Everywhere you look these days are articles about going “Green”. Seems you can't pick up a magazine or newspaper without noticing how important this has become in every aspect of our lives. It struck me recently that Stagers are experts in regards to repurposing, recycling and reinventing. We have to be. It's just not feasible or reasonable to buy new items for each staging job that comes along. Yet to make each home have it's own distinctive “look” requires some inspirational thought and input.

Between the initial consultation and the actual staging are many hours of prep time that would surprise most people who are not in the business. Examining photos of each room and then choosing appropriate furniture and accessories can take many hours. This time the chair that was in a living room may show up in this bedroom with a different throw and pillows to achieve a new look. The wicker chest that doubled as a coffee table is now at the end of the bed as a bench. The lamp has a slightly different shade that goes better with the bed coverings. The tray on the wicker chest was a wine tray in another living room and now has a couple of colorful mugs and faux fruit for a relaxing “Breakfast in Bed” look. The small table with a chair previously from a breakfast nook is now a desk in the room. Two small file cabinets do double duty as nightstands. Candle holders have their look changed by adding foliage and different colored candles to blend with the room's decor. And so it goes with each room to be staged.

No one would ever guess that most of these items are being reused because all good stagers know how to repurpose, recycle and reinvent. It's just our nature.

Deanne Ellen Interiors copyright June 2009

With the real estate market in flux many people, who were thinking about selling, have made the decision to stay in their homes. So maybe you are one of them and have decided to invest  money in  addressing some of the issues that have been bugging you for ages.

Where to start?

The best way  is to grab a sheet of paper and start making a list. What rooms or areas in your home need attention? Are there problems that have been in the back of your mind but you just never seem to get around to addressing? Put them on that list.

Once you have put everything you can think of on the list, start thinking about what is really the most important to you. Is it more important to address the landscaping in the front or replace the carpet in the living room? 

Another priority, of course, is what can you afford? Only you can answer this question. Talking to home improvement specialists can help you determine what is going to get you the most bang for your buck.

Once you have that figured out, you are well on your way to having the home you love. Just keep plugging away on your to-do list and don't get discouraged. Home improvement projects always take longer than initially planned. 

The best part of working on a to-do list for your home is that when and if you decide to put your home on the market, you will be well ahead of the game because most likely these are things that will need to be taken care of when you are ready to list, anyway.

Ok now. Grab that list and get started!Your Stager and Realtor will love you for it!

 

 

 Change is Coming!

It's hard to believe that the weather has changed so much in the past couple of days. From warm and balmy to rainy and gray. As much as I love Oregon green here in the Willamette Valley, there is always a small pang of regret when the rains begin because we know it will be months before we see consistent sunshine again. But I do love the Fall weather because it means change is happening. Soon we will have a big, blustery wind storm and the leaves will blow all over and into each other's yards. Lots of work ahead! If you have never raked water-logged leaves, you don't know what you have been missing.

Holidays and Your Home.

This is also the time of year when we start planning for the coming holidays. I will have my grown children home for Christmas this year and I love making it a special time for them.  It also means taking a look at my home and deciding what I need to do to make it as warm and inviting as possible.

The Price of Home Ownership.

Being a homeowner is an amazing experience but one with a great deal of responsibility,also. There is always something that needs to be maintained. For instance, we have lived in our home over seven years now and it is time to think about refinishing our wood floors. We did not get very good advice in the beginning about maintenance so we have some areas that are very worn. Right now we are considering whether we want to completely refinish ($3000) or do a major rebuffing ($700).  Maintenance can be very costly. Since we have lived here, we have painted the outside of our home (Oregon weather is hard on exteriors), painted six interior rooms, replaced several appliances (already!), had additional electrical work done , replaced several light fixtures and spent a ton of money on landscaping. Fortunately, my husband has a great eye for landscape design and has done the majority of that work himself.

 Future Improvements and Home Inspections

Our future renovations include new carpet in the dining room and den, a redo of the office, and painting the main area of the house with it's vaulted ceilings and stairwell.We also have a leaky window that we will need to address ASAP!

One thing that I am really in favor of these days is to have a home inspection done just to find out if you have any major problems developing that are not visible to the naked eye.  If you have a newer home, you may consider a home inspection at 10 years and then every 5 years after that. It's a cost that will more than pay for itself in the long run. A recent client of mine lives in an older home and was thinking about putting his home on the market. He decided to have a home inspection done before hand so there wouldn't be any surprises later on. He found out that he had some foundation issues and termites. Those kind of things could easily have caused a possible sale to fall through. So go ahead and get that home inspection and then plan to have them done every 5 years that you are in the home. You will not be sorry that you did! Being informed is better than being surprised!   2008-10-03