Beautiful Modern Contemporary House Elevation

Show-Ready in Mere Moments

Show-Ready in Mere Moments

You're showing my house WHEN? We had sort of a fire drill here today. Our realtor, Ms. Speedy, called to say her associate broker MAY b...

2:14 PM

Things are happening so fast around my house that my head in spinning.  Yesterday Mr. Lucky told me that he intentionally took our beagle on a longer walk than usual, just to check out what looked like a vacant house he had observed from his boat.  A house on the water.  On the water.    Although we live in a community that is built around a series of canals that come off a large river that leads to the Intracoastal Waterway (that leads to the Ocean that leads to a world full of exotic ports of call, I like to think) our own home is landlocked.  Mr. Lucky is a boater and has been all his life.  He loves his boat almost as much as he loves me.  And sometimes I wonder about who’s really in first place.  We are not in the market for a new home.  We are happy where we are.  But a house with a boat dock, with a for sale sign that says “Bank Owned” was too tempting not to investigate.  We looked it up online.  It was priced at about what we thought our house would sell for.  But it’s on the water! We drive over.  It’s yellow, the perfect color for a house on the market.  We stroll to the back yard, and are greeted by an expanse of lawn surrounded by tall wax myrtle and oleander shrubs, some palms and cypress trees.  The view across the water is of grassy slopes and manicured yards, not houses.  The shrubbery on both sides blocks the view of neighboring yards.  Love that.  I’m hearing myself repeat, “I can’t believe this!”  As my eyes take in the yard, I envision beds of ferns, hostas, astillbes, and heuchera, in the shady spots.  I glance around the deck and imagine pots of hanging geraniums, pansies, and alyssum.  The high deck wraps around the entire house.  Pressing my nose to one of the three double sliding double patio doors, I picture – although the rooms are bare – couches, paintings, coffee tables, lamps.  The living room has a pitched ceiling, fireplace, and open floor plan.  The kitchen is small but updated.  The flooring looks to be ceramic tile and hardwood.  There’s a full basement, something rare in waterfront towns like ours. Meanwhile, Mr. Lucky is drooling over the bulkhead, dock, boat lift, and water depth.  We call Ms. Speedy.  She agrees to gather what information she can about the property.  We ask what she could sell our home for.  Are we crazy?  Today she calls and says she might have a buyer for our home.  She comes over, walks around, we talk, she goes back to her office to work some comps.  The whole chain of events has taken on a life of its own.

House for Sale Nearby

Things are happening so fast around my house that my head in spinning. Yesterday Mr. Lucky told me that he intentionally took our beagle on...

10:30 AM

Staging Props and a Remote Possibility

Staging Props and a Remote Possibility

What are the chances that someone would consider a home staging prop like this to be valuable? Have you ever had a day when your faith in th...

10:12 AM

Real Estate Negotiating and Keeping Secrets

Real Estate Negotiating and Keeping Secrets

Is the home you are selling staged to make someone fall in love with it? What else can you do to make it irresistible? In a conversation wi...

6:23 PM

A Good Go-To Color Scheme for Staging

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i951.photobucket.com/albums/ad351/2painters/homestaging/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://i951.photobucket.com/albums/ad351/2painters/homestaging/1.jpg" width="452" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">White milk glass, a white tray,  white candles, and some glass globes  from a fan light all came out of the closet.</td></tr></tbody></table>When in doubt, go with white. That's my motto. Since so many of my draperies, side tables, greenery, artwork and assorted décor tchotchkes are on loan at our for-sale condo, my living room at home has been looking sparse for the past month. Over the weekend I decided to remedy that, and at the same time, give the living room a summery vibe.  Easy Solution My simple approach was to make a sweep of the house, hunting down anything white.  The only white in my living room, besides the trimwork, has been two lamp shades, a painted and distressed tall table, and the painted brick fireplace. Here’s some of what I scrounged to add to the mix and fill in the gaps: <ul><li>Gauzy white curtains from the back of my sewing closet to cover the two windows </li><li>A collection of milk glass pieces I keep meaning to sell on eBay</li><li>A large white plastic serving bowl that from a distance looks like porcelain</li><li>A white urn I tell myself I am going to convert to a lamp someday  </li><li>Three white flower pots from my garden shed</li><li>An off-white tray from up high in the kitchen cabinets  </li><li>One chunky white vase that went immediately onto the mantle</li><li>A white china duck that belonged to my mother</li><li>An eight-inch round whitewashed basket</li><li>A white linen tablecloth and white seat cushions for the dining room table that’s visible from the living room</li><li>Two frosted white globes from a ceiling fan/light we removed years ago</li><li>A stack of white and off-white books from my bookshelves</li><li>Mr. Lucky’s Panama hat  </li></ul>Then I dug out some white upholstery fabric and sewed a cover for animal print seat on a side chair. I needed to replace an end table so I looked in the garage for that old 36-inch round of fiberboard that has screw-on legs, and draped it with a white quilt.  And finally, I made a 14-inch wide white tissue paper flower and set it in a white metal flower holder.  Everything looks nice and fresh. For a simple approach to decorating your staged home, think about a white-on-white color scheme.  It's goof-proof. For other formulas that will work in your staged home, download my <a href="http://diyhomestagingtips.blogspot.com/p/ebooks.html" target="_blank">eBook</a>, DIY Home Staging Tips to Sell Your Home Fast and For Top Dollar. It's just $5, and comes as an easy to downlad pdf .

