1. Start with music - this always puts you in a great mood during set up too! iPod speakers are the perfect way to do this. (You can find some steals at TJ Maxx and on Craigslist if you don't already have some. Your smartphone should be able to plug up to them also through the headphone jack if you don't have an ipod.)
2. Add splashes of color. Bright pillows, patterened or solid are a sure fire way to do this. (Struggling to find some at your house? Check out World Market and Home Goods for great, affordable selections)
3. Light it up! Lanterns of all shapes and sizes, sitting or hung will set the mood for your guests. You can also string lights in trees or plants. (Paper lanterns are easiest to hang. If you're worried about using candles, invest in the flameless variety. They are battery operated but still look nice.)
4. Make sure to have plenty of seating. Utilize benches, adirondacks, outdoor dining areas... anything you can find. Floor pillows could even be used. Pull them together in groups. You can have some on the deck, in the yard... wherever! You want to make it easy for everyone to sit, relax, and have great conversations. Don't forget tables - people need somewhere to set their drinks and food. (Have you been meaning to get more seating? Home Depot and World Market have a pretty good selection and several on sale right now.)
5. Start a fire. I do mean this literally, just keep it contained in a fire pit or chimnea. There's just something about fires that bring people together and make the night seem to go on forever. (No need to make it too big... just something small that burns throughout the event is nice.)
6. Trays will be your guests best friend. Keep several trays out with drinks and appetizers... your guests will love you for it. You can always have them fix their own, but if you want a night to be remembered, you will totally impress them if they find another waiting for them on a nearby tray when they take the last sip of what's in their hand.
7. Don't let pests be guests too. Especially in our area - there's nothing like the bugs to ruin an outdoor gathering. Make sure you have a smell free bug spray at the door for your guests and citronella out. (I personally like to use OFF! Skintastic - Clean Feel. It doesn't smell or feel like bug spray, but it works.)
8. If you don't have time, and want someone else to do the planning and decor... Call our friends at Design Perfection! They can help you throw the most fabulous outdoor dinner party on the coast!
Have fun at your next gathering!
Very few people actually live in their homes as if it on display and available for sale on a day to day basis. While it may be the hardest part of listing your home for sale, it is absolutely essential when marketing your home.
Starting from the curb all the way to the most seemingly insignificant closet inside, it's absolutely imperative that your home's appearance go beyond “everyday okay”.
Outside, the lawn should be maintained, flowers and bushes properly pruned and trimmed, and the home should look welcoming.
Inside, dusting and smudges should be taken care of on a daily basis, any laundry folded and put away, dishes washed and put away. Don't miss simple items such as clothes not hanging properly, partially open dresser drawers, books and magazines in disarray and even wall hangings off kilter.
As “picky” as it sounds, you want everything in your home to give the perfect impression. Not leaving any question of the maintenance of the home.
Not living in the home you are selling? Even vacant homes need to be cleaned on a regular basis, especially since dust may tend to show up more in a vacant home.
Do homes in lower price ranges need to be spotless as well? Absolutely, perhaps even more so. Generally lower price homes are smaller than the upper price range – thus making every inch of space vitally important. A home that gleams will appear larger and costlier, adding value to your home over the competition.
For more tips on presenting your home in the best light possible while selling your home, give us a call at 910.251.7711
Even if it's not quite time to buy a home, you still have to have a roof over your head, right?! Welcome to the complex and confusing world of Wilmington's residential rental market. Whether you're looking to rent an apartment, condo, townhouse or single family home in Wilmington, Wrightsville Beach, Leland or the surrounding areas...there are a lot of options to choose from. Read more to find out valuable information that will hopefully help make the rental process easy and enjoyable!
Over the past year and a half, I (Rebecca Pirone) have had the misfortune of moving a whopping five times all around the Wilmington area. Yes, that means that every earthly possession of mine has been packed, moved and unpacked five times. I get exhausted just thinking about it! Even though this has been a major headache, its one benefit is that it's virtually made me an expert on the Wilmington rental market. Recently, a friend consulted me on where to find a great rental and I realized that my knowledge is something that other people may benefit from too. So...I have decided to share my list of go to sites that I check religiously when in the market for a rental property. I will also let you know some of my do's and don'ts in renting a property to hopefully save you some time and stress.
It is best to begin your "for rent" search about 60 days before your ideal move in date. If you do it any earlier, the properties may not still be available by the time you need to move in and most of the time, they won't hold them for you.
