Monthly archives for April, 2010

Quick ideas to freshen up your home

Apr30
2010 Leave a Comment Written by Shanna

With spring well under way and May just around the corner, there’s never been a better time to spruce up your home! Take a cue from your bright and thriving surroundings, and freshen up your residence!

To get you started, here are a few decorating tips:

  • Mix it up: Today’s decorating isn’t matchy-matchy. You want to mix textures and patterns in similar color schemes to create more visual interest. For examples of how to do this well, check out rooms like this and this!
  • Think of scale: Small pictures on huge walls is a definite don’t. Think about what goes with the size of the space when you’re trying to decorate.
  • Depersonalize: Sure, your baby’s adorable, but home buyers will see that room covered with junior’s photos as YOUR home, not theirs. Sure, they can use their imaginations, but you can make it easier for them by depersonalizing. Get rid of the knick-knacks that make your home scream you. Take down your framed degrees. More ideas on depersonalizing are available here.
  • Go green: Bringing the outdoors in is a sure way to spruce up this season. Whether this means adding a few plants or setting fresh flowers on the counter, going green can add just the right touch to your decorating scheme.

Implement these simple ideas, and you’ll be on your way to a spruced-up home! And remember: getting your place looking its best isn’t just valuable for you and your loved ones; it’s also a sure way to improve selling appeal!

Posted in Home Improvement, Tips and Ideas - Tagged , , , ,

Taking the First Green Step

Apr29
2010 Leave a Comment Written by Alicia

What is the first step you can take to green living? Getting rid of incandescent light bulbs! According to a recent survey completed by a lighting company, 74 percent of the respondents now use compact fluorescent (CFL) light bulbs, which is a huge step to green living! Changing bulbs to energy-efficient models is one of the simplest green changes you can make to your home, and the CFLs save you loads of money by using less energy and lasting longer. LEDs, which are even more energy-efficient bulbs, are used in 12 percent of the respondents’ homes.

Because Congress might pass a law that would ban incandescent bulbs by 2014, why not get a head start on switching them out now? Of those in the study who do not have CFLs or LEDs in their homes yet, 71 percent plan on purchasing them in the near future. If everyone were to participate in this movement, it would save a significant amount of energy and money being spent in households. According to the National Wildlife Federation, each CFL prevents 350 pounds of coal from being burned at power plants during its lifetime. That’s a lot of pollutants that are not being released into the air we breathe!

If you’re looking for the first step to green living, here it is. Replace your bulbs. The other steps can come later, when you’re ready.

Posted in Green Living, Tips and Ideas - Tagged , , ,

Best ‘Selling Tips’ Collection

Apr26
2010 1 Comment Written by Alicia

Statistics show that for the past few years, home sales have increased in the month of April. It seems to be the turning point between winter and summer, when homebuyers finally decide that it is safe to move. It is the time between snowfalls and swimming, which is the perfect time to get a sale done with and still have an open schedule for summer events! With that said, you as a home seller need to be doing everything you can to spark buyer interest in your home. Now is your time to shine!

To help you out during this busy buying month, and to hopefully score you a sale, we have collected what we consider our most helpful Selling Tips blogs from our archives. Read up and get to work!

When preparing to sell:

Improve Selling Potential with Inexpensive Updates
Hosting an Auction
How to Sell Fast
Staying Positive In a Slow Market
Selling for the Season: Spring

When showing your house:

Preparing for Surprise Showings
8 Ways to Improve Curb Appeal
8 Tips for Accepting a Bid
Staging for Summer
Prepare for a Spring Open House

When stepping it up a notch:

5 New Ways to Change Your Game
Top 3 Selling Mistakes
Don’t Get Caught with Two Homes
25 Surefire (and Cheap!) Ways to Sell that House!
Top 10 Home-Marketing Tips

If you’re still not sure whether you want to use Buy Owner to help you sell, here are 31 reasons why you should.

Posted in Selling Tips - Tagged , , , ,

Wall Decorating Advice

Apr23
2010 Leave a Comment Written by Alicia

When it comes to home decorating, second to furniture, we mostly discuss what we will hang on our walls. Considering that the average height of a wall is eight feet, that’s 32 feet of empty space in one four-walled room that needs to be filled! With higher ceilings and open floor plans, feeling the need to fill wall space only increases. However, it’s very easy to fill your walls up so fast and with so much, they end up looking like a cluttered and chaotic disaster.

