Hey all! So as you know (if you read my intro) I am a licensed real estate agent. When it comes to selling a home, it can become overwhelming.
Too much stuff and a potential buyer can't see themselves in your home. An empty house and a non-visual buyer won't be able to see themselves in the home. As you can see, there can be complications when trying to sell. Your best bet is to get rid of non-essential items. Whether you put them in storage or start packing them away. When it comes to an empty home, there are many companies and even some accredited agents that can stage your home so it doesn't feel so empty and a potential buyer can see how their furniture can be placed in a room when there are items strategically placed. Yea, sounds crazy...Why spend more money when you're trying to sell...right?
Trust me, the better your home looks the faster it will sell. It's like going on an interview. You want to look your best and have great credentials that fit the job you are looking for. The same is said for people looking for homes. Most people want move in ready, or just paint and if necessary pull up carpet. Not everyone is a DIYer, even if they watch all the amazing shows on HGTV or the DIY channel. Some people have great ideas but can't execute. Others don't have the vision.
So if you have a lot of knick knacks, personal photos, etc...down size the collection. What you like others may not. And as you've seen on House Hunters, people have a lot to say about an owners home and décor, even if most of it will not be staying! It can impact how someone sees a home and they can pass over it, even if its an amazing house.
This brings me into another section of staging and real estate. For sale by owners. I get it, I really do...you want to sell your house yourself. Cut out the middle man and save the 4-6% an agent will charge for listing your home. But guess what...the agent doesn't even get all 4-6%! Shocker right?! If they don't represent both sides, then they are only getting half. And then that half they got, gets split with their broker! If they do represent both sides they still split with their broker. Also, think about the time an agent invests into a listing. Marketing, open houses, showing the house. We are not paid until that house sells. If you don't have the time to make the necessary updates to your home, staging and having the time to be at home for as long as it takes to sell, then I really suggest getting a realtor. Interview a few and see who works best for you. We are here to help you and get to your ultimate goal. Selling your home!
Monday, January 9, 2017
Wednesday, January 4, 2017
Moving furniture and keeping wood floors looking great!
Happy New Year everyone! Over the course of this holiday season, I found myself cleaning, A LOT. Moving things around and reorganizing to either fit people or stuff in general into my home.
I have nice hardwood floors and one thing that drives me crazy is getting them scuffed or scraped from moving a chair, couch or table. In my living room I have a sectional couch, well more like a modular sectional. I can move it around and piece it together to get the best layout possible. The most movable piece is the ottoman as I have not gotten clips/elastics to keep in place. So naturally, it gets moved around. With moving around, I started getting scuffs on the floor to my horror. Ugh! What do I do to fix this problem?! Ding a light bulb went off in my head. Felt pads or furniture glides/sliders would be great to put on and keep my floors from being damaged. There are different types and some are better for everyday use than others. You can pretty much find them anywhere on-line and in stores. Amazon.com is my savior for a lot of household items, as is Bed Bath and Beyond (because who doesn't love the tons of coupons they send, especially in the holiday season) or Dollar Tree for the budget conscious!
Funny enough I had some hanging around in drawer, yay!, because as I say "If it's free, it's for me" (yea I know very corny) and was able to utilize them for the ottoman. I don't know what I bought them for originally, as the apartment we lived in before buying a home was carpeted in all areas except the kitchen and bathroom. But I was glad to have them on hand anyway.
The sliders are great, but I find them to be better used for when I'm actually moving heavy items like a dresser or a bed. They work great on wood floors or carpet. The felt pads are great for everyday use, like my beloved ottoman, dining room chairs, coffee tables, etc. They come in different shapes, sizes and colors; which is great for making them seem like they are "part" of the furniture. Here's a link to a whole supply on the cheap! They even have ones that screw or nail into legs of tables and chairs if you want a more permanent solution instead of the peel and stick.
So if you move into a home with great wood floors or redo your floors, don't forget your sliders or felt pads. You can thank me later.
