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]]>5 OCCUPIED HOME STAGING TIPS
By Cassie French
- You can’t see what’s wrong with your own house. You are bias to your taste or how your house has always looked. It is hard to imagine the room lay out any different than how your house has looked for the last few years. Styles and trends have changed (especially with furniture) since the time you probably purchased your furniture. Sometimes homeowners have big and bulky furniture that is functional for their family, but it doesn’t show off the house and wouldn’t be the best for pictures on the MLS. In 2020, 97% of home buyers used the internet to search for a home. And 63% of buyers made an offer on homes sight unseen. In Orange County, that could be over a million-dollar purchase just on pictures alone! I’m guilty of this, my situation is different because it was an investment property and I was focused on the amount of return on investment the monthly rental fees brought in but still, I have yet to actually walk through the property!
- You have too much furniture- Think about it, you have lived in your home for years and have accumulated so many things. A good example of this would be kitchen appliances. A coffee maker you leave on the counter all year long because it’s practical and a part of your daily routine. Most homeowners wouldn’t think to put it away or even declutter their cabinets in the kitchen. I always suggest to clients who are looking to list their house on the market to rent a pod and put all the items they don’t need immediately and can wait to be reunited with at their own home. Taking away more furniture and personal items.
- Staging is different than living in a home- There is a difference between living in your house which is to suit your daily needs and activities/interests and the other is to sell your home! These different goals do not translate to one another and that is why it is always good to consult with a home stager. Wikipedia defines Staging as “the goal of staging is to make a home appealing to the highest number of potential buyers, thereby selling a property more swiftly and for more money. Staging techniques focus on improving a property’s appeal by insuring it is a welcoming, attractive product that any buyer can see himself/herself living in and, thus, desire to purchase.”
- Even the Best Interior Designers selling their home have a hard time staging their own house- I saw an episode of Million Dollar Listing, a house owned by an interior designer was listed for sale. When they were showing the house it was gorgeous but I also noticed how much stuff was on the walls and how much furniture in the rooms. It had a very specific taste and probably did not translate to a bigger buyer pool. The house was on and off the market many times and it made me think how even Interior Designers with the best taste can still not objectively look at their house. I am actually guilty of this myself! When I saw that episode, I went back to pictures of our home which we recently sold in Orange County. We couldn’t understand why people weren’t as interested in our home as much as we were. One of the big obstacles was the lower ceilings on the first floor, which we couldn’t change. The other was how I staged our living room. I left the sectional couch, which was very practically for our family of 5 but it kept the main living room closed off, which is not good when you’re staging a house.
- Depersonalizing your home- When buyers walk into a house, the don’t want to feel like they are invading your home. This is why you need to hire someone who knows how to do Occupied Home Staging. Having personal items out like pictures of your family on the walls or on every surface of the home makes buyers focus on who is currently living in the home, do I know this family, rather than looking at the house. Buyers feel uncomfortable being in your space and in return they spend less time at the house. Buyers spend an average of 6 minutes in a home deciding if they want to see more or put in an offer. The longer someone spends in the home, the more likely they are contemplating their future in the house!
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]]>The post 5 Hacks to Stick to Stick to Your Renovation Budget appeared first on Classy AF Interiors.
]]>5 Hacks to Stick to Your Renovation Budget
By Cassie French
1. Create a budget– sounds simple right? It’s a lot harder than you think.. especially if this is your first renovation and if you are relying on others who see this as a money-making opportunity off a novice homeowner. The best way to start your budget is to have the contractor give you an itemized quote including all materials and labor.
2. Do research– Find how much an average bathroom costs to renovate. You can Google this information or ask friends and family how much their renovation cost. Some other resources are: Angie’s List, Home Advisor, Houzz, and Yelp.
3. Get multiple quotes for your project from contractors and Trade Stores. Trades Stores are the material storefronts that range from kitchen cabinets (layout included), a tile store, faucets and fixtures and carpet stores. Shop til you drop is the name of the game! I often go to multiple tile stores and use their pricing against each other. Trust me, I am not cheating. I’m saving money and at the end of the day that’s the most important. I almost feel a rush of excitement when I’m negotiating with the tiles salesman. This is very important information if this is your first time: You need to know all tradesmen have wiggle room on the price they give you, you just gotta ask! Worst case scenario they say no and it’s not the end of the world but in my experience, they never say no because they want your business.
