Helpful hints in making a small room appear bigger!

Small rooms are the bane of the home decorator. How do you achieve a pleasing look that doesn’t feel cramped and claustrophobic? Short of building an addition or knocking down walls, you are limited to a few, but effective, decorating tricks that create the illusion of space.

The strategic use of colour and light is the best way to achieve this. Choose light shades of paint or wallpaper for the walls. Lighter colours reflect light making for a brighter room. Use an even lighter shade of the same colour or white for ceilings and floors. A darker colour on the ceiling will make the ceiling look lower and tends to make the walls look as though they are closing in.

Avoid harshly contrasting colours. In fact, a monochromatic colour scheme that carries throughout the room into fabrics and accessories is very effective. Steer away from too many patterned items. The goal here is to blur perspective.

Anything you can do to bring light into the room will also give the effect of increased space. A corner wall sconce that casts light up onto the wall works well. Try to vary lighting effects for interest. A skylight is a great way to add light to a room, but isn’t always practical or affordable. Mirrors are a great solution for small rooms. Place mirrors directly across from another for maximum impact. A mirror placed across from a window is also effective. Place a lamp in front of a mirror to add more light to your room.

If you have wood or patterned flooring, have it installed so that the lines run diagonally across the room. This makes for longer lines, which give the appearance of a larger space. When furnishing the room, pick objects that are proportioned to the size of the room. For example, opt for a loveseat over a full-sized sofa. Lastly, keep the clutter to a minimum. Avoid using a lot of knick-knacks and keep the room tidy and well organized.

Remaining objective can be a difficult task when viewing an open house. It is easy to fall in love with a home’s appearance, blind to problems that may make it unsuitable. While aesthetics can be an important consideration, it is necessary to look beyond window-dressing.

Aqualified home inspector should be hired before purchasing a home, but there are areas that consumers can examine on their own. This will shorten your list of potential homes and reduce the likelihood that a home inspector will reject it as unsafe or unsuitable. Here are some considerations and common problem areas to look for when touring an open house:

General Upkeep

Much can be surmised from the general state of the home. Is the home clean? Are lawns left uncut? Are the walls chipped and in need of paint? If smaller chores have been ignored it may be an indication of a broader disregard for home maintenance.

Water Leaks

Check ceilings and drywall for stains, bulges and other signs of water damage. Water that works its way inside via a leaky roof or a cracked foundation can rot wood, create mildew and mold, destroy possessions and can be expensive to repair.

Does it Work?

Test lights, faucets, the heater, air conditioning, major appliances (that are to be included with the home) – even flush the toilets to ensure everything is working as it should.

Floors

As you walk across the floors be aware of spongy (soft or springy) sections. Excessive squeaking and uneven, bumpy floors may also be indicative of expensive forthcoming repairs.

Doors & Windows

Check that doors and windows fit snugly in their jambs and operate smoothly. Look for flaked paint and loose caulking. If the wood around windows and doors is not protected from moisture, it can rot away. Feel for drafts in these areas too.

Poor Drainage

On a wet day walk around the yard and look for areas where water collects. This can be an especially bad sign if there are soggy areas near the home’s foundation.

Grout & Caulking

If the grout and caulking around bathroom and kitchen tiles is loose and crumbly, there is a good chance that water is finding its way into the wall or under the floor.

Structural

Although this is definitely an area where you want the services of a qualified home inspector, you can get an idea about possible structural problems if you see deep cracks in the foundations or loose mortar and bricks.

Miscellaneous Concerns

Naturally, one the most important factors will be determining if the house suits your family’s needs. If you do not want to replace all of your furniture, make sure it will fit into the rooms of the new house. This is difficult to do by eye, so be sure to bring a measuring tape. Also, take note of storage space. If you are moving from a home with large closets and a shed, make sure your new house is able to store an equivalent amount of belongings.

Are you ready?

When you have decided that the time is right to sell, the first step in preparing for the sale of a home is finding out its worth. Contact me for a comparative market analysis, an informal estimate of value based on the recent selling price of similar neighborhood properties.

Working to ensure your home is in the best condition possible for showing to prospective buyers will position you to receive top dollar. This includes repairing or improving any trouble spots that could deter a buyer, such as squeaky doors, a leaky roof, dirty carpet and walls, and broken windows.

The first impression that potential buyers form of your property as they drive or walk up should not be underestimated. The “curb appeal” of your home is extremely important. You can create a positive first impression by making sure the lawn is pristine – the grass cut, debris removed, garden beds free of weeds, and hedges trimmed.

