Ana Hitzel - Home Staging in California - Staging Inland Empire and Palm Springs

Pretzel (German: Brezel) a type of food made from baked dough in soft and hard varieties and savory or sweet flavors in a unique knot-like shape.

Cookie (ko̵ok′ē)

1. a small, sweet cake, variously shaped, filled, etc., but usually flat and either crisp or chewy.

Your house a pretzel or a cookie? Which sounds more interesting?

Consider this when placing a home on the market. How will your listing stand out in a crowd? Will it be just a run of the mill cookie with the same old cluttered décor and tired or outdated color scheme? Or will it grab a buyer’s attention with crisp, clean, clear and attractive pictures on the internet? Will it be cozy, spacious and inviting in person?

The same applies to choosing an agent or a stager. Do both use the same old recipe to market their listings or stage each home? Do they turn the oven to the same temperature always and walk away until the buzzer goes off? How long has your listing been in the oven?

It may be time to change recipes. Start the New Year off with a staging consultaton that will get you on the right track.

AccentPositives provides effective and economical Home Staging Consultations and services on site and on line. We are located in Corona and service the Inland Empire of Southern California and the Palm Springs area. Call 951 833 8529 8529. Email staging@accentpositives.com. Visit www.accentpositives.com and www.accentingspaces.com.

Although I don't share the same religious belief as those who celebrate Christmas, I don't really get why people become offended by Christmas greetings and decorations. Every year there are stories of cities and towns being forced to remove wording and decorations from stores and displays. What's all the fuss about? Walk on by....try smiling and being glad people are in a good mood! People tend to perform random acts of kindness not otherwise forthcoming during the rest of the year. Relax, take it in!

For everyone here in the U.S. Christian and non Christian, this time of year can be special if we look past the symbols and reach for the greater meaning. It can be a time of reflection, a time of gratitude and a time of anticipation, especially for kids. Little things tend to mean a lot. Even if you don’t celebrate the birth of the baby Jesus or prepare for a visit from Santa, the air is somehow changed. I know I get pretty jazzed just finding a parking space within 5 miles of my favorite store!

This time of year brings out the best in some and the worst in others. I often wonder why that is. I mean why are people more generous this time of year instead of throughout the entire year? Why are some willing to injure others trying to get to that sale item first or that parking space that just opened up? Maybe it’s because even if you don’t celebrate Christmas, this time of year can be a symbol of renewal and hope for better things to come. To a few it could be the last chance to make the entire year’s trials matter or make sense which leads to crazy stress.

In our home we celebrate both Christmas and Hanukah this time of year. The “purists” say this is wrong and confusing to the children. How could this be? Technicalities aside, both celebrate a rebirth or renewal of faith and hope, a great message for anyone “believer or non believer”.

Although the stories are very different, they are the same, at least they are to me. The message is an important one. The message is that love, faith and hope are constants, not yearly events. Live your lives well and respect all others. No man is perfect and each is capable of learning and starting again each and every day. This is the message I hope my children can understand better as they mature and this is the message I pray finds all of us everywhere no matter what our faith and differences in our belief or non belief.

So in a very politically incorrect and hopefully offensive way… I wish everyone a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS and blessed New Year!

AccentPositives provides effective and economical Home Staging Consultations and services on site and on line. We are located in Corona and service the Inland Empire of Southern California and the Palm Springs area. Call 951 833 8529 8529. Email staging@accentpositives.com. Visit www.accentpositives.com and www.accentingspaces.com.

Better Living Through “Staging Tricks and Deceptive Design.”

The days of the “Mc Mansion” are on the wane. The current housing trend is toward smaller multi-functional rooms and greener living. Small spaces can present a design challenge if you want to make do with less but not sacrifice comfort and style. Here are some “tricks and deceptive techniques” that I recommend to all my sellers and redesign clients.

“Tricking” the eye with freshly painted walls is highly recommended. It’s great for “camouflaging” and “covering up” faded and worn looking areas and eliminating stale odors that date a space.

Color is a major player in setting the stage in small spaces. Variations of one color or colors in the same family can expand an area and create freshness or warmth and interest. Tone on tone fabrics and upholstery that coordinate with wall color visually expand a space. Paint is one of the most inexpensive and effective ways to make a space more livable but if painting is not an option, accessories, slip covers and simple window treatments that are a variation of the current wall color will help.

Whether trying to open up a current space or moving to a smaller space, you needn’t run out to the “TINY” furniture store and buy new furniture.

Starting with a review of how you live is essential. Do you entertain a lot? Who uses or will use the space the most at any one time? By doing this you have the starting point for a floor plan that best suits your needs. The flow should allow you to walk about the room freely. Avoid mashing everything along the walls. It’s always best to have dead space behind rather than in front of your arrangements whenever possible. In combination rooms (i.e. grate rooms, living and dining combos), furniture placement will define the purpose of each section.

