5 Design Trends You May Want to Avoid in Staging

By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR® Magazine

styledstagedsold.blogs.realtor.org

Stagers are embracing some of the latest home design trends in freshening up homes for-sale. But some trends, they’re thinking twice about incorporating.

“If you’re too trendy, you run the risk of not being able to sell a home for the top-dollar you want for it,” warns stager Patti Stern with PJ & Company Staging and Interior Decorating in Cheshire, Conn. “When you stage a home, you want it to appeal to as many buyers as possible.”

Staging in trendy fabrics, colors, and finishes may offer up buyers a feeling that the home is up-to-date and move-in-ready. But getting too trendy can also backfire, particularly if it’s too personalized, stagers say.

Here are some popular interior design trends that some stagers are staying clear of:

1. Wallpaper: Wallpaper is gaining popularity once again in interior designs, from black and white damask prints to bronzed and antique silver metallics, earthy dimensional weaves and more. Wallpaper can add more personality to a room — but maybe too much for homebuyers envisioning moving in their own belongings. Instead, many stagers are sticking with paint.

2. Bright-colored walls: Not so fast with the Radiant Orchid, the bold purple-pink hue that Pantone has crowned as this year’s color of the year. Using the hottest color trends – like navy and purples — to paint an entire room may be too bold for the majority of buyers. Instead, stagers are using a neutral wall color, such as in soft tones of grays or white, and then bringing in the on-trend colors through small accents, like toss pillows, throws, lamps, and bedding or rugs.

3. Brass fixtures: Brass is back, but tread cautiously — at least for now. Most stagers aren’t ready to swap out the fixtures for brass, which had its last heyday in the ’80s. But stagers are starting to welcome back brass in small doses, such as a gold-vintage mirror, lamp, or accent table.

4. Doorless cabinets: Open shelving is a big trend in interior design. Designer magazines are showing off simpler kitchens without doors on the cabinets. The look puts perfectly organized dishes on display. While it can offer a sleek look, some stagers don’t want to field questions from buyers: “Where are the doors?”

5. Tuscan-themed: The Tuscan design style – featuring browns and earthtones – has been a popular interior trend, but it may be showing signs of waning in popularity. The National Kitchen and Bath Association noted the highly ornamented Tuscan – as well as French Provincial – styles are decreasing in popularity, as well as country and rustic styles. Instead, more remodelers are showing a preference for contemporary designs, featuring clean, simple lines, less clutter, and less ornamentation, according to NKBA. Transitional styles – a mix of traditional and contemporary – remain the most popular, NKBA notes. But NKBA notes that contemporary styles may soon overtake the popularity of transitional.

Campaña de reciclaje árbol por árbol

Fotografía: Diego Simón / cuartoscuro

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08 de Enero del 2014 | Notimex

La Secretaría de Protección Civil exhortó a los habitantes del Distrito Federal a no tirar sus árboles de navidad a la calle ya que se corre el riesgo de que alguien lo queme, por ello los invita a sumarse a la campaña de reciclaje "Árbol por Árbol, tu ciudad reverdece 2014".

La dependencia detalló que la campaña concluirá el 20 de enero y se llevará a cabo de 8:00 a 18:00 horas en las explanadas de las 16 delegaciones y en las tiendas Walmart de Cuajimalpa, Universidad, Toreo (Lomas), Miramontes, Plaza Oriente, Eduardo Molina, Nextengo, Tláhuac, Plateros y Aeropuerto.

El objetivo de este movimento es elaborar abono orgánico. Como incentivo, a las familias que entreguen su árbol se les obsequiarán plantas de ornato o bolsas de composta.

En el video te mostramos el proceso de reciclaje.

Visit Your House Like A Buyer...

Written by Norm Werner on Friday, 15 November 2013 6:19 am 

realtytimes.com

 

An educational technique that I often use with would be listing clients is to take them on a visit to their own home, through the eyes of a would-be buyer. I haven’t yet gone all the way to loading them up in the car and driving around the block to get to the visit; but, I do normally start outside in the driveway, where a Realtor and his client(s) might park. Sometimes we have to start discussing things right there, if the driveway has been neglected, is cracked and has grass growing through the cracks.

