All About the Porch

Keeping It Simple

  Whether you have been living in a house for years or looking to move, the front porch says so much about a home.

Dowdy dim lighting, peeling paint and broken steps basically shout "KEEP OUT".   For some readers, that may be exactly how they feel.  Good way to keep those pesky Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts away...wouldn't want to buy any Thin Mints!!  And a good way to keep away neighbors and visitors.   But that could be some one's wishes.

For those home owners that are less anti-social, an attractive porch is key to ensure passing pedestrians and car occupants feel good about the home owners' house.  It also ensure friends, family and, yes even the Boy Scouts, feel welcomed at your home.

When ready to sell, a well appointed porch can really draw the new home buyer.   A lovely porch can make a house feel like "this could be a home for me".

Better Homes and Garden is always a good source for hints on how to improve one's home.  The link below shares the means to

perk up a dowdy front porch!

Front Porch Renaissance

If you have any questions on this blog or another, call/textme at 757 580-6546 or zip me an email at bcerny@roseandwomble.com

Be sure to comment and let other know what you have done to spruced up your front porch!!  

Smashing Curb Appeal on a Dime

Set Your Home Apart!

   When you are ready to sell your home or if you just like to let your home provide a great "first impression", a house's curb appeal is critically important.   Good curb appeal are to your buyers or friends visiting is like a job candidate to the interviewer.

If the first impressions are positive, there is good chance that home buyer/visitor or interviewer  will "buy the story" that first impressions were justified by further review.  You do know that it takes only 5 seconds or less for one person to get that "first impression" of you or me.  It isn't much different when someone shows up at your house.

Though you may not be rolling in the dough, you can have very inviting and inspiring curb appeal that draws buyers to your house or will attract friends, family and other visitors to your house.  Beauty has away of drawing others.

So please read this nice article on simple Curb Appeal fixes/ideas.

Cara does a nice job of noting the easy but effective!

11 Ways to Create a Welcoming Front Entrance for Under $100

• By: Cara Greenberg
 
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Tagged in:

• Home Improvement
• Curb Appeal

Wouldn’t it be nice to approach your home’s entrance with a grin instead of a grimace? Take our tips for beating a clear, safe, and stylish path to your front door.

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First impressions count — not just for your friends, relatives, and the UPS guy, but for yourself. Whether it’s on an urban stoop or a Victorian front porch, your front door and the area leading up to it should extend a warm welcome to all comers — and needn’t cost a bundle.

Here’s what you can do to make welcoming happen on the cheap.

1. Clear the way for curb appeal. The path to your front door should be at least 3 feet wide so people can walk shoulder-to-shoulder, with an unobstructed view and no stumbling hazards. So get out those loppers and cut back any overhanging branches or encroaching shrubs.

2. Light the route. Landscape lighting makes it easy to get around at night. Solar-powered LED lights you can just stick in the ground, requiring no wiring, are suprisingly inexpensive. We found 8 packs for under $60 online. 
3. Go glossy. Borrow inspiration from London’s lovely row houses, whose owners assert their individuality by painting their doors in high-gloss colors. The reflective sheen of a royal blue, deep green, crimson, or whatever color you like will ensure your house stands out from the pack.

Related: Pictures of 10 Great Value-Add Exterior Paint Jobs

4. Pretty up the view. A door with lots of glass is a plus for letting light into the front hall — but if you also want privacy and a bit of decor, check out decorative window film. It’s removable and re-positionable, and comes in innumerable styles and motifs. Pricing depends on size and design; many available for under $30.

A way to get the look of stained glass without doing custom work or buying a whole new door: Mount a decorative panel on the inside of the door behind an existing glass insert, $92 for an Arts and Crafts-style panel 20-inches-high by 11-inches-wide.

5. Replace door hardware. While you’re at it, polish up the handle on the big front door. Or better yet, replace it with a shiny new brass lockset with a secure deadbolt. Available for about $60.

6. Please knock. Doorbells may be the norm, but a hefty knocker is a classic that will never run out of battery life, and another opportunity to express yourself (whatever your favorite animal or insect is, there’s a door-knocker in its image).

7. Ever-greenery. Boxwoods are always tidy-looking, the definition of easy upkeep. A pair on either side of the door is traditional, but a singleton is good, too. About $25 at garden centers. In cold climates, make sure pots are frost-proof (polyethylene urns and boxes mimic terracotta and wood to perfection).

