The official day of spring is March 20 but as I write this on a warm day of 70’s in February, Yes It just snowed the other day. Yes the temperatures will drop again and we will get ice or snow. But getting this close and feeling this warm is close enough! I officially caught spring fever and so had the Spring Real Estate market.
Hibernating bears are onto something. The frigid cold snap had me nesting and staying home. When the temperatures soared to 35 degrees, it felt spring.
September has always been the start of a new year for me. Unlike January and new year resolutions, the weather is more civilized so you can set goals and create action plans to get things done. I’m ready to get back into a routine that includes cleaning and editing.
Cleanliness is next to Godliness. A clean, organized home feels good and if your home is on the market, clean sells homes. Everyone has degrees of what is acceptable or even qualifies as clean. The reality is this: you may be able to tolerate your own unkempt home and let things go but no one can stand someone else’s uncleanliness. In fact, it is a big turn off.
After years of staging homes going on the market I decided it was time to work on my own house. For those of you who have remodeled while living in your house, you know the stress level is high.
Summer has finally arrived and the Real Estate market has heated up. The savvy seller has been prepping their home for sale and not waiting till the last minute. This time of year also brings out the buyer for second homes. Location is everything, especially waterfront properties especially in the summer.
Spring is trying to spring and then it snows. Just like the warm weather, I start and stop the spring-cleaning process. In my last column cleaning tips and suggestions of places to donate items in good condition were featured. Here are more.
Dear Claudia,
I need tips on how to blend two households. I am moving into my boyfriend’s house. We are both in our 50’s. His taste is very “Ikea”, Swedish style modern simplicity, and I am eclectic/eccentric with antiques and funky mix. His house is fully furnished, as is my funky eclectic apartment, which is FULL of stuff. Quite honestly even my glassware would clash with his, not to mention my furniture, art pieces, and smalls. Any ideas on how we can do this so that it looks great, fits us both, I feel like I’m at home, and he doesn’t feel like he lost his?
~Anonymous
The desire to sell your house is not enough. Being proactive by preparing your home for sale can translate into a quick sale for your asking price. Keep in mind, no amount of staging will help an over priced home.
My ‘staging tips for sellers’ class is offered throughout the area. Attendees may have a long timeline or are moving quickly. It is never too early to start the process.
During a staging consultation, I walk with the homeowners to offer suggestions on how to prepare their house for sale before putting it on the market. When questions come up, the best way to find the solution is to ask an expert. If I can’t answer it, I’ll find someone who can.
This column provides the answers for questions from recent consultations. The expert to answer them is Corinne Courtney, owner of Nailed It! Hardware Corp. on South Street in Washingtonville (496-3755). Read more
The best time to put your home on the market is when both you AND your house are ready. Whether you are selling ASAP or have a much longer timeline, don’t rush the process if your house is not ready. Sellers can sabotage the sale of their home if they are too anxious or too attached. Homes sell all year round, but the key is to prep before making it pretty.
Redesign is an instant makeover
By simply reworking rooms with what you already own, you can have a “new” room by rearranging furniture and accessories. Shop the home, move stuff around. During a recent staging consultation, I redesigned a living room in less than 15 minutes.