Make this your new hobby. The rental market changes daily, so stay on top of your research and be consistent, it will pay off in the long run!
This is not to be confused with an "it would be nice if..." list. Write down the things that are necessities in your new property like a washer/dryer, backyard, being pet friendly, or having plenty of storage. Once you make this list, stick to it. This will help keep your decisions logical and grounded without getting wrapped up in the emotion, charm or excitement of a property.
This is a quick and easy way to get a lot of valuable information. I know you've heard it all before but location, location, LOCATION....it's important! Pictures can be deceiving, so always check a map and use the street view feature for an even better look at the property and surrounding areas. You can also see how close you are to shops, restaurants, entertainment and your workplace, which are all important factors in making a good decision.
Sometimes great rental places aren't advertised by anything more than a sign in the window and they move fast! Just like when you're looking for a job, it's always good to have some extra eyes and ears out there looking for you.
You want to make sure that you are renting from someone that knows what they're doing, whether it is a professional rental management company or an individual. When renting, and especially If renting from an individual, make sure to ask lots of questions and check their credibility. Be sure to ask about things like regularly scheduled and emergency maintenance. You don't want to wait until your ac breaks mid-July to find out that the owner lives out of state and is on vacation.
Buyer beware; and in this case, renter beware! Be cautious when dealing with people over the internet. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. One common scam is to advertise a fantastic property for an even more amazing rental rate. When you inquire, they ask you to fill out an application, pay an application fee and pay one month's rent as a deposit. By the time you do all of this, they have your personal information, your money and they virtually disappear. Be very cautious about sending private information over the internet and wiring money to someone you don't know. Also, if meeting someone to preview a property, always bring a friend!
Be sure to factor in the cost of utilities when setting your rental budget. Call the utility companies and with the address, they can usually tell you the billing history of the unit. Keep in mind that sometimes features such as cathedral ceilings, gas fireplaces and being in a historic building can translate to additional heating and cooling costs.
Make sure you are looking at long term rentals. With the beaches so close and so many people coming here for vacation, there are a lot of short term and weekly rentals thrown in the mix. Be sure it says 12 month lease, especially at the beach! It is common practice for long-term beach rentals to be only for the off season and you have to find a different place to stay during tourist season.
So...now you know what you want, what to look for and what to avoid. The only question left is, "Where do I start?" These are my favorite sites for looking at local rentals. I suggest bookmarking them in a folder so they can be easily accessed on a regular basis. Keep in mind that if you want to live in a specific apartment complex, they usually have their own rental departments and should be contacted directly. Be sure to use any available criteria (bedrooms, pets, price range) to narrow down your search so it's not so overwhelming. Feel free to post your feedback and any new ones that you discover. I'd love to add them to the list for others to use. Best of luck and happy renting!
All of the holiday parades are great, you sit on the sidewalk and watch all the entrants go by you. It lasts a few hours and is quite entertaining.
There is another parade that happens once a year, but it actually has entrants that stay in place and all the spectators travel to create the "parade" through each location. This is the Parade of Homes, hosted by the Wilmington Caper Fear Home Builders Association. This year, there are over 40 homes on parade that will be open for viewing for 2 weekends - May 14-15 and May 21-22.
Builders put there all into showcasing homes for these two weekends. The day before the parade, all the entrants are judged and compete for awards in several different categories. Some of these include green building, best feature, best floor plan, best in show, etc.
This yearly event is a way for builders to get the word out about new projects they are working on. It allows them to show off their product, and gain exposure for their brand. Some of the homes on parade already have an owner, or are custom built, while most are available for sale.
These two weekends are fun for the public who like to see new homes as well as buyers looking for the perfect new residence. A fun tour often taken by real estate agents, but actually available to the public also is called"Neighborhoods on Parade" and you take a bus around to participating entrants on May 19 from 7am - 5pm. There's often food, drinks, and prizes throughout the day, and it's a fun way to get through some of the homes. (Tickets are $10 and available through Bryan Sartin at the WCFHBA : 910-799-2611). The real estate community has a ball during these two weeks, as there are many fun events planned to get them into the properties and get them excited so they can spread the word to their buyers.
