By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR® Magazine
Thousands of snakes have invaded a five-bedroom home in Idaho, and one real estate agent is on a search for a snake-loving buyer.
Realty Quest associate broker Todd Davis has been searching for a buyer for the home, infamously known as the “Idaho Snake House.” ”I guess I need a snake lover,” he told the Daily Mail. “Or someone with multiple mongooses.”
The owners of the home had walked away last year after snakes began overtaking the home; the home has since fallen into foreclosure.
Thousands of snakes are estimated to be slithering on the home’s ceilings and walls. Many snakes are believed to be sandwiched between the house and its exterior siding. Piles of snakes were also found in the crawlspace. While the garter snakes are not poisonous and harmless to humans, many buyers may not want the slithering reptiles as roommates.
Joe Collins, director of the Center for North American Herpetology in Lawrence, Kan., told the Daily Mail that the house was likely built on a snake den site. If that’s the case, the snakes are not likely to relocate, even if temporarily uprooted.
The home is listed at $109,000 — $66,000 less than its estimated market value.
So any ideas on how to stage around snakes? Watch the YouTube video below of the prior home owners describing their co-habitants.
By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR® Magazine
Photo Credit: Terrylynn Fisher, CSP Elite REALTOR, and StagersLIST.com
Do your home’s walls look a little bare? Some artwork can go a long way in decorating a home — and it doesn’t have to cost a fortune!
Real estate pro and stager Terrylynn Fisher says artwork can be an important accessory in finishing off a room. And while purchasing art can be expensive, there are plenty of inexpensive ways to get great art that you can use again and again when staging properties. I recently spoke with Fisher of Empire Realty in Walnut Creek, Calif., for REALTOR® Magazine’s February “House & Home” issue, where she shared with me some of her favorite inexpensive home updates (see Finishing Touches and Easy Solutions for Kitchens and Baths).
One of her favorite affordable artwork solutions for staging: Purchasing high-resolution, professional photographs on CD. The CDs contain 90-plus photographs–everything from architecture, scenery, locations to animals–and can be printed in sizes up to 24’’ x 36’’. The $25 CD has a range of photographs to choose from so she can always quickly find artwork to use when staging her listings and print it at the size she needs. Fisher, who has a Web site featuring tools for staging, sells the Print on Demand Photographs at her Web site, www.StagersLIST.com.
Inexpensive artwork can also be found on sites like art.com and allposters.com.
Hanging photographic art has become a big trend in home decor recently, according to an article from the Associated Press. Black and white photographs, streetscapes, landscapes, and portraits can make walls come to life, the article notes.
Hanging portraits can be a tricky one in staging a home for sale, however. What do you do when a family wants to cover their walls with family portraits when trying to sell their home? Can you make it work or will such artwork surely distract buyers? And is there any other artwork you should avoid when trying to sell a home?
By Charlene Storozuk, Dezigner Digz
The holiday season is over for another year, and many of us use this time to make personal resolutions for the year ahead — such as promising to lose weight, spend less money, make more time for ourselves and our families, and the list goes on. If you’re like me, it’s a rolling list that gets carried over from year-to-year, yet never seems to get accomplished.
This year, I decided not to do that. Instead, I’ve made a list of resolutions for my home.
Have you made a home resolution list for this year? If not, give it a try, especially if you plan on selling your home in the not too distant future. It’s never too early to get your home looking its best for potential buyers.
Here are a few items that are on my list in random order:
Tackle the basement storage area. Items that have stayed in boxes since our move five years ago are obviously items I can live without. If I haven’t used them or missed them in that time period, chances are I won’t yearn for them if they are given away. The key for me will be to not look inside the boxes. If I do, I know I’ll find an excuse to still hang onto each and every item. Maybe I’ll get my hubby to take a peek inside each box before they “exit the building” though (just in case).
By Erica Christoffer, REALTOR® Magazine
Households across the country are moving toward a more casual dining experience.
While ease is a virtue, buyers also want technology-equipped, stylish spaces where their family members can come together.
For all these reasons, dining rooms have lost their appeal. Simply, they’re not flexible enough.
“Dining rooms are definitely on the way out,” said Danielian Associates’ design coordinator Joe Digrado at the International Builders’ Show in Orlando Friday. “Ask your buyer if they really need one. In some markets they do. But many prefer an open, flexible space that will serve various functions.”
Open kitchens facing multi-use dining and social areas with a great room or living room are taking over the traditional dining room. Eat-in kitchens or seating areas at the island also popular with trends supporting a more informal lifestyle.
