Eden Prairie, MN

While everyone thinks about gutters being one of the most important aspects of maintaining a dry basement, gutters can also play a major role in preventing water intrusion at the exterior of the home.

As water drains off the roof and hits hard surfaces next to the house, such as decks and patios, a lot of water splashes against the house in an unnatural manner. Houses are designed to shed water from the top down. When water travels up against a house or sideways, it can have a devastating effect.

One of the worst areas that I regularly find problems with is where a roof valley dumps water on to a deck, and the water splashes against a patio door. This will almost always rot the door and the wall around it. When gutters are installed and maintained, this doesn't happen.

My inspiration for this post came while doing a home inspection in Eden Prairie on a nineteen year old house. The home didn't have any gutters, and water drained down from the roof right on to the wood deck. I noticed some tiny trees growing out of the intersection between the deck and the house, so I suspected there was a nasty mess behind the siding. Click on the photo below for a larger version.

I told the buyer to have the wall opened up by a carpenter before proceeding with his purchase, so he could get an idea of the scope of the damage. The buyer met the carpenter at the house, and was kind enough to send me a few photos of the wall with the siding removed.

That wall sheathing is severely deteriorated, and a few of the studs were actually mushy. I'm certain that gutters would have prevented this entire mess. This is just one more reason to install gutters.

There are currently 232 Single Family Homes (Townhomes & Condo's not included) for sale in Eden Prairie. On the low side of the available spectrum is a home located at 6695 175th Ave for $119,900. One the high side is 11003 Bell Oaks Estate Road on sale for $3.7M

As far as closed activity for Single Family homes, there has been 56 sales reported since June 1st, 2011 with a low price point of 6755 Woodhill Trail - $123,500 and on the high side at 18554 Bearpath Trail - $1,065,000

Looking back at 2010, for the same time frame, sales were somewhat stronger, as there was 70 Single family homes sold with a low price point of 9150 East Staring Lane $150,000 up to a high point with 9995 Dell Road for $1,635,000

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Stieg Strand, Broker

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Would You Rather Sell a Beige Home or a Purple and Orange Home?

Staging a Home Minneapolis, MN

That sounds like a trick question doesn't it? Home Staging is all about appealing to the masses so everyone can love the home. If the buyer likes traditional they can love the home; if they like modern they can love the home.

Home Stagers around the globe stress neutral, neutral, neutral. But really?? Does neutral mean Boring? Beige?

It Depends......Ha, hate that answer!

Pictures speak a thousand words. Keep in mind buyers only have 'pictures' when they walk into a home which are the actual rooms in front of them. They aren't reading the listing details at that time.

Let's take a beautiful brand new model home. Walls and carpet color - Perfect. Neutral so no one has to walk in and think about changing them.

The reason this is perfect is because you find Beige for the big ticket items that are difficult to change or that would involve a lot of time or money to change.

Beige paint is great....keeping in mind all beige colors are not created equal!!! Some are boring, some are pinkish, worse yet some are fleshy colored....yikes!

Beige carpet is perfect but again keeping in mind 'off white' is a form of beige but isn't the color buyers want to see today.

But will this wow them into signing a purchase agreement?

Let's talk about the emotional pieces of the home. The pieces that draws a buyer in; making them say "Aaahhh.....I want to live here".

Should those pieces be boring.....beige?

Maybe this will help the beige:

Yes.....who would think that purple and orange may help to sell a home. But it will!

The color should be in the little things, in the things that make it a home.

Let's not forget: BUYING A HOME IS AN EMOTIONAL EVENT.

This home can still be traditional if the buyer chooses. It can be hip and modern if they choose. A traditional sofa mixed with hip Purple Argyle Chairs is the perfect balance.

If purple chairs aren't enough....how about orange accents in the artwork and the pillows.

Followed by orange and purple artwork in the dining room and dinnerware. And of course more fun chairs.

Follow that color scheme in the Master Bedroom. A very traditional bedroom set mixed with modern black and white linens and purple accents.

Impact. Drama. That's what you want to make your home standout from the others.

So would you Rather Sell a Beige Home or a Purple and Orange Home?

The answer........ a combination of both!

A Professional Home Stager can create the scene your buyers want to see when they walk in. They want neutral but they want to be WOWED! Give them Wow!

Rooms With Style Home Staging and Redesign has years of experience in creating just the right combination of neutral and wow. Contact them today to give your listing all the advantages.

More Home Staging Before and After Photos

This article originally posted at: Rooms With Style/blog "Would You Rather Sell a Beige Home or a Purple and Orange Home?".