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Homes: A Voyeuristic and Rambling Commentary.

By
Real Estate Broker/Owner with Bristar Realty (Realtor/Attorney) BRE: 01005471

Let's talk great homes!  

Where in Orange County can you find them, what's inside, and how did they get to be so great?

Home improvement, home decorating and home staging surely overlap.  Many Orange County folks shop at the prestigious Fashion Island in Newport Beach, or the humongousSouth Coast Plaza, a center still growing despite facing a formidable commercial real estate market.  

Shopping online, of course, is a convenience which increasing numbers are availing themselves.

Lots of make-your-house-cool projects can indeed be done online.  Why? Because one-stop shopping is always in vogue. 

If you can ignore a glip commentary, here are a few ideas and some idle chatter you'll also find at www.BriStarRealty.com:

HGTV is favorite for home improvement and decorating.  By favorite, I mean, I like looking at the pictures.  It's to homes what Playboy is to . . . never mind.

HGTVis a great website and produces an endless array of home improvement pieces.   Even have your cooler-than-thou remodeled kitchen rated by home improvement mavens at Roomzaar.   Judging by the more bizarre uploads, the moniker Roomzarremight may be more apt.  Stick with those voted most popular and avoid the temptation to install Tangerine carpet.  

(Seriously, don't look for Tangerine carpet.  I made it up!)  

Speaking of decorating, a lot of Realtors talk about home staging.   Here are some excellent staging tips.   I didn't write it, but at it anyway.   It's o.k. to believe I'm good at this sort of thing.  Actually, I'm not too shabby for a guy who would have a mahogany desk in his living room.  

I need to mention the furniture store Horchow.  A former girlfiend mentioned this place on occasion. She has lovely taste, but I don't recall their inventory or the purchases she made.  I just like to say Horchow.   Am I the only person who thinks Horchow is a funny name for a furniture store?

In viewing gads of homes, I notice higher-end furniture cropping up several in several areas of Orange County.   Trend setting shoppers tend to come from East of the imaginary TustinAvenue line, beginning in the newer parts of theTustin legacy, and extending into the Turtle Rock, Turtle Ridgeand Quail Hill communities of Irvine.  

Coastal orange county cities have always been a hot spot for house watching, and the breathtaking decors that often match.   They includeanything city tag with ";beach";in its name:  Newport Beach, Huntington Beach(the most famous surf city in the world!), and Laguna Beach(the subject of popular reality TV).

The Housewives of Orange County beg me to mention Coto de Caza,much as I'm pained to do so.  If you have a peachy plasma screen television, you probably have a good idea of what you'll see inside.  If Cotostrikes your fancy, there's good reason it should, besides having wacky celebrity neighbors.

 THE PROPER CARE AND FEEDING OF HOMES 

Additions &; Remodels
Bathroom Kitchen
Architects &; Engineers
Bathrooms
Cabinest&; Countertops
Carpentry
Carpet
Cleaning &; Maid Service
Concrete Brick &; Stone
Decks & Porches
Driveways, Patios, Walks &; Steps
Drywall &; Insulation
Electrical &; Computers
Fences
Hardwood &; Flooring
Garages, Doors &; Openers

This should not be viewed as an endorsement of the Proper Care and Feeding of Husbandsby Dr. Laura Schlessinger.  

"Homes: A Voyeuristic and Rambling Commentary" © 2011  Brian L. Sirota, Esq. 

Posted by
  • Brian L.  Sirota, Esq.  
  • Broker/Realtor/Attorney
  • BRISTAR REALTY
  • Orange County, California 
  • (877) 641-6964  
  • (714) 501-7660
Les & Sarah Oswald
Realty One Group - Eastvale, CA
Broker, Realtor and Investor

Thanks Brian - great info.  Staging is so important. It gives the buyer the Yes moment...where do I sign.

Feb 26, 2011 01:15 PM
Brenda Whitman, Live in Laramie Real Estate
Live in Laramie Real Estate, Laramie, Wyoming - Laramie, WY
Broker/Co-Owner, Laramie, Wyoming

Staging aside, I just picked up TWO new catch phrases, "Horchow" and "The Proper Care and Feeding of your Home"!  Keep 'em coming!

Feb 26, 2011 03:21 PM
Brian L. Sirota, Esq.
Bristar Realty (Realtor/Attorney) - Orange, CA
For Solutions: (714) 501-7660

You're welcome Sarah.

Brenda, I'm glad you enjoyed my weird phrases.

Feb 26, 2011 04:01 PM
Melinda (Mel) Peterson
Grants Pass, OR - Bend, OR
The Savvy Broker - ABR, CRS

Now you've got me thinking... a mahogany desk in the living room... oh, the possibilities!

Feb 26, 2011 04:24 PM
Brian L. Sirota, Esq.
Bristar Realty (Realtor/Attorney) - Orange, CA
For Solutions: (714) 501-7660

Melinda, you probably have a better imagination than I.  For me, it's an eyesore.

Feb 26, 2011 04:26 PM
Alyce Martin
The Realty Group, LLC - Albuquerque, NM
Albuquerque - THE Place To Be!

Horchow, Horchow, Horchow - thanks, now that's stuck in my head. 

Feb 26, 2011 05:25 PM
Brian L. Sirota, Esq.
Bristar Realty (Realtor/Attorney) - Orange, CA
For Solutions: (714) 501-7660

LOL..Alyce

Feb 27, 2011 05:45 AM
Charles Edwards Bentonville
Coldwell Banker Harris McHaney & Faucette 479-253-3796 - Bentonville, AR
AR REALTOR, Bentonville Real Estate Agent and Broker

Brian, Good post. I'd say a not so feeble attempt. This is good information wrapped in a bit of humor. Modesty is a good thing though.

About Horchow, I'm not sure what the word evokes but it isn't home furnishings.

Feb 27, 2011 07:37 AM
Brian L. Sirota, Esq.
Bristar Realty (Realtor/Attorney) - Orange, CA
For Solutions: (714) 501-7660

Thank you Charles.  Very kind of you to say.

Feb 27, 2011 11:14 AM
Bill Burchard
3B Realty: 951-347-3818, CA - Murrieta, CA
Broker, Realtor, Representing Buyers and Sellers
Feb 28, 2011 06:01 AM
Brian L. Sirota, Esq.
Bristar Realty (Realtor/Attorney) - Orange, CA
For Solutions: (714) 501-7660

Bill, I'm pretty it's Dr. Laura's book.

Feb 28, 2011 05:24 PM