Comfy front porch

Do you have a wonderful front porch from which to view the world (or at least your neighborhood)?  Make it come alive and then find time to use it! A few colorful, potted plants or hanging flower pots will make it welcoming and inviting. If there’s room, add a bench or even a couple of comfy chairs and small table for a glass of lemonade or morning coffee.

Now, how’s your home decorating quotient in the back yard? If you’ve been blessed with a great space to use for lounging, entertaining or gardening, you’re a lucky home owner! But even if the space isn’t all that great, you can still use your home decorating skills to carve out a nice place to relax or eat out.

This home’s backyard went from a basic concrete slab and no shade to a fabulous oasis in the middle of the neighborhood.  Neighbors have described it as a vacation spot without leaving home! It took a little planning and a couple of years to develop it fully, but now it’s a beautiful place to spread out and enjoy living “out of the house!”

Colorful flowers

We added lots of perennials over the 3 year stint.  Then, really cared for and coddled the grass and yard.

Composite deck

Next we added a composite deck out over the existing slab to broaden the eating area.

Pergola expands the space

Another year, the pergola was added to bring in some shade and give the place some character.  Yard sale finds brought in a table and chairs and gas grill.  When using home docorating outdoors, you don’t have to worry as much about a “color scheme.”  Mother Nature will usually take care of that.  Just provide colorful cushions on the chairs, a few blooming plants and you’re done!

Ready to entertain!

Where do you want to live? The beach? The desert? Near children and grandkids? Or how about the mountains? Wherever you want to live, you’re sure to find a retirement community that suits your needs.  But if you’re the type who is thinking world class golf courses, beaches and sunny and warm days, you can’t beat Palm Beach Gardens, Fla! And one of the best, most elegant places is Devonshire at PGA National.

As a senior retirement community, you’ll be able to play the course that the pros designed and still play!  You’ll be treated like royalty and have the utmost luxury all around you, everyday.  You can sample menus from 5 top restaurants right on the grounds and make use of the health and raquet club or enjoy the international world class spa.

The entire community has a decidedly “European” feel which speaks of old world elegance, refinement and character.  You can have your choice of floor plans, customize it to suit your taste and needs and have one of their distinguished home decorators on hand to help you plan you new home.

And don’t worry if you have special needs, the Life Care part of the community assures you that you’ll have access to wellness programs, assistance if you need it, re-hab and skilled nursing care for you and your loved ones.  Stylish living, luxury accomodations, care and help if you need it, what more can you ask for?

Don’t wait to plan for your future – start thinking about it now and know where you’re going!

This color wheel shows cool colors on the top and left while the bottom, right are the warm colors

Color can be warm or cool.  Knowing this can help you understand your color choices in home decorating.  First determine if you prefer warm or cool colors then narrow it down from there.

Warm colors are shades of yellow, orange, red, or combos of colors with these in them.  Warm, reddish brown or soft yellowish brown are warm colors.  Green that contains a lot of yellow is a warm color. Burnt oranges and soft peaches are also warm.

Cool colors contain blues and include all shades of blue plus purple, lavender & green in all it’s many shades.  The options are endless – just go stand in front of a paint color display at your local d0-it-yourself store!

If you prefer yellow and oranges, or their associated shades in peach, pink and neutrals, you tend be a warm, welcoming person who loves entertaining and making people feel welcome. In their bolder shades, these colors tend to spring forward and make a room feel more intimate.  In the softer shades they just make a room feel cozy and comfortable.

If you lean toward soft blues, green and lavenders, you like a more tranquil, peaceful setting. These colors remind us of the sky, water and nature in general.  If these colors appeal to you, you are likely a calm, even-keeled person who handles things with ease and takes life as it comes.

Do you love jewel tones? These are the vibrant shades of purple, amethyst, teal, sapphire, yellow and blues that really “pop” and stand out.  Decorating your home with these colors brings a dramatic effect and shows confindence.  You tend to be out-going personalities who like to be inspired by your rooms.

Hopefully this will give you a start on choosing colors for your rooms and also a little confidence to choose them and go with it!

Don’t leave your guests in the dark.  You can help them find your house with these affordable and uniuqe address plaques.  Pick a style and shape that lets people know you have great taste!  It’s important not only that newcomers can find you, but also to customize the outside of your house as much as you do the inside.

And of course, your home decorating shouldn’t stop there!  Adding a custom mailbox, birdbath, birdfeeders and address signs all give your yard and the approach to your house a wonderfully welcoming atmoshere.   As a home decorator, I try to tell people that the outside is the first impression of your home.  Don’t spend all your time and energy on the inside and neglect this important part of the home decorating.  Make the front yard appealing so the approach says, “Welcome home!” to family or friends.