4. Stay on top of the job. Sometimes you must be aggressive! “Be aggressive B-E A-G-G-R-E-S-S-I-V-E! Aggressive!” You know the cheer. Just this last week, we are working on a flip property in Anaheim Hills and the drywall guys show up late, leave early and we need to get this project moving. It’s taken them 3 weeks to drywall a very small amount of the house. We have been constantly calling our contractor but I had to call him on a Sunday night and let him know, if we don’t tighten up this ship, we have to get someone else to come in. He freaked out and now we have new flooring, vanity counters and the countertop guy came to take measurements all in 4 days! Boom!
5. Constantly review your spreadsheet throughout the project, make sure you are sticking to your budget and make sure each room like your kitchen, flooring, master bathroom are all on budget. If you tend to splurge in say your master bathroom, then make sure you come in under budget in another bathroom or cut out another expense somewhere else. Unless you are happy paying the change orders and going about the budget, keep reviewing and keep on top of your job!
Renovating a home is not as easy as it looks on TV. Funny Side note: I spoke with a local realtor yesterday and he was telling me about a new house he is listing but wanted to see if we would be interested in it before going to market (it’s a famous athlete’s house). The couple bought the house years ago and wanted to completely renovate it. Fast forward… it broke up their marriage and now they just want to get rid of the house and split that asset without the project being finished. They never even lived in their “dream home”.
Hopefully you found these 5 Hacks to be helpful and if you need help making some decisions or have questions about the information I shared, you can slide in my DM’s at: https://www.instagram.com/classyafinteriors/ of go to my website https://classyafinteriors.com/ and fill out the “Contact Us” Form at the bottom of my page.
GOOD LUCK!!
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]]>6 Best White Paint Colors
“Going with an off white or a white that has some creaminess to it, is the way to go. It won’t be glaring to the eye, and it will give your house a softer, more pleasing, appearance inside and out.“
Aren’t all white paint colors the same? No way, Jose! White can actually be a little tricky especially when you’re using it for different areas of the home (exterior paint vs. wall paint colors vs. trim and door colors). In my opinion, you don’t want to use a white that is too bright, especially on the exterior of your house. If you do, your house will be blinding to look at in the sun. You also don’t want to paint the walls with a warm undertone if it doesn’t compliment the aesthetic in the home.
Going with an off white or a white that has some creaminess to it, is the way to go. It won’t be glaring to the eye, and it will give your house a softer, more pleasing, appearance inside and out.
1.Alabaster by Sherwin Williams:
My Favorite.. Hands Down! Why, do you ask? Because this color makes you forget your dated goldish-brown travertine floors from 2008. I’m telling you, this is the best way to update a house without having to completely remodel everything! It even goes amazingly with Accessible Greige (SW) as a trim. I recently used it on a project we were flipping in Indio, CA. The condo had goldish-brown travertine floors. I knew we wouldn’t make money on the project if we ripped the flooring out and replaced them with Luxury Vinyl Planks. When I went to the property, I brought all my trusty white paint chip colors with me and found that Alabaster was the best. I also thought we could modernize the place by having darker trim (Accessible Greige). When I made that suggestion, my husband and contractor thought I was crazy, but we ended up getting 10% over asking with 8 offers!
Before
After
Another example of Alabaster working with a darker creamy color from @chrislovesjulia :
2. Pure White by Sherwin Williams:
This white is very simple and goes great with contrasting colors. I would only suggest using this color on walls for a Mid Century Modern or Modern House or a trim color. I recommend using contrasting colors such as Iron Ore (SW) for the doors, windows, or any trim in the house. You can also use other elements to warm the house into a home such as art, fake plants, and colorful pillow cushions!
Pure White can be very sterile if you’re using it as a cabinet color. I also would not use it for the exterior of a house because it will stand out like a sore thumb in the neighborhood. Once that sun hits the house, may need the shades they give you after cataract surgery just to look directly at your house!
Picture of how it is done wrong:
Done Right:
3. Chantilly Lace by Benjamin Moore:
Chantilly Lace is another very bright white color. It is very milky and almost gives off a fragile vibe probably because of the name! Interior Designers love this color and use it quite often, I like to have fun with my colors and based on all the other elements in a home, I wouldn’t choose Chantilly Lace for every project. But it is a good safe bet if you are unsure which color to use in your home! Again, make sure to warm up the home with other vibrant contrasting colors to avoid the cold and uninviting feel it can bring if not executed accurately. Also, if you have dogs, kids, a messy person, or own a rental property, it’s best to avoid the very bright white colors.