Less, not smaller, can be more.

By using pieces that are of appropriate scale and serve more than one function, you can achieve a more spacious look. Ottomans are great as they can be used for storage, a coffee table and extra seating. Instead of a love seats which many use as space saving, try a lower profile sofa or a couple of club chairs; roomier seating that does not wall off an entire area visually. One or two clean lined larger pieces anchor a room and also convey a feeling of spaciousness. Remember too many things floating around a small room can make it seem cramped and cluttered. “Tiny” furniture fits in this category.

Finally, proper lighting and the use of mirrors can also help in making a space feel more open. Mirrors reflect light and brightness. Don’t go crazy or you will have a fun house effect but place them where you would a piece of art and make sure they are always reflecting something beautiful or of interest like an outdoor view or a pretty light fixture. Heavy window treatments are depressing and dated. Lighter and flowing fabrics or sleek roman shades and blinds not only expand a room visually they create interest and can define a room as casual or sophisticated or both!

If you follow these simple and inexpensive “deceptions” when selling or considering what could be while looking at a potential living space, you can’t go wrong!

AccentPositives provides effective and economical Home Staging Consultations and services on site and on line. We are located in Corona and service the Inland Empire of Southern California and the Palm Springs area. Call 951 833 8529 8529. Email staging@accentpositives.com. Visit www.accentpositives.com and www.accentingspaces.com.

Lighting Your Home Inside and Out

Now that the clock has turned back and darkness sets in early, it may be time to assess your home lighting situation indoors and out. Good lighting can add cheer and a sense of security to your home whether you are selling or staying put. This is one of the most overlooked areas by sellers. Good lighting is one of the single most important aspects of effectively showing a property. During home staging consultations I often see homes with rooms having little to no lighting and burned out or dated outdoor fixtures. So lets look at the good stuff for staging or just everyday living...

Exterior lights welcome visitors and provide a sense of safety and security while flattering a home's best features be it landscape or a substantial front door or entry. Well placed fixtures that are of the proper scale are like jewelry. They can really make a home shine, literally. Bright porch and garage sidelights can be combined with inexpensive and energy efficient solar path lights that guide people to your cheery door.

Indoors and out, layered lighting is the way to go and is easy to set up even if outlets are not available. When we say "layered lighting" this means using various fixtures and brightness levels to effectively light an area. Inside, combining lamps, overhead can or ceiling lighting with softer "mood" lighting gives a room interest and impressions of bright and fresh to warm and inviting.

Interior lighting can enhance wall and furniture colors or ruin them. It is so important to brighten your spaces. Dark corners and dimly lit rooms are depressing and can bring down and age a home. Single over head lights or ceiling fan lights are harsh and unflattering and just don't get the job done. Main living areas and bedrooms should always have two 2 to 3 lamps depending on the size of the rooms and other lighting available such as overhead or can lighting. In large rooms set up lighting in a triangle so there are no dark corners or unlit areas.

Bathrooms, Kitchens, and laundry rooms should be very bright areas. These can look dingy and don't feel clean even if they are.

Make sure your fixtures in these areas are equipped with the highest watt bulb the fixture will safely allow.

Same rule for garages. Dimly lit garages are scary and dark. When showing your home for sale, remember to check for burned out bulbs, inside and out.

Today, wireless lights and wireless light systems are a growing trend. There are products to fit every budget from simple battery operated switches that you can place where needed to operate a lamp to elaborate systems that not only enable flexible placement but are very energy efficient as well. It's worth your time to check out what is going on in the wireless lighting world.

Have fun with it, experiment and see what makes you feel best, chances are it is what will give potential buyers a good impression also. Even if you are not selling, these tips will make your home more comfortable for you!

AccentPositives provides effective and economical Home Staging Consultations and services on site and on line. We are located in Corona and service the Inland Empire of Southern California and the Palm Springs area. Call 951 833 8529 8529. Email staging@accentpositives.com. Visit www.accentpositives.com and www.accentingspaces.com.

The staging materials allowance for this 1300 square foot condo was around $800 that includes the paint.

We added lighting, a ceiling fan, cabinet hardware in bathrooms, kitchen and laundry room and also changed sink fixtures and painted every room. No fuss low cost window treatments cover dated but expensive to replace verticle blinds.

We reused or repurposed many existing pieces such as the old and dated dining room table. Getting creative in the money saving department is a must in today's market so every penny saved is a penny earned for a client.

AccentPositives provides effective and economical Home Staging Consultations on site and on line. We are located in Corona and service the Inland Empire of Southern California and the Palm Springs area. Call 951 833 8529 or email staging@accentpositives.com. Visit www.accentpositives.com and www.accentingspaces.com.