Lafayette, LA

Thank you for your interest in the communities of Arnaudville, Breaux Bridge, Broussard, Cankton, Carencro, Church Point, Grand Coteau, Lafayette, Maurice, Milton, Opelousas, Scott, Sunset and Youngsville. Please visit www.SandyThibodeaux.com for more information regarding the communities, and all available homes.

Please feel free to call or email me Sandy@SandyThibodeaux.com for all your real estate needs.

Been to a listing with an aroma so unpleasant, it can prevent a sale?

How about a listing with a suspicious perfumed scent you just know is there to disguise something sinister?

Homeowners and Realtors are taking drastic, expensive, and unnecessary measures to eradicate the smells generated by pets, smokers, and the ever-present stinky and unhealthy mildew associated with the high-humidity that permeates Louisiana and all the Gulf Coast states.

There is a fast, easy, and affordable, solution that works on every possible stink one can ever encounter.

Not to get too gruesome, but even crime scene cleanup pros know exacty how to attack a malodorous dwelling, and have the odor and it's originating bacteria destroyed permanently and without chemicals.... SWIFTLY!

NO REAL ESTATE OFFICE SHOULD BE WITHOUT ONE FOR MALODOROUS LISTINGS!!!

You have probably heard of it, and dismissed it. Or maybe you have used it, improperly, and not acheived the purported results. But the bottom line is this: Industrial Strength Ionizers, when used according to the square footage, are 100% effective to eradicate odor, permanently, and in less than two hours. One use!!!

The secret is in the strength. Yes, you must leave the house. Return two hours later, and the home smells like it has been freshly bleached clean from top to bottom. Open the windows and air it out. In 10 minutes the air becomes inert. There is all kind of science behind the effectiveness of ionizers. They use them in hospitals, and the infection levels in surgical rooms have dropped to zero. Ionizers kill bacteria, and bacteria causes most horrific odors. They also wrangle paint fumes, smoking & cooking odors, and anything else you can wrinkle your nose at.

The only way an odor can re-occur in a properly ionized environment is if the source of the stench is REINTRODUCED, but old and imbedded odors are GONE FOREVER.

I know it's unbelievable. But I have a first hand experience, involving a cousin, a pack of chicken necks, a hot car, and a one very incensed sister:

My cousin, Steve, borrowed Michelle's car while we were on vacation. He was house sitting our beach house near Galveston, Texas. It was JULY. He wanted to go crabbing, which requires chicken parts. HE LEFT A PACK OF CHICKEN NECKS IN THE TRUNK OF THE CAR. When we came home a week later, the scent was overpowering and absolutely condensed in that Mustang. No amount of air circulation or deodorizing products put a dent into the thick stench of death that permeated the car's upholstery. Two days with the doors and trunk wide open didn't help one iota. Car detailers said the car was a total loss!!!!

A lady we know heard about the problem and offered help. We went to her house, gagging and hanging our heads out the windows, for 45 minutes, to Houston. She put this little box in the car, rolled up the windows, snaked an electrical cord to an outlet through a crack, and invited us in for iced tea. Michelle was a train wreck, as the car was NEW and chicken rot was not covered by her insurance. About an hour later, the lady said the car was ready. To our shock, the car smelled super-clean. We didn't believe the smell would not return, but we were grateful it was gone for a while. Except, it never, ever, EVER came back. Michelle had that car for 7 more years! And, I am happy to report, Cousin Steve is still alive and presently resides in the Austin area with all his limbs intact.

We are now very proud to be able to offer

brand new units for $649 to Realtors and homeowners alike!

We also rent our units for $79./for a half-day rental.

NO REAL ESTATE OFFICE SHOULD BE WITHOUT ONE FOR MALODOROUS LISTINGS.

Contact us if you would like to know more. Shipping is included with the price, and we absolutely take credit cards, and offer you a money-back guarantee!

