How to Hold the Perfect Garage Sale

When you need to either store or get rid of a lot of "stuff" to make your house look its best while
on the market, holding a garage sale may be the ideal solution. Not only will your current house stage easier, but you will lighten the load of what needs to be moved to the new home - and make money in the process.
To be successful, a garage sale requires some planning and preparation. In fact, planning the sale may be the key to its success.

Planning the Garage Sale

When you settle on a date for the sale, dig out the local TV listings to ensure that there isn't a major sporting event that will be televised on that day. Also make sure there isn't a local event, such as a popular festival or parade. Although there are a lot of die-hard garage sale fans, even they will skip a sale if there's something else competing for their attention.

Here are a few other things to consider during the planning stage:

• Have everything ready the night before the sale so that you're not running around in the morning.

• Sketch out a plan for the sales floor, allowing room to move between aisles and ensuring that you can see all items from your perch.

• Make a list of each item you're selling and the price you'll be asking. During the sale, cross out each item sold and make note of the price received.

• Price items clearly.

• Ensure that you'll have sufficient help the day of the sale and that everyone is in agreement over pricing and bargaining policies.

• Have an extension cord on hand so that customers can test electrical items.

• Save grocery bags in the weeks leading up to the sale so that you can bag the items your customers purchase.

• Go through all the pockets of clothing you plan to sell, check compartments in handbags,  to make sure there's nothing of value, or even old credit card receipts that may contain private information.

The Day Before the Sale

Now that you're prepared for the sale, it's time to make sure folks know about it. There are several ways to get the word out about your garage or yard sale.  Here are a few other things to do the day before the garage or yard sale:

• Make signs to be placed around the neighborhood and to direct customers from a main thoroughfare. They should be large enough to be seen from the road and directions should be clear. Arrow-shaped signs are ideal.

• Go to the bank and get some cash, such as rolls of quarters, and small bills.

• Consider how you will hold the cash during the sale. A cash box isn't a good idea as it's too easy for someone to walk away with it. Wearing a "fanny sack" around your waist or keeping a wallet in your pocket are much safer ways to hold your cash.

Sale Day

• Move sale items out onto the driveway if that's where you've decided to set up the sales floor. Remember to put the most desirable items out front to entice customers to stop their cars.  Place some "manly" items out front, such as lawnmowers or power tools, to make it easier for wives to get their husbands to stop and shop.

• Set up the neighborhood and directional signs.

• Ensure that all items are clearly marked with the price.

• Greet people as they arrive to make them feel comfortable. Ask if they're looking for anything in particular.

Here's to a successful garage sale!  

Richard Thyssen, Broker of Record

Direct cell: 519-495-1541

email: rthyssen@rogers.com

www.thyssengroup.com

Creating Curb Appeal: 6 Ways to Improve Your Home's First Impression

You've probably heard the old saying, "You never get a second chance to make a first impression." That's true in life, and it's true in real estate. If you're in the process of selling your home, take a moment to walk across the street and look at your home with a critical eye. What are potential home buyers seeing as they pull up? Is your home giving off a good first impression? Does it have good curb appeal?
Real estate agents and home staging services know how important curb appeal is to the home selling process. It only takes a couple of seconds for potential home buyers to form an opinion of your home based on its curb appeal. Below are six ways to improve your home's first impression.

First Step: A Critical Review  

Remember that trip across the street I mentioned above? Well, after living in your home for years, you may not be the best judge. Invite a friend or family member over to give your home a critique. What would they do to improve your home's curb appeal? If they can't make it over, take some photos and email them to some friends for their review. We tend to see things in photographs that we miss when we're casually looking at things. Print your pictures out on 8 ½-by-11-inch paper, draw on them, and make notes about what changes you want to make.

Give it a Fresh Coat of Paint

A fresh coat of paint can go a long way toward improving your home's curb appeal. If a potential home buyer drives up and sees cracked and peeling paint, what impression will that leave? Not only will the home buyer think you haven't maintained the exterior of your home, but he is going to wonder what other maintenance items have been neglected.
Make sure the colors you choose fit with the neighborhood and the character of the house. You want your home to have great curb appeal, but that doesn't mean it should stick out markedly from the rest of the houses on the block. If you're selling your home, neutral colors are the best because they will have broader appeal. However, a neutral paint color doesn't have to be boring. Add some pizzazz by painting your front door a more vibrant, complementary color.