Do you have a patio or garden area in the back or side of your house?  Extend the home decor all the way with lovely outdoor furniture.  Direct visitors down a garden path or just invite them to relax.  Home decorating is all about planning your space to you’ll want to spend more time there!

Enjoy your outdoor spaces!

Having just one child as a stay-at-home parent was easy. Now that I have two and they are on different schedules, it is nearly impossible to get out and go anywhere. Not only does it make me a little stir crazy for contact with the outside world but it makes it difficult to do any shopping. I’m thinking about getting wild blue exede internet to make my life easier. If I can get online I can at least do some of my shopping. Most vendors offer free shipping if you spend enough money so I just need to figure out who has the most stuff so I can make sure I reach the limit. There are so many things to buy when you have two that it will make my life loads easier just being able to shop for them from home. Plus, I can stay in touch with my friends and family once I can access my e-mail again as well as my social networking accounts. Just because I have kids doesn’t mean I don’t need to be in touch with what’s going on.

A little home staging here would make a huge difference!

A little home staging here would make a huge difference! Even a beautiful house needs home staging to make it show better.  Check out these photos of a very elegant house on the market.  The owners left some furniture in it, but didn’t take the time to have it professionally arranged and a few nice touches added.  What difference a little home staging might have made.This house has been on the market for well over a year.  It’s been listed by 4 real estate agents.  Wouldn’t it have been better to get it sold more quickly and avoid the price reductions that ultimately happened?

A little home staging here, please...

This house finally did sell, but not before being reduced in price from $399,000 to just $250,000!  Home staging would have probably cost them about $2000!

It’s important to get the right information to further your career.  You can spend a lot of money and spin your wheels chasing after this program, or that coach.  And where do you find deals, discounts and professionals that can add service and sales to your portfolio?  Look no further, tom ferry, of AgentDeals.net may be exactly what you’re looking for.  This father and son duo has experience, a great track record and lots of ideas to help your career.

You might be looking for new places to get leads.  Find them here.  If you need help with lead management, social media or marketing, Tom or Mike can help you out.

I’ve worked with a lot of real estate agents in my field as a home stager and home decorator.  I’ve also chased a lot of programs and networking.  It’s hard to find the right help in today’s market.  Make an informed decision and get serious about your real estate career.

Watch these ”home staging tips,” then you can get your house ready to show well and sell quickly!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrUJ7SmmY3M

Before staging, just an empty living/dining room combo

I hear all the time that “home staging is expensive, and maybe we’ll just bring in a few items ourselves and it will look ok.”  If your house is empty, a “few things” brought in could end up looking desperate or it might look ok.  But if you take the time, energy and money to do if right in the first place, you’ll have a better looking house.  It will show better in photos; it will attract more buyers and will appear to be a more desirable home to live in.  Believe me, I’ve seen both sides!

But after home staging, a Perfect Transformation!

If you’re living in the house while it’s on the market, it’s even more important to stage a house.  When you’re living there it’s hard to keep it looking great and in perfect showing condition.   Sure, people will understand that you’re living there, but they won’t like it.  When they seen un-made beds, clothes laying around, dust everywhere and un-washed floors and more, it will look to them like a house that hasn’t been properly taken care of.  If you take the time to work with a professional home stager, they will help you get your home ready to show, then give you strategies for keeping it that way until that perfect offer comes in.

So, where does that leave you?  You’ll actually save money in the long run because a staged house will look better in person and in photos.  That means it will attract more buyers; and selling your home is a numbers game.  The more buyers who come through, the more likely you are to get a good offer.

Remember,

Home Staging is the Investment That Pays You Back!

Here’s a great classic that’s also comfortable, Adirondack chairs.  They are available in different materials, depending on your space and they add that touch of comfort and class that you may be looking for.   Plastic made from recycled materials are not only green but they will last if left outside in the rain and weather.  Wood chairs come in natural or painted varieties to suit your taste.  If you’re looking for quality, choose teak that are resistant to mold, insects and fungi are also beautiful.

You’ll also find Adirondack rockers, benches and tables to fill out your home decorating needs on the patio.

Or maybe it’s time for your family to get a new picnic tables.  Find these as well in a variety of styles, sizes and material to work with your home decorating scheme.   If you need multiple tables for maximum seating, you can find permanent tables and benches to enhance a business or public area.

If you have a space for park benches, these add great seating in surprising places.  A well-placed park bench in a garden or along a path is a home decorating gem.  Encourage guests and friends to take a walk down a garden path and provide them a nice resting spot on the way!  Park benches can fill an empty spot and look great as well.

So, think about your outdoor space as you do your indoors. Home decorating doesn’t stop at the front (or back) door!