Sue Eldredge - Certifed Staging Professional

Abbeville, Louisiana

www.featurethisdotdotdot.com

and

www.curbappealfordummies.com

If you know what color "Haint Blue" is, then you may be shocked to find that not everyone everywhere knows what shade this color is, or what it can to do for homeowners today.

Haint Blue is most commonly used on houses in the southern region of the United States; however, many cultures around the world describe similar protective properties of this color.

The word "haint" is European in origin, and generally refers to bodiless spirits with a less-than-nice agenda. The color Haint Blue supposedly has the unique property of repelling spooks, confusing them by blocking their ability to gain entry into a home. There are references to "haints" being unable to cross over water, so perhaps the blue color just ticks them off by reminding them of their shortcomings as paranormal entities.

First batches of haint blue paint in the U.S. in the 1850's and were made by hand at the construction site, using raw materials such as blue-colored minerals and ochers, milk, and lime. It was noticed that bugs wouldn't land on the dried paint, quite likely an affirmation for proponents regarding its ghost-busting abilities. However, most likely, it wasn't the power of the color that the bugs were avoiding, but more likely, the lime the paint was made of.

Many cultures claim to be authorities on the exact shade and mystical properties of Haint Blue, which is also called Gullah Blue, Dutch Boy Blue, Dirt-Dauber Blue, and what they call it here in Louisiana... "That Blue Color Mosquitoes Hate." The color is quite sought after, and can be found on homes, both historic and on new construction. The color is extremely popular for the porch ceiling and under the eaves.

Regardless of the myths surrounding Haint Blue, painting a historic house with a color with such colorful past gives us a sense of continuity, a sincere gratitude for the ingenuity and perserverance of our forefathers, and an appreciation of their deeply-held beliefs.

It also gives us something to think about as we sip lemonade on a hot day, and stare up at the wasp's nest anchored to our porch ceiling coated with our largely impotent modern-day latex Haint Blue paint.

Please be advised: The actual shade of "Haint Blue" varies, as the formulas were mixed by hand with local pigments. Haint Blue can range from a pastel violet-blue, such as a periwinkle, to a rich shade of warm turquoise, and everything in between. If you believe your house is plagued with poltergeist activity, call your local paranormal investigative society to find out what shade of Haint Blue is most effective in the haints in your county.

~Michelle Molinari

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Before you buy that paint, consider these guidelines:

Keep in mind that choosing an impactful color scheme doesn't mean "your favorite". It means finding the right shades of a color to enhance the architectural interest of the home in question. After you find the most complimentary tones, then you can tweak them towards you or your client's taste. Read on...

Too pale, needs to take more risk! Much more substance...Gracefully Gutsy!

1.) What color is the roof?

The roof is a "fixed element", meaning, it is not changeable, for the most part. A roof can comprise as much as 65% of the entire color scheme on some architectural styles. Regardless, it is the first question to be answered. What color family (brown, black, red, green, blue, tan, etc.) is the roofing in (see my blog post, GROOVING OFF THE ROOFING)? Does the the "visual temperature" of the color lean toward warm or cool? Deciding it is a cool blackish-slate color, or a warm tan with reddish undertones,for instance, is crucial for the rest of the scheme to fall into place. If a color doesn't look good with the roof, chuck it. There are 100,000 other paint colors in the sea.

2.) What color is the Brick?

Another "fixed element", unless you are entertaining the thought of painting the brick (this is NOT a crime. It is a crime is to have really ugly brick when there is perfectly good paint to be had). Evaluate the fixed brick thru a "squinted eye." That's the best way I determine a mid-range color in a brick. Find the resulting color on a fan deck, and use it for the body. It is a no-brainer. You can go lighter or darker, but stay on track as far as the color. The body of a house HARMONIZES with it's fixed elements. ). A house with large areas of brick truly must blend with any siding or stucco , or the house will look choppy and small (If there is very little colored brick, then you can get creative, as the smidgen of brick becomes an accent.

3.) What style is the architecture?

