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® Magazine
Certain dated design features in a home can really make some home buyers cringe. Could your listing have one of them?
A recent article at AOL Real Estate spotlights a few pet peeves of home buyers when touring homes today. Among the items making their list:
1. Popcorn ceilings: The speckled ceilings can attract dirt and be impossible to paint. Plus, if the home was built prior to 1980, the ceiling may contain asbestos and need to be tested by an inspector. Fix it: Unfortunately, there’s no quick fix for removing popcorn ceilings; it can get messy. It’ll have to be scraped off and the ceiling then will need to be repaired. Plus, you’ll want to have it tested for asbestos before scraping. Home owners will likely want to consider hiring a professional to do this.
2. Carpeting everywhere: Many home buyers today have a fondness for hardwoods over wall-to-wall carpeting. Carpeting can show spots and dirt, which can serve as a quick turn-off to potential buyers who prefer the more polished look of hardwoods. Fix it: Have the carpet professionally cleaned if your seller can’t afford to swap out the carpet for hardwoods. Make sure the carpet is spot-free and looking new. If sellers are willing to spend some money, they might consider installing hardwoods on just the first floor or in just the dining room (pre-finished laminate can cost less). This allows the home to be marketed as having hardwoods, which could possibly draw in more potential buyers who won’t consider a home without.
Kitchens are blending more into the rest of home interiors. A recent blog post from Home Design Find highlights some of the recent trends popping up in more kitchens this year:
1. Unmatched cabinets: Cabinet colors and materials are being mixed, such as darker colors for the base cabinets and lighter colors being used for upper cabinets to “provide a sense of openness,” according to the blog.
2. Downsized kitchen islands: While bigger used to be better with kitchen islands, more home owners are finding they can make do with a smaller kitchen island that doesn’t take up as much space.
By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR Magazine
More Americans are showing their love for the great outdoors with their homes, seeking more outdoor living spaces at home that can blend in with their indoor spaces too, according to the American Institute of Architects Home Design Trends Survey for the first quarter of 2012. AIA surveyed nationwide architects to discover home preferences. The first quarter survey focused on home layout and the use of interior and exterior space.
“In the last few years, outdoor living spaces have become the new ‘great room’ in terms of must-have items for home owners,” says Kermit Baker, AIA’s chief economist. Continue reading »
By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR® Magazine
More home owners want more space in their kitchens and are expanding the kitchen’s use for more than just cooking, according to the latest findings from the American Institute of Architects’ quarterly Home Design Trends Survey. The survey, conducted in the fourth quarter of 2011, focused on kitchens and bathrooms.
“Kitchens seem to be regaining their function as the home’s ‘nerve center,’” says AIA Chief Economist Kermit Baker.
During the housing downturn, kitchen design fell as a priority for home owners, Baker notes. But as the market has picked up, Americans’ interest in kitchens has been renewed.
“The last few years have seen kitchens take on new functions with dedicated computer areas and recharging stations,” Baker notes.
The kitchen products and features growing the most in popularity, according to the survey of architects, are:
By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR® Magazine
Go bold in 2012 or blend in–that’s the trend for paint and decorating in the new year. We recently highlighted Debbie Zimmer, color expert at the Paint Quality Institute, forecast for color choices in 2012, but here are some more of the home trends she expects to catch on in decorating next year.
Courtesy of The Paint Quality Institute
Matching Exteriors
On exteriors, shutter color choices often have been painted high-contrast greens, reds, or blacks. But in 2012, Zimmer sees the trend moving to a more monochromatic scheme for the exterior.
“You’ll see more shutters that are painted just a shade darker than the siding,” says Zimmer. “Owners of homes with stone exteriors can get in on things by matching the shutter color to the dominant color of the stone.”
By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR® Magazine
Photo Credit: Terrylynn Fisher, CSP Elite REALTOR, and StagersLIST.com
Do your home’s walls look a little bare? Some artwork can go a long way in decorating a home — and it doesn’t have to cost a fortune!
