by Jennifer Farlin | Apr 30, 2015 | Home Staging
Pretend it’s Wednesday. I know it’s Thursday.
I’ve got real estate on my brain. We currently rent and are looking to buy. My husband loves Zillow. He loves going to Sunday open houses. He loves driving around looking at neighborhoods. I do not. It stresses me out. Even as I type this my palms are getting sweaty. For starters buying a house is a big flipping deal. I know because I’ve bought 3 of them. It’s not just buying shelter–it’s aspiring to a different life. It’s what rises up to greet you in the morning and what surrounds you as you sleep. It’s where your kids make their childhood memories. It’s where life–good and bad–is lived.
And houses are expensive. So I become crazy when I walk through them and they are up for sale with as much care as a toaster in a garage sale.
Houses should not would not NEVER be sold casually…unless you have money and time to waste. People put more time in cleaning out their cars when they sell them than they do their houses. I know this because I’ve looked at A LOT of houses. A LOT.
To quote someone somewhere and I don’t remember who-You wouldn’t go to a job interview in your pajamas so why would you try to sell your house when it is wearing its pajamas? I think I got that quote wrong but the gist of it works.
Which brings me to the point: Staging. I’ve successfully staged many homes for sale over the years and what I tell every client is that the sellers (the client) cannot see (or smell) their own homes objectively. It’s hard. When I sold the houses I’ve lived in I had babies and little kids and mess and clutter and a life to live inside the “product” being sold and it was crazy. It’s a product, by the way, once the For Sale sign goes up. A product that needs to be prepped and marketed to get the fair asking price in a reasonable amount of time. If neither is done then the price or the time it sits on the market, or both, will be jeopardized.
When I walk through a house as a potential buyer I do open the master closet to see how big and I do see all the clothes and mess shoved onto the floor. I do look around the house to see if it is clean which = maintained. I do notice if the house smells musty, dirty, or worse. I see the stains on the carpet, the dry rot, and the weeds. These are all psychological turn offs for buyers and fairly easy to correct. I say psychological because I don’t care what you say–Buying A House Is An Emotional Decision. Yes, I know all about solid foundations, new roofs and HVACS, location, location, location, and plumbing–but if you get the heebie jeebies when you walk through the front door, well more times than not–it’s a NO.
Here are 10 obvious and not so obvious staging tips:
1. SPOTLESS bathrooms. NO Excuses.
2. Update dated brass fireplace screen. Spray paint it with heat resistant paint (black?), remove it all together, or replace it with something current.
3. Frilly master bedrooms complete with lace and stuffed animals. NO. A master bedroom needs to appeal to both sexes. Keep colors neutral. The bedspread should be free of wear and tear and clean.
4. Stainless steel appliances and granite in the kitchen. So many times it’s the first thing I hear–it isn’t selling because the kitchen is dated. I know it’s money but the house sitting on the market or the asking price going down is money too.
5. Open the window shades. SUNSHINE is FREE.
6. Each room should have one main use. Is it a bedroom or is it an office? Pick one and pack up the rest.
7. Pack up unnecessary items and furniture. A cluttered crowded house says NO STORAGE.
8. Speaking of storage—Clean Out Your Closets. Buyers open them! If your closets are shoved full of random items this not only says not enough storage, but it also reinforces the wrong idea–Disorganization. Remember it’s an Emotional Decision and buyers are looking for an upgrade on their lifestyle when they buy your house. The house that is neat and orderly sends a positive message for better living–and that is the house buyers want.
9. Curb appeal is vital and don’t forget the backyard!
10. Plants! Greenery helps bring life into each room, cleans the air, creates a zen environment, and fills in bare spots.
More posts like this one? Read on Gentle Reader, Read on.
Prime Real Estate–INSIDE Your Home, Curb Appeal, Spring Staging and Redesign Decorating Tips, My House For Sale
by Jen | Apr 20, 2015 | Organizing
Every Tuesday my kid’s elementary school sends the equivalent of one phone book’s worth of paper home with my kids. Times two. No, seriously. Actually they are the collection agency for “Lots of Paper Without Homes”, then they divide the paper by the students and send those papers home. Really. Ok, all joking aside, the school is actually a recycling plant for paper and they recycle millions of pounds a week using secret people and the kid’s backpacks.
25 sheets = 1 quire
500 sheets = 1 ream
1,000 sheets = 1 bundle
5,000 sheets = 1 bale
We should just familiar ourselves with these measurements so we can communicate more efficiently with one another. “I had about one bale in little Johnny’s backpack today.” “Oh, you did? We have been only getting 3 bundles lately.” “REALLY?! I heard that that other school is only sending home 2 quires!” “NO!” “YES!” “Stop it!” “I know, right?!”
My kids are in on it too. They take a piece of paper and scribble a line on it and tell me I need to keep it forever.
And then there is their finished school work. It feels wrong to throw it away. What if they need to reference it? What if the teacher asks me to recall an old assignment (which has happened.) And what if, horror, upon horror, my child feels his hard work is not valuable because he sees it in the garbage?
All parents know that Spring is to parents what Mother’s Day and Christmas are to postal workers…Paper Purgatory.
I have almost won it, or at least am putting on a good show. I will show you here.
If you are raging any kind of war on clutter it is important to understand two things.
One. That’s it. You can only have ONE step involved in dealing with it. If it has one step but it involves walking into another room then that becomes two steps, and you probably won’t do it. It has to take less than 3 seconds to manage it. Unless you are gifted in the art of living with minimal things and have lots of time and like complicated systems and have live in help…then this does not apply to you.
Two. It has to be in a container. Look I show you. (I’m drinking coffee. For those that read regularly you know that when I drink coffee I speak and sometimes write with a Colombian accent.)
