By Charlene Storozuk, guest contributor
Could your listing's garage need a makeover?
Being the car enthusiast my husband is, when we were shopping for our home, the first thing he wanted to see was the garage. After checking it out, some of the homes would only get a cursory glance before he’d announce that he didn’t like it. There were some that I had to agree with him on; however, there were others that I thought were “the one”.
Finally, I got him to put into words what it was that he didn’t like about them. In a lot of cases, it was the garage. If it was being used as a dumping site, he was put right off. Like many buyers, he couldn’t visualize its potential.
To make your home appeal to the car enthusiasts out there, here are a few simple ideas for the garage: Continue reading »
Courtesy of The Paint Quality Institute
By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR(R) Magazine
Gray is a subtle color that can bring sophistication to interiors while also the neutrality that home buyer crave.
“It’s the hot new neutral, a sleek and sophisticated color option that adds refinement to almost any room,” says Debbie Zimmer, a paint and color expert with the Paint Quality Institute. “Walls that are painted gray are great backdrops for almost any style of décor, and gray is such a dignified color that it can elevate the appearance of even the most modest furnishings.”
Can homeowners deduct the cost of their kitchen remodel on their 2013 taxes? How about the interest on the home equity line they used to fund their bathroom upgrades?
Answer those and other homeownership tax questions by posting to your website a free article, Your Top Homeownership Tax Questions Answered, from the REALTOR® Content Resource. It’s one of five free articles now available Continue reading »
By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR® Magazine
More than 70 percent of single-family homes in the country were built prior to 1990, according to RealtyTrac’s Aging Homes Analysis.
“The high percentage of homes that are at least 20 years old and likely in need of some major repairs is eye-opening,” says Jake Adger, RealtyTrac’s chief economist. “However, given the low inventory of homes available for sale in today’s market, this challenge of aging U.S. housing supply can also be an opportunity for buyers looking for a bargain, and home owners looking to update their living space and improve the value of their homes.”
Homes built in 1990 or later sold, on average, for $256,292 in 2013. On the other hand, homes built prior to 1990 sold, on average, for $233,221, RealtyTrac found.
“The lower price point on older homes is not surprising given many are in need of some rehab and are more likely to have maintenance issues,” Adger says. “But this also presents an opportunity for buyers willing to take on that older inventory. Those buyers can purchase at lower price points and face less competition from institutional investors.”
By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR(R) Magazine
Philips Hue smart bulbs
Imagine selling a home where you could tell home buyers: You won’t need to change the light bulbs in this home for more than 20 years!
Wi-Fi-connected, long-lasting LED bulbs are breaking ground in the lighting industry. Instead of flipping a switch, one day you may just need to flip an app on your smartphone or tablet.
The smart bulb is generating a lot of buzz at this year’s International Consumer Electronic Show.
These bulbs not only aim to smarten up lighting in homes with “mood” lighting, but also provide another option to those who may not be fans of the “uninviting” light that standard energy-saving LED, compact fluorescent, and halogen bulbs put out. As of Jan. 1 of this year, incandescent light bulbs are no longer being manufactured in the U.S. Some in the lighting industry see “smart bulbs” as the next bright idea in lighting up homes. Continue reading »
By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR® Magazine
Laundry rooms are an important part of the house for home buyers, but this space can often get overlooked when it comes to staging. After all, how much can you really do to spruce up a washer and dryer, particularly if the laundry room is only a small room or even inside a closet?
But regardless of how much space your listing has, you’d be amazed at what a little staging can do to make buyers consider the laundry room a more inviting space and not just a dreaded space for chores.
A blog post by Laurie Turk with TipJunkie.com offers up several ideas of how to make the laundry room a more inviting space (watch her YouTube video filled with tips). Here are a few of her ideas:
Clients getting cold feet? Maybe their crawl space is the culprit.
Help clients stay toasty warm—and save money on their heating bills this winter—by branding, printing, and hand-delivering a free article, How to Insulate Your Crawl Space, from the REALTOR® Content Resource. It’s one of four free articles now available in Continue reading »
Tom and Sanam Yurczyk
Black Rock Homes LLC
Glastonbury, Conn.
As Tom and Sanam Yurczyk were preparing to start their own real estate firm, Black Rock Homes LLC, they were looking for a home base. That’s when they came across their 1,600-square-foot stunner with enough space so that they each have their own office (and they even use one of the bedrooms as a walk-in closet!). Even better is the home’s location, situated across the street from a facility that hosts weekly outdoor concerts and food festivals all summer.
The little details are what make the home special, Tom says. “We love the charm and character the home has, as it was built in the 1800s. One of the bedroom doors and a few of the closet doors are much smaller than today’s doors. We call them the ‘Alice In Wonderland’ doors. We’ve even repurposed some of the extra doors. For example, the light blue coffee table in the front room of our home was made from one of the doors.
“We love the original wide plank hardwood floors throughout, and many of the doors have the original hardware,” Tom continues. “We also love that the home has so many rooms even though it’s only 1,600 square feet.”
But the most important detail of all? “We instantly saw it as the future home of Black Rock Homes,” he said.
Send us a video tour of your home, and show us why you’re proud of it! Here’s how.
By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR® Magazine
Move over Emerald, there’s a new hot color in town. Get ready to embrace purple in the new year.
Pantone has crowned “Radiant Orchid” as the “2014 Color of the Year.” Pantone calls this attention-getting hue a “captivating, magical, enigmatic purple” that is expected to catch on in everything from home interiors, accent pieces, and accessories to clothing lines in 2014.
“An enchanting harmony of fuchsia, purple, and pink undertones, Radiant Orchid inspires confidence and emanates great joy, love, and health,” says Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute. “It is a captivating purple, one that draws you in with its beguiling charm.”
Pantone says the color complements olive and deeper hunter greens as well as makes a great combo when paired with turquoise, teal, and light yellows. It can also help liven up neutrals, such as gray, beige, and taupe.
Radiant Orchid will replace the 2013 color of the year, Emerald.
Here are a few examples from Houzz of how the color is being incorporated into interior spaces: Continue reading »
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