Around Just Perfect!, we always get excited about this time of year! We love showcasing our
client's homes and highlighting their features - not just for buyers to see but the entire community for these two weeks. We have three properties with staging underway for this years Parade of Homes. It is so fun to be able to work with entrants, as we often stage the entire house and can be a little more creative with them (especially custom ones). Our client's have always won awards in the past, and we look forward to the tradition continuing this year. It's inspiring to see all of the parade entrants, and the new things going on in architecture and construction, and the trends in our area for the year.
The Parade of Home's... it's the fashion show of new construction. Don't miss the best parade of the year - you're sure to be inspired. We look forward to seeing you there!
Look for the insert in the Star News and visit the official Parade of Homes website for more details!!
We hope you get to visit our client's properties during the Parade of Homes! :
8550 Jadewood Drive in "The Registry" by Stevens Fine Homes
316 Davis Street in "Davis Street District, Downtown" by Capstone Development and Plantation Building Corp
6432 Castlebrook Way in "Ocean Ridge Plantation" by Sacchetti Constructiion
195 Camelot Way in "The Manor at Mill Creek" by Bill Clark Homes
[This blog was tagging off of my last blog and was November's exerpt for www.Century21Sweyer.com/blog. Again, it's a little late, but could still benefit sellers with Christmas gifts and packing up after Christmas! :) ]
So, last month, I talked about some things to consider when decorating your home for the holidays while it’s for sale. I hope that helped some of you guys. Now, for those of you who haven’t put your house on the market yet, but are planning to the first of the year… let me give you some tips that can make the holiday season and decor work to your advantage!
First of all, your house isn’t for sale yet, so it’s okay for you to go overboard! Go ahead, deck the halls! As you’re doing so, you will usually pack away some of your every-day things during the season to make room for the holiday pieces. This year, as you pack things away, consider whether you really need them on a day to day basis, and the things you don’t, pack separate from the rest. This simple step will already get you started in preparing you home for sale.
Since you’re in the process, consider taking this a step further, and go ahead through your entire house, and look at things you don’t normally pack away for the holidays. Continue thinking the same thing about whether you’ll really need things, or if you could make due without them for several months.
Things you may need, but not often, pack separately also. Label them so that when they go into storage, you can keep them at the front for easy access.
Now you have just done a huge part of the preparation process!
Once the holidays are over, and you’re taking down the greenery and lights… go ahead and also take down any hardware and hooks you have them hung with. Patch the holes, and you’ve just knocked another thing off your list!
When you’re packing your holiday decor - pack it for storage. You might as well go ahead and take care of this now while you’re in the middle of it. You won’t need it for another year, and hopefully you’ll be decorating your new house then!
On your Wish List, consider asking for gift certificates to home improvement stores. These gifts can become an even bigger gift because they’ll help you get your house ready for a quick sale and high return. Paint and painting materials are often needed, things to make any minor repairs that may be required… but here’s my favorite - ask for them to lend you a hand! Do you remember when you were a kid, or if you have kids - them giving gift certificates for a hug, or a day with mom, etc? Something like this from your friends or family would be a great gift idea for you to suggest - then when you’re ready to get down to business with preparing your house for sale in the new year, you can pull them out and call on them - without feeling guilty!
So enjoy the season, and as you’re in the middle of packing things away just consider how you can use this to your advantage. You’ll need to do it eventually anyway. Taking a little extra time now will save a lot of time later.
"Bringing Your Home's Best Features Forward!"
Have you ever walked into a house and immediately thought, “Oh, it’s just perfect!” … and you feel like you can move into it tomorrow, just the way it is… This feeling is what inspired Just Perfect! We strive to make the home buying and selling process easier and more enjoyable for everyone. The founding owner of Just Perfect!, Jessica Pirone, has a background in Arts Management, Marketing & Fine Arts. She has been decorating homes on the side for years and has worked in retail stores, creating displays and boosting marketing tactics. She briefly studied architecture in Sydney, Australia and worked on organization and marketing for a gallery in Charleston, SC before deciding to pursue a lifelong dream of working for herself, doing something she loves. Jessica studied with Melissa Marrow at First Impressions in Charleston, SC and decided to combine her creativity and marketing skills to start Just Perfect! in Wilmington, North Carolina.
Just Perfect! specializes in working with home sellers, agents and builders to help them turn their home into a marketable product and help them get the most out of their real estate investment with a quicker sale and higher offers. We offer:
We love to work with all homes, regardless of size, age or price, and work with both realtors and individual home owners.
