Posts Tagged ‘Staging Your Home’
Radiator Covers Dress Up Your Home
Easy staging and decorating tip: Install a cover over old radiators.
Radiators perform a necessary function in any home, but they can easily be a home feature, too. An easy DIY project, a Radiator Cover can completely transform the look and feel of your room, by hiding away those ugly radiators.
Why not give your home an instant and inexpensive makeover and gain shelf space? Radiator covers look more attractive than a bare radiator and also provide a shelf for plants, flowers, photographs, candles, lamps, etc.
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Don’t Take Your Home Off the Market During the Holidays
I’m thinking Turkey. The leaves have fallen, lawn mowers are stored and furnaces are in use. It’s at this time of year that many of our customer’s ask… “Should We Take Our Home Off the Market During the Holidays?”
The answer is definitely ”NO”. There are a lot of reasons to keep your home listed right through the New Year. And, there’s a special timely reason this holiday season!!
- The First Time Buyers Tax Credit has been extended until April 30, 2010 AND it’s been expanded. Step Up Home Buyers, who make a lot of money, can also receive $6500 in Tax Credits until April. Big tax incentives mean that smart buyers will be house shopping vs mall shopping this holiday season.
- Interest Rates are at Record Lows. 30 year fixed rate mortgages are below 5 percent. But, with the dollar weak and falling, low rates may not be around for long. Serious home buyers are aware of the difference that even a small interest rate increase would make in their house payment. The combo of Tax Credits and Low Interest Rates create strong urgency among buyer’s. Smart seller’s spruce up their homes and play into the pressure.
- Holiday Shoppers are Serious Buyers. Trust me. Everyone of us loves the holidays. So, the people who are out looking for homes in November, December and January are SERIOUS Buyers. Do you really want to pull your house off the market when the most serious people are shopping?? Think about it and gear up!!
- Less Competition. Many sellers don’t read our blog. They foolishly pull their homes from the market during the holidays, and this year will be no exception. Less competition and MLS exposure could make the difference between For Sale and Sold, this Christmas.
- Houses are Pretty during the Holidays. Staging your home is easy during the holidays. The mood is festive. Holiday colors are warm and inviting. Candles, centerpieces and decorations touch the heart and convey a peaceful lifestyle. Light the candles, make a roaring fire, bake some goodies and turn on some relaxing holiday music. Buyer’s love to see a home decorated and looking special. Don’t let this once a year opportunity pass you by.
- Curb Appeal. If your landscape and lawn isn’t that great, breathe a sigh of relief that no one else’s is this time of year, either. Add seasonal color, a wreath, perhaps some decorations. Just keep it subtle and classy. No mowing, no weeding and trimming, and best of all snow covers all…
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Green Flooring. Marmoleum Natural Linoleum.
If you are considering an update for the old vinyl flooring in your home, go natural. Natural linoleum, made from wood and cork, limestone dust, pine rosin and linseed oil, is a fantastic, green material substitution for the petroleum-based products of old. Natural linoleum is available in either sheets or individual tiles, it offers an endless suppliy of color and pattern choices and is a great product for residential or commercial use.
Why We Like Natural Linoleum
It’s Versatile. Marmoleum is available either sheet or tile forms. It is used in both residential and commercial settings. Great for resturants and offices, too. The product can be used on floors and countertop surfaces. It is sold in a wide range of colors and patterns. Some patterns mimic quarried stone, others are mottled for subtle texture and other options include high tech MRI images. The applications and decorating options are only limited by the owner’s imagination and tastes. A Do-It-Yourselfer can easily install the tiles themselves, just like vinyl. 
It’s Low Maintenance. Manufacturers estimate the lifespan of natural linoleum at 30-40 years, compared to 10-20 for vinyl. Scratches are no problem. The surface is hard, and even becomes harder over time. Additionally, any surface scratch can be buffed out, because the color extends through the entire thickness. For cleaning, a dry mop is recommended for routine maintenance.
It’s Green and Better for the Environment. Natural linoleum is much better for the environment than petroleum based, vinyl products. Vinyl’s are not sustainable and are highly polluting in their manufacturing process. Natural linoleum is made from wood, rosin, limestone and linseed oil. All these materials occur naturally and are sustainable. When it’s time to remodel, natural linoleum can be shredded and turned into compost for the garden versus filling a landfill. Additional bonus, natural linoleum will last and look good for a least least twice as long as vinyl.
Disadvantages. The linseed oil in the products “off gas” and some people are sensitive to its fumes. We advise that you air out the product for a few weeks before you install it, if you have a sensitive reaction to the smell. Like most plant-based products, linoleum doesn’t perform well in area’s with constant moisture. Test the moisture content of floor slabs before installation. Use Caulk to seal edges around tubs and showers where flooring abuts. The only other disadvantage is probably the initial cost of the product. Marmoleum costs around $4.00 per square foot, compared with $1.50 to $2.00 for vinyl flooring.