I have nice hardwood floors and one thing that drives me crazy is getting them scuffed or scraped from moving a chair, couch or table. In my living room I have a sectional couch, well more like a modular sectional. I can move it around and piece it together to get the best layout possible. The most movable piece is the ottoman as I have not gotten clips/elastics to keep in place. So naturally, it gets moved around. With moving around, I started getting scuffs on the floor to my horror. Ugh! What do I do to fix this problem?! Ding a light bulb went off in my head. Felt pads or furniture glides/sliders would be great to put on and keep my floors from being damaged. There are different types and some are better for everyday use than others. You can pretty much find them anywhere on-line and in stores. Amazon.com is my savior for a lot of household items, as is Bed Bath and Beyond (because who doesn't love the tons of coupons they send, especially in the holiday season) or Dollar Tree for the budget conscious!
Funny enough I had some hanging around in drawer, yay!, because as I say "If it's free, it's for me" (yea I know very corny) and was able to utilize them for the ottoman. I don't know what I bought them for originally, as the apartment we lived in before buying a home was carpeted in all areas except the kitchen and bathroom. But I was glad to have them on hand anyway.
The sliders are great, but I find them to be better used for when I'm actually moving heavy items like a dresser or a bed. They work great on wood floors or carpet. The felt pads are great for everyday use, like my beloved ottoman, dining room chairs, coffee tables, etc. They come in different shapes, sizes and colors; which is great for making them seem like they are "part" of the furniture. Here's a link to a whole supply on the cheap! They even have ones that screw or nail into legs of tables and chairs if you want a more permanent solution instead of the peel and stick.
So if you move into a home with great wood floors or redo your floors, don't forget your sliders or felt pads. You can thank me later.
Wednesday, December 28, 2016
Decluttering
Hi all! Happy Holidays! It's been a few days since I posted...busy shopping and prepping for everything. A woman's work is never done as they say. So in light of the holidays and if you have kids and all the gifts they get I wanted to create a post about decluttering. Getting rid of all the old items or unused items that we no longer need.
I don't remember as a child having as many toys as my kids do now. It's absolutely insane! I had to add two new bins just to be able to have a place for everything. This is definitely a temporary situation for us. It gets to the point where they just have so much, that they don't even know what they have nor do they play with it all. And I think the same can be said for adults. We have clothes that don't get worn, shoes, accessories, etc., the list goes on.
So the biggest question is where and how to start. Best bet is a small area so that you don't get overwhelmed too easily. Lets do a closet to begin with. We have so many clothes these days and a lot of them we don't wear. I know I have a closet full of clothes that no longer fit, or got damaged and I kept them thinking I could fix them or get a stain out. Well guess what, it never happened. Surprise, surprise! I've read about different methods for getting rid of clothes. One that I use, at least when it comes to folding, is the Kon Mari method. For hang-able items I usually go through everything once and make a few piles. Anything old/out of style goes for donations. Stained or damaged clothing in another (you can make rags if the fabric is right, or just toss it). Anything I think I might wear and actually do wear goes into my keep pile. Once I've bagged the donation clothes and done away with stained or damaged items, I tackle my keep pile. I keep my closet color coordinated as well as go from tank top to long sleeved to dress and pants are usually kept at the end.
Now your closet is organized with hang-ables, but what about the items that you kept but they were your might wear stuff? Well, for everything you wear, when you put it back in the closet, turn the hanger around. Once a season finishes or depending on the climate you live in, three to six months, if you have anything still hanging the right way, get rid of it! You are never going to wear it!
This method can work for foldable items. I would say to use a divider between the first shirt you wear and put back in the drawer, or whatever it is you need to purge, and make that your starting point. Whatever is towards the back of the divider at the end of the time frame you choose for yourself, you don't need.
At the beginning of this now longest post I have ever made, I spoke about kids. I have a three year old (a boy) and a five year old (a girl). So clothes and shoes cannot be passed down and shared unfortunately. Kids grow fast. I have a never ending mountain of clothes and shoes to always sort and go through as the seasons change. Luckily this type of decluttering is pretty easy as nothing will be kept, but I still try to sort by size so that if it gets donated or given to a consignment shop it will be easier for people to go through. Now toys on the other hand is another story. Unless they are obviously baby toys, they will stay around for a while. And when you try to get rid of them all of a sudden it's your child's favorite toy all over again. Sometimes it helps to go through things with them and ask them to pick out some toys to give away to kids that need them, I have a few friends that do this and I think it's really sweet. But my kids...well...everything is theirs and I have to purge in secret. (yea I know bad mommy) But if I showed you the play room, you would understand...They don't even miss what gets given away!
