Home maintenance from top to bottom is a spring ritual

By sticking with a seasonal maintenance routine, you’ll catch those little problems before they become big headaches.

The weather is delightful in the St. Charles area now and the urge to get outside before the sweltering July heat and humidity come is undeniable. This is also the season for your spring home maintenance checks to insure a trouble-free summer.

While you’re outside enjoying the weather, take a look at your roof, the soffits and guttering. We don’t recommend climbing on your roof–one slip of the foot could result in much more than you bargained for–but get some binoculars for a safe view. While you’re at it, check the attic and rafters for water damage. Staining will show you exactly where the leaks may be located.

Go the professional route to repair any loose shingles or major roof problems. And while your roofing specialist is there, ask them to clean the gutters and check downspouts.

We’ve had a lot of rain this spring; that moisture will show in the attic and in the basement if you have problems. Now’s the time to go down below, peer in the nooks and crannies to look for foundation cracks, pools of moisture and missing tuck pointing. Consumer Reports recommends marking the cracks with tape, then check back again in a few months to assess any damage. Most likely you can fill the cracks with epoxy, but for any major problem, call a structural engineer.

Before it’s 95 degrees outside and you have a major meltdown, make an appointment to get your air conditioner up and ready for summer. You can do your part too by changing the filters on a regular basis and removing dust from around the grills and ductwork. Not only will these tasks insure a cool summer, but also save you money on the cooling bill.

Decks are where family and friends gather for summer parties and barbeques. This outdoor living space requires regular maintenance for a safe, beautiful appearance. Check the railings and supports to make sure they are stable and secure. A guest falling off the deck is not an option. While you are inspecting, keep an eye out for wood rot and termite colonies that might lead to structural damage.

Power washing is the next step for spring deck maintenance. Be careful not to use too much force, which could damage the wood or composite decking. High volume, low pressure is the way to go. Allow a minimum of 24 hours for the deck to dry before adding the final step. Apply the stain during the cooler part of the day and let dry another 24 hours before using the deck. The final step? Invite friends and family to celebrate on your beautiful deck.

Home maintenance is an ongoing project, whether you are getting you home ready for sale or just staying put. Following a regular schedule will make your home a better place to live or sell, and make your life much easier and worry-free.

St. Charles County Real Estate

Written by Myra Vandersall

Home staging is vital for quick sell, best price

Staging increases your chances of a quick sell, reduces the time on the market, and supports your asking price.

Making your home alluring for potential buyers is a smart move in today’s real estate market. In fact, staging your home is now almost a must-do for a quick sell and the best price. The Internet has drastically changed how potential buyers initially shop for a home, and crisp, bright photos on a webpage are essential.

Home staging can take many forms, from the homeowner staging for little or no money, to hiring a professional stager to using the virtual staging technique. The two most important concepts of staging are valid for all methods–de-clutter and depersonalize.

Before doing anything, remove all clutter and personal effects, including that family photo on the mantel, the kids’ artwork on the refrigerator, the kitchen magnets and all those theme-room knick knacks. Sometimes this is a very hard thing to do because of the personal memories and comfort of living with your “stuff.”

Once you’ve done a de-cluttering and de-personalizing sweep, ask a friend or neighbor to come in a point out more things that should go. There will always be more and someone with an impersonal view can help you open up the space and show off your house to its best advantage. All your personal items will become an integral part of your new home. But right now you want a buyer to see their stuff in the house.

De-cluttering also has the added plus of helping you get organized for your move, and sorting thorough things that can be recycled, donated or thrown away. You’ll be ahead in the long run.

Next, remove excess furniture. Large, bulky pieces will make your home seem smaller and give a false perspective. Arrange your furniture in a conversational setting and let the room breathe with extra space.

If you have a fireplace, that should be the focus of your room. Remove the television; a flat-screen shouldn’t be the center of attention. If your fireplace has some black soot, it can be cleaned and even repainted.

Painting will be a big part of your home staging. Repainting an area makes it fresh and covers the scuff marks. You don’t have to stick to a neutral color—there are many softer shades of beige, light yellow, blue and green that will make an impression on potential buyers.

In the kitchen, remove ALL appliances from the countertops. This is extremely important if you have a small kitchen and need to create more countertop space. And as in the bathroom, cleaning and updating are the two most important tasks for these rooms. Kitchens and baths attract the most dirt, so showing a sparkling area will make a big difference.

A relatively new technique in home staging is virtual staging. This is used mostly with homes that are vacant and don’t show up to their potential. Virtual home stagers use computers to work with photos of the house and create a concept of the room, from changing the paint, placing furniture, lighting, and accessories.

This makes a better impression for potential buyers as viewed on the Internet, and can be less expensive than hiring a home stager and renting furniture. The trick here is to use prominent disclaimers saying that the property has been digitally enhanced to show the rooms can look with good design. Otherwise, a potential buyer who views the home online and sees a totally different looking house upon visiting will feel deceived and consider the treatment unethical.