How do you keep your walls decorated? If you are trying to sell your house, or you just moved into a new house, begin with empty walls and follow these general rules:

  1. Start with the main wall of the first room that your guests view when they walk in your front door. Therefore, if your living room opens to the side, begin with the opposite wall or the wall opposite the front window. If your kitchen resides straight ahead, work with the wall straight ahead.
  2. Consider hanging one item on that first main wall. This way, all attention will be focused on this cherished item, and the wall will not look cluttered. You can even add a lighting fixture to center extra attention on the piece of art.
  3. Create a triangle of space on the wall that you will allow yourself to fill. Try to center it and keep it no larger than the top half of the wall. Fill this triangle of space with a collage of items, and do not extend the décor outside of the triangle.
  4. Continue following these rules as you continue to decorate past the main room of the house. Keep a routine going by hanging one centerpiece in each room, or mix it up, with some rooms showing off collages or multiple pieces, and other room displaying one focal piece.

When choosing what to hang on the wall, take these questions into consideration:

  • Who will use the room the most?
  • What type of ambiance do you want the room to have?
  • What color patterns do your paint palettes and furniture provide?
  • How much space do you have to work with?
  • What other wall items are you working with, such as windows and fireplaces?
  • What is your decorating budget?

What you hang on your wall is entirely up to you. The possibilities are overabundant, with almost nothing considered taboo. You could hang a family portrait or a collage of photographic memories. You could hang a piece of renowned artwork as a main focal point, or you could hang multiple pieces of art that complement each other. You could skip the usual paintings, sketches and photographs, and opt for a collage of wallpaper patterns, a framed puzzle, a creative piece of wood, a sculpture, an intricate clock or any other type of object that you find inspiring and visually appealing.

Once you find a decorative piece that you want to show off, strive to keep the focus on that piece and to keep your walls as uncluttered and calm as possible. Your guests will appreciate your smart sense of style!

Posted in Home Improvement, Tips and Ideas - Tagged , ,

Extra Uses for Appliances

Apr22
2010 Leave a Comment Written by Alicia

These days, when you visit the appliance department at your local store, there is an appliance for almost everything you could ever imagine. You can purchase a blender, a smoothie maker, a juice maker, a milkshake maker and a margarita maker, but why? Can’t the blender alone create smoothies, juice, milkshakes and margaritas? This is just one example of how to use one appliance to multitask.

Although appliances are marketed to make you feel like you need each one, the truth is most of our appliances can be used in more than one way. By doing so, you will save energy, money and space on your counters, in your closets and all over your house!

Here are three examples of extra uses for a common appliance:

  1. Wet-dry vacuums are a popular appliance these days, with their immediate multiuse feature being that they can pick up liquids and solids. However, they can do a lot more than just that. You can use your wet-dry vacuum to unclog drains by plugging the hose into the port that blows out air, sticking the hose down into the drain and turning on the switch. Or, plug the hose into the port that sucks air in, stick the hose down a drain and retrieve items that you may have lost in the drain, such as jewelry. You can also clean out your fireplace, clean up overflowing toilets or basement flooding, or remove snow or rain from your walkways!
  2. Not only can your microwave now cook practically everything your oven can, plus more, but also the microwave has numerous other uses that have nothing to do with cooking food! Disinfect dish rags and sponges by soaking them in vinegar or lemon juice and then heating them in the microwave for one minute. This also works to disinfect cutting boards. For baking, you can soften brown sugar by adding a few drops of water to the plastic bag and then microwaving it for 10 to 20 seconds, and you can bring solidified honey back to its liquid form by microwaving the uncovered container for 30 seconds to a minute.
  3. Drying your hair is one of many uses for your hair dryer. You can also use it to find out if any of your windows or doors are leaking heat by having one person stand outside with the hair dryer, blowing it along the window or door edges, and have another person stand inside with a candle. If the flame flickers or blows out, you might need caulking. You can remove a bandage or piece of tape easier by blowing heat on it first to soften the adhesive, you can remove crayon from wallpaper, and you can remove wrinkles from plastic tablecloths or shower curtains with the warm, blowing air.

These were just three examples of ways to use your appliances in new ways. By thinking creatively, you will save energy, money and space! Little steps like these create greener, more energy-efficient living.

