new place, it will be easier.  Life will be back to normal soon enough and the more prepared you are, the greater chance your home will sell fast.  It is a given that the home must also be priced well, which is where a good Realtor comes in…

Consider getting help:

It is in your best interest as a home seller to hire a Realtor who understands the value of properly preparing your house for the market.  If you are already working with a Realtor, staging services are still available to you and are not as expensive as you might think.  People, who don’t mind doing some work themselves, can have a Staging Report done.  Mine start at only $99.00. Keep in mind that staging is not decorating and stagers are trained to know what changes are necessary to help sell the home and how to create important emotional connections with buyers.  As a Simplistate Realtor, when people list their homes with me, they will benefit from both intensive marketing strategies AND hands-on staging experience.  Every one of my listings gets the added bonus of free staging services and professional quality photos to help bring buyers to the home.  Stagers can make a move less stressful, assist in the packing process and help set up and decorate the new home.  For example, I staged one of my client’s homes in Mt. Pleasant that sold in about 30 days.  Afterwards, we drove to their new home in Columbia and set up and decorated it using the artwork and accessories we had purchased for the old home.  They are still very happy with the whole process.  They reaped the benefits of a faster sale and more money at closing.   It may be helpful for you to know that statistically, staged homes sell faster and for more money than non-staged homes.

Getting back to the way we live:

In conclusion, “the way we sell” is by viewing and treating our existing home as a commodity by preparing it properly for the real estate market.  Separating ourselves emotionally from the existing home by focusing on our new home can help relieve stress.  Our existing homes become simply a tool to help us get back to “the way we live” in our new abode, which will become uniquely, ours.  A great Realtor and a well prepared house can help you move faster and make more money at the closing table.

Please look for my staging tips in upcoming articles.  Meanwhile, if you have any questions, feel free to email me at cynthia@simplistate.com.

Home Buyers are often looking for a great school to send their kids to.  Top school rankings can help lift property values in an area.

The most recent U.S. News and World Report ranking of the Nation’s high schools, lists 4 high schools in the Charleston Area as among the best in the country.  Three of the schools are in Charleston County and one is in Berkeley County.

Top-Ranked Charleston County Schools

• Academic Magnet High School – Gold Medal
• Charleston County School of the Arts – Silver Medal
• Garrett School of Technology – Silver Medal

Top-Ranked Berkeley County School

• Cross High School – Bronze Medal

There are number of other excellent schools in the area, including public, private and charter school options.  I was surprised, for example, that Wando High School in Mount Pleasant didn’t make U.S. New and World Report’s list.  The Wando High principal was name National Principal of the Year this year.

For additional information, see the full report from U.S. News and World Report.

Also, check out the article in the Moultrie News about the top-ranked schools in Charleston County.

SmartMoney listed Charleston as one of the 5 real estate markets expected to do well in 2010.  Of course, doing well is all relative.  They’re expecting Charleston home prices to rise 0.18%.  That’s virtually flat.