PLEASE HELP US with this room so we can sale our house!! :D
Hi, my name is Sarah and I am new here.
Please will you help assist me with suggestions or ideas for ways to lighten up as well as liven up our living room? We have been trying to sell our home since the summer with no success. We've had a few potential buyers come and go, with no strong interests. When we got a new Realtor Agent who was more honest with us he said that he suspects buyers aren't interested in pursuing an appointment to see our home based on the very dark photo's we have next to our listing online. He said, and my husband and I agree, that our dark living room looks dismal and down and that if we want a quick sale to change it.
My husband and I tried to get bigger bulbs for the ceiling fan light but apparently there is some sort of light bulb Watt limit for ceiling fans? (This is new information to us-never heard of that before....) We bought two floor lamps but they did very little, just a minimal yellow glow kind of how the ceiling fan light appears, so we took them back.
What can my husband and I do to bring life to this room and get our home sold? We took the curtain down and all of the photo's and wall decor off of the walls because our previous Realtor told us too, but our new Agent is saying to put some of it back....What do you think?
What can we do to make this living room lighter, brighter or just overall look much more appealing to home buyers?????
Please will you help assist me with suggestions or ideas for ways to lighten up as well as liven up our living room? We have been trying to sell our home since the summer with no success. We've had a few potential buyers come and go, with no strong interests. When we got a new Realtor Agent who was more honest with us he said that he suspects buyers aren't interested in pursuing an appointment to see our home based on the very dark photo's we have next to our listing online. He said, and my husband and I agree, that our dark living room looks dismal and down and that if we want a quick sale to change it.
My husband and I tried to get bigger bulbs for the ceiling fan light but apparently there is some sort of light bulb Watt limit for ceiling fans? (This is new information to us-never heard of that before....) We bought two floor lamps but they did very little, just a minimal yellow glow kind of how the ceiling fan light appears, so we took them back.
What can my husband and I do to bring life to this room and get our home sold? We took the curtain down and all of the photo's and wall decor off of the walls because our previous Realtor told us too, but our new Agent is saying to put some of it back....What do you think?
What can we do to make this living room lighter, brighter or just overall look much more appealing to home buyers?????
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Also, what I do like is the vaulted ceiling in this room, and I still have not been able to decide if I like our tile floors....some days I do and other days I do not. LOL!!
The green would automatically bring 'life' to the room as green is the color of life.
The next thing I would do is add a rug to brighten and warm the room. This one from Lowe's is cheap and will work perfectly well to soften the appearance of the room, cover some of the tile and brighten the room at teh same time.
Next is to hang curtain panels. You want to hang them high and toward the outside of the window. See attached illustration. These will work beautifully: http://www.lowes.com/pd_29318-1753-1577608_0__?productId=3191139&Ntt=curtains&pl=1¤tURL=%3FNtt%3Dcurtains&facetInfo=
Now it is time to bring the furniture back into the room. Wish you would post pictures from both ends and both sides of the room so we could come up with a good arrangement. What is the focal point in the room? I am guessing it is the window.
When the furniture is in place then it will be time to add a few things to the walls and other decorative items; including throw pillows a couple of books on the book shelf and a live plant.
So far you have spent aunder $250 and you will recoup more than that!
Be sure to post those pictures! :-)
if there isn't a binder about your home already; put one together. tax info, remodel info if you've done any. your broker (and agent) should be giving you the tips on what is required for state and county laws for disclosures. having all that available and school info. anticipate buyers questions to help them say "yes" to your home.
A picture of the front of your home inserted into the cover with your address under it. Inside, leaflets labeled so they can find the info easily. it allows one of the people looking to read while the other listens to the agent and walk around. this is a very useful tool. puts everyone at ease because it gives someone something to do and learn about the home... best of luck to you and family sarahcecilia!
How to do;
1
Individually measure and record the length of each wall in the room in which the chair railing is to be installed. Add 3 to 4 inches to each wall measurement to allow for miter cuts during installation.
2
Total the individual wall measurements in Step 1, and purchase the required feet of chair rail molding.
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3
Measure a distance of 32 inches from the floor, and mark a point on each wall at 3-foot intervals. Connect these points with a pencil line to designate the chair rail location.
4
Use stud finder to locate studs behind each wall, and mark an "X" at location of every third stud along the the line placed in Step 3 to designate nailing points during chair rail installation.
5
Cut a 45-degree angle on opposite ends of the first piece of chair rail to be installed.
6
Position this cut piece into an inside corner, and align it along the pencil line drawn in Step 3. Mark center points where stud locations fall on the chair rail molding.
2. Move chairs so they are facing the sofa
3. Hang some art on walls
4. Remove blinds, install drapes
5. Take dark bookcase out of corner
6. Add decorative pillows to sofa and chairs
Velvet Drape, Wheat
Limited Edition Petite Lucite Tray by Tilly Maison
Oasis Outdoor Throw Pillow up your floors! Arrange the furniture as suggested to make it cozy. Remove everything but the leather. I am assuming the sofa/chairs will go with you to your new home, so spending some money on things that can go with you won't be a waste.
Pull the sofa away from the wall and purchase a sofa table. Put the two lamps on it and hang a one of those great canvas wrap paintings that you will find in HomeGoods. Put the two ottomans together to act as a coffee table with matching trays on them…try Pier One for those. You need throw pillows, a throw, window treatments and a mirror to bring in extra light. I think you will get a big bang for a buck if you replace the fan with a chandelier.
I would also keep the room "single purpose" and take the desk out of the room and put the chairs along that wall facing the sofa, then move that table with the lamp in between them, rather than having it by the window. An updated lamp shade is a good idea.
Yes, the book shelves need some books, and a few decorative items.Place it flush against the wall like the piece on the other side of the window. If you can afford it, I would paint the walls a pale neutral color (still light, but not stark white.)
