Many Reatlors have mixed feelings about HGTV: love it, hate it, it sets unrealistic expectations, and so forth. There is one show and designer I particularly like: Sarah Richardson from Canada. She has had a variety of house renovation series called "Sarah's House." From one of these programs comes my Quote of the Day.
Your relationship with your real estate agent shouldn't end on move-in day. Their market expertise can often guide you in renovation decisions.
Just yesterday, a client asked me for input on the potential future market value of her house post renovation, so I ran a Comparative Market Analysis for her. I welcome questions, requests for resources, and opportunity to provide input on renovation decisions from clients and friends.
How can I help you?
Showing posts with label renovation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label renovation. Show all posts
Thursday, October 9, 2014
Friday, September 26, 2014
Perfect
And the first thing they do after they move in is change it. Paint a room, swap out a light fixture, renovate the hall bath. They make it their own. And it is natural and comforting and affirming.
So don't fret over the little things when you immersed in your home search. Your new home will be perfect, and then you will make it perfect-er, and it will be yours.
Monday, August 25, 2014
Staying
A phrase I use to describe my real estate business is:
So one may wonder, "Why staying?" Well, I believe I can help people with any type of real estate decision and sometimes the best decision for them is to remain in their current home for the next 6 months or 5 years, or more. And to make that decision, they may need data on the real estate market or insights from a real estate professional who keeps tabs on real estate trends including typical buyer needs.
Let me give you a few examples. A couple months ago, my friend Anne emailed me asking about a planned addition to their home in Kensington, Maryland, an area I know well, professionally and personally. She described their second floor plans as adding two bedrooms and a hallway bathroom with just a shower and not a tub. The other full baths are one in the master bedroom on that same level, with a tub, and another on the main level of the home, also with a tub. Normally I'd say 2 tubs in a house are adequate. However, knowing this market so well, I've heard many buyers lament not having a designated kids' bathtub on the same level as their bedrooms, so I suggested if she had money and space to add the tub and shower combo. She appreciated the perspective and their addition is underway with the tub.
Mid-summer, my friend Cindy asked if I had input on how much of an addition and what features would be wise investments in their neighborhood in Bethesda, Maryland. I scheduled a time to go to her house and walk through with her as she discussed their needs and wants in a renovation including an addition. I gave her detailed input and suggestions to add to her current thinking and brought comparable sales in her neighborhood that supported the addition of square footage and the allocation of more kitchen and casual dining space.
As a last example, a client who recently bought a home wants to reconfigure and renovate the existing basement and to do so, would like to take out a Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC) loan to finance the project. Before paying the $450 for the appraisal through their lender, they wanted my Comparable Market Analysis (CMA), similar to but not officially an appraisal, with analysis of likely range of values. The good news was that with recent sales in their Kensington neighborhood, they already had built equity above their purchase price by my analysis. Of course that is not always possible nor should it be expected, but in this case, they already had data to support their purchase investment and thus the loan to add value to their home.
Contact me today with your real estate questions, even if you plan to stay in your current home for the foreseeable future.
Organized, creative, intelligent real estate solutions
whether you are buying, selling or staying.
So one may wonder, "Why staying?" Well, I believe I can help people with any type of real estate decision and sometimes the best decision for them is to remain in their current home for the next 6 months or 5 years, or more. And to make that decision, they may need data on the real estate market or insights from a real estate professional who keeps tabs on real estate trends including typical buyer needs.
Let me give you a few examples. A couple months ago, my friend Anne emailed me asking about a planned addition to their home in Kensington, Maryland, an area I know well, professionally and personally. She described their second floor plans as adding two bedrooms and a hallway bathroom with just a shower and not a tub. The other full baths are one in the master bedroom on that same level, with a tub, and another on the main level of the home, also with a tub. Normally I'd say 2 tubs in a house are adequate. However, knowing this market so well, I've heard many buyers lament not having a designated kids' bathtub on the same level as their bedrooms, so I suggested if she had money and space to add the tub and shower combo. She appreciated the perspective and their addition is underway with the tub.
Mid-summer, my friend Cindy asked if I had input on how much of an addition and what features would be wise investments in their neighborhood in Bethesda, Maryland. I scheduled a time to go to her house and walk through with her as she discussed their needs and wants in a renovation including an addition. I gave her detailed input and suggestions to add to her current thinking and brought comparable sales in her neighborhood that supported the addition of square footage and the allocation of more kitchen and casual dining space.
