Apr 8, 2021 | Buying & Selling
In 2019, there were 5.34 million homes sold.
If you’re going to jump on that train and try and sell your house soon, you might want to stage a home to sell it faster!
But how do you stage your home? Keep reading for some of the best home staging tips!
1. Get Rid of Clutter
First, make sure that you get rid of all the clutter in the home. One of the main reasons that people turn away is because the house seemed too cluttered and claustrophobic.
While you may not have a mess around cluttering everything, you may just have too much furniture!
Try and get rid of any extra furniture, because this will help people move around easier to fully get a good look at everything in your house. You should also arrange it in a way that will highlight your home’s best features.
For example, you may want to move all of your chairs around the fireplace rather than in front of it.
2. Focus on the Positive
While not every house is perfect, you can always spin something into a positive. For example, if your kitchen is small but you have nice counters, clean off the countertops so that buyers can see how nice they are.
Make sure you highlight them, which can help distract them from how small the kitchen would be.
Another tip could be if you’re lacking a fireplace, built-in bookshelves, or something else important in the living room, create something else that will be the focal point.
3. Boost the Curb Appeal
To make a good impression, make sure that you take care of the lawn and fix up the outside of the house.
You could even plant fresh flowers to make it homey and inviting!
4. Depersonalize the Home
When prospective buyers think about buying a home, they want to imagine themselves living in it. It’s hard to do that when all of your personal items are in the home.
This includes things like pictures, awards, toothbrushes, food, or anything else that is considered personal to you. Instead, try to go for a more neutral, and objective decoration.
Instead of having a picture of your family hanging up, hang up some standard artwork instead!
5. Highlight the Storage
Having enough storage is always an issue when people look for new homes. So make sure that you clear out your closest.
Get rid of any clutter in there to make them look bigger than they actually are! This can also make it appealing for a company that buys houses fast as well!
Discover More Home Staging Tips
These are only a few of the home staging tips that you should use to sell a home quickly, but there are many more things to help!
We know that selling a home and preparing for a move can be stressful and overwhelming, but we’re here to help you out.
If you enjoyed this article, make sure that you explore our website to find more articles just like this one!
Last updated Mar 29, 2021 | Moving
Every year, 40-million Americans move house. Moving can be very exciting. A fresh start is something that a lot of people look forward to. But moving can also be one of the most stressful things you’ll go through in your life. So, how do you minimize that stress?
If you want to make sure you have a stress-free move, you should declutter first. Decluttering is a great way of closing the chapter that was your old home before starting again somewhere new. But where do you even start?
Here’s how to declutter your house before a move.
Give Yourself Plenty of Time
One of the most important decluttering tips that anyone can give you is to give yourself plenty of time to declutter and pack. If you declutter as you pack, you’ll save yourself a lot of time and energy.
Even if you’re very organized and work quickly, it’ll still take you a long time to declutter and get ready for a move.
The amount of time you give yourself will depend on how many rooms you have and how many possessions you own.
Check out these moving tips from a professional removal company.
Create a Plan of Attack
Before you start decluttering and packing, you’ll need a plan of attack. Your plan should include two things, what type of things you’re planning on getting rid of and how you plan to do that.
For example, do you plan on selling your unwanted items? Or, do you want to donate them? Some items will be easier to get rid of than others. Furniture, for instance, takes a little more effort than smaller items.
You’ll want to sort everything that you own into one of four categories. Here’s how to sort items before a move:
- A pile or box for items that you plan to sell
- A pile or box for items that you plan to donate
- Recycling pile
- Trash box
Sort all of these items as you go.
Selling Unwanted Items
Selling items can take some time, particularly if you want to list them on selling sites like eBay. Try having a yard or garage sale first to get rid of as much as possible.
Price everything to go. There’s no point being precious about these items, so set your prices low.
If an item doesn’t sell, consider donating it instead of carrying it with you to the next home.
How to Declutter Your House Before a Move
Now you know how to declutter your house before a move, you can start the process of getting your possessions ready to pack. You’ll also need to consider how to clean before a move too.
There’s plenty to do when it comes to moving, so start early!
For more useful articles, check out the rest of the site.
Last updated Mar 27, 2021 | Buying & Selling
The housing market is booming right now and it is a seller’s market. You may be thinking about getting in on the action by selling your home. Yet, you may be wondering if your home is good enough to sell in its current state.