Artwork over the sofa and over the chairs - nothing wild.
Some fresh flowers for some color, and even soft candles (nothing too heavily scented for showing) will create warmth.
And I agree with decoenthusiaste - NO CHRISTMAS DECOR! Everyone does not participate in that ritual.
Oh...and the pale green I suggested is considered a neutral and will warm up the cold looking space, but so will this nuetral golden color: http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/goldenlab
This would look fabulous, but then you would need to find another rug and curtains besides the ones I suggested earlier.
Sarah Steere,
I am replying to your comment right away since it is right above this comment box so I was able to read it quickly. Our living room has vaulted ceilings, which I guess isn't visible from the photo I attached initially. So I believe the room is fine on height, however I am no expert. Also, on the other side of the room is the TV nook which you'll be able to see in this other photo I am including.
I'm going to get my children settled downn or bed now but I am very excited to read ya'lls feedback.
BRB....
big chunky cushions in creams, browns and greens. Perhaps hanging some cream
curtains with tie backs would soften the room too. God bless.sue
Use your desk as a sofa table. Use the chair in a corner left of the window. Add a throw to one chair, some pillows (prints and solids ) to the sofa and the chairs.
Center the table by the door under the mirror.
Post pictures of your pictures (aka art work) once you have done the other things (painted, rearranged furniture, etc. and we will help you decide what to hang and where. :-)
Can hardly wait to see the update!
http://www.target.com/p/home-azul-floral-wool-rug-blue-brown/-/A-12912198?ref=tgt_adv_XSG10001&AFID=Google_PLA_df&LNM=%7C12912198&CPNG=Home&kpid=12912198&ci_gpa=pla&ci_sku=12912198
Before I forget, let me say that the area rug you see in that last photo I uploaded will most likely not be in our home. I don't know if you can see it or not but it has very bad stains on it and our German Shepherd had urinated on it so we pulled it out. (I took that picture awhile back and actually forgot all about it until I began searching for a photo that showed the other part of the room yesterday- so it's an old'ish' picture.)
Thanks Sarah Steere for clarifying about the height....that's absolutely true about everything being at eye level. We'll have to work on that.
Looks like hubby and I have some work to get started on. I'll post photo's as we go along to show our progress. Thanks again everybody. :D
if you can send the rug out to a professional cleaner, they may be able to work wonders on the stains. That'll save you the expense of buying a new rug. If you do buy a new rug, make sure it has some pattern that will obscure dirt from kids and dog.
I like the idea of trading the tv and desk locations. It makes more sense for a sofa to face a tv than a desk. People can imagine themselves sitting on a sofa watching tv. Sitting on a sofa watching a desk is not so enticing. Get rid of the empty bookcase.
You need lots more light. Try buying some inexpensive can lights that sit on the floor; they are about the size of a coffee can. The fan light is not enough to give you good ambient lighting and the lamps are also heavily obscured by their shades. Put up some floor to ceiling panels as others suggested, open the shades and leave them up every day; you never know when some real estate agent will show the house.
As far as painting the walls, we already did this. Unfortunately we painted before seeking out some expert feedback and just went with what our Realtor advised which was a China Doll color by Sherwin Williams. We painted the entire interior walls of our home and even a couple of the ceilings with with this paint and hubby doesn't want to do it all over again. So we are going to have to rely on what decorating 'skills' we have by making good, creative use of wall art, accents, arranging of furniture and other decor.
I have never heard of can lights, but I will find out about them today.
Yes, you're right, it is not common to imagine yourself sitting on a sofa to watch a desk....I got a good chuckle reading that though. :~D
Gotta run again.....
To get decent interior photos, I would open the blinds (unless the view is bad), turn on all the lights, set up the camera on a tripod, and take multiple long timed exposures with high depth of field (f8 is nice). Set the exposure on a mid-tone in the room (the rug is about right) and bracket the exposure. Watch for the time of day when the room is the brightest, and not too early (too blue) or too late (too red) in the day.
If you notice in home magazines, many photos are done so the interior shows nicely but the windows are very light. Your home looks dark in the picture because it is thrown off by the window--if you can see the view as well as or better than the room, the exposure is off. Do not rely on the flash to get a good picture--if you can, you can try bouncing the flash off of the ceiling during the timed exposure, but set one or two stops below the overall exposure. That is called fill flash.
Take a look at your instruction manual or get a friend to help, and it is worth the price of an inexpensive but sturdy tripod. Press the shutter very gently to not wobble the cameria, and try different angles. Also a moderately wide angle lens can help, but can make verticals look distorted.
Perhaps after you redecorate, your new photos can include a vertical that shows the cathedral ceiling.
Try taking pictures from different places and from sitting and standing height to see what shows your home to its best advantage in all rooms and outside.
Another post has a lot of staging help:
http://www.houzz.com/discussions/238447/Emergency-Help-ASAP
To get decent interior photos, I would open the blinds (unless the view is bad), turn on all the lights, set up the camera on a tripod, and take multiple long timed exposures with high depth of field (f8 is nice). Set the exposure on a mid-tone in the room (the rug is about right) and bracket the exposure. Watch for the time of day when the room is the brightest, and not too early (too blue) or too late (too red) in the day.
If you notice in home magazines, many photos are done so the interior shows nicely but the windows are very light. Your home looks dark in the picture because it is thrown off by the window--if you can see the view as well as or better than the room, the exposure is off. Do not rely on the flash to get a good picture--if you can, you can try bouncing the flash off of the ceiling during the timed exposure, but set one or two stops below the overall exposure. That is called fill flash.
