I've been reading a book called Simple Abundance...it's been around for years, but I finally got a copy of it early this spring.
It's a daily missive on simple abundance, whatever direction that takes. June 7th was "The Joy of Living Rooms". I loved this quote of Lucy Abbot Throop:
Some living rooms we see have really no right to the name; they are so unattractive they ought, instead, to be called existing rooms. I like to think of the word "living-rooms" being short for the joy-of-living rooms. That is what they ought to be--full of life and happiness and beauty.
I got to pondering this in regards to our chosen field of real estate. For me, many of the most elegant, expensive homes that are pristine in tone don't have a dollop of human energy. There's only so much of the neutral tones that one can take before saying, "Give me some personality!!"
Don't get me wrong....I completely understand the neutral palette, the "see-yourself-here-and-make-it-your-own" mentality, but I get BORED. Throw some color in, some personal touch that makes us feel like someone is actually HAPPY to be in this room; this home! Show some L-O-V-E!
I'm probably causing some prickling, and rightly so. There is that idea that you remove your own "stuff", de-personalize, to make room for that next buyer. But, I like a cool art piece, a bit of whimsy, a personal somethin' somethin' that allows you to FEEL the life and love that a home has experienced and is wanting to express.
When a buyer feels comfortable in a home, you are one step closer to having them put their own personal stamp on it. And part of that is something you can't manufacture...it's the ENERGY that home is giving off.
I sell many vacation homes. And some (many) have had scads of family memories built into them at the lake. And I DO notice that if there are fun family photos of outings that have occurred here at Fishhawk Lake displayed, people LOOK AT THEM. They see the happiness, and more often than not, connect with it. They, too, are here in hopes of creating future memories on the lake. The joy is apparent. The love of what their home embraces, the kids, dogs, friends, coming and going...it's palpable. Not every home has that good energy, and that's okay. But, helping to allow a home to show its love is part of our job. And a welcome one for me.
Gayle C. Rich-Boxman
REALTOR® John L Scott Market Center Direct: (503)755-2905
Fishhawk Lake Real Estate ™
*Five Star
Professional* 2017-2018
Comments (43)Subscribe to CommentsComment