Business students often relocate upon graduation to move closer to a new employer. This can be an exciting experience for anyone. Unfortunately, relocation is also expensive. You are going to have a lot of costs to cover.
One of the best ways of getting the money you need is to profit from the sale of your home. Here are 10 home selling tips that will help you get the type of profits you need:
Interview Several Agents
You can't get a job without an interview and an agent shouldn't be able to either. Before you sign a contract, interview at least three to four different listing agents. Ask about experience, marketing plans, and how much they think they can sell your house for. Then, go with the agent who is the right fit for you.
Study the Market
Even though you will be gathering opinions on the market value of your home from a few different agents, you should also try gathering your own information. Search the Internet for local stats, check the newspaper to see the asking price of similar homes, and talk to some of your neighbors to see if they can supplement your findings. After a clear evaluation of the market, you will have a good idea of how much money you will be able to pocket after the home sale.
Hire a Home Inspector
Before handing over their cash, most buyers will bring in a home inspector to evaluate the property and look for potential problems. By hiring your own inspector, you can get a head start on any repairs that may be required. For only a few hundred dollars, you can get a certified home inspection, and possibly eliminate your chances of missing out on a sale due to an unexpected problem or silly repair issue.
Make Repairs
No matter how bad a buyer wants a home, they will be looking around to see what's wrong with the place. Any repairs that need to be done will be reflected in the buyer's offer and will inevitably affect your bottom line. This is why it is a good idea to make both minor and major repairs before selling.
Clean, Clean, Clean
A dirty, cluttered space is an instant turn off for buyers. Before putting your home on the market, make sure everything shines. Wash the walls, clean the windows, scrub the floors, and pay special attention to bathrooms and kitchens. Although it might be a lot of work, it will pay off in the offers you get from potential buyers.
Paint, Paint, Paint
Some spaces need more than a little cleaning—they need a coat of paint. With only a small investment, you could completely change the look of your home's interior. A fresh coat of neutral paint will impress buyers and net you higher profits.
Move the Furniture
Move the furniture so that it suits the room and not you. When selling your home, your comfort is no longer important. What is important is that the spaces look as big as possible. If this means putting some of your furniture in a storage unit or renting new furniture, then that's what you have to do.
Show Off Your Storage Space
Buyers love to look inside closets to see how much room they will have for their stuff. Make sure that they can find what they're looking for by emptying the closets as much as possible. This will make them look bigger and more impressive. You might also want to consider installing closet organizers in the bedrooms or in kitchen pantries. This small investment will be a great selling point.
Pay Attention to Curb Appeal
Buyers will begin making judgments about the home as soon as they pull up. This is why it is essential to make sure your home has the type of curb appeal that will make a good impression. You can improve on curb appeal by making sure the porch and walkway is clean and neat. Nice landscaping, appropriate lighting, and a sharply painted front door will also help.
Negotiate with Buyers
The market is very competitive nowadays. You will be extremely lucky if someone gives you your asking price right off the bat. You will be much more likely to get an offer that forces negotiation. This is where all your business training will pay off. Get what you can from the house, but make sure you don't miss out on a sale because of a couple of hundred dollars, or worse, stubborn pride.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Friday, November 21, 2008
How to Sell in A Buyer's Market
Beside price, the best way to sell your home in a down market is to:
** Hire an aggressive agent who shows you a plan for selling your house - and make sure they follow through.
** Give your house a facelift with new paint and repairs.
** List it online with such sites as eBay and Craigslist.
** Offer to pay the buyer's closing costs.
** And finally, take any reasonable offer.
** Hire an aggressive agent who shows you a plan for selling your house - and make sure they follow through.
** Give your house a facelift with new paint and repairs.
** List it online with such sites as eBay and Craigslist.
** Offer to pay the buyer's closing costs.
** And finally, take any reasonable offer.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Placing a Bid on a Short Sale
A lot of things in life are risky and scary the first time you do them, like going skiing, dancing in public and playing the stock market. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't try.
Notice that I didn't put falling in love on this list, since that's what you shouldn't do with this house. A short sale, which involves buying a house for less than the amount the seller owes the lender, can be time-consuming, frustrating, and --- if the lender refuses your offer -- ultimately unsuccessful. But if it works, you could be getting a very good deal.
Short sales also require some sophistication, skill and patience on the part of a real estate agent, so keep that in mind if you decide to bid on this type of house.
A short sale usually occurs when a seller can't make his loan payments because of death, divorce, job loss or other hardship. When homes are rising in value, owners can sell the house and pay back the lender. But when home values are dropping, like they are in many places today, and the owner hasn't built up much equity, that's not an option. So some lenders will accept less than the amount owed to avoid the hassle and expense of auctioning the house, providing the owner proves that he doesn't have other assets to make up what he owes.
Even with experienced people at your side, it pays to arm yourself with facts before you make an offer. Don't assume that the house is a bargain, since the owner may have bought the house at the peak of the housing cycle and may owe so much that he can only discount it to current market prices. Find out what comparable houses are selling for, whether a foreclosure notice has been filed for the property, who owns the loan or loans, and how much is owed -- you'll have to deal with them all.
The seller may eagerly accept your offer, but he isn't the final arbiter of the deal -- the note holders are. So make your offer contingent on the acceptance of the lender or lenders. Since the lenders want to know that you can back up your offer, include as much information as you can on your financial resources, as well as a preapproval letter from a lender.
Although the property may be advertised as-is, make sure the deal gives you the right to have and approve home and pest inspections by qualified professionals. Short sellers usually have given up maintaining and repairing their homes; you need to know what other expenses to expect.
Also, place a time limit on your offer -- ask your agent what is customary in your area --since lenders will sometimes drag their feet, hoping to get a better deal. Short sales rarely take a short time to complete, but you shouldn't have to wait around forever.
Notice that I didn't put falling in love on this list, since that's what you shouldn't do with this house. A short sale, which involves buying a house for less than the amount the seller owes the lender, can be time-consuming, frustrating, and --- if the lender refuses your offer -- ultimately unsuccessful. But if it works, you could be getting a very good deal.
Short sales also require some sophistication, skill and patience on the part of a real estate agent, so keep that in mind if you decide to bid on this type of house.
A short sale usually occurs when a seller can't make his loan payments because of death, divorce, job loss or other hardship. When homes are rising in value, owners can sell the house and pay back the lender. But when home values are dropping, like they are in many places today, and the owner hasn't built up much equity, that's not an option. So some lenders will accept less than the amount owed to avoid the hassle and expense of auctioning the house, providing the owner proves that he doesn't have other assets to make up what he owes.