One of the most often neglected places in a home is the front walk and front door. As side-entry garages became prevalent, more and more homeowners got into the habit of popping the garage door open and driving in. They then make their way into the house through the garage door, which often opens into a mud room. Many can’t even remember when the last time was that they used the front door; and it shows. Realtors don’t bring visitors in through the garage; they use the front door.

Overgrown front walks and neglected front stoops or porches and front doors are very common. People put in all sorts of cute little bushes or plantings along the walk or beside the porch and then forget about them. Often one has to step off the walk to get around the overgrowth from the those cute little bushes that have now grown into monsters. Porches or stoops are also often left with little attention, even when they start to deteriorate. Often that bright brass coach light that looked so cute when it was installed is now dull and rusted and is cocked off at a slight angle, just to call extra attention to itself.

Just getting to the house up the walk may be a challenge, especially in the coming winter months. If it’s not uneven concrete flags to trip over; it might be icy spots on the walk or porch. Since the homeowner doesn’t use that entrance sometimes they forget to shovel it off when it snows or to spread ice melter when it is cold.  Don’t make a visit to your house a survival course.

The next challenge is often the Realtor struggling with the lockbox. As we get into shorter and shorter days, showings will more often fall in period of darkness. I can’t tell you the number of times that I’ve struggled on a dark front porch trying to work the combination on a lockbox because the seller forgot to leave the front light on (yes, that same pathetic, rusty brass light). I carry a flashlight in the winter just for this case.

Once inside, especially if it’s snowy or rainy, you’ll probably be ask (or want to) take off your shoes. Many homeowners forget to provide a chair for shoe removal and putting them back on; so that can mean leaning against a wall while trying to accomplish this feat. Hopefully, they have provided a mat of some sort to put your snowy shoes or boots upon; so the snow doesn’t melt all over their foyer.

The entrance foyer can set the tone for the rest of the visit. Visitors will make note of what they see just inside the door; even if it only views of the stairs and a couple of rooms off to the side. The worst that I’ve seen is a foyer with a view up a straight set of stairs right into the bathroom at the top, with the toilet prominently on display. No sale on that one!

If you’re doing this “visit” with a Realtor watch were their eyes go. They will be looking at or looking for things that you just may not notice any more. They will scan the ceilings in every room, looking for any evidence of water stains that are clues of leaks somewhere. They will scan the walls looking for plug and switch covers and for extra amenities, like wainscoting or ceiling molding. They will be looking at the lighting fixtures – types, how many and do they work. They will note the paint job in each room, looking for evidence that it was a badly done DIY job. They will note the condition of the kitchen – appliances, cabinets, countertops and layout. In baths they will note the condition of the grout around tubs and in tile work and look for signs of rust staining that indicates iron in the water.

Of course the Realtor will be seeing and noting any issues with clutter and cleanliness, so that they can discuss that with you, too. He/she is not trying to make you feel bad about your house or your housekeeping. They know that people fall into patterns of comfort about how they live in a house. The Realtor just needs to get you out of that comfort zone enough so that you see the house as strangers will see it when they visit. They may suggest hiring a cleaning service for a one-time deep clean.

After the visit, you should sit and discuss the results. Let me give you a hint at a line not to use with the Realtor – “Well, it’s good enough for me, so it should be good enough for them.” Maybe you should turn that thought process around and think, “If I make it good enough for them, it will be great for me.” You may rediscover something that you surely had at one time; but, which might have gotten sort of pushed aside for a while – pride of ownership. Once you have that again, it will shine through to visitors and help your house sell itself.

Even if you aren’t about to sell your house, make a visit to it every year, so that you can see the stuff that you need to get to in order to keep it up. I guarantee you that once you’ve gone through this experience with a good Realtor, you’ll never walk into any house again without noticing more than you’ve ever seen before.

How To Live Like Kim and Kanye - On A Real Person's Budget

by Realty Times Staff on Friday, 15 November 2013 5:06 pm 

 

 

Kim and Kanye are house shopping again. Well, actually, they're land shopping. The duo was spotted this week touring a 10+-acre lot in Bel Air. In the middle of renovations on the multi-million-dollar L.A. estate they have yet to move into. Out of space already, are we? Ahhhhh... the problems of the rich and infamous.
Even if you're not quite so rich and have yet to become infamous, you can live like a star. Namely, you can live like Kim and Kanye--on a real person's budget.

1. Make the most of what you've got

Kim and Kanye don't have to settle for anything. But when you get done wondering what that must be like, consider this: not wanting for anything might actually leave you... wanting.