As a last example, a client who recently bought a home wants to reconfigure and renovate the existing basement and to do so, would like to take out a Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC) loan to finance the project. Before paying the $450 for the appraisal through their lender, they wanted my Comparable Market Analysis (CMA), similar to but not officially an appraisal, with analysis of likely range of values. The good news was that with recent sales in their Kensington neighborhood, they already had built equity above their purchase price by my analysis. Of course that is not always possible nor should it be expected, but in this case, they already had data to support their purchase investment and thus the loan to add value to their home.
Contact me today with your real estate questions, even if you plan to stay in your current home for the foreseeable future.
Thursday, April 17, 2014
Sunny Outlook
A sunny front door leads to a sunny outlook after a long, cold, snowy winter.
Something as simple as painting your front door can make all the difference in curb appeal, not to mention how you feel when you walk into your home every day.
Saturday, March 22, 2014
Black Toilets
When renovating your home, please resist the urge to install anything but a white toilet. Thank you.
Saturday, April 13, 2013
Dream Kitchens, My Kitchen
As a dedicated reader to the print versions of the Washington Post "Local Living" section on Thursdays and the "Real Estate" section on Saturdays (and yes I do still pour through the Real Estate open house ads on Sundays, in print, even though as a Realtor I have access to our local Multiple Listing Service directly), a couple weeks ago I enjoyed an article about the modern kitchen of 2013. It got me thinking about my own kitchen, aka the reason we bought our house. (OK, we actually bought our house for lots of reasons like its Tudor style, the wonderful location in the woods and close to my daughters' schools, the gorgeous original wood floors, the massive fireplaces that I adore, the laundry shoot, etc.; the kitchen was the reason we insisted on coming to the open house.) I thought the Post article was a little light on function and tilted toward style and while I love the look of my kitchen, I appreciate its layout and features even more.
Most days begin, after my first sips of coffee, with making my girls' lunches. Tucked at one end of the 7-1/2 ft center island is a shallow cabinet we call the lunch station. Note the lunch boxes, water bottles, small reusable storage containers and lunch utensils. Mealtimes are made easier by the pair of refrigerator drawers installed near the kitchen table. In these we keep beverages like milk and OJ, pop and beer, as well as bagels, bread, yogurts and sour cream.
The 36 inch, 6 burner Wolf dual-fuel stove is great for cooking, although the oven does take a while to preheat and there is only one oven space, so we did have to supplement with my beloved countertop Breville toaster convection oven (not shown). I should mention some style elements that are not as in vogue today yet I do like them personally - the dark soapstone counters (I am partial to the matte finish) and the slate backsplash. According to the Post article, rich cherry cabinets are still popular. My favorite part of our cabinetry is the convenient and ample storage it gives us. This particular set is next to the table again so we can store all our daily dishes for quick table setting and dishwasher unloading. The lower ones feature pull-out shelves too.
A buzz word in real estate today is Open Concept. Well that is two words. The previous owners who renovated the kitchen and dining room into its current configuration did eliminate one wall to create the single room and open the space to the living room. They also enhanced the pass-through to the back addition (done by the previous previous owners). We use this space as a dining room plus sun room including music space, so we enjoy hearing our fourth grader play the clarinet and love it every single time we pass food and then dirty dishes through this window.
So those are the highlights of my dream kitchen, which also happens to be our actual kitchen. Kitchens are a central and important feature of any home so buying a home with a renovated kitchen or one with hopes of renovating yourself (like some current buyer clients of mine) is something I discuss with buyers almost every day. What works well in your dream kitchen? And how can I help you find or build it?
Most days begin, after my first sips of coffee, with making my girls' lunches. Tucked at one end of the 7-1/2 ft center island is a shallow cabinet we call the lunch station. Note the lunch boxes, water bottles, small reusable storage containers and lunch utensils. Mealtimes are made easier by the pair of refrigerator drawers installed near the kitchen table. In these we keep beverages like milk and OJ, pop and beer, as well as bagels, bread, yogurts and sour cream.The 36 inch, 6 burner Wolf dual-fuel stove is great for cooking, although the oven does take a while to preheat and there is only one oven space, so we did have to supplement with my beloved countertop Breville toaster convection oven (not shown). I should mention some style elements that are not as in vogue today yet I do like them personally - the dark soapstone counters (I am partial to the matte finish) and the slate backsplash. According to the Post article, rich cherry cabinets are still popular. My favorite part of our cabinetry is the convenient and ample storage it gives us. This particular set is next to the table again so we can store all our daily dishes for quick table setting and dishwasher unloading. The lower ones feature pull-out shelves too.So those are the highlights of my dream kitchen, which also happens to be our actual kitchen. Kitchens are a central and important feature of any home so buying a home with a renovated kitchen or one with hopes of renovating yourself (like some current buyer clients of mine) is something I discuss with buyers almost every day. What works well in your dream kitchen? And how can I help you find or build it?