And when it comes to the kitchen, it’s all about function, function, function. If it doesn’t allow for ease of cooking, then you’re going to lose people, said Digrado. Cooking stations allowing for multiple chefs in the kitchen are becoming more common; as are work areas for laptops and homework, charging station for mobile devices, and casual seating for hanging out. Continue reading »
By Erica Christoffer, REALTOR® Magazine
Accessible design is more than just grab bars; it’s about catering to easier living.
Karen Kassik, residential designer, remodeling design specialist, and president and owner of Home Accessibilities, says that accessible is better for every buyer, from young families to aging-in-place empty-nesters.
“Ninety percent of us have a personal story – either we or someone in our family could benefit from universal design features,” she said during her presentation at the International Builders’ Show in Orlando this week.
Universal design features from the 2011 NextGen Flex Home on display at the the International Builders' Show in Orlando.
It’s all about how your clients live. Wider doorways are more convenient for parents with children in strollers. It’s easier to wash the dog in a roll-in shower. Kitchen counters at a slightly lower height are easier to work at. Accessible outdoor areas without steps to a backyard or porch mean anyone can come over for the next barbeque (plus, less potential for tripping). These features can all be profound selling tools, Kassik said.
A recent study released by MetLife found that the 55+ population increased to 25 percent in 2010. When this group of people considers their next home, they’re going to want something that will sustain their needs for the long-term.
“It’s become about the flexibility of design, knowing people are going to be in these spaces for longer,” said Martin van Koolbergen of Kaplan Gehring McCarroll Architectural Lighting, Inc. Continue reading »
By Erica Christoffer, REALTOR® Magazine
Smaller spaces, energy efficiency, Earth tones, and outdoor entertainment are all the buzz as the latest design trends debut at the International Builders’ Show in Orlando this week.
A survey of 2,000 consumers conducted by Better Homes and Gardens found that buyers don’t want any “wasted space” in their next home. They are seeking more value for their dollar, said editorial director Jill Waage, who presented the study’s findings Thursday. Affordability remains a high priority as well as energy efficiency, which was ranked highest to 68 percent of the consumers polled.
“Consumers are once again dreaming about their next home as well as planning ways to make their current home reflect their personal style and needs,” said Waage. “They are also setting priorities and watching their wallets in the process.”
The top ranked living space features listed by consumers are a separate laundry room, additional storage space with walk in closets or build-ins, a home office or workspace, outdoor living areas, at least one bathroom with its own private bath, and everyday eating space in or close to the kitchen.
“Today’s family wants a hive area where they can move seamlessly from mealtime to tech time to game/entertainment/hobby time to homework time,” said Waage.
Kay Green of Kay Green Design echoed Waage’s findings in her International Builders’ Show presentation Friday. “People want more of a clean line look with contemporary interiors,” Green said. “Stainless steel continues to be popular.” Continue reading »
By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR® Magazine
Last year, turquoise brightened up home interiors across the country, but now a new color has stepped into the spotlight for 2011.
Pantone recently announced honeysuckle — a reddish pink hue — as this year’s “in” color.
“Honeysuckle is a captivating, stimulating color that gets the adrenaline going – perfect to ward off the blues,” Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, said in announcing the color choice. “The intensity of this festive reddish pink allures and engages. … Honeysuckle may also bring a wave of nostalgia for its associated delicious scent reminiscent of the carefree days of spring and summer.”
How to incorporate it: Liven up an interior space with honeysuckle patterned pillows, bedspreads, or tabletop accessories, Pantone suggests. Or, for an even bolder statement, paint an accent wall in honeysuckle for a burst of energy in the kitchen, hallway, or family room, Pantone says.
Admittedly, this year’s more feminine color choice may be a little more challenging to weave into interiors when staging properties for sale. But for you staging masters out there, if you’ve used honeysuckle-like colors in your properties, we want to see how you did it! Send your photos to mtracey@realtors.org and we’ll feature them at Styled, Staged & Sold.
By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR® Magazine
We keep hearing about what’s popular in 2011 for home design — but how about what’s not? Builder Magazine writer Jenny Sullivan asked industry experts to weigh in on design fads that you won’t likely see in the new year. Here are some of the fading home trends experts mentioned:
1. Trophy space: Forget those two-story grand entrances. Builders are seeking more affordable, energy efficient design so they are getting rid of large, volume spaces in homes.
2. Just for show: Fancy, overdone rooms won’t cut it in the era of the practical, cash-strapped buyer. Lavish industrial-grade kitchen ranges or fancy master bath spa tubs– that are hardly even used anyway–will fall to the wayside. “The kitchen is once again becoming a working part of the home and not just a showcase,” architect Don Taylor of DW Taylor Associates in Ellicott City, Md., noted in the article. “It needs to provide all of the latest conveniences and technology, but with practical applications in mind. The faux commercial kitchen look may have reached its summit.”
3. Egocentric houses: It’s not just about the interior of a home that makes a home.
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