Take a look at your instruction manual or get a friend to help, and it is worth the price of an inexpensive but sturdy tripod. Press the shutter very gently to not wobble the cameria, and try different angles. Also a moderately wide angle lens can help, but can make verticals look distorted.
Perhaps after you redecorate, your new photos can include a vertical that shows the cathedral ceiling.
Try taking pictures from different places and from sitting and standing height to see what shows your home to its best advantage in all rooms and outside.
Another post has a lot of staging help:
http://www.houzz.com/discussions/238447/Emergency-Help-ASAP
Or this one: http://www.lowes.com/pd_337840-102-6768-14932-8_4294856544%2B4294774535__?productId=3306444&Ns=p_product_avg_rating|1&pl=1¤tURL=%3FNs%3Dp_product_avg_rating%7C1&facetInfo=8' x 10'
I know you have already removed the bookcase, but it would look good where the desk is now, especially if you use the desk as a sofa table. The chair could actually stay with it, just pull it out at an angle as if inviting someone to sit down.
I know your house is going to look good and sell quickly!
How does your kitchen look?
The advice on better photos is excellent. Pros now use software to reduce contrast between bright windows and dark interiors. If you like to spend time on that kind of thing, do a google search on "high dynamic range real estate photography".
Sometimes a house doesn't sell for reasons other than the way it is presented for sale. You should probably have a frank talk with your new agent about why offers have been too low or why there have been no offers. Sometimes it's invisible: a smell of dogs or diapers or cat litter. Sometimes it's dead trees in the yard or dead cars in the neighbors' driveway. Sometimes it's the lack of a garage. Ask your agent to show you the photos of houses that *have* sold in your area that are comparable to yours, and to explain why theirs sold but yours did not.
You can spend a huge amount of time painting over one off white with another off white, but if that is not the major problem, it is a misdirection of your energy.
From there we ̶a̶r̶g̶u̶e̶d̶ ̶o̶v̶e̶r̶ looked at some rugs, and thankfully came home with one we (somewhat) agreed on. Let me warn you that it is not plain.....eek....
I have to confess though that I am feeling a bit overwhelmed with trying to pull this all together when it's not second nature to me. And we had to dip $50 into our down payment funds for the future house we plan to be in, which upset us. I know this may sound like pennies to some, but we are very budget conscious.
Anyhoot, I hope I do not let any of you down for I fear that you may not like what we picked out, but please go easy on me/us. We will of course listen to feedback, even if it means returning or exchanging an item. Pictures coming soon.
victorianbungalowranch, thank you for your feedback-- I will follow up on those instructions, play with my Nikon and see if I can accomplish some better images once everything is back in place.
mmilos, thanks for being concerned about where we invest our time in trying to get our house sold. We have had very few buyers coming through our house, so the Real Estate Agent suspects that the photo's of our home are not jumping out at any prospects. He based this on the fact that, according to him, most people first view homes online before making appointments to see it. If we are having a hard time getting some appointments than he said it's because they don't like what they see. :( No worries, CHIN UP, because we are on our way to turning that around!! :D
So now that we've been busy shopping all day I don't have time to throw it all together right this minute- have to pick up my kiddos from school and then evenings are always fairly busy after that.
I promise you that I will make every ounce of effort to find time to get everything in it's place to take some pictures and upload them for you to see before the day is out. You have been so helpful for us and I am so thankful for your time and willingness to guide us.
~Sarah Cecilia
I know it will all come together.
There are several other things you can do as well. Groom the lawn, make sure your windows are sparkling, put yellow flowers by the front door, if you have an American flag hang it in an area where it can easily be seen, bake chocolate chip cookies right before an open house, have a bowl of fruit on the kitchen island or counter. Fresh flowers or greenery in a few places; living rooom, bathrooms.
We are rooting for you and hope to see updated photos soon!
Good luck, I know it is stressful.
Get rid of EVERYTHING BUT THE SOFA... EVERYTHING.
Add an area rug
glass top table with thin legs (nothing heavy
A simple console and put a tv on top of it. Put it where the computer is.
Put up a art grouping behind the sofa.
Add a simple but stylish ceiling light
Add matching side tables. Simple streamlined legs
Add lamps and do a small vignette
Get rid of the blinds and put up a simple valance or some silhouette honeycomb shades
Get a good sized area rug.
Invest in some bright oversized sofa pillows and throw
Start with that and then see what else may be needed. I think they say you have to remove all elements of yourself and your family. Create a blank slate.
HGTV has a great show too called designed to sell. The basic principle is you are decorating your house to sell. When you moved in you decorated it to suit you; now,, you have to please the masses. You might even want to visit a model home for ideas. The property brothers also have a new show - I think it is "Buy , Sell" They redecorate a home and then help the person buy a different one.
Also, I would think of all the great things about your neighborhood and schools and make brochures. Even hospitals close by and Drs. Yes, you have a realtor but sometimes they do not do a great job. We were lucky enough to have a river with a walking trail in the neighborhood we used to live in; but the realtor did not tell anyone. You probably have the best chance of selling your house to people coming in from out of town so you want to be sure to promote the house and neighborhood. Research your realtor. You may need to change if you are having no luck. See which realtor is getting results in todays economy. Sometimes it is not the best friend of so and so. Having cookies baking in the oven is good. Chicken in the crockpot. I also noticed that almost all ads of kitchens had vases of lemons in them. People who advertise research what pleases people so I got a vase and put fresh lemons in them when I sold the last house.
Also, make sure the pictures that are being taking are well lit so the house does not appear dark b/c of a bad photographer. I see so many photos on realtor websites that are not good.
If you have any wall paper in any room get rid of it. If your childrens rooms are pink or the latest color, neutralize it. Declutter all areas - according to the pros rent a storage building if you have too. I would how ever put a few colored vases in your bookcase in the accent color you choose.
