Fall Freshen Up-Declutter ,reorganize and refresh your home !

There was an article a few weeks ago in AM New York about hoarding. You may have seen the popular A&E show  "Hoarders"... According to the experts quoted in that article NYC is a perfect breeding ground for this, with our seemingly never ending possibilities for amassing new belongings while simultaneously very often never having enough space for that which we already own.

So often, we move from one apartment to the next,simply toting along our belongings, perhaps putting ex ess into storage -whether it's storage we buy along with our apartments or rent in an outside facility,

This fall ,at our house we decided to challenge ourselves to declutter. I am following my own advice-we're always telling our clients to clear up clutter,and organize as well help them to present their properties in the best light. So if you are thinking of selling (or sublet g) your apartment it's a good idea for you too or heck even if you just want a change-you can do it yourself,you can bring in professional organizers too .

There are some items I thought I'd never want to get rid of,and have and then there are others  that I know I will not part with-chief amongst these : the piano I learned to play on- a unique crescent shaped upright - I have never seen another like it. It's also on the list of refimishing projects,but...I digress

A few tips :

Plan out what you think may go and where its going to go ( you can donate books ,clothing etc)

You may have an abundance of furniture and afe not making the best use of your space. It's amazing what changing or eliminating furniture can do for the feel of a room.

Paint ! Especially if you are considering selling- consider painting in neutral tones.

We started our fall freshen up project about a month ago- we have disposed of dressers,bookcases even "old" crt televisions,and replaced with new pieces or reconfigured or repurposed old ones. It's certainly a work in progress,but already pleased with initial steps...

It has been amazing to discover either how much we've been storing over the decades, or to rediscover somewhat lost treasures. But now time moves forward,pretty quickly -before you know it the holiday season is upon us,and even before that, must get back into entertaining shape !

Posted via email from Nicole Beauchamp , Your NYC Real Estate Resource

4 quick tips for sprucing up your apartment before putting it on the market

In my inbox this morning, was an email from Pottery Barn ,offering a color seminar, on “Choosing the Perfect Wall Color” ,on picking colors for your walls, as well advice on choosing a color scheme for you home.

 

Interesting timing, as I was thinking about a post last night about this very thing, but not necessarily from the perspective of choosing a color scheme for your home-but what to do when you want to sell your house (which of course, in New York City, means-what do I do when I want to sell my apartment ? )

 

There is a key distinction between house and home - the ability to detach emotionally is important. You are not selling your “home” you’re selling the place where you live, the physical space, not the emotional component . In New York City, it is often the case that people are still residing in the apartment they are trying to sell (whether the owners, or tenants possibly.

 

Aside from recommending having a staging expert come in-there are a few things that are easy enough to do that you can do on your own

 

• De-personalize – yes, its your home, but try to remove personal items (30 photos of all your living relations and their pets might be a bit much, lets go for one-at most ) and place into storage. This is also a helpful process, as it helps move towards the emotional detachment.
• Neutralize colors- especially the case if you may have some ,shall we say harsher tones (I’ll use myself as an example, I have ,what is now an accent wall in my dining room-, I would paint over it were the unit to go on the market)-whites and beiges and related colors are good to consider
• De-clutter – sometimes we all can be guilty of having too much furniture. Try to give the apartment a sense of space .Yes you may like having two end tables and a coffee table, but maybe just the coffee table, while you’re trying to sell. Place additional pieces removed from apartment into storage.
• Freshen up- especially with some of the existing neutral colors, they start to look, faded or dingy. Professionally (or very thoroughly) cleaning floors/tiling is also helpful.

 

If time and budget allow, I recommend staging, and the possibility of bringing in some new pieces (it helps when you’re not emotionally attached to the things in the apartment)-although do it too well, and you may decide you don’t NEED to move after all !

 

Remember what the apartment was like when you viewed it before pursuing purchasing it. This is the experience we want to (re)create, so that buyers can envision making it their home. Also remember, that in this age of digital marketing, your home is going to be photographed and presented online-so we really want to put its best foot forward.

 

These are of course just a few tips. I’m always willing to discuss or meet with you about your real estate needs any time-only a call or an email away.

 

'til the next time. Always at your service.

Posted via email from Nicole Beauchamp Team, Your NYC Real Estate Resource