Staging Strategies-Begins with......

Landscaping- Many of the homeowners that I helped have update their homes on the inside with luxury finishing touches. When selling your home for maximum value- you must have those sizzle features. When bacon sizzles on a frying pan- the aroma makes me think of only good and delicious thoughts. First, you have to get the pan, than turn on the heat, put the bacon on the pan, and then enjoy. It is a process, like staging your home.

The bacon may be your new granite counter tops, new floors, or closet system, and the buyer will notice those touches, however if the stage is set with curb appeal than your buyers will walk in, smell the aroma and think only good thoughts. But without the curb appeal- you just have bacon, uncooked, greasy, no aroma...bacon.

Remember the curb appeal- it is an absolute essential.

Lakeland Estate Homeowners

We have been invited to speak at the Lakeland Estates Homeowners Meeting on April 27th 2:00 P.M. at the International Harvester-

My Topic will be "How to update your home and not lose your money"

• Raise the roof
• Knock Down Walls
• Remodel your kitchen and bathroom
• Add a master bathroom
• Landscaping (New mulch, trim the hedges, and green grass (curb appeal)
• Smooth Ceilings
• Paint Walls-
  
• Visit Model Homes
• Put in Wood Floors (Laminates and Tile)

The homes in Lakeland Estate range in age from 30 years old to brand new and we will cover how to the older homes can take advantage of the new construction prices.

State of the Market Jan- March 24th

Here are the stats for Lakeland Homes this quarter:
26 Pending Contracts with an average price of $352,145
36 Sold Properties at an average price $257,392
Active Properties For Sale
31 Homes for sale between $500-$1.2 Million
147 Homes for sale between $250,000-$500,000
39 Homes for sale between $142,000-$250,000

Total 217 homes for sale in Lakeland

Lakeland- Year in Review

There are currently 180 properties for sale in the city of Lakeland with an average days on market of 127 and average price of $392,678.

There are currently 17 properties under contract or pending at an average sale of $270,000.

For the year- according to the MLS- Lakeland had 222 Sold with an average days on market of 65, and an average price of $306,276.

Wow- what a year Lakeland!!!

School Changes, Stonebridge for Sale, Change is good?

Change is constant! It touches everything in life and so change is affecting Lakeland. The school board will change the boundary lines for the elementary and middle schools for our kids in Lakeland. When I heard of these changes my first reaction was negative- only because I was in a comfort zone with regard to where my children were going to attend school. I didn't know anything about the Bon Lynn Middle School or Berret's Chapel Elementary school. We live in an age where information is available and we can become more informed about subjects in a shorter period of time than any other time in our history. www.scsk12.org is the website to find out the proposed changes- and it also features information regarding the schools- you can e-mail the principal and other staff at the schools. Stonebridge golf course is still for sale and so far no takers- but the city is currently studying the pros and cons for the city purchasing the property. Why Lakeland will update the information as soon as we know more.

Stonebridge- So much potential! What does the future hold for you!

As a resident of Lakeland, and specifically Stonebridge, I am in awe of the organization of our local Home Owner's Associations. On Saturday there was a meeting to find ways to better communicate news on crime, neighborhood watch reports, lost dogs, etc. The residents there had many ideas on the delivery and I am confident that we will find the right way. It is great to see a local community be pro-active in preventing crime by strengthening the communities. I believe that is vital for Stonebridge and Fairway Meadows to begin Home Owner's Associations in each community to organize and to have strength in numbers when it comes to decisions on Shelby County School re-zoning, the future of Stonebridge golf course, and keeping no city taxes.

Lakeland Parade of Homes

For those looking for new homes or those wanting great ideas on what to use when updating your homes- the Memphis Parade of Homes is in it's final weekend. The communities where you can visit these home are Oakwood, Cool Springs, Winstead Farms, and Ivy Creek. The hours are from 1-6 on Saturday and 1-6 on Sunday.

See you than-