By the way, I used to flip property. Hope you have great luck.
Great advice, Carolina.
I just wanna touch base briefly to say that unfortunately I will not be able to upload the photo's tonight like I had hoped to. I don't know if our kids used to much TP or if they flushed a small matchstick car or something similar down the commode but it overflowed something horrible, water down down the entire hallway. Soooo, instead of joining together our new nice and lovely decor I have been using every towel in our house to swash up toilet water. YAY ME! (obvious sarcasm) I sure wish I could bubble wrap my precious daughter and son while in the phase of trying to sell our home, but then again how boring would life be if I did that? *smile*
So please bare with me. And thank you for your patience. I am praying there will be no gloomy surprises in our forecast for tomorrow and will hope to post you up something then.
G'night!
~Sarah Cecilia
Has the realtor suggested any incentives that you could provide a buyer like a home warranty? Has your home had an inspection? You could start over again, with a slightly different price and new photos/description and get it on-line as a "new listing".
I have purchased homes that were entirely empty and that never deterred me.
Cheers!
m.
Thanks apple_pie_order, and don't I know it about real life. I'm experiencing a little bit more of 'real life' than I'd like to right about now with all of the mishaps. Ha Ha
brenhom, thank you for wishing us a quick sale and noticing my attitude in this journey. I am trying my best to keep a positive attitude and great disposition especially in front of my kids as they are learning how to handle life's disappointments by watching my husband and I. We already missed the opportunity to buy a wonderful home since we are still waiting for ours to sell and everything in me wanted to stomp my feet and wail my arms around screaming (not a pretty picture), and MAYBE if little eyes weren't watching me I may have. But they constantly are on me and if they see Mommy frantically falling apart because I don't get my way than I shouldn't be surprised when they have a meltdown for not getting a piece of candy they want. I am constantly aware of what I am teaching them by how I lead by example. But trust me, CHOOSING to hang on to a knowing things WILL get better when there are no guarantees is not easy as I've wanted to pitch a fit many times.
I think it's safe to say that my husband and I are being exposed to Murphy's Law at it's finest. And if we can't get a good laugh out of this (maybe not today or tomorrow but eventually) than what is the alternative? Holding a grudge? Giving up? No thank you! :) OKAY, I'm off my soap box now. *Giggling* Have a blessed day! ☺
Whatcha think so far?
Is it too much? Is it not enough? Is the rug to busy? Should I just use the cream pillows and take away the brownish/reddish/flower ones? Should I take an aspirin? *Grin*
We have a large picture to put over the sofa (you can kind of see the top of it resting behind it), but it is to heavy for me to hang by myself so I'm waiting for my husband to come home to help me.
The lighting has been, by far, our biggest challenge, but we are still working on it.
1.With a living room, you should go with hardwood, or marble floors.
2. I think that you should remove the fan and put in a light.
3. I also think that you should remove everything from the room and instead put a modern, or fabric sofa instead of leather.
4. Next I think that you should remove the table and computer (office area) and put a bookcase with decor and books inside instead.
5. Finally, I think that you should remove the shutters, and put velvet curtains instead, so more light comes inside. Or just remove the shutters
I really hope this hope that this helps.
And good luck!!!!!
My husband and I have made some improvements that might be minor but we feel makes a difference like replacing out all of the bedroom ceiling fan light fixtures with brand new ones, replacing all of the carpet (initially we were just going to get them shampooed), installed a vent fan in the hall bathroom, updated light fixtures in the hall, kitchen, foyer, and front porch, painted all interior walls and one ceiling, touch up painted several 'sun dulled' areas on the exterior of the house, and are currently in the process of cleaning up our front yard flower bed.
On top of that, next week, we will be power washing the backyard patio, the backyard fence (our side only) and our drive way, our kitchen will be yanked apart to replace our countertops with granite, along with installing a nicer under mounted sink, crown and chair molding will be added to parts of the kitchen with a two-tone paint (darker on the bottom of the chair molding), and a few other things that I'm forgetting right now....oh yeah, and we hired a tree trimmer to prune the hideous overgrown branches off some backyard trees. So this is why we are closing in on the funds we have to do much else.
So we think , we are hoping, we are praying! that all our efforts will not have been in vain. :)
P S have you tried Craig's List?
I appreciate your honesty but we are not in a position to replace our flooring with hardwood or marble and we can not buy a new sofa or even know of any friend who will lend us one. Although we can possibly move out even more furniture our space is limited as to where to put it. We rented out a storage unit and already have it near capacity. Truly, we are trying to work as much as possible with what we have. We have not won the lottery yet, but if we do then maybe we could do some of those things. (Heck if we won the lotto we would hire somebody to do all of this all for us while we settle into our dream home.) *GRIN!*
We are working on a solution to bring in more light because that is something we are very well aware of that we need. We have been brainstorming like mad and even thinking 'outside the box' for an answer. The notion of a swapping out the ceiling fan for a light is being considered, A LOT
Are you referring to our 2" wooden blinds when you reference 'shutters'? Because I'm not sure I'm following you on that one.
Oh and yes ma'am, I have been combing through Craigslist just tonight for floor lamps, or just any lighting in general, some alternative tables in place of the nightstands, and a few other odds and ends.
Now, about the pictures....you mentioned wanting to see the pictures that I was going to put up? The one we had online with our house listing is same photo that is at beginning of this post. That is the photo I first came here with seeking input on how to spruce it up. Or are you talking about some other pictures?
Please don't be so hard on yourself. I know you want to sell your house. I, too, have been considering moving, and there was this house that I rather liked-and I was only looking at it online. However, I found myself disliking a great many things they did, because it was obvious that it had been "staged" to death. The walls all had been "tauped" to death themselves. While it may be true that buyers don't want to see countless knick knacks everywhere as well as fifty pictues of one's children at every stage of development, a room still needs to have some personality. Most people are looking for a home, and I think you and your husband are going to be able to show buyers exactly that. You are fixing the home so its move in ready, yet any new residents can still put their own "stamp" on things. That is all that any reasonable buyer could possibly ask for.
