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.
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.
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.
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.
383 out of 705 people have boring walls, according to people. 3 out of 5 people have art that is too small, according to me. 9 out of 10 dentists… Choosy moms choose bare walls over crap on their walls. Let’s stop this madness.
Memorize this last column. These are standard frame sizes that you can buy at Michaels, Hobby Lobby, Ikea and online for “cheap”.
Then buy anything you like that you can fit into these frame sizes. It’s cheaper than buying something that needs to be custom framed. Custom framed means anything that doesn’t fit into the above sizes. Custom framing means hundreds of dollars. You would not believe how much the glass alone costs for large pieces.
I do not want you to buy teeny tiny little pictures that look lost on your wall. Yes, you can make “groupings” that will fill a wall but they are not the easiest thing to pull off and can quickly add a feeling of visual clutter to the wrong room. A room that is busy does not need more busy on the walls.
Pick the biggest piece of furniture in your room and hang one large piece above it. It should be about 2/3 the length of the piece of furniture you are hanging above.
As a general rule, the bottom of your frame should hang 8” to 10” above the back of the sofa.
The center of your artwork should be about eye-height with the average person–this translates to about 57″. So hang your artwork at 57″ on center. This is also a regularly used standard in many museums and galleries when hanging their masterpieces–so it should work just fine in your home when arguing with your husband about where to hang the picture.
Let’s not over think this. Just buy big. Have one big piece over the biggest piece of furniture. Remember the 2/3 proportion. Don’t buy anything that needs custom framing. Think out of the box. Here are some ideas and links.
Poster: 27.5 x 39.5 in ~$18 plus S&H Frame: 27 x 40 in ~$20-30 (Michaels/Amazon/Ikea)
SPA-CITRON Art Print|By Francois Geo Art.com
Poster: 24″ x 38″ $40 plus 25% and free S&H. 21.5″ x 36″ without border. Frame: Can be “fudged” into a standard 24″ x 36″ frame by trimming with scissors. $20
1 digital .PDF file (27,5 inches x 39,3 inches) $6.14 Will need to be printed at a copy store. FedEx Kinkos charges 75 cents a square foot to print.Frame: Standard 27×40 Ikea $25. Found also online by multiple retailers. $20-50.
Chris Love Julia. HONEY, I BLEW UP THE KIDS | TIPS FOR MAKING ENGINEER PRINTS LOOK THEIR BEST “…I was worried framing a bunch of smaller photos and creating a gallery would be busy and compete with the adjacent wall when we’re done with it, so I went for my favorite–engineer prints. Update: I got these printed at my local Alphagraphics. They are nationwide so maybe you have one near you, too?” She gives a wonderful step by step tutorial on how to make these engineer prints. Basically, you need to edit a black and white photograph with a plain background and take it to a copy store that does engineer prints. It costs less than $5 to print.
This is the fabric I referenced above for $10/yard. I used it for my kitchen window shades. It would look nice framed, yes?
Inexpensive art solutions from my home:
This had a different piece of art. I hated it. I ripped the back apart and duct taped something else in. It doesn’t fit perfectly. Can you tell? Nope.
Poster I bought in NYC. Too short for frame. Custom for this size–way. too. much. See the extra white space at the bottom? Yeah, who cares. I know it looks goooooooood.
I’m chuckling as I write this post. Not because that video was funny, but because of you gentle reader who is getting all riled up at his mere image. But hey, this is not that kind of blog and this is not that kind of post. This isn’t about politics. I happen to like him as a person–I spent 30 minutes with him one day having coffee and he was f-u-n-n-y. But this isn’t about that either.
Nor is it about the Presidential motorcade that I drove in that was totally AWESOME.
It’s about laughing.
Take your To Do list and stick it in the freezer.
Now get a scrap of paper and write down some things that make you happy. Don’t over think it.
Here’s some of mine:
Late night shows. (Recorded)
Sleep.
Good coffee.
Having time to do something creative.
Watching a good movie with my husband with real popcorn (no microwave crap), a Pims cup (google it), and my dog (kids can be optional).
Going to dinner and a movie with Dale and Mony.
Writing this blog.
Going to junk shops.
A clean orderly house.
Exploring with Steph.
Laughing. The real kind.
Planning a trip.
Editing pictures. (I know it’s weird but I love doing it–especially my design photography.)
Windows rolled down.
Gonzo’s Nose. (It’s a band.)
Spring days when the air starts to change, the flowers are blooming, and the sun is shining.
Not having my day dictated by an hourly schedule.
Being around team players.
Finding peace in my day with God.
Being with my husband and kids (when there is no whining/complaining/fighting.)
Mackinac Island. Especially at night. On a bike. With Jeff, Nick and Maija.
I wrote that list in 5 minutes. If you can’t come up with things then you better sit down with yourself.
I know in theory part of what I write about is design–but only because I really think it is a total downer to be surrounded with a bunch of ugly. Also, it comes fairly easy for me to fix ugliness with minimum effort and expense. This being said I do not love DIY projects. I do them to save money.
I am impatient.
I am way too impatient for Do It Yourself.
I want it done yesterday. If we were in a job interview I would call this “results oriented”.
This blog is so not one of those step by step how to sites. Mostly because I am, 1. See previous paragraph. 2. Not detailed enough (in job interview speak “I focus on big picture”), and 3. I would die of boredom writing it.
However, I am in the midst of painting a piece of furniture. I wanted to title this post (excuse me) #Suck It Chalk Paint but I felt it would be too indelicate for a title. Fourish paragraphs in I felt it was ok. This is NOT the chalkboard paint that you can write with chalk on once it dries but a decorative colored paint–totally different. Chalk paint being made by blending a flat latex paint with plaster of Paris (powdered gypsum), and water. The resulting thick-body paint goes on (and I quote from Lowes) as easy as regular paint, but adds the look of an antique finish. Since we are safely in the fourish paragraph I’d like to subtitle this post #Suck It Lowes. On coat 33 I googled chalk paint blowshow to use chalk paint. I was surprised to see there weren’t many hate posts about it. Clearly I am in the minority. I am ok with this, until I start receiving your emails and messages about why I am wrong. It’s ok, we can disagree. It’s only paint.
You see I don’t have 600 hours to paint one piece of furniture. Well actually I do but remember I am “results oriented” and the only results I am getting is my husband saying to me, “You are still painting that?”, and my dog doing this:
Here is what it looked like after 3 coats that felt like 33.
And here we go at 5 coats aka way too many.
This is 6. I call this “Dog Watching Paint Dry.”
I realize I am painting something that was once a light color–a dark color, and that makes this more difficult. But OMG. Another aspect of this is that I have only painted the front and the side….so I STILL have to paint the top, back, and other side. And what I have already painted still needs more coats. And then I am suppose to put a coat of wax over the whole thing.
I don’t know what else to say, except maybe I will just finish the two sides I started and leave the rest unpainted. I will just never move this piece of furniture. No one will know. Except you, gentle reader. And I’m ok with that.
