Uncategorized

So you want to add a little feng shui flavor to your home? The following tips can help foster a strong connection between your space and your energy, which can impact the way you feel when you move through your home, and attract positivity in your life.

1. Pay attention to your entryway. Everyone likes to make a grand entrance, right? Pay mind to how you decorate the front hall or front door of your home; it’s the first thing you see when you enter, and sets the tone for how you will feel as you transition into your space.

2. Add plants. Houseplants quite literally breathe life into your space. They foster growth and creativity, and clean your air. Win! Choose something easy to care for, like a fern or a succulent.

3. Balance your bed. To feel more grounded and balanced, make sure to even out each side of your bed. This means have matching nightstands and lamps on each side so the room looks and feels even. It also helps promote equal energy between you and your sleeping partner, should you have one.

4. Center your desk. If you work at home even occasionally, pull your desk away from the wall and face it out into the room, or at a window. Facing a wall can block creative energy. Open your space to let the energy move freely.

5. Create a gallery vibe. If you’re a fan of art or have a large collection of family photos, arrange them gallery-style, not in a straight line. Sharp edges (like those found in a straight line of photos) can be off-putting. Instead, arrange your photos in the floating, visually-appealing style of a gallery wall.

Published with permission from RISMedia.

A bold and beautiful combination of Art Deco and Mid-Century Modern, heres how to infuse the Hollywood Regency Style into your home.

Bold Patterns and Palettes

Contrasting color combinations and simple patterns are used to create visual drama throughout.

Go Big on Lavish Details

Bring out the lacquered furniture and metallic finishes. This is a style for those who want to put grandeur on full display.

Plush Textures

It wouldnt be glamorous without a few sumptuous layers, like silk window treatments and velvet throw pillows.

Embrace Your Eclectic Side

Juxtaposing modern and traditional elements is a hallmark of Hollywood Regency.

Published with permission from RISMedia.

From a buyer’s standpoint, getting into a bidding war for a house they want is never fun. They can offer more money than they ever planned to spend and still end up without the home of their dreams. A real estate agent should be able to tell you ahead of time if bidding wars are likely in your desired neighborhood. Here are four real estate tips to win a bidding war, if it comes to that:

Make a high offer. Instead of making a low offer with the expectation that you’ll increase it if you have to, offer as much as you can afford immediately. Let the seller know this is your best offer, and that you can’t go any higher. This can help avoid any haggling back and forth, will save you time, and, hopefully, will get you the house. A variation of this method includes offering $20,000 or so above the asking price, showing upfront that you’re a serious buyer.

Have a big down payment.Having a large amount of cash for a down payment of 20 percent or more can show you’re a serious buyer. Get a preapproval letter from your lender, have paperwork proving you have the money, and pay a higher earnest money deposit, if you can.

Go conventional.Instead of getting an FHA or other government-backed loan that can have longer escrow periods, be approved for a conventional loan. This can require coming up with a bigger down payment and having a good or excellent credit score, but can lead to shorter waiting periods and show you’re a strong buyer.

Add an escalation clause.An escalation clause allows your real estate agent to go above the highest offer, but only to a point. For example, on a home with a listing price of $350,000, you could make an offer of $400,000 with an escalation clause of $5,000 over the highest price, but only up to $450,000. If another buyer offers $425,000, your automatic clause would increase your offer to $430,000.

However you enter a bidding war, always remember that your exit strategy is pretty simple”there are always other homes on the market waiting for you to buy.

Published with permission from RISMedia.

Published with permission from RISMedia.

Clearing out clutter is key to staging a home for sale, and it’s the best way to make a room look more organized and spacious. Bottles, cans and other items that pile up can make a cabinet or shelf look crowded. Getting rid of some of these items can be a small step toward a more appealing home. Here are some items you can cut down on:

1. Cleaning Supplies
The cabinet under the sink is a gathering space for polishes, waxes, cleaners and tools that are collecting dust. Get rid of anything you dont use, and be sure to dispose of chemical-based cleaners safely. You know that dusting tool you bought because an infomercial made it seem like a miracle cleaning product? If its in the back of your cabinet, forgotten and neglected, toss it. After youve thrown out the excess items, clean out the cabinet itself and organize the remaining contents.

2. Grooming Products
How many lotions and gels does one household need? All bathrooms seem to have dozens of bottles that havent been opened in years. Go through everything and throw out what you dont use on a regular basis. Also, throw out old makeup and bottles that are nearly empty. Clean the items you are keeping and place them neatly in your medicine cabinet.

3. Medicines
This is actually important for reasons other than staging a home. Unneeded prescriptions can be dangerous, and out of date medications often lose their effectiveness. Disposing of medications safely is of vital importance. Many towns have take-back programs that collect unused medicines. If thats not an option, the FDA recommends mixing medicines with dirt, kitty litter or coffee grounds and placing the mixture in a sealed plastic bag before throwing it in the garbage. Also, scratch out personal information on bottle labels.

4. Mugs
All those coffee and tea mugs youve collected over the years can make your kitchen cabinets seem messy. Get rid of the mugs you dont need”have a yard sale or donate them to a thrift store or local senior center.

5. Magazines
Lets face it, youre never going to read those 10-year-old copies of National Geographic or Sports Illustrated. A few magazines that are well displayed on a coffee table can be a nice touch, but if you have back issues of your favorite periodicals piled up, its time to get rid of them. The news in them is old anyway.

Published with permission from RISMedia.