Real estate pro and stager Terrylynn Fisher says artwork can be an important accessory in finishing off a room. And while purchasing art can be expensive, there are plenty of inexpensive ways to get great art that you can use again and again when staging properties. I recently spoke with Fisher of Empire Realty in Walnut Creek, Calif., for REALTOR® Magazine’s February “House & Home” issue, where she shared with me some of her favorite inexpensive home updates (see Finishing Touches and Easy Solutions for Kitchens and Baths).
One of her favorite affordable artwork solutions for staging: Purchasing high-resolution, professional photographs on CD. The CDs contain 90-plus photographs–everything from architecture, scenery, locations to animals–and can be printed in sizes up to 24’’ x 36’’. The $25 CD has a range of photographs to choose from so she can always quickly find artwork to use when staging her listings and print it at the size she needs. Fisher, who has a Web site featuring tools for staging, sells the Print on Demand Photographs at her Web site, www.StagersLIST.com.
Inexpensive artwork can also be found on sites like art.com and allposters.com.
Hanging photographic art has become a big trend in home decor recently, according to an article from the Associated Press. Black and white photographs, streetscapes, landscapes, and portraits can make walls come to life, the article notes.
Hanging portraits can be a tricky one in staging a home for sale, however. What do you do when a family wants to cover their walls with family portraits when trying to sell their home? Can you make it work or will such artwork surely distract buyers? And is there any other artwork you should avoid when trying to sell a home?
By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR® Magazine
We keep hearing about what’s popular in 2011 for home design — but how about what’s not? Builder Magazine writer Jenny Sullivan asked industry experts to weigh in on design fads that you won’t likely see in the new year. Here are some of the fading home trends experts mentioned:
1. Trophy space: Forget those two-story grand entrances. Builders are seeking more affordable, energy efficient design so they are getting rid of large, volume spaces in homes.
2. Just for show: Fancy, overdone rooms won’t cut it in the era of the practical, cash-strapped buyer. Lavish industrial-grade kitchen ranges or fancy master bath spa tubs– that are hardly even used anyway–will fall to the wayside. “The kitchen is once again becoming a working part of the home and not just a showcase,” architect Don Taylor of DW Taylor Associates in Ellicott City, Md., noted in the article. “It needs to provide all of the latest conveniences and technology, but with practical applications in mind. The faux commercial kitchen look may have reached its summit.”
3. Egocentric houses: It’s not just about the interior of a home that makes a home.
By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR® Magazine
So what does 2011 hold for home decor? Expect lots of 2011 forecasts in the coming weeks. Here are highlights from a recent article in which design experts chime in what they expect to see popular in home design in the New Year.
1. Old is ‘New’
Vintage is to be hot in 2011. Period pieces that are repurposed or home furnishings reproduced from the 1950s, ‘60s, or ’70s will get new life again. For example, one design expert predicts more furniture styles inspired from the ‘50s and ‘60s with round tapered legs, geometric accents and seating with curved backs.
2. Bold colors
Aqua and green colors will continue to reign in the New Year. Subdued hues such as sage green, barn red, and mocha brown are also expected to increase in popularity. Continue reading »
By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR® Magazine
Coinciding with a sluggish housing market, home owners have changed their preferences about how space is used and designed in their homes. Function over extravagance has reigned in recent years, along with affordability, when it comes to home features, according to the latest American Institute of Architects Home Design Trends Survey for the second quarter of 2010.
Here are a few highlights from the report, based on nearly 300 residential architects who were surveyed about the design preferences of U.S. households.
WHAT’S IN
Home offices: More people are working out of their home or telecommuting, prompting more home owners to want a dedicated workspace in their homes.
Outdoor living areas: Home owners want to expand their living space into the outdoors and are seeking to incorporate more outdoor living elements into their lifestyles, AIA Chief Economist Kermit Baker said in a public statement about the survey. Continue reading »
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