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Coffee Tables – A Frugal Home Design Basic Buying Guide

American homes traditionally are not complete without living room coffee tables. That said, many choose the common living room tables without the advantage of simple buying guidelines with the end result being coffee tables that are miss-matched or ill-suited for the rooms where they are placed. The 3 interior design principles to consider when buying any piece of furniture is form, function and space. Form Form simply means determining the design direction you wish to create in the room. Consistency in design will minimize clutter and focus your buying decisions. Take the time determining your desired design style by browsing through home decorating magazines, viewing staged model homes, consulting with an interior designer or taking advantage of simple design style assessments that can be found online. Function Function is extremely important when choosing coffee tables. This requires identifying your families living habits in the specific rooms that need coffee tables. For example, are you a “sit back and relax” type family who loves to kick off shoes, grab cold drinks, a bowl of popcorn, feet up on the coffee table to watch a movie or ball game? If so, a glass table is out. A better choice is an easy clean, solid hard wood table top or trunk type coffee table. If you are the type that enjoys spreading out on the couch with a good book, newspaper or Kindle then you will need a table that does not measure higher than the top of your couch seat cushions. There is nothing worse than staring at a table line while relaxing horizontally. If there are small children in the house, then tables designed in marble or wood would be a better choice over glass. Round and cushioned are safer than the sharper edged counterparts. Smooth surfaces over tiled and paneled coffee table tops are best for growing families because constantly trying to keep those designer nooks and crannies clean is really an exercise in futility. Space Finally, space might be the most important consideration. If storage is an issue, take advantage of the brilliantly designed coffee tables provide not only design and function but areas of storage from overnight guest bedding, to family night game storage. Nesting tables are a wonderful way to add additional seating with the ingeniously designed benches tucked under the main table unnoticed until needed. Two smaller, tables placed side by side could work better that 1 large bulky coffee table. Glass, or coffee tables designed with metal frames and feet take up less space both physically and visually; when space is at a premium. Frugal Home Design Tips In today's economy, no article would be complete without a few frugal home design tips. There are ways to find deeply discounted furniture that you may not know about. Though these sources may need a bit of handyman touch ups you can find some great deals without compromising quality. These money-saving sources are: Craig's List – If you are living close to a military base, this is the perfect resource to find furniture for sale from families on the move who need to down-size.

Model Homes – Sometimes you can buy the furniture right out of the house, especially in new construction model homes that have sold most of their new home inventory. Rather than pick up and move that staging furniture, they will be happy to sell it at drastic discounts.

Furniture Store Scratch and Dent rooms – If the store doesn't have a room with these slightly damaged rejects ask about their delivery warehouse. Awesome deals are found there, the only catch is you have to ask.

Storage Unit “Yard Sales” – Though storage unit shows have increased the publics interest in the practice of buying the contents of abandoned storage units, there are still storage managers that will hold yard sale type events selling furniture sets. Some of these sales are advertised in the local paper, others are not. You may have to visit or call individual storage providers in your area to find out when their next sale event will be.

Repurposing – With some imagination you can repurpose an old discarded piece of furniture to serve as a coffee table. For some great photo examples visit the link at the bottom of this article. So there you have it, before shopping for coffee tables, determine your design style, establish the living habits of those in the home and identify space availability. Using these basic buying guidelines you will find the perfect living room table for your home interior needs. Sue Krippner is a Free Lance Artist, Home Staging and Redesign Professional. She is attracted to “all things beautiful, especially as it relates to interior decorating and design.

