Wanna see what it’s like to live with the Zebra?
July 3, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Well, then check out this article in the local C-Ville weekly.
It was a lot of fun to be interviewed, but it couldn’t have happened without the help of our wonderful designer, Andrea Phillips. She receives well-deserved mention in the article, but what it doesn’t say is that she was able to pull together a design for our house in less than a week.
How it started
Phone rings. . . voice answers:
“Hello, this is Erika.”
“Hi Erika, this is Daniel Rothamel, you called me about featuring me in your “A Room of Their Own” series.”
“Oh, hi Daniel, thanks for getting back to me.”
“No problem. I listened to your voice mail, and the first thing I thought of was my car. I mean really, my car is the place I relate to the most. See, my wife and I recently moved into our house, and we really haven’t gotten around to decorating all that much. It’s kinda spartan.”
“Hmmm. . .that’s a little far afield for this type of story. I’m sure we can do something on your house. It doesn’t have to be extravagant.”
“Well, I guess I could figure something out, when do you want to do the interview?”
“How about next Wednesday?”
“WEDNESDAY! Today is Thursday.”
“I know, but we had someone else cancel.”
Moment of terror. Then an instinctual response.
“Sure, I guess that will work. Come on over.”
As soon as I hung up the phone, Kari and I looked at each other and said, “oh, crap. We are going to need some help.”
Luckily, Help Came Fast
Kari called Andrea next. Andrea lives in our neighborhood, and we had already talked with her about helping us out with our interior decorating. In fact, we had talked with her weeks before the interview, but we hadn’t really committed the way that we should have. We desperately wanted to have a home that reflected our style, but we just couldn’t find the time to make it happen. We work so much that we need our home to be a sanctuary, we just needed some help getting there. This interview provided the perfect occasion and motivation to get it done.
That is where Andrea came it. Kari and I are very good at helping people buy and sell homes, not so good at decorating them. For Andrea, however, It is something that she loves doing, and had done before for friends and family. We love her and her sister Laura, who is our fabulous real estate assistant). We also know a dynamic duo when we see one ;-). Andrea told us that she and Laura could get it done, so we told her to go for it, and that she had less than a week.
“No problem.” she said.
Boy, was she ever right. She met with us and asked us what type of style we were looking for, things that we liked, things that we already owned that we wanted to use, all of those types of questions. We told her. She asked how much we wanted to spend. We told her. She did the rest.
What she was able to pull together over the next few days was nothing short of a miracle. She decorated our entire main living area. The only pieces we provided were the couch, chair, tv, entertainment stand, dining room table, some shells, pictures and shell postcards we had bought in Florida. She did all the rest. She did it on time, and under budget (and that budget was not large by any means).
The result was magnificent.
She took us from having a house, to having a place where we feel at home. As I said in the article, every day we say, “man, I love this house.” It is all beautiful, and we couldn’t have gotten there without Andrea.
Help us thank Andrea
We can’t thank Andrea enough. What we can do, hopefully, is help her do what she loves, designing rooms and decorating them for people like us. So, if you are in the Charlottesville area, and you need help with your interior decorating (admit it, most of us do), then call me or send me an email. I’ll get you in touch with Andrea. You’ll be glad you did it. I know we are.
A Quick Tip for Selling Your Home in the Winter
December 3, 2007 | 1 Comment
Winter is fast approaching here in Virginia. Today, it was not only cold, but raining. When I arrived at one of our new construction homes for an open house, I was reminded of a tip that will help you sell your home in during the winter if it happens to be vacant– turn on the heat.
This sounds like a trivial thing, but it really isn’t. Many owners forget about this during the winter, especially if the home is vacant. It is important to keep the heat on for at least two reasons:
1) You don’t want people to think that your HVAC is broken. Sometimes, people will enter a vacant home without any heat and assume that the heat must be broken. You certainly don’t want people to walk away with that mistaken impression.
2) You want people to be comfortable in your home. In order for people to have a favorable impression of your home, it is imperative that they actually spend time in your home. If it is cold inside the house, the only thing on their mind is going to be getting back in the car to warm up. When it is too cold inside the house, prospective buyers will tend to rush through the showing, or not even bother to view the house at all. That would most certainly not be good.