Even with experienced people at your side, it pays to arm yourself with facts before you make an offer. Don't assume that the house is a bargain, since the owner may have bought the house at the peak of the housing cycle and may owe so much that he can only discount it to current market prices. Find out what comparable houses are selling for, whether a foreclosure notice has been filed for the property, who owns the loan or loans, and how much is owed -- you'll have to deal with them all.
The seller may eagerly accept your offer, but he isn't the final arbiter of the deal -- the note holders are. So make your offer contingent on the acceptance of the lender or lenders. Since the lenders want to know that you can back up your offer, include as much information as you can on your financial resources, as well as a preapproval letter from a lender.
Although the property may be advertised as-is, make sure the deal gives you the right to have and approve home and pest inspections by qualified professionals. Short sellers usually have given up maintaining and repairing their homes; you need to know what other expenses to expect.
Also, place a time limit on your offer -- ask your agent what is customary in your area --since lenders will sometimes drag their feet, hoping to get a better deal. Short sales rarely take a short time to complete, but you shouldn't have to wait around forever.
Friday, November 7, 2008
5 Tips: Selling a house in a buyer's market
House prices are falling in much of the country, and a report by Merrill Lynch says a record 2.2 million single-family homes and condos are on the market -- almost 1 million above normal levels.
It's a buyer's market, but don't despair.
Selling in a buyer's market:
You can increase your chance of selling your house in a reasonable time by following a few good guidelines.
5 tips for sellers
1. Play the cards you're dealt.
2. Scope out other houses for sale.
3. Make it a turnkey, not a turkey.
4. Offer incentives.
5. Be realistic.
1. Play the cards you're dealt.
A successful poker night begins before you reach the table, when you resolve not to chase after hands that you have no realistic chance of getting. Similarly, a successful home sale begins before the house is listed, when you decide not to expect to make a killing.
"All you can do in a falling market, if you have to sell, is have the best possible product out there at the price it should be," says Diane Saatchi, an agent with Corcoran Group in East Hampton, N.Y. "Not what you wish you could get, not what the neighbor got two years ago, but at the price you should get now. That's the reality."
It takes discipline to face that reality. Humility, too. For many sellers, "the only disappointment is that their friend, six months or a year ago, got more than they're getting," says Bill Christiano, a loan officer with MortgageIT in White Plains, N.Y. "Ego gets in the way when they're trying to sell. Or stubbornness, I should say."
2. Scope out other houses for sale.
Break through your ego and stubbornness by looking at the good deals that your neighbors are offering. "The most important thing is to really shop the competition on the market right now," says Elizabeth Razzi, author of "The Fearless Home Buyer," published in 2006, and of "The Fearless Home Seller."
Put on your shopping shoes and look at everything from a buyer's viewpoint. "Get out in the car and spend a weekend looking at everything you can," Razzi says. "Visit some weekend open houses. Just get a feel for what your buyers are looking at."
Visit newly built houses and find out which amenities and incentives builders are offering. Eavesdrop on other visitors to open houses to find out if there's something in particular they're looking for -- something you should do to make your house more presentable.
3. Make it a turnkey, not a turkey.
The word "turnkey" is used in commercial real estate. It means a property is ready for immediate use. Your house has to be that way when buyers have a cornucopia of houses to choose from. "You have to make it a 100 percent turnkey situation," Razzi says. "Everything has to be ready to roll, because buyers never want to buy a house that needs a lot of work unless it's an absolute bargain. You have to take away all their opportunities to say no."
Saatchi says that when buyers outnumber sellers, you can get away with selling a house with ratty carpet, smelly furniture and walls that need painting. The market was like that two years ago, but not now. Saatchi suggests hiring a house inspector before putting the house on the market. "Know now, and fix it," she says.
4. Offer incentives.
After you have put your head on straight, spied on the competition and fixed up your house, it's time to figure out what goodies you will dangle before buyers and their agents.
Besides a low price, incentives for buyers include paying discount points to lower the mortgage rate, paying closing costs or providing flexibility about the move-in date.
Consider offering a premium to the buyer's agent. Add a half-point or a point to the commission, or give the agent a cruise or a big-screen TV. "It may not cause the deal to happen, but it can just attract a little more attention and make your deal stand out," Razzi says.
Don't mix up incentives to buyers and their agents. Buyers focus on price and the house's amenities, so buyers' incentives should address those issues. A Caribbean cruise is a distracting gimmick to a buyer but might be an attractive incentive to a broker, Razzi says.
5. Price realistically.
Finally, "Don't get greedy," says Pam O'Connor, president and CEO of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World, a national network of 700 regional and independent firms. "Just because it went up to some astronomical value and it went down from there, you have to be realistic that there has been moderation in the market."
It takes research, often conducted by a real estate agent, to come up with a realistic asking price, and discipline to abide by it.
It's important that you, as the seller, understand the dynamics of pricing enough to build a defensible argument. It's not enough just to throw out a figure," says Mario Villena, vice president of sales and marketing for HomeKeys, a Miami-based online real estate brokerage.
Using tools on sites such as HomeKeys, Zillow and Redfin, buyers can get an accurate idea of your house's market value. You and your agent can't bamboozle buyers because they have so much information about comparable house values.
In a seller's market, sellers typically ask for 10 percent to 20 percent more than they expect to get, Villena says. You don't have that luxury in a buyer's market, and Villena suggests asking for just 3 percent to 5 percent more than you realistically expect to get. Setting an aggressive asking price attracts more prospective buyers to your door, discourages lowball offers and saves negotiating time. "You'll know fairly quickly whether they're willing to meet you or not," Villena says.
In a market where prices are falling, asking prices must fall, too, "which is a whole new concept for sellers right now," Saatchi says. For example, if the Smiths sold their house early this year for $700,000, you might have to ask just $695,000.
It's a buyer's market, but don't despair.
Selling in a buyer's market:
You can increase your chance of selling your house in a reasonable time by following a few good guidelines.
5 tips for sellers
1. Play the cards you're dealt.
2. Scope out other houses for sale.
3. Make it a turnkey, not a turkey.
4. Offer incentives.
5. Be realistic.
1. Play the cards you're dealt.
A successful poker night begins before you reach the table, when you resolve not to chase after hands that you have no realistic chance of getting. Similarly, a successful home sale begins before the house is listed, when you decide not to expect to make a killing.
"All you can do in a falling market, if you have to sell, is have the best possible product out there at the price it should be," says Diane Saatchi, an agent with Corcoran Group in East Hampton, N.Y. "Not what you wish you could get, not what the neighbor got two years ago, but at the price you should get now. That's the reality."