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Virtually Stage Your Home to Sell
Marketing a vacant home can be difficult challenge, because empty rooms are hard to size up and they don’t stand out in a buyer’s mind. This leaves every vacant home looking like the one next door, with the only difference in a buyer’s mind being, which home has the lowest price.
This problem may have been solved by Krisztina Bell, a smart Atlanta Realtor, who invented and patented a software program that will “virtually” stage any vacant property for around $250. Her company has been heralded by the Chicago Tribune, San Francisco Chronical and other publications as the answer to giving the effect of a professionally staged home at a fraction of the cost.
With 90 percent of home buyers doing their shopping online, and thousands of vacant homes on the market, Ms Bell’s idea is smart and timely. Her technique transforms listing photo’s of vacant homes into homes with professionally designed interiors, using a library of attractive furnishings, accessories and artwork. The resulting “after” photo’s are realistic, authentic and hard to distinguish from a home that has been actually staged with furnishings.
To view the Photo Gallery of some impressive Before and After Pictures, please visit her website VirtuallyStagingProperties.com, by clicking this link. You will be amazed. And, if you have a vacant home to sell, you should seriously consider this inexpensive option and make your home pop.
Thank you for visiting InfoTube.net homes for sale and rent website. If you virtually stage your home, be sure to upload the slideshow to InfoTube.net. Thousands of buyer’s search our site daily for new information on properties.
Reface or Tile Over an Ugly Fireplace
A fireplace can be a huge selling point for any home or an eyesore that detracts from the room. If the fireplace in your home is out dated or just plain ugly, you can transform it into a sexy, focal point without spending a lot of money.
Take a look at this brick fireplace. It is a fireplace, but it is doubtful that buyers would conjure images of sipping wine by a roaring fire, in its present condition.
Now, take a look at the transformation, after engineered stone was applied over the old brick and a mantle was added. The fireplace morphs from an eyesore into a floor to ceiling, hearthwarming focal point
In another example, this unattractive, dated fireplace with painted brick got a great makeover. The homeowner correctly felt the fireplace was out of proportion, due to the narrow sides and tall top. The mantle was also too small.
The After. The budget minded homeowner added an “in stock” simple mantel and pilasters from a do-it-yourself center. The design updated the fireplace, hid most of the outdated, painted over brick and brought the fireplace into correct proportion for under $750.
If your fireplace detracts from your home, get your creative genius in gear and simply cover it up. Examples of “coverup” materials that are inexpensive and easy to work with are tile, manufactured stone, granite, marble or wood. Sometimes even painting over old, ugly brick will make a huge improvement.
Thank you for visiting InfoTube.net. We love before and after pictures that we can share with our readers. If you have completed a project and want a pat on the back, email photo’s to tommi@infotube.net
Update the Front Porch Light
If the light fixtures by your front door are over 10 years old, you need to update them. New outdoor fixtures are very inexpensive ($50) and they can be installed by any homeowner in less than 15 minutes. Just make sure to cut off the power before taking the old fixture down.
Your home will not get a second chance to make a good first impression on homebuyers. Any money you spend on staging and updating your entry will be money well spent.
Thank you for visiting InfoTube.net. We have been helping buyers and sellers market their properties since 1989, and we can help you, too.
Cash for Refrigerators Program
Cash for Refrigerators. $300 million dollars of stimulus money has been set aside for consumer’s who purchase new, energy saving appliances. Rebates of $50.00-$200.00 will be available in October on purchases of refrigerators, dishwashers, washing machines and air conditioners.
Program Eligibility:
- To qualify, the consumer must purchase appliances with an Energy Star designation.
- You don’t have to “trash” your old appliance to qualify.
- States must apply to the program before October 15, 2009
Pro’s:
- Upgrading to an Energy Star rated appliance saves a family $50-$150 per year in utility costs.
- Rebates will ease the transition into new efficient appliances and help some consumers avoid going into debt in order to upgrade.
- Could provide a boost to the beleaguered appliance and home improvement industries who are suffering in the bad economy.
- Helps the environment.
Con’s:
- No plan for the Trashed Appliances. Currently there is no plan for proper disposal for the trashed appliances. Old appliances can be donated or resold, which will not help the environment.
- If we can’t find a way to recycle old appliances, the program will add more trash to the planet.
Tips for Consumers:
- Most retailers will haul away your old appliances, when you purchase a new one. Ask the retailer what happens to the old one, after they pick it up. Buy only from retailers who can prove that they recycle or destroy the old appliances.
- Use a Good Recycler to Take the Appliance Away. Good recyclers will capture all coolants in the units which cause serious harm to the environment. In addition, they will recycle all the metal and foam contained in the old unit.
- GE and KitchenAid are offering additional manufacturer rebates on Energy Star Rated appliances now. Click on the company name for details.
Thank you for visiting InfoTube.net. We hope that Cash for Refrigerators is as successful as Cash for Clunkers. If you have been waiting to update your appliances, October will be an excellent time.