More information on home preparing your home for sale and Home Buying Institute’s website.

Written by Myra Vandersall

Putting your yard “to bed” in October means less work in the spring

Taking good care of your lawn at the end of the season makes good sense

While it may not be as rewarding up front as planting new spring flowers, getting your lawn and gardens ready for winter will be a real time saver come next year. Here are some tips to help you organize a fall clean-up.

Dead-head perennials. Remove spent annuals after the first frost, but resist the urge to prune perennials to the ground as this can invite insects and fungal infections. Always wait until spring when the first new growth appears before cutting perennials back.

Dig tender plants such as canna lily, dahlia and annual geraniums right after the first frost. Air dry plants and store in a cool dry location for the winter.

Don’t forget to water trees and shrubs, especially evergreens. The general rule is one inch of water per week. So check your rain gauge.

Collect soil samples from several locations in your lawn and around your trees. Have both samples tested. If lawn samples indicate a low pH apply lime now. Fertilize trees if soil samples indicate a deficiency.

If you are planning on reseeding or over seeding your lawn be sure to do it in October.

• Cool season grasses benefit from fall applications of fertilizer. Nurserymen recommend three applications during the fall months. Cool season grasses include bluegrass, fescue and rye grass. Warm season grasses include zoysia, buffalo and Bermuda grass.
• Broadleaf herbicides can be applied now to control cool season weeds.
• For those who garden organically and shy away from herbicides and petroleum based fertilizers, a lush lawn is attainable. Organic fertilizers are available. Bradfield Organics, a local company, produces organic fertilizers specifically designed for lawns. If you choose an organic use a 3-1-5 fertilizer in the fall.
• Rake your lawn to help keep it healthy. Your grass can actually be smothered when covered by a deep layer of leaves.

By Jeanne Baker, MLA, Landscape Designer

9 Easy Room Makeovers That Wow Buyers

View before and after photos of readers' room transformations to get ideas for your listings.

By Melissa Dittmann Tracey

A home has only one chance to make a first impression on potential buyers, and a poorly designed room can be a quick turnoff. REALTOR® magazine asked readers to send in stories of how they took action against their listings’ trouble spots.

Visit SchneiderSells.com for remodeling returns in the St. Louis area

Less-Than-Desirable Living Room

Name: Cheryl Oliveri-Daly

Company: Camden Real Estate Company, Camden, Maine

Problem: "The furniture was misplaced in the area, there was a cluttered bookcase, insufficient lighting, plants were too scattered, and the window seat, built-in bookcases, and the view were not being highlighted."

Solution: "I re-arranged the furniture, bringing in furniture and lamps from other rooms in the house—such as a coffee table, stacked suitcases, and baskets. I re-hung the artwork; grouped plants in one area; and de-cluttered the bookcase, arranging items in groups, such as by same color accessories, fewer books, random baskets, etc. I also added colorful decorative pillows to highlight the window seat and to make the couch 'pop,' with an added a touch of red to bring the room together."

Cost: $50—the only purchase for this room was a few decorative pillows

Result: The number of Web hits on the listing and showings increased after it was staged and an offer quickly came but ultimately fell through. The price of the home is $329,000.

A Bathroom With Too Much Design

Name: Julie Kern

Company: F.C. Tucker, Carmel, Ind.

Problem: "It was dated and there was too much personality."

Solution: "I replaced the striped blue walls with warm, sandy-tone walls that highlighted the white trim and fixtures. I then changed out the busy toile shower curtain to a textured, clean white curtain. With the addition of calming spa accessories, the bathroom now serves as a clean, modern bath retreat and all for a very low-budget makeover."

Cost: Less than $200 for the paint, shower curtain, vanity accessories, and towel.

Result: The property updates put the home in a better competitive position against the other listings in the condo development. The condo is listed at $99,900.

Bringing Warmth to an Empty Bedroom

Name: Stephanie Myers of Whisenhunt Stevens Properties, Bellaire, Tex., and Karen Brown of Trendsetter Realty

Problem: "It was empty, so potential buyers were being fooled by how they perceived the size of the space. In this particular room, the space seemed small."

Solution: "As tricks of the trade, stagers sometimes use air mattresses to complete a master bedroom look. We also added inexpensive side tables and lamps, a side chair and simple jute boxes from Ikea. We also added inexpensive draperies from Wal-Mart and attached them with nails and hooks—no drapery hardware was needed. We already had the bedding and furnishings from previous staging. This look showed potential home buyers how much space this room really had."

Cost: Almost $200, including approximately $60 in an air mattress, $80 in bedside tables and lamps, and the rest in inventory.

Result: After the rehab, this property originally was going to be listed at $220,000. After the staging, it was listed at $244,900, and the house sold in two weeks with a sales price of $243,000.

A Ruffled Master Bedroom

Name: Marilyn Gibson

Company: The Best Seller GMAC, St. Peters, Mo.

