Jeff Cook Real Estate BlogRecently posted or modified blog posts by tag - Staying Show Readyhttps://www.jeffcookrealestate.com/blog/Copyright JeffCookRealEstate.com2023-03-30T13:20:02-07:00tag:jeffcookrealestate.com,2012-09-20:12726Spring Refresh: Top Storage Organization TipsAnnual spring cleaning is said to have come about due to the need to eliminate the soot and grime left over from winter from whale oil lamps or kerosene, which require coal or wood. The warmer weather that arrives with the season brings the opportunity to open up windows, air out the house, and let the soot out.
But spring isn’t just a great time to tackle all those major spring cleaning chores, it’s the perfect time to declutter your home and get more organized with these storage organization tips.
Start By Eliminating Clutter One Space at a Time
When you have an entire house to declutter and organize all at once, it can feel so overwhelming that it never gets done. Instead, start small by decluttering one space at a time, whether it’s a room, a closet, or just one door.
Commit to just 15 minutes a day if you need to, perhaps going by the rule that anything you haven’t used for more than a year should be tossed, donated, or sold.
Buy Furniture That Can Double As Storage
If you’ve got limited space, taking advantage of furniture that has built-in storage. For example, a storage bench that has a cushion on top can be the perfect place to sit or to place tired feet on. The space below can be used for extra pillows and blankets, games, toys, craft supplies, books, or anything else you want to store rather than display.
Pull-Down Racks Beneath Kitchen Cabinets
With so many spices, condiments, cookware, dishware and everything else you need in your kitchen, staying organized in this room can be challenging. Installing pull-down racks beneath cabinets is a great way to hold essentials while keeping them organized and easy to find. When you’re finished cooking, they simply swing up against the underside of the cabinet.
Storing Seasonal Clothing in Suitcases
Many people have multiple suitcases lying around that rarely get used. If you’re one of them, take advantage of that empty space inside to store your seasonal clothing. If you roll items like sweaters shirts, and pants into loose bundles, they’ll take up less room.
Closet Storage and Organization
Organizing your closet by season, color, or in any way that’s more efficient for your life can make it a lot easier to figure out what to wear every morning. But you’ll also want to maximize all your closet space, including vertical hanging space.
As most clothing doesn’t stretch all the way down to the floor when it’s hanging on the rod, install rows of rods on top of each other which doubles your hanging space. Place one as high as possible and then install another one underneath where clothes that are on the top rod end.
Instead of using floor space for your shoes, hang a shoe rack over the closet door so that you can find them more easily. You can also use valet hooks to hang clothes you plan to wear the next day or for accessories like belts, scarves, and purses.
Containers
Containers are an obvious answer for organized storage, but when you buy choose square options. Square containers are generally sturdier and can also be stacked to save space. To make it easier to find what you need, go for clear rather than opaque so that items will be visible.2022-01-30T08:20:00-07:002023-03-30T13:20:02-07:00Megan Garrelltag:jeffcookrealestate.com,2012-09-20:10149How to Make the Most of Your Home Office <img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1451/image/home_office_set_up_.jpg" width="1200" height="800" />
When we work from home having a place or space we can work in comfort while not diminishing our focus can be a challenge. For that reason, here is a short post for those working during the quarantine from home to help them max out their home office space.
Remove Unnecessary Objects
Working in a cluttered home is the first thing that needs to be resolved. Clutter is environmental noise and your environment is a reflection of what is going on in your mind. They bounce off one another, so if you want a home office where you can concentrate, optimize productivity, you need a home office that is clean, <a href="https://www.jeffcookrealestate.com/blog/top-5-organization-tips-for-your-home/" target="_blank">organized</a> and relaxing.
To that end, remove objects that don't need to be in that room. You don't have to put them far. You can simply stash them away in cupboards, drawers, or storage boxes just for the duration of the quarantine so they are within easy reach. Getting rid of clutter is actually a destressing activity and will help you feel better. It may even spur you on to clean other areas.
