Fall Curb Appeal

 Home Staging

 

Now that the hot summer months are behind us your curb appeal will take on a whole new look to potential buyers.

 

Having your home on the market in autumn can be a great thing. For one thing, there’s less competition. It also puts you in the unique position to market your home as  the perfect place to bunker down when it’s cold outside. Even though fall buyers may be concentrating on the inside of your home, it’s not the time to neglect the outside of your home.

Here is a check list to review to make sure your homes curb appeal is still holding ground for your fall buyers.

 

• Fill in any bald spots or areas in your grass where it’s thinning
• Add mums or other fall plants to add color and interest to your landscape.
• Trim your shrubs and trees.
• Clear out all the summer clutter by storing or removing all summer lawn furniture
• Check your driveway. Does it need power washed or cracks filled in or resurfaced?
• Clean all gutters and downspouts and repair any leaks.
• Clean all windows and screens or even store the screens so the windows show better.
• Make sure all outdoor lighting is in working order and is highlighting the best features of your home.
• Take a good look at your front door. Does it need a fresh coat of paint? Hang a nice wreath with rich fall colors to invite your potential buyers in.
• Make sure your door bell is in working order and your house numbers are appealing and can be easily seen from passing traffic
• Check the street in front of your house for trash and unappealing litter
• Last but not least…take a good look at your mailbox. This is a relatively inexpensive item to update and makes a huge difference to potential buyers.

Spring Design Ideas

Seasonlizing Tips 

A New season is an indicator to give your home and your decorating style a bit of TLC. Treat your eyes to some quick changes that give your home a “space-lift” without breaking the bank.

Here are some Spring design ideas to inspire you

Force Branches

Nothing says Spring more than budding branches and tiny flowers. Take a walk in your yard and cut branches 12-36” long from your trees that are showing buds. Cut the bottom of the branch with a few upright slits to maximize their ability to take in water. Give the branches a good soak and then place in a vase and allow them to slowly unfurl their beautiful blossoms. Depending on the time of year, branches will take 1-3 weeks to completely open up but the entire process and sculptural beauty of the branches will be visually pleasing while you wait for the blooms.

Change your Area Rugs

Allow your home a chance to throw of its winter carpet for a lighter textural area rug. Whether it is sisal or a patterned textural carpet, add freshness with a new foundation for your space. Simply roll up the out of season carpet and store it, or take the opportunity to have it professionally cleaned until…sorry to tell you, but winter will be here again.

Drapery Panels

Fabric floating in the breeze is a sure sign spring has arrived. One of the first really nice days in Spring everyone will want to open up their windows and air out their homes that feel like they have been closed up for so long. One easy and eye pleasing idea is to consider changing out your heavy winter panels to lightweight fabrics like sheers, linen or soft cotton. This is a look that certainly says Spring has sprung.

Add Color in Unexpected Places

One area of our homes that gets neglected on space-lift is our bookcases and shelves, consider covering your books with color coordinated papers for a fresh look. Place in color blocks throughout the shelves. (Color blocking is grouping all the same colors together)

Picking the perfect paint colors for your home!

Picking the perfect Colors for Your Home

Color selection for your home can be overwhelming, more people are afraid of picking an interior paint color than they are about any other design choice.

My best advice for choosing color in your home is to find and inspiration. Find something that you love and let that guide you to the color palette of your spaces. Inspiration for each person can come in different ways. I will list a few ideas on how to find your inspiration.

·       Vacation destinations you love are wonderful inspiration when we are thinking color for our homes. Are you a beach bum, do you love the color of sand and the cool blue waters? Or do you love the Arizona sunsets and the warm colors of the landscape of the west?

·       Look for inspiration by taking yourself on a field trip. Visit local restaurants, commercial sites and other places where the color palette makes you happy. Make note of these hues.

·       Create a Style File, this is what I have a lot of my clients do to learn about what style and colors appeal to them. Clip photos from old magazines of not just rooms but nature or even a really great outfit. When you have collected several photos of things you love look at the similarities of the photos and colors you keep picking over and over.

·       Do you have a beautiful area rug or a piece of art or pottery in your home that you love? These pieces are great inspiration

·       Fabric stores are wonderful, I can waist an entire afternoon just looking and feeling all the different fabrics, look for the colors used in the fabric and find coordinating fabrics and make note of the colors you keep picking.

Once you have chosen your inspiration piece find a background color to use on your walls from your inspiration piece, then choice another color to use from your inspiration as an accent color, and then one more color to use a touch of in your space. Choosing three colors might seem overwhelming but remember color does not always mean paint color can be found in fabrics, artwork, or flooring. Find your inspiration and create beautiful rooms in your home.

Happy Painting!

Diane Agricola IDS ADE RESA

Top Ten Organizing Tips for 2013

Winter is the perfect time to re-organize your home and re-design your spaces. While the winter weather is keeping us inside, I want to share some great tips on sorting through our homes and organizing for the New Year. 

 

1.   Determine how you wish to use your spaces. How the spaces function is key. Do you need craft area or bar area?

2.   Sort, purge and donate piles should be made in each area you are organizing. If you have children’s items take them with you to donate unused items. This will help them learn to part with things.

3.   When doing closets take out everything, you need a completely empty closet to start. Only bring back into the closet what has been worn in the last year.

4.   Place all hangers the same direction then each time you wear something hang the hanger the other direction. In 6 months the hangers going the wrong way have not been worn and those items can be donated.

5.   The closets in your home should be bright and inviting. You should be able to see what you have in your closet, consider installing good lighting.

6.   Items that are only needed once a year, such as evening bags, and shoes should be stored on the highest shelves in the closet. Keep more frequently needed items at your fingertips.

7.   In the kitchen keep things that work together stored together, such as baking pans, electrical appliances, plastic containers (with Lids), pots and pans, and large platters and bowls.

8.   In the kitchen purchase some drawer dividers to keep utensils in order.

9.   Think about how your kitchen flows, place glasses near the sink or the refrigerator. Put snacks in convenient drawers or cabinets. For young children place pre-portioned baggies of their favorite healthy snacks were they can get to them.

10 Rotate food items in your pantry; create menus to use up items that are getting close to expiration date.

Now that you have gone through all the closets, pantry, garage, and cabinets you can feel good about what you have in your home and how you have helped others with what you have donated.

When your home only has what you need and what you love in it you will be able to see where maybe something is missing. Do you need more lamps, or new comfortable throws and pillows in your home? Now you can really get ready to Re-design your spaces in 2013.