Before
After
This was real time. I just did that. And when I was putting all the papers back, yes, I was stymied. I don’t know if I want to order a second set of school pictures, and I missed a deadline on something–is it too late? Does my son still plan on making me, and make us, make play dough from scratch using peanut butter? I better hold on to that piece of paper a bit longer. Am I signing them up for that summer camp or not? I already put all the sports schedules on the calendar but what if I need to double-check one? I better keep the hard copy the coach gave me. And is that book points reward coupon still redeemable? The point is they are all in one place looking purposeful until I have the presence of mind to act, or not.
But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s go back. And simplify.
One step to deal with it– and it must be contained. Purposeful clutter.
We have one hanging bin where my kids do homework where the homework in action is kept. Spelling words, unfinished homework, upcoming test prep. NOTHING else can go in it.
We have the stand up file pictured previously where the parent in action is kept.
Parent In Action
And then we have this:
The holding basket. EVERYTHING they finish goes in this basket which is hidden–finished art work (4 out of 10 times it is unfinished and I did not know this and they are looking for it to finish and I can smartly reply it is here instead of the garbage/lost/floating in middle distance on the kitchen counter) and finished homework. It’s the dead zone. Then when I feeling energetic I go through the basket and pull out what I want to keep as a memento, or what I want to give to Grandma. I “recycle” the rest except for any schoolwork that looks really important? I throw that back in the basket–if we haven’t needed it by the end of the school year then it will be “recycled” too. (I still keep random school work for their Memory Boxes–which is just a box in their closets separated inside by age/school year in extra large ziplock bags.)
There use to be a binder. But it didn’t take. There were folders inside for School, Sports, Church, etc… All the reference items were kept in it–school ID numbers, schedules, important dates. It involved 4 Steps to contain and I couldn’t deal with it. One to open the closet, two to get the binder, three to open the binder, four to put the paper in appropriate folder. Who has time for that? Now all that stuff goes into the stand up file where all the parent in action papers are. It’s a one step action.
Seriously, I am committed to abolishing paper clutter but I recognize my limitations. Time. And the paper is stronger and faster than I am. Sometimes there is a stray piece that just doesn’t fall into any one category and so I leave it on the counter in defiance of all that is important to me in the fight against this war, until my husband comes along and throws it away. God Bless Him.
If you liked this post: Displaying Kid’s Artwork, Organizing and Fear, The War on Clutter
by Jennifer Farlin | Apr 16, 2015 | How To
It’s spring. The time of year where the snow has melted and all the garbage underneath is now exposed.
It’s time to get to work.
www.oursouthbay.com
Curb appeal is important not just for selling a house but for all the people who walk their dog. For the love of everything that is good and holy please take a second look at the outside of your home. Do it for all those people who go past your house daily being pulled by a dog. Do it for your neighborhood. Do it to keep up with the Jones. Do it to disguise the fact that your house is a mess inside. And, for Pete’s Sake, do it especially if your house is up for sale.
Research has shown that about 80 percent of all prospective buyers know if a home is right for them within six seconds of stepping inside. Ok, so even if your house is not up for sale you still only have one chance to make a first impression and the same can be said for your home.
I want to help you. As a person who is out there walking a dog–I need to help you.
Here are my top tips:
1. I’m all for originality but your house really should blend with the neighborhood.
Image: Ida Aalen/Flickr
2. Front Door Color. Easy way to add some oomph and originality without doing #1 (above).
Popular Front Door Colors Modern Masters August 2013
Front-Door-Paint-iPhone-App
Front Door Paint is an app that lets you take a picture of your door and then see what it would look like in different colors.
Also check out Kylie M. Interiors–she has a great blog post about which front door colors are best suited for red brick, grey siding, stone, etc…
320 * Sycamore
3. Planters. Bigger is better. Small and teensy usually look busy and lost. If your porch can fit them a matching large pair is the gold standard.
House Beautiful
4. Shutters. To keep this simple stick with black or something neutral/dark with a contrasting front door (See #2). If you have a storm door try to make it blend in with your door color or eliminate it.
The Garden Web
Hello Newmans
Hello Newmans has a blog post about how they made their own shutters. You can find it here.
5. Landscaping. You need it. Curving beds are more interesting to the eye than straight. Bushes—you need them under your windows. Include big things where appropriate. Most of the time, people see your house — and judge its curb appeal — quickly, either on a walk or drive by. So large shapes and masses that are attractive from a distance should be a part of a landscape with curb appeal. There’s nothing worse than a front yard with a whole bunch of little.
BH&G
HGTV
Limit the color palette for more impact.
www.providenceltddesign.com
6. Your Attached Garage. The garage door is NOT suppose to be a focal point. It is suppose to blend in with your home. In the 1950’s owning a car was a status symbol so architects built houses with OBVIOUS garages. This is 2015, unless, you live in my neighborhood where a garage is unheard of, and therefore coveted, we don’t care about your garage. The door should be subtle, not conspicuous, and aesthetically enhance your home.
www.thehandmadehome.com
www.christinefife.com
BHG.com
BHG.com
7. Details matter. A tasteful wreath, nice hardware on your door, and any item that lend interest go a long way.
www.meddiodesign.com
Idaho Botanical Garden
8. Lighting. Most people’s front door lighting is too small. Here are a few rules:
As for the rest of your exterior lighting–landscape, safety, aesthetic etc… That’s Lighting 301 and to be found elsewhere on the world wide web or your favorite home improvement store.
Additionally, I only walk my dog during the day–so for my intents and purposes I’m not interested in your nighttime look, just your day.
So if you don’t care about your exterior–do it for me. Please.
www.thethinkingdog.com
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Door to Door, What Door Do You Use?, What Door Do You Use–One Door’s Journey, Or…A Follow-Up