So, don't kick yourself because you have limitations, especially budgetwise. I think you've made some great choices here. You've certainly have lots of ideas here to choose from, but still remember that you are the only one who knows what you can and can't do, Don't feel guilty because you can't do it all.
One thing I did notice is it does not seem to be centered on teh rug. Can you post a picture taken further away so we can get a better idea of how it looks now? Here is an idea on tables;
1) when the tree guys are there ask them if they could possibly bring you a couple cuts of a tree trunk . Tell them you want to use them as end tables, so maybe they can get two that are similar. (if you do get them let them sit outside for as long as you can before bringing them in and when you do bring them inside put a garbage bag under them in case, but folded so you don't see it.)
2) If you have a lot of books don't give them away. Make three or four stacks of books useing books of a similar size. For a deliberate look, pile each stack to a different height, placing your lamp on one stack, a green plant on another and a candlestick or other decorative item on the third..or make them the same height and top with a round glass table topper from Walmart.
3) Vintage suitcases make an excellent table anywhere in the home. They add terrific vintage charm. Be sure to stack the suitcases neatly so it looks effortlessly intentional. Check with parent, grandparents, aunts, uncles adn friends to find these.
Get creative and think outside the box.
Get a piece of cardbooard, use a large bowl to trace a big circle, then use a smaller bowl to trace a smaller circle inside the first one. Cut it out so you have an 'O' shape. Glue fall leaves to it. Spray paint with clear high gloss paint. Use hot glut to add a ribbon to the back to hang it with. Almost free wreath to say 'Welcome' at your door.
Pineapples are the universal sign used to say 'welcome'. Sit one in the middle of your table, or on the kitchen island or counter.
Don't forget a pot of yellow flowers by the door. Mums are cheap right now, but they speak volumns.
Hang in there. You and your husband will think back one day, look at each other and smile.
I am sure if you posted pics of other areas people would give you ideas of those too. We are cheering you on!
And, BY GOD I THINK WE'VE GOT IT! Or are definitely getting closer, at least with illuminating the room more. Since we are on a budget crunch, and refuse to use a credit card to make up the difference for what we are lacking, I propositioned my husband that instead of taking our kids to the $9/ticket movie theatre to see 'Wreck-It Ralph' in 3D (their reward for A, B report cards) and over spending on a $6 Lg Popcorn, we could just buy Disney's 'Brave' for $17 and make do a fun 'theatre' in our own house, popcorn and all, saving mula. Cha-ching! LOL!! And later propositioned him that I will hold off on getting my hair trimmed and eyebrows waxed, (all of which are luxuries anyway that are not 'needs'). Anyhoot, long story short we took the savings and found many $59+ lamp lighting, but off in the distance we noticed a 71" floor lamp for $7.99!!!!! The employee must of thought we were super weird because we kept asking her if that price was correct. Ha Ha!! Okay, so maybe I can still get my eyebrows waxed....we'll see, but I'm not gonna press my luck!
Forgive me for not updating ya'll sooner, but I promised my daughter and son that they would have Mommy's undivided attention today and although I was tempted to jump on here quickly I didn't want to let them down. I don't think I'll have the photo's uploaded until maybe tomorrow afternoon or evening, because even though we have the better lamp I still need to put it all in place and I'm too exhausted now. :'( Plus tomorrow morning we start all of the work on the granite counters, crown moldings and power washing. But I at least wanted to come on here before the night was out (It's 11:50 my time now) and share with you where we are at. And of course to extend our appreciation to you. We are indeed grateful. Until tomorrow.....
~Sarah Cecilia
Thanks joaniek- we were impressed with the deal too. I fear it may not come out to exactly to ya'lls liking since it doesn't really mesh well with everything else. So even though we wonder if it's 'off' for the room or doesn't quite fit in, we feel like bringing in that extra lighting will pay off anyway. You'll see what I mean tomorrow in the photos.
Ahhh, I'm glad that you were able to read my ̶b̶r̶i̶e̶f̶ extra extended update selawela and that you hadn't retired for the night quite yet. However, reading a good book right now does sound relaxing to me too.
It's nice to know that I am not the only one who sacrifices eyebrows maintenance costs to free up a few dollars. I hate it though and may have to recant on....oh wait, it's too late, already a done deal....oh well. I'm pretty sure he'll give in for me to get them waxed once he remembers his work Thanksgiving banquet is fast approaching and he won't want me to accompany him with a flashy unibrow! YIKES!
Well I don't want to keep chattering on so I will stop h.....
I have a great lamp story as well. We sold everything we owned before moving overseas as missonaries. When we returned some years later we didn't have anything to set up house keeping. no furniture, no accessories, nothing. And we didn't have much more in teh ways of funds to buy things with. We were window shopping in Lowe's or Home Depot and noticed a floor lamp on sale for $9.99. We snagged it up; excited about our 'find'. When we checked out it rang up for 1 cent leaving both us and the cashier surprised. She called a manager over thinking it was a mistake. It turned out the lamp had been marked out of stock , but since it was still on the floor she let us buy it for the price it rang up - 1 penny!
Oh...if you look around you may find a salon that needs 'models' for hair cuts, color and even for waxing. I haven't paid for a cut or a color in a couple of years! And they send email reminders and other special offers. Works for me.
And one last thing. I want to commend you for keeping your word to the little ones. They learn by example and you seem to be setting a good one.
