While I admit some of the little touches, like flower petals in the bath, or champagne, are a bit much, I don't mind a bit of "overstaging."It's the same reason that people love model homes: They know they don't live like that, but maybe they would really like to. It's part of the dream.

So maybe they are intrigued with the staging, and that makes them stay a little longer in the house and experience the feeling of having a house where the kids have clean rooms and love their mommy.I do totally agree (not to use) summer flowers in winter, and not to overdo the Christmas stuff, but as long as you don't really, really overdo it most buyers are fine with it. Nancy Lavigne Coldwell Banker Corona Del Mar, Calif.All rights reserved. This content may not be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever, in part or in whole, without written permission of Inman News.Use of this content without permission is a violation of federal copyright law. [Read the full article]

Wayne County, Mich. still has more than 12,000 tax foreclosed properties that it hopes to auction off online, following an auction in September that brought 300 participants from as far away as Hong Kong.The online auction was conducted by Bid4Assets.com, whose clients include more than 40 counties nationwide, the U.S. Marshals Service and the U.S. Department of Treasury.All rights reserved. This content may not be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever, in part or in whole, without written permission of Inman News.Use of this content without permission is a violation of federal copyright law.Wayne County, Mich. still has more than 12,000 tax foreclosed properties that it hopes to auction off online, following an auction in September that brought 300 participants from as far away as Hong Kong.The online auction was conducted by Bid4Assets.com, whose clients include more than 40 counties nationwide, the U.S. Marshals Service and the U.S. [Read the full article]

DEAR BENNY: I have a hybrid mortgage that is fixed for the first five years at 4.25 percent, and is tied to U.S. Treasury securities. The loan document notes that the index value is 2.1 and the margin is 2.75. The first change date on the loan is Dec. 1, 2011.My loan documents say that on the first change date my interest rate could be as high as 9.25 percent or as low as 2.75 percent, with no more than a 2 percent increase in any given year thereafter.Given the current fixed interest rates, is it advisable for me to refinance the loan now or continue to take advantage of the low rate I am paying for another year? What is the likelihood that the "index" could reach 6.5 percent in a year raising my interest rate to 9.25 percent? --MoldaDEAR MOLDA: That used to be a tough question, but with mortgage interest rates currently at the lowest in history, I think there is only one answer: refinance. [Read the full article]

Agents at independent brokerages partnering with CoreFact Corp. can create and manage direct mail marketing campaigns online that incorporate their brokerage's unique branding.CoreFact says its "Store in a Box" offering was designed for small- to medium-sized brokerages, who typically don't have a marketing design center.Brokerages can upload their logo and agent list, choose a color scheme, and launch the service at their next office meeting, said Steve Elich, CoreFact's vice president, marketing.All rights reserved. This content may not be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever, in part or in whole, without written permission of Inman News.Use of this content without permission is a violation of federal copyright law.Agents at independent brokerages partnering with CoreFact Corp. can create and manage direct mail marketing campaigns online that incorporate their brokerage's unique branding. [Read the full article]