By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR® Magazine
Using personal photos to decorate the walls and tables are common in homes. But when you’re listing a home for sale, can those personal photos become a turnoff to potential home buyers?
Real estate professionals and stagers differ on how much of a fuss they make over family photos gracing their clients’ for-sale homes.
Some in the industry strongly advise their clients to remove all personal photos. After all, you want potential buyers to be able to visualize themselves living in the home and not be distracted by seeing personal photos of the current home owners’ vacations, wedding photos, and family reunions.
Others in the industry may say “why not?” They argue that photos actually make a home feel more warm, inviting, and feel like a “home.” Even some builder model homes have started incorporating personal photos into the decor to personalize spaces more.
What do you think?
By Charlene Storozuk, Dezigner Digz
Are you receiving feedback from showings expressing that a room “just doesn’t work”? What potential buyers might be saying is that the use of space is awkward or quite simply, just isn’t functional.
Short of knocking down walls, there isn’t a quick fix for that; or is there?
The problem may be as simple as incorrect furniture placement.
Dezigner Digz was called in a while back by one of our real estate partners to come up with a solution for this exact problem. The general consensus from showings had been that the open concept living/dining room space didn’t work.
BEFORE
The first ‘before’ picture was taken from the doorway. As you can see, the space in question was visible right upon entering this condominium unit. It felt as though you were walking right into the dining room and the overall impression was that the living room space was small.
BEFORE
The second ‘before’ picture was taken from the balcony. This shows that apart from different flooring, the entry way was not defined as a separate area.
Here are some of the things that were done to overcome these problems:
By Erica Christoffer, multimedia Web producer, REALTOR® Magazine
How do designers and stagers stay on top of the latest trends and solutions for home interiors?
Check out Pinterest, a new social media site where members “pin” photos they like from around the Web to themed image boards on their personal page. Pins are shared with friends and other users, and Pinterest offers an integration option to share images to Facebook and Twitter. You must request an invitation to join, which takes less than one week to receive (my invite came after two days).
A laundry room inspirational image posted by a Pinterest user (original source: toriejayne.blogspot.com).
Many presenters at the International Builders’ Show in Orlando endorsed Pinterest last week. Jill Waage, executive editor of home design with Better Homes & Gardens, said the great thing about the site is the link back to the source page under each photo, which provides designers and home owners with exposure to products, businesses, and ideas they may have previously never discovered.
Marc Thee of Marc-Michaels Interior Design in Winter Park, Fla., said during his presentation at IBS that he is a big believer in Pinterest.
Thee pointed out an attitude shift in how home owners feel within their personal spaces, which can be reflected in many image boards and room designs users of Pinterest are creating. With the hustle and bustle of today’s lifestyle, it’s more important than ever that a home becomes a personal refuge. “We live in a crazy world,” Thee said. “Our home should give to us.”
Two home redos that will instantly attract buyers is the addition of a dedicated, well-organized laundry space, and smart storage/organization features. “It’s the gift that keeps on giving,” he said. Continue reading »
By Erica Christoffer, multimedia Web producer, REALTOR® Magazine
Looking for quick, easy ideas to bring a home to life, add value, or prep for sale without spending a lot? Learn from the pros! Designers who presented at the International Builders’ Show in Orlando last week had a plethora low-cost, chic ideas to make to most of an interior space.
1. Transform closets: Your clients might consider turning a smaller, awkward closet into a built-in with cabinetry and shelving, or if there’s enough space, even a desk nook. Add dramatic dimension with disc lighting on each shelf. Buyers are looking to maximize every inch of a home with workspaces and storage solutions they’ll actually use. (Jerry Collin, Kay Green Design) [Here are some great before and after closet transformations from Real Simple.]
2. Create a ‘Garage Mahal’: Make the garage an attractive space with a dedicated recycling area, wall mounted shop-vacuum, and maybe a mini (or big) refrigerator for adult beverages. When in doubt, hang it up – provide hanging areas for bikes, tools, equipment, etc. Consider installing a workbench and storage. (Jillian Prichard Cooke, DES-SYN)
Example of a grey color scheme in a great room.
3. Avoid seasonal colors: Greys and stone colors are the new neutrals. Accent them with bursts of bright blues, oranges or reds. (Marc Thee, Marc-Michaels Interior Design)
4. Provide simple luxury: A foldout cabana, two outdoor lounge chairs, and a small table is an inexpensive way to give a backyard living space a sense of luxury. Stage it with candles, flowers or cool drinks (iced tea, lemonade, water, etc.) that you can serve during an open house. (Jillian Prichard Cooke, DES-SYN) Continue reading »
By Erica Christoffer, multimedia Web producer, REALTOR® Magazine
The Web has democratized good design and made it accessible to the masses. Home owners are perusing online, finding the best from past and present styles, then sharing images on social networks where friends and followers offer opinions. This is resulting in more design-savvy customers than ever before.
“There’s so much dreaming going on right now,” says Jill Waage, executive editor of home design with Better Homes & Gardens. In fact, of the 4,000 respondents to Better Homes & Gardens’ annual consumer survey, 55 percent (up 5 percent from 2010) said style upgrades for countertops, flooring, faucets, and fixtures are important in their next home purchase.
The utility look is continuing to expand from kitchen trends into bath designs through tile, reclaimed wood, and metallic finishes in cabinetry and flooring, says Waage, who presented the survey’s findings Thursday at the International Builders’ Show in Orlando. “Statement tubs are still big, even in a smaller footprint,” she says.
Contrasts such as detailed tile next to cool metal and bold patterns with soothing colors are growing in popularity. As for lighting, Waage says it’s “the new jewelry of the room.” Industrial lighting is an especially hot trend this year.
Other priorities buyers have for their next home include: Continue reading »
By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR Magazine
It’s not quite spring yet, but it’s not too early to start thinking about your listings’ outdoors–your buyers certainly will, even if they can only visualize it during the cold, wintery months.
The American Society of Landscape Architects conducts an annual Residential Trends Survey. Here are some of the findings from its 2011 survey, based on what landscape architects say are very to somewhat popular outdoor living feature trends:
By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR® Magazine
More home owners are looking at sprucing up their homes, at least according to an index by the National Association of Home Builders, which shows its remodeling index reaching a five-year high during the fourth quarter of 2011.
“As more consumers remain in their homes rather than move in this economy, remodelers benefited from a gradual increase in home improvement activity, taking us to a five-year high,” NAHB Remodelers Chairman Bob Peterson said in a statement. “2011 ended on a strong note for the remodeling industry.”
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