It's Your Move

Want to sell your luxury home? The Wall Street Journal’s Mansion section suggested the following for items for the best resale. (Friday, January 4, 2019)

• Light filled, bright, southern exposure with retractable glass doors and windows
• Ceilings at 10’ – vaulted or cathedral
• A butler’s pantry with extra dishwashers, extra wine fridge and ice maker
• Quartzite countertops (a natural stone that is harder than granite, available in lighter colors and resists stain better than marble)
• A guest house for an office, guests, parties or a studio
• Hardwood floors
• A neutral uncluttered interior
• Steam shower built for two
• A free-standing tub
• Dual toilets with one a high tech toilet like the Toto Neorest (dual flush with heated seat, multiple wash modes and an automatic air purifying system)
• Smart home systems for lighting control, music systems, thermostats and security including cameras
• Four garages with electric charging capability. Three garages are a must.
• Generators for emergency use

 

This was compiled by input from various realtors in various parts of the U.S.

Buying and then getting into unknown costs for remodeling is not an option most buyers are interested in. So you may want to consider some remodeling to increase the appeal of your home and its value. It is better to get professional input from a well-known and respected designer than to have a home languishing on the market.

Make your home more fire resistant if you are building in a location that is fire prone.  These considerations can give you peace of mind if drought or forest fire management continue to be an issue.

• Stucco walls with no open seams
• Aluminum doors and windows
• Class A fire-resistant roof – no roof vents
• Concrete pavers and tile on the patio
• If you are using wood outside ipe (Brazilian walnut) and other options are fire resistant
• Steel for outside stairways
• Tempered glass withstanding temperatures up to 450 degrees

 Of course, these materials are more expensive but may well be worth it!

Here’s a checklist of details that will improve your home.

1.  Replace old toilets with more efficient low water use and soft close lids.  The plumber can do this.  Use the same color as the sinks in the space.  Kohler and Toto are both good options.  Washlets are popular and require added electrical to the toilet area.
2. Dark or small spaces – neutral or light walls are very in and make the space lighter and bigger.  Warm up the color if the ceilings are 10’ or more.

3. Update recessed cans to take advantage of smaller cans with more efficient bulbs for general illumination in your home.  Fluorescents can be used in utility areas but find bulbs that simulate natural light.
4. Level the floor to eliminate sunken spaces. They are a safety hazard.
5. If the popcorn isn’t gone off the ceiling, it should be!
6. Cabinetry hardware is easy to update if the knob or handle fits the same hole(s).
7. Old cabinets can be painted and a vessel sink added to low cabinets to bring the height up to 36” that is now standard.
8. Paint the garage floor with epoxy.  It will be light and clean!
9. Tile countertops should be replaced with cleaner solid tops (no grout) and get your showers updated. Both can require coordination with several contractors so you may need a general contractor to oversee the project.

During staging to sell your home, bedrooms need to have beds. It is hard for most buyers to envision the space without one. They do know that it can be removed and that the room can easily accommodate a desk or exercise equipment.  For resale of the home, however, it needs to have a bed!  We bought new mattresses and used the old ones for staging.  The current look is easy to achieve without costly linens as it is layered with a bed skirt, coverlet, pillows and a throw folded at the bottom of the bed.  This look can be achieved with non-matching items.

Visit my Pinterest board Bedroom Staging for some ideas.

It is a natural to want our surroundings to look as good as possible!

Staging a home is a natural for anyone that is accomplished in design!  In fact, it is a good idea to take a look at the residence of your prospective designer as most designers started by experimenting with their own homes!  Followed by others saying “Your home looks better than mine, can you help me?”

When my award winning design friends move, they work tirelessly until perfection is achieved!

The beginnings of staging are making the most of what you have to begin with, furniture in the best places, then artwork and accessories follow.  The finishing touches include fresh flowers, bowls of fresh fruit, music and coffee or cookie smells.  The total home experience!  Why live in a home that is less than it could be, only to make the changes when you have to sell it?

I am not a feng shui practitioner but a few have made an impression on me over the years.  Get rid of anything that is dead (plants, not Grandma!) and clutter which stops the movement of chi.  These are very motivating to help you CLEAN UP.  Try a spring cleaning then for the reasonable cost of a design consultation you can get some great new ideas that may spark your new look to greater heights!

Visit my Pinterest board Bedroom Staging for some ideas.

Many need estimates of the work to be done to their homes in order to establish a to do list for more major projects. When renovating, these estimates are often compiled by the contractor. Homeowners can act as their own contractors on their properties and may choose to do one project at a time. Rosie Romero recently quoted some prices for the Phoenix area that would give homeowners some ballpark numbers.

• Windows are a good return on the money invested and wood windows for an average size home could run around $11,000.
• A mid range bathroom remodel would start near $16,000 and an upscale bath remodel $52,750.
• A mid range kitchen remodel would start at $55,000 and an upscale remodel at over $100,000.
• Replacing the roof and the front door also have a good return value.

 

Having dealt with many homeowners and the usual variety of dated homes over the years, plus my ongoing research in the luxury home market, I understand that keeping the continuity of the home becomes very difficult. A great new kitchen, but tile countertops in the bath? A dropped ceiling in the kitchen but a drop dead new master bath? With a skilled professional, these decisions can be weighed throughout the home with a few minor upgrades in areas other than the main renovation area. The contractors are there on site so it is easier to work on smaller projects at the same time.

Try for continuity in flooring materials. Wood is always more transitional that butting other hard floor coverings together. Recently a new home I worked on had Mexican tile in an interesting pattern in the entry. Again, continue whatever look you are going with throughout.

Cabinets, however, are more interesting in a variety of finishes. But there should be a consistency with door styles. Interior Designers are the best of the options in determining this interior continuity within your tastes and budget. Many work for an hourly fee. If they are established in their field, they can help with invaluable decisions that increase your home value. If they are working in today’s market, they should have a website. Check their portfolio. Check the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) website to see a list of member professionals then determine the best way to invest in what may be your biggest investment!

The trend in New York, Los Angeles and Miami is to sell new luxury properties fully furnished with sumptuous sofas and chairs, art work, sculpture, fine linens, down coverlets, billiards tables, Steinway pianos, custom rugs, pots, pans, stemware, … and generally the “best” of everything.

This is not a staged or spec house look. It is what you would acquire if you could surround yourself with the finest in furnishings AND you had impeccable taste. You see the entire project pulled together and you don’t have to wait. No mistakes or debates about what to choose! You move in immediately! These furnishings are sold on a separate contract.

Many of my clients just like to shop and with some of their acquisitions they enjoyed having the Aha! moment we all have when we see something we love and can’t live without. Would you rather be in the board room, the gym, the sporting event or the recording studio? Then indulge yourself with a professional who can shop but with your taste and needs in mind! Your home is your haven. Make it just what you want it to be.