Need Help Climbing Out of That Clutter?

By Erica Christoffer, Contributing Editor, REALTOR® Magazine

Every day I learn something new from the folks I follow on Twitter. Today I learned that Nov. 15 is National Declutter Day. Who knew?

The occasion, which was started last year by Kijiji.com (@KijijiUS), eBay’s free online classifieds site, is a great way to get sellers motivated to prepare their home for showings.

Plus, we could all use a little decluttering in our lives, couldn’t we?

In honor of the occasion, I’ve scoured the Internet for some resources you can pass on to your clients. What I’ve come up with are three handy Web sites and one clutter-busting San Carlos, Calif.-based business that can clear out a room in minutes. Intrigued? Read on.

Unclutterer.com

This Web site is all about organization, plain and simple. Organizing your life; organizing your home; organizing your office. The Washington, D.C.–based author Erin Doland is a recovering pack-rat who once “held on to objects like her third grade math assignments and every note she passed in high school.” Her book Unclutter Your Life in One Week, which went on sale this week, is a testament to her reformed, uncluttered lifestyle, and a helpful tool for anyone looking to declutter their home. Read more

Bathroom Update: Maximum Impact on a Minimal ($71) Budget

By Charlene Storozuk

Let me start out by telling you that our home was the recipient of this quick and easy facelift.  My husband and I bought our home as a fixer-upper. It’s taking longer than expected to finish because little things such as life, time, and money seem to get in the way. When it came time to update the bathroom, we had a decision to make. Do we totally renovate it, or spend the money on a new patio instead?

Since both of us love the outdoors, the patio won out. Here’s what I’ve done with the bathroom temporarily and something you can pass along as an inexpensive fix for those selling their homes.

You’ll see that the cupboards looked tired and were starting to peel. The previous home owner painted them before listing, but he either didn’t clean them thoroughly, or he used the wrong paint. Read more

Remodeling Industry Shows Signs of Rebound?

By Melissa Dittmann Tracey

The home remodeling history has taken a hit in recent months but finally may be starting to show signs of picking up, according to the Web site www.remodelormove.com and its latest Remodeling Permit Activity Report. The report, a survey of 5,000 home owners, shows a 5 percent increase in the number of home owners who say they will likely remodel within the next 12 months–the first reported increase, even if it is slight, in remodeling plans since 2007. Read more

Government Allocates $100 Million for Lead Paint Removal

Nearly $100 million in federal stimulus money will go to getting rid of lead paint from low-income homes, Vice President Joe Biden announced Friday. The toxic paint–which can lead to health problems, particularly in children–is often found in homes built prior to 1978.

HUD is making the money available through grants that will help 53 local programs in 20 states and the District of Columbia.

“It is unacceptable that some 40 percent of homes in this country still contain lead-based paints, the majority of which are in low-income areas where homes have not been renovated in decades,” said Biden in a public statement.

Read more about the dangers of lead paint and the 5 Most Dangerous Hazards in a Home in REALTOR® Magazine’s Handouts for Customers (helpful articles that can easily be incorporated into your marketing materials to buyers and sellers).

From an Architect: 6 Affordable Ways to Make Your Listings More Attractive

By David Applebaum

In this market, selling a house can be more challenging than ever. As a real estate professional, I’m sure you have used many ideas to help make your property look its most attractive to potential buyers. As an architect for two decades, I have suggestions and tips to maximize your potential in selling the home.

Every house and every property is different, and I recognize that a “walk through” can inspire specific ideas for each property. But here are some universal suggestions that will make any house look more appealing for sale.

1.    Clean everything. Eliminate damaged and soiled items, get rid of half of the furniture and rearrange the other half, and remove any personal items. It is important to give the buyers the ability to see themselves in the property.

2.    Accent lighting. This can help make the home more attractive and accentuate the positives by highlighting the homes attributes and diminish the negatives of any setting. The key is to realize that you are playing with contrasts.

