By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR® Magazine
Go bold in 2012 or blend in–that’s the trend for paint and decorating in the new year. We recently highlighted Debbie Zimmer, color expert at the Paint Quality Institute, forecast for color choices in 2012, but here are some more of the home trends she expects to catch on in decorating next year.
Courtesy of The Paint Quality Institute
Matching Exteriors
On exteriors, shutter color choices often have been painted high-contrast greens, reds, or blacks. But in 2012, Zimmer sees the trend moving to a more monochromatic scheme for the exterior.
“You’ll see more shutters that are painted just a shade darker than the siding,” says Zimmer. “Owners of homes with stone exteriors can get in on things by matching the shutter color to the dominant color of the stone.”
By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR Magazine
About 130 million homes were built prior to energy codes and are in need of an energy retrofit, panelists said Saturday at the session New Tricks for Old Homes during the REALTOR Conference & Expo in Anaheim.
“There’s an opportunity to revitalize the older housing stock and refresh them as green homes,” Bob Sahadi with the Institute for Market Transformation told attendees.
“Green” retrofits could add up to a potential 30 percent savings, on average, on utility bills—not to mention, increased home owner comfort (in fixing drafty homes) and achieving better air quality circulating throughout the home, panelists said.
By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR Magazine
Staging is important in improving a home’s presentation, but quality photos are important for getting buyers through the front door. Most buyers begin their home search online and they often use photos to decide which homes to view and which ones to skip, real estate pro Jennifer Ames with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Chicago told a crowd during a session at the REALTOR® Conference & Expo in Anaheim on Friday.
Ames offered up some of the following photo tips to enhance the presentation of your listings:
Find the best time of day to shoot: If the sun pours in a room in the morning, then you’ll likely want to shoot photos in the afternoon so the view outside doesn’t look like a bright glow. Overcast days or dusk are often the best time to shoot interior photos, Ames said.
Have the right equipment: Ames recommends using an SLR camera with a wide-angle lens (12-18 mm) and a tripod, if you’re shooting your listing photos yourself.
Go wide: Capturing rooms straight-on can sometimes make a room look narrow and small. By standing in a corner and shooting at an angle, you’ll make the room look larger.
Staging pro Sharon Brown with Homescapes by Design in Roseville, Minn., offers her clients a checklist before they list their home for sale. The point of the checklist is to make sure the home is show-ready before the for-sale sign goes up and the first potential buyer walks through the door, and even before photos are snapped for the MLS.
The following are the changes Brown most recommends to her clients in getting a home ready to list:
1. De-cluttering and removal of all personal pictures and items. Have the buyer to see the space as something they could own. Too many personal items crowded in a space makes that a challenge for buyers and clutter can detract from the features of a home.
2. New neutral, good quality rugs.
3. Re-painting several rooms into neutral colors, if needed.
4. Replacing and updating lighting fixtures.
5. Make any small repairs (or big ones if needed).
6. Purchase of matching appliances in the kitchen for a cohesive, finished look.
7. Update major furniture (furniture can be rented for the duration of the sale).
8. Move furniture to show the rooms to their best advantage, including moving very large furniture out of rooms to give them a more spacious feel
9. Incorporate decorative details that help give the home an inviting, finished feel. See the before and after photos below.
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