If you are someone that is asking, “How can I sell my house fast,” you’ve come to the right place. We’ve created a quick guide to share ways that you can sell your house fast and how to cash on the current conditions of the real estate market.
Finding the Right Real Estate Agent
One of the first steps in selling your home fast is finding the right real estate professional. Hiring an expert will give you the advantage of having a knowledgeable person in the real estate market. They will know how to sell a house fast in your area.
A real estate agent can make the process of selling your home more streamlined. While they will earn a commission from selling your home, it can be beneficial for them to take care of the negotiations, the contracts, and the closing.
Declutter and Clean Your Home
Another way to sell a house fast is to declutter and clean your home. You want to make sure the inside of your home appeals to potential buyers. This could mean packing up your belongings and putting them in storage to give your home the appearance of extra space.
You want people to be able to visualize themselves in your home. You may want to remove personal belongings such as pictures and keepsakes. Organizing your closet spaces and cleaning out your pantries can also go a long way.
Doing a deep clean in each room of your home from top to bottom can help you sell your home fast. You may want to consider hiring a professional to take care of this part as it can speed up the selling process.
Make Minor Repairs That Add Value
If you are saying to yourself, “Selling my property as is would be best for me,” you may be hurting your chances of selling your home fast. While you don’t have to make major renovations, a little touch-up to your home here and there can add a lot of value.
You can add a fresh coat of paint to the bedrooms and the bathrooms. Or you could change out some light fixtures.
Fixing any loose tiles or broken door handles are sure to boost your home’s appeal. Lastly, you want to fix any leaky faucets, running toilets, and squeaky doors.
List Your House at a Competitive Price
As the last method to sell your home fast you want to make sure it is competitively priced. When it comes to selling your home fast, the selling price can help you or hurt you. Pricing your home a little lower than other homes in your area could create more interest in your home.
The more potential buyers that you have the more likely you are able to sell your home quickly.
I Learned How to Sell My House Fast!
Now that you have read this article you don’t have to wonder about “how to sell my house fast” because you know what you can do to achieve this. Connect with a real estate agent, declutter your home, make some repairs, and list your home at a great price. Following these simple steps can make sure you sell your home in record time.
If you found this content helpful, check out our website for more great content.
Last updated Feb 23, 2021 | Real Estate
Looking for ideas for decorating your beach house décor perfectly? Then check out our 11 ideas for beach house décor below.
There are a lot of ideas you can follow when it comes to decorating a beach house. When you own a beach house, you want to make it look gorgeous so that you have a wonderful time there. Even if you do not have any beach house, but you are willing to get one in the future, then having pre-decoration ideas is not a bad thing at all.
You can make your beach house more attractive from both inside and outside just by following some of our ideas. Here are those 11 ideas for beach house decorating that you can use to completely change the look of your house.
1. Add Rattan, Wicker, or Sisal Beach Theme Décor
Seagrass, sisal, and rattan are the types of materials that can give your beach house’s room a unique look. These materials are similar to ropes and can add texture to the space of your beach house. To give your house a more coastal feel, you can use wicker bar stools and bamboo.
Additionally, include lightweight woven wicker chairs, which are durable and inexpensive. Wicker hanging basket chairs can make your beach house cool.
You can check out https://www.jprealestateexperts.com for good Myrtle Beach real estate sale deals.
2. Add Naval Stripe Beach House Décor
Blue and white color combinations of stripes can give your beach house a wonderful look. Here are some ways you can add nautical or naval stripes in your beach house décor.
- Include a beach-themed stripe throw in your furniture and bed.
- A bold and big woven striped rug can provide a coastal chic living room look.
- Your living room’s window treatment should feature a stripe pattern that will match with everything else.
- After that, all your future days in your bedding will give you a beach theme vibe.
Also, footstools in white and blue stripes can add more beach style to your property.
3. Include Indigo for Modern Coastal Space
Blue is a must color for a beach theme indoor decorating style. Light blue, seafoam, turquoise, and navy are some of the shades that you can use to give your house more of a modern coastal look. Indigo might seem pretty much a similar shade as navy blue, but it is more saturated in tune, and it’s richer.