It takes discipline to face that reality. Humility, too. For many sellers, "the only disappointment is that their friend, six months or a year ago, got more than they're getting," says Bill Christiano, a loan officer with MortgageIT in White Plains, N.Y. "Ego gets in the way when they're trying to sell. Or stubbornness, I should say."
2. Scope out other houses for sale.
Break through your ego and stubbornness by looking at the good deals that your neighbors are offering. "The most important thing is to really shop the competition on the market right now," says Elizabeth Razzi, author of "The Fearless Home Buyer," published in 2006, and of "The Fearless Home Seller."
Put on your shopping shoes and look at everything from a buyer's viewpoint. "Get out in the car and spend a weekend looking at everything you can," Razzi says. "Visit some weekend open houses. Just get a feel for what your buyers are looking at."
Visit newly built houses and find out which amenities and incentives builders are offering. Eavesdrop on other visitors to open houses to find out if there's something in particular they're looking for -- something you should do to make your house more presentable.
3. Make it a turnkey, not a turkey.
The word "turnkey" is used in commercial real estate. It means a property is ready for immediate use. Your house has to be that way when buyers have a cornucopia of houses to choose from. "You have to make it a 100 percent turnkey situation," Razzi says. "Everything has to be ready to roll, because buyers never want to buy a house that needs a lot of work unless it's an absolute bargain. You have to take away all their opportunities to say no."
Saatchi says that when buyers outnumber sellers, you can get away with selling a house with ratty carpet, smelly furniture and walls that need painting. The market was like that two years ago, but not now. Saatchi suggests hiring a house inspector before putting the house on the market. "Know now, and fix it," she says.
4. Offer incentives.
After you have put your head on straight, spied on the competition and fixed up your house, it's time to figure out what goodies you will dangle before buyers and their agents.
Besides a low price, incentives for buyers include paying discount points to lower the mortgage rate, paying closing costs or providing flexibility about the move-in date.
Consider offering a premium to the buyer's agent. Add a half-point or a point to the commission, or give the agent a cruise or a big-screen TV. "It may not cause the deal to happen, but it can just attract a little more attention and make your deal stand out," Razzi says.
Don't mix up incentives to buyers and their agents. Buyers focus on price and the house's amenities, so buyers' incentives should address those issues. A Caribbean cruise is a distracting gimmick to a buyer but might be an attractive incentive to a broker, Razzi says.
5. Price realistically.
Finally, "Don't get greedy," says Pam O'Connor, president and CEO of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World, a national network of 700 regional and independent firms. "Just because it went up to some astronomical value and it went down from there, you have to be realistic that there has been moderation in the market."
It takes research, often conducted by a real estate agent, to come up with a realistic asking price, and discipline to abide by it.
It's important that you, as the seller, understand the dynamics of pricing enough to build a defensible argument. It's not enough just to throw out a figure," says Mario Villena, vice president of sales and marketing for HomeKeys, a Miami-based online real estate brokerage.
Using tools on sites such as HomeKeys, Zillow and Redfin, buyers can get an accurate idea of your house's market value. You and your agent can't bamboozle buyers because they have so much information about comparable house values.
In a seller's market, sellers typically ask for 10 percent to 20 percent more than they expect to get, Villena says. You don't have that luxury in a buyer's market, and Villena suggests asking for just 3 percent to 5 percent more than you realistically expect to get. Setting an aggressive asking price attracts more prospective buyers to your door, discourages lowball offers and saves negotiating time. "You'll know fairly quickly whether they're willing to meet you or not," Villena says.
In a market where prices are falling, asking prices must fall, too, "which is a whole new concept for sellers right now," Saatchi says. For example, if the Smiths sold their house early this year for $700,000, you might have to ask just $695,000.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Profitable Home Selling Tips
Even if you’ve never been involved in the sale of house before and yours is about to go on the market, you probably know enough about the process to be able to repeat, like a litany: clean it; paint it; fix it. But do you find yourself asking: How clean does the house have to be and how do I tackle the job? Do I really have to paint? What are the best colors to choose? What do I need to repair?
When considering these questions, it’s good to remember that most prospective home buyers are an unimaginative lot. Your house may be immaculate but if the rooms are cluttered, crowded, and dark, they may appear to be less clean and much smaller than they really are. Picture this: an old, seven-piece mahogany dining room suite plus a rocking chair and seven boxes of books packed in anticipation of your move are wedged into a dark green room with a brown rug and a window covered by heavy velvet drapes. Why is this decorating scheme a mistake? It’s because most people are unable to imagine how big and beautiful the room would look if painted off-white, everything removed but the dining room suite, a pastel tablecloth and a fresh flower centerpiece on the table, curtains stripped from the window, the rug removed, and everything spotlessly clean. In the words of Captain Jean-Luc Picard, you must "make it so"; otherwise, it might take you a very long time to sell your house and the offers to buy will not only be slower, but lower.
Clean, Clean, Clean
Your best friend when cleaning your house for resale will be tri-sodium phosphate (TSP) or its equivalent. TSP is one of the home products that top the list of must-haves, and it’s not expensive. Roll up your sleeves, put on your rubber gloves and scrub your walls and ceilings, and anything else that needs your elbow grease. Unless you can afford professional cleaners, there’s no way out of this one.
Carpet cleaning is another must and there are home products for the do-it-yourselfer or you can hire a cleaning company to take care of this job. If you have shabby rugs scattered throughout the house, forget cleaning them; it’s probably better to remove them altogether.
There are home products to clean things that require special care – ceramic tile, porcelain, stainless steel, wood cabinets, aluminum siding, etc., and you can find whatever you need at your neighborhood hardware store. Ask questions and read labels. When using commercial cleaning products, wear gloves and a mask. It’s wise to be careful.
Paint for a Pristine Finish
As thorough as your cleaning job is, it won’t have much impact on sagging, faded wallpaper, gouges in the walls, or cracked and peeling paint. Repainting is the solution, and interior painting jobs start with stripping off old wallpaper, attacking cracks and gouges with filler, and then getting to work with your roller and brush. This is also the time to do all the small repairs that need your attention: hammer in nails; repair the broken step; replace the broken glass.
When selecting paint, the best colors for your walls and ceilings are white, off-white, cream, creamy off-white – you get the picture. A light, cool, neutral color can fit into everyone’s decorating scheme. (You want that young couple to see your home as the perfect setting for their red plush love seats.) If you have recently painted one or more rooms in quite dramatic colors, leave them as they are. As long as the walls and trim are clean and fresh, prospective buyers won’t mind a bit of repainting if they want to change the colors – the main thing is not to overwhelm them.
If you need to paint the outside of your house, it’s not necessary to restrict yourself to neutral colors for exterior paint; however, a bright color is not a good choice. Something fairly subdued is better, but be creative when painting the front door; a dramatic touch might be needed to make your house memorable. It’s easy for a buyer to repaint a door if he or she doesn’t share your love of Christmas red or purple passion.