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Buying a Square Coffee Table

Things to consider when buying a coffee table: Budget – Know your limitations on what you are able to spend. You may end up finding a coffee table for fairly cheap, but setting a maximum price will not only keep you from getting something you cannot afford, it will make your decision easier by eliminating certain price ranges, thus giving you fewer choices. You can find many good deals within your local newspaper ads. Also, be careful for financing deals. While these are nice and allow you to spread your payments out over time, you may be paying up to twice as much in the end. Where to buy – Most big retailers will offer coffee tables in their store, but the selection will most likely be fairly limited. If you want more options, then you should go for actual furniture stores, not general retail stores. You can find discount furniture stores, outlet furniture stores, name-brand furniture stores, and luxury furniture stores. All of these will offer a large variety of choices based upon your predetermined budget. The furniture in these stores will typically be better quality and they will offer you more options like your choice of material, custom finishes, and custom configurations. Most furniture stores will offer free delivery if you purchase a certain amount of furniture, which typically ranges from $500 – $1000 total. It does not hurt to ask. In addition, some places with either offer 0% financing or free delivery, so choose what option would be best for you. If you have a smaller budget, you may want to stay away from the furniture stores and go directly to your local retail store. You may need to shop around a little more to find the table you are looking for, but you will most likely end up paying less. You may find a display unit that is for sale at a discounted price, or an open box item that is on sale. If you feel even more adventurous, you can check out your neighborhood thrift store. You would be surprised at the quality of furniture you may end up finding there. Most donated furniture has been rarely used or replaced with an upgraded piece of furniture. If it is too nice to go on a curb as trash, you can probably find it in a thrift store. Using these few simple tips can help make your coffee table shopping experience brief and enjoyable.

Click here for more information: https://unhappyhipsters.com/tips-for-buying-coffee-tables/

Tips For Buying Victorian Doll House Furniture

Victorian doll house furniture appear formal and somber. They also feature elaborate details, including outwardly curving arm chairs. Chair seat and back are upholstered with rich fabric and often feature material like velvet, plush and velour. Victorian doll house furniture are made with wood, either as genuine materials or imitations of maple, oak, ash, black walnut and rosewood. The wood features a shiny but dark oil finish. The pulls and knobs are also carved. Unlike modern doll house furniture, Victorian-style furniture look heavy. To save on price and availability, look for sets. Victorian doll house furniture sometimes come in a two- or three-piece set. Two arm chairs, for example, come with a coffee table or a foot rest. Some furniture, especially bulky ones like china cabinets, chiffonier or divan, usually come as single pieces. Scale matters When you're buying Victorian doll house furniture, look for items that are scaled appropriately. The most commonly-used scale for dollhouses is the 1/12 scale. Also known as the 1” scale, this is where every 1” of the doll house furniture is equal to 12” or one foot of the original. For example, if an actual Victorian-style chair is 3.5 feet high, its miniature should be 3.5 inches high. You might also find other scales such as the ½” scale (where 1 foot is equal to ½”), ¼” (where 1 foot is equal to ¼”) and ¾” (where 1 foot is equal to ¾”). The latter is not used commonly and you might find it difficult to find Victorian doll house furniture created to this scale. There are also furniture produced using 1/144” (where 1 foot is equal to 1/12”). This is the smallest scale used by most doll house furniture makers. Price consideration Choosing Victorian doll house furniture doesn't have to be an expensive decision, although if you have the cash, it certainly can't hurt to buy the best and highly prized miniatures that will lend an air of majesty to your very own Victorian mansion or castle.

Click here for more information: https://unhappyhipsters.com/tips-for-buying-coffee-tables/

