Five easy steps to prep your home for resale!!

Five easy steps to prep your home for resale. Are you looking to sell your home? Then these 5 easy step will help you get started.

1. Clean it. Make sure your home is clean. Not just the surfaces, but all the hidden places. Buyers do 

    check out all the areas in your home, so don't assume they won't see it.

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 2. Deodorize it. Now that your home is clean, does it smell clean? Pets and cooking odors can 

     linger, so make sure it can passes the "sniff test".

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3. Fix it. Do you have cracked ceilings? Cracked tiles? Leaking faucets? Make sure you address all 

    issues.  If not, buyers will interpret this as a home that's been neglected!!  This in turn will low-

   ball their offer!! They may even walk away thinking too much work needs to be done. Don't let 

   this happen to you.

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 4. Maximize it. Square footage sells. Is your home too cramped with furniture? A good rule of 

     thumb, eliminate about 50% of non-essentials from your home. Don't forget to check you

     closets. Buyers will look for storage space.  My rule-of-thumb, nothing on the floor!!

5. Decorate it. Ok now that you've done the first 4 steps, it's time to decorate it. Buyers fall in love

    with a home that has a warm and welcoming feel to it. This is not about decorating to your taste! 

    Remember to keep it simple. Check out magazines and home stores to get inspirations. If you find 

    it difficult, hire a home stager. It's well-worth the cost!!

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Back-in-the-day, selling a home used to be easy. Call the realtor, research the competition and put a "For Sale" sign on your lawn. Not anymore. Buyers have become savvy. HGTV has educated buyers. They want a move-in-ready home. If you don't prep your home before you put it on the market, I guarantee you are just helping your competitors sell theirs!! Just think of it like detailing your car!! Consider hiring a home stager. A professional will give you an unbiased opinion of what needs to be addressed!!

At Abella Home Staging & Redesign, we believe any home can be beautifully transformed. We believe in delivering a custom-made look, but without the custom-made price tag!! Call us and let's get started today!!

  

N-Hance Wood Renewal!!

N-Hance is a revolutionary wood renewall product that is relatively new to the industry. What is it exactly? Well according to their advertising "it renews your wood cabinets and floor without dust, inconvenience and noxious fumes associated with traditional refinishing methods. In many cases, the process can be completed in just one day!" 

As a home stager and redesigner, I am always looking for options to pass along to my clients that are cost effective and not time consuming. This could very well be it. One of my clients recently had it done. The reason they chose it, is the very reason that was stated in the advertising, no mess and can be done in one day. I have  a strong feeling this will appeal to many people!!

OK, so what is it exactly? According to their advertising "Removes the dirt and grime build-up that can make wood look flat and lifeless over time. The renewal process thoroughly cleans the surface, removes old coatings, repairs damaged areas with less mess and applies an elegant finish"

It also gives you the options of three solution:

1. Basis renewal. No change of color. Has minimal wear on the wood surface. Basically your old cabinets will look new again.

   2.  Color shift. It will slightly warm the tone of the wood, leaving the beauty for the wood grain 

       in-tack.  Great for sun-faded areas. This will take 2-3 days to complete.

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   3. Color change. This is a more dramatic effect. Usually the cabinets will go from light to dark, such 

      as oak to cherry. You can shop at Home Depot Design Center  and simply select any sample 

      cabinet color and they will match it. This will totally change the look of your kitchen and will typically 

      take 3-5 days to complete.

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After

 

As you can see from these photos, very impressive. My client's kitchen is roughly 12x12 kitchen with no Island or Peninsula. I believe he is being charged around $3,000. Which in my opinion, is not bad. Cheaper then professional painting, which they were quoted a price of $4,000 and they would have to live through the smells. Refacing is probably 3x that amount!! This is a great option to offer your clients!! What do you think?

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At Abella Home Staging & Redesign, we believe any home can be beautifully transformed. We believe in delivering a custom-made look, but without the custom-made price tag!! Call us and let's get started today!!

 

Creating vignettes.

Creating vignettes isn't as hard as you may think. As a decorator and home stager, I often see my clients creating this decorating mistake I call, "ducks-in-a-row". You know, when you go to the county fair, and they have the game that lines, "ducks-in-a-row" where you shoot and win a prize? Yes that one!! I often will see that style of decorating in a client's home.  But vignettes are more about grouping then single lines! There are guidelines you can use, to help you get started.

1. Assemble. Go corral  items you want to display. See what jumps out at you.

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2. Anchor.  It's the first thing you see and it sets the tone. Anchor objects tend to be larger in scale. They can be a painting, a sculpture or even a lamp.  In this case it's the Juju hat.

3. Scale & shape. Use odd numbers when creating vignettes. Why? Because they are more harmonious and pleasing to the eye. Also, make sure all your pieces aren't the same height. So if one of you items is 2", pair it with another item that is 1". This creates variation in height, which create symmetry.  Notice the two flower arrangements? One half the size of the other.