Friday, April 12, 2013
The Much Anticipated Living Room Sconces
I have been on a quest for living room sconces for over a year and a half. I share my story to "Keep It Real" about improvements to your home. Not all projects are a weekend success or an instant fix. I struggle with decisions just like you. And taking the time to make the right choice for your home and your family can be so rewarding that it is worth the time and effort. Well, mostly. Effort yes; time... not so much.
It all began when we bought our Bethesda home almost two years ago. We loved everything about it, except the wood thing over our massive living room fireplace. I am sure it was treasured over the years by previous owners and I respected its unique nature. It just was not for my family. So yes, we removed it. To be more accurate, at the end of September 2011, I paid my friend Pieter to take it all down including the mantel. Much to our surprise, behind that wooden facade was an archeological find of fireplace embellishments over the decades. We found a slip of paper dated 1951 back there, plus dubious wiring faintly visible on the photo on the right. And yes, those little metal electrical covers that promised of lighting to come.
Jump ahead to late January 2012 to discover minor progress on the lighting front. We hired an electrician to confirm and modernize the connection between the wires behind those plates and a switch on the wall by the front door. As a temporary solution, they crudely though safely attached two mismatched light bulbs to the wires, to validate electrical success. Running in parallel to our sconce quest was the restoration of the plaster. We'll call this phase the retro industrial look. Visitors politely tried to ignore it. But by mid-spring 2012, our plaster guy had applied 13 layers over 6 or 7 visits to reach the point where we were ready for sconce selection and painting.
I created a Pinterest board for living room sconce ideas. Friends weighed in. I vacillated between much bling, subtle oil rubbed bronze, antiqued but new fixtures, custom-made from New York City, and many in between. I narrowed in on a vintage look, to keep with the style of our 1938 Tudor. A random postcard from Artisan Lamp Company in Cleveland Park, Washington, DC, led me to dropping by their shop one evening in February 2013; yes that much time had passed. I found some I liked. I mentioned them to my loving spouse. He wondered why I had not bought them. Next time I could get there was April 4, 2013. I found an American vintage pair from the 1920s or 1930s with crystal and brass. And it only took me 8 days to get an electrician here to install them on a dimmer switch. Tah dah! I present to you the final product. Now we just need a mantel.
It all began when we bought our Bethesda home almost two years ago. We loved everything about it, except the wood thing over our massive living room fireplace. I am sure it was treasured over the years by previous owners and I respected its unique nature. It just was not for my family. So yes, we removed it. To be more accurate, at the end of September 2011, I paid my friend Pieter to take it all down including the mantel. Much to our surprise, behind that wooden facade was an archeological find of fireplace embellishments over the decades. We found a slip of paper dated 1951 back there, plus dubious wiring faintly visible on the photo on the right. And yes, those little metal electrical covers that promised of lighting to come.Jump ahead to late January 2012 to discover minor progress on the lighting front. We hired an electrician to confirm and modernize the connection between the wires behind those plates and a switch on the wall by the front door. As a temporary solution, they crudely though safely attached two mismatched light bulbs to the wires, to validate electrical success. Running in parallel to our sconce quest was the restoration of the plaster. We'll call this phase the retro industrial look. Visitors politely tried to ignore it. But by mid-spring 2012, our plaster guy had applied 13 layers over 6 or 7 visits to reach the point where we were ready for sconce selection and painting. I created a Pinterest board for living room sconce ideas. Friends weighed in. I vacillated between much bling, subtle oil rubbed bronze, antiqued but new fixtures, custom-made from New York City, and many in between. I narrowed in on a vintage look, to keep with the style of our 1938 Tudor. A random postcard from Artisan Lamp Company in Cleveland Park, Washington, DC, led me to dropping by their shop one evening in February 2013; yes that much time had passed. I found some I liked. I mentioned them to my loving spouse. He wondered why I had not bought them. Next time I could get there was April 4, 2013. I found an American vintage pair from the 1920s or 1930s with crystal and brass. And it only took me 8 days to get an electrician here to install them on a dimmer switch. Tah dah! I present to you the final product. Now we just need a mantel.Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Nesting and Investing
Buying a new home is a pricey proposition. Not only do you obviously pay and borrow for the sales price you negotiate with the seller, but there are closing costs like transfer and recordation taxes, escrow funding charges, and other loan fees and deed costs. Then you need to move your belongings, and even if you move yourself, there are costs for trucks, setting up utilities, packing materials and the like.