Quick Tips to Consider When Buying a Coffee Table

Coffee tables are some of the most versatile and functional tables you can have in a living space. They can become tray tables if you want to eat, game tables when you want to play, foot rests when you want to relax, or even arm rests if you want to arm wrestle (only sort of kidding on that one.) They are the centerpiece of the room, all other furniture must function around it in order to fully maximize the space and grant optimal functional performance. It is for this reason that it is of the utmost importance that you pay attention when purchasing them. Don't just run out and buy the first one you see, take your time and really be careful about what type you buy and you will not regret it. Here are some quick and simple tips for you to consider while you're out and about shopping around for coffee tables at furniture stores or online. I always recommend to browse online and actually shop at the store. When you browse online you'll be able to find a style that suits you perfectly and then you can go to the store and see it physically. Often a picture won't grant you enough concepts of the dimensions. It is much easier to get an idea about the way your coffee table is going to look in your home if you can see it in front of you in 3D. That brings me to my first tip. Please, please, please make sure that the coffee table you purchase matches the size of the room you're placing it in. There is nothing worse than an oversized hulk of a coffee table in a small petite little room filled with dainty furniture. You don't want people stumbling around your coffee table and bumping their shins. That's just not good for you or your guests to have to work around. As a general rule of thumb make sure that you or another average sized person is able to walk comfortably between the coffee table and any other piece of furniture in the room. You want to give it enough space to walk through but not too much space that it looks lonely and empty far away from everything else. You'll probably end up putting a lot of junk on top of your coffee table in order to decorate it. People put all sorts of knick knacks and covers on their coffee tables like coffee table books, coasters, shrubbery, and whatever they can find that seemingly has no other place. However, you want a coffee table to look its best when it is completely bare. When you're serving food on it you won't have anything else to hide it so you want it to be pristine. Consider those little details when purchasing your next coffee table and you'll be good to go.

Click here for more information: https://unhappyhipsters.com/tips-for-buying-coffee-tables/

How to Make Your Home Look Bigger!

Regardless of your home design, a spacious home is always advantageous. Colour approaches, furniture arrangements, smart lighting ideas, and wall removal are one of the effective ideas that can enhance space inside your home. Read on for more information. Make use of light colours and bright contrasts Room colours influence your moods. Use neutral colours like cream to convert a tiny interior space into a bigger area. Neutral and light colours make your room look bigger and brighter as they make space feel open and airy. This helps maximise the effect created by natural light. For an optimum effect, choose soft tones of greens and blues. Start painting your wall trims and mouldings in a lighter colour, as these can make your home appear bigger. Proper lighting means space By allowing natural illumination to flow freely inside your room, this can open up your interior, making your home look spacious. You can also add some creative lighting effects if you do not have enough natural light. Invest in large windows so you have full control of having natural light. This can connect the room with the outdoor area, no longer limiting your space. Make sure your window coverings are translucent to bring more illumination inside your home. Start de-cluttering Keep your room clean and organised. A compact space full of stuff can make a house narrow and disorganised. With things properly arranged and out of sight, your space can appear orderly and open. Do not cover your walls with pictures. A large painting works better than a group of small arts and paintings. Create a focal point and make that focal point the star of your room. Choose an area or feature that can draw the eye and keep the floor as clear as possible. This is important to maintain a sense of spaciousness. Organise your walls Walls are the foundation of your home. It also depicts space when used properly. Renovate your walls and hire the assistance of professionals specializing in wall removal to create space. This way, you can enjoy a large space and entertain a larger crowd in special occasions. Mirrors can do wonders Mirrors can make your home look bigger. Create a focal point and angle your mirror towards it to give an illusion of depth. You can also place mirrors in a spot where natural light comes in to make your room brighter during day and night. You can also use mirrored cabinets and storages to make spaces larger and organised. Arrange your furniture Sometimes, four furniture arrangements can take a lot of space. Use multi-functioned furniture to save spaces. Think about having at least some of your furniture pieces the same colour your walls. This can then blend to the colours of your wall, widening your room. Whether you want a wall removal, mirror addition, or a simple furniture arrangement, a spacious home is an ideal place to live with. Start arranging your home to make your home more comfortable.