Different architectural styles can support different types of color palettes. Learning more about different architectural styles is helpful, and cannot be covered in a blog (see our article on Ranch-Style house color schemes) The rule I, myself, follow is: Elements should only be in the natural color range of the material it is made of. Stone columns should be stone colors. Adobe should be adobe colors. Ironwork should be iron-colored. These things look silly when they are painted unnatural colors. Wood is traditionally painted, so it can be far more flexible, color-wise. Brick looks best if it is a sturdy color, rather than a light, airy bright color. These are rules of thumb, but they make sense, especially when you are selling a house. If it is an odd color-choice, people won't think your house is cool or cutting edge. For the most part, they'll just wonder if weirdos live there. Daring choices are NOT good for selling houses!

4.) What kind of Neighborhood is it in?

You want the house to be well-aspected within the neighborhood's setting. If the scheme is too heavy for the 'hood, it's going to look like the Munsters live there. Too bright, and people will think the Circus has taken up permanent residence. You really want to offer a home that is respectable according to the appearance standards set by the existing neighborhood.

5.) What color for the body?

Once you have an idea of the relevance of the above factors, now you can go to a fan deck and start considering your first color choice. Choose the body color first. Try the my most-common-neutral method (squint!) mentioned above, FIRST. Then branch out into other shades of that color, leaning into differing families. Let's say the brick is very pink-brown. Start with a nice mid-tone pink-brown, then move it into an less reddish version, or a more reddish version. Choose three or four winners this way, and work each palette separately using the following advice for trim, accent, and door colors. Treat all utilitarian parts of the house like BODY color. Trim colors and accent colors are for the pretty parts of a house, to enhance architectural detail. If it isn't an architectural detail or a focal piont for some reason, HIDE IT with the body color ( I am talking about electrical boxes, attic vents, garage doors, extra utility room doors, air conditioning units, downspouts from rain gutters, lattice, trellises, you name it. If it doesn't say "nice architectural detail", then it gets hidden)! Don't get people to notice your $29 trellis from home depot. It's a plant support. You want them to look at your plant. Now if it's an ARBOR, than pop that sucker with an accent. The body color is the backdrop. You can't feature everything!

6.) What color for the trim?

People think white is white, and off-white is off-white. THE WHITE IS VERY IMPORTANT! If you choose a gray-green body, choose a white that carries hints of gray-green in it's undertone. Tan? Choose a creamy white with a slight cafe-au-lait undertone. Yellow? Pick a white with a whiff of lemon in it. Customizing your white can make a HUGE difference. Whites don't all look alike, no matter what they say. Next time you go to a paint store, take a white sheet of Xerox paper in with you. Grab ANY white color chip. I guarantee you lay that chip down and you are going to immediately see an undertone. The wrong white can make a house look really cheap. Can't take the pressure of white trim picking? Consider dark trim. It can look very dressy in some instances.

7.) Choose an accent color (shutters, awnings, window boxes, gingerbread woodwork).

The accent color should compliment (not match) the fixed elements, the body color, and trim. Don't wimp out with a lightish color. The accent color is like mascara, it should be rich, dramatic, and preferably, very dark. Accent colors frame the architectural elements and make an area come into focus. Accent colors anchor the entire scheme. A deep color choice makes the other colors come to life and find their place. "Loud" shutters are nearly always a mistake, as they don't support, they distract. Find something deeply shaded and juicy. Gingerbread woodwork on a Victorian is the exception tothis rule. If you house isn't Victorian, don't have two or three accent colors. That is what landscaping is for.

8.) Choose a door color.

This is where you play! The door area should be obvious, interesting, and inviting. Putting the color punch ONLY at the door makes a natural focal point that is instantly welcoming, and entices with a pleasant perkiness even on a ho-hum color scheme. Don't wuss out on the door. It is the star of the show, and the one place that guest will seek out and walk right up to and through. Make the most of this moment for your guests. Don't be scary...just give them a portal they can't resist.

