by Susan Gruenling on December 19, 2008
I love color…and yes even white is a color. It is truly amazing how a new paint color on the walls can transform a room. As long as you paint your own walls you get the most impact for the least amount of design doll
ars just by adding a new hue.
Beige is everywhere. Our Valley homes have been populated by a color too dark to be white and not rich enough to have another name except “builder’s beige”. It covers every square in every room of the home; no accent walls, no interesting color in the bedroom or kitchen, just every wall the same. As Realtors, we see it everywhere. I know it’s safe and it’s easy. Sorry folks, but I’m just not a big fan.
There is a rainbow of colors available. Different shades and tones and hues and saturation. So many I have found that I once had more than a dozen samples on my kitchen walls trying to choose THE one. I believe that even white has it place and have surprisingly grown to love it more and more. (Yes, yes white IS a color). I favor a modern or urban look and white walls really suit this aesthetic. Crisp, bright and clean. And grey is very overlooked. Soft fog, oyster, pewter, steel or simply soft grey is a much overlooked neutral.
Colors are a great way to express yourself. Shy? start off with your walk-in closet or hall bath. Even the interior walls of the block fence around your home will transform with a coat of color. A green will blend in with any plantings in the foreground, a deep color will mysteriously disappear at night. What color would best highlight the climbing bougainvillea or flowers? Still unsure? Perhaps you can purchase a colorful piece of artwork to hang on your walls.
Having lived and traveled from coast to coast I find it interesting that a majority of Valley homes are painted extremely neutral whereas color is widely used elsewhere. Why do you think that is?
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by Susan Gruenling on December 8, 2008
You see them on our desks, our refrigerators, our walls and even in our wallets. We all love to look at family photos. They conjure up that warm fuzzy feeling of love and comfort; but only when we are looking at photos of OUR family.
When you have your home on the market it is a good idea to remove or at least pare down on your family photos. When prospective Buyers are viewing your home it is often difficult for them to imagine themselves residing in a home with not only someone else’s furniture but with someone else’s family smiling back at them. The goal is to make it easy for potential Buyers to picture their own items and loved ones surrounding them. It is smart to de-personalize the house. You should remember that once your home goes on the market it is now a product. Retail stores hire designers to merchandise their products for maximum exposure and sales. You need to do the same with your product. You may need to make a few adjustments to turn your home into an inviting space that will appeal to many people.
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by Susan Gruenling on November 2, 2008
Most of the country “fell back” last night. Daylight Savings Time ended and the clocks were turned back one hour. Arizona does not participate in this, though the Navajo Nation in Arizona does, we always remain on Mountain Standard Time. Just a little reminder in case you need to make an early call to a friend in California, they are now 1 hour earlier than us.
Other areas of the US that do not observe Daylight Savings:Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands
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by Susan Gruenling on October 30, 2008
I recently received an email from a client of mine who was so excited about the new pool and backyard landscaping that was just completed on her home. She is a single female who bought her own home last summer. That really got me thinking about how many single women I know who own their own homes. I am working with one client right now who has decided to sell her condo and move into a single family home with large yard and guest casita. One friend has decided to become a landlord and lease out the condo she purchased several years ago on her own. She is building future wealth. Another 2 women are in the midst of installing new tile throughout their respective homes and one of them is also conducting various other renovations. I was also just referred to a woman looking to purchase her own place.
More and more women are owning there own homes. We’ve come a long way, baby!
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by Susan Gruenling on October 28, 2008
I was recently able to attend a town meeting of sorts. Five Star Development held an open house to discuss their project with the Ritz Carlton. There has been quite a bit of controversy over the use of the 105 acres on the corner of Indian Bend and Scottsdale Road. Five Star wants to be sure that the residents of Paradise Valley have accurate information on the proposal and they provide an opportunity for questions and answers after their presentation.
Scottsdale-based Five Star and many residents feel that the addition of a Ritz Carlton to Paradise Valley will continue to tradition of PV’s resort history. Ritz Carlton continues to remain synonymous with luxury and first class service.
The developers have gone back to the drawing board several times after concerned neighbors voiced their opinions. Five Star desires for the resort to seemlessly blend into its surrounding. Only 24% of the land will have building coverage which includes estate homes, estate home-sites to be built, villas and the hotel core and no building shall be higher than 2 stories. The perimeter of the project will be built first to allow privacy and the landscaping to mature. If you take a good look at the proposed site plan you will notice that the 1 acres home sites mirror the one acre home sites that neighbor the property. In the area where the property is surrounded by medical and office buildings and another resort is where the 2 story villas shall be located. The hotel core is located in the center of the project and will not be visible from the street.
The hotel will generate approximately $2 million in taxes for the town of Paradise Valley as well as 450 jobs.
Despite what some think, a vote NO on Proposition 411 will not put the plans back on the drawing board for changes. A vote no means NO Ritz Carlton in Paradise Valley. If you would like to be more informed please contact me.
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by Susan Gruenling on October 21, 2008
One of the many propositions on this years Arizona ballot is Proposition 100. I was talking to someone recently about this and they said “Oh yes, I am aware of this and I do not want this tax so I will be voting no.” I quickly informed them that a NO vote could lead to a possible real estate transfer tax while a YES vote will protect us from one. YES means NO to double taxation.
What is Prop 100 all about? Well, basically the government collects taxes on our property each year based on its value. They would now like to collect a tax when the property is sold or transferred as well. Double taxation. This will just add to the difficulties we are facing in our current housing market. Currently there are about 35 states that have some sort of transfer tax which ranges from .1%-2%. So imagine that your property which has been on the market for 7 months finally gets an offer. You agree to sell at a loss since you have to move. The contract price is $500,000. The transfer tax could cost you between $500-$10,000. Here’s a quick form to calculate what you would owe if you lived in New Jersey.
Check out what is like around the country.
Please visit www.protectourhomes.com to learn more.
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by Susan Gruenling on October 20, 2008
There are many tools available that we Realtors use to promote listings; flyers, postcards, photos galleries, slide shows, virtual tours. These are all great ways to get the home out there and in front of prospective Buyers. But occasionally, marketing a home this way can eliminate many Buyers as well. We need to take a really good look at what it is that we are trying to get others to look at.
When there are so many homes for Buyers to choose from your home is facing a lot of competition to be chosen as “the one”. Buyers may eliminate a house at the drop of a hat without even visiting the home. It is important to get people through the door. How is it best to entice people to visit a listing? That is a tricky questions. Even the homes description can cause potential Buyers to move on to the next house. You never know what their “trigger” is. Many people have a list of top priorities when they search for new home. Their “must-haves”. Maybe it’s a single-level floor plan or 4 bedrooms. Then there are other things that they might like to have. Sometimes when you get them in through the doors, the priorities change and certain items are not as important any longer. Perhaps another amenity trumps it. I have seen Buyers who wanted a pool actually purchase a home with a spa but NO pool because they came into the home and loved the floor plan and everything else was what they were looking for.
Marketing material should intrigue the customer. We want to draw them to the product. Photos of the home should be interesting. With our new MLS we can post dozens of photos, but I have seen homes that have less than 10. The agents response is that they want to post the best photos and get the Buyers into the house and then let the propety speak for itself. What is the perfect balance?
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ars just by adding a new hue.