This color will show some wonderful-tune if it’s utilized with wood tones. This color is repeated in different patterns on the bedding of your beach house. The digital coastal dining room will feature indigo contemporary beach themed décor on your home’s wall. Textured indigo tones are best on floor rugs and pillows.
4. Use Beach Style if You Do Not Like Blue Color
Usually, blue is the most preferred color when it comes to selecting the main color for a beach house décor. If you are not into blue color at all, then you can just avoid it. There are certain ways to achieve a beach theme even without blue colors, and those are:
- A peaceful beach style living room can be achieved even with ivory, cream, beige, and soft pink colors.
- Close to natural wood tone, tropical prints with lime green tone and whites can give your dining room a coastal living vibe.
- Woven textures can be utilized in natural tones and white colors to add elegance.
- Beadboard panels with whitewashed brick can enhance the coastal look of your cozy dining room more.
5. Beach House Library
A library in your beach house could be an exceptionally wonderful décor to your house. Decorate the library with antiques, indigo fabrics, and other items. You can turn your whole living room into a library with the theme of a beach house just by using colors that resemble coastal elements. Book lovers will love to spend their time in the beach house library and be cozy while they enjoy their book reading.
6. Add Slipcover Furniture
To get the relaxing and easy beach vibes, add slipcovers to the chairs and sofas. Also, linen slipcovers or cotton, khaki, or beige are the best choices for beach-themed décor. You can complete the beach-theme with beach-themed pillows to complete the modern coastal look.
Additionally, indigo throw pillows can give a modern coastal chic look with the white slipcovers. Sofas should be slipcovered in ivory covers to give a more relaxing appeal to your house. All of those slipcovers on the sofa can be cleaned or washed just by removing them. You can change those slipcovers into more heavy types of fabric in the winter if you are willing to. Just make sure your dining has color indigo, a whitewashed wood table, wicker chairs, and slipcovered armchairs with wheels.
7. Decorate the Dining Table With Beach Theme
If your house is far from the beach, you can still recreate a beach-themed dining experience with a coastal tablescape. You can add tabletop elements to coat with your silverware and plates. Some of the items which resemble beach house décor are:
- Nautical, linen, or striped napkins
- Beach-themed napkin rings
- Hurricanes
- Nautical-styled chargers
- Seaglass, which looks like hand-blown glasses
- A tablecloth or runner with a coastal look
- A wine glass is identical to a sea glass. The sand and water color design on the tablespace is identical to that of the ocean.
- Unique beach-themed tables can be created by arranging out beach-themed décor, such as net fabric based starfish, table flags, and seaside-style crockeries.
8. Use Whitewashed Accents in Your Room
The term ‘whitewashing’ means the inclusion of a clear stain of white to an item. It is more complicated than painting that piece because a whitewash looks natural. Select pale and whitewashed accents to get an advanced coastal vibe. The look of the room should have the tone of driftwood, and it also has to add a good effect as a beach house.
Include wooded tones in the home with a surfer-chic vibe. The whitewashed oak coffee table can be an extraordinary inclusion in the room. Dry white tone on white bedroom with the sisal expands and pale woods can brighten up the atmosphere of the room.
9. Sunny-Themed Porch
Sunny-themed porches can provide the best possible atmospheric satisfaction to you. It will provide you the best summertime naps or any other activities in your leisure time. The decorative wicker furniture on the covered porch of such a lovely summer home with either a Perennials fabric pillow from MainlyBaskets. The cocktail table was created at an East Hampton garage sale. The cement floor tiles are from Wholesale Tile by Aguayo, and the ceiling fans are by Hunter Fan.
10. Relaxing Entryway to Your Beach House
The beach-themed summer home must have a relaxing enough entryway through the main gates. The walls on both of the sides should be covered with hand-printed stripes, the floor should be filled with ceramic tiles, and over the tiles, there needs to be an antique rug. As for the antique rug, you can use the rug known as Anatolian.
A peaceful and relaxing entry to your favorite beach house will always welcome you and give you the best possible comfort in your stay. Just make the entryway aesthetic enough to meet those requirements.
