You have great tile but a few are broken.  You can no longer get the exact matching tile to replace the damaged ones.  What to do?  Don’t buy something ”close” trying to match your old tile.  Instead, buy a few decorative tiles that will compliment the existing tile.  For example, a small “mural” of a scene, a touch of wimsy, or a few tiles that are expensive to use in quantity but really upgrade the tile with added value.  Don’t be afraid to replace a few old tiles in good condition and expand the use of the new tiles.  A good design is one that is balanced and has a pattern.  You’ll end up with a new, updated and original tile design and complete a maintenance project at the same time!

Mildew comes from a combination of moisture and dirt and is encouraged by shade and lack of ventilation. If you are wondering how to get rid of mildew, we have some advice that will not only help to remove mildew, but will also give you a bit of a home makeover. You may have mildew in your kitchen, bathroom, or on the exterior of your home. One way to work on the problem is to clean with diluted bleach. Tilex makes a spray-on product that works great for the shower and on tile. A better solution is to paint. (We’re always looking for an excuse to make a change.)

Recently I noticed a little bit of mildew in a customer’s bathroom which was getting a makeover, so when I called Sherwin Williams to order his paint, I asked if they could add a mildewcide to the paint. Turns out the Duration Interior latex paint already contains a mildewcide. Perfect. Now he just needs to utilize his home warranty and get his bathroom vent fixed and prevent the mildew from coming back.

What is the first thing you see when you walk into an open house? Usually it is a gorgeous bouquet of flowers on a small table welcoming potential buyers.

Find out how you can make your own flower arrangements to place throughout your home for sale or to bring color into your home.

Most know that the kitchen is the number one selling feature of a home.  Some also know that a kitchen should be updated at least every 10-15 years.  But what will buyers demand in the future for kitchen design? Technology, of course!

The Internet Home Alliance Research Council recently conducted a digital kitchen study to see what homeowners would like to see in the future.  The council is made up of leading companies in the industry which you may be familiar with - Whirlpool, Bell, Cisco, HP, Intel, Microsoft, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), and the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) to name a few.

The hot demands these days are granite countertops, stainless-steel appliances, gourmet cooking features, and an open floor plan for socialization. Oak is out and eco-friendly bamboo, dark rich woods, or white painted cabinets are in.

So what’s next? The results of the study show that kitchens will continue to be the hub of the home, moving from an entertainment area to a command center. Homeowners want to be able to manage their schedules, energy use, and home security from the kitchen. One concept is to be able to access recipes or digital calendars right in the kitchen.

If you are getting ready to sell, now is the time to make a home improvement. A digital kitchen makeover might be just the thing to make your home the hottest on the market.
Source: K+BB June 2007

The Today Show has been doing a series of shows that have featured staging. They staged with a $100 budget, a $500 budget, and lastly with a $5,000 budget. Every second of the video reiterates the importance of staging. We love it!

Q. For every dollar spent on staging, how much return on investment should you expect?

a) $.50     b) $1     c) $2    d)$3 

Click here to watch the video and find the answer.

“Paper or plastic?”  That’s an all too familiar question asked in the checkout line.  But in San Francisco, California you are not asked the question at all.  Why?  Because they are the first city to ban plastic grocery bags due to environmental concerns.  Is paper the answer?  Check here.

Who doesn’t love HGTV for DIY? We’ve got a direct link to HGTV’s advice on:

- 10 ways to increase the value of your home anytime

- 10 ways to get the most money for your home when you sell

- advice on finding and buying the home of your dreams

- making your kitchen ready for homebuyers

- beautiful curb appeal

- and much, much more,

Find HGTV’s real estate tips and tricks here.

Leave it to New York to come up with a way to design your sleep time.  Yelo, a corporate wellness center, allows you to “design” a rejuvenation session by scheduling reflexology and/or a power nap during a busy day.

Nicolas Ronco, the entrepreneur that opened Yelo earlier this year, said it is ”for people who are overstressed and overworked.  For lawyers or brokers who abuse themselves, a power nap is a way to recharge naturally without caffeine.”

An interesting article published in the Columbus Dispatch and written by Natasha Singer of the New York Times News Service, March 8, 2007, noted, “Sleep is the new bottled water.  Although it can be had for free, it is being marketed as an upscale amenity. Now when people can’t sleep for a couple of nights, they think they are part of a national sleep epidemic and there should be something to fix it . . .You can buy sexual arousal, a new shape for your face, a skinnier silhouette, so why shouldn’t you be able to buy sleep?”

Even manufacturers are getting in on the sleep deprivation craze, trying to sell sleep.  Dove offers Calming Night, a line of soap and body wash to help induce sleep.

Sleep aids are another way to buy sleep.  They work if used as directed, however, I’ve heard of people who wake up in the middle of the night and take over-the-counter or prescription sleep aids.  When the alarm goes off a few hours later they are still groggy.  The sleep aids warn that they cause sleepiness for 8-9 hours.  This means that they are driving to work in a daze (scary) and have an unproductive morning.  

Sleep is valuable if we want to be healthy and productive.  If New Yorkers can’t get a good night’s sleep at home, they can stop by Yelo where they can design the perfect relaxation and rejuvenation session.  Check it out here.   

 

 

 

Colored tile dates a bathroom and is a hard sell when competing with brand new homes and their gleaming white bathroom fixtures. What’s hot now is white subway tile. If you don’t have the funds or time for a bathroom remodel but want a similar look, consider this trick…just paint! If you do it right, you can paint the tiles and give your bathroom an updated look for less. Here are the simple steps:

1. Clean the tile thoroughly with trisodium phosphate (TSP).
2. Apply a high quality primer.
3. Apply 2 coats of polyurethane oil-based enamel - marine grade.

Bye bye baby blue tiles!