However, the trick is not to overspend on pre-sale repairs and fix-ups. This is especially important if there are few homes on the market but many buyers competing for them. On the other hand, making such repairs may be the key to selling your home in a down market.

Don’t Put it on HOLD…..Call RIZ to get it SOLD!!!

Winter Collection

 Featured Listings

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Cooler winter temperatures and shorter daylight hours naturally limit the time we spend outside. Current interior design trends use nature punctuated with colour as a theme to rescue us from cabin fever. Here are some of this season’s ‘outdoor-in’ design essentials:

– Wreaths and Garlands: Made from traditional pine or more contemporary bay leaves, eucalyptus or holly. Live or faux, they are interwoven with brightly contrasting citrus fruits, pomegranates or berries for the most natural look. Glass-like beads and solid spherical ornaments in a shock of intense colour are also featured this season. Look for wreath stands to showcase your wreath at adjustable heights. Garlands look best along mantles, doorframes, windowsills and banisters, snaked among candles on tabletop centrepieces, and as trimming atop tall furniture like bookcases, wardrobes and entertainment credenzas.

– Trees and Topiaries: Like wreaths and garlands, trees and topiaries combine the same natural elements interwoven with vivid colours whether live or faux. This season, you can also find them made entirely of a single material, such as glass-like beads, holly berries, tinsel, or round ornaments, in either a uniform tone or a bouquet of colours. Available in a variety of sizes, they can be brilliantly illuminated with lights and garland, or they can sparkle alone with a pre-treatment designed to imitate frost, ice or dew.

– Faux Fire: Indoors or out, there’s nothing quite like sitting around a fire to add ambiance to quality time spent enjoying family and friends. It’s no surprise then, that sales of electric fireplaces are red-hot this season. They provide the romance and warmth of a traditional gas or wood burning fire without the requisite venting or gas lines, and at a fraction of the cost. Plug them into a standard 120-volt outlet to heat the room, or turn the heat off and appreciate the flame effect alone, complete with glowing embers! Electric fireplaces can be purchased as an insert for existing fireplaces or as a stand-alone piece with a mantle surround. Mantles are available in a variety of styles, colours and wood materials to suit a variety of personal tastes.

– Finishing Touches: Just as the snow sparkles outside, so too do those finishing touches. From decorative ornaments, to picture frames, to napkin rings, to cardholders, to candles and candleholders…think jeweled. If those finishing touches aren’t bejeweled with faux gemstones, then they glitter with the imitation effect of frost or ice.

Don’t Wait To List!

Once your home is updated with the winter season’s latest design essentials, it is most visually appealing to prospective buyers. Serious homebuyers are indeed active through the holidays and into the early months of the New Year. This means minimal disruption for you and your family and viewings from truly qualified prospects. Please contact me for more information about listing during the winter season.

By Kitchener-Waterloo Association of REALTORS® (KWAR) admin •September 6th, 2013

There were are total of 512 home sales through the Multiple Listing System (MLS®) of the Kitchener-Waterloo Association of REALTORS® (KWAR) in August, an increase of 2.8 percent compared to 498 homes sold in the same month last year.

Homes sales were also up on a year-to-date basis with a total of 4,648 units sold, up 3.4 percent from the same time last year. The number of units sold year-to-date is the highest volume of units sold when comparing to sales in the last five years.

“We saw strong residential activity this summer season and with record setting year-to-date sales it’s clear that buyers remain confident about the value of homes in Kitchener-Waterloo,” says Dietmar Sommerfeld, President of KWAR.

Residential sales in July included 346 single detached homes (up 7.1% from last August), 37 semi-detached (up 2.8%), 22 townhomes (down 38.9%) and 101 condominium units (up 3.1%). Home sales in the $275,000 to $399,999 range increased by 18.8 percent this August an accounted for 40 percent of residential sales this month.

Single detached homes sold for an average price of $359,291an increase of 1.8 per cent compared to last year. The average sale price for a condominium was $223,114, a decrease of 3.3 percent compared to August of last year. The average sale price of all residential sales through the KWAR’s MLS® System increased 1.9 per cent to $318,807 compared to August 2012.

The KWAR cautions that average sale price information can be useful in establishing long term trends, but should not be used as an indicator that specific properties have increased or decreased in value. The average sale price is calculated based on the total dollar volume of all properties sold. Those requiring specific information on property values should contact a local REALTOR®.

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Get your kids and your home ready for the hectic back to school season with these easy organizing tips.

