seattle: How to Bring Your Home Kicking & Screaming Out of the '90's - 01/11/15 03:36 AM

You’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all.  The typical 90’s kitchen filled with ‘golden oak’, laminate countertops, and a skimpy little backsplash.  Although it’s spacious, well laid out, in very good condition, today’s buyers could care less.  They want what they want, and what they want will typically cost 20k-50k in renovations.  So, what do you do if you have a smaller budget, say 5k-10k?    How about this…

  This is This is how I transformed one of my listings on Capitol Hill –
I had my handyman guy lightly sand all of the cabinetry (and when I say lightly, … (5 comments)

seattle: Staging vs. Re-Design or How I saved my clients $7,000! - 10/19/09 09:25 AM
While staging and re-design have much in common; working with smaller budgets, editing, and organizing,  there are a couple of major differences. Namely with a staging job your are creating a look for a stranger. The perfect stranger, a ready willing and able buyer. It also needs to be done in a very short period of time.
With re-design you have a lot more time but you are creating a more personal look, often for two people who may have very different taste. That was certainly the case with my last re-design. He wanted a  clean, contemporary, cohesive, space. She on … (19 comments)

seattle: Are You Suffering from Refferalexia? - 06/13/09 01:58 PM
I have to admit that over the years, when it comes to referring business out I've been striking out! No matter how much research I would do one of two things would happen: either the agent who looked so good on-line and sounded so good on the phone didn't live up to their first impression, or they just weren't a good fit for my clients. 
I'm happy to say that those days are over! This month I found two exceptional agents for my out-of-area clients. The first was Elaine Stewart in Palm Springs, who found a fabulous home in record time and negotiated a jaw-dropping … (12 comments)

seattle: Mistake-Proof Color - 06/05/09 07:27 AM
Do you get overwhelmed when you go to a paint store? Then you should let a pro do the work of selecting the right color for your house. Companies like Restoration Hardware and Pottery Barn have spent small fortunes putting together their definitive and elegant color schemes, so when you get ready to paint, pick up one of their palettes and use it throughout your house. Every color will work with every other color. It’s almost impossible to make a mistake!
One of my favorite combinations (particularly if you think you may be selling your house in the near future) is Latte for walls, … (19 comments)

seattle: Is the Kitchen Dragging Your Listing Down? It Doesn't Have To... - 03/01/09 11:50 AM
Everyone knows that a kitchen can make or break a sale. With some major de-cluttering and a minor remodeling job a tired kitchen can become the queen of the prom! So to speak. The elements that went into this makeover were a new stove, sink, countertops, hardware, light fixtures, fresh paint and 19 inch vinyl floor tiles.
Everything except the countertops came from Lowes. They came from IKEA. The cost for the materials was just under $1500 and most of the labor could be tackled by a reasonably handy homeowner. It was well worth it--this was the only house that sold … (40 comments)

seattle: There's a Really Cute House in Ballard...Buried Under Here Somewhere! - 01/16/09 05:04 PM
With the help of my very cooperative clients we found it! It was there all the time hiding under 15 years of living. Ten days after we listed it the buyers found it too. My clients also spent about 15k getting their home in market ready condition, but it payed off. Theirs was the only property in Ballard that sold in the 400-450k range during the entire month of December. Using a talented photographer didn't hurt either.
The Better it Looks...the Better it Sells!
 
 

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seattle: What do you do with a big old ugly mirror? - 12/29/08 06:31 AM
My client had a cute little house in a great Seattle neighborhood a with a big mirror attached to the wall in a totally random spot.
Since I wasn't about to rip it down and chance having to repair the wall, I had to figure out how to make it work. And I think this was a pretty dang good solution!
The table is one that I've used many times, and the beauty of it is it looks really substantial even though it doesn't take up a lot of space. The frame hung on the mirror is a trick I've used … (36 comments)

seattle: Meet Irene Stauffer, My New favorite Ballard Photographer! - 10/31/08 08:03 AM
One of my new favorite art photographers! Irene perfectly captures the Seattle urban/organic aesthetic. Her collection is being featured this month at Re/Max Mutual Realty (located at 1718 NW 56th St. 98107)for the Ballard Art Walk. The Ballard Art Walk is from 6 – 9p every 2nd Saturday at locations throughout downtown Ballard.
And for those of you who can't make it to the Artwalk, it will be on display for the rest of the month, so stop in and take a look.
Let's get out there and support our local artist!

Featured 10-31-08 on www.susanpeters.com “The Better it Looks … (2 comments)