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Acoustics – How to Make Your Home Theater Sound Better

When you think of all of the components required to design a functional home theater, chances are you probably have not considered the accessories needed to improve the acoustics of the room. Even if you purchase the most technologically advanced audio and video equipment, you will not have quality sound unless you have the proper acoustical equipment installed. In recent years, home theaters have become much more commonplace than in the past. The popularity of home theaters and media rooms may be due to the affordability of electronics, like HDTVs and surround sound. The rise in movie prices may also be a factor in more people creating their own entertainment room at home. No matter what your reasons for installing a home theater, you will want to be sure that the room is designed and equipped with the proper accessories for the best sound quality possible. Most people do not think about acoustics until they actually sit down to watch a movie. It is at that time that they may notice echoes or vibrations. Soundproofing your room as well as the strategic placement of sound absorption materials will improve acoustics and make your viewing experience more enjoyable and authentic. Sound can bounce off of your walls, floor, ceiling and furnishings. When this happens, it can become distorted and hard to hear. When designing a home theater, it is essential that you have sound absorption features to improve the quality of sound in the room and eliminate echoes. Sound absorbers are light and porous. They are available in decorative designs and colors that will compliment the furnishings and décor of your room. Acoustic panels are durable and easy to install. Another issue with home theater sound is soundproofing. You will not only want to reduce the amount of sound leaving your room, but also the amount noise coming in. Home theater soundproofing products are designed to trap the sound so that you do not bother the rest of the house each time you turn on a movie or watch the big game. Secondly, you will not be disturbed by noise from other parts of the house while enjoying your show. Noise reduction products insulate your space so that sound will not enter or exit the room. This will improve the acoustics of the room, improving the sound quality of your home theater. A qualified installation expert will design your room for maximum listening quality. He knows where to place equipment for the best sound quality and how to manipulate the layout of the room so you enjoy the best possible acoustics. For example, you will not want to install your entertainment system in a corner. This is a bad placement because the sound is blasting toward the side walls. As a result, the sound is harder to absorb. Materials like carpeting, drapes, couches and upholstery absorb sound while hard surface tend to make the sound seem harsh. This is why you see these features in most theaters that you visit. Natural materials like cotton and wool do a better job at sound absorption than synthetic materials. Experienced installers know how important acoustics are for the enjoyment of your media room or home theater. This is why it is so important that you find an expert in your area to assist you with your room design so you have the best equipment and optimal sound for a true theater experience in the comfort of your home.

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How To Leverage Your Home Business Email List To Make More Money Online

As we've all heard by now, I'm sure, “the money is in the list” and this Internet marketing adage is truer today than it has ever been. Once you've built a list numbering in the thousands your online home business will soar to new heights in terms of profit and notoriety. Having this directory of names and email addresses will open doors and provide new opportunities for you and your Internet enterprise. Now you'll be able to make your list work for you by leveraging your online venture into new money making situations by virtue of the number of hungry buyers you have access to on the web. When you've compiled an email list comprised of a respectable number of customers and prospective clients you can approach other more experienced and better known Internet marketers with the idea of forming joint venture opportunities. These business deals can take several forms for example; you could make an agreement with another online business whereby you can advertise your opportunity to their list in exchange for them being allowed to do the same. This is a tremendous chance for each party involved to increase their sales and profits as well as to add new members to their list. Another JV approach you could take would be to create a product with the other business owner and promote your finished merchandise jointly to both groups thereby increasing your opportunity for sales by 100% if their list size is comparable to yours. As you can see in this case size does matter, in fact it's crucial in proportion to the size of the return you'll receive for your efforts. You could also leverage your email list by charging other Internet entrepreneurs for the privilege of mailing their product offer to your subscribers. People just starting out online with their home based business don't have a list of their own to promote their offers to so they often approach other owners with a monetary offer in exchange for being able to send a message to every one of their list members. You can use your list as a sounding board by asking everyone what they would like to see offered by way of new products or what they would like to see added to your website that you currently aren't providing. For example, a monthly contest or video games may be good additions to attract more visitors to your site as well as provide more entertainment for your current subscribers. You can make an offer to your current members stating that if they recommend someone to your home page and they sign up, the referrer will receive a free gift which will add value to their own business. This is a great way to add new subscribers to your directory while at the same time have your current members participate in the process and be rewarded for their efforts. So as you can see the money is in the list and the larger it is the more money your online home business will make. I hope you enjoyed my article. I have a video series I'd like to give you for free. In the series, you'll discover how to make money online from home. You can start making as much as $100 a day from what I'll show you FREE of charge. Get your free video series right now.