4. Decorator’s White by Benjamin Moore:
This color has a cool, subtle, grey undertone that compliments nicely with other grey colors. If you are designing a room with an Art Deco vibe/Parisian (very similar to the inspiration photos in the CB2 magazine) influence, I would hands down choose this color. I even would suggest this color in a lacquer finish for any wood trim to really give you that European Style (which is becoming more popular and I couldn’t be more excited!)
5. Greek Villa by Sherwin Williams:
You don’t hear much about this white color but I love it and I think it will gain popularity in the future! Greek Villa is a white color with classic warm hues that modernize any room of the house. Not only does the name make you want to travel to Mykonos and enjoy the gorgeous architecture of white stucco buildings lined with cobblestone walkways. It also brings comfortable atmosphere that transforms any house into a home.
6. Snowbound by Sherwin Williams:
This White color has a Grey Undertone. It is a great color and would work perfectly on a cabinet, wall or even trim. It is a clean and calming white color and I really enjoy seeing as an exterior paint color.
By Katherine Amanda:
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]]>Make Minor Repairs- Most homes have been lived in and some more “loved” than others. It is always a good idea to repair the minor flaws in the house whether is be chewed up baseboards from your dog, fixing hardware in the bathroom and kitchens, just about anything that has been on your “Saturday To Do List” that you have been meaning to get around to for the last year.
The post Here are 10 home staging tips to sell a home appeared first on Classy AF Interiors.
]]>- Hire Classy AF Interiors.. duh! We have a proven track record of getting homes top dollar by staging a home for sale. Realtor’s love working with us and say we make their job easy!
2. Make Minor Repairs- Most homes have been lived in and some more “loved” than others. It is always a good idea to repair the minor flaws in the house whether is be chewed up baseboards from your dog, fixing hardware in the bathroom and kitchens, just about anything that has been on your “Saturday To Do List” that you have been meaning to get around to for the last year.
3. Declutter- Decluttering your home is the #1 staging tip I could give to any seller! It is important that the room looks big and spacious. To be honest a room in a house that is bare looks better than having a ton of bulky furniture you have to squeeze through to get past. I always tell clients to remove any personal items as well, especially in the bathroom! When people are walking through a house, it can be slightly uncomfortableness walking through someone else’s home and space. Having your toothbrush and personal grooming items out may deter potential buyers and no one wants that!
4. Paint your home– Nothing like the smell of fresh paint on your walls! Painting your home gives your house an instant facelift and makes it look new again. This is probably the most drastic and inexpensive way to transformation your home instantly. I will do another blog on amazing neutral paint choices for your home.
5. Use Art to Add Visual Interest– Art is the best way to warm up a house and have fun with it! If you love abstract art or bright and colorful art, it is fun to play around.
6. Replace light bulbs with LED– “warm-white”, “bright-white” and “cool-white” These range from the 3000-3500 K range.
7. Add Personality with Accessories– Add greenery with faux trees and plants. Add color through art and pillow covers. By changing out your dated pillows with new beautiful and on trend pillows you instantly change the look of a living room or bedroom.
8. Remove family photos– Especially in common areas (I actually think these are creepy but what do I know..) It is great that you love your family and I’m sure if I had kids, I would be someone who would put up a large black & white barefoot family photo above the mantel. But in reality, buyers don’t care! They want to imagine themselves living in your home and family photos may distract them or feel a certain way.
10. Avoid Anything That Looks Dated– If you have an old hutch or dresser that is dated maybe add accessories or just remove those furniture pieces. It is better to not have it than to keep it and if at all costs just dress it up with more contemporary accessories and artwork in the room. Update appliances, outdoor furniture, bedding (white is best!), anything that you know would not be presented in the big reveal on HGTV!
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About Classy AF
Who wants to be Classy AF? Let me see those hands!
Classy AF interiors is a full-service Home Staging and Interior Design Studio servicing in Southern California. We provide Home Staging Services for Orange County, Riverside County and the Los Angeles area. We cater to customers who are selling their home and want to get Top Dollar for the sale of their house. We also assist customers who need help with home renovations and even investors needing interior design help with flipping properties or furnishing short-term vacation rentals. Classy AF Interiors is primarily a Home Staging Company in Orange County and has built an extensive portfolio of work and our projects have even been featured in Palm Spring’s Modernism Week!
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