Problem: "This master bedroom's main problems were the strong colors, the floral pattern of the ruffled curtains and bedskirt, and the unnecessary furniture and TV."

Solution: "I simply removed the busy curtains to show off the room's bay window. I also removed the wall pictures because they were too small. Overall, these small changes drastically improved the room and made it much more current."

Cost: $0

Result: The property was listed for $164,900 for four months with no offers in its "unstaged" condition. Once it was staged and again listed for the same price, the property had an accepted contract within nine days. It closed in a total of 24 days from listing to closing date.

Orange Alert in the Family Room

Name: John Badalamenti

Company: Prudential Fox & Roach, REALTORS®, Wayne, Pa.

Problem: "The room was painted in an Adobe, orange color motif, which many buyers found too loud for their tastes. It was hurting the sale of the home."

Solution: "The seller originally gave me resistance about changing the color, but after reading the feedback I was sending him from buyers, he finally realized the room needed to be re-painted. I suggested an off-white, neutral color. The paint job made a world of difference. Up until that point, I was having nightmares about this room!"

Cost: The cost in supplies and paint was under $200. The seller did the painting.

Result: The work was completed the first week of October 2008 and the property went under contract on Dec. 30, 2008, selling for $335,000 on Feb. 2, 2009.

A Clutterfest Comes Clean in the Living Room

Name: Celeste Boglioli

Company: Prudential Holmes & Kennedy Real Estate, Somers, N.Y.

Problem: "About 30 years of collecting 'stuff' finally caught up with the home owners in this room. There was too much furniture, the built-ins were filled to the max and camouflaged. There was not a blank space on the walls, and the beautiful hardwood flooring was not even visible."

Solution: "I removed excess furniture pieces, rearranged furniture to optimize space, removed clutter from the built-ins and arranged themes (such as a music theme with the guitar behind the piano), while still leaving a good amount of space. I removed wall hangings and pictures, and I removed the area rug to expose the gorgeous hardwood floors, which also gave the room a more spacious feel. "

Cost: Free—Boglioli did all the work herself and used furniture and accessories the owner already had in other areas of the home.

Result: An accepted offer was received on the home within a week after the staging for 90 percent of the list price.

Worn-In Living Room

Name: Valerie M. Blake, associate broker

Company: Prudential Carruthers REALTORS®, Washington, D.C.

Problem: "The couple's two-year-old daughter and large Labrador had taken over the space. What was meant to be a place for adults to entertain and relax had turned into a play room filled with toys. Poor lighting and clutter compounded the problem. The sofa was oversized and worn. The wall art was out of scale and the room lacked style."

Solution: "First, I moved the child's items to her room and had the owners remove and store the leather sofa and gold carpet. I rearranged the remaining furniture and art, using a smaller love seat, a rug, and a club chair to establish a cozy conversational grouping and highlight the oak floors. Borrowing furniture from other rooms in the house, I added end tables, lamps, and a writing table and chair to direct the eye toward the beautiful bay window. Finally, I enlisted the aid of my favorite staging company to provide a coffee table and plants, which brought attention to the room's high ceilings, crown molding, and period chandelier."

Cost: About $350; the costs mostly stemmed from using small items from the staging company and getting the house professionally cleaned.

Result: The house received three offers in two weeks and sold on March 24, 2009, for $583,000.

A Not-So-Great Room

Name: Jim Hinton and Mike Scott

Company: Cutler Real Estate, Akron, Ohio

Problem: "The carpet was old, worn, and stained. The walls were stained by cigarette smoke. The light fixtures were very dated, with a dingy brass finish. There was no drama in the room—it was empty, uninviting, and cold. What's worse is that it was the first room that buyers saw when walking in the house, giving them little desire to continue with the showing."

Solution: "We removed the carpet to expose the hardwood floor, which was in pretty good condition. The walls were repainted in a neutral light sand tone, but we used a darker tan color on the largest wall to highlight the cathedral ceiling and architectural beams. We added furniture, anchored by a black rug, to create a warm, homey feel in the living room area. Two tall, thin portraits were placed on the focal wall, adding a variety of colors that played off the other accessories. We defined the dining room space with the table and chairs and spray-painted the fixtures black. Finally, we added a mirror to reflect the sunlight from the large windows."

Cost: $480 for labor and materials

Result: Six showings in eight days, with two offers. The home sold in February 2009.

Old-Fashioned Kitchen

Name: Tim Franks

Company: Coldwell Banker, Pinnacle Properties, Florence, Ala.

Problem: "The kitchen was very outdated with wood paneling, old countertops, and worn, vinyl flooring."

Solution: "I added new cabinet door fronts and hardware, painted, and installed new tan laminated countertops. I also added stainless steel appliances and new vinyl tile flooring to give the kitchen a more modern look."

Cost: $4,000, with nearly half of the expense going toward to new appliances.

Result: Renovations were just recently completed, but buyer traffic to the listing had dramatically increased, Franks reports.