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Staging Your Home: The Psychology of Color

Submitted by Joseph Pettinella on March 6, 2017 - 4:00pm

Potential buyers' memories and emotions about your house are affected, in part, by the colors of your walls, floors and furnishings.  Color plays a big role in our emotions. Some colors make us feel happy or relaxed, and some colors may make us feel nervous or anxious.  

If you're getting your home ready to sell, choose the colors you paint your rooms wisely.

Here is some helpful advice on how colors affect people and how you can use this knowledge to help get your home sold.

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21 Budget-Friendly Ideas for Sprucing Up Your Home - Part 2

Submitted by Joseph Pettinella on February 28, 2017 - 10:23am

HERE ARE IDEAS 13 THROUGH 21.  THE FIRST 12 WERE IN YESTERDAY'S BLOG POST.  Here's a link to our previous post.

You too can create a comfortable, stylish, and upscale environment in your home on a limited budget.  Let's start here with #13 of 21:

13.  Replace your old light fixtures with interesting designs that complement the style of your home.  You can find amazing values on quality fixtures at places like Lamps Plus Open Box , Lumens Open Box, and even shopping at moving sales and flea markets.  Lighting is one of the most important elements of home design, and upscale lighting at the right scale definitely adds value.

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21 Budget-Friendly Ideas for Sprucing Up Your Home - Part 1

Submitted by Joseph Pettinella on February 27, 2017 - 4:35pm

 HERE ARE THE FIRST 12 IDEAS.  THE OTHER 9 WILL BE INCLUDED IN TOMORROW'S BLOG POST.

You don't need to spend a bunch of money to have a beautiful and stylish home.  You can create a comfortable as well as upscale environment in your home on a limited budget. 

Here are the first 12 of the 21 ideas we think are just great to decorate, spruce up, or stage your home on a budget.

1.  If your fireplace is outdated, how about re-covering it with slate or marble-look 3x12 tiles in a herringbone pattern?  This is a great way to get a really high-end look for a very low cost.  Here is inspiration overload on Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/explore/herringbone-fireplace/.

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Housing Market Update January 2017

Submitted by Joseph Pettinella on February 22, 2017 - 12:16pm

2016 was the housing market's best year since the great recession!

Mid-Hudson Valley Housing Market Update

Submitted by Joseph Pettinella on February 10, 2017 - 4:56pm

The local Mid-Hudson Valley housing market activity has steadily improved over the past several years, and we finished up 2016 with more sales than we have seen for many years.  Increases in homes sold compared to 2015 were significant in most areas.  Dutchess County sales were up by 23.8%, Orange was up 25.3%, Putnam up 19.1%, Ulster had a 22.9% increase and Westchester a 7% increase.

In the Mid-Hudson Valley the median prices of homes rose at a moderate level compared to last year. Take a look at the chart to see how prices have changed in our area year over year, and how they compare to prices 5 years ago.

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Time Challenged? 4 Must-Dos to Prepare Your Home to Sell

Submitted by Joseph Pettinella on January 31, 2017 - 5:29pm

There is a lot of good advice on the internet on how to get your home ready to sell, and it's all good.  But taking all the advice can be very time consuming and can put a pretty good dent in your pocketbook.  We've found that many of our clients just don't have the time and/or the money to do all the things they would like to do to make their house the best it can be.

If you're one of those people who is seriously time-challenged, then here are four things you can accomplish that will have a major impact on getting your home sold in the least amount of time for the most money.

1.  Go through every room with some boxes, and pack away anything that you won't need again until you are in your new home.  This includes personal items, family photos, knick-knacks, clothes and shoes that you won't need until next season . . . anything that would be considered 'clutter'.  Think empty . . . the emptier your closets the better.  'Less is more' applies to every room and every closet in your home. 

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