Jessica Pirone is an Instructor for SAR (Staging & Redesign) - teaching cutting edge staging training classes 3-Day & 5-Day, Webinars, Online Courses, and Agent Courses.
"Our family needed to sell my grandparents' house during a depressed real estate market. Like many of the homes in the neighborhood, my grandparents' home stayed on the market for six months without an offer, at which time we decided to change our strategy. I had heard about staging and I felt we definitely needed help to make my grandparents' property more marketable. After pulling the house off the market, I conducted an online search and discovered Just Perfect!® Home Staging + More.
Not only did I have a real estate challenge, I also had a logistical challenge. You see, I live more than six hours away from the property and I would not be able to physically meet with the stager or assist with the process.
After my initial telephone consultation with Just Perfect!®, I was certain that I had found the ideal candidate for my job. My instincts were right on: Jessica reviewed the property and sent us a list that divided her suggestions into "Must", "Should", and "Helpful" categories. We reviewed her analysis, chose the items we wanted her to take on, and agreed on our budget and her fees.
Being from out of town, we didn't know any service providers aside from the man who used to mow my grandparents' lawn. Jessica selected all of the subcontractors, negotiated pricing, and oversaw their work on our behalf. We didn't have a problem with any of the subcontractors, which is almost unheard of!
The team at Just Perfect!® ensured that the exterior and interior of the house were repainted; improved the landscaping; replaced appliances; replaced the carpet; helped us store our belongings; and were even there for the home inspection when we couldn't be present!
Throughout the entire process, Jessica and her team were excellent communicators who proved to be both trustworthy and dependable. They kept us up-to-date on the home's progress and sent photos for us to review. We were so confident in her skills and so clear that she had our best interests at heart, we gave her free reign in staging the interior. With our blessing, Jessica chose all of the paint colors, lighting fixtures, carpets, and furniture on her own.
When the project was complete, the house looked fantastic! We re-listed the house for a second time and closed the sale in less than three months. Just Perfect!® provided a wonderful experience as a virtual client thanks to Jessica's excellent communication skills and professionalism. These days, it's rare to describe someone as "overly helpful", but that's exactly the phrase I'd use. I highly recommend Jessica Pirone and the team at Just Perfect!"
"Great color selections and furniture placement to showcase the best features of the home!"
"In March 2008, we put our home on the market. Our son and daughter-in-law suggested we use a professional home stager, but initially, we did not heed their advice. After our house had been on the market for about three months, we decided to give staging a try. Our son did all of the scouting and recommended Just Perfect!® Home Staging + More.
Jessica came to the house with our REALTOR for an initial consultation. I trusted Jessica's professional judgment, and really didn't care what changes she made to the house as long as she stayed within the budget I had set. Jessica made recommendations and asked us about furniture and artwork that we had already put in storage. Based on her suggestions, we pulled some of our own items from storage (end tables, artwork, etc) to be used in combination with props from the Just Perfect!® inventory.
My husband and I were planning to leave town for a weekend trip, so we agreed that Jessica would stage the house while we were gone. It was quite something to return home; after staging, the house looked remarkably different! Jessica and the team at Just Perfect!® definitely know what they are doing - the effect was really nice. I was especially pleased that she had been able to execute the look while working well within our budget.
Less than a month later, our house was under contract. Now, I'm convinced that staging really does help a house sell faster. A professional stager can see things that a homeowner, who is personally attached to their space, cannot. Just Perfect!® was able to de-personalize our house and highlight certain architectural features, increasing its marketability. My advice to anyone who invests in home staging: trust the stager! By trusting Just Perfect! to apply their professional knowledge to our house, we quickly achieved the results we were looking for, despite a soft real estate market."
"As a home builder, I recognize that many people need to visualize how they will live in their new home. For one of our models, Just Perfect!® came up with a theme that allows prospective home buyers to do exactly that. Key areas of the home were 'staged' just enough to show people how they might 'live' in the home, yet the staging actually complimented and did not take away from the features of the home. When I saw the 'before and after' pictures, I was amazed at the difference! The home definitely has more appeal and I have no doubt that the staging will help us sell the home faster!"
"I first learned about Just Perfect!® Home Staging + More because other REALTORS® in my office had used the staging service with success. I contacted Just Perfect!® when working with a seller who had way to much clutter to show her home effectively. To maintain the best possible client-agent relationship, I prefer having a third-party professional intervene to counsel clients on changes to their home.