You are too kind janishill, and thank you for that praise. I try. I have often overheard or read that being a parent is a hard job, but I always like to squeeze more words into that statement to include 'Being an affective, nurturing parent with a goal to raise well-rounded, considerate, independent, loving, self-sacrificing, ect. future adult is a hard job because it can be EASY to be a lazy or non-dedicated guardian who has zero guilty conscience for failure in their offspring. And with my husband and I it is of our utmost importance and non negotiable that we raise our children having an unshakable foundation in the Word. So our job comes with challenges, as most parents do, but we know Who we have in our corner so we try to stay grounded and not overcome with worry. ✞
A single penny for a floor lamp?! No way!! That's unheard of and fantastic!!!
Thank you for sharing the tips to look for 'model' customers for my salon wants-- I'll look into that.
Well I've gotta get going now. and rush to get something that I failed to get accomplished done.....'apparently' the Contractors installing our new countertops have to have our current counters completely cleared off of all the appliances and decor before they can rip it out to install the granite. Who knew?!! And now my husband is teasing me for being so air headed for not having knowing 'the obvious'. LOL! LOL! LOL!!
And, okay, well for some reason the photo's of the room don't look nearly as nice to me as the living room itself does in person. Which TOTALLY BITES because that's the main goal; to show some images of the inside that online shoppers will find attractive to entice .
So to me, I think the first image with the TV showing looks more appealing than the one facing the windows. Probably because our windows aren't anything fancy? Or because we need to invest in some cream'ish' or other style/color drapes? But also because the lighting is better. We can tell a big difference with this light, but maybe still not enough? Go easy on me....
I prefer the photo that includes the television! It looks fantastic! I would maybe think about removing the plant that is sitting on the ground next to the sofa. Do you have a table between the two chairs? If you do, you could put the plant there. It is too small to be on the ground. :)
Great job!
Cheers!
m.
Excited to hear your thoughts!
Cheers!
m.
And another little hint from a plant person; bend the leaves out further and a slightly downward on that 'plant'. In other words 'fluff it' a little so it looks more realistic. :-)
I am certain your litle ones will turn out to be all you hope and more. They seem to have kind, loving, caring parents and that makes all the difference.
Yes ma'am Monique Jacqueline Design, I'll move things around and give that idea a shot. Thank you for your help. =)
Off subject but I wanted to share this funny conversation I had with my First Grade son after noticing a 'bad' grade in his backpack from Friday:
MOM: You failed your English test?
Little Jesse: WHO TELLED YOU?!
Decorators are just that, they decorate as do Designers.
The depth of education are deeper for a Designer because a
designer has knowledge of construction and building codes,
as well as decorating. It is true that Designers can work directly for or with
Architects, but they also work closely with General Contractors, Homeowners
and Commercial Clients alike. Many times the Designer is serving as the
projects Project Manager on behalf of our client.
Many people have difficulty in envisioning the end results, so being able to work
closely with someone that can speak on their behalf and understand the entire process
is extremely beneficial. I would say the addition of construction knowledge is what sets
the two apart. A Designer is not deemed Commercial over Residential. They tend to overlap both categories, specializing in their chosen area of expertise!
Hope this helps clarify!
Cheers!
m.
I am sincerely sorry that I disappeared there for a bit. If my vanishing came across rude, please forgive me. My husband and I had a catastrophe to address.
You know the phrase, 'When it rains, it pours'? Remember when I mentioned that one of our children overflowed the bathroom toilet? Well, well, well, looks like that little plunger episode turned into quite the expense. Long story short, but we had to have our entire backyard excavated to get several feet underneath the ground to have our sewer pipes replaced. It was a mess in every sense of the word; mentally, emotionally, physically, financially.... And really....how are we supposed to explain THAT to potential buyers without having them run for the door? And it's not like we would want to hide something that big because it's just not right to do that, ya know? So anyhoot, we're working on a way to address that as we speak.
I just wanted to pop back on here briefly to say once again that I am very grateful for all of the time you all took to give me/us some excellent advice with our living room arrangement. Since last, we have played around with swapping out different decor and lighting- we have decided on going for the chandelier (sp) in place of the ceiling fan, so thank you to whomever suggested that- I think several of you did. I would post images up, but quite frankly I am surprised to even have the time to jump on here real quick just to extend my apologies for vanishing and to update ya'll. Having time to pick up my camera is just an afterthought in the mist of sewer dilemmas. :( But alas, we try our best to remind ourselves that there are still others dealing with way worse than we are, at least we have a home, and a toilet to overflow...
Thank you all. =)
↖ That's me BTW- lol. =) If I could, if you have a few minutes of spare time real quick right now, I would love to ask you if you think we did okay on another area of our home.....
I know it's nothing grand, but I listened to ya'lls suggestion about adding color to the walls and although we won't be doing it in the living room, we did decide to paint in the breakfast nook. But I didn't want to add a whole lot, which is why there is just the one wall decor piece to keep it simple.
What'd ya think? If it isn't already obvious these are before and after photos, with the before on the left.
I wouldn't worry about the plumbing. You have fixed it, so that is one other thing buyers won't have to worry about.
A chandelier is one wonderful touch.
You should not worry about the money you spend on this as you will get it back many times over in the sale.
Watch a show like "Love it or List it" to get some perspective on how much people spend to get much, much more back. $20,000 on that show yields a profit of at least double that, so it is money very well spent.
The rug is absolutely gorgeous. I am NOT a brown person but the rug and pillows make all the difference.
The picture on the back wall needs to come down about 2 inches so the light fixture doesn't block it.
Next turn the table so the short end is toward the wall. Push it close to the wall (maybe an inch out) then put 2 chairs on each side. When you have an open house put a table runner going cross ways on it with a pineapple in the center. you can even put out place settings so the table loooks super inviting.
