The Refreshed Home

Make More With Less: Easy, High-ROI Tips To Get An Occupied Property NOTICED!

The last few weeks have got me caught up in, and really excited about the current mood in our market.

While buyers are still approaching this decision with caution, they want more than a price point. Things have evolved.  They are daring to dream. They want to be happy.  Simply, sellers who get that, and take the time to do their best in preparing their property for sale will get their properties noticed.

The Refreshed Home is budget-conscious, but not budget-driven; a big part of what I advise my sellers on today are easy and reasonable ways they can attract, and engage buyers.

Yesterday I wrote about how to best prepare a vacant property for sale.  Just about all of that-including the seller having the right mindset!- applies to properties that are occupied, so please read, and use those points to build on. Here are some other easy, low-cost, high-ROI ways I use to amp up an occupied space:

• CLEAN. Sorry, just can’t say that enough.  Everything starts after CLEAN.
• Have the right attitude  OK, this also bears repeating. The last few years have been difficult for most everyone. But make the decision to put your story aside, and create the most welcoming atmosphere you can.  Accept you have this responsibility. Keep the focus on what you can do, and do the best you can. Buyers will pick up on it all
• Hang some appropriate art on the walls. No more bare walls! Borrow art if you have to.  And stop fretting about the walls. PLEASE!  Repairing and repainting a few holes in the wall when you sell should be the least of your troubles.
• Let there be light!  Ceiling light is diffused within 2-3 feet of it’s source, buy tabletop/end- table lighting to creates a warmer, more inviting atmosphere. A well-lit room seems bigger.  All BIG PLUSES for those who have years of deferred entertaining plans.  A deductible expense* against profit when you sell, AND  you get to take them with you!  *Consult your tax professional to see what is applicable in your situation.
• Get them outside.  If you have any outdoor space at all, you are losing money by not playing it up. Colorful annuals on the deck, a bocce set on the lawn, a new net in the existing basketball hoop-with an inflated ball nearby!-will draw, and engage buyers. If you’re doing an Open House, set up snacks and cold drinks OUTSIDE if possible.
• Bring in some life. An airy fern in the bathroom, or stir someone’s romantic inner chef with several small pots of herbs growing on the kitchen windowsill. Force some bulbs as a fresh centerpiece, be the first one on your block to have those pansies out.  And a goldfish makes everyone smile.
• Don’t forget the bookcases.  Being well-read is a an appealing luxury, and the physical presence of books bring soul into a space.  Hit a thrift store, or an upcoming Book Sale at the local library, and load up on some noteworthy tomes. Biographies of interesting people, exotic travel, and the classics are always good choices.

Every market, every property, and every seller has their own circumstances. Projects are successful when they are maintained, and involve a project that is priced and marketed by a knowlegable REALTOR. Need more ideas-or help implementing them? Call or email today-I would love for you to be my next success story!

The Refreshed Home-Where Experience Matters, and Kindness Counts

Tags: experience matters kindness counts, have the house buyers want, have the right attitude, marie graham artful preparer of properties, Staging occupied houses
Posted in Dollars and Sense, Home Selling and Home Staging, What's Wrong With This Picture? | No Comments »

Experience Matters, and Kindness Counts: Meet The Staff of Bond Animal Hospital, White Plains NY 10606

Experience Matters, and Kindess Counts: Meet the Staff of Bond Animal Hospital, WHite Plains NY 10606

A few weeks ago I was doing some long-overdue updates of online profiles in my various media outlets.  Time to take it a step further, and more succinctly put what I, and my business stand for, black and white. One statement I came up with was Experience Matters, and Kindness Counts.

My business is much more about people than it is about stuff.  Often, people who are in pain of some sort. A change or loss, there is confusion, stress and sadness.   I consider alleviating distress to be a big part of my solutions. It’s not how all Stagers or Decorators work, but it’s what I do.  So while it was accurate, it sounded…well, I wasn’t sure the tone was quite right-maybe too ponderous? too prissy?  too indulgent?  I wondered if  anyone ( besides me) really cares about this kind of stuff, but went with it anyway.

Then suddenly this past week the tables turned, I became a confused, scared and sad client in need of experienced care, and kindness.  Regular readers will know our  dog Bella Blue is near and quite dear to my husband and myself. She had become very ill very quickly, Doug and I were beside ourselves, heartsick and sleep deprived. The happy ending is that she is fine.

As every pet-owner knows, good regular pet care is vital, yet even under the best of circumstances things can happen. And THIS is why you want to know about Bond Animal Hospital. Because experience does matter, and kindness does count.

I’m definitely a love my dog, love me kind of gal, and  have been a client for over 20 years.  First with Maggie Mae, a lab mix; also a shelter rescue, she was my friend for 9 years.

Many of the faces at Bond have stayed the same over the years.  Partners Dr. Douglas Aspros and Dr. Geoffrey McKenzie have built a professional staff who know what they are doing, and love your pet like you do, because as pet owners themselves, they get what you go through.  The doctors are all highly accredited, and my experiences have proven them all to be thorough and skillful diagnosticians, as well as compassionate advisors.

If you are new to the area, a new pet owner, have an exotic pet, or just feeling your current veterinary experience is lacking, you want to know the people at Bond Animal Hospital.  Their practice includes the care of avians, reptiles, and small mammals.

Very conveniently located at the very northern end of Central Avenue in White Plains, they are moments off the Bronx River Parkway, as well as I-287. GO!  STAY! You and your pet will be really glad you did.

Tags: Bond Animal Hospital, exotic pet vet, experience matters kindness counts, White Plains NY Vet
Posted in A Day In The Life, Home and Professional Services, Small Business Spotlight | 2 Comments »