Some other lighting tips:

• A light along fabulous furnishings, an architectural element, or detail will show that element off.
• A light behind an object will frame the object in darkness and bathe what is behind it in a wash of light.
• Use highlight and contrast to make a room feel longer, higher, or warmer. Read more

Is Your Listing Really “Green”?

By Erik Fowler

This is the second article in a series designed to help you make sense of the green landscape as a real estate professional. In the last article, we covered the big picture – defining “green,” concepts of sustainability and what it means to be green (read it here). Here, we examine green homes and real estate.

WHAT IS A “GREEN” HOME?

Essentially, green homes (or buildings) strive to integrate into the environment, use sustainable design and construction concepts, and have a positive impact on occupant health and comfort.

They achieve this by considering the home in two fundamental ways:

1. A system of interconnected parts that all affect each other (much like our natural environment);
2. A lifecycle—the design, building, maintenance/operation and demolition.

For example, consider how home design affects window choices, which affects lighting, which affects the heating/cooling system, which then affects energy consumption, which affects planet resources, pollution and, ultimately, potential climate change. Get the idea?

5 KEY COMPONENTS

Nearly all green homes consider the following key components essential to green building and remodeling:

1. Design and size: Good site design and just large enough, as opposed to larger is better.
2. Community connectivity: Located close to work, school, recreation and other basics.
3. Energy and water efficiency: At least 15 percent or more efficient than others. Read more

Color Psychology: Choose the Right Color for Your Listings

By Melissa Dittmann Tracey

Is there a science behind selecting the right colors for your listings? In this month’s Realtor® Magazine, I spoke with experts in the field of design psychology to learn how the color on the walls may affect buyers’ moods. (Read the article: “Can Color Cost You a Sale?”)

For years, psychological research has been offering insights into how the brain reacts to color choices. Such research is often tapped by the marketing field in making products more desirable to buyers.

Can these same studies be applied to motivating such big purchases as a home? It’s a leap, but at a subconscious level, certain colors on walls may evoke buyers who enter a home to feel more welcoming and even warmer (which may be particularly nice for rooms in chilly areas of the home).

A recent study by lead researcher Juliet Zhu of the University of British Columbia found that red seems to improve attention to detail. (The findings appeared this month in the journal Science.)  The researchers speculated that we’re taught at a young age that red means danger so red might slow us down and prompt us to zoom in on details (so would that make it a good choice for, say, surrounding the fireplace or to bring out other key details in your listing?).

While color preferences and psychological responses vary, research has revealed some of the following commonalities, according to The Rohm and Haas Paint Quality Institute and Architects Design Group (also included below is suggestions of what rooms the color may work best in).

• Red: Increases energy and heart rate, creates excitement and stimulates the appetite. Best for: Dining rooms

• Orange: Adds comfort, warmth, and cheerfulness and too much can bring about feelings of cautiousness. Best for: Living rooms and Read more

Remodeling and Short Sales Don’t Mix

By Filomena M. Thompson

Short sales and remodeling … NOT a good idea!  If your client is unfortunate to have to sell their home as a short sale, the last thing she’ll want to do is make any home improvements.

Short sales are named as such because the seller has to sell his home for less than what he owes the lender and the lender has to approve the offer that is received. If the lender refuses to process the sale of the property as a short sale it will go to foreclosure.

Making any remodeling improvements to the home will likely make no difference in the lender approving the short sale. What’s more, if your client doesn’t have the money to stay in the home, how can he possibly have money to remodel?

If your client is not in a short sale situation and would like to make a few improvements before putting it on the market, then go for it. Contact an ethical, reliable contractor from the National Association of Remodeling Industry (NARI) network and make those improvements.

Also, check out the 2008 Cost vs. Value report to see what remodeling jobs will get you the most bang for your buck (e.g. exterior remodeling projects — such as siding, windows, Read more