Click here for more information: https://entrepreneursbreak.com/how-to-make-your-home-more-entertaining.html

12 Rules of the Home Staging Road – Or How To Sell Your Home RIGHT NOW!

So how do you quickly and easily prepare a home to sell without breaking the bank? There are 12 rules to follow...... 1. Remember the Masses – Rule # 1 and # 2, I consider the Golden Rules of home staging because this is what separates “home staging” from interior decorating. Interior decorating takes into consideration the personal tastes, personality and preferences of the home owner whereas “home staging” focuses on creating a valuable marketing commodity so that it appeals to the general home buyer who is trying to visualize themselves in the home. Unlike the home seller who is emotionally invested in the home, a Professional Home Stager is trained to see the home is an objective and critical buyer would so that they can position it to the best of it's ability by focusing on rule #2 2. Keep to the Cosmetic – Only improving those things in the home that will add to the bottom line. Stagers keep to the cosmetic so that it makes financial sense in the sale price of the home. By focusing on the most dramatic transformations on the cheap a professional home stager gets equally dramatic results in the resale of the home. Home Staging in essence is an investment in future home sales earnings by the home seller and sometimes even the Realtor involved. 3. Consider the homes integrity when you prepare it to sell – In other words, it is what it is, what it is. Don't try and make a Tuscan style home into a craftsman...it just won't feel right to buyers or anyone else for that matter. A successful home staging works with the personality of the home rather than against it in order to get best results. 4. Create Warm Lived In Spaces..Yet No One Lives There – When you walk into a home, you can usually tell exactly what age, style and personality individual lives there? If there are baby toys in the family room, a dog bed in the corner and a dozen family pictures on the mantle that gives you a clue as to who lives there which is as it should be for a home NOT for sale. In order to create broad appeal to buyers however we need to strip the home of the seller's specific personality and quirks while still giving it warmth and style. There is a definite “fine line” between “lived in” and sterile looking. Shoot for the model home look and if you don't know what that looks like visit some in your area. 5. Find the Focal Point and Make It Fabulous! – The basis for any good design lies in finding the focal point of a room and making sure it really shines. The focal point is the first place someone looks when they walk into a room. In the home staging sense we want to make sure the eyes are drawn to the best part of the room while conversely playing down any negative aspects of the room. Walk into a room and take note of what you notice immediately...is it positive or negative? Remember, buyers are looking for reason NOT to buy the house...make sure those focal points don't give them any. 6. Clean is Critical! – This really goes without saying but unfortunately needs to be said and emphasized because many times home sellers cannot objectively clean their own home. Their noses have adjusted to any strange odors that buyer's notice and that rusty sink drain goes completely unnoticed by the seller who has lived there for ten years now while the buyers are repulsed. How do you combat this lack of objectivity by the sellers without offending them? Quick tip, cleaning windows, walls and reflective surfaces helps to add light and space to a room. I'm dating myself when I say, “be a Felix not an Oscar”. 7. Create the Illusion of Space – This is a standard maxim of home staging. It states that by removing extraneous furnishings you can create the illusion of space within a room. Everything in a room must earn it's place so it's usually safe to say that 50% of what's in a room can be packed away now in order to stage the room effectively and create space WITHOUT stripping it of it's personality. 8. “Up Down” to Update – The best thing a home seller can usually do to update their home is to remove those purchases over 10 years old. I call this “updown” to update. Take down the old flowery prints, old pink swag drapes and brass chandeliers. It's usually cheaper and easier just to remove or camouflage those distracting out dated furnishings rather than buy new ones. Every accessories sole purpose should be to update or modernize the existing space so given today's trends the accessory left out should be large and less of them. 9. Let There Be Light! – Brainstorm lighting of all types within every room. Whenever you show a home make sure every light is on in the house...no exceptions. Buyers respond to “light and bright” so make sure your rooms have lots of natural light (trim plants and shrubs around windows) as well as artificial in the form of general, task and accent lighting. Kitchens especially need to be sunny and bright so use inexpensive under cabinet light as well as hanging lights over your islands and bars. Make sure every corner of your rooms are well lit by using simple uplights behind trees and tables. Use candles liberally as an emotional connection as well as form of lighting. Rule 10, 11, and 12 are particularly why using a professional home stager makes such a difference in the end result...successful staging is not easy, natural or automatic. 10. Remember It's Calling, Balance Like A Rowboat, Scale Like a Dinner Plate and Be a Traffic Cop – Make sure each room has a clear purpose by remembering its original true calling. Most Buyers cannot use their imagination so don't confuse them by having an office dining area or pool table in the front living room. Balance your rooms by evenly placing each piece on the sides of the room (like a rowboat). If you have a large entertainment center in one corner with nothing in the opposite corner to balance it, your room will feel tipped or off balanced and turn buyers away. Your professional home stager knows how to create equilibrium in a room. Make sure each piece in the room is in scale with one another. Like a properly balanced meal, don't have a gigantic sofa with a tiny coffee table...it doesn't work. A home stager borrows from other rooms to scale each one effectively. Finally, organize the traffic and flow in a room by making sure your furniture is not placed like wall flowers. It's uncomfortable for anyone to have to walk through a conversation area to get to another room so make the traffic go around the conversation by pulling your furniture in. Believe it or not it makes the room appear larger rather than smaller as so many believe. 11. Color is Always King and Beige is Boring – I think we've all made some color mistakes in the past but Rule #11 can be a particularly fatal mistake many Realtors will make trying to play it safe with the home sellers by telling them to paint the house a neutral color. What you get is a bunch of black holes (furniture) in a white or vanilla setting...not good for those Internet photos. The reason why a Realtor would do this is very sound...most people cannot pick out color very well and use it to their advantage. If you don't feel comfortable with this tricky skill then play it safe but remember, paint is the easiest and least expensive way to drastically improve interiors. If nothing else, have an experienced professional home stager give you a simple consultation and suggest colors. Decorators and Stagers will have the tools and rules to know when to play it safe and when to use color to highlight or downplay a particular feature. 12. Create “Emotional Connection Points” – Well you made it, point number 12 is like icing on a cake (and what would a cake be like without icing!?). Like any great marketer, strive for “buyers envy” when they view your home by creating points throughout each room that speak to buyers emotionally about a lifestyle they can aspire to. This subconscious conversation gives buyers fuel for their imagination and multiple reasons to purchase this “emotionally” staged home. You want a buyer to walk into a house and say, “this is it, this is the one, this is where we FEEL HOME”. There are simple ways to do this: set out a tray on your master bed with a newspaper and cup of coffee, drape a throw and soft pillow over your favorite chair, set out plates, napkins, wine goblets and wine on an outside patio set and stack fluffy towels on your bathroom counter as well as several pillars of lit candles.

