New blog URL

 New URL: LoriBlackwell.blogspot.com

Check out 2 new entries: " Selling or Buying a Vacant House: Beware! Beware! Beware!"
and "Some Handy Apps to Help Sell Your Home" plus earlier blogs moved from my old URL.

Some Handy Apps to Help Sell Your Home

Getting your home ready:  

Packing up the cute collections, washing the windows and having the carpets cleaned is a great start, but in many instances, it's not enough.

 53% of all homeowners who remodel and/or redecorate… are getting ready to sell.  That’s your competition.

 Selling a home is tantamount to going on an interview.  You wouldn’t wear beat up gym shoes, or a  clean but well-worn hoodie, would you.  No, you might spring for a new suit, maybe a pair of shoes.  And you certainly would visit a professional to style your hair.

Your home goes on an interview every time a buyer walks through the door.  A room painted in colors from the 60s, telegraphs to a buyer, "total redecorating required". Wallpaper with trucks and trains or frilly little flowers may remind a empty nester of a bygone era, when they want to begin a new one.

Repainting one room, or a wall in another creates a fresh feeling. Replacing fixtures with today in mind can bring a new mindset to an older home. 

What's new?  What colors work?  Here are some apps and a url that might help.

 1. + Houzz.com.   Get Ideas and  home renovation advice; research contractors, designers, in your area.  And over 6 million photos are yours to check out--every kind of kitchen, bath, bedroom, patio, and more.  And if you find that you like a specific room, you can contact the person who designed it.  Get product ideas, too.

 2. “Photo Measures”:  Now here's a smart app for  your smart phone from +Big Blue Pixel Inc.

 It lets you snap a picture of a room, along with furniture and drag an arrow along the wall you want to measure.   When you insert the measurement,  tt will be stored in the app.  Next time you’re attending a house sale, or visiting a store that’s having a sale, and you see a wonderful piece of furniture at a bargain, click your app and see if it’ll fit.  The free app allows a limited number of images.  The upgrade for around $5 gives you much, much more.

     
 What color should you paint a contrasting wall?

3. "Color Capture"  Use an app that lets you group colors, create combinations, and help you with a color-matching options. It’s free for iPhone and Android 6.1 or higher from +Benjamin Moore & Co.

               

See how the color looks, without painting.

4.  "Home Depot Project Color".  Take a photo of a room or a wall (with furniture), choose a color, and see how the color will look-- right in the photo.  If you like it, save it with all the info to purchase.
From +Home Depot.

Create a floor plan for yourself, and buyers.

5. “ Stanley Floor Plan”.  Floor plans can do a lot to help you sell your home-- buyers love them.  And now you can create a floor plan of your home or condo with an easy app that helps you measure rooms, add doors, windows, etc. .

These are just a few apps that can help you refresh your home for selling, or staying. But check out the app store for others  from +Sensopia Inc and others.

Home Maintenance for "non hi-rise" homeowners

Some Maintenance Things to Remember...when you buy a SFH, townhome, or condo in a multi-unit building.

Having just moved to a town home, I was rudely awakened by the fact that there was no building engineer to call when something stopped working. That's not all.  You actually have to drag trash containers to the curb--no disposal chute down the hall to take the trash away. And there's no automatic window washing, either -- you've got to make the calls. 

After several phone calls, a few trips to +Home Depot, plus hours spent combing the Internet, I learned that I had a lot to learn. So, I put together some notes as well as a chart for some of the basic things that need maintenance. #HomeMaintenance.   And I'd like to share them in an ebook I've written:

http://www.yourbizlive.com/images/10-things-to-remember-LB.pdf

 I'm certain as Winter turns into Spring a host of other surprises will send me scurrying for info and help.  Watch for more challenges and solutions in "My New Life as a Town Home Owner".

HappyTwenty Fifteen