I’m not saying that you have to keep your heat on 72 degrees the whole time, but putting on at least 55 degrees should make it at least comfortable enough for people not to spend the entire time shivering and searching for the nearest heat source. Besides, having the heat on is just a good preventative measure to keep your plumbing from freezing up and costing you thousands of dollars in repair.
So remember, if you are going to be selling your house in the winter, and it is going to be vacant, take the time to turn up the heat.
Technorati Tags: real estate, realtor, charlottesville, virginia, selling, home maintenance, winterization
3 More Things You Can do to Make Sure Your House Doesn’t Suck
September 4, 2007 | 2 Comments
In case you haven’t noticed, there are A LOT of homes on the market in the Charlottesville area. It doesn’t really matter what type of home someone is looking for, they have many more choices than those that existed a year ago. This is a very important fact that sellers cannot afford to ignore.
More homes mean increased competition. Couple this with the fact that there are less contracts to chase, and competition can be down right fierce in any price range. Sellers who are serious about selling their homes must make sure that they do everything within their power to help their home stand out above the competition.
Long gone are the days of, “put a sign in the yard and it will sell.” Buyers now have the luxury of viewing many different homes before making a decision. The reality of the situation is that if they think your home sucks, even a little bit, they will move on down the road to the next house.
The question becomes, “how can I make sure that my home doesn’t suck?”
Well, a few months ago, I told you a few little things you can do. Those things are just for starters. There are other things that might seem obvious, but I show far too many homes that don’t do the simple things that would help them sell. Here are 3 more things you can do to make sure that your house doesn’t suck:
Clean your house, and keep it that way. Like I said, this seems obvious, but you would be amazed at how many homes I show that are in some state of disarray. Look, I am the first to admit that I am not the best housekeeper in the world, but if my home were on the market, you can bet I would make a much more concerted effort to keep it as close to spotless as possible. If you have kids, especially young ones, keeping the house in order can be difficult at times, but you need to do whatever you can. This is especially true during times you think you might have a showing, or if you know you are going to have a showing. You don’t want a potential buyer leaving your house unable to remember the floor plan because they were distracted by the stained floors or dirty dishes in the sink.
Curb appeal matters– now more than ever. I have more and more buyer clients who are beginning to eliminate houses from their search after simply looking at the exterior photos, or driving by the house. They do this because they have 10 other homes to choose from, so they don’t want to waste time with a house that they already don’t like the looks of. There was a time, not so long ago, when homes were selling with little concern for their exterior appeal. Not any more. In order to sell your house, you need to get people inside your house. In order to do that, you need to make it look inviting. It may be time to trim or remove some hedges and trees, put down some new mulch, power wash the exterior, etc. Whatever you can do, DO IT. You want the outside of your house to look as good, if not better, than the inside.
Get rid of the stuff you don’t need. I know that we all live with stuff we don’t need. I live with a lot of it myself. The entire concept of “spring cleaning” is based on the premise that we are living with stuff we don’t need. If you are putting your house on the market, now is the time to get it out. I’m not saying you have to throw out everything, but the more you can get out of your house, the better. After all, you are moving, right? Everything is going to be out of the house eventually, anyway. Why not get a head start on things, and give yourself a better chance to sell quickly in the process. If you throw things away, great. I have personally used a company called 1-800-GOT-JUNK to take stuff away from my house that I couldn’t hall off myself. They were wonderful. Don’t want to throw stuff away, no problem. Find temporary storage for your things locally, or get a pod, do whatever you need to do to get as much as you can out of your house. I’m not saying that you have to live like a starving college student (nobody wants to do that again), but if you don’t absolutely need it for the next few months, you may want to get it out of your house now.
In the Charlottesville area, it seems that sellers have become oblivious or ignorant of the need to make minor changes in order to sell their homes. The smart, successful, and ultimately happy sellers know better. You want to be one of those sellers, don’t you? The more houses I show, the more it becomes apparent to me that the sellers who do things to make a difference in their home’s appeal before they put it on the market, are the ones who will have the best chance for success.
Because I want you to be successful, you can bet you will find more posts here about the things you can do to give yourself the best possible chance.