During the client consultation, Jessica Pirone made many low-cost suggestions on how to improve potential buyers' perceptions of the space. Some of her ideas included clearing kitchen counter tops, removing personal belongings, eliminating family photos, and changing bedspreads.
My client followed Jessica's recommendations with great success: in a very competitive neighborhood with lots of homes for sale during a recessionary market, my client's house sold in just two weeks! Needless to say, they were very pleased with Just Perfect!® (and with me). With strong professional stagers like Jessica Pirone, everybody wins; just like her company name suggests - it's Just Perfect!"
"As a professional home builder, I learned the hard way that furnishing model homes is time-consuming and costly. In addition to buying all the furniture for a model home, we had to deal with transporting it, cataloging it, packing it, storing it, and transporting it again.
Just Perfect!® solved all of those problems for us. Just Perfect!® rents items to us from their inventory so we don't have to buy furnishings, worry about transportation and storage, or waste resources trying to track and catalog inventory.
In addition, Jessica and her team have a real talent for staging spaces to highlight the best features of a home. The furnishings and accessories she selects don't compete with our construction, yet they are such a great enhancement, several clients have asked to buy our homes fully furnished, just like the model. (They can; Just Perfect!® takes care of it.)
As a business owner, staging makes a lot of sense: it has simutaneously helped us to contain costs and increase profits. Most importantly, it allows me to concentrate on what I do best. I highly recommend the staging process, and Just Perfect!® in particular."
"Jessica had great insight combined with personal friendliness in working with clients to effect the maximum potential of the home. Ours sold within a week of following her advice!"
"My company helps individuals with all aspects of estate planning. As executor, I was responsible for selling a home for one of my client's estates. My client had been ill for a number of years and had not been able to maintain her home as she would have liked.
Because of the neglected condition of the property, we were faced with two possibilities: putting the home on the market at a greatly reduced asking price or investing money into repairs and updates in an attempt to recoup the home's true value.
The team at Just Perfect!® provided a professional consultation to help me make an informed decision on my client's behalf. They had wonderful suggestions on how to update the house for a reasonable price. They provided an estimate and a written contract that provided both a time line and an outline of the changes they would make.
Just Perfect!® and their subcontractors did an incredible job; by the time they were finished that neglected 15-year-old home looked like new construction. They removed wallpaper, repainted rooms, changed carpet, added new landscaping to increase curb appeal, and transformed a home office into a third bedroom to boost the home's total value. The entire project was completed in a month.
I put the home on the market in February 2008, at a time when the housing market had severely declined. Thanks to Just Perfect!'s improvements and expert staging, the home sold for the asking price just 33 days later. After the cost of staging and improvements with Just Perfect!®, we netted a profit of $15,000 more than the house would have commanded in its original condition.
Just Perfect!® completed the entire project within budget and on time, despite a short deadline. I highly recommend Jessica and her company as an outstanding professional and a worthwile service."
"I truly believe this [Just the Basics Consultation] motivated Rebecca [client] to prepare her home for market. It is always nice to have a professional home stager meet with clients instead of only the broker. Thanks so much!"
"I'm a Realtor who was referred to Just Perfect! by a builder that I work with frequently. I had never worked with a staging service before, but once I saw the incredible results that Just Perfect!® generates, I knew it would be a useful and profitable service for many of my clients. I have worked with Jessica and her team on several projects, and I think they're Just Great! They're professional, responsive, and easy to work with. Staging does help homes sell faster and the Jessica and her team know how to appeal to the right demographic through the choices they make.
A recent example that comes to mind is a home Jessica staged in an exclusive gated community. The house was on the market as a result of a divorce a, and the wife had taken most of the furnishings with her. The sparsely decorated rooms didn't make much sense and the now very obvious wallpaper did nothing to help sell this desirable home.
Just Perfect!® consulted with the husband (the seller), making suggestions to remove wallpaper, repaint certain rooms, and add pieces from her inventory to create a more cohesive look. She also changed furniture placement. There is a dramatic difference between the 'Before' and 'After', and my client is very pleased. As the representing Realtor, I've also received lots of positive feedback from the realty group within the gated community who saw the home both pre- and post-staging. They are impressed with the transformation and the ensuing results; traffic through the home has increased and there are now a couple of potentially interested buyers.
Staging is an investment, but my experience with Just Perfect! has taught me that it's a wise investment."
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