Click here for more information: https://entrepreneursbreak.com/how-to-make-your-home-more-entertaining.html

12 Rules of the Home Staging Road – Or How To Sell Your Home RIGHT NOW!

So how do you quickly and easily prepare a home to sell without breaking the bank? There are 12 rules to follow...... 1. Remember the Masses – Rule # 1 and # 2, I consider the Golden Rules of home staging because this is what separates “home staging” from interior decorating. Interior decorating takes into consideration the personal tastes, personality and preferences of the home owner whereas “home staging” focuses on creating a valuable marketing commodity so that it appeals to the general home buyer who is trying to visualize themselves in the home. Unlike the home seller who is emotionally invested in the home, a Professional Home Stager is trained to see the home is an objective and critical buyer would so that they can position it to the best of it's ability by focusing on rule #2 2. Keep to the Cosmetic – Only improving those things in the home that will add to the bottom line. Stagers keep to the cosmetic so that it makes financial sense in the sale price of the home. By focusing on the most dramatic transformations on the cheap a professional home stager gets equally dramatic results in the resale of the home. Home Staging in essence is an investment in future home sales earnings by the home seller and sometimes even the Realtor involved. 3. Consider the homes integrity when you prepare it to sell – In other words, it is what it is, what it is. Don't try and make a Tuscan style home into a craftsman...it just won't feel right to buyers or anyone else for that matter. A successful home staging works with the personality of the home rather than against it in order to get best results. 4. Create Warm Lived In Spaces..Yet No One Lives There – When you walk into a home, you can usually tell exactly what age, style and personality individual lives there? If there are baby toys in the family room, a dog bed in the corner and a dozen family pictures on the mantle that gives you a clue as to who lives there which is as it should be for a home NOT for sale. In order to create broad appeal to buyers however we need to strip the home of the seller's specific personality and quirks while still giving it warmth and style. There is a definite “fine line” between “lived in” and sterile looking. Shoot for the model home look and if you don't know what that looks like visit some in your area. 5. Find the Focal Point and Make It Fabulous! – The basis for any good design lies in finding the focal point of a room and making sure it really shines. The focal point is the first place someone looks when they walk into a room. In the home staging sense we want to make sure the eyes are drawn to the best part of the room while conversely playing down any negative aspects of the room. Walk into a room and take note of what you notice immediately...is it positive or negative? Remember, buyers are looking for reason NOT to buy the house...make sure those focal points don't give them any. 6. Clean is Critical! – This really goes without saying but unfortunately needs to be said and emphasized because many times home sellers cannot objectively clean their own home. Their noses have adjusted to any strange odors that buyer's notice and that rusty sink drain goes completely unnoticed by the seller who has lived there for ten years now while the buyers are repulsed. How do you combat this lack of objectivity by the sellers without offending them? Quick tip, cleaning windows, walls and reflective surfaces helps to add light and space to a room. I'm dating myself when I say, “be a Felix not an Oscar”. 7. Create the Illusion of Space – This is a standard maxim of home staging. It states that by removing extraneous furnishings you can create the illusion of space within a room. Everything in a room must earn it's place so it's usually safe to say that 50% of what's in a room can be packed away now in order to stage the room effectively and create space WITHOUT stripping it of it's personality. 