Redesign ‘n Stay or Stage ‘n Go!!!!

Many people today are planning to redesign their home for a new look or stage their home for sale. First, why are many people doing a home redesign? The economy today has a lot to do with it. The housing market has lost approximately 50% of its value so selling a home and purchasing a new one is difficult or impossible if you have a mortgage. The option to a new home is to redesign the old one.

Doing a home redesign is very intimidating for many people. It involves a number of areas of expertise such as design theme, furniture selection, layout, color theory, accessories, fabrics, arrangements, cost control and budgeting, etc. In today’s economy many people are looking for ways to do it without spending a fortune. Fortunately, that’s where we come in. Contact us to stage your home for sale or redesign it to stay.

More difficult for many owners is having to sell their home. Again the economy is the culprit. Realtors are not stagers, so what are your options? What is staging a home in the first place and why do you need to do it. Why can’t you just sell your home as is and the prospects can take it as is. Well, here are the reasons given by most professional stagers.

First, over time most families accumulate an enormous amount of furniture and goods. Unless you are a minimalist, your place will probably look cluttered to the prospect who is trying to visualize their furniture in your home. The prospect buys on emotion and you must appeal to them. Therefore, less is more appealing. Staging professionals know what to keep and what to discard. They know how to layout to create a pleasing visual arrangement to the prospective buyer. Second, color and arrangements are vital to get a quick sale and an acceptable price. Professional stagers have a list of key buying factors that are paramount to success. The success of stagers are evident if you watch HGTV go into a home that is not selling and by using staging techniques, help the owners to a successful sale.

Should you decide to sell your home and you need a professional stager, contact Interiors Refined by Paula to help you accomplish these tasks.

Seniors!!! Clear Clutter and Downsize the Easy Way

Are you thinking about downsizing to move to a smaller home? You can downsize even if you don’t plan to move. Reducing the amount of possessions on a regular basis will help avoid the physical exertion and emotional trauma of doing it all at once. Are you living in a home that has become too large and it is harder to go up and down the stairs? Are you afraid of getting rid of things because you are afraid you’ll be getting rid of your memories?

Clearing the clutter from a house you’ve lived in for years can seem like an impossible or overwhelming task.

Sometimes it is the adult children that interfere with moving plans as they don’t want their parents to leave the home where they have fond memories of growing up. Or it could be that they want you to move but are afraid of suggesting it.

If any of this sounds familiar and you do want to clear clutter, here are six easy-to-follow tips to make downsizing easier.

• Evaluate each room one at a time and decide what you plan to keep and what you want to give away.

• Discuss with your family that you are clearing clutter to prepare for a move. Have them come to your home and give them colored stickers. Have them walk around and put a sticker on items they want. If there are duplicates on an item they can negotiate as to who gets it.

• Make a plan to get rid of what you don’t use, love or that you no longer want to keep.

• Take photos of things you want to get rid of but are having a hard time parting with and put them in a photo album.

• If you are storing your adult children’s possessions give them a date they need to have them removed. If they don’t come and get their things donate them.

•Remember what you put in storage is just delaying making a decision.

Consider the wonderful opportunities that will be opening up after moving from a house that you have outgrown….comfortable condominiums, gated communities, retirement centers, assisted care centers or perhaps a “mother-in-law apartment”. Clearing the clutter that has accumulated over the years gives you a sense of freedom and fewer things to dust.

Contact Interiors Refined by Paula to help you declutter, organize your move and then redesign the rooms in your new home using the precious items you decided to keep.

Find the Right Real Estate Agent

It can be a tough process in finding the right real estate agent. Selling your home is a very important matter, and it can be hard to find the right person to help you sell it. The best real estate agent that you find will be one that listens to your needs, and will help you to understand your choices. Here are some tips for finding the right real estate agent.

For starters, ask your family and friends if they could refer a good Realtor to you. Most successful real estate agents put their clients’ needs number one on their list of priorities. You can also look on the Internet for reviews and recommendations. There are numerous websites that can connect you with a good Realtor, depending on your specific needs. You can also view profiles of real estate agents online, many of which have reviews left by other clients for you to read.

While you’re at it, visit open houses to view how real estate agents do their work. If they seem to do a good job at showcasing other houses that are for sale, then you can consider asking them to help you with yours. You need to pay attention to how polite and professional they are. Are they friendly? Do they answer your questions? Do they seem like they know what they’re doing? If “yes” to all of these questions, then they may be able to help you as well.

Read the ads in your local newspaper. Look them up on the Internet to find some positive reviews on them. Call them as well and ask about their credentials and experience.

Don’t make your decision right away. Put some thought into it. Make sure you do all the appropriate research. Selecting the right real estate agent is very important, so take some time to make the best choice possible. Call Kim Davis at Exit Realty (703)304-5051 for your real estate needs. Then contact Interiors Refined by Paula to stage your place for sale or to redesign your new home.

Clear Clutter: Reclaim Your Spaces with Closet Organizers

You are probably hesitant to open your closet because you know what will happen and what you are going to see once you open it. Actually, there are others out there who feel the same way towards their closet. But that can be changed. The holidays are over and spring is around the corner. Use this time to do something for yourself – Get Organized!

