Prep the House....Sell Fast

A key to a fast home sale for full price is a home prepared to sell!!!

Karen Holtzclaw with ReMax shared this nice little reminder!  I share these
tips with every seller.  Yep Paint works miracles as does cleanliness!!!

Read and get ready!

10 Tips to Prepare for A Home Sale We are in the middle of summer -- one of the busiest times for any real estate market -- with thousands of homes and properties going up for sale in every town and city throughout the United States. Getting the most for a home is always a seller's top priority; heeding these ten tips and tricks when considering putting your house on the market will help toward getting you top dollar. 1. Paint Color: When choosing an exterior paint color, stick with what's popular in the neighborhood, goes well with the surroundings of the area, or fits the style of the home. Picking a paint color that is not common or completely clashes with the rest of the neighborhood is a very risky decision, especially when thinking about listing a home. When it comes to paint, choose safe colors for the biggest return on investment. The same should be considered for interior paint -- big, bold, bright colors might work for your current design scheme, but when buyers walk through a home, and the main living space is four different colors, it's likely all they'll see is dollar signs and time spent repainting. 2. Landscaping: Landscaping can make or break a home sale, or turn it into a long, laborious process. When thinking of landscaping, consider the plants or trees before anything gets planted -- trees and roots can wreak havoc with lawns, foundations and pipes; take into consideration how large a plant or tree will get and how far the root system will travel over time. 3. The Front Door: The front door is one of the first things potential buyers see -- a strong and visual front door can leave a great first impression to potential buyers. If the door is broken, doesn't work properly, or is in desperate need of a makeover, a buyer may see these things as weak points and consider offering less. 4. Upgrades: Don't assume you'll recoup every investment, especially when it comes to large upgrades. Pools are notorious for poor return on investment, as are other large home additions. If you're considering upgrading your home before putting it on the market, look to areas that are sure to make you money: kitchens and bathrooms, if tastefully done, will always add to the value of a house. 5. Fireplaces: Fireplaces appeal to a large majority of buyers, but changing out the aesthetics of a fireplace can either be a great investment opportunity, or drastically lower a buyer's offer. It's best to take trends into consideration when making updates or changes to a fireplace -- painting over exposed brick can be a huge deal breaker for some buyers, especially when a majority of people like exposed brick fireplaces. 6. Old Appliances: Potential buyers look at the appliances in a home to gauge their age and how well they've been taken care of. Appliances play a large part in any home, and if they are old, outdated and no longer working can create hesitations in potential buyers. If it's a classic that still works, don't worry about replacing it; if you can't get the door clean, or the oven temperature doesn't rise above 350 degrees, it's probably time to replace it. There's no need to go all out on the latest and greatest technology either -- while a beautiful stainless steel fridge might be alluring, it's likely you won't recoup the cost through the home sale, and it's more likely you'll want that classy fridge in your new home. 7. Deep Cleans and Small Stuff: Most buyers have an eye for the small details of a house. An initial deep clean of the house, and continued maintenance thereafter, shows potential buyers that the house has been maintained. The small details matter: windows and window tracks, light switches, molding, a garbage disposal, tile, grout, sinks, ovens and appliances are all looked at by buyers. Make sure these items are not overlooked when the house goes on the market -- potential buyers will appreciate the time you took to address them. 8. Trends: Trends can be quite alluring for those looking to dabble in interior decorating. Some buyers like trends, but the majority of buyers look for classic, neutral colors on walls and fixtures. While a chevron pattern may be the perfect accompaniment to your current sofa or bedspread, most buyers will see the pattern, when applied to walls, as a potential paint job. If you're considering listing your house, consider accessorizing with drapes, pillows and some pictures. These are simple ways of adding personality, and buyers will appreciate a neutral color scheme on the walls. 9. Hard to Clean Surfaces and Floors: Buyers always look at the floors and counters in a potential home, and these surfaces can be huge selling points. If the counter tops are stained, hardwood floors scratched up, carpet damaged, or the tile is breaking, consider cleaning or finding a quick replacement. If a solid counter top is stained, a buyer will no doubt see dollar signs. If you have hardwood floors, some products can actually dull the wood over time. If the wood needs a little TLC before the house is listed, consider having the floors buffed -- this will add some life, and buyers will see that they've been cared for. 10. Small Spaces: Kitchens and bathrooms are undoubtedly some of the biggest selling features of a house or property. If either of these areas is small, consider revamping to make them look larger. A small bathroom with no windows is going to look like a cave if the color scheme is on the darker side. Bigger in a small space is always best -- stick with neutral, light colors to help make the room look larger. Update any light bulbs that are reaching the end of their life; upgrading to a higher wattage or lumen can help enhance a small area too. Selling a home is a large task, and every seller hopes to make money on their home sale. Prepping your home before a sale will always result in better viewings and interested buyers, and the end result will be a happy seller and an even more excited buyer. Back To Top

