How Should I Decorate My House?

Whenever I sell and stage a home or think about making changes in my own home, I wonder what kind of furnishings I should use. It's sometimes hard to know just what to use, what will look good or if I'm really confident that I'm making a good choice. I think I've just discovered a solution that can help me or help my clients. There is a new design service available that will let you "try on" furniture before you buy it. Modsy was created after Shanna Tellerman and her husband moved into a new home three years ago. She found many ideas on Pinterest of things she liked and rooms she like but was uncertain how to go about creating the rooms and the feelings that she liked. So she created Modsy. It's a virtual design service that provides 3D visualizations of a fully decorated room in your home that is created according to your taste. Each furniture piece and decor item has been sourced from several hundred retailers and is scaled to your room. You just take a style quiz and upload a photo of your room and several days later you get two virtually styled versions of your room You have options to change furnishings or decor and then make your purchase knowing what it's going to look like in your room.

This is such an interesting idea and I'd love to try it out or talk with folks who have used it and learn what they think. If you want to read more about it and see examples of how it works, you can read more about it here. Decorating with Modsy

Have You Used Houzz?

With the internet accessibility increasing every day and the popularity of smart phones and tablets it's no wonder that we're seeing more more websites offering advice and services, DIY information, sales, home deliveries of food and drink, dating services and more at the click of a finger. One of the websites that has become more popular in the past several years is a website called Houzz, They have many design ideas for a home owner. Once you've created your account you will have an opportunity to save ideas to an idea book. You can search for vendors, photos, search by rooms, and even looks for stories and advice. For homeowners or renters or just interested parties this is a great place to collect ideas and information for your home resource. Do you collect ideas and save them in the cloud? Do you use Pinterest and Instagram for your search? Houzz might be another website to consider.  Houzz

This photo is by Matt Roth for the New York Times.

Saturday, February 27, 2016, there was a fabulous article about continuing care communities. We have several options here in the Seattle area. I've toured some, I know others more because I have friends who moved into them.



read the article here:


New York Times Article

Dog gone, cat stay

What to do when you live with pets, when your home is for sale? Boarding, taking a little vacation, or telling people not to let the pets out? All these and more are tactics I'm seeing in this market. 

Only shows when it rains

This sounds really cool,  especially for a native Seattleite like me.

A rainwork is an interesting design or message on concrete 
that only shows up when it gets wet. Some map marker titles 
are intentionally left vague. Go explore!


http://rain.works/

Living simply in 400 square feet

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lindsay-schauer/8-things-you-can-live-without_b_4776523.html

This link takes you to a sweet blog post. Could I live in a 20x20 apartment? I'm not so sure. Can I let go of the tent I haven't used in many years? Yes.

Anastasia Faiella

This woman used to be a painter, now an interior designer. I see how that can work for a visual artist.

her website:  http://faiella-design.com

NO BLOGGING about bad real estate photos

New rule from the NWMLS. Northwest Multiple Listing Service.

NO BLOGGING! Check this box, if you allow blogging. I am not allowed to give my opinion on a blog about anyone's property. What? Well, here is my favorite worst photo of the day. I won't say what house it is from, because it's a good representation of a million bad photos. Really...people! Hire a professional photographer. Please.

Cymric Silver

It's really gray, but this color was suggested by a friend/designer and it is on all the walls and ceilings of our house. It looks so fabulous!

Paint color Here

do you Really want to sell that house?

OK! This house has finally been renovated. (Poor souls) and now it seems to be...for sale? This sign is about 3 inches by 5 inches. It's a bit of cardboard on a stick. Written with a magic marker, is, "for sale". I walked past an caught the sign. Is the grass (new...just put down in strips) for sale, or the house? How do you buy it? No number or way to contact anyone. Good luck.

Beach Condos Auction

Condos that are coming up for auction in Westport . Photo of the site, and the one they apparently abandoned next door.

And, then across the street, where there is a feral cat population problem, this sign:

CREEPY logo:

Keep your own yacht out front...to go...where...? Over the Gray's Harbor Bar for a day cruise? Whale watching? Out for a dinner cocktail cruise?

Perhaps just staying in, and watching the guys next door unload fish and clean out the fish unloading equipment.

Banks, money and all that

Here is a little peek into a neighborhood bank branch's weekend remodel.

This article in DWELL magazine talks about some great green buildings and project frog.

New Rules and Guidlines for Appraisers

Appraisers are the people that the banks hire to give them an accurate value of the house you are borrowing money against. There is a new wind on the horizon:



Here are some varying opinions about the new Home Valuation Code of Conduct,
a change coming to appraisers….

article written by mortgage broker...he hates it


and Reuters says:

Looking at Staged Real Estate

I looked at 7 condos downtown Seattle the other day. The first one I saw was incredibly beautiful. Why? Because the owner had really gorgeous funiture, and art, and when you walked in, it smelled nice, like some kind of exotic floral arrangement. There was no floral arrangement. Don't get me wrong. It did NOT smell like the artificial air fresheners that make me want to wash up, and blow my nose after viewing a house. Uck! You know what I mean, Glade would be one company that makes them. These are so gross. Uck. Another I looked at had something like a glade plug in freshener. It was a fine place, with no furniture, and a bad, bad, bad smell. Where would you rather live?