11. Beadboard Panels to Give off a Coastal Effect
Wainscoting or beadboard are the instruments of vertical wood that were used for many years to wrap and serve as the walls of a room. These are mostly found in the home improvement stores, and yes, they can be painted. Also, you can use those painted headboards easily and get the job done. White beadboard walls are always the better option for beach theme décor. The bed of coastal theme can be made easier with the beadboard slats.
It Is Not Possible to Have Many Beach-Themed Décor Items
Well, you indeed need the perfect accessories to make your house look like a beach-themed house. But in order to do beach house décor, you have to limit the choices for the items in the overall décor procedure. You should not overuse the accessories because, in most cases, simple-looking beach house décor looks cleaner. A beach house décor with a ton of accessories can be distracting and uninviting. So select beautiful yet perfect items to complete the charm of your beach house décor.
Conclusion
Throughout the year, it is normal for us to miss the summertime excitement. But the beach house décor of your home can provide you the summer vibes. Also, they can complete your urge to enjoy the times in beachside houses. But when you are decorating the house as a beach-themed house, you have to keep in mind that you cannot use anything which is way too clichéd. Just use a good selection of items to properly complete your beach house décor, and you will enjoy its charm every year.
Last updated Feb 12, 2021 | Buying & Selling
Make your properties stand out from the rest.
When someone looks at your property portfolio, the first thing they see is the photo. They do not look at the number of rooms or the meters of surface, but in the photo. You are imagining what it would be like to live in that house before you even know whether or not it is in your best interest to buy it.
The photographs of a property are the most important thing to capture the attention of your visitors, because it is the first thing they will pay attention to. And taking photos that really impress is not easy.
Photos of a Property Are Very Important
Having a good portfolio of properties is useless if you haven’t taken good pictures.
When a person looks for a house, they look at dozens or hundreds of properties, one after the other. And if you do it through a real estate portal such as tajarat.com.pk, you will do it at great speed. After all, people don’t have time.
And after an hour, all the houses you’ve seen will look the same, and you won’t remember most of them.
During the few seconds in which they see your property, the only element that has any chance of capturing their interest is … the featured photo. Everything else is not different at all from other real estate. The numbers and letters are not going to differentiate you from the rest.
That is precisely why it is very important that you show the best side of each house you sell.
What Is the Importance of Real Estate Photography?
Google data shows that the internet is the main search engine for those looking for a property to buy or rent. Another comScore Media-Metrix study reveals that more and more Millennials use the internet to find the property of their dreams: from May 2013 to July 2014, web search grew by 30% and the use of mobile devices for this type of research increased by 81% in the same period.
With these data in hand, it is clear the importance of investing in the quality of real estate photography to win the attention of customers on the internet, isn’t it?
In order to get good photographs of the properties available in your real estate portfolio, it is not necessary to hire a specialist in the area, but it is essential to master some techniques and know the profile of the public you want to impact.
Nowadays, with a smartphone it is possible to take good pictures , but it is necessary to follow some essential tips to obtain a satisfactory result. In parallel to this, real estate companies need to invest in better mobile sites and applications, as well as develop a strategic positioning on social networks.
Continue reading this post for practical tips on how to take good real estate photographs and leverage your results!
How to Take Better Photos of a Home
Taking good photos of real estate is not just a matter of having the best camera – it is the result of combining good technique, post-production, and having a good house to present.
We will take a look at each step of the process, from when you make the visit until you touch up the photos for publication.
The Preparation
The first thing is to prepare the photo session in advance, preferably with a few days to spare.
1. Remind the Owner to Leave Everything Clean
Even if you have the best photographer in the world, it is useless if the house is a mess. Nobody wants to see an impressionable ad, much less imagine what it’s like to live there.
So your first step is to remind the owner to pick up the house. You have probably told them before, but people can be forgetful or not give it enough importance. On more than one occasion, surely you have found that the house was not in a condition to be photographed.
You can solve that with a reminder a day before the session and remind the owner of how important it is to have a clean house. Try including examples of what you hope to find, or even a to-do list to review.
In any case, the important thing is not to waste the trip or the time it takes.
2. Make Sure to Clean Before the Session
Even if the owner has done his homework and has a clean house, you have to make sure that everything is presentable.
Keep in mind that you are at their home, and what is normal for the owner may not be normal for other people.
When in doubt, less is more.
For example, street shoes may be in plain sight, or there may be a stack of books on the coffee table. First of all, he goes to the session with the idea of presenting a totally collected house.