Shape Home Office Layout
For an efficient layout that makes effective usage of limited space and offers peace of mind in your home office, keep bulky furniture and devices _behind_ you. Unless you need the TV for work, keep that to your back as well. Even if you like background noise, keep it behind you. Objects can be distracting as it gives you something to look at and that takes attention away from what you're needing to do.
With furniture, unless you need books or files in easy reach, remove it from the room. All you really need is somewhere comfy to sit for a long while with the tools you need to commit to your work. If you need to put a pile of books down within easy reach, get a small table and put that next to your workstation but make sure t is decluttered first. Minimal movement and restricted visual contact with other objects will help keep you on task.
Making The Best Of A Cramped Situation
If you live in a small house or with others, the best way to make a home office is to keep it mobile. That will require observation and active, daily cleaning on your part and you may even find yourself having to clean and tidy up after others. This way you can make an office where you can get the most peace and quiet to maximize your productivity. It may not be ideal, but try to follow the suggestions above. You don't need to go to great efforts; just try and reduce as many distractions as possible.
Life in quarantine is not easy, but consider that it is going to be long term. This will give you plenty of time to play around with your house and furniture to create a suitable office in your home allowing you to work from home with more ease. Put the effort in now and it will pay off later.2021-03-08T06:45:00-07:002022-09-27T04:58:53-07:00Megan Garrelltag:jeffcookrealestate.com,2012-09-20:8934How to Show Your Home Last Minute<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1451/image/cleanpicture.png" width="750" height="502" alt="Cleaning for a Last Minute Home Showing" />
Let's say your real estate agent just called for a last-minute showing. Although major changes are going to require some advanced notice, it's not uncommon for a potential buyer to want to schedule a showing within a few hours. How can you possibly get ready for a showing with such short notice? Thankfully, there are a few organizational tips when selling your home that will keep you ready and in good shape for a showing at any time.
You might think you can't clean your home in an hour and get ready for a showing, but you'd be surprised! These quick-fix chores work to target the most visible parts of your home and the places that tend to attract the most mess. You can tidy up the spots that prospective buyers will see and then save the rest for another day.
Sweep the front steps and clean the glass on your front door. Setting a good first impression makes a difference so you want to give them a good first impression when they walk towards the house
Carry a laundry basket through the house to pick up any clutter. Stash the basket in a closet or somewhere out of sight where a buyer won't look at it.
Clean up trash and throw it out. Line any trash baskets with clean liners to put your house in the best appearance possible.
Put your pets away. While you may love your dogs, seeing a place with pets may not be ideal. Consider putting dogs or cats in an empty room during the showing.
Hide cords out of sight. Collect all the chargers that don't have to be plugged in and then stash them in a drawer until the showing is over.
Hang fresh towels and put out new soap. Hide your used towels and soap. New fluffy towels give a bathroom a great appearance so it's well worth doing. Get a small bin and put any makeup or other countertop items in it and stash them away.
Allow natural light to shine through the house. Open up curtains and raise the blinds during daylight hours. Place lamps in low-natural light areas so that your place looks bigger and brighter to prospective owners.
Wipe down kitchen counters. Remove any excess items to give them a clean look and wipe them down so they look great
Straighten pillows and make the beds. The bedding in both the living room and the bedrooms should look fresh and put together for a guest.
Use mild-scented candles to give your house a fresh and clean aroma without giving the potential buys a headache.
If you're just getting started in the selling process, you can check out our tips for <a href="https://www.jeffcookrealestate.com/blog/scrambling-to-sell/">simplifying your home selling process</a> and read <a href="https://www.hgtv.com/lifestyle/real-estate/10-ways-to-prep-your-home-for-sale">10 Ways to Prep Your Home for Sale</a> to stay stress-free for home showings.
Now that you have the basics down, you're ready to start welcoming potential buyers in an hour or so. At Jeff Cook Real Estate, our agents are experts in selling homes! They know exactly what buyers come to see in a home showing. Working with them will allow you to show your home in the best light possible. Still feeling stressed? Meet the <a href="https://www.jeffcookrealestate.com/blog/meet-the-sell-squad/">Sell Squad</a> for more information on how to get your home show-ready.