Posted in Green Living, Tips and Ideas - Tagged , , ,

Orlando/Jacksonville Spring Events 2010

Apr20
2010 Leave a Comment Written by Alicia

Florida bursts into action in the springtime, as families travel on spring breaks, people sell their homes and move to new locations and tourists begin the summer vacation season early! For this reason, both Orlando and Jacksonville offer an overabundance of outdoor festivals, specialty events, concerts, live entertainment and more! With such a wide variety of themes, there is definitely something in this list for everyone to enjoy.

Outdoor Events:

This April and May, visit SeaWorld Orlando for the annual 2010 Viva La Musica! This event celebrates Hispanic culture with live performances of Latin musicians and dancers, while serving up traditional Hispanic cuisine and showcasing original Hispanic exhibits. Performances begin at 4 p.m. daily in Seaworld’s Bayside Stadium. For more info, call 407-363-3359.

Plan to attend a Jacksonville Suns baseball game as an affordable day at the ballpark! The Jacksonville Suns are a minor-league team affiliated with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and they play at the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena. For tickets, call 904-367-1423.

If you’re bummed that we have to wait a couple years for another Olympics, plan to attend the World of Nations Celebration from April 29 to May 2 in Jacksonville, where over 25 countries come together to showcase and celebrate cultural values and entertainment. For more information, call 904-630-3690.

From May 20 to May 31, attend the Orlando International Fringe Festival taking place in Loch Haven Park and other venues around downtown Orlando. This festival includes over 500 performers and 70 theater companies showcasing uncensored, cutting-edge musical performers and creative works of art. For more information, visit www.OrlandoFringe.org or call 407-648-0077.

Throughout the season of spring, the Jacksonville Riverfront comes alive with seafarers and landlubbers! Sail Jacksonville is an annual event that displays tall ships from around the world. Activities include the Pirate Battle for Treasure, seamanship demonstrations, live entertainment and more. For exact dates and continual updates, visit Coj.net.

From May 23 to May 23, May 28 to May 30, June 4 to June 6, and June 11 to June 13, visit Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World Resort for the annual Star Wars Weekend 2010! Meet dozens of your favorite Star Wars characters while participating in a plethora of Star Wars activities, trivia contests, collectibles and pin trading, thrill rides and more! For more info, visit www.StarWars.com.

Visit the heart of downtown Jacksonville between May 27 and May 30 for the annual Jacksonville Jazz Festival! This free event draws tons of jazz enthusiasts each year to experience live performances from renowned jazz performers and from locals! Special highlights include the Jacksonville Jazz Piano Competition, the ‘Round Midnight Jazz Jam, Jazz Talk, Sunday jazz brunches and more! Visit Coj.net for more information.

For a small-town festival atmosphere, head out to Zellwood, located Northwest of Orlando, for the 2010 Zellwood Sweet Corn Festival on May 28 through May 30. This festival has it all, from corn-eating contests and live country entertainment, to carnival rides, games, arts and crafts and more. For more info, visit www.ZellwoodCornFestival.com.

On May 31 at 10 a.m., plan to attend Memorial Day Observance at the Veterans Memorial Wall, 1145 East Adams Street. Listen to keynote speakers and family tributes while watching the wreath presentation and hearing the 21-gun salute. There is no better way to honor the local heroes who have and are still protecting our country’s freedom. For more info, call 904-630-3680.

Indoor Events:

From April 30 to May 16, visit the Mad Cow Theatre for the Orlando Cabaret Festival, which features 40 different shows in areas of jazz, pop, Broadway and more. Many notorious entertainers have performed at this event in the past, including Jaimie Roberts, Amy Baker, The Lascivious Biddies and more. For a listing of performers this year, visit www.OrlandoCabaret.com.

