By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR(R) Magazine
During the housing boom days, media rooms, wine cellars, and large expansive bonus rooms were all the rage. But ask today’s home shopper what they want most from their home and their wish-lists have gotten much more practical.
Today, it’s all about energy efficiency.
In fact, four of the top most desired home features center around saving energy, according to a new study released by the National Association of Home Builders, “What Home Buyers Really Want.”
With rising utility costs, more home buyers are thinking not just about the price of buying a home — but also how are they going to maintain it and keep it affordable once they move in? Continue reading »
By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR(R) Magazine
Photo credit: Meredith Baer Home
In this month’s issue of REALTOR(R) Magazine, Beverly Hills real estate pro to the stars Myra Nourmand and Brett Baer, a luxury home stager with Meredith Baer Home, shared with me how to add some Hollywood magic to your listings.
Take a look at some of their ideas for sprucing up the homes of A-list celebrities.
By Tim Richmond, guest contributor
Flooring is a major component of a house — and its real estate value.
Whether it’s carpet, tile, marble, or hardwood, the flooring of the home serves as an important financial and practical asset. Quality flooring can increase the home’s value, and it’s vital to take proper care of it.
Some ways to accomplish this:
Developing a comfortable home environment with touches of your own personal style can be overwhelming, especially since there are so many kinds of décor to choose from. Finding the right style to fit your personality is easier than you think, though and it can transform a home into a comfy sanctuary, whether residents rent or own.
Here’s a primer to help you figure out which type of home décor is the right fit.
Credit: Design:Shuffle
Contemporary: This home décor style features clean lines and smooth, round surfaces. The contemporary color palette focuses on neutral tones such as beige, white, and tan, with light woods and metallic accents for a small pop of color. Fabrics in contemporary style homes are generally cottons, silks, and linens, which balance out the austere features with some needed texture. This style emphasizes ease, functionality, simplicity, and no-muss-no-fuss living.
Credit: recent settlers
Modern: Modern home décor also emphasizes simplicity, but it’s characterized by geometric shapes, symmetry, and a sleek feeling. Black, silver, gray, and white are popular modern design colors, but are often paired with a dramatic accent color. Surfaces tend to be granite or concrete, and hardware is generally stainless steel. Despite the emphasis on starkness, modern design is notable for the importance it places on eye-catching and vibrant art pieces.
Credit: coco+kelley
Traditional: If you like luxurious fabrics and ornate patterns, the traditional style of home décor is for you. Generally inspired by homes of the 18th century, the most popular design movements for traditional home décor are British Colonial revival, 18th century English, 19th century neoclassical, and French country. Traditional homes are warm and inviting, with peach, red, tan, and green tones, dark wood paneling, and an emphasis on eye-catching and over-the-top accessories that often feature floral patterns, gold accents, and rich fabric.
Credit: Justin Beckley
Cottage: The cottage home décor style is all about comfort, coziness, and textured accents. The palette typically revolves around colors you’ll see in a garden; shades of greens, pink, and yellows, and white as a neutral furniture accent color. The soft colors are contrasted with rich textural elements like wicker, natural fiber fabrics, and weathered accessories. Cottage furniture is generally large and inviting. If you are drawn to the “shabby chic” aesthetic, cottage home décor is a good fit for you.
Credit: johnnyvintage
Eclectic: Why have just one home décor style when you can choose your favorite elements from all of them? The eclectic home décor style is gaining in popularity because of its flexibility and emphasis on building a décor strategy out of key pieces that you already own. Eclectic home décor mixes and matches colors, time periods, fabrics, shapes, and textures to create a space that is truly unique to the individual. Despite that, eclectic style is still held together by a neutral color scheme and allowing your personal style to shine with creative and bold accessories.
Great curb appeal can get buyers to that front door of your listing. Do you have any simple tricks to getting stellar curb appeal? I’m looking for real estate and staging professionals who can share their tips for sprucing up the exteriors and how-to make it more inviting to buyers. Your insights will be used for an upcoming article in REALTOR(R) Magazine. If you have tips to share, please e-mail writer Melissa Dittmann Tracey at mtracey@realtors.org, and include your name and contact information. (If available, I’d love to see great photos too!)
By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR(R) Magazine
Emerald may be this year’s color of the year and hot hue, but which colors should you avoid?
Color research tells us some colors to avoid. Colors that can be considered, as some researchers note, “eye irritants” and can even cause headaches or mess with your vision.
According to color research, the worst offending color: Continue reading »
By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR(R) Magazine
Home owners are investing in their homes once again, according to recent industry surveys that point to a strong rebound taking hold in home remodeling. Home owners also may be seeing higher gains from some of these remodeling projects at resale, according to the most recent Cost vs. Value Report, which reviews the top remodeling projects that offer the highest returns at resale. The Cost vs. Value Report is conducted each year by Remodeling Magazine, in conjunction with REALTOR(R) Magazine.
So, which remodeling projects offer the potential for some of the biggest pay-backs at resale? The following mid-range remodeling jobs offer the highest returns, according to the 2013 Cost vs. Value Report.
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 »
Recent Comments