2020-09-09T08:25:00-07:002021-12-20T07:37:56-07:00Matt Serratotag:jeffcookrealestate.com,2012-09-20:8145Paint Colors That Can Brighten Up Your Home (And Your Mood!)<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1451/image/How_to_Apply_for_a_Home_Loan.png" width="1236" height="619" alt="Paint Colors That Can Brighten Up Your Home" />
These days, we are witnessing a pretty unusual situation in the world when almost every one of us has a little extra time that we are spending in our homes. As much as we love our warm and comfortable homes, they can sometimes become uninteresting and even boring, and this certainly has an effect on our mood. Also, a lack of obligations or a forced break from work may result in a change in mood.
The good thing is that we can put together nice and useful, and get rid of our bad mood and make some really nice changes in our homes too. We are all aware of the power of colors, how they can enrich space, and evoke pleasant emotions in us. It doesn't matter if it's about small detail or even furniture and walls, adding certain colors will certainly have great consequences.
Here are some suggestions for choosing colors and ideas that you can turn into DIY projects and have fun with your family.
Yellow
Yellow makes many people excited, energetic, and happy, and yet yellow - especially lighter shades - can cause fatigue and agitation when there are too many of it.
It has been observed to increase concentration and is therefore often used on notebooks. It is considered a cheerful and upbeat color. Anyway, in the long run, a gentle, buttery yellow is a better solution. It is easier for the eyes and has a soothing effect than the stronger yellow color. It reflects light and is perfect for dimly lit rooms, which also makes a great choice for ceiling color.
Also, if you like decoration, certain bright yellow items can have a great effect on the overall interior. Sew a pillowcase or paint a bottle and turn it into a vase, if you have children it will be especially interesting to paint together.
Red
Red is powerful and has the longest light spectrum length. It is associated with love, warmth, and comfort.
Red is also associated with passion and energy. It can raise energy levels - it is proven that it can increase blood pressure and heart rate - and is known for stimulating appetite and conversation.
If you want to paint your bedroom or living room red, look for a muted red color that has a more gentle and elegant look and it will be the best If you can choose only one or two walls to paint them red or to combine them with some other color.
Blue
Blue is considered a soothing color, but also a color of the business world. For this reason, many rooms are blue because it is a color that helps to cause a calming effect on people. It can also create a state of depression because a lot of blue is cold and sad.
Blue is one of the most popular colors. And it looks like it has the nicest choice of shades, but as with any color, it doesn't have to be too much of it. With the blue color, the space gets clear dimensions, visually looks bigger, and looks really elegant. too
Blue is a great choice for furniture, It is mostly used for chairs, armchairs, as well as for those small details like lampshades, vases, and pillows.
So, here are just a few suggestions, everything else is your choice, you can play with the colors and materials as much as you want, awake creativity in yourself and improve your home, change is always good.2020-05-07T08:19:00-07:002020-10-21T12:33:33-07:00Megan Garrelltag:jeffcookrealestate.com,2012-09-20:7023How Families With Children Can Prep Their Home for Sale Without StressingGuest Blogger: Kristin Louis
Prepping a home for sale, whether you live in Charleston or another city, can be a serious undertaking. You know you need to get and keep your home in top shape in order to help it sell faster. However, if you’re a busy parent, achieving this is no easy feat. That’s why you need some helpful tips and tricks to make preparing your home and selling it easier to manage in an already busy family routine. Be sure to keep the following in mind:
Break Down Decluttering into Manageable Tasks
When kids are in the house, staying organized can feel stressful. If you’re looking around your home and feeling overwhelmed by clutter, know that you can go <a href="https://www.thespruce.com/decluttering-your-entire-home-2648002">room by room</a> to make sorting and getting rid of items much easier on your schedule. Tackle one or two areas each weekend, using designated bins to divide household belongings into purposeful piles. You’re likely to end up with things you need to toss, things you want to keep, and things you’re not quite sure what to do with yet. For the latter, you can think about renting a storage unit so your home won’t be cluttered for showings and open houses, but it’s really best to be as decisive as possible. Using a <a href="https://www.zillow.com/blog/declutter-for-intentional-home-210492/">clutter scale</a> can help you make better decisions when clearing your home. You can also follow these <a href="https://www.jeffcookrealestate.com/blog/top-5-organization-tips-for-your-home/">organizational tips</a> to keep your home tidy.