Remove the Clutter
It’s time to say goodbye to your high school chemistry notes, the clothes you outgrew five years ago, the playpen your twelve-year-old no longer needs, and everything else your family will never use again, read again, or wear again. Be tough! Do it! Take it to the dump; hold a garage sale; donate it to your favorite charity. Don’t let it take up any more of your storage space – you’re going to need it all to store the things that are currently stacked on shelves and floors and cluttering up counter tops throughout the house.
Important home products that can help you deal with this part of your preparation are closet organizers. They come in every size and style imaginable, and you are sure to find something suitable. When you have everything neatly stored in your closets and cupboards, walk through the house and pick up and put out of sight everything else on your counters and table tops that don’t need to be there. "Clutter-free" means clutter-free and it won’t kill anyone in the family to have to reach under the counter for the dishwashing detergent or the toothpaste for the next few days or weeks.
You probably don’t think of furniture as "clutter," but clutter is anything that unnecessarily crowds a room, a doorway, or a hall. If your home has very small rooms and you can manage without some furniture items for awhile, arrange to use a friend’s garage or basement to store them. It will "open up" the rooms and make your house appear larger and brighter, and that’s a good thing.
Let There be Light
Sunlight is a friend to the house seller, and you should try and let as much of it into the house as you can. Wash windows inside and out and wash or dryclean the window coverings: curtains, drapes, and blinds. Before showing the house to a prospective buyer, replace burned-out light bulbs, turn on the lights, open the windows, lift the blinds, and pull back the drapes.
Final Touches
Ask a non-smoking, non-pet-owning friend to come into your house when you have finished cleaning and painting. Are all the pet odors and smoking odors gone? If the house passes the sniff-test, place some potpourri in open dishes to add a fresh, clean scent; otherwise, get back to work.
Finally, step outside and see what a prospective buyer’s first impression of your yard is likely to be. Mow the lawn, trim the hedges and bushes, weed the garden, edge the flowerbeds, and sweep and clean the walkway, deck, or patio. Your yard is another selling feature of your house, and must be clean and tidy, too.
Home products can help make your house appear big, bright, clean, and ready for a prospective buyer to move right in, which is exactly what you want.
When considering these questions, it’s good to remember that most prospective home buyers are an unimaginative lot. Your house may be immaculate but if the rooms are cluttered, crowded, and dark, they may appear to be less clean and much smaller than they really are. Picture this: an old, seven-piece mahogany dining room suite plus a rocking chair and seven boxes of books packed in anticipation of your move are wedged into a dark green room with a brown rug and a window covered by heavy velvet drapes. Why is this decorating scheme a mistake? It’s because most people are unable to imagine how big and beautiful the room would look if painted off-white, everything removed but the dining room suite, a pastel tablecloth and a fresh flower centerpiece on the table, curtains stripped from the window, the rug removed, and everything spotlessly clean. In the words of Captain Jean-Luc Picard, you must "make it so"; otherwise, it might take you a very long time to sell your house and the offers to buy will not only be slower, but lower.
Clean, Clean, Clean
Your best friend when cleaning your house for resale will be tri-sodium phosphate (TSP) or its equivalent. TSP is one of the home products that top the list of must-haves, and it’s not expensive. Roll up your sleeves, put on your rubber gloves and scrub your walls and ceilings, and anything else that needs your elbow grease. Unless you can afford professional cleaners, there’s no way out of this one.
Carpet cleaning is another must and there are home products for the do-it-yourselfer or you can hire a cleaning company to take care of this job. If you have shabby rugs scattered throughout the house, forget cleaning them; it’s probably better to remove them altogether.
There are home products to clean things that require special care – ceramic tile, porcelain, stainless steel, wood cabinets, aluminum siding, etc., and you can find whatever you need at your neighborhood hardware store. Ask questions and read labels. When using commercial cleaning products, wear gloves and a mask. It’s wise to be careful.
Paint for a Pristine Finish
As thorough as your cleaning job is, it won’t have much impact on sagging, faded wallpaper, gouges in the walls, or cracked and peeling paint. Repainting is the solution, and interior painting jobs start with stripping off old wallpaper, attacking cracks and gouges with filler, and then getting to work with your roller and brush. This is also the time to do all the small repairs that need your attention: hammer in nails; repair the broken step; replace the broken glass.
When selecting paint, the best colors for your walls and ceilings are white, off-white, cream, creamy off-white – you get the picture. A light, cool, neutral color can fit into everyone’s decorating scheme. (You want that young couple to see your home as the perfect setting for their red plush love seats.) If you have recently painted one or more rooms in quite dramatic colors, leave them as they are. As long as the walls and trim are clean and fresh, prospective buyers won’t mind a bit of repainting if they want to change the colors – the main thing is not to overwhelm them.
If you need to paint the outside of your house, it’s not necessary to restrict yourself to neutral colors for exterior paint; however, a bright color is not a good choice. Something fairly subdued is better, but be creative when painting the front door; a dramatic touch might be needed to make your house memorable. It’s easy for a buyer to repaint a door if he or she doesn’t share your love of Christmas red or purple passion.
Remove the Clutter
It’s time to say goodbye to your high school chemistry notes, the clothes you outgrew five years ago, the playpen your twelve-year-old no longer needs, and everything else your family will never use again, read again, or wear again. Be tough! Do it! Take it to the dump; hold a garage sale; donate it to your favorite charity. Don’t let it take up any more of your storage space – you’re going to need it all to store the things that are currently stacked on shelves and floors and cluttering up counter tops throughout the house.
Important home products that can help you deal with this part of your preparation are closet organizers. They come in every size and style imaginable, and you are sure to find something suitable. When you have everything neatly stored in your closets and cupboards, walk through the house and pick up and put out of sight everything else on your counters and table tops that don’t need to be there. "Clutter-free" means clutter-free and it won’t kill anyone in the family to have to reach under the counter for the dishwashing detergent or the toothpaste for the next few days or weeks.
You probably don’t think of furniture as "clutter," but clutter is anything that unnecessarily crowds a room, a doorway, or a hall. If your home has very small rooms and you can manage without some furniture items for awhile, arrange to use a friend’s garage or basement to store them. It will "open up" the rooms and make your house appear larger and brighter, and that’s a good thing.
Let There be Light
Sunlight is a friend to the house seller, and you should try and let as much of it into the house as you can. Wash windows inside and out and wash or dryclean the window coverings: curtains, drapes, and blinds. Before showing the house to a prospective buyer, replace burned-out light bulbs, turn on the lights, open the windows, lift the blinds, and pull back the drapes.
