CLICK HERE FOR FLOOR PLANS AND MORE INFORMATION ON THE HOMES OF DISTINCTION AT BRIDGEMORE

CLICK HERE FOR A VIDEO TOUR AND DETAILS OF THE PROPERTY

CLICK HERE FOR ADDITIONAL DETAILS, MAP AND PICTURES

1. Declutter. Clutter can be one of the biggest distractions to a potential buyer.  Instead of focusing on the home they end up looking at all the stuff.  Don’t throw it away, but pack it up and store it out of site.

2. Furniture: Big furniture can make rooms look smaller than they really are, and small furniture can make a room just look weird.  Choose your pieces to accentuate the size of the rooms they are in.

3. Show the room as what it should be: It may work for you to setup your 3rd bedroom as a craft room, or the dining room as an office but when it comes time to showing your house, keep the room in their proper form.  If it says 3 bedrooms and a dining room on the spec sheet, be sure that is what the buyer sees.

4. Proper lighting: Lights, lights, lights.  Try to make sure that all of the lights are on in the home (including lamps) for showings, even during the daytime.  Homes show much better with as much light as possible.

5. Repairs: Today’s buyers have plenty of options, and one of the biggest reasons for them to move on to the next home is finding your home in disrepair.  We highly recommend getting a pre-home inspection and fixing all of the potential issues prior to buyers stepping into the home for the first time.  Not only will this increase your chances of a buyer choosing your home, it will eliminate any surprises when the buyer does their home inspection and sends you the report.

6. Keep it neutral: Yes, buyer’s should be able to see past the crazy color you painted your walls, but why make them.  They might not have to paint the other house they are looking at, and that could be just enough to let that potential buyer slip out of your hands.

7. Fresh flowers: Nothing says clean and fresh, like fresh flowers.  Not only do they add a splash of color, but they typically add a pleasing aroma.  It’s all about getting your buyers to FEEL at home.

8. Thorough Cleaning: It’s go time.  This place needs to shine.  Yes, it is difficult with kids, but this is your biggest investment you are trying to sell here.  We are talking an initial major cleaning, such as cleaning carpets, removing stains, and scrubbing that bathroom until it sparkles.  Then keeping it up for the entire time the home is on the market.  In today’s competitive marketplace you have to “out shine” your competition.

9. Staged Dining Area: Yes, I know you rarely if ever use your dining room, but you can really make it pop by setting a formal place setting. Outdoor dining spaces also look great set with placemats, chargers, and proper plates and glasses.

10. Jazzed up Bedrooms. Upscale hotels do a great job of making bedrooms feel luxurious. You can do the same by updating your bedding and adding multiple throw pillows to the layout.

The difference between selling and sitting on the market will be a combination of proper pricing and setting your home apart from the competition.  Use the 10 secrets above and you will be well on your way.

he exhibits are numerous. Visitors can tour an Amazon Rainforest, in which there are sound effects, murals, a forest canopy, wild animals and a waterfall. The Dollhouse is a two story house that children five feet and smaller can enter. In the World of Trains, there is a hands-on play room with a replica diesel engine. The International Hall invites youngsters to examine Japanese Kokeshi dolls or to clack around in wooden shoes. One of the museum’s newest exhibits, completed in November 2008, is At Home in Appalachia: A Day in the Life of Sarah and Jonah. This throwback to Appalachian culture explores arts, crafts, gardening, storytelling and dance through the eyes of two fictional children.

The museum recently received funding for an Environmental Learning Center and Garden. An outdoor exhibit, the center will include birdhouses, a rock garden, a meadow, an outdoor classroom and areas for environmental projects.

Visitors will find the Children’s Museum at 461 West Outer Drive in Oak Ridge, approximately 25 miles northwest of Knoxville. It can be reached from Knoxville by taking Pellissippi Parkway until it turns into Highway 62.

The museum is open year around on Tuesday through Sunday. During the week, the doors open at 9 a.m. and close at 5 p.m. On Saturdays the museum is open from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sundays it is open from 1-4 p.m. During June, July and August, the museum is also open from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on Mondays. Admission is $7 for adults, $6 for seniors, and $5 for children three and older. Children under three and members are admitted for free. Special rates are available for school groups. Visit www.childrensmuseumofoakridge.org or call 865-482-1074 for more information.

The aquarium is open 365 days a year. Visitors can gain entry from Memorial Day through Labor Day from 9 a.m.-11 p.m. every day of the week. The rest of the year the facility is open from 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and from 9 a.m.-11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Annual passes and combo passes to be used in conjunction with other Ripley’s Gatlinburg attractions are also available. The aquarium does not have its own parking garage, but there is a city-operated garage located directly behind the facility that is available at hourly and daily rates. Call 865-430-8808 or visitRipley’s Aquarium for more information.

Average interest rates for 15-year and 30-year mortgages both dropped in the week ending Thursday with 15-year, fixed-rate loans slipping from 3.89 percent to 3.82 percent with 0.7 points. Average rates for 30-year mortgages dipped from 4.71 percent to 4.63 percent with 0.7 points, Freddie Mac said.

Rates for 15-year, fixed-rate mortgages a year ago stood at 4.3 percent. Rates for 30-year mortgages a year ago averaged 4.93 percent.

“Mortgage rates continued to decline this week following a mixed employment report,” Freddie Mac’s vice president and chief economist, Frank Nothaft, said. “The economy added a healthy number of 244,000 workers in April, the most in 11 months, and the figures for March and February were revised up by 56,000 more jobs. However, the unemployment rate rose to 9.0 percent from 8.8 percent in March and was the highest reading since January.”