Hire Professional Cleaners to Save More Time
If you want to sell your home, it needs a deep cleaning. That deep cleaning can take time and effort, both of which can be priceless commodities to busy parents. So instead of tackling it on your own, consider hiring a professional to do a <a href="https://www.homeadvisor.com/near-me/housekeeping-maid-services/">thorough house cleaning</a>. Having a weekly or bi-weekly cleaning session can be invaluable when you are trying to sell your home, and also trying to juggle your family’s schedule.
Devote Time and Effort to Improve Landscaping
Cleaning and decluttering the inside of your home before listing is always important, but you also need to <a href="https://www.nar.realtor/blogs/styled-staged-sold/the-5-biggest-yard-and-patio-staging-mistakes">stage the outside</a> to attract more potential buyers. So take some time to clean up your yard, trimming down any overgrown plants, trees or bushes, and also repairing or refreshing swing sets that may already be in your backyard. If you have toys or other smaller items laying about, be sure to pick those up before you start showing your home. You can also invest in some <a href="https://www.realtor.com/advice/home-improvement/8-landscaping-tricks-that-can-save-you-money/">landscaping upgrades</a>, like fresh mulch and gravel, which will get your home off the market faster without costing you a fortune. Improving the landscaping is a good way to make a good first impression on homebuyers and increase your home’s <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesrealestatecouncil/2018/04/11/curb-appeal-counts-three-steps-to-increasing-interest-in-a-property-for-sale/#213c4c263d8b">curb appeal</a>.
Have a Family Plan for Any Last-Minute Showings
With a spotless home and improved curb appeal, you’re sure to have more people dropping in to take a look at your home. While that can be good for sales, sometimes showings can come up at a moment’s notice. That can be stressful for families with children, but you can relieve that stress by being prepared with some family-friendly activities. Here <a href="https://www.charlestoncvb.com/explore/family/">in Charleston</a>, there are so many activities and adventures for families to explore. Take your kids out to visit some historical areas or enjoy some outdoor time, so you won’t be stressed or bored when you need to get out of your home quickly. You can also implement these quick cleaning and organizational tasks to <a href="https://www.jeffcookrealestate.com/blog/how-to-show-your-home-last-minute/">get your home show-ready for those last-minute showings</a>.
Listing your family’s home doesn’t have to leave you stressed about preparing it to sell. You just need to plan ahead, if possible, to check those to-dos off your list and hire help when needed. Follow these easy steps to sell your home without added stress for your family.
2019-11-11T07:01:00-07:002021-01-22T12:42:01-07:00Thomas "Jeff" Cooktag:jeffcookrealestate.com,2012-09-20:6011Decor Styles That are Proven to Attract Buyers to Your House for SaleStaging a home has a lot to do with how fast it will sell. It also affects the price of your property, and decorating your home strategically is a proven way to get the potential buyers to seal the deal much quicker. Home staging is very much like designing a stage for play – everything is well-thought-out, carefully placed, and strategically arranged. The question is – how do you set the stage for a fast and lucrative sale? Let’s take a look at the list of decor styles that will get your property picture-perfect and help you get the best price.
Make a great first impression – start with the exterior
With first impressions becoming make or break, it’s getting increasingly difficult for homeowners looking to sell their homes to get their buyers’ attention. By simply taking a glance at the house’s exterior, buyers can predict what the interior is like. Therefore, maintaining an appealing exterior is just as important as keeping the inside of your house spotless. Landscaping plays an important role in buyers’ perception of your home, so be sure to tackle minor upgrades in the area surrounding your home, and consider making smaller updates for a well maintained, cared-for appearance. Swipe your front porch, prune your shrubs, and take some time to dress up your lawn to make the outdoor space appear spick-and-span. Get a new mailbox, paint the old, dreary-looking fence, and as the perfect finishing touch – paint your front door with a playful color to make it pop.