By Kelly Potter ¦ Style at Home Magazine

As the summer comes to an end, the fall brings a season filled with packed lunches, rushed mornings and a house in disarray. It’s that time of year again, when the kids head back to school.

Wendy Hollick is a proud recipient of the 2011 Professional Organizers in Canada Ambassador Award and owner of Neat Spaces where she offers clients professional organizing help. Wendy is also a mom of three kids, so she knows a thing or two about the back to school rush!

Keeping the house organized once the kids are back in school can be difficult. According to Wendy, keeping things simple, getting the kids involved and organizing one room at time are helpful approaches to organizing during the back to school months. “Rooms that need the most attention are the bedrooms, bathrooms, homework area and the kitchen,” says Wendy. Here are some practical back to school organizing tips for each of these rooms:

Back to school organizing tips

Kids’ bedrooms

Wendy says the bedroom is a place of rest and that toys should be limited here. “Getting the kids involved and giving them the tools to become responsible is essential to keeping their rooms organized, “ she says. Large hooks on the back of the bedroom doors are a great idea for the kids to easily throw their hoodies, baseball caps, etc. Having shelves is another simple way for the kids to store their belongings. Wendy suggests big open shelves so that they can put their books, trophies and pictures on display, while staying organized. “Once the stuff is off the floor, it’s not clutter,” she says.

According to Wendy, clothing tends to be the biggest issue in the kids’ bedrooms once they go back to school. She suggests purchasing an affordable clothing organizer or getting a customized one put in. Keeping the clothes off the floor by having ample hanging space is essential. It’s also important to keep the hangers all one colour to bring a sense of simplicity and organization to the room, she says.

Bathrooms

If more than one child needs to use the bathroom in the morning, things can be hectic. Wendy suggests making a schedule for the kids to have their showers/baths to avoid fighting over time in the bathroom. “Older children prefer to have their showers in the morning, so the younger children can be scheduled before bedtime,” Wendy says. “Schedule a time that makes sense.” Assigning a specific colour of towel to each child will also eliminate bickering over whose towel is whose and reduce laundry loads.

In order to have clutter-free counters, Wendy suggests installing pullout drawers in the cabinets for an easy storage idea and to help the kids see what is in the back of the cabinets. According to Wendy, using the wall space is essential. She says using small decorative shelves and wall organizers for towels, shampoo, soap, etc. will provide extra space. Hooks on the back of the bathroom doors are a great solution for hanging towels and housecoats.

Wendy says that Mom should get the kids involved in organizing the bathroom by assigning the children plastic caddies for their personal items. They can bring their stuff back to their rooms and back again when needed. Having small, colour-coded bins for their stuff in the bathroom also helps each child be responsible for their own items and keeps the counters clear.

Homework area

Setting up a homework area will help the kids  stay organized and keep school papers confined to one area. Wendy  suggests setting up a small area in the kitchen. “Kids tend to  gravitate towards the kitchen after school, so setting up an area for  them to do their homework there is ideal. They don’t need fancy, they  just need practical,” she says. Having everything they need at their  workstation, such as pens, pencils, magazine files and calculators will  eliminate wandering and help them focus.

Kitchen

According to Wendy, organizing the kitchen  means removing anything that doesn’t belong there. You must remove  anything that doesn’t serve a purpose in the kitchen (e.g. paperwork,  exercise equipment). To keep the counters clear in the kitchen, Wendy  suggests using decorative bins and baskets. “If things are  ‘containerized’, they tend to stay organized,” says Wendy. Labeling the  bins is also helpful. If something is labeled, the kids are less likely  to stash the item somewhere else when they go to put something away,  says Wendy.

Wendy suggests making the kids’ lunches the night  before. “You don’t want to stress yourself out in the morning,” she  says. Having plastic Tupperware that is colour coded for each child will  help the kids know whose lunch is whose in the morning. Colour coding  each Tupperware that contains a different type of food item also helps  Mom know who ate what, and what to look for if the container goes  missing, says Wendy.

Donation bins, garbage and recycling bins  for easy disposal are also helpful for organizing the kitchen (and other  rooms), says Wendy. Separate bins make it an easy and efficient way to  sort items that you are getting rid of.
In order to maintain an  organized home during the back to school months, Wendy suggests taking  15 minutes to clean and organize at the end of each day. “Go into any  room and picture what the space looks like when it’s organized, and then  work clockwise and remove anything that does not belong within the  vision of that space,” she says.

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