Month: March 2015

Staging your home is proven to increase traffic and even your sale price, so take the time to stage each room to best show off its assets, and downplay its flaws. The first rule of staging, though, is cleanliness. Above all, every room must be pristine.

Bathroom: Grimy bathroom walls & shower doors are a major red flag to buyers. Spray down the walls with a bleach & water solution, and watch the mold disappear. Clean the shower doors with a muriatic acid and water solution and steel wool. If your tiles are looking old and beat, paint them with epoxy to update the look. Give the whole room a fresh coat of paint.

Closets: Buyers need to see empty closets and/or clean cabinets. So, start tossing stuff. In the kitchen, arrange pantry items (jars, bottles, cans) in some semblance of order, and neatly stack the dishes. In the closets, hang similar items together and facing the same direction. Line up your shoes.

Kitchen: Revive dated cabinetry with a coat of paint or stain. Update door and drawer hardware. New appliances are always a plus – they instantly say “new kitchen!” If that’s not possible, make sure the ones you have are spotless. Make sure every surface is clean – no crumbs, grease or stains.

Living Room: Revive old hardwood floors. Replace/repair damaged sections, then refinish them in a rich new color. Declutter your built-ins. Remove personal items. Remove excess furniture.

Bedrooms: Declutter shelves, bookcases, surfaces. Remove personal items. Remove excess furniture. Bedrooms should look peaceful and comfortable.  In the master bedroom, add a headboard if you don’t have one. It makes the room seem more luxurious. If bedding isn’t show-worthy, buy a “bed in a bag”. Then, paint the walls with a coordinating color. Instant sophistication.

Exterior: No matter how good the interior of your home looks, buyers have already judged your home before they walk through the door. You never have a second chance to make a first impression. It’s important to make people feel warm, welcome and safe as they approach the house. Spruce up your home’s exterior with inexpensive shrubs and brightly colored flowers.

Weaver Homes is a Pittsburgh and Mars area new homebuilder featuring single family homes patio homes and custom homes. Visit www.weaverhomelive.wpengine.com for more information.

Staging your home is proven to increase traffic and even your sale price, so take the time to stage each room to best show off its assets, and downplay its flaws. The first rule of staging, though, is cleanliness. Above all, every room must be pristine.

Bathroom: Grimy bathroom walls & shower doors are a major red flag to buyers. Spray down the walls with a bleach & water solution, and watch the mold disappear. Clean the shower doors with a muriatic acid and water solution and steel wool. If your tiles are looking old and beat, paint them with epoxy to update the look. Give the whole room a fresh coat of paint.

Closets: Buyers need to see empty closets and/or clean cabinets. So, start tossing stuff. In the kitchen, arrange pantry items (jars, bottles, cans) in some semblance of order, and neatly stack the dishes. In the closets, hang similar items together and facing the same direction. Line up your shoes.

Kitchen: Revive dated cabinetry with a coat of paint or stain. Update door and drawer hardware. New appliances are always a plus – they instantly say “new kitchen!” If that’s not possible, make sure the ones you have are spotless. Make sure every surface is clean – no crumbs, grease or stains.

Living Room: Revive old hardwood floors. Replace/repair damaged sections, then refinish them in a rich new color. Declutter your built-ins. Remove personal items. Remove excess furniture.

Bedrooms: Declutter shelves, bookcases, surfaces. Remove personal items. Remove excess furniture. Bedrooms should look peaceful and comfortable.  In the master bedroom, add a headboard if you don’t have one. It makes the room seem more luxurious. If bedding isn’t show-worthy, buy a “bed in a bag”. Then, paint the walls with a coordinating color. Instant sophistication.

Exterior: No matter how good the interior of your home looks, buyers have already judged your home before they walk through the door. You never have a second chance to make a first impression. It’s important to make people feel warm, welcome and safe as they approach the house. Spruce up your home’s exterior with inexpensive shrubs and brightly colored flowers.

Weaver Homes is a Pittsburgh and Mars area new homebuilder featuring single family homes patio homes and custom homes. Visit www.weaverhomelive.wpengine.com for more information.

Moving is typically not an eco-friendly undertaking. It involves packing boxes, tape, packing peanuts, transportation… lots of ways to harm the environment. But it doesn’t have to be an eco-nightmare. Follow a few of these simple tips and make your relocation to a Weaver home a greener experience.

1. If you don’t need it, don’t take it. One of the simplest ways to reduce your carbon footprint when moving is to reduce the amount of stuff you move. Go through your stuff and get rid of things you no longer need.  Donate clothing, furniture and books to charities or thrift stores or have a garage sale. If you have items that need to be thrown out, try to recycle them if possible. Always dispose of electronics properly.
2. Go green when you clean. Whether it’s the home you’re leaving or the one you’re moving into, you’re likely to be doing a great deal of cleaning during your move. Cleaning products are typically very bad for the environment, as well as your health, so choose green cleaning products whenever possible. Look for products that are non-toxic and biodegradable and read through the ingredient list to make sure they’re all natural. You can also consider making your own cleaner using vinegar and water.
3. Choose responsibly. Eschew the usual old truck packed with cardboard boxes. There are a variety of moving companies that espouse green practices, from using trucks that operate with bio-fuels, to using recycled or biodegradable packing products, to how efficiently they pack your belongings to minimize trips.

Here are some questions to ask:

• Do they use recycled packing materials?
• Will they come collect packing materials so they can be re-used?
• Do they have a no idling policy?
• Do they make an effort to reduce fuel consumption through a shortest route possible policy or speed monitoring?

If you’re handling your move on your own, be sure to rent a moving van that’s the right size for what you have to move – the smaller the van, the lower the fuel consumption. And to reduce your carbon footprint even further, load your belongings in such a way that allows you to make the fewest trips back and forth.

Weaver Homes is a Pittsburgh and Mars area new homebuilder featuring single family homes patio homes and custom homes. Visit www.weaverhomelive.wpengine.com for more information.