4. Create a theme. Some of the most striking and interesting vignettes have some sort of theme through them. Themes can be color, elements - like wood or metal, or collections - like nautical. The key word here is assortment. Just remember when using collection, ex..elephants, don't use ALL you elephant pieces together. Why? Because you don't want it to look like you're in a zoo gift shop!!

5. Create depth. Place your items from back to front, instead of a straight line. Remember ducks-in-a-row? This create dimension and interest.

6. Vary the texture. Mix rough with smooth, shiny with dull, wood with iron. This will offer an array of texture.

7. Edit and admire. Take a step back and look at your work. Is it "working" for you? Something not quite right? Edit it until you feel it, "works" for you. Have fun and enjoy the process!!

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Wall paper is it making a comeback?

Is wallpaper making a comeback? Wall paper was very popular in the early 1900's but since then it has hit hard times. Just recently in the past, wallpaper was synonymous with chintz-loving grandma or high-end designers. But with the internet, homeowners are re-discovering wallpaper once again.Wallpaper can dress up a room or hide imperfections on walls. As a decorator, I love using wallpaper. And as a home stager, I have at times, recommend using paint-able wallpaper to hide the flaws on the walls. So what should you know before you go out and buy wallpaper?

• What are the cost? Retails brand can run from $25 to $250 a roll. Designers can cost up to $500 a roll.

• Should you hire a professional or do-it-yourself?  If your walls aren't plumb or the paper is high-end, you may want to consider hiring a professional. Professional charge anywhere from $30-60 a roll. Not counting the cost of the roll or the removal of old wallpaper.

Once the decision to wallpaper your room is made, the next decision is, what type of wallpaper should you use? Plain paper? Vinyl? Metallic? Non-woven? Embossed? Or Grasscloth?

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• Paper- Can be coated or non-coated. Non-coated makes stripping more difficult to remove.Usually coated with thin vinyl or acrylic film for better stain removal.

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• Vinyl- Durable sheets of rubbery plastic, laminated to paper or nonwoven backing. Stands up to scrubbing, scrapes and splashes.

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• Metallic-Metallized films and foils are laminated to either paper or nonwoven backing. Metallic can add sheen and piazza to any space but they tend to highlight flaws so be careful!

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• Embossed-Raised patterns pressed into vinyl or paper. Great at hiding flaws in the walls. Some may even be paint-able!

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  Grasscloth-This is wallpaper made of strips of real grass woven into sheets. Backed by either paper, fabric or nonwoven materials. It gives a natural element into any room. Delicate, best used in low traffic areas.

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• Non-woven- Easy to hang and strip. Made of synthetic and paper fibers glued and pressed together.

Which wallpaer can be used where?

• Kitchen- Vinyls stand up to the grease and moisture. Great for easy clean-ups.
• Bathrooms- Nonwovens and vinyls. An ideal room to use bold prints, since the room tends to be smaller it won't overwhelm the room.
• Entry Hall- Embossed vinyls, hides bumps and scuffs. And nonwoven, which are easy to remove should the wallpaper became damaged.
• Dining Room- You can use just about any wallpaper here. Use the wallpaper above a chair rail.
• Bedroom- Grasscloth is perfect for the bedroom since it is a low-traffic area. Plus it gives it a serene effect.

Now that you are armed with all this information, go out and explore the world of wallpaper and see what you can do to a room!!  And if you're not sure how to proceed, you can always hire a decorator!!

#abellahomestaging.com

Granite or Quartz? Not Sure?

Granite Vs Quartz: Which is better? We all know that granite has been all the rage for kitchens and bathrooms for some time now. But I see quartz gaining momentum and even surpassing granite. As a Interior Decorator as well as a Home Stager, I try to keep current of what's hots and what's not. And lately, I've notice a trend towards quartz. And with good reason, here why:

1. There is no need to seal quartz, you do have to seal granite (unless engineered) every year.
2. Quartz is less porous then granite, making it more resisted to bacteria.
3. Quartz, although a natural stone, it is mixed with polymers resin, making it the best of both worlds, manmade and natural.
4. Granite, unless engineered gives off gasses called radon, which has been linked to lung cancer.
5. Granite has veins which can crack or chip. Quartz does not.
6. Quartz comes in many different colors.
7. Nothing beats the look of granite natural patterns.

According to the countertop industry trends, there has been a shift from granite to quartz. As a matter of fact, quartz has seen of growth of 13% as oppose to granite 5%. More and more designers and architects are choosing quartz over granite.

So what is quartz? Quartz is a silicone dioxide and forms individual crystals, patterns and colors. Quartz is then manufactured with a mixture of 93% quartz and 7% pigments and resin. The ratio can be change, the lower the quartz material, the lower the price and quality.

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Granite for all its beauty, has flaws. Engineer granite has the flaws engineered out, just like quartz.  Quartz seems to be the better choice, unless it's engineered granite. In which case, they became equal.

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Which ever you chose, you can't really go wrong. It's just a matter of preference.

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