Ok, so you're somewhat organized or at least have an idea of how to go about it...It's really just tackling little things at a time. My old time favorite Pinterest always has good organizational ideas and a lot of the items needed you can find at Dollar Tree or a dollar store. No need to break the bank to have a decluttered and organized home! Feel free to share with me anything techniques that you have found to work for you! Till next time! Happy Holidays!!
I don't remember as a child having as many toys as my kids do now. It's absolutely insane! I had to add two new bins just to be able to have a place for everything. This is definitely a temporary situation for us. It gets to the point where they just have so much, that they don't even know what they have nor do they play with it all. And I think the same can be said for adults. We have clothes that don't get worn, shoes, accessories, etc., the list goes on.
So the biggest question is where and how to start. Best bet is a small area so that you don't get overwhelmed too easily. Lets do a closet to begin with. We have so many clothes these days and a lot of them we don't wear. I know I have a closet full of clothes that no longer fit, or got damaged and I kept them thinking I could fix them or get a stain out. Well guess what, it never happened. Surprise, surprise! I've read about different methods for getting rid of clothes. One that I use, at least when it comes to folding, is the Kon Mari method. For hang-able items I usually go through everything once and make a few piles. Anything old/out of style goes for donations. Stained or damaged clothing in another (you can make rags if the fabric is right, or just toss it). Anything I think I might wear and actually do wear goes into my keep pile. Once I've bagged the donation clothes and done away with stained or damaged items, I tackle my keep pile. I keep my closet color coordinated as well as go from tank top to long sleeved to dress and pants are usually kept at the end.
Now your closet is organized with hang-ables, but what about the items that you kept but they were your might wear stuff? Well, for everything you wear, when you put it back in the closet, turn the hanger around. Once a season finishes or depending on the climate you live in, three to six months, if you have anything still hanging the right way, get rid of it! You are never going to wear it!
This method can work for foldable items. I would say to use a divider between the first shirt you wear and put back in the drawer, or whatever it is you need to purge, and make that your starting point. Whatever is towards the back of the divider at the end of the time frame you choose for yourself, you don't need.
At the beginning of this now longest post I have ever made, I spoke about kids. I have a three year old (a boy) and a five year old (a girl). So clothes and shoes cannot be passed down and shared unfortunately. Kids grow fast. I have a never ending mountain of clothes and shoes to always sort and go through as the seasons change. Luckily this type of decluttering is pretty easy as nothing will be kept, but I still try to sort by size so that if it gets donated or given to a consignment shop it will be easier for people to go through. Now toys on the other hand is another story. Unless they are obviously baby toys, they will stay around for a while. And when you try to get rid of them all of a sudden it's your child's favorite toy all over again. Sometimes it helps to go through things with them and ask them to pick out some toys to give away to kids that need them, I have a few friends that do this and I think it's really sweet. But my kids...well...everything is theirs and I have to purge in secret. (yea I know bad mommy) But if I showed you the play room, you would understand...They don't even miss what gets given away!
Ok, so you're somewhat organized or at least have an idea of how to go about it...It's really just tackling little things at a time. My old time favorite Pinterest always has good organizational ideas and a lot of the items needed you can find at Dollar Tree or a dollar store. No need to break the bank to have a decluttered and organized home! Feel free to share with me anything techniques that you have found to work for you! Till next time! Happy Holidays!!
Wednesday, December 21, 2016
Punch Lists
I was working with a client today and the construction on their home has been going on for awhile. They are renovating the whole house practically and that takes time, especially when permits are involved and many trades having to schedule around one another.