3. Do Some Home Staging
Let’s face it: most homes do not have contemporary furniture, or decoration that is especially elegant. Instead, almost all families have been using the same dishes for years and mixing furniture that they have bought over the years.
To remedy this, you can try bringing in some decorative items, or use what’s on hand to create a scene. The goal here is to do a bit of home staging to present an experience, not a home.
Here are some examples of what you can do:
- Put plates and cutlery on the dining table.
- Adding (fake) plants to the most neglected corners.
- Put cushions and blankets on the sofas.
- Leave books neatly lined up on the table.
general, it is about giving a more presentable look to the house. The amount of effort you put into it will surely depend on the value of the property: it may not be worth doing this for houses under € 100,000, but it is worth it for properties of half a million Euros.
Taking the Photos
Making a comprehensive list of everything to consider during a photo shoot goes a long way, but we’re going to look at some of the most important details – and effective in improving the quality of your photos.
4. Use a Camera With a Good Sensor
The first thing to keep in mind is that your equipment does matter.
The same photos are not taken with a smartphone as with a SLR camera, even if you use the latest iPhone or Samsung Galaxy. If possible, you should have a specially dedicated SLR for home photos.
And Which SLR Camera Should I Use?
There are cameras of all prices and sizes, but the most important thing to consider is the sensor. A camera’s sensor is what absorbs light and turns it into an image, and the bigger it is, the better.
Apart from that, there are many other factors that go into choosing a DSLR camera: the megapixels, the ISO, the lens … but as a rule, the price is what tells you how good it is.
At the very least, you should go for a camera for around € 1000. It sounds expensive, but a top-notch camera will allow you to take high-resolution and much sharper photos.
Image by Pexels from Pixabay
5. Use a Tripod for Clarity
There are many ways to get a sharper photo – reducing shutter time, compensating with a larger aperture … and so on. But if you are not a photographer and just want to take pictures of a home, you can go easy: use a tripod and a shutter-release button.
With a tripod you get several things:
- Consistency, the usual thing is to take the photos at eye level, to give the same perspective that a person visiting the house would have.
- Stability, because the tripod will prevent the camera from being skewed or tilted. This is something to keep in mind if you want to have a good composition.
- Sharpness, since you will avoid moving the camera when shooting. This is very important to get very detailed photos.
6. Avoid Window Contrast
One of the limitations of cameras (including the human eye) is the difficulty in taking dark and light photos at the same time. And windows are a constant problem during a photo shoot.
In most cases, the windows will be overexposed (too light), or will confuse the camera sensor and obscure the rest of the photo. You can easily verify this problem with smartphone cameras – if you take a selfie against the light, you will see that it is excessively dark.
This photo uses HDR to show the exterior without overexposing the interior.
To fix this, you have several options:
- Take photos on a cloudy or sunny day
- Cover windows with curtains to reduce incoming light
- Use HDR to compose a photo without overexposure
The last one is a more advanced photographic technique, but the others are an easy and relatively simple trick.
In any case, remember that having little contrast in photos helps you show all the details easily. If the photo comes out in low light, don’t worry – you can increase the brightness later.
Photo Retouching for Real Estate
It remains to give the final touch. If you’ve used a good SLR camera, your photos will have plenty of resolution and detail in themselves – but now it’s time to adjust the colors and warmth.
You can use a variety of software programs to retouch photos, but my personal preference is Adobe Photoshop. It is a very versatile tool that can do it all.
Once you have your photos in Photoshop, there are a few basic arrangements to do:
7. Adjust the Brightness and Contrast
Many photos of houses tend to come out dark and in low light. This is something natural in houses with few windows or bad orientation, but with increasing the brightness you can solve it:
You See the Difference?
We have simply increased the brightness and reduced the contrast of the photo to bring more life. In this case, reducing the contrast helps to even out the light and dark parts of the image.
Above all, the important thing is to make the house full of life. Nobody wants to live in a dark cave, and even less if the photos are not appetizing.
8. Highlight the Main Differentials of the Property
The photographs will be used as a strategy to attract and delight the customer, right? Because of this, it is necessary that they value and present the best of the property. If he has any differential, be sure to photograph him – a barbecue, a terrace, a fireplace, a huge closet, etc.
