New Secret Weapon to Sell a Home Fast Include Green Features

For Immediate Release Contact: Norma Lehmeier Hartie

914-739-8966 norma@HarmoniousEnvironment.com

To sell your home fast in a buyer's market, the most important factor is pricing the home correctly. But, once that's done, the seller must make their home stand out positively in other ways. It is a given that your home is clean, clutter-free, and looking its absolute best. Adding green features and making ecofriendly improvements are the hot new ways to make your home stand out over others to sell it quickly and for the best possible price.

According to Carson Matthews, associate broker and EcoBroker in Atlanta, green certified homes are selling closer to the list price in a much shorter time period than non-certified homes are selling. In 2009, the average green certified home sold in 106 days compared to the non-certified average of 186. While these figures are for the Atlanta market, anecdotal evidence suggests the same holds true in other markets.

Supporting the concept that green features sell homes are the results of Better Homes and Gardens' "Next Home Survey for 2010," which reveals what consumers want in their next home and their overall priorities for home improvement projects. An astonishing 87 percent of respondents said a greener, more energy efficient home is a priority.

Learn which green improvements to make and all the other secrets to selling your home quickly in 9 easy steps with the new book, Sell Your Home Fast in a Buyer's Market: Secrets from an Expert Green Feng Shui Staging Designer. The book reveals how to create a home that buyers desire and want to buy. The steps include what it takes to make the seller's home look and feel great—tips that will sell the home. The book also provides information on selling the home for the best price. It is the first in its subject to address the hot new sought-after green home improvements and features to sell the buyer's home fast

"Sell Your Home Fast in a Buyer's Market is a must for anyone selling their home in today's tough economy. In addition to exploring the importance of pricing your home right, staging, de-cluttering and Feng Shui, Hartie advises what eco-friendly improvements to make that will appeal to buyers. I highly recommend this book if you want to sell your home quickly and for the most money possible."

Barbara Corcoran, Real Estate Mogul, Business Consultant and Speaker

Norma Lehmeier Hartie is the author of Harmonious Environment: Beautify, Detoxify & Energize Your Life, Your Home & Your Planet, which was The Grand Prize Winner of The 15^th Annual Writer's Digest Book Awards, Best New Non-Fiction USA National Best Books 2008 and a Finalist in your
Book of the Year Awards. Hartie is a graduate of Sarah Lawrence and Parsons School of Design and has been an interior designer for over 20 years. She is the creator of the practice of Harmonious Adjustments™. Ms. Hartie resides an hour from NYC.

Sell Your Home Fast in a Buyer's Market: Secrets from an Expert Green Feng Shui Staging Designer by Norma Lehmeier Hartie.

ISBN: 978-0-9779633-1-7 Softcover * Real Estate * March 9, 2010 * 232 pages * $19.95 * 6" x 9"

Lingham Press, http://www.linghampress.com

The Most Popular Home Features in Different Regions

Wendy Transon Broker, Re/MAX Winning Edge

Certified Residential Specialist (CRS), Accredited Staging Professional (ASP), Seniors Real Estate Specialist (SRES), Accredited Buyers Representative (ABR)

Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Condition is critical in today's market. With such an extensive inventory of homes available to current buyers, if your home isn't in top condition, buyers will move on to the next property. Most of today's buyers don't have the time, energy or inclination to make significant repairs. In addition, if the home feels beat up, with needed repairs readily evident, a buyer will wonder what additional repairs may be needed that are beyond what they can see. It will reduce their level of confidence in the home.

• Spacious kitchens, with granite or quartz counters and natural wood cabinets. The kitchen remains the epicenter of the home, and buyers, regardless of price range, want large workspaces, ample storage and light-filled rooms. Most buyers also prefer a kitchen that is open to the breakfast area and family room, for effortless flow and ease in entertaining.
  
• A room that can be used as an office. The home office has, to a large extent, replaced the living room as a "must have" space in the home. Most popular is a first-floor room with French doors that can be used as an office, sitting room, music room or other. Other buyers are content to have an upstairs room, whether extra bedroom or otherwise, to use as an office. What's key is having such a space in the house.
  
• A "mud" or laundry room. Buyers in our market love space to organize the clutter, store the backpacks, drop the shoes and ditch the coats. A separate mud room or laundry room located off the garage is very popular with buyers for this reason.
  
• A place to take in the outdoors. Whether a deck, patio or screened porch, having a dedicated space to relax and entertain outside is increasingly in demand. Screened porches are particularly popular in our area; with our temperate climate, they can be enjoyed year round and in addition, keep out those pesky mosquitoes. Among higher-end homes, we're also seeing greater use of dramatic outdoor hearths, stonework patios and grill stations.
  
• Bountiful natural light. Buyers are increasingly requesting open, bright spaces. An abundance of windows, great flow among rooms, and high ceilings are all popular with buyers in our area.
  
• Universal design features. With the aging of the population, and the recognition that universal design benefits homeowners of any age, features such as low threshold entries, levered doors, wide hallways and first floor master bedrooms are increasingly popular.
  

Wayne Kohl

ReMax Broker, CRS, GRI

Greeley, Colorado 80634

Kitchen and bathrooms are the two keys to selling homes. Kitchens should be open, light, bright, warm and inviting. The kitchen island, eating area, granite countertops, along with upgraded appliances are very popular. Another trend in kitchens is to change the cabinet finishes on the island to make them different but complimentary to the other cabinets.