So we were talking and she keeps pointing out items that need to be addressed or fixed painting wise. Some items make sense to fix right away. We had a big issue with the doors, door frames and windows...basically any trim that was painted white, except for the crown, which was new to the home and any "newer" frames, doors, etc. Any of the old wood/paint was having a peeling problem, even after us prepping it properly. It took a few tries to figure out how to combat this problem, but FINALLY it's resolved! (Hooray). Something like this you want to fix immediately, but when light fixtures have to be moved around, quarter round needs to be placed in, furniture still moved into place, etc. it doesn't make sense to "finish" a room. This is where punch lists come into play. I would say when a job is about 90% complete and you can basically move into a space, is when it's a good time to make a punch list.
A punch list is basically a list of items that need to be completed, just like a normal To-Do list. You walk room by room, floor by floor looking at all the odds and ends that need to be finished up. It gives great satisfaction to cross each one off the list. If you try to start pointing out items to be completed before most of the work is done, you end up fixing the same thing over and over again. Definition of insanity for sure. So when in doubt, just keep tabs on the work being done and once you're 90% there, then deal with items that have not been addressed. Time is money. And most of us don't have it to waste.
So we were talking and she keeps pointing out items that need to be addressed or fixed painting wise. Some items make sense to fix right away. We had a big issue with the doors, door frames and windows...basically any trim that was painted white, except for the crown, which was new to the home and any "newer" frames, doors, etc. Any of the old wood/paint was having a peeling problem, even after us prepping it properly. It took a few tries to figure out how to combat this problem, but FINALLY it's resolved! (Hooray). Something like this you want to fix immediately, but when light fixtures have to be moved around, quarter round needs to be placed in, furniture still moved into place, etc. it doesn't make sense to "finish" a room. This is where punch lists come into play. I would say when a job is about 90% complete and you can basically move into a space, is when it's a good time to make a punch list.
A punch list is basically a list of items that need to be completed, just like a normal To-Do list. You walk room by room, floor by floor looking at all the odds and ends that need to be finished up. It gives great satisfaction to cross each one off the list. If you try to start pointing out items to be completed before most of the work is done, you end up fixing the same thing over and over again. Definition of insanity for sure. So when in doubt, just keep tabs on the work being done and once you're 90% there, then deal with items that have not been addressed. Time is money. And most of us don't have it to waste.
Color
Color is one of the first main objectives to think of when creating your space. It can evoke emotions and feelings without even any décor being put into place. Just think about how a bright sunny day feels compared to a drab and gray one. The world still has the same colors, but depending on the day it can make you feel happy or sad. These are hues you are seeing in nature. A color palette to be explored. A bright blue with warmth in it will evoke a different feeling compared to a dark blue with cool undertones.
In school and even applied in real life, design boards aka sample boards are used by designers. This helps us to bring together a color palette, style, theme and feel for either a room or a whole home. They can be monochromatic, two tone, complimentary, adjacent color coordinates or anything that makes sense to the client and designer. With so many colors and materials to choose from, the possibilities are endless.
It can be daunting choosing the right shade of taupe, the right shade of grey, the right shade of white (yes there are tons of different "whites") and just about any color in general. Sometimes it does help to have the textiles in place before choosing a color scheme. You can take a color wheel and use it to pull subtle colors out of textiles in order to make a bolder contrast that may have not been there if you used a neutral. If you are still unsure of what you want, that's where color consultants and designers come in. We have a way of bringing out your words and ideas and making them a concrete visual image.
I have found, working in real estate and painting, that a lot of people have a hard time visualizing a space. Visualizing color and what the end product will look like. Thank goodness for samples as well as being able to paint a picture with words in order to help a client see what their end product will be. Don't be afraid to explore, it is only paint after all!
In school and even applied in real life, design boards aka sample boards are used by designers. This helps us to bring together a color palette, style, theme and feel for either a room or a whole home. They can be monochromatic, two tone, complimentary, adjacent color coordinates or anything that makes sense to the client and designer. With so many colors and materials to choose from, the possibilities are endless.
