10 Tips For Selling Your Home

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I thought this month would be a great time to talk real estate. I have ten great tips that I want to share with you on how to sell your house faster – even if you’re just listing or already on the market! These tips are all about de-cluttering and staging to help you maximize the value of your house in a buyers market. My husband and I have been passionate about real estate since early on in our marriage. We have bought and sold homes, currently own rental property, and have sons in real estate – so we have learned a thing or two! Let’s get started.

1. Make a good first impression.

Spruce up the curb appeal by getting rid of lawn and yard toys, hoses and tools. Mow the grass and trim the overgrown bushes, flowers, weeds and trees.

2. Look inviting.

Create an inviting entryway. Clean and perhaps re-paint your front door. De-clutter your entryway of any shoes, bags, coats, etc. Empty the closets as much as possible. This makes the home’s  closets seem more spacious so buyers see the storage potential, not your stuff. To increase your storage a hall bench, table, or coatrack work great.

3. De-personalize.

Remove all family photos, awards, and trophies from around your home. These are dust collectors and also look cluttered. By removing them, a potential buyer will have an easier time imagining themselves in the space.

4. Go vertical.

If you have tall ceilings or limited square footage, don’t be afraid to go vertical. Tall bookshelves, armoires, and floating shelves create extra storage without taking up valuable floor space. Armoires are great because the doors close to hide a television or home office.

5. Storage.

Evaluate and pre-pack anything that you can live without until you move. Be sure to get anything that is on an open shelf, counters and tabletops. If you can, store these things off-site until you move.

6. Deep clean.

Do a deep cleaning before listing your home. You may not notice that pesky cob-web on the light fixture, but a buyer will! Maintain the cleaning so the house is ready to show.

7. Garage.

Get rid of those old paint cans, potting mixes, sporting goods, broken furniture and anything else that may have wandered out there. Then organize your stuff. Costco has great metal shelving on wheels at an affordable price to organize your things. Don’t skip the cleaning out here either!

8. Minor maintenance.

Have you been meaning to caulk around that trim? Fix a cupboard door? Touch up the paint? Don’t wait! Make a list of minor repairs and get them done. Don’t have time? Hire a professional to do it for you.

9. Home-staging.

Two things to think about – flow and function. First, how do people move around in the space? Is your furniture in odd places or too big? Pare down your furniture and re-arrange to make it more inviting. Second, what is the space meant to be use for? Remove anything that doesn’t serve that function. To complete the staging, you want well rounded decor. Start from the ground up: carpet/rug, main pieces, accent decor, wall hangings and lighting. Now a buyer can easily move around and get a feel for the space.

10. Get away.

Go do something fun with your family while a realtor is showing your home. Take the time to relax and play!

We do offer our services for clients and realtors. We would be happy to consult with you on how to stage your home and plan your next move! Contact us today to learn more.

Happy Selling!

Simple Meal Planning: Summer Edition

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If you’ve been to your local Farmers Market lately, you probably have seen an abundance of fresh produce.  Asparagus, artichokes, green beans, watermelon, strawberries, and peaches are just a few of my favorites.  What better way to honor what’s in season than to entice you with a simple summertime meal plan perfect for busy moms, professionals and anyone else wanting healthy, budget friendly food.

Delicious meals do not need to be complicated.  In fact, most of my favorite meals consist of nothing more than breaking down your plate into quarters.  Half of your plate should be filled with vegetables.  A simple green salad and another vegetable such as steamed green beans,  grilled peppers or a steamed artichoke.

One quarter of your plate should include your protein: chicken, fish, or beef (a serving the size of an average fist is plenty).  The final quarter should contain your grain/starch.  This might include a serving of potatoes, rice or a slice of delicious whole grain bread.

This entire meal takes about 20 minutes to prepare and can be repeated over and over because it is so easy to add variety in this simple quartered plate meal plan.

A great dessert might include a bowl of fresh blueberries/strawberrries topped with whip cream.  Another favorite is grilled fruit.  Dust your favorite fruit with sugar and grill or broil for just a few minutes.

The hallmarks of good nutrition include balance, variety and moderation.  Summertime is perfect for making healthy changes for you and your family!