Here's some other tips: Buyers decide if they're going to buy your house within the first eight seconds of seeing it! Set your stopwatch, get out of your car and see what you see in the first eight seconds. Chances are you'll do a little tweeking. Make sure the mailbox is new and also check to make sure your doorbell works.
I probably don't need to ask, but have you cleaned out the closets? They should only be about 1/3 full. Have you cleaned out the frig?
Are the bathrooms perfect and do they smell divine? Fresh towels (maybe even tied with a ribbon.) The master bath is a place to burn a candle or 3 candles (along the edge of the tub maybe?)
When you have the open house turn on every light! Basement included. Use brighter bulbs than you usually use. Minimum of 100 watts.
Next interview 3 real estate brokers. Ask friends, business associates and relatives for the names of ones they have used.Once you have a few names (3-5) give them a call and schedule interviews at your house. When they arrive they should come armed with a basic market value for your home. They will put this together bassed on recent neighborhood sales statistics. They should then walk through your house and sharpen that number by considering your home’s unique features and/or problems. Be suspicious if someone gives you a high number. They are just trying to secure a listing. You can tell the agent you are interviewing a few agents and will get back to him/her. Now you have gathered some very important information! You know what changes need to be made, you have a fair price and you know how quickly houses are selling in your neighborhood.
hope to see more updates soon!
but some friends of mine told me to bury St. Joseph. I'm not kidding, sounds crazy but I went to a little catholic bookstore, they sold me the "sell your house" St. Joseph, i followed the instructions and my house sold. It had sat on the market for six months. My next house sold the day I buried the little guy.
Again, I'm not religious, who knows, it can't hurt. Good Luck!
Cheers!
M.
*Add light patterned scrapbook paper to the back of the book shelves in the corner.
* Add a large miror over the couch, flank the mirror with 2 other frame with scrapbook paper.
*Add a light color throw drapped over the couch.
*Add pillows to the chairs.
*A rug could be pricey. Go buy one for the new home photos and then take it back.
*Spray paint several knick knacks from a thrift store and stage them on the bookshelves.
*Last but not least cheat - purchase some uplighting. http://www.lampsplus.com/products/pro-track-can-accent-black-floor-light__63408.html
It's been mentioned by a few but it is critical that you have professional photo's to sell your house. This is how so many people view your home for the first time and based on what they see they make a decision whether to schedule an appointment to see in person or not. You have to get them in the door first. You are missing out on potential buyers due to this if you don't have professional photo's on the listing. You haven't stated, but did you take the pictures or your agent? Your Realtor should be hiring a professional for this. This is a huge financial transaction so I hope your Realtor is a professional who has been in the business for awhile and not a friend of a friend or a family member you are doing a favor for.
I would suggest not buying anything else that you wouldn't take to the new house when you do sell. Don't be afraid of thrift stores, consignment shops, etc for inexpensive accessories and furniture. Down the road if your house isn't selling, I would think about a getting a professional stager. They can work wonders pulling everything together that makes your home look more attractive by using what you have. Some stagers have their own inventory that they can fill in with your furnishings. In the meantime, do you have friends, family, co-workers whose style you admire or houses that you really like? If so ask them to be brutally honest with you about what you can do to make your home more attractive to home buyers.
What store did you visit that had hundreds of pillows? I am looking for some and am cross eyed from viewing on the internet. Good luck with it all and I hope you continue to post your pictures of your progress.
Just a thought, but you could slightly rearrange things for each photo you take for the listing. Like pillows, moving furniture over a little, etc. to make each shot look its best. If you look closely, you see this all the time in magazines.
Also, as I mentioned before, your exposure is totally off in a picture with lots of window in it. Depending on your camera, set the exposure pointing at a nuetral value surface (like the rug or the tile floor or pointing the other direction (usually you can do this by pressing the shutter just part of the way down or very lightly--check your manual) or setting the metering point somewhere away from the window if you can.
If you can't do that you can bring a lamp (s) in right behind you and bounce some light off of the ceiling or darkest wall, and it sounds odd, lower the blinds or close the curtains a bit, and move the floor lamp further away from the wall and point it more upward. What you are trying to do is bounce the light off of all the white surfaces and lowver the difference in light levels between different parts of the room. A camera can take decent pictures in everything lit brightly or everything in medium to fairly low light, but it doesn't doo well with big extremes of light, light bright windows and dim interiors.
Our eyes adjust to light levels, so we don't notice the difference, but camera don't have a brain like we do to compensate.
Just a thought, but you could slightly rearrange things for each photo you take for the listing. Like pillows, moving furniture over a little, etc. to make each shot look its best. If you look closely, you see this all the time in magazines.
Also, as I mentioned before, your exposure is totally off in a picture with lots of window in it. Depending on your camera, set the exposure pointing at a nuetral value surface (like the rug or the tile floor or pointing the other direction (usually you can do this by pressing the shutter just part of the way down or very lightly--check your manual) or setting the metering point somewhere away from the window if you can.
If you can't do that you can bring a lamp (s) in right behind you and bounce some light off of the ceiling or darkest wall, and it sounds odd, lower the blinds or close the curtains a bit, and move the floor lamp further away from the wall and point it more upward. What you are trying to do is bounce the light off of all the white surfaces and lowver the difference in light levels between different parts of the room. A camera can take decent pictures in everything lit brightly or everything in medium to fairly low light, but it doesn't doo well with big extremes of light, light bright windows and dim interiors.
Our eyes adjust to light levels, so we don't notice the difference, but camera don't have a brain like we do to compensate.