There you go! It's a process of puzzle pieces to be plugged in. Once you use the formula, with a little practice and you'll be causing dynamic impact!

Best of Skill to You!

Sue Eldredge

Feature This... Interior Design and Professional Real Estate Staging

http://featurethisdotdotdot.com

http://www.curbappealfordummies.com

Despite dozens of books and articles hailing the distinctive architectural history and extremely functional layout of the typical ranch-style house, many owners of these horizontal slices of Americana seem ashamed & disdainful of the lineage of their very own homes.

Sometimes referred to as "California Ramblers", and "Ranch-Burgers", the post-WWII Ranch-Style House, by some estimates, comprises 70% of houses built between 1945 and 1970.  By my own estimate, I'd venture to guess that 99% of the owners of these houses wish their homes were a different architectural style.

Addressing curb-appeal issues and advising exterior paint colors for our clientele is what we love to sink our teeth into, and nothing gets us salivating more than a good old fashioned Ranch-Burger. 

Here in Louisiana, the Ranch-Burger (a name coined, no doubt, by it's flat and meat-patty-esque silhouette) is the complete antithesis of our famous architectural influence, New Orleans' French Quarter. In the course of a week's time, we console, and then attempt to counsel, at least 5 to 10 closeted Ranch owners about the reason their house looks the way it does. In complete denial, they describe their house somewhat evasively, avoiding our eyes, drawing pictures to work from, and deflecting direct questions, such as, "Do you own a Ranch?"

Mentioning the low-slung roof and the clean, unadorned style causes flinches of pain to flash across their brow, as if we are purposely rubbing salt into their wounds. Finally, they capitulate, "Yes, it is, and I hate it."

Then they quickly go on and tell us of all their plans to abuse and humiliate their minimalist, modern-era classic, with the addition of a wild tri-color scheme, porches, shutters, ironwork, awnings, and ultimately, a steeper-pitched roof. In short, they want us to co-sign their plan to turn what they feel is a sow'sear, into what they can percieve as a silk purse.

And so, we mentally gird ourselves for battle. We square our shoulders,  focus intently into their beseeching eyes, and we deliver unto them the terrible truth about ranch houses. We each have our own versions of the following dialog chiseled into  the bone on the inside of our foreheads. When it appears our eyes have turned heaven-ward to seek divine intercession, we are actually reading from our script, with all the solemnity and compassion of a funerary officiator:

"Ms. So and So, the goal of our appointment is to give you the best advice we can, and not take all day to do it.  The outcome of your plans to drastically obscure the structure of your architecture away from it's original design will bear out a cosmetically bizarre façade, not unlike Michael Jackson's face. Please, I implore you, embrace the style of your house and the surrounding neighborhood, and let's work on enhancing your present design, not obliterating it, to preserve the dignity of your Ranch, and ultimately, preserve your future equity."

Some clients, at this point, end our appointment in a huff. Most, however, let out a final, drawn-out sigh of defeat, but at least maintain the social courtesy of hearing us out. We press on, despite the glazed look and the slumped shoulders,

"Ranch-Burgers were specifically designed without adornment. Their color schemes should reflect the more subdued colors found to blend in with natural surroundings. Usually only one trim and one body color are warranted, with perhaps a third color used sparingly, if at all. The front door steps back demurely from the view of the street. The end result should be a palette of ecologically inspired, low-key hues.

     

Drama, interest, and individuality are expressed in artful, well-tended landscaping. The elongated house is but a quiet backdrop. Nature and people are the main characters in a predominantly Ranch neighborhood, not the houses themselves.

It's just as wonderful a concept now as it was then."

The speeches rarely work. The ranch, once the most prolific and sought after style of architecture in North America, remains the red-headed step child of design. Sometimes, it seems they just have to see it for themselves, which is why we do what we do.

These near-useless verbal interventions, while deflating, never fail to make my tummy grumble.

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