Once you move in, there may be features of the house you want to improve right away. You want to make this house your home, to nest. Maybe your son wants his room painted orange. And you want to remove the old carpet from the den. Perhaps you want to enhance the storage capabilities of the house (more on closet extenders in another post). And you might be like one of my recent buyer clients, who wanted to invest in increasing the energy efficiency and reliability of her home's systems.
This particular home, built in 1940, came with a creaky old oil boiler which provided both heat and hot water to the house. Basically the furnace was running year round to provide hot showers and the like; not particularly energy efficient. My buyer client, now the new homeowner, invested in a new natural gas boiler for heating and a separate gas hot water heater.
The happy homeowner anticipates her energy bills to be drastically reduced. Of course there were upfront costs to invest in future savings and energy efficiency. She shared the numbers with me:
$9,800 to remove the oil tank from the utility room, leaving more space for storage too, plus the equipment and installation of the two pieces shown on the right.
$2,125 to install a new stainless steel flue liner into the chimney stack for safe ventilation of the new gas boiler.
She also gains peace of mind with new systems, a dedicated water heater, no need for oil delivery to the house, freed up a corner in the utility room with the removal of the oil tank to provide more storage space, easier future maintenance for the modern systems, and immediate monthly savings.
She nested (the dining room in particular looks great in its lovely new shade of blue) and invested (it is a beautiful new boiler).
Once you move in, there may be features of the house you want to improve right away. You want to make this house your home, to nest. Maybe your son wants his room painted orange. And you want to remove the old carpet from the den. Perhaps you want to enhance the storage capabilities of the house (more on closet extenders in another post). And you might be like one of my recent buyer clients, who wanted to invest in increasing the energy efficiency and reliability of her home's systems.
This particular home, built in 1940, came with a creaky old oil boiler which provided both heat and hot water to the house. Basically the furnace was running year round to provide hot showers and the like; not particularly energy efficient. My buyer client, now the new homeowner, invested in a new natural gas boiler for heating and a separate gas hot water heater.The happy homeowner anticipates her energy bills to be drastically reduced. Of course there were upfront costs to invest in future savings and energy efficiency. She shared the numbers with me:
$9,800 to remove the oil tank from the utility room, leaving more space for storage too, plus the equipment and installation of the two pieces shown on the right.
$2,125 to install a new stainless steel flue liner into the chimney stack for safe ventilation of the new gas boiler.
She also gains peace of mind with new systems, a dedicated water heater, no need for oil delivery to the house, freed up a corner in the utility room with the removal of the oil tank to provide more storage space, easier future maintenance for the modern systems, and immediate monthly savings.
She nested (the dining room in particular looks great in its lovely new shade of blue) and invested (it is a beautiful new boiler).
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Taking Our Good Natured Time
Sadly, we have had bare bulbs hanging over our non-existent mantel for longer than I care to admit (think last winter). The light they emit does produce an almost blinding amount of light (dimmer to follow). We just have not had the time, or funds, or decision-making capacity to select actual sconces, buy them, and install them.
When we bought our house in Woodhaven, it included an imposing wooden mantel piece which extended to the ceiling and about 12 inches out from the stone surround. We removed it (well, my friend Pieter did) and discovered a plaster disaster plus two outlet covers. Whoo hoo - possible light!
The electricians connected the sockets to a light switch by the front door. To test the wiring, they "installed" these bulbs; everything is safe with no exposed wires. They don't even match: one, as shown, in its modern efficient glory, and the other, old-fashioned and pear-shaped.
Sometimes it takes a while to figure out what you want to do in your home. As I real estate agent, I care about these "staying" decisions as much as what you should do to prep your house for sale and how to choose the best home to buy. I thought I'd share a personal example of how I can appreciate that these types of home renovation decisions are not always easy.
I'll post later once we get the sconces, and paint, and add a mantel.
