About Brainerd's Pequot Lakes

Many homes built in the past 20-30 years did not put central lighting fixtures in many rooms , such as the living-room, bedrooms, and dens or studios (now called "the home office). Unless homeowners are willing to have wires threaded through ceilings and new switches installed, home stagers are going to have to work with what you have. That means floor lamps, table lamps, buffet lamps, plug-in night lights with decorative shades, up-lights and the like. Most of these come with cords. Cords are ugly. Not only ugly, but potentially dangerous and you can not put them in a walk path over or under a rug. NO, NO!!!!

• So when strategically planning that perfect furniture arrangement - you need to consider where the wall outlets are. Better to scope them out before the furniture placements starts.

• While natural light is always a wonder to uncover - I will go against the flow and state "Maybe, don't turn on every light in the house."

photo: Flickr

• Lighting helps set the mood for a room's perceived use. Some overhead lighting such as the older style fluorescents can be quite harsh. It is hard to look good in that light, unless you are under the age of 2.

• I am not advocating that rooms be dimly lit either. People need to see what is for sale or they will wonder what is being hidden. Low light may work for a romantic candle light dinner, but not for a home showing.

• For rooms in which you may want to lower the lights down low - dimmers are a modern wonder. You will wonder what you did without them.

• You need a balance of light from whatever sources you can put in a room. A variety of light sources is the best and well thought out light placement will play up architectural details, angles, and put each room in a flattering glow. For example: rope lights along the top of a kitchen cupboard pulls the eye up and vaults the space. An up-light on a corner tall plant gives interest to that space. A small lamp on a kitchen counter or a plug -in decorative night light will do the trick there.

As with most things in life it comes down to a matter of balance.

Yesterday I took my Ethics class in the morning and then our Greater Lakes MLS Association rules in the afternoon. While most were common sense and The Golden Rule there of course were things that had not occurred to me as I had never encountered them. One was that directions be given from a neutral site or landmark and not your office. In doing my last Comparative Market Analysis I noticed several properties in our MLS system that gave directions from THE OFFICE. No advertising allowed on the MLS. Another was that no Real Estate signs be shown in the photos or in virtual tours. Ooops have seen those as well. No people, no pets- ooooops again.

If those were your listings then here is the Heads up to fix then . There is an automatic fine for some of these infringements. You may want to re- read your rules to be sure you are in compliance or better yet - take a class. School is cool!!!!

photo by Aunt Owwee

Filming for " Epic: It's Gonna Be Big" continues at our house, tonight. Darth Ominous will be playing with fire as the Ninja Village is set on aflame. Be sure to attend the upcoming B.A.Y. Rally at Tornstrom Auditorium in Brainerd, Minnesota on Wednesday, January 28th at 6:00 P.M. This video will be the second in the series and if you get there early, you can watch a replay of Part One. Brainerd Area Youth Rallies are a great time for teens from all over the Brainerd Lakes area to get together and spend a night in singing, corporate worship and hear an inspiring Christian message. The auditorium will be jumping and full so get there early for the best seating. Bring along a friend or neighbor to share the excitement. Parents feel free to accompany your younger children if you choose It may be a bit noisy but the atmosphere is electric. Get revitalized!

One recent cold and snowy winter day, I drove to Willmar, Minnesota and took my State and National licensing exams. After studying for several weeks, I was ecstatic to not only pass but get 100% on the National portion. Now I have finally signed on with Keller Williams Realty Brainerd Lakes. To all those agencies I did not choose, thank you for your time and kindness. You made the decision very difficult and I did not make this choice without considerable thought. In the end I went with what seemed to be the best fit for my staging business and my agent status.

My staging company will still continue to work with all agents and home sellers regardless of their affiliations. Perhaps you will sell some of my listings, as my plan is to have them properly prepared for the market and showing well.

To all sellers and buyers in the Brainerd Lakes area, you already know my standing in the home staging industry. Now you can benefit from my expertise all the way to closing. With a background in construction and design, I can help you visualize the potential in any property.

In this difficult market- you need a competitive edge.

Hire the staging and selling team.

Kathleen Lordbock

218-829-4664 Office

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