Thursday, September 9, 2010
Designing New Possibilities for Your Home and How You Live ™

real estate listing photo shot at duskReal estate photography quality has never been more critical. I’m dismayed when I see real estate listing photos that look like they’ve been shot from a moving car, or when the photos show a home at its least flattering angle.

As a home seller you need to insist that your real estate agent use quality photos to market your property. As a real estate agent, you need to consider whether you have the time, equipment, and/or talent to take the best shots. Here’s why:

In the US 70% of home buyers search for properties online before calling a real estate agent to discuss properties they want to visit. In Canada, that number is as high as 90%. This means that quality photos are key when promoting a real estate listing.

Whether you are working with a real estate agent or trying to sell your house on your own, make sure you are always showing your real estate property in the best light.
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An interior redesign client of mine was struggling with what size of bed to order for the master bedroom of her new condo. She and her husband were used to sleeping in a King but she was concerned it would be too crowded in the new room.… Continue reading

Ready to fire your real estate agent?Finding the right real estate agent is so critical whether you’re buying or selling a house. Unfortunately, with about 1.3 million Realtors® in the US and approximately 98,000 in Canada, there are bound to be a lot of agents who aren’t at the top of their game.… Continue reading

There’s nothing like flipping through the latest editions of House & Home, Better Homes and Gardens, Elle Decor, Style at Home, or House Beautiful to have you craving a new house or major renovations. Both are costly options!

Instead, try to redecorate and fall in love with your current home all over again. It’s amazing even simple redecorating changes can dampen your desire to move or renovate. … Continue reading

After deciding to list, stop thinking of your house as your home.

One of the side benefits of home staging is that it helps you see your house as a real estate listing instead of your home.

A professional home stager forces you to look at your home from the eyes of a highly critical buyer which is key to selling quickly and for top dollar. If your home is staged well, it will likely contain far fewer items than you are used to having. Gone are the 10 gadgets from your kitchen counter and that table you used to bump into in the foyer. Your bed might be on a different wall and your sports gear is hiding in the trunk of your car. … Continue reading

real estate saftety tipsOne of the unpleasant realities of selling your home on the real estate market is that you’ll have to put up with strangers going through every room and opening every closet. They’ll even look in your medicine cabinet! It’s all fair game, since you are trying to sell your house and prospective buyers have the right to examine everything very closely.

While home staging is key to creating the right environment to entice prospective buyers, much of what I recommend as a professional home stager is for your own security as well.… Continue reading

If you’re selling a three or four bedroom house in a family neighborhood, it’s important to show kid’s rooms, even if there are no longer young children living in the house. It doesn’t take much to create the look and it’s an important part in romancing the target market for the home.

Home buyers have less imagination than you might think. That’s why home staging can make such a… Continue reading

Bathrooms are such small rooms and so easy to update without spending much money. Whether you’re moving now or later, why not fluff your bathroom and make it a more enjoyable room? In the case of powder rooms, all you need is some art, a bud vase and a nice fluffy towel.… Continue reading

Learning to SeeLearning to See:
Bringing the World Around You Into Your Home

by Vicente Wolf

Hardcover – 199 pages
ISBN: 1579652174

In Learning to See, interior designer Vicente Wolf provides real-life advice and over 160 inspiring photographs to open the door on the creative process behind successful interiors, and to open your eyes to the designer… Continue reading

Dining room featuring art and color by Debra GouldIt’s important that living, dining and family rooms feel warm and inviting— whether you’re trying to sell your home or decorating it to live in.

Here a tiny dining room, that was barely more than a hallway from the front of the house to the kitchen in the back was, given a dramatic face lift.

Old wood chairs were re-painted and an inexpensive wrought iron Ikea fixture is dressed up with beaded red shades.

As one might expect in a home from the early 1900s, the old plaster walls were less than smooth. To visually minimize this issue and save money, the walls were repainted and then a wash of a second deeper color mixed with glaze was added over top. This textured look gave depth to the room while making the bumpy walls no longer an issue.… Continue reading

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