8. “Up Down” to Update – The best thing a home seller can usually do to update their home is to remove those purchases over 10 years old. I call this “updown” to update. Take down the old flowery prints, old pink swag drapes and brass chandeliers. It's usually cheaper and easier just to remove or camouflage those distracting out dated furnishings rather than buy new ones. Every accessories sole purpose should be to update or modernize the existing space so given today's trends the accessory left out should be large and less of them. 9. Let There Be Light! – Brainstorm lighting of all types within every room. Whenever you show a home make sure every light is on in the house...no exceptions. Buyers respond to “light and bright” so make sure your rooms have lots of natural light (trim plants and shrubs around windows) as well as artificial in the form of general, task and accent lighting. Kitchens especially need to be sunny and bright so use inexpensive under cabinet light as well as hanging lights over your islands and bars. Make sure every corner of your rooms are well lit by using simple uplights behind trees and tables. Use candles liberally as an emotional connection as well as form of lighting. Rule 10, 11, and 12 are particularly why using a professional home stager makes such a difference in the end result...successful staging is not easy, natural or automatic. 10. Remember It's Calling, Balance Like A Rowboat, Scale Like a Dinner Plate and Be a Traffic Cop – Make sure each room has a clear purpose by remembering its original true calling. Most Buyers cannot use their imagination so don't confuse them by having an office dining area or pool table in the front living room. Balance your rooms by evenly placing each piece on the sides of the room (like a rowboat). If you have a large entertainment center in one corner with nothing in the opposite corner to balance it, your room will feel tipped or off balanced and turn buyers away. Your professional home stager knows how to create equilibrium in a room. Make sure each piece in the room is in scale with one another. Like a properly balanced meal, don't have a gigantic sofa with a tiny coffee table...it doesn't work. A home stager borrows from other rooms to scale each one effectively. Finally, organize the traffic and flow in a room by making sure your furniture is not placed like wall flowers. It's uncomfortable for anyone to have to walk through a conversation area to get to another room so make the traffic go around the conversation by pulling your furniture in. Believe it or not it makes the room appear larger rather than smaller as so many believe. 11. Color is Always King and Beige is Boring – I think we've all made some color mistakes in the past but Rule #11 can be a particularly fatal mistake many Realtors will make trying to play it safe with the home sellers by telling them to paint the house a neutral color. What you get is a bunch of black holes (furniture) in a white or vanilla setting...not good for those Internet photos. The reason why a Realtor would do this is very sound...most people cannot pick out color very well and use it to their advantage. If you don't feel comfortable with this tricky skill then play it safe but remember, paint is the easiest and least expensive way to drastically improve interiors. If nothing else, have an experienced professional home stager give you a simple consultation and suggest colors. Decorators and Stagers will have the tools and rules to know when to play it safe and when to use color to highlight or downplay a particular feature. 12. Create “Emotional Connection Points” – Well you made it, point number 12 is like icing on a cake (and what would a cake be like without icing!?). Like any great marketer, strive for “buyers envy” when they view your home by creating points throughout each room that speak to buyers emotionally about a lifestyle they can aspire to. This subconscious conversation gives buyers fuel for their imagination and multiple reasons to purchase this “emotionally” staged home. You want a buyer to walk into a house and say, “this is it, this is the one, this is where we FEEL HOME”. There are simple ways to do this: set out a tray on your master bed with a newspaper and cup of coffee, drape a throw and soft pillow over your favorite chair, set out plates, napkins, wine goblets and wine on an outside patio set and stack fluffy towels on your bathroom counter as well as several pillars of lit candles.