Losing Weight by Painting

The New Diet

 Don't be too sceptical!!   I know it can sound a bit funky that color can help you loose weight.   

Logically, it seems that if you could wear blue clothes, live in a blue house and drive a blue care and lose 10 pounds that you or I would do this. Imagine what a monochromatic life we would all lead for the sake of slender waist lines.

Yet, though no such promise could ever be made, the information below does make sense.  It would seem a very easy change to make to help the battle of the bulge!

Let me know if it works for you!!!!

LOSE WEIGHT BY CHANGING YOUR KITCHEN PAINT COLOR?

Can You Kitchen Color Help You Lose Weight? Trying to eat healthier and maybe lose a little weight before bathing suit season? Repainting your kitchen might help. Ever since researchers discovered a particular shade of pink calmed  inmates at the Naval Correction Center, psychologists have examined the relationship between color and emotion. Here's what they, along with interior decorators and feng shui experts, say about your kitchen color choices: Red There's a reason McDonald's and Wendy's have yellow and red logos ? they're stimulating colors that encourage you to eat. Put on a red shirt when you head out to exercise, but don't put it on your kitchen walls. Green Feng shui says green is a healing, calming color, so using it in the kitchen ought to calm your appetite. It can also remind you of your plan to turn over a new (green) leaf in your life by eating a healthier diet. Purple Because it's soothing, purple might help lower your blood pressure and keep you from stress eating. But it's also sleep inducing, so it's probably a better paint color choice for your bedroom than your kitchen. Blue Other than blue corn chips, blue cheese and blueberries, there isn't much in nature that we eat that's blue. But there's a lot of food we don't eat because it's blue ? think of mold on an orange. That makes it a good choice for your kitchen color. You can take the blue-food aversion link to another level by eating from blue plates or putting a blue light bulb in your refrigerator to make your food look unattractive. Yellow A lot of people like yellow walls because they're energizing. But yellow is the most tiring color on your eyes because it reflects so much light. Some people believe your baby will cry more and you and your spouse will fight more in a yellow room. No Time To Paint? Not in the mood to paint? Try these four tips for getting your kitchen into clean-eating shape this spring: 1. As you spring clean, set aside processed foods and donate them to the food bank. You know they're going to get in the way of your plans to eat healthier. 2. Put the healthiest foods at eye level in the fridge and in your cabinets and pantry. Put high fat, sugary foods where they're hard to see and hard to reach. 3. Seal your chocolate in a plastic food storage container and put that container in your garage. You'll eat less chocolate if it's in your garage than you will if it's in a kitchen cabinet or in a candy dish you walk by several times a day. 4. Buy a red or yellow dish for displaying fruits and vegetables on the countertop where they'll be top-of-mind when you're hungry. 5. Purchase small blue dinner plates. The blue tone will make your food look unappetizing, and a smaller-size plate will make it seem like you have more food to eat. -Photo source: Kraftmaid courtesy of Albert Clark's HomeGain newsletter

New Weekly Article - From Dark to Dazzling || Home By Design

Ever deal with a drabby or may be worse, a very dark room?

Here is your help for the week!!!!



New Weekly Article - From Dark to Dazzling || Home By Design