Monday, May 14, 2012
Manageable Laundry Room Reno, Adding Value and Personal Style
Without much introduction to my new blog, I want to share a small renovation project I recently completed in my home. With a manageable scope and timeline, and about $4,500, I added my personal style as well as value to my home by transforming my basement laundry room into a pleasant place. Of course I had help from my contractor, Mike, and his team. I did select and purchase all finish materials myself, though Mike supplied the behind the scenes items like the drywall, rough in plumbing and electrical, 2x4s, and so forth. My supportive husband Brian gave me the nod and the planning began.
Let me step back. We bought our now 74 year old Tudor house in the Woodhaven neighborhood of Bethesda, Maryland 20817 on April 29, 2011, so we just celebrated our one year anniversary. Though the house had undergone considerable and gorgeous renovations by the previous owners, the laundry room had been improved only by the addition of new front-load washer and dryer in 2008 and maybe the toilet was relatively new too. Oh yes, there is a toilet in our basement laundry room. But I strongly disliked the color and being in the basement without any windows, it was not the most cheerful place to make my laundry clean.
The washer and dryer were on pedestals, all the rage in laundry appliances, but being only 5'3" tall, rounding up, the tops aligned just below my shoulder and even if there had been a nice surface, folding would have been at eye level. The old wash tub with drain pipe from the washer and the leaky old faucet, exposed pipes and wires and all, contributed to the overall mood. I dreamed about shiny, happy laundry rooms. I created a Laundress Pinterest board. I coveted a new laundry room. I set a budget, scheduled the work once I got an estimate from my contractor Mike, and went shopping.
Let me step back. We bought our now 74 year old Tudor house in the Woodhaven neighborhood of Bethesda, Maryland 20817 on April 29, 2011, so we just celebrated our one year anniversary. Though the house had undergone considerable and gorgeous renovations by the previous owners, the laundry room had been improved only by the addition of new front-load washer and dryer in 2008 and maybe the toilet was relatively new too. Oh yes, there is a toilet in our basement laundry room. But I strongly disliked the color and being in the basement without any windows, it was not the most cheerful place to make my laundry clean.
A few more notes on my blog before the debrief and the reveal. Although I am reasonably handy, this is not a Do-It-Yourself blog. Certainly not an interior designer, I care about and plan to discuss room and house layout and design. This is not an "on-a-dime" super budget conscious blog, though I find bargains where I can. Tying it all together is my interest in real estate, homes and projects. More on real estate in future posts.
Welcome to our perfect new laundry room! Pretty pale yellow walls (Duron SW7123 "Yellow Beam") in eggshell finish, gorgeous "White Ice" granite counter (a remnant from Granite Works in Rockville) at comfortable folding height, bronze cabinet knobs, plenty of extra, always-appreciated storage, crisp white porcelain farm sink with stainless gooseneck pull-out faucet, all with a fresh and clean perspective!Other details....
- New flush mount electronic ballast fluorescent ceiling light fixture from Home Depot, no flicker or delay so voila, instant light!
- Under-cabinet LED light strip with switch on wall above counter plus extra outlet, say for ironing (ha)
- White painted wood cabinets from Ikea, some with glass panels and others above and below the sink with solid doors
- Under-cabinet LED light strip with switch on wall above counter plus extra outlet, say for ironing (ha)
- White painted wood cabinets from Ikea, some with glass panels and others above and below the sink with solid doors
- Crown molding to tidily conceal the wires and some pipes
- Direct drainage for washer into behind-the-wall sewer stack
- Repair the broken dryer handle, switch order of washer and dryer and side of dryer hinge for easier transfer of wet clean clothes to dryer.
For the finishing touches, I need a towel bar and a toilet paper holder, to reinforce the combo powder room and laundry room functionality. We kept the existing tile floor and just rerouted existing plumbing and electrical. I spent a little more than I probably needed to on the cabinets because I wanted the nicer wood finish with glass and the bronze cabinet knobs from Union Hardware in Bethesda were an extravagance (I'd buy online for much less in the future).
- Direct drainage for washer into behind-the-wall sewer stack
- Repair the broken dryer handle, switch order of washer and dryer and side of dryer hinge for easier transfer of wet clean clothes to dryer.
I did this project to make an everyday chore more pleasant for myself, to add some of my own personal style to my home, and to improve the value of my home, in that order.
But I am one cheerful laundress now. I'll have a smile on my face for years to come.
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