Final Touches
Ask a non-smoking, non-pet-owning friend to come into your house when you have finished cleaning and painting. Are all the pet odors and smoking odors gone? If the house passes the sniff-test, place some potpourri in open dishes to add a fresh, clean scent; otherwise, get back to work.
Finally, step outside and see what a prospective buyer’s first impression of your yard is likely to be. Mow the lawn, trim the hedges and bushes, weed the garden, edge the flowerbeds, and sweep and clean the walkway, deck, or patio. Your yard is another selling feature of your house, and must be clean and tidy, too.
Home products can help make your house appear big, bright, clean, and ready for a prospective buyer to move right in, which is exactly what you want.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are going to take up the most visual space. They are eye level, and they hold everything that people are looking for (except cold food and drinks). They are the elephant in the room. Every cabinet remodel is a project in either attracting the best attention to your cabinets (because who wants their eyes caught by ugly cabinetry?), or to downplay the cabinetry with some softer colors in order to highlight some great countertops like granite, brushed steel, or butcher block.
So the real question becomes do you want to highlight or tone down?
Highlighting Your Cabinets
The best idea is to have your kitchen cabinet remodeling project one of function from the beginning. What good are sharp looking cabinets if they are constantly falling apart or aren't big enough for your dishes?
So first things first. When you are shopping for cabinets (particularly wall cabinets), take a dish with you so that you can show your cabinetmaker the exact depth that you need. If you have old cabinetry that you are looking to spruce up, just make sure that the structure of the cabinets is in solid shape.
Hardware and Doors
The two things that people are going to be looking at, with respect to your cabinet remodel, are the hardware and the doors. No one is going to be eyeballing the sides, the insides, the kickplates, or the backs. The doors are where most of the cabinet budget will settle, especially with wood cabinets.
To get your cabinets to be eye catching, they need to either be darker or brighter than the walls behind them and the counters. Most people choose to have a dark stain on their wood to draw the attention. However, lighter-colored woods, like maple, can also stand out without having such a dark feel to the room. If you have painted cabinets, then the same theory still applies. Use brighter colors that will pop out from the color of the walls and appliances.
Hardware. This is can one of the most deceptive areas of hidden costs for cabinet remodels. Good hardware isn't cheap, and if you want your kitchen cabinet remodeling to be high end, then you need to get the right hardware to go with it. Research the market and cabinet stores for what is out there to determine what you like. If you can't find what you like, you can have your cabinet pulls custom made. Remember, the price goes up for the cabinet remodel, but then again nobody else will have hardware quite like yours.
Downplaying the Cabinets
If you are particularly excited about the kind of counters that you are going to get, and you don't want the cabinets hogging all the attention, using a smart design scheme will tone down the cabinets while still giving you enough cabinet space.
Paint is Better than Stain. If you want your cabinets to ease back into the wallpaper, then it is best to have painted cabinets. I know, I know, everyone loves the look of stain, but paint is no less classy. If you go with a closed grain wood species, like maple or cherry, then the paint will be flat and smooth, giving the cabinet doors a very clean appearance.
To downplay the cabinets, paint them the color of the walls or close to the color. Whites and pastels really help to draw the cabinets back out of dominance and allow your flooring or counters to have all the glory.
Hardware. Here you might consider having painted pulls that are fairly unobtrusive. Small circle pulls or longer pulls that run up and down with the side of the cabinet doors are best. However, if you don't like the look of painted pulls, there are literally hundreds of options for subdued hardware. The best idea is to test out a few different models. Tape one to your cabinets, walk out of the room, and then back in and see if it grabs your eye. If so, take them down; if not, you're good to go.
Also, cabinet hardware can also be used as a nice tie-in between the counters and the cabinets, no matter which one you are trying to show off.
So the real question becomes do you want to highlight or tone down?
Highlighting Your Cabinets
The best idea is to have your kitchen cabinet remodeling project one of function from the beginning. What good are sharp looking cabinets if they are constantly falling apart or aren't big enough for your dishes?
So first things first. When you are shopping for cabinets (particularly wall cabinets), take a dish with you so that you can show your cabinetmaker the exact depth that you need. If you have old cabinetry that you are looking to spruce up, just make sure that the structure of the cabinets is in solid shape.
Hardware and Doors
The two things that people are going to be looking at, with respect to your cabinet remodel, are the hardware and the doors. No one is going to be eyeballing the sides, the insides, the kickplates, or the backs. The doors are where most of the cabinet budget will settle, especially with wood cabinets.
To get your cabinets to be eye catching, they need to either be darker or brighter than the walls behind them and the counters. Most people choose to have a dark stain on their wood to draw the attention. However, lighter-colored woods, like maple, can also stand out without having such a dark feel to the room. If you have painted cabinets, then the same theory still applies. Use brighter colors that will pop out from the color of the walls and appliances.
Hardware. This is can one of the most deceptive areas of hidden costs for cabinet remodels. Good hardware isn't cheap, and if you want your kitchen cabinet remodeling to be high end, then you need to get the right hardware to go with it. Research the market and cabinet stores for what is out there to determine what you like. If you can't find what you like, you can have your cabinet pulls custom made. Remember, the price goes up for the cabinet remodel, but then again nobody else will have hardware quite like yours.
Downplaying the Cabinets
If you are particularly excited about the kind of counters that you are going to get, and you don't want the cabinets hogging all the attention, using a smart design scheme will tone down the cabinets while still giving you enough cabinet space.
Paint is Better than Stain. If you want your cabinets to ease back into the wallpaper, then it is best to have painted cabinets. I know, I know, everyone loves the look of stain, but paint is no less classy. If you go with a closed grain wood species, like maple or cherry, then the paint will be flat and smooth, giving the cabinet doors a very clean appearance.
To downplay the cabinets, paint them the color of the walls or close to the color. Whites and pastels really help to draw the cabinets back out of dominance and allow your flooring or counters to have all the glory.
Hardware. Here you might consider having painted pulls that are fairly unobtrusive. Small circle pulls or longer pulls that run up and down with the side of the cabinet doors are best. However, if you don't like the look of painted pulls, there are literally hundreds of options for subdued hardware. The best idea is to test out a few different models. Tape one to your cabinets, walk out of the room, and then back in and see if it grabs your eye. If so, take them down; if not, you're good to go.
Also, cabinet hardware can also be used as a nice tie-in between the counters and the cabinets, no matter which one you are trying to show off.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Spruce Up Your Home to Sell
Anyone forced to move out of a home faces a challenge: How do you get the best price for your humble abode, especially when buyers can be pickier than a diva in a shoe store?
