Ok....here's my take on it all....
don't plant bamboo! It will be fine and grow and screen and be very well behaved....then it will go like on steroids....and you will spend the next 5 years trying to keep it in bounds. that area of south Jersey is mild enough that bamboo really likes it and the soil sandy enough that it can really run. Plant arborvitae or privet hedge or lilacs....but not bamboo unless you plan to hire a gardener.

Staging? Best get the dog out of the house....take him with you....ask a friend to take him for the day....do nice things like set the table as for a meal....put your oven on warm and place some cinnamon and vanilla in a pan of water in the oven.
And make sure the bathrooms are clean!

The neck? Perhaps it's a combination of a new soap and the irritation of the seat belt.....get some OTC hydrocortisone cream and rub it in several times a day....see if that helps....mean while wear cotton turtle necks!
And that's all I know!
Linda C

Hi Linda.
The only bamboo fence I have seen is at a local bank close to my home and its about 8 ft tall-very lush!
I do not know if it belngs to the bank or the home owner.

Yes I read that it can go crazy and grow up all over the place which would be fine if my property backed up to the woods ect...I guess I am strugling with the boxy feeling of a wooden or composit fence.

You are right about the table. I keep the dining table set most days and I dress the kitchen table whn I have a showing (today LOL).
I recently picked up some large red wine goblets at a dollar store of all places. They make a nice addition to my dining table but now my candle sticks look dwarfed by the tall glasses. For the open house I was thinking about placing a water glass under the candles to give them the height needed. Also should I put water/water with a slice of lemon into the goblets or leave them empty??
I plan to get an assortment of pasties to display on the kitchen table to highligh the breakfast area idea.

As for my neck, I still think its a bite of some sort. I'll have Frank take a look later on. In the meantime I will take a kitchen towel with me when I drive and wrap the belt just for good measure.

Cheers!
Susie

I 100% agree with Linda C about bamboo. It's a weed and weeds are a PITA.

I agree no dog, I disagree about the scent of baking in the house. If your house smells like dog you might try to cover it up a bit by using pledge on your furniture, or something else that makes it smell like you cleaned but not that you're trying to cover up anything.

No water in the glasses and no pastries or other food out. Set the table, but simplify it, keep it uncluttered. Just take away the candlesticks if you think they will look dwarfed, don't add anything else. Take away, take away, take away. Don't add. Think setting the table for brunch or a simple lunch, not a fancy dinner.

And yes, get the dog off the property.

And take medications, jewelry, valuables with you or lock them away. Small things can walk away too easily.

Frank was watching a show on HGTV the other night-it was tips for selling...anyhoo the gal said not to do the "fresh baked cookie" thing. She said no strong smell at all...just fresh and clean.

I love candles but they are all packed away since we put the house up for sale...all but the St Joseph candle which has no aroma.

Since the cat box and dog crate are in the laundry room I will simply run the wash so the clothes go into the dryer just before the showing so the room smells like a dryer sheet.

Gosh I forgot about the valuables and drugs!! YIKES!!

As for staging I read somewhere that you should stage to attract the most buyers and that you have to know who your buyers will be. That being said I have a pretty good idea who is looking at my home. They are young, urban, minority, first time buyers. So how the heck do I use that info to stage my home??
I mean does it really matter to use decor that appeals to the MTV gemeration or does my own good taste suffice??

My own next door neighbor (Ben) fits that demographic and he LOVES my house!! I posted that he did look into buying it but had some other issues to tend to first.

When I do show the house I leave the music playing in the backround (low) I usually put on an easy listening station but perhaps I should choose an urban station??

I am so confused LOL!!

Cheers!
Susie

There are two types of bamboo, clumping bamboo and running bamboo. Running is the one the spreads fast, clumping expands its clump very slowly. We are in FL and have clumping bamboo on our perimeter landscaping and have had no trouble of it getting out of hand. So there are options. Some of the bamboo that I have is spectacular looking, like the yellow and black one but those are effective as specimens mostly.

The skin problem: you said it goes from the bottom of your ear, so I'm thinking it might be from an earring. I remember when a friend's daughter had a nickel allergy she had a red rash from her ear all the way down her neck. Any new earrings lately?

Hmmm....no allergy that I know of.
I wear 14k gold cz diamond studs as my every day earrings and I have not changed them in awhile.
The skin is tender to the touch but not painful. Its more like the tingle you get when you have a sunburn...where my bra strap lays its uncomfortable.

Its really a puzzle! LOL!

Cheers!
Susie

Susie, you might have the beginning of Shingles. Go immediately to a doctor and have it checked out. I mean TODAY. If it IS Shingles you need t get a prescription TODAY. Any delay can mean it will last longer and be more painful.

Susie, sometimes my skin gets sensitive for no seemingly good reason. Cortisone cream can help,give it a try.
About the house,I agree with Helene, no doggie in the house and no water in the goblets! Also if the candlesticks need a glass to prop them up, they're better put away.

Susie,
Scratch the idea of an open house. Realtors love them because they get to see prospective clients. Anyone seriously interested in looking at your home to buy, will make an appointment and go through with their realtor, taking their time and not having other people standing around and possilby making comments about your decorating, size of rooms, etc. Open houses are for the benefit of realtors, not sellers.
Bamboo is not a tree, it's a grass! The clumping is really quite nice. Whatever you plant for a screen, make sure it is evergreen (hollies?).
Go to the doctor with that painful itch. It isn't minor if it bothers you. Good luck with your house selling, your itch, and hug your dog for me!

Gina is right! The shingles med needs to be started within a certain time of an outbreak. I was thinking shingles as I was reading my way down here.