Not buying it? Well how about this: There is pride and joy and a sense of accomplishment involved in home improvement. And these days, it's easier than ever to take advantage of the resources out there to transform your existing home into something TMZ worthy.

Give yourself a celeb kitchen by replacing your countertops with solid surface. Yes, this is a big purchase, but it's also got big impact. You can shave off more than a few dollars from the typical granite cost by looking online in your city for "Build Direct," "Builders Warehouse," and "Contractor Specials." Some granite yards may also have remnants you can pick up for pennies on the dollar. The kitchen backsplash is another place where a small amount of money can make a huge difference. Check out this white marble backsplash tile from Wholesalers USA that costs $15.97 a sheet and is easy enough to do as a weekend project. For a couple hundred dollars and a bit of sweat equity, you could have a kitchen you won't want to leave.

Take a cue from New York-based home stager Cheryl Eisen, a former designer of "spaces for high-end real estate companies, (who's) spilling the beans on how you can spruce up your home décor without draining your wallet and create a focal point from bold art. Even better, create the art yourself, like she did here. Not an artist? Buzzfeed has 39 Easy DIY Ways To Create Art For Your Walls.

2. Choose a private location

Yes, you could choose to buy or build a massive mansion like Kim and Kanye are apt to do and add a big gate and a big moat and a bunch of uniformed guards right now, but then what would you have to aspire to? Maybe you just want to start just a little more modest. But that doesn't mean you can't still have a private space that feels like a million bucks.

Buying new? Make sure you ask to see the site plan to determine where your exact home will be built. You don't want to find out later that there's an elementary school being built across the street when what you're looking for is solitude.

Buying in an established neighborhood? Spend time there at different times of the day, night and week. This will help you get a better feel for what the neighborhood is really like and how much noise and traffic there is.
3. Relocate

How about if you're buying land and building custom? This offers the greatest potential to create precisely what you want. You choose your exact location, your setback from the road, the direction you want to face. It can also be the priciest option depending on where you live. If you want an acre in the small Midwest town you grew up in, that might be doable without much fuss. If a piece of beachfront property in Malibu is what you're after, well, you might as well be Kim and Kanye.

Our general perception of buying land and building a custom home might well be a 10-acre mountaintop property that costs $1 million for each of those acres. But it's true that in many parts of the country, building a custom home can be comparable to buying in a more established, upscale neighborhood, depending on location. If you don't already live in one of those parts of the country, you could always move to a place like, Texas, where the land (and the jobs) are plentiful, cost of living is low, and the real estate market is leading the nation. Everybody's doing it, says TIME in their recent cover.

Many of today's master-planned builders selling homesites for custom homes also allow you to choose any builder and build on your timeline. So if a property and a custom home are in your future, you could always buy the land now and build your dream home later.

4. Make smart buying decisions

If you are thinking of moving to a new city or state, carefully consider your options. Examine and cross-reference lists like Money magazine's Best Places to Live, Best Places to Retire, and Best Places to Raise a Family against their list of Best Places Where Homes are Affordable. The unique thing about this list is that it also considers tax rates, lifestyle, and other factors that identify where incomes can go the farthest, so people don't end up with a home and no livelihood to support living in it.

5. Be a copycat

Have you fallen in love with a designer or celebrity space? Such as, Kim Kardashian's former living room, perhaps? It's not as hard as you think to reproduce the look affordably.

Kardashian's couches are most likely custom and probably cost more than your car. But you can get the same sleep look with a pair of discount couches with clean lines like these from TRIBECA HOME. Bring in a rectangular wooden coffee table like this $205 option from Wayfair, a large, cozy rug like this 9x12 shag from Amazon, and a round mirror, like this $25 one from Overstock, and voila: Kardashian luxe on the cheap.

Then, add a few accessories to bring in color or personal style. Throw pillow will provide an extra layer of interest and also help you add texture and color. Kim and Kanye may go for something like this $400 animal print pillow. You can counter with this leopard print pillow for less than 10 percent of the cost.

Whether you are looking for a new home, looking to buy land, or just want to inject some new life into your existing space, a celeb look could be in your future. With a few tips and tricks, you'll soon have an abode that impresses -- without the Kim and Kanye paparazzi invasion.



Kim Kardashian’s former living room is ripe for copying - at a fraction of the cost.