To make your home seem more attractive than all the rest, consider, well, making it seem more attractive than all the rest. The experts call this "staging." You can hire a professional to do the job for you, or you can do much of the work yourself.
If you have a few good friends (who doesn't?) and a couple of free weekends, you can make major improvements without shelling out a lot of money. Think of it as one of those home-and-garden television shows -- just without the chummy banter among thin, well-dressed designers.
Start with some criticism
Start by asking particularly opinionated friends to come over and walk through the house as though they were potential buyers. Ask them to point out anything that might turn off a house shopper. Don't take their comments personally. Everyone who comes to look at your home will walk through a critic. Better to hear the bad news now than suffer the consequences by settling for a lower price, or watching your house sit on the market too long.
With your friends' list of complaints in hand, tackle the job. Next, get rid of clutter. We all have it, and we get used to looking at it. It's time to banish it. Think in terms of making your home look like the picture-perfect rooms in those glossy magazines. What makes them so alluring? To begin with, your husband's shoes aren't strewn all over the floor, and the dining room's not piled high with junk mail and dusty knick-knacks.
Empty it out
Remove things that overwhelm visitors with your personality. We know your collection of porcelain dalmatian dogs is charming, but it may interfere with buyers' efforts to imagine themselves living in the house. Along these lines, experts recommend removing all your family photos. It's my humble opinion that one or two well-placed snapshots give the warm impression that your home made your family happy, and that it can do the same for others.
Consider removing some furniture if your house is stuffed to the gills. To keep costs low, resist the urge to put everything in self-storage. Give away or sell anything you know you won't use in your new home. Don't pile it all into the basement or into a closet. Buyers will look in your closets, your kitchen cabinets, your garage, your basement, and probably even your underwear drawer. Almost nothing's off limits.
Scrub-a-dub-dub
Then, clean. Clean like you've never cleaned before. Pretend Martha Stewart and your mother-in-law will stop by at the same time to inspect for cobwebs in the corners, dust on the mini-blinds, and streaks on the windows. Your potential buyers will consider your house well-maintained if it looks sparkling. Even old kitchens and bathrooms can look newer if they're scrubbed to a shine.
Also go through your home with a bloodhound's nose. Now is the time to eliminate the musty odor in the bathroom and eradicate any scent suggesting that Misty the cat likes to hang out in the basement. I recently found myself charmed by a house for sale in my neighborhood, for no other good reason than the scent of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies hanging in the air.
Freshen it up
If you've been to many local open houses, you've probably realized that first impressions count, and that means your front yard and front door should be inviting. Even if you don't have a green thumb, planting a few colorful annuals can cheer up an entrance. (Just pull them out if you can't keep them looking healthy.)
Anything, including the front door, can look fresher with a new coat of paint. Even urbane city dwellers who know a screwdriver only as a drink with orange juice can usually manage to paint. If you're not that handy, this can be one of the less expensive jobs for a professional. Make your priority any room that has decor you can date. Take note if your opinionated friends say something like, "That's so mid-1980s country kitchen."
Now is also the time to fix all the "quirks" that make your house your home. Fix the leaky faucets and running toilets, the broken stair rail, the loose doorknobs, and all the other little things that buyers won't want to do themselves.
Watch your budget
Like many household improvements, this one can get expensive quickly if you let it. Before you know it, you could be thinking about buying that new sofa you've been eyeing, or upgrading all of your kitchen appliances.
But remember -- you don't want to spend all your potential profits. Don't get carried away if you don't want to spend a lot of money on this project. Put some elbow grease into the job -- by cleaning and getting rid of clutter -- before you start the projects that cost you money. Then set a budget, and do whatever gives you the most bang for your buck. Put painting and repair jobs for obvious problems at the top of the list. Flip through some of those glossy magazines for inspiration.
Staging is not glamorous work, but sprucing up your home can mean a faster sale -- and a heftier selling price.
To make your home seem more attractive than all the rest, consider, well, making it seem more attractive than all the rest. The experts call this "staging." You can hire a professional to do the job for you, or you can do much of the work yourself.
If you have a few good friends (who doesn't?) and a couple of free weekends, you can make major improvements without shelling out a lot of money. Think of it as one of those home-and-garden television shows -- just without the chummy banter among thin, well-dressed designers.
Start with some criticism
Start by asking particularly opinionated friends to come over and walk through the house as though they were potential buyers. Ask them to point out anything that might turn off a house shopper. Don't take their comments personally. Everyone who comes to look at your home will walk through a critic. Better to hear the bad news now than suffer the consequences by settling for a lower price, or watching your house sit on the market too long.
With your friends' list of complaints in hand, tackle the job. Next, get rid of clutter. We all have it, and we get used to looking at it. It's time to banish it. Think in terms of making your home look like the picture-perfect rooms in those glossy magazines. What makes them so alluring? To begin with, your husband's shoes aren't strewn all over the floor, and the dining room's not piled high with junk mail and dusty knick-knacks.
Empty it out
Remove things that overwhelm visitors with your personality. We know your collection of porcelain dalmatian dogs is charming, but it may interfere with buyers' efforts to imagine themselves living in the house. Along these lines, experts recommend removing all your family photos. It's my humble opinion that one or two well-placed snapshots give the warm impression that your home made your family happy, and that it can do the same for others.
Consider removing some furniture if your house is stuffed to the gills. To keep costs low, resist the urge to put everything in self-storage. Give away or sell anything you know you won't use in your new home. Don't pile it all into the basement or into a closet. Buyers will look in your closets, your kitchen cabinets, your garage, your basement, and probably even your underwear drawer. Almost nothing's off limits.
Scrub-a-dub-dub
Then, clean. Clean like you've never cleaned before. Pretend Martha Stewart and your mother-in-law will stop by at the same time to inspect for cobwebs in the corners, dust on the mini-blinds, and streaks on the windows. Your potential buyers will consider your house well-maintained if it looks sparkling. Even old kitchens and bathrooms can look newer if they're scrubbed to a shine.
Also go through your home with a bloodhound's nose. Now is the time to eliminate the musty odor in the bathroom and eradicate any scent suggesting that Misty the cat likes to hang out in the basement. I recently found myself charmed by a house for sale in my neighborhood, for no other good reason than the scent of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies hanging in the air.
Freshen it up
If you've been to many local open houses, you've probably realized that first impressions count, and that means your front yard and front door should be inviting. Even if you don't have a green thumb, planting a few colorful annuals can cheer up an entrance. (Just pull them out if you can't keep them looking healthy.)
Anything, including the front door, can look fresher with a new coat of paint. Even urbane city dwellers who know a screwdriver only as a drink with orange juice can usually manage to paint. If you're not that handy, this can be one of the less expensive jobs for a professional. Make your priority any room that has decor you can date. Take note if your opinionated friends say something like, "That's so mid-1980s country kitchen."