I want to take a moment to answer some of the question I read being asked of me in this thread. I prefer, and feel it's more polite to use individual names when addressing a person (yes, I'm a dork like that-lol), but for time sake I am just going to answer them randomly for now because my First Grader, who is watching A Charlie Brown Christmas, is starting to get ansy wanting Mommy's (undivided) attention. =)
So here we go, 1) In regards to being curious as to why my husband doesn't want to repaint the walls is most likely because he is tired. Not just tired, but often exhausted. My husband is an Operator working 12+ hour shifts at a Chemical Plant where they make Acrylic Acid, which is a hazardous material, with a lot of potential dangers. His job not only requires a lot of critical thinking, but can be physically demanding on him fairly often. So I don't think it's so much that he doesn't agree with the idea, but that the thought of doing doesn't agree with him. As far as wondering why he doesn't like the chairs facing the sofa arrangement I take that with a grain of salt. The 'real' reason behind that, I suspect, is him not wanting to turn his head to watch his TV. As we all know, why that's just asking too much. *chuckling*. Not to worry, I am trying to convince him to relinquish all 'staging' ideas to me; one slow cooked Pot Roast, cooked carrots, mashed potatoes with lumpy mashed potatoes (he likes the lumpy version), followed with a slice or two of strawberry cheescake and he'll be putty in my hand!! Now where is that Marie Calendars take-out menu? LOL- Just kidding, I'll cook it up.
2) The exposure on my photos...I have a Nikon D90 with a Speedlight SB-900 flash, and four lenses (18-105, 55-200, 70-300, and a 50mm), along with some other accessories. So I think my camera is quality enough but it's the person operating behind the lens (me) who may not being using it to it's full potential? I'm still learning. I will go through my manual and maybe check out some solutions for good angles and lighting online. And I'm so sorry that I only responded to two questions/matters, but I have no choice but to cut this short here. I just looked up and noticed that my son, the First Grader, fell asleep waiting for me and well, that just aches at my heart so I HAVE to and WANT to tend to him now. I hope you understand.
If time permits I will hop online again tomorrow. Before I go I remember reading several comments mentioning to try utilizing a mirror above the sofa to help bounce light around in the living room. I find myself WAY to embarrassed with admitting this to you, even though you'd think it'd be less painful since I don't know ya'll personally. BUT, and I'm going to whisper,
ᵗʰᶦˢ ᶦˢ ᵗʰᵉ ᵐᶦʳʳᵒʳ ᶦᶰ ᵒᵘʳ ᶠᵒʸᵉʳ ᵇʸ ᵗʰᵉ ᶠʳᵒᶰᵗ ᵈᵒᵒʳ⋅ I KNOW! I KNOW!! I've been walking by this thing every single day and never once did it occur to me that this might be the mirror ya'll were describing to use over the sofa!! Anyhoot, it's approximately 3-3 1/2 feet long. Might this work if I moved it to the living room and use something else in the foyer?
Oh...and your real estate person should be taking the pictures. That is another reason you pay them!!!
Now should I put something over the mirror or along the sides too or just leave it as is? And at what level? I know somebody else mentioned earlier that the wall art in our eating nook needs to be brought down about 2 inches, which I'm going to do, so how high or low should I position the mirror over the sofa?
A big shout out to YOU!! Thanks SO much-- I am very grateful for all of your suggestions, as well as patience while I tried to incorporate your amazing ideas to set up our interior for a quick sale, and IT WORKED!! (doing back flips)
Anyhoot, so I thought you might like to see our NEW house that we are going to buy. Because, quite honestly, I will most likely seek you, Houzz, out for further assistance with decorating/design ideas!
I hope you are still available when the time comes after we get settled in a bit.
Our future home. I took the liberty of labeling parts of the interior that are visible in the pictures I took. We believe our new home will do great at serving our needs/wants in opening our doors/home/hearts as a Foster Family to some sweet children who desire and deserve a loving family.
I hope you love it as much as we do.
♪ღ♪*•.¸¸¸.•*¨(¯`’•.¸(♥)¸.• ’´¯)¨*•.¸¸¸.•*•♪ღ♪•**•.
░H░A░P░P░Y░░░N░E░W░░Y░E░A░ R░░2013░░
♪ღ♪*•.¸¸¸.•*¨¨*•.¸¸¸.•*•♪ღ ♪¸.•*¨¨*•.¸¸¸.•*•♪ღ♪•
Happy New Year to you!
The new house looks great, and it doesn't look like your kitchen is going to need anything but some great accessories-and everyone is going to tell you to get stainless steel appliances-its like "de rigueur" right now. I say get what you like, if its stainless, great-but get whatever color you like. I assume that this home is going to be home for you and your family for a while, so do what you like-as you've spent the past however many months worrying about what someone else is going to like in the space that you were still trying to live in. So, let your hair down-and have some fun in your new home-and post photos, lots of photos.
( beige) floor rug to cover the dark floor tiles may be it will help!!!
http://www.blindsdirectcanada.com/drapery-toronto/panels/grommet-drapery.html
Well, well, well, so we thought! After making a STRONG attempt to make it ours, we ran into a lot of walls regarding windstorm insurance that Allstate required on the home. Talk about a nightmare! It consisted of a lot of extensive and boring jargon that I'm sure you'd rather not care to read about it so I'll spare you the details. Bottom line is that we decided not to mess with that house anymore and to move onward to other properties.
Which leads me happy to say that we DO have a home now, just a different one. And before jumping ahead and claiming that it is our house before the possibility of it not being so, I have held my tongue. Until now. Here is the house WE BOUGHT! And no worries about it not going through because we closed on Friday and I am sitting in it now. I haven't taken any photo's of the inside yet because it currently looks like a tornado swept through, but here is the front of it. :D
Thank you again for helping me. And I'm sorry that I haven't been on Houzz much since selling our previous home, but I plan to and who knows? Maybe I can offer some effective ideas that another member might benefit from.
Here it is, the photo of our new home that we have been in for just a few days now. Yay!