Women are big decision-makers when it comes to buying and designing a home.
Men tend to be more interested in a home’s space and dimensions, but women tend to be more swayed by a home’s aesthetics, layout, and functionality, according to Coldwell Banker Real Estate consumer specialists who have been studying men and women home-buying preferences.
So if women are the main decision-makers when it comes to the interior of homes, what do they most often want in a home?
A recent article at MSN highlighted some of women’s most common preferences in homes, according to surveys. The list included:
By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR(R) Magazine
Photo Credit: Jump Visual, www.jumpvisual.com
By having at least one photo on your residential listing online, you could increase the sales price by up to 3.9 percent, a new study finds of 4,000 homes evaluated by researchers Justin D. Benefield, Christopher L. Cain, and Ken H. Johnson.
The more photos you add — the more you stand to gain too, researchers estimate. Sellers could net about $150 to $200 more for each photo they add.
Johnson told The Wall Street Journal he would recommend having a ratio of four to five interior photos of a home to one exterior for every listing.
Interior photos of the home were found to have a bigger effect in increasing the sales price than exterior photos. Sellers were able to increase the home price by nearly 4 percent by adding interior photos compared to a 1.9 percent increase from exterior photos.
While the photos can help increase the sales price, don’t expect it to help you sell the home faster, however. Continue reading »
By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR(R) Magazine
After five years of downsizing, home owners are showing a desire for more space. In the past year, builders are reporting higher demand for larger homes.
In fact, 84 percent of home owners between the ages of 18 and 59 say they have no intentions of downsizing–even among Baby Boomers who often show preferences to downsize during retirement, according to a recent survey by PulteGroup of about 500 home owners. Many home owners–particularly younger generations–are saying they need more space than what they currently have.
By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR(R) Magazine
Home interiors are going green this year. Pantone has named “Emerald” its color of the year for 2013.
Pantone describes the jewel-like hue as a “lively, radiant, lush green” that can offer sophistication and luxury.
“Green is the most abundant hue in nature – the human eye sees more green than any other color in the spectrum,” says Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute. “Symbolically, Emerald brings a sense of clarity, renewal and rejuvenation. This powerful and universally appealing tone translates easily to both fashion and home interiors.”
Emerald paint, accents, and accessories will likely be decorating more home interiors this year. Pantone says that Emerald can be used to add luxury to an entryway, powder room, dining room, or study, or it can help transform a living room by using it as an accent wall. Emerald-colored bedding, pillows, and bath towels will also likely be making its way into more decors this year, Pantone says.
Emerald replaces last year’s color of the year — the reddish orange color known as “tangerine tango.”
By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR(R) Magazine
Photo Credit: HomeThangs.com
Kitchens are a popular spot that home shoppers judge in a home. So what are the trends in the kitchen for 2013? HomeThangs.com, a home improvement superstore, offers up some of the following kitchen design predictions for the New Year:
1. Modern style: Kitchens are getting more modern in style, boasting simplified lines and offering up big, open spaces perfect for entertaining.
2. Tucked-away appliances: Appliances designed to blend in with the rest of the kitchen, like with the same wood of the cabinets, are becoming more popular. Also, some appliances, like undercounter or mini refrigerators or trash compactors, are being tucked away into a kitchen island.
3. Lots of lights: Great lighting in the kitchen is becoming more important, with lighting being layered with a mixture of task lighting and ambient lighting. Under-cabinet LED lights are becoming more commonplace.
4. Supersized kitchen islands: “2013 kitchen design trends are moving away from dining rooms and toward eating, drinking, and interacting in the kitchen itself, and a large kitchen island complete with bar stools is the perfect way to make this happen,” according to HomeThangs.com. this helps to create “a nice open-air feeling – especially if one can be used to bridge kitchen and living areas, another major 2013 kitchen design trend.” Continue reading »
By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR(R) Magazine
Great staging can help buyers fall in love with a home, but can some lucky numbers help get them through the front door?
Some numbers may be more lucky than others when pricing a home for sale, according to market psychology. For example, prices ending in “9” can make some buyers feel like they’re getting a deal. So “$149,999” versus “$150,000” may not change the value too much, but it can sound like a better deal to potential buyers. Suddenly, the home is priced in the $140,000 range rather than the $150,000 range.
Fifty-three percent of listed homes that Trulia recently analyzed had a price ending in a “9.” Five was also a common last number. Continue reading »
By Myra Nourmand
During the holidays, winter cheer is everywhere. Holiday carols fill homes, stores are beautifully decorated, and there’s a general feeling of joy as families gather and fulfill each other’s wish-lists.
No doubt, people are in a buying spirit. In fact, I’ve closed deals on Christmas and New Years. For home buyers looking forward to starting off fresh for the New Year, you want to create a warm and inviting space that will set your home apart from the rest.
Here are five easy ways to do this: Continue reading »
When trying to sell a home during the cooler months, it’s important to warm up the interiors and give the home a “homey” cozy look, agents say.
AOL Real Estate recently highlighted some tips for warming up your listings this fall and winter. Here are a few ideas:
1. Offer up some cozy smells: “We take some big old pots and dump cider in them, then warm it up and the whole house smells good,” Idaho real estate professional Gail Hartnett told AOL Real Estate. “It’s just a warm, homey smell that makes people feel good when they enter.” Continue reading »
Photo Credit: Paint Quality Institute
The front door of a home can be an attention-getting feature on the home’s exterior, beckoning potential buyers inside.
“Like a necktie, which is the focal point of an outfit, the front door is the focal point of the home,” says Debbie Zimmer, color expert at the Paint Quality Institute. “The color there sends a strong message.”
So what message could the color on the front door of your listings be conveying? Color psychologists suggest that the color of the front door can make a powerful statement about the home or the owner. Here’s what they say the different front door hues can mean, according to the Paint Quality Institute: Continue reading »
By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR® Magazine
Haunted houses must not be too spooky because 32 percent of potential home buyers say they’d buy a haunted house or a home with suspected paranormal activity, according to a new Realtor.com survey.
While some potential buyers may be willing to overlook any skeletons in the closet, they do expect a discount for the paranormal intrusion.
Seventeen percent of the potential home buyers say they’d expect a discount of 51 percent or more on the “haunted” home’s market value, 19 percent say they expect a 31-50 percent discount, and 18 percent say a 21-30 percent discount would suffice for them. Only 15 percent of those surveyed say they’d be willing to pay full market value for a “haunted” home.
Discounts aside, if those ghosts acted up during the house tour, most buyers say all deals would be off. Warm or cold spots possibly produced by any lurking ghosts or suspicious noises like footsteps and slamming doors would be a deterrent to these buyers. That said, 41 percent say they are OK with ghosts staying in the home–as long as they remained invisible and didn’t bug them.
Ever find yourself having to list a home with suspected paranormal activity? Try staging the home with the “Ghost Busters” theme song playing in the background. After all, these buyers “ain’t afraid of no ghosts.”
Recent Comments