Now is also the time to fix all the "quirks" that make your house your home. Fix the leaky faucets and running toilets, the broken stair rail, the loose doorknobs, and all the other little things that buyers won't want to do themselves.
Watch your budget
Like many household improvements, this one can get expensive quickly if you let it. Before you know it, you could be thinking about buying that new sofa you've been eyeing, or upgrading all of your kitchen appliances.
But remember -- you don't want to spend all your potential profits. Don't get carried away if you don't want to spend a lot of money on this project. Put some elbow grease into the job -- by cleaning and getting rid of clutter -- before you start the projects that cost you money. Then set a budget, and do whatever gives you the most bang for your buck. Put painting and repair jobs for obvious problems at the top of the list. Flip through some of those glossy magazines for inspiration.
Staging is not glamorous work, but sprucing up your home can mean a faster sale -- and a heftier selling price.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Wrought Iron Gates
Wrought Iron Gates are the Ultimate in Stylish – And Can Definitely Improve the Look of Any Home
In a world full of chain link and wooden fences, wrought iron gates are a great hiatus from the ordinary and can make your home look many times more attractive than it may already be. Furthermore, unlike other types of gates, wrought iron gates can be used in nearly any setting, from encircling your home to fencing off your pool from accenting certain areas of your front or back yard.
Wrought iron gates can even be combined with other types of materials, including brass for accent, and can be mixed with nearly any type of wall for a regal look. As driveway gates and garden gates, wrought iron performs as an excellent product which will give you both a high class look as well as an incredibly durable product which will last for years without any major problems.
If you wish to accent your standard wrought iron gates, there are plenty of products to allow you to do so. First and foremost, for just pennies you can purchase a huge variety of different gate latches, hinges and handles to make your gate look as good as it possibly can. These are relatively cheap products and can range from the simple to the highly complex, depending on how much security you want and what type of style you are looking for. Alternatively, if you have iron gates secluding your home from the street, you can purchase an automatic gate opener so you do not have to open your gate by hand each time you want to come or go from your home.
Aside from all of the add-on parts you can purchase for your wrought iron gates, you will also find that you can replace a standard set of gates with some professional crafted works of art. Many up and coming metal sculptors work with wrought iron as one of their canvases, allowing them to create superb designs with their artful techniques. Melding wrought iron with brass allows some of these professional artisans to create some mind blowing gates which you would expect to cost tens of thousands of dollars but can actually be purchased for relatively cheap prices. So, if you are into high style for any home’s look, then check out handcrafted iron gates.
In a world full of chain link and wooden fences, wrought iron gates are a great hiatus from the ordinary and can make your home look many times more attractive than it may already be. Furthermore, unlike other types of gates, wrought iron gates can be used in nearly any setting, from encircling your home to fencing off your pool from accenting certain areas of your front or back yard.
Wrought iron gates can even be combined with other types of materials, including brass for accent, and can be mixed with nearly any type of wall for a regal look. As driveway gates and garden gates, wrought iron performs as an excellent product which will give you both a high class look as well as an incredibly durable product which will last for years without any major problems.
If you wish to accent your standard wrought iron gates, there are plenty of products to allow you to do so. First and foremost, for just pennies you can purchase a huge variety of different gate latches, hinges and handles to make your gate look as good as it possibly can. These are relatively cheap products and can range from the simple to the highly complex, depending on how much security you want and what type of style you are looking for. Alternatively, if you have iron gates secluding your home from the street, you can purchase an automatic gate opener so you do not have to open your gate by hand each time you want to come or go from your home.
Aside from all of the add-on parts you can purchase for your wrought iron gates, you will also find that you can replace a standard set of gates with some professional crafted works of art. Many up and coming metal sculptors work with wrought iron as one of their canvases, allowing them to create superb designs with their artful techniques. Melding wrought iron with brass allows some of these professional artisans to create some mind blowing gates which you would expect to cost tens of thousands of dollars but can actually be purchased for relatively cheap prices. So, if you are into high style for any home’s look, then check out handcrafted iron gates.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Wall Paper Removal
Whether you plan to repaper or to paint, you need to get rid of the old wallpaper. Here are some helpful ways to remove the paper and the paste.
Removal Methods
Materials:
Drop cloths to cover floor
Ladder
Safety goggles
Crowbar
Wallpaper scorer
Wallpaper steamer
Protective gloves
Chemical wallpaper stripper
Wallpaper scraper
First use a crowbar to remove any corner or doorway trim. Then proceed to the wallpaper-removal phase of the project.
Run the Paper Tiger lightly over the wall to score the paper, not the wall surface itself.
Scoring
In order to allow chemical stripper or steam (the choice of method is up to you) to saturate the wallpaper, you must first score it with a special tool called a Paper Tiger. The tool is used in a circular motion (be careful not to press too hard, as too much pressure can score the wall as well as the paper.) Then apply the technique you have chosen.
Wallpaper Removal
After the paper has been scored, use one of the following methods to remove it from the walls:
Chemical stripper: Be sure to wear protective gloves whenever using a chemical product. Spray the wall with a chemical stripper, which will dissolve the glue under the paper. Let the chemical soak in for about 15-20 minutes, and then use a wallpaper scraper to remove paper.
Steaming: A wallpaper steamer can be rented at any home-improvement store. First cover the floor with drop cloths. Fill the steamer unit with hot water and wait about 30 minutes. Place the steamer on the surface of the wallpaper and hold while the steam dissolves the glue (figure A). Then use a wallpaper scraper to scrape off the wet paper.
Tip: Using a steamer is effective, but the device tends to drip hot water, so be sure to wear rubber gloves.
Removing Wallpaper
Materials:
plastic sheeting to tape to the shoe molding to cover the floor
spray bottle
putty knife or thin scraper
good sponge
small bucket
trash can
Removing Wallpaper
* Removing wallpaper is one of those home improvement jobs that can get a little messy, but it is not as difficult as it appears. The first thing you want to do is lay plastic on the floor.
* Your local home improvement store will have a device called a wall paper scorer. It has little teeth (figure A) that dig into the paper and allow the water to seep behind the paper and help dissolve the glue. Depending on the texture of the paper, sometimes you will need the help that this can provide, but use it with caution because if you apply too much pressure on it you will have teeth marks all over your wall. Either way, you will want the paper to get saturated with the solvent and the paper will begin to peel away. You can help coax it by using the putty knife.
* You need to cover any outlets that are exposed with plastic and tape. But, all-in-all you shouldn't drench the walls that much.