Make it Welcoming

Whether it's a decorative wreath on the front door, some decorative pots with brightly colored flowers, or simply great porch lighting, make your front door visible and inviting. Don't overdo it. Keep things simple, but make it easy to spot your front door. If you have overgrown shrubs blocking the view to your home, it will feel less safe. Trim shrubs back to eliminate any areas where predators could lurk, and make sure your house number is clearly visible.

Get Rid of the Junk

"One man's trash is another man's treasure" applies to garage sales and antiquing. Improve your home's curb appeal by putting things away and storing items that don't enhance your home's first impression. The less clutter you have around your front door and in your front yard the better.

Maintain Your Lawn

Mow your lawn to a height of about 2 inches. Many people believe that mowing a lawn shorter is better, but with a blade height of about 2 inches, the grass is long enough to provide some shade for the roots, which helps the roots retain moisture and promotes stronger root growth.
Manually remove weeds as soon as you see them to prevent them from going to seed and becoming a bigger problem. Weeds generally show up in areas where the lawn is weak or lacking in nutrients. Over-seed any areas where the grass is thin and use an organic fertilizer to provide nutrients and maintain healthy soil.
Near sidewalks, driveways, and planting beds, edge your lawn with a line trimmer or straight spade to maintain a nicely manicured edge. There is no need to buy plastic lawn edging. It rarely holds up over time. A spade and a little muscle can do the trick. However, if you find you really want a built edge to your lawn, use aluminum edging. It is far more durable than plastic and will cut down on some of the maintenance needed to maintain the shape and size of your planting beds.

Oh, the Pressure!

Maintaining concrete driveways, sidewalks, and patios is always important for providing safe walking surfaces. However, if you are selling your home, what is the one thing a potential home buyer is going to do? They will walk up your sidewalk or driveway to your front door. If you want your home to make a great first impression, fix any major cracks and make sure your entry sidewalk is free of debris, moss, and uneven edges. Pressure-wash concrete surfaces to remove any built up dirt and moss.

As you can see, most of these tasks are things you are probably already doing, but when neglected, they can take away from your home's curb appeal. Creating great curb appeal really just comes down to maintaining your home. Performing these tasks on a regular basis means you'll never have to worry about your home making a great first impression.

Richard Thyssen
email: rthyssen@rogers.com
Cell: 519-495-1541

Eco-friendly Kitchen Floors

Get you the groove of sustainable living through eco-friendly kitchen floors. With the growing numbers of sustainable products, going green is definitely here to stay! And there's no better way to start your eco-friendly lifestyle than at the heart of your home, the kitchen.
Making green choices can seem overwhelming, especially with the growing options for eco-friendly products. To help you determine which products are right for you and your home, here are some popular flooring options.

1. Wood Flooring

When it comes to eco-friendly flooring materials, wood is undeniably still the leading choice. It is a timeless, warm and versatile material that adds value to your home. One option is to use laminated wood with recycled wood fibers. This usually comes with 90 percent recycled wood fibers and 100 percent recycled polyethylene for its underlayment, which will reduce heat transfer between kitchen and basements. Another eco-friendly option is to use reclaimed wood.

Why is wood flooring sustainable?
Wood comes from a renewable source, assuming there is sustainable management of forests and plantations.
Almost no waste is produced since dust, bark and trims are gathered to fuel wood production facilities.
Compared to concrete and steel, wood requires less energy to produce.

2. Bamboo Flooring

Certified as a sustainable material, bamboo is a highly recommended material for your eco-friendly kitchen floors. Bamboo is denser than oak, and laminated bamboo floors won't warp or expand easily. This eliminates the creaking sound that occurs when wood floor planks compress. Bamboo's distinctive appeal, tightness of grain and uniformity of color create a desirable and flexible material for any kitchen style. Being moisture resistant and durable makes it an even more workable material for kitchens.
If you love warm shades of brown, then bamboo flooring is a great choice as it comes either in its natural light color or in a darker honey-brown color. Honey-colored bamboo flooring has undergone carbonization, during which the material is subjected to steam and pressure, causing the fibers to darken. The darker the shade of bamboo, the longer it has been subjected to carbonization.