A Good Go-To Color Scheme for Staging

White milk glass, a white tray, white candles, and some glass globes from a fan light all came out of the closet. When in doubt, go with w...

11:15 AM

Flowers in the Staged House

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i951.photobucket.com/albums/ad351/2painters/homestaging/Lantana.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://i951.photobucket.com/albums/ad351/2painters/homestaging/Lantana.jpg" width="356" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I thought these cheery, scented lantana  blossoms would be ideal by the front door,  but, alas, they needed more care than I gave them.</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;">Those of you who have read my <a href="http://diyhomestagingtips.blogspot.com/p/ebooks.html" target="_blank">ebook</a>, DIY Home Staging Tips to Sell Your Home Fast and for Top Dollar, know that I am big on greenery. </div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">Today I want to talk about outdoor greenery.</div> I hate it when I don’t listen to my own advice and it comes back to bite me. I’ve written that in the staged-for-sale home, outside greenery, unless it is part of the maintenance-free landscaping, should be faux. Good quality faux. Not cemetery flowers faux. What can be more inviting that a basket or bucket of colorful blooms by the front door? Or even a convincing silk fern?  Really, they’re made so well today that unless you go the really cheapo route, or leave them in direct sun for months, they look fabulous.  But while staging the front door area and the deck of our condo on the market, I convinced myself that real flowers were the way to go.  They’re fresh, they’re genuine, and they’re even fragrant, I mused as I potted up some geraniums, lantana and petunias. Since we live about two minutes from the property, I told myself that I’d be by daily to water them. Wrong. We’ve had weeks of high heat with scant rainfall, so I’ve already replaced some dead plants, and the ones remaining don’t seem all that happy.  I think I’ll follow my own instructions and go shopping for pretty silk greenery. Where’s that coupon for 50% off any one item priced under $20 at the home décor store?

Flowers in the Staged House

I thought these cheery, scented lantana blossoms would be ideal by the front door, but, alas, they needed more care than I gave them. Thos...

10:02 AM

F.S.B.O or Realtor?

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i951.photobucket.com/albums/ad351/2painters/homestaging/forsalegreensign-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="168" src="http://i951.photobucket.com/albums/ad351/2painters/homestaging/forsalegreensign-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Whether you list with a broker, or sell your home yourself, advertising and signage are a must.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table>Our realtor, Ms. Speedy, called to say that our property was shown over the weekend and that a woman is in love with our little condo.  But we all know that love comes with complications. The problem is she has to sell her own home first.  Her home is in a nearby town that doesn’t have much to recommend it, so I am not counting on her infatuation turning into an offer any time soon.  It’s encouraging, but that’s all. Wouldn’t you love to be a fly on the wall when people tour the home you have staged?  Being on the scene to answer questions and to point out all the amenities from a personal point of view is one of the reasons people decide to sell their homes direct, without a broker. Although there are advantages --- mostly economic – to going the F.S.B.O route, I think the advantages to working with a realtor outnumber them.  The way I see it, a realtor: <ul><li>Knows the market and can easily research comparable properties to establish a fair and realistic asking price.</li><li>Is in touch with what buyers want and can suggest ways to improve your property.</li><li>Acts as a buffer between you and the buyer so the transaction is less personal and more professional.</li><li>Provides a measure of security because she’s already collected some information about the buyer (no strangers knocking at your door).</li><li>Works with the buyer to assist with financing, home inspections, and the legalities of the transaction.</li><li>Saves you time by working with qualified buyers.</li><li>Has the skills and capital to advertise your property to the target market and to a world wide market.</li><li>Adds credibility that makes buyers feel more comfortable. You have an MLS number and a representative instead of being just Joe Blow selling his house.</li><li>Buyers trust the realtor as a third party, and feel they are being represented. </li></ul>Do I sound like a mouthpiece for the National Association of Realtors?  I don’t have any ties or affiliations with any real estate company. The reason I have a high regard for realtors is that I have worked with some excellent ones.  Finding a good realtor is a topic for another blog post. Also, Mr. Lucky and I once tried to sell a house F.S.B.O.  After three months of showing the property to assorted “buyers,” we turned it over to a realtor who had it sold in a week. What we came to understand was that serious and qualified buyers work with a realtor instead of shopping F.S.B.O. listings in hopes of getting a steal (no broker to pay!), or owner financing, or other special considerations.   But that’s just my opinion and my experience.  Hey, it’s my blog.

F.S.B.O or Realtor?

Whether you list with a broker, or sell your home yourself, advertising and signage are a must. Our realtor, Ms. Speedy, called to say that ...

10:34 AM