On a rainy day, head to a concert in Orlando or Jacksonville, both offering ample options, which include:

  • Uncle Kracker on April 26 at The Club at Firestone, Orlando
  • Goo Goo Dolls on April 27 at Hard Rock Live, Orlando
  • Elvis Costello on April 27 at Florida Theatre, Jacksonville
  • Ben Harper and Jack Johnson on April 29 at Florida Theatre, Jacksonville
  • Loudon Wainwright lii on May 1 at Plaza Theatre, Orlando
  • Flogging Molly on May 1 at Florida Theatre, Jacksonville
  • Tim McGraw and Lady Antebellum on May 6 at Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena
  • The Spill Canvas on May 11 at The Social, Orlando

A list of Broadway shows is also available for the Florida spring season:

  • Xanadu from April 27 to May 2 at the Carr Performing Arts Centre, Orlando
  • Grease from April 27 to May 2 at the Moran Theater-Times Union Performing Arts Center, Jacksonville
  • Chicago from May 21 to May 23 at the Moran Theater-Times Union Performing Arts Center, Jacksonville
  • Spring Awakening from May 18 to May 23 at the Carr Performing Arts Centre, Orlando
Posted in Buying Tips, Regional Info - Tagged , , , ,

5 Ways to Remove Indoor Air Pollution

Apr19
2010 Leave a Comment Written by Alicia

While you’re trying to sell your home, you know that it’s important for the indoor air to feel fresh and unstuffy. Hence, you might open your windows during an open house held on a warm spring day. However, selling your home with a high quality of indoor air goes further than that.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), indoor air can be two to five times more polluted than outdoor air. There are surprising sources of indoor air pollution all over your house. The sooner you know about these sources, the sooner you can clean up the air quality of your home for your future buyer and, in the mean time, for you and your family.

  • Some of the most common types of indoor air pollution include cigarette smoke, carbon monoxide and radon. To prevent these producers of pollution, always step outside to smoke, and try even stepping away from the doors to your house. Design a backyard patio or shed away from the house for you to smoke in. Make sure your house also has one or two carbon dioxide detectors, which are as important as smoke detectors.
  • Some air purifiers, unfortunately, create more pollution than they destroy. Air purifiers kill mold and bacteria in your home by releasing ozone into the air, which is what the EPA has been working to decrease in outdoor air. Ozone causes lung tissue scarring, asthma attacks and more. TheDailyGreen.com provides a list of potentially dangerous air purifiers here.
  • Paint has been a leading cause of indoor air pollution for decades, with lead paint being banned about 30 years ago. Still, many older houses still contain lead paint, so make sure to maintain paint in old houses well so that cracking or peeling pieces of lead paint aren’t touched and lead isn’t spread. New paints also contain high levels of volatile organic compounds (VOC) that can be damaging when breathed even in low doses, so use low or no-VOC paint, and ventilate well when painting.
  • Carpets are often made with chemicals that could cause asthma attacks or lung damage, such as formaldehyde. Your best bet is to purchase carpeting that is made with nontoxic materials, or better yet, to replace carpeting with hardwood, ceramic, bamboo or other types of flooring that don’t collect dirt, dust mites, fungus and other unhealthy pollutants. If you have carpets, vacuum often, preferably with a high efficiency particle air (HEPA) vacuum.
  • Cleaning supplies trigger air pollutants that, if mixed incorrectly, could even be deadly. Mixing cleansers with chlorine and acid-based cleaners, such as vinegar, create chlorine gas that is deadly. Many other cleansers contain toxic pesticides and chemicals that are dangerous to our health. Mixing a spray bottle of vinegar and water, or wiping a surface with baking soda and water, works just as well.

To learn more about indoor air quality, read this article from TheDailyGreen.com. By removing these five sources of indoor air pollution, you can make your home’s air quality more safe and desirable for you and your future buyers. During open houses and tours, explain the changes you made to your potential buyers so that they know how clean the air is at the home that might soon be theirs.

Posted in Selling Tips, Tips and Ideas - Tagged , , , ,

Plan for Overnight Guests

Apr16
2010 Leave a Comment Written by Alicia

Whether you live in a six-bedroom mansion or a studio apartment, chances are you’ve had or will have an overnight guest at some point. And whether you are putting up your in-laws for a holiday weekend or letting your friend crash for the night, you want your guest to feel comfortable. How do you create overnight comfort for a guest? Where do you put the guest? While you could just throw a blanket onto the nearest couch that already contains decorative pillows, you could also plan ahead with the necessary equipment.

Here are the best ways to plan for an overnight stay at your house, depending on what you have available:

• If you do happen to have a spare room available in your house, consider turning this room into a guest room. The ideal guest room would contain neutral décor in color schemes suitable for a man or woman, such as earthy tones in light green and brown. The sheets and bedspread should have a simple design and should be noticeably washed after every use. The closet should be empty so your guest can use it, and towels should be folded up on a chair. For an extra flare, you can place a mint on the pillow. A guest room offers your guest adequate privacy.