Getting a closet organizer is the best step you could do for your closet and your piece of mind. Here are some tips to have that organized closet that you have been dreaming of:

1) First of all, decide on a date to do your organizing. Commit to your project and stick to it.

Remove everything from the closet. As you remove each item, decide what to do with it. Sort into three categories:

Keep: Have you worn this item in the past year?
Donate: Is this item still in good shape just not right for you?
Trash: Is this item stained, worn or outdated?

2) Another great tip is to put all your hanging clothes back in your closet backwards on the closet rod. As you wear each item, put it back on the rod “front ways.” After a year, the clothes still on the hangers inserted backwards can be discarded. You haven’t worn them in a year!

A great closet system will offer adjustability so you can move your shelves and rods as your needs change. You will find valet rods, tie and belt racks, shoe shelves, jewelry drawers, shelves, laundry baskets, hideaway mirrors and much more. Larger closets can often accommodate ironing systems, islands, drawers, countertops with mirrors and more. Some people even opt for drawer banks in their closets so there is no need for dressers in the bedroom.

You can find closet systems that are floor based – a great idea! Who wants a heavy closet system hanging on the wall?

3) Purchase a slide out mirror that you can put in your closet. The good thing with the slide out mirror is that you can easily hide it in your closet after using it.

4) Another advantage of having a closet organizer is that you can arrange your clothes easily according to season. The best closet organizer for seasonal clothes is the wire basket. This will help promote good flow of air in your closet and avoid causing odors in your clothes. Hanger marks will also be eliminated if your clothes are arranged properly on the wire baskets.

5) For your socks, underwear, hankies, jewelries, hair clips, pins, hair accessories, and other tiny objects, the drawer dividers are the best answer.

6) Closet organization also includes your shoes. Put in a shoe rack that will match your closet design.

7) Closet organizers are custom-built. You can find the right design and sizes that will fit into your closet space.

Visit Interiors Refined by Paula
and The Closet Factory

How Is The Rental Market Faring After The Credit Crunch?

There is no doubt that we have seen a lot of changes in the economy and in life in general. The housing market in particular has suffered a great deal, over the last few years with fewer mortgages being granted and fewer people in a position to buy anything. But how are things progressing in the rental market?

In actual fact you might be surprised at the answer. It seems the rental market has been heading in the opposite direction – and that is very positive news indeed.

If you are thinking about renting a property (with options to buy or otherwise) there has rarely been a better time to do it. When a seller cannot successfully sell their home they tend to do the next best thing by renting it out instead. That means there are more rental properties for tenants to choose from than there were before the credit crunch took place.

And just as those trying to sell their homes are reducing the prices to make a sale possible, so those who are renting them will be doing the same. This creates a promising market for those who are looking to rent a property, so it is worth shopping around to find the best deal.

There are also more tenants in the market. Since the banks are reluctant to lend any money to anyone, many people who would previously have been able to get a mortgage have been refused by lenders.

Given the lack of other options in many cases, these people are now looking to rent (with options to buy). At least this means there are more possibilities for those who have the money with which to rent a property.

The benefit of renting is obvious. Although you have to find a deposit, it normally amounts to a month’s rent plus a month of the actual rent in advance. This is far less than you would be expected to find to put money down to buy a house. And of course you don’t have to convince a bank or mortgage company to lend you thousands of dollars for a mortgage either.

The housing market is beginning to improve to some extent, but it has a long way to go before it bounces back to the heights it was at previously. As such if you are looking for rentals anywhere else for that matter, you can expect to find plenty of possibilities; there is very likely to be more choice in the rental market for some time to come, thanks to the effects of the credit crunch.
www.InteriorsRefinedNow.com

joie de vivre: Kimberly Applegate's Calendar

Kimberly Applegate has put her gorgeous prints on a calendar for 2010. Take a look at them here You'll never look at a chair the same again.

Check out the calender.

Gotta love em.

www.InteriorsRefinedNow.com

Decorating for Christmas

While the holiday season is busy and hectic, there is no doubt that part of your holiday season will start with Christmas decorating. Once again it is Christmas, whether you realized it was upon you or not, it is here.

The fact is that the holiday season is one of the most profitable for businesses and in such they are more than willing to get the Christmas decorations out and up as soon as possible even before the Thanksgiving holiday has even been planned for. Regardless of the reasons, it is likely to put you in the mood for Christmas decorating.

As you watch your neighbors climb to the top of their homes to decorate for Christmas you may wonder if they know why they are decorating. After all, it is a holiday to celebrate the birth of Christ, but in effect it has become much more about decorations. The fact is there is no need to compete with the neighbors regarding your decorations. Definitely do your Christmas decorating, but do so tastefully.

The fact is that the holiday season is all about providing time for your friends and family to be together. When you decorate your home for Christmas, you are doing just that. Instead of getting so wrapped up in gifts (no pun intended) and the overwhelming competition with your neighbors, sit back and enjoy spending time with your friends and family talking about life, love and all that Christmas has to offer. Christmas should not be about cash and gifts, but about family and time together.
Merry Christmas from Interiors Refined by Paula