Skin-deep investments in a home’s exterior offer gratifying paybacks

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Skin-deep investments in a home’s exterior offer gratifying paybacks

It’s not about the updated kitchen. Or the state-of-the-art walk-in shower. Not to say that updating the interior of a home isn’t important. It’s just that because we mostly live inside our homes, updating and beautifying the outside seems to be placed on the back burner.

There are usually two reasons homeowners think about improving the curb appeal of their home (1) pride of ownership —they just want it to look more attractive, or (2) they are selling and want to get the highest price possible. Either is an excellent reason to value and update your home’s facade.

Many homeowners don’t realize that spiffing up their home’s exterior offers some of the best return on investment of anything they can do to their dwellings. Whether it’s just for the heck of it or to attract a buyer, curb appeal is what “gets them at hello” when people drive by a property.

The National Association of REALTORS® Remodeling Impact Report: Outdoor Features has some fascinating data illustrating how curb appeal and landscaping affects the value of a home, beating out nearly every indoor project for payback. Included are yard overhauls, such as adding a winding flagstone walkway, planters, flowering shrubs, a good-sized tree and new mulch. According to the study, the median cost for doing all of the above is $4,750. Return value? $5,000. Sweet.

Add more “softscape” items like trees, shrubs, perennials, mow strips and boulder accents and your home’s curb appeal is transformed. Now figure in lower utility bills, since placing trees in the right locations can produce savings on heating and cooling costs, and there are bonuses up the yin-yang. A new patio or deck? Even better.

So next time you think about where you want your remodeling dollars to go, it might be prudent to step across the street and take a look at your home from a different perspective. Shutters need painting? Does your front door make a statement? Would your house look better with more color around it? A little bit of attention to what meets the eye can make a world of difference.

Posted on February 15, 2018 by Jamie Lashley.

4 Tips for Selling Your Home With Pets That Won't Put You in the Dog House

The first step is to sit down with your clients and talk to them about the issue of selling a home with pets. Most regard their pets as family members, so telling them that not all buyers like pets can be emotional. Consider making the following tips part of your listing presentation discussion so that the matter is addressed right away.

1. Eliminate Pet Odor

Although your clients might have become accustomed to it, pet odors can deter potential buyers. Our sense of smell has a powerful effect on our emotions and on our perception. The scent of pet odor in a house is sure to stick in a potential buyer’s mind, and this will likely cause them to deduct the cost of carpet replacement from their offer. Even worse, if a buyer walks in the home and smells a dirty cat litter box or soiled carpet, they might not even proceed with the tour. To eliminate pet odor and keep potential buyers moving through the home, consider the following:

  • If not replacing carpet, have it professionally steam cleaned. Don’t forget to also clean upholstered furniture and area rugs. Any surface that holds in pet odor should be cleaned, replaced or removed.
  • Weather permitting, advise clients to open windows for a few days leading up to showings to help air out the home.
  • Be cautious when using air fresheners. You don’t want buyers to be blasted with the smell of artificial flowers that scream the seller is hiding an odor. Some fresh flowers can not only help with fragrance, but also add to the home staging. Also consider air neutralizers and odor absorbing products. Rather than masking the smell, these items actually absorb odor and neutralize the air.
  • Consider placing an air purifier in the pet’s main living area to filter the air.
  • Replace air filters that might have trapped pet dander and odor.

2. Repair Pet-Related Damage to Home and Yard

As much as we love our pets, the truth is they cause extra wear and tear on the home, especially in the yard. Assess the home and consider recommending the owner repairs as much of the pet damage as possible before showing. Some areas to look at include:

  • Over-seed the yard or patch lawn areas to repair brown spots.
  • Fill in holes created by canine gardeners. Not only are they unsightly, they can be potentially dangerous if someone were to trip in it.
  • If doors and/or window screens have been damaged and scratched, replace them.
  • Clean pet hair from hard-to-reach places such as behind appliances and behind doors.
  • If wood or laminate flooring is scratched beyond repair, consider repairing the floor. This might be a large investment up front, but it can yield great results at sale.

3. Consider that potential buyers might be afraid of animals and vice versa. 

Educate your clients about pet liability and discuss having the pets temporarily (either during the entire sale process or on days when there are showings and open houses) relocated if possible. If your client does not have a relocation option, talk to them about crating their animals during showings and open houses. For pets that are not already crate trained, it can take time for them to enjoy being in the crate. Suggest your client contact a pet trainer to learn how to introduce their pet to a crate. Your clients can create positive associations with the crate by giving the pet a treat-filled toy or bone to keep them busy while in the crate. This is not only essential for the safety of potential buyers, but it also protects animals from getting out of the house, getting hurt, or causing harm to others.

4. Speaking of stress, animals can experience anxiety from having a lot of strange foot traffic in their home.

Potential buyers might be distracted by a stressed pet and a nervous barking. Recommend that your client talks to their veterinarian to get a product recommendation to help their pets cope with this stressful event. National pet stores sell items such as plugins that release stress calming pheromones. The plugins do not emit any scent and can last up to three months. The pheromones released are only detected by the animals and will not affect humans.

Posted on February 1, 2018 by Jamie Lashley.

4 Reasons Why Bamboo Is Taking Home Decor by Storm

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Homeowners are often looking for home improvement options that strike the right balance between affordability, functionality, aesthetics and eco-friendliness. Bamboo has been marketed as something of a panacea—a kind of wonder wood that checks all the boxes. Designers, contractors and consumers have all taken note, as bamboo has made its way into homes as flooring, walls, window treatments, furniture and more. Here are the properties that are making this popular material a go-to green choice for interior design materials. 

Affordability
Bamboo is a readily available wood…except for the fact that bamboo isn't a wood at all, but a grass! Therein lies the secret to bamboo's ascendant success as a housing material: It grows like a weed because it essentially is one. At a maximum of three feet per day, it is, in fact, the fastest growing plant on Earth. 

Versatility
Just the one word "bamboo" doesn't do justice to the range of looks the material offers. It can vary greatly in shades and textures, making it a versatile option for decorators and designers. 

Durability
Whether natural or manmade, few materials can match bamboo's physical properties pound for pound. Because bamboo grows in wet, tropical climates, it is well-suited to resisting rain and wind. In fact, this unassuming reed beats out hardwood, brick and concrete alike in terms of compressive strength, while rivaling steel in tensile strength. 

Sustainability
As a growing number of homeowners look for eco-friendly materials in their decor, perhaps no single factor has contributed to bamboo's modern vogue in interior design more than its sustainability. As it is a grass rather than a tree, it can grow to a harvestable size (often over 100 feet) in a matter of months. This is in stark contrast to the years of water, fertilizer and pesticide required by other timber woods.

Posted on November 16, 2017 by Jamie Lashley.