It can be daunting choosing the right shade of taupe, the right shade of grey, the right shade of white (yes there are tons of different "whites") and just about any color in general. Sometimes it does help to have the textiles in place before choosing a color scheme. You can take a color wheel and use it to pull subtle colors out of textiles in order to make a bolder contrast that may have not been there if you used a neutral. If you are still unsure of what you want, that's where color consultants and designers come in. We have a way of bringing out your words and ideas and making them a concrete visual image.
I have found, working in real estate and painting, that a lot of people have a hard time visualizing a space. Visualizing color and what the end product will look like. Thank goodness for samples as well as being able to paint a picture with words in order to help a client see what their end product will be. Don't be afraid to explore, it is only paint after all!
Monday, December 19, 2016
Seeking your style
You're ready for a change in décor right? Of course you are. Styles become stagnant over the years. Walls get dirty, furniture old, out of style or stained (especially if you have kids). Trends are constantly changing, not like clothes (thank goodness), but they change decade to decade. So now it's time to either update wallpaper, paint color, cabinets, etc., the list can go on and on. And the biggest question is where to begin and what outcome am I going for?
What I usually tell my clients is for them to think about the feel they want to have going throughout their home. If they aren't sure, I ask them to think about what style or styles they like. To use the internet with its abundant sources of information to get ideas. One of my favorites is Pinterest. There are a lot of DIY ideas on there as well as design information. You can make different boards for just about anything you like or are thinking of. It's an easy way to figure out your style and keep those ideas ready to use.
Now that you have collected your style or styles it's time to put into action. If you're handy, there are many tutorials out there. Painting isn't necessarily hard, yet if you want a smooth wall or a professional look, it takes time. And some things are best to leave up to a professional, especially if they require permits. I'm a DIYer for sure, but it's also nice to be able to hire someone and have them do it for you. After all, there are only so many hours in a day.
What I usually tell my clients is for them to think about the feel they want to have going throughout their home. If they aren't sure, I ask them to think about what style or styles they like. To use the internet with its abundant sources of information to get ideas. One of my favorites is Pinterest. There are a lot of DIY ideas on there as well as design information. You can make different boards for just about anything you like or are thinking of. It's an easy way to figure out your style and keep those ideas ready to use.
Now that you have collected your style or styles it's time to put into action. If you're handy, there are many tutorials out there. Painting isn't necessarily hard, yet if you want a smooth wall or a professional look, it takes time. And some things are best to leave up to a professional, especially if they require permits. I'm a DIYer for sure, but it's also nice to be able to hire someone and have them do it for you. After all, there are only so many hours in a day.
Introduction
Hi all! Welcome to my blog. I guess I should start this post with a little information about myself. My name is Colette and I have a passion for interior design and fashion. Currently I am a licensed real estate agent and a color consultant for my dad's painting business. I hope with my blog to assist people with great décor ideas and anything else that might pop into this brain of mine.
I've been interested in design as long as I can remember. In fact, my parents gave me a subscription to Architectural Digest for many years. Which is pretty funny, since most teens looked forward to their fashion magazines or teen magazines with the pop artists and celebrities. While I did like those magazines, I enjoyed looking at upcoming trends in the design world even more. I followed my passion and went to the Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC for interior design as well as fashion/home styling.
I have never had a blog before, so please bear with me as I navigate this uncharted territory for myself! Please feel free to ask me any questions as I want this to be as interactive as possible. I hope this has been a good introduction into who I am and what I hope to achieve. I know there are many blogs out there, so if you have happened to come across this one and given it a read, THANK YOU!
I've been interested in design as long as I can remember. In fact, my parents gave me a subscription to Architectural Digest for many years. Which is pretty funny, since most teens looked forward to their fashion magazines or teen magazines with the pop artists and celebrities. While I did like those magazines, I enjoyed looking at upcoming trends in the design world even more. I followed my passion and went to the Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC for interior design as well as fashion/home styling.
I have never had a blog before, so please bear with me as I navigate this uncharted territory for myself! Please feel free to ask me any questions as I want this to be as interactive as possible. I hope this has been a good introduction into who I am and what I hope to achieve. I know there are many blogs out there, so if you have happened to come across this one and given it a read, THANK YOU!
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