Play it safe – stick with a neutral color scheme
A little paint goes a long way, and even by simply<a href="https://www.jeffcookrealestate.com/blog/tips-on-painting-your-homes-interior/"> treating your walls to a fresh coat of paint</a> you can easily change the look of your interiors and create the perfect backdrop for your furnishings. However, selling your home isn’t exactly the time to go crazy with the paint and use all the colors of the rainbow. According to professional home stylists, it’s best to keep your color palette simple and neutral. Whites, off-whites, and grays are the perfect shades for homeowners looking to appeal to a wide range of buyers. The reason for this lies in the fact that buyers are generally drawn to spaces they can visualize themselves living in and your job is to create a story for your home by using hues that will tie the place together, uniting all the rooms into a cohesive whole.
Picture-perfect – use effective photographs on your online listing
Presenting your property in all its glory should be high on your priority list. However, making your home look impressive on your online listing isn’t so easy. We live in the digital age, the time when all it takes is some short scanning to decide whether we’re interested, and the first few seconds’ viewing can mean deal or no deal. Think about how you can create a digital representation of your property that will attract the buyers. Roll out <a data-cke-saved-href="https://missamara.com.au/" href="https://missamara.com.au/" rel="nofollow">cozy floor rugs</a> to conjure up an image of fun family nights, and include fluffy pillows for an added feeling of comfort. Hang interesting artwork to enhance the visual interest of your living space and add plants to make it feel lively. It’s all about making your living space look charming and inviting, and sometimes that’s all it takes to make the buyers want to see more.
Kitchen and bathroom – the two rooms that deserve more attention
Not all rooms are created equal, and while there are spaces around the house to invest in, you must be wise with where you choose to save, and what you decide to splurge on. Unsurprisingly, kitchens and bathrooms are rooms that are given special attention when preparing a home for sale. But why, you might ask, should we focus on improving these two rooms in particular? It’s simple – they’re two home upgrades that return the most at resale. However, improving these two rooms doesn’t always require spending a fortune and going as far as a full kitchen and bathroom renovations. Simply <a data-cke-saved-href="https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/decorating-ideas/tips/a26156/cheap-kitchen-updates/" href="https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/decorating-ideas/tips/a26156/cheap-kitchen-updates/" rel="nofollow">bring them up to scratch</a>, polish to perfection and you’re good to go. Scruffy kitchen cabinetry? Respray it and replace old handles. Dated bathroom fixtures? Swap your old showerhead for a rain shower. Sometimes, even the simplest of changes can make all the difference.
Establish an emotional connection – add homely details
Before you put your home up for sale, there is one more thing left to do, and that is – make it feel like home. Although putting your home on the market means depersonalizing your living space, going overboard can make your house feel cold and sterile. To avoid the clinical look, be sure to add a vase of fresh flowers here and there and add a couple of throw pillows and a blanket to make it look livable. Add a couple of white, fluffy towels in the bathroom, and set the table with a centerpiece to give an impression of warmth and create a space that looks cozy and welcoming.
<br />Ensuring a quick and profitable sale is no easy task, but with a few interior design styling tricks up your sleeve, you’re sure to present your house in from all its best angles without even hiring a professional home stylist. Use the tips above to turn your home into an awe-inspiring property and <a href="https://www.jeffcookrealestate.com/blog/scrambling-to-sell/">see how quickly you can sell your home</a>.
About the author: Lilly Miller is a Sydney-based graphic designer and a passionate writer. Loves everything about home decor, art history and baking. Shares home with two loving dogs and a gecko named Rodney. You can find her on <a data-cke-saved-href="https://twitter.com/heyoitslilly?lang=en" href="https://twitter.com/heyoitslilly?lang=en" rel="nofollow">Twitter</a>.
“Poetry creates the myth, the prose writer draws his own portrait.”
- Jean - Paul Sartre2019-08-05T07:23:00-07:002021-01-21T14:39:11-07:00Cory Towler