Technorati Tags: real estate, realtor, charlottesville, virginia, home improvement, buying, selling
Public Real Estate Seminar Hosted by Yours Truly
April 6, 2007 | 2 Comments
We are hosting a public real estate seminar this Saturday, April 7th from 3-5 PM at our listing at 10 Tallwood Trail in Lake Monticello. Speaking at the event will be John Handloser of Pillar to Post Home Inspections, Loan Officer Al Parks, and the builders/architects of 10 Tallwood Trail, Jared and Susannah Metzger.
John will be speaking about what to expect from a new home, what you can do to help maintain a home, and the life cycles of the components of a home. Al Parks will share with everyone the financing options that are available for new construction, as well as new loan programs that are available to buyers. The Metzgers will be sharing what is involved in the design and building process of a new home. Everyone will be available to answer questions.
No RSVP is necessary, just show up. If you don’t live at Lake Monticello, and need access, just send me an email at daniel@strongteamrealtors.com, or pick up a copy of the latest Real Estate Weekly or Fluvanna Review. You can bring the ad to Lake Monticello’s main gate to gain entrance.
It promises to be a very informative afternoon, and all are welcome!
Remodling Tips, and How to Pay for It
July 20, 2006 | Leave a Comment
Presumably, many of you reading this blog own a home. Whether or not you plan on moving in the near future, you may be interested in how to make improvements to your home. For those of you who don’t own, but are considering it, you should want to know what type of improvements can help your home become more liveable and valuable at the same time. Below are links to 3 articles that can help you do just that, all courtesy of Bankrate.com.
First, read about how to decorate your house without breaking the bank.
Next, learn how to get the most bang for your buck out of home improvements.
Finally, learn how you can pay for it all, if you do have to take on some debt.
Home redecoration and remodling can be a great way to make your home more enjoyable to live in, and increase its salability in the future. So, read the above articles to find out how it may help you.
Technorati tags: home repair; home improvement; redecorating; remodling; renovation
Great Ways to Save Water
June 6, 2006 | Leave a Comment
If you live in the Charlottesville area, then you already know that we haven’t gotten much rain this year. If you live in Lake Monticello, you know that the price of water can be very dear. As such, you may want to know how you may save money on your water bill, or save undue wear and tear on your well. If that sounds like a good idea to you, then read this article that suggest 36 different ways to save water. Even if you aren’t interested in saving money, convserving natural resources is always a good idea.
How to Deal With Garden Pests
June 2, 2006 | Leave a Comment
Let’s say you’ve spent tremendous time, effort, and money to get a great looking garden. The last thing you want is little insects chewing up your hard-fought greenery. Read this article to learn tips for dealing with garden insects.
Of course if you live in a neighborhood like mine, the bugs are not near as dangerous as the deer. . .
Improvement Tips for Teak Furniture
June 2, 2006 | Leave a Comment
I love outdoor teak furniture. It is natural, and I think it looks pretty cool. So, what happens if you "accidentally" try to clean it and end up doing more harm than good? Well, read this article to find out.
Home Additions We All Dream Of
May 26, 2006 | Leave a Comment
People are always asking me, what type of additions/renovations they can make to improve the value of their home. I imagine that this is partially a product of the plethora of television shows out there that show people how "easy" it is to renovate a room and instantly add $10,000 to the home’s value. I have some issues with most of these shows, but that is a subject for a different post.
If you are one of the wealthy, however, the question is not "What can I do?" but rather "What CAN’T I do?" If you have ever dreamed of that home bowling alley or movie theater, than this article is for you.
Not included on this list are the types of things that vast amounts of space can get you. For example, I saw an interview with Ted Nugent on TV not too long ago where they interviewed him next to his cannons. CANNONS! Complete with their own firing range. Forget bowling alleys, movie rooms, or rock walls, nothing helps you blow off a little steam after a long day quite like your very own artillery range.
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Disclaimer
My name is Daniel Rothamel. I am a licensed real estate agent in the Commonwealth of Virginia and a member of the National Association of REALTORS. As such, I adhere to a strict code of ethics and all laws with regard to equal housing, which is reflected in the content of this blog. My broker is Strong Team REALTORS, 86 Joshua Lane, Palmyra, VA 22963; (434) 589-5800. My VA Real Estate License number is 0225 077325. All of the opinions in this blog are mine, unless otherwise noted.
