Some Tips for Restoring Home Decor

Did you buy a vintage home only to find all of that historic charm had been whitewashed with the upgrades over the years? You are not alone; with the recent spate of flips (especially in Vallejo, downtown Suisun, etc.) many homes have lost a lot of their original character. 

Of course, no one says that you are required to retain your home’s original personality, but if you are hoping to reestablish its original glory and don’t have hours to spend on Pinterest, check out this blog for some history and inspiration!

I would actually highly encourage you to take some time to read this blog regardless. It has 100 years of home decor and whether you have a new build, or 1980’s build or something more architecturally interesting, there are a ton of ideas in here for everyone!

There are also 5 additional easy ideas for restoring your home’s heritage:

1. Wainscoting
2. Molding and Rails
3. Built-in Bookshelves
4. Bring back wood floors
5. Distress & Antique your furniture

For more information about each of these items, check out the Pacific Union blog…

Will Staging Increase Your Homes’ Value?

The short answer is a bunch of question marks.

The National Association of Realtors(R) recently released its 2015 Profile of Home Staging report.  Interestingly, more sellers’ agents believe that staging adds value (71%) than buyers’ agents (51%).

Many agents who work primarily with sellers are strong advocates of staging.  In fact, 34% of listings agents stage all homes.  44% of listings agents suggest that the seller de-clutter and fix property faults, but do not stage the home with new furniture or carpet, etc.  Only 5% of agents do not stage (which includes de-cluttering) their listings at all.

Approximately 35% of listing agents felt that a staged home increased the dollar amount that a buyer was willing to offer compared to a similar home by at least 6%.  Conversely, only 20% of buyers’ agents felt that a staged home would increase the value by 6%.  All of which leads us to…

Should you stage your home? 

If the home is vacant, then it is well worth the $675 it will likely cost to stage your home.  81% of buyers’ agents say that it is easier to visualize the property as a future home.  In addition, 46% of agents say that a potential buyer is more willing to walk through a home viewed online.  Why is this key? 90% of all home searches begin online.

Price point is also important.  With a tight housing market (especially in the $250,000-$350,000 first time home buyer range), it is less important to stage your home than it is to make sure that your home is tidy and clean. Dirty dishes in the sink can be a turn-off to a potential buyer and generally are considered a bad idea. Dirty clothes belong in a hamper. Many buyers can look past clutter and eclectic furniture, but they have a harder time looking past dirt.

Living in a Project Home

According to the latest “Cool Thing” by CAR, 1 in 5 new home owners renovated their home last year. Of those, 70% were likely to have remodeled their kitchen! 

Almost half, chose to put on an addition.  My question is, does this include the overwhelming number of investors coming into South Napa County who completely gutted and then renovated, and then flipped or rented out the home?

What about you? Have you ever moved into a home and just went to town?  What’s your favorite remodeling project that you have done on your home?

 

Drag out those old board games!

As I mentioned in my post yesterday about 54 Hahnemann (listed @ $819,000 by Beth Braby w/ Terra Firma Global Partners), I absolutely loved the staging by Jodie Perry-Zimmerman. It made the home sing and it showed really well.  It’s the type of home that most of us agents absolutely love to see.  With so many cookie cutter homes on the market it was great to see a home sparkle. One of my favorite tricks that she used was to find old board games that have been turned into prints:Perhaps you’ve seen this before; I haven’t and so I found it extremely refreshing.  It provides a different kind of color and changes the overall environment. Although it’s my understanding that these “prints” can be purchased, why bother? This is a great way to repurpose the boxes from old board games while making a game room come alive with something unique. For more information about Napa Valley Home Staging, check out their website.