8. Numbers game. Is your house number clearly visible? That’s of prime importance if you want your guests to arrive and your pizza to be hot. Stick-on vinyl numbers in a variety of fonts make it easy, starting at about $4 per digit.

9. Foot traffic. A hardworking mat for wiping muddy feet is a must. A thick coir mat can be had at the hardware store for less than $20. Even fancier varieties can be found well under $50.

10. Go for the glow. Fumbling for keys in the dark isn’t fun. Consider doubling up on porch lights with a pair of lanterns, one on each side of the door, for symmetry and twice the illumination. Many mounted lights are available well under $100.

11. Snail mail. Mailboxes run the gamut from kitschy roadside novelties masquerading as dogs, fish, or what-have-you to sober black lockboxes mounted alongside the front door. Whichever way you go, make sure yours is standing or hanging straight, with a secure closure, and no dings or dents. The mail carrier will thank you.

Read more: http://www.houselogic.com/home-advice/home-improvement/front-door-entry-ideas/#ixzz31oTNcJmy
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How To Prep for Selling Home

In an Improving Housing Market, a unusual dilemma has occurred.   Buyers have re-entered the market, snapping up homes faster then another
home is listed.

Thus, a glut of homes in 2011/2012 has turned in a shortage in many markets(including here in Hampton Roads).   In Chesapeake and Virginia Beach, homes under $400,000 are now on average selling in under 6 months with some lower price ranges under 3 months.

With this type of velocity, home inventory tends to shrink quickly.

Yet, if you are thinking of selling, it essential that you are prepared to sell.

As you will see in the linked article, courtesy of American Home Shield, prepping a home is all about the preparation.    Unless you live like Felix Unger in Odd Couple, you most likely have a bit
of work to do to prep.

This article really covers the basics on preparing:

1. Clean
2. Paint
3. Repair

It also hits on the key topic of 1st appearances:

1.  Does your house curb appeal draw a buyer in
         or chase them away

2.  Do the rooms look crammed full or are they
         appear roomy 

3.   Does the house smell clean or are there 
        lingering pet or cooking odors

But as any good 'how to sell" guide should, it provides helpful hints on how to prep to move.

As a Realtor, I can always provide detailed guidance for your individual situation to ensure your home gets the most in the least amount of time in any market.

Please read and let me know your questions!






Seller's Guide to Selling Home

Landscaping Hints from the Pro

Need some insight on prepping that perfect bed in 

yard??

Dave Toht provides some very good insight!  Read 

all 5 brief articles.

5 Awesomely Easy Landscaping Projects

• Published: February 26, 2013
 
• By: Dave Toht
 
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Tagged in:

• Outdoors
• Landscaping & Gardening
• Curb Appeal

Ramp up your curb appeal with cool landscaping projects you can easily pull off in a weekend.

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Rigid metal edging creates a crisp barrier between grass and flower beds. Image: Jonica Designs

Project #1: Install Rigid Flower Bed Edging

The setup: A crisp edge where the lawn meets the flower beds looks great and eases mowing. Opt for rigid edging — the flexible plastic stuff looks amateurish from day one.

Use a charged garden hose to lay out a smooth curve.

Tip: A “charged” garden hose full of water makes for a smoother, kink-free curve; charge up by turning on the spigot but leaving the sprayer off.

With the hose as your guide, use a lawn edger or spade to cut away excess sod and make an incision for the edging. Tap in the edging with a rubber mallet and add the stakes. Trim the edging with a hacksaw, using a speed square to mark for cuts.

Specs and cost: Steel — $1.25 per lineal foot; aluminum — $2.25 plf; rigid plastic or fiberglass — $1.65 plf.

Tools: Garden hose, flour or powdered chalk, lawn edger or spade, shovel, speed square, hacksaw, rubber mallet, hammer.

Time: 1 day to edge a typical yard.

Read on for more easy landscaping projects:

Add an Earth Berm
Build a Wall for a Raised Bed
Install a Flagstone Path
Add a Brick Tree Surround

Next:Project #2: Add an Earth Berm

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Dave Toht

has written or edited over 60 books on home repair and remodeling for The Home Depot, Lowe’s, Better Homes & Gardens, Sunset, and Reader’s Digest. He’s a former contractor with decades of hands-on experience.

Read more: http://www.houselogic.com/home-advice/landscaping-gardening/easy-landscaping-projects/#ixzz2QBHNnbej