By using some of the techniques and tips presented, it will certainly be possible to achieve quality in real estate photography. Keep following the Vista Blog to check out other tips from the real estate market.
9. Choose the Angle That Best Favors the Spaces
Try to shoot from the angle that most favors the environment. There are some tricks that professional photographers use to expand the space in which the photos will be taken. One of them is the rule of thirds, which consists of framing horizontally or vertically what you want to photograph.
To ensure that you will have at least one good photograph of each room, take the photographs from different angles and positions, so you will be able to cover all the corners and details of the property.
10. Enhance the Colors
Another thing you can do to get a better photo is to increase the saturation a bit. In most cases, the photos you take will be low in color and appear dull, with little life. This is where you can give them a more cheerful look.
With saturation, the important thing is to find a good balance between a dull image, and one that looks like a cartoon. It is important to combine it correctly with brightness and contrast to achieve a pleasant result.
Here you can see an example of the difference between low and high saturation. While the image on the left is off and doesn’t have much life, the one on the right is more vibrant. To achieve the effect, all it took was the following:
- Increase saturation
- Reduce contrast
- Increase brightness
- Apply a yellow filter
Start Taking Better Real Estate Photos
Real estate photography is not an easy thing – like any profession, taking good photos requires practice and talent. In fact, all of these tips we’ve seen barely scratch the surface.
If you think you don’t have time to do all this, or it is too complicated for you, it never hurts to hire a professional photographer. It will cost more, but the results will be better, and you will have a much better chance of highlighting your home in overseas block above others.
And you, what do you think?
Last updated Feb 12, 2021 | Investing
For the many investors buying an investment property in Brisbane, the city has a great deal, as it is the most reasonable market of all the major eastern capital cities. Networth Property in Brisbane can help an investor find a great deal of property. Residents in Brisbane appreciate the benefits of a city that has been built with a solid foundation that is deliberately designed to suit the city’s developing populace.
Nowadays, everyone wants to learn about the considerations when planning to invest in the Brisbane property market. Some people own multi-million dollar property portfolios, and their entire portfolio is made up of Brisbane genuine domain. So it is a brilliant market to consider. You need to think about several things if you are an interstate investor contributing to this market. You need to know things that are particular to Brisbane that you do not regularly see somewhere else.
Be Aware of the Flood Zones
Historically, there was a big flood in 1974, and there was another one in 2011. A lot of houses went submerged. So the Brisbane City Council has flood maps, which you can see for free if you are checking out a property. You may check it out and see if a property existed beneath the water at any time during the past. From a buyer agent’s point of view, as somebody who helps other individuals invest in this market, he must not risk them in any way if the property was submerged before, no matter how negligible the effect was.
Know their Lifestyle
It is interesting and exceptionally laid back. You have to understand what the local people want instead of forcing your interstate paradigm. For example, in Brisbane, a carport is absolutely fine, while in Melbourne, you need a lock-up carport, and in Sydney, you need it to be locked-up, too. In Brisbane, an open carport is fine. In Brisbane, you also need an air conditioner since the heat can be so intense, especially during December, January, and February. In Brisbane, you will need more maintenance for your property since the sun can deteriorate the building materials. Hence, do not force your interstate models, significant in a diverse market.
Consider Where the Hills Are
Especially within the north, there are many hills. But if you think about the climate they have there, they truly need to embrace this. Since they need the breeze coming in to help blow away some of the heat. Everyone cherishes a very extraordinary viewpoint, and it is a genuine outdoor lifestyle, especially on those non-sweltering summer days. This means, within the center of winter, it is still a lovely climate there. So you must grasp those hills, but be mindful you maintain a strategic distance from living zones that get that westerly sun since it can be burning within the evening.
You will notice as you drive around Brisbane, especially on the western side, they have screens over the windows to protect them from that sun. And be especially cautious when you have a property that includes a westerly viewpoint looking at water since as that sun goes down, the bounce off the water straight into the property is intense. But for all purposes, Brisbane grasps the slopes since it is part of the lifestyle.
Brisbane, Queensland, is Australia’s third-biggest city. It is eminent for its way of life which makes other cities envy. Brisbane is characterized by its extraordinary climate, laid-back way of life, and dynamic love of the outdoors.
