This Month in Real Estate September 2011 has been released.

Jay Papasan goes over the numbers first. The home sales pace rate dropped to 4.7 million, dropping from a high last month of 5.1 million per August 2011 This Month in Real Estate. The pace dropped tremendously! 30 Year Fixed Rate Mortgages, according to Freddie Mac, averaged 4.15%, a drop from 4.5% last month. Median Price dropped from $184,300 to $174,000.

The Top Story discusses the three top things sellers do prior to selling their home.

1) Painting

2) New Flooring

3) New Lighting Fixtures.

Sellers spent on average twice as much updating a home while they lived there than they did to get the house ready to sell.

In News You Can Use, Bryon Ellington discusses Staging Your Home to sell.

According to surveys, houses that are staged tend to sell faster and for more money than those that are not.

What are some simple staging tips you can use?

A) Start with Curb Appeal. Make your house desirable from the moment a buyer steps onto the property.

B) Make sure the entryway is inviting and not cluttered.

The entryway, kitchen, and master bathroom tend to be the rooms that buyers make a decision based on.

C) Depersonalize your home! Bryon makes a good analogy of a hotel room. When you check in, you don’t want to think about the other people who have stayed there. Same with a home. Buyers want to imagine THEMSELVES there — not the current homeowner!

For more information on selling a house in Towson and a recommendation for a stager, contact me!