Master bathrooms are the other item of high resale. The popularity of a separate shower from the tub is very popular. A make up area for morning preparation is also a hot item along with upgraded counters of granite or tile. Dual shower heads and jetted tubs are also very popular.Philip Kent Kiracofe
resident, Manhattan Association of REALTORS

New York City

Years in business: 6

Stainless steel refrigerator and dishwasher, exotic stone or granite counters, an island kitchen, lots of glass and stone in the bathroom, earth-tone soft colors, open floor plans combining living rooms with kitchen and dining area, workout space, and sleek modern fixtures are all very popular features.

Melissa Galt

Lifestyle Expert/Speaker/Author

Highlands, North Carolina

Years in business: 5

Women are the primary decisions makers and look for:

• Up-to-date bathrooms
  
• Up-to-date kitchens
  
• Ample storage
  
• An inviting color scheme (it doesn't have to be builder beige, but not grape or Caribbean blue either!)
  
• Clutter free, including closets
  
• Tailored window treatments as in blinds, shutters, woven woods (ditch the ruffles, flowers, and loud prints)
  
• No smell or an inviting smell (get rid of the pet scents, the mustiness, and others)
  
• Layers of light (this goes way beyond overheads which are best used for cleaning, but creating pools of light draws people, invites and welcomes)
  
• Well laid out furniture for family and friends
  
• A place to hide the TV
  

Men look for:

• Ample garage
  
• Basement build-out opportunities
  
• Man cave options
  
• A place to showcase the TV!
  

Introduction to Sell Your Home Fast in a Buyer’s Market, Continued

Buyers are also looking to move into a home in pristine turnkey condition. "Turnkey" means that the home is ready for occupation, that no changes are necessary for the new owners. Many families are already overwhelmed with children and jobs and have neither the time nor extra money to make changes. Make your house completely turnkey and priced right and it will sell quickly.

Ways to make your home eco-friendly will also be found throughout the book. A green home, you will discover, is healthier for you and the environment. Eco-friendly features are also becoming increasingly sought after by buyers.

You may be familiar with the concepts of "staging" and Feng Shui. The term "Home Staging" was coined by a woman named Barb Schwartz, who understood that a clean, organized home without the seller's "memories" sold faster than ones that were left untouched. I depart from traditional staging in that I don't like the literal "staging" part, as it seems fake. Instead, you will discover how to create an environment that feels and looks authentic. You will create a home that feels like a sanctuary. Buyers will gravitate to your home because it looks and feels so good. They will want to step into the lifestyle that you have created. Furthermore, you can apply what you learn about making your home look and feel good to your next place.

I have studied and practiced Feng Shui for many years, and if you are familiar with the practice, you will see principles of Feng Shui applied in this book. You will discover the importance of how energy flows throughout your home and how the placement of objects will help sell your home. Specific Feng Shui principles will help you get the most money possible for your home.

Central to understanding how to sell your home quickly is to understand what it is the buyer does when they shop for a home. When a buyer looks at a home, they invoke four senses:

• Sight
  
• Sound
  
• Smell
  
• Sixth sense: "how it feels"= the energy of a place
  

This book will explore the many ways to make your home delight the buyer's senses. When all four senses are positive, your home will sell quickly.

Currently, the overwhelming majority of buyers shop online for homes, finding places they will ask their agent to see. Buyers are not going to ask to see homes that don't look great, so it is crucial that you make your home look as inviting as possible and that good photographs are taken.

I wanted this book to be as current as possible, with input from real estate professionals working in this economy. Therefore, in 2009, I interviewed dozens of agents, staging professionals, interior designers, mortgage bankers and others in the real estate field around the country. They are quoted throughout the book for their expertise.

Keep in mind that above all other matters, price is the key factor that will sell your home and Step 2 is devoted to the subject.

To sell your home in a buyer's market, it is a given that it must be clean, clutter-free, and looking its absolute best. Additionally, you will need to decide what upgrades, home improvements and appliances to buy based on comparable homes in your market. For instance, it makes no sense to put a professional grade refrigerator, granite countertops and top-of-the line cabinetry in the kitchen you are selling if you own a starter home.

Making upgrades using eco-friendly choices will give your home a competitive advantage over similar homes in your market. Your home will sell faster than the competition because buyers are seeking out what is now becoming increasingly desirable. As the trend toward "green" renovations grows, buyers will feel as though they are hip for buying a home that features these cutting edge upgrades.

If you read and follow the advice in this book, you might end up transforming your house or condo into the home of your dreams! In fact, this book has a dual purpose--as a designer, my hope is that this book both helps sell your home and enables you to create your dream home in your next place. So, think about the project you are about to embark on—selling your home—as practice for your next place!

Instead of viewing this process as a chore, consider it a life-changing adventure. Once you have created the space that will sell your home, you will experience what it is like to live in it; even for a short period of time. You will understand what it is like to reside in a really clean, clutter-free, organized space with vibrant energy. If you are like most people, you will feel liberated, be more organized and calmer with less stuff in your life.

You can choose to read the book in its entirety and then do the work, or read and do the work Step by Step. Preparing a home for sale can be overwhelming. Try to give yourself plenty of time to get your home ready and focus on the task at hand, instead of worrying about everything that needs to get done.

9 Steps to Sell Your Home Fast

This is the first post for my new blog, 9 Steps to Sell Your Home Fast! In the future, I will be posting tips on how to do just that, as well as excerpts from my soon-to-be-released book on the same subject.

My name is Norma Lehmeier Hartie, and I am an award winning author and an expert in Green Feng Shui Design.

Future postings will include cleaning, clutter removal and clearing tips; green home improvement and features to add to a home to sell it; Feng Shui and staging tips; creating great curb appeal and more!

Email me at: norma@HarmoniousEnvironment.com or sign up for newsletter to get notification of book release.