  • Work with the space you have. If you have a private office, media room or any other room that is shared and belongs to no particular family member, add a pullout couch to this room. That way, when a guest comes to stay, the room can be offered to the guest as a private, enclosed area for him or her to rest.
  • Even if you don’t have an entire room to offer a guest, work with accessories to create a peaceful atmosphere. In your main living area, include a pullout couch, a futon, a plush lounger or a sofa bed that will allow your guest to stretch out and sleep comfortably. On the nearest table, provide an alarm clock, a scented candle and an empty drawer for your guest to use. Consider purchasing a room divider that will provide extra privacy while you guest sleeps.
  • Can’t fit any of the above furniture into your living quarters? Include a rollaway cot, a blowup mattress or a sleeping bag in one of your closets or storage areas. This way, at least you’ll have some sort of sleeping arrangement to offer your guest. Always keep a clean set of sheets, blankets and pillows in your house, and keep your floors vacuumed and your carpeting washed. Set up a sleeping arrangement for your guest that is located near a bathroom with a nightlight.

Not only will these preparations organize you for when a guest does decide to stay, but neutral guest rooms, extra office furniture and plush couches also add to the appeal of your house on a regular basis.

Posted in Home Improvement, Tips and Ideas - Tagged , , ,

Latest Staging Tips

Apr15
2010 1 Comment Written by Shanna

A recent article in The Orlando Sentinel, “Staging Sells Homes,” examines current staging trends and how they affect what you should do to sell quickly.

According to Sandra Rinomato, host of HGTV’s “Property Virgins” show, “Until recently, ‘Staging meant pulling out all the stops — setting the dining table with your best china and crystal, arranging flowers, lighting candles … Now we take the minimalist approach. Basically, you want to strip the house to its bare essentials, depersonalize it, so potential buyers can superimpose themselves and their lifestyle on the house.’”

Keeping that in mind, what can you do to improve your home’s selling appeal? It’s all about making your home look new, move-in-ready and open for new owners.

Along the lines of answering that question, here are some past Buy Owner Blog articles worth reading!

  • 15 Minutes to a Better Staged Home: Do you have 15 minutes? Then you can start staging your home.
  • Spring Clean Your Way to a Sale: Though spring cleaning is a smart choice for all homeowners or renters, it is increasingly important for those trying to sell their house. Here’s how to get started.
  • Spring Means Declutter!: Beyond planting flowers and trimming your hedges, what do you need to do to prepare a home you’re selling for spring interest? In a word: declutter.
  • Depersonalizing for a Home Sale: There are many common problems sellers face when it comes to depersonalizing their home to make it more marketable. Take a look, and see if any of these hang-ups might be to blame in your home.
Posted in Market News, Tips and Ideas - Tagged , , ,

Storing While Selling

Apr13
2010 Leave a Comment Written by Becky

It almost goes without saying that your home will show better when you get rid of the extra clutter. The question is: what do you do with all the things that you don’t want to get rid of but are taking up too much space? If you don’t have enough space to store stuff in your home itself, consider renting space from a storage facility while your property is up for sale.

Here are some questions to ask before renting a storage unit:

  • How much space will you need?
  • How much it will cost?
  • How secure is the facility?
  • What hours of the day is it accessible?
  • Is the location convenient?
  • Is there enough space for parking?
  • How far is your vehicle from the unit?

Get quotes from several storage companies in order to determine the best deal. You could even cut back on expenses by hiring a moving company that also provides storage services. Many movers now offer these services in order to make the moving process easier for homeowners. Once you find the perfect storage unit, you’ll want to keep it organized. Here are a few tips for packing your storage unit correctly:

  • Rent a smaller unit and use every inch of space. It’s better to use up all the space that you have than to pay for space you’re not using.
  • Even if the unit is jam-packed, you still need to be able to get in and out easily. Be sure to leave walkways so you can make your way around boxes easily.
  • You can fit more stuff in your storage unit by using boxes and containers of the same size and shape.
  • Fill boxes to the top to keep them from collapsing.
  • Keep valuable items hidden in the back where they won’t be easy to find.

Now that you have some helpful hints, hopefully you’ll see that storing while selling is no hassle at all!

Posted in Selling Tips, Tips and Ideas - Tagged , , , ,
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