* You cannot pull the paper directly from the wall. You need to coax it by spraying the paper with a mixture of vinegar and water. You use two parts vinegar and four parts water. Spray or sponge the vinegar solution on the wall. Work one section at a time. Depending on the age of the paper, you may need to wait about ten minutes.
* Using a 2" putty knife gently ease back a corner of the paper (figure B), slowly peel away the paper with your fingers while pushing the putty knife along the wall behind the paper. Depending on the direction you begin, you will be able to gradually roll the paper up or down the wall in one large sheet as you proceed.
* A bucket comes in handy because you will need to give the un-papered wall a clean wipe.
Spray the wall again with the water/vinegar mixture. This will remove any residue of glue that has stuck to the wall. Although you may not see the residue now, it will dry to the wall and create a texture you will be able to see if you are planning on repainting.
Painting Over Wallpaper
Change the look of a room with outdated wallpaper by simply painting over it. Two coats of stain-killing paint, followed by a top coat in your desired color, allow you to skip the messy job of stripping the old wallpaper. Note that painting over is suitable only for wallpaper that's in good condition and securely in place.
Materials:
Stain-killing paint
Interior wall paint in desired color
Paint roller
Fine emery board
Strong glue to repair loose seams
1. Prepare the wallpaper for painting by securely gluing down loose edges. Wallpaper with holes and peeling patches can't be painted over, but if the wallpaper's secure except for a few loose edges at the seams, seal each seam with a very strong glue and press down securely.
2. Apply two coats of stain-killing paint to completely cover the wallpaper pattern. Let dry between coats.
3. If the wallpaper seam is visible after two coats of paint, lightly file the seam smooth with a very fine emery board.
4. Apply the top coat of paint. Our top coat of yellow paint shows no hint of the wallpaper pattern beneath.
Removal Methods
Materials:
Drop cloths to cover floor
Ladder
Safety goggles
Crowbar
Wallpaper scorer
Wallpaper steamer
Protective gloves
Chemical wallpaper stripper
Wallpaper scraper
First use a crowbar to remove any corner or doorway trim. Then proceed to the wallpaper-removal phase of the project.
Run the Paper Tiger lightly over the wall to score the paper, not the wall surface itself.
Scoring
In order to allow chemical stripper or steam (the choice of method is up to you) to saturate the wallpaper, you must first score it with a special tool called a Paper Tiger. The tool is used in a circular motion (be careful not to press too hard, as too much pressure can score the wall as well as the paper.) Then apply the technique you have chosen.
Wallpaper Removal
After the paper has been scored, use one of the following methods to remove it from the walls:
Chemical stripper: Be sure to wear protective gloves whenever using a chemical product. Spray the wall with a chemical stripper, which will dissolve the glue under the paper. Let the chemical soak in for about 15-20 minutes, and then use a wallpaper scraper to remove paper.
Steaming: A wallpaper steamer can be rented at any home-improvement store. First cover the floor with drop cloths. Fill the steamer unit with hot water and wait about 30 minutes. Place the steamer on the surface of the wallpaper and hold while the steam dissolves the glue (figure A). Then use a wallpaper scraper to scrape off the wet paper.
Tip: Using a steamer is effective, but the device tends to drip hot water, so be sure to wear rubber gloves.
Removing Wallpaper
Materials:
plastic sheeting to tape to the shoe molding to cover the floor
spray bottle
putty knife or thin scraper
good sponge
small bucket
trash can
Removing Wallpaper
* Removing wallpaper is one of those home improvement jobs that can get a little messy, but it is not as difficult as it appears. The first thing you want to do is lay plastic on the floor.
* Your local home improvement store will have a device called a wall paper scorer. It has little teeth (figure A) that dig into the paper and allow the water to seep behind the paper and help dissolve the glue. Depending on the texture of the paper, sometimes you will need the help that this can provide, but use it with caution because if you apply too much pressure on it you will have teeth marks all over your wall. Either way, you will want the paper to get saturated with the solvent and the paper will begin to peel away. You can help coax it by using the putty knife.
* You need to cover any outlets that are exposed with plastic and tape. But, all-in-all you shouldn't drench the walls that much.
* You cannot pull the paper directly from the wall. You need to coax it by spraying the paper with a mixture of vinegar and water. You use two parts vinegar and four parts water. Spray or sponge the vinegar solution on the wall. Work one section at a time. Depending on the age of the paper, you may need to wait about ten minutes.
* Using a 2" putty knife gently ease back a corner of the paper (figure B), slowly peel away the paper with your fingers while pushing the putty knife along the wall behind the paper. Depending on the direction you begin, you will be able to gradually roll the paper up or down the wall in one large sheet as you proceed.
* A bucket comes in handy because you will need to give the un-papered wall a clean wipe.
Spray the wall again with the water/vinegar mixture. This will remove any residue of glue that has stuck to the wall. Although you may not see the residue now, it will dry to the wall and create a texture you will be able to see if you are planning on repainting.
Painting Over Wallpaper
Change the look of a room with outdated wallpaper by simply painting over it. Two coats of stain-killing paint, followed by a top coat in your desired color, allow you to skip the messy job of stripping the old wallpaper. Note that painting over is suitable only for wallpaper that's in good condition and securely in place.
Materials:
Stain-killing paint
Interior wall paint in desired color
Paint roller
Fine emery board
Strong glue to repair loose seams
1. Prepare the wallpaper for painting by securely gluing down loose edges. Wallpaper with holes and peeling patches can't be painted over, but if the wallpaper's secure except for a few loose edges at the seams, seal each seam with a very strong glue and press down securely.
2. Apply two coats of stain-killing paint to completely cover the wallpaper pattern. Let dry between coats.
3. If the wallpaper seam is visible after two coats of paint, lightly file the seam smooth with a very fine emery board.
4. Apply the top coat of paint. Our top coat of yellow paint shows no hint of the wallpaper pattern beneath.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Home Affordability Tips
So you're looking to buy a home soon or in the near future? What affordability steps should you take:
Start Saving Money:
You will need at least 5% down and another 5-6% of the home purchase price for closing costs.
Maintain Good Debt Ratios:
It's called the 28/36 rule - it measures the amount of total debt-to-income that lenders will approve. The higher the ratio, the less likely you will be approved for best financing.
Clean Up Your Credit Report:
The higher your credit score, the lower your financing costs.
Start Saving Money:
You will need at least 5% down and another 5-6% of the home purchase price for closing costs.
Maintain Good Debt Ratios:
It's called the 28/36 rule - it measures the amount of total debt-to-income that lenders will approve. The higher the ratio, the less likely you will be approved for best financing.
Clean Up Your Credit Report:
The higher your credit score, the lower your financing costs.
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