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How Much Is Your Home Really Worth?

Unfortunately there is no accurate way to determine what your specific home is really worth without standing in front of it with a professional realtor and assessing the property both inside and out. However, there are ways of determining the current value of your property, the value of your property based on those around it, what you can realistically expect to sell your home for, and the improvements you can make on your house to potentially up the sales price in the meantime. If your home is in relatively good shape you can expect to get a reasonable price for it. If you have taken care of your home and have kept it updated throughout your time spent there you will not have to do as much work to fix up your home for sale. By keeping up with annual inspections for plumbing, electric, foundation and your roofing you will also greatly ease the process of selling your home and eliminating potential hoops you may have to jump through. Another way to accurately assess the worth of your home is to hire a professional realtor to examine your property and who has knowledge about the market in your area. A professional realtor will be well connected through their business to know what similar homes are selling for in your neighborhood and what the buying market is like in your area. Some houses may be worth a significant amount of money but if the housing market is struggling it may not matter. A realtor will be able to walk you through any upgrades your house may need as well as give you a realistic assessment of how much your house is worth in the market as well as what you should be asking people to pay for your home. Your home may unfortunately be worth more in your head than it is on paper; however it is important to remember that the memories and dreams you have in this home are not transferred over to the new owners. The memories and life that you have lived in your home is priceless and that worth cannot be gauged by the price listed on a real estate website or open house brochure hanging from the sign in your front yard. The new owners are paying not only for your physical home, but the ability to create their own life and memories in this space just as you have before them. Finally, a good way to assess the worth of your home is to research the real estate market yourself and get a picture of what is going on in your area. Establish the physical value of your home as well as the less obvious items of worth- a great location near to grocery stores, malls, business centers and good schools, for instance, will up the worth of your house. A location in a safe neighborhood that is near unique restaurants and fun entertainment options is another big draw for potential home owners.

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