Why is bamboo flooring sustainable?
Bamboo comes from a renewable source and can be grown and harvested faster compared to hardwood.
It does not need fertilizers or pesticides to grow as it is naturally resistant to mildew and insects. This attribute is also seen even after bamboo is made into planks.

3. Cork Flooring

Cork is one of the most comfortable and beautiful materials for floorings. Although it may not be a glamorous option, it can be manufactured to simulate hardwood floors. If you're looking for a low maintenance type of eco-friendly kitchen flooring, cork is a perfect fit.
The material can also be made into a variety of colors to mix and match. Plus it's a healthy option for your kitchens for its anti-microbial, anti-fungal and hypoallergenic properties.

Why is cork flooring sustainable?
As a softwood material from the cork oak tree, it is harvested without cutting the tree down.
You do not need regular adhesives or nails when installing cork flooring.
Cork flooring is usually from recycled cork, and the flooring itself can be reused or recycled.

Other Eco-Friendly Flooring Options

Other options to consider are natural stone, linoleum and tiles. Recycled, reclaimed or salvaged stone or wood are also good picks. Innovative and high-tech floors are also great options to look at.  Switching to eco-friendly kitchen floors can be an easy and cost-effective choice - all you have to lose are the pollutants.

Richard Thyssen, Broker of Record
Keller Williams Lifestyles Realty Brokerage
519-495-1541
richard@thyssengroup.com
www.thyssengroup.com

Redecorating your Kitchen on a Budget!

Redecorating your Kitchen on a Budget

Although many claim that they're willing to undertake minimal cosmetic fixes, the typical home buyer wants a home that is move-in ready. Two rooms in particular are important to them: the bathroom and the kitchen. Outdated, worn and unattractive kitchens and bathrooms drag down the value of the home and may make it harder to sell.
Pressing the buyer's kitchen "hot button" may not necessarily require a complete remodel of the room, but merely a freshening up. Even the smallest of budgets can provide some attractive updates to everyone's favorite room.

Paint Dramatically Transforms the Kitchen

When redecorating your Kitchen on a Budget, fresh paint on the walls is the best place to start. Paint adds an instant transformation, and, depending on the color, can make a room appear larger. It also provides you with a base color on which to build the rest of the kitchen's color scheme.
Most real estate staging experts caution homeowners to use neutral paint colors to provide a broader appeal.

Update Your Kitchen Cabinet Hardware

If you're lucky enough to have attractive kitchen cabinets that don't require painting or refinishing, replacing the hardware may be all that's needed to give them an updated look.
Home improvement stores offer the kitchen-decorator a mind-boggling array of hardware for your kitchen cabinets. From stainless steel to hand-forged pewter, there's a handle or knob to match any kitchen decor.

Accessorize to Add the Final Touch

Kitchen accessories include not only the decorative, but the functional as well.
Let's start with the decorative: New throw rugs, window coverings and linens that compliment your new wall color will tie the room into a cohesive whole.
Artwork isn't something a lot of people think about when decorating the kitchen. Be on the lookout for interesting pieces, such as plates, tapestries and sconces.
Lighting is not only necessary but can add a distinctive decorative touch.
Under-counter lights add a soft glow, while sleek track lighting is a must for an industrial-style kitchen.
Add a new kitchen faucet that coordinates and compliments the new décor. Try to match the finish to the new cabinetry hardware to pull the room together. Again, your local home improvement store offers an array of faucets.

Stuck for ideas? Model homes are staged to sell, so if there's a new home community nearby, take a tour of the models and bring your camera to photograph kitchen ideas that you'd like to replicate.

Go ahead and be creative when Redecorating your Kitchen on a Budget!

Richard Thyssen, Broker of Record
Keller Williams Lifestyles Realty
519-438-8000
www.thyssengroup.com
email: rthyssen@rogers.com