Go to an urgent care place immediately, don't wait for a Dr appt. Who cares if it isn't shingles...better to be safe. I've had them on my scalp and my DM is still getting over them.

Nancy

Doesn't shingles present with some sort of rash? Redness? Break in skin? I don't have any of that...this feels like a rug burn (don't ask how I know what that feels like LOL).

My mom had them on her face and she swelled like a balloon.

Yikes!!
Today is my wedding anniversary and I have a nice dinner planned followed by going over to the house to sign some papers....in fact Frank should be home any minute!!
I will call Dr Lou and see what he says.

The link below is from a webshots album which has some pics of this house...the dining room setting and kitchen setting are to the end of the slideshow.
BTW...I am not going to use most of those pics in the new listing...these were just me playing around with angles and lighting.

Cheers!
Susie

Here is a link that might be useful: link to slideshow

The very beginning of my bout with shingles there was itching but no rash or bumps yet. I thought it was a flea bite or something. But the tingly nerve endings (you said "tender to the touch") started and I just KNEW. I ran to the doctors office. (My doc wasn't in so I asked to see any available doctor immediately.)

The common places for shingles are the torso and the head/neck.

Susie I concur with some of the others, got to the doctor ASAP. Both my folks had terrible bouts with shingles in areas you describe. Mom said it felt like something was rubbing aginst her skin irritating it. Better safe than sorry.

As for bamboo, I am just not crazy about it, but if you like the look, be sure and go for the clumping kind. The spreading kind is a beast, I don't care what anyone says about "controlling" it! I teach about controlling it and I don't think you want to spend your free time in the yard fussing with your bamboo, do you? Maybe you just love it and don't mind, but otherwise I would think twice about it, it's not carefree. I planted a wild rose bush against my fence. It grew fantastically, and soon I was NOT very popular with my neighbors as my wild rose runners invaded her garden. And it was constant maintenance to keep them out of my own beds in areas I didn't want rose bush. The suckers seemed to invade almost overnight. A week or two off and I had to go to war to re-establish my borders. To me, it's just not worth it. There are lots of options for a living fence.

That said, I don't know anything about the clumping kind. I'd try and check some out at Morris Arboretum or Longwood Gardens or some such place. Here' an article on the bamboos from that "You Bet Your Garden" guy from Philly. Sounds like they might have some at Fairmount Park although I have no idea where.

Here is a link that might be useful: Good and Bad Bamboo

I agree 100% with Marlingardener. If I ever have to sell a house again I will NEVER agree to have an open house. They are merely a marketing tool for Realtors to gain new prospective clients. They very rarely actually sell the house that is "open".

You don't know who is going through your house, there is only one agent, so if there are a lot of "guests" they are going through your home unattended.

I am one of three people that I know personally who were burglarized shortly after having an open house for their home.

Not trying to scare you, just stating facts.

As for the rash....I think the others have that covered.

Linda

I don't know. My last house I bought after going to the open house. There must be cases like this or I'm sure they wouldn't waste all of that time. Scheduling to see certain houses is fine, but open houses allow a busy person or couple the opportunity to go through multiple houses in a short time. But yes, don't leave anything of value out in the open or even in unlocked drawers.

As for the dog..call Fetch! Pet Care! They will come and pickup the dog and drop it back off for you! Great service....wink wink.

Duane

We've sold 3 houses from Open Houses. Yes, the agents get contacts from the visitors, but that is good.
Lock up or remove your valuables, sentimental included while your house is on the market.
I read a survey where people rushed thru houses that were staged by "setting the table" - the prospective buyers / visitors felt the owners were ready to eat dinner, and therefore they were intruding, so hurried thru a house that perhaps they would have lingered longer. I vote for a simple, pleasing centerpiece.
I would remove the dog & cat.
Good luck - your new agent sounds "Proactive". advertising an "Open House" will generate more foot traffic in general.

I bought my home from an Open House too. I guess it depends on where you live.

Also, the stuff about whether to put out cookies, music, etc - here that's taken care of by the agent.

Howdie gang.

My neck feels a little better today. I never got ahold of Lou but the front office girl said it was most likely an allergic reaction to something...dang if I know but I work with the public to I could have come into contact with some sort of irritant.

As for the showing yesterday well it was a family who seemed as if they could not care less...more like they were just shopping instead of buying if you know what I mean.
I am presently waiting on another showing...talk about waiting till the last minute!!

My contract with John and Century 21 expires TODAY!!!!

Tomorrow I will have Ed over to take some fresh pics and write the listing.

The open house is Ed's idea...John never brought it up.

I have very mixed feelings about it!!

On a very PLUS side...we finallized the offer for the target house last night!!!
Everything is contingent on selling this. We have until June 12 to do so or ask for an extension, which we were told the home owner would do if it goes that far.
I feel very good about this except for the part if she gets a better offer, we have 72 hours to flat out buy the house...otherwise we will lose it.
Its going to be a very nervous few weeks for us!!

Cheers!
Susie

I'm only going to put in my 2 cents on the open house issue...I would suggest getting a safety deposit box and putting any jewelry or pocketable valuables in it. I would also revist your homeowners insurance policy and make sure that anything of value is on it and has a picture or corresponding receipt just to be safe.

Many realtors will tell you that homes are sold half on the practical half on the emotional. The emotional being something that evokes a childhood happy memory. The most powerful retrieval cue is smell. A bad smell can turn you off a good smell can draw you in, its a cliche but bake choc chip cookies before the open house, have vanilla and or lite lavender in the bedrooms and [clean with] lemon in the bathrooms. Again it maybe a cliche but it can't hurt. :)