If you want some simple recipes check out my Pinterest Delicious Food Board!

What are your favorite, simple, summer meals?

 

 

Local Summer Fun Ideas!

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I thought this would be a great time to stray from my normal organizational tips and share with you some summer fun ideas. One of the greatest benefits of an organized life is more time to enjoy living.

family bicyclerHere are just a few of my summer favorites:

Ride bikes around the seawall at Stanley Park in Vancouver, B.C. Bikes are available for rent or bring your own. Pack a lunch and enjoy your picnic on the beach or have lunch in one of the cafes along the bay. You may want to lock up your bike and take the foot ferry to Granville Island…always a treat!

Walk or skate around Green Lake in North Seattle. Then enjoy a meal at Dukes Chowder House on the patio.

Take a drive to La Conner over Chuckanut and stroll Main Street.

Try something new! Ask a friend to  teach you or take lessons. Golf, tennis, wake boarding, kayaking – so many options!

Visit something in your hometown or a neighboring town that you have never done. A park, an outdoor concert, explore the waterfront or enjoy a new restaurant.

Summertime Responsibilities

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Schools out for the summer! With the kids home during the day there is likely more clutter to deal with. A few helpful ideas include giving kids responsibility early. Responsible kids are made, not born! Remember in a few short years your son or daughter will be someone’s roommate or spouse…will they make a good one??

Cooking, laundry, organizing, and money management can all be included as part of your kids daily routine. Here are a few of the summer “chores” that we did with our kids, so I know they really work! Have your kids help with summer meal plans and have them help cook. Younger kids can help put laundry away and older kids can easily learn to do laundry. Organizational skills are best taught through modeling. If you always return items where they belong your kids will learn to do the same. Talk openly with your kids about finances and teach them how to spend responsibly, save, and give back.

Lastly, reward your children with experiences, not things. Spending time together provides life long memories and living in the Northwest provides endless opportunities.

My Top 5 Father’s Day Gift Ideas

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One of the best ways to get your husband on board with organizing is to provide him with the necessary tools. My husband still appreciates the wall mounted vacuum for the garage that our boys gave him a couple of years ago on Father’s Day. It helps make garage clean up a snap and has also made it much easier to quickly vacuum out our cars! Still wondering what to get the man in your life?

Here are some of my favorite (and affordable!) Father’s Day Gift ideas:

Hoover GUV1. Hoover GUV. $159. This vacuum is carried online or at about every main chain store including Walmart, Sears, Best Buy and Home Depot. I found the best deal on Amazon.

 

 

giftcertlink 2.  Garage Makeover Gift Certificate. $100 off any garage makeover for the month of June. Contact Julie for details.

 

 

 3. Wall Mount Shelf With Hooks. $99. This can be used for so many things in the garage.  Hooks are always a good solution to just about any mess.

 

 

AAA Auto Emergency Kit

 4. Emergency Auto Kit. $35. A must have for every car!

 

 

 

BBQ Gift Basket 5. BBQ Gift Basket. $30. Make your own gift basket with these fun lobster towels from one of my favorite bloggers – Lemonade Makin’ Mama. Add a few drinks, his favorite snacks, a BBQ basting brush and voila! If he’s not into barbecuing then Pinterest is also another great resource for gift basket ideas.

 

What are your Father’s Day gift ideas?

Quick Cleaning Tips

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It is hard to believe June is almost here! Certainly a busy time of year for most of us with graduations, Father’s Day, birthdays, anniversaries and the start of summer. Let’s keep our homes clean so we can spend more time doing what we love!

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Here are a few of my favorite easy clean-up tips:

  • Start small; clean one thing in your home each day. Put together a small bin of basic cleaning supplies to make it easier!
  • Use a good doormat or rug at each entrance of your home. This will cut down about 80% of dirt that enters your home.
  • Eliminate the clutter.
  • Use “green” cleaning solutions. Stop with the disposable cleaning products-they are expensive and wasteful. Use refillable/reusable products.
  • Reward yourself with fresh flowers after you clean a trouble spot.

What are your favorite cleaning tips?