First impressions are a key component when trying to sell. It’s easy to spend so much time readying the inside of your house for sale that you forget to clean the outside, too. You may have heard of “Curb Appeal” – it’s the visual impression your house makes to anyone viewing it from the street or curb. The idea here is to give your house an inviting look that makes the potential buyer WANT to stop and check it out. Spending some time focusing on curb appeal can really help you attract more buyers—and sell your house faster!

While the Betty Brigade does help find local services to help you with your outdoor projects, it’s not always necessary to hire professionals. Here are some tips that can help:

Clean and Repair the Outside of Your House

Nothing says “buy me” more than a clean and appealing house. A potential buyer’s first glimpse of a house is outside—at the curb. Whether you’re preparing to sell your house, or you’ve already got a “For Sale” sign stuck in the yard, you can always add to the appeal of your home’s exterior.

• Keep the trash and toys off the lawn! There is nothing that will reduce your home’s curb appeal more quickly than trash and toys thrown around.
• Make it shine.  Does your house look clean and inviting, or dingy and unloved? It’s called curb appeal for a reason. It’s amazing what a little hard work can do to neaten up your home’s exterior.
• Make the color POP.  Paint is a wonderful thing. It can quickly bring any old object back to life, including shutters and trim on the outside of the house. If you’re not up to doing the painting yourself, consider hiring an expert to help (That’s where WE can help!). Also, choose neutral colors—this gives your house the best chance to sell.
• Fix it. Take time to repair missing siding, broken shutters, broken fence panels, and the like. Is your sidewalk in good condition? Don’t forget the mailbox. Whether it’s on a post in the yard or up by the front door, make sure it’s painted or polished. Any numbers or letters on it should look neat and clean.

Landscaping 

One of the best ways to increase curb appeal is to invest in a bit of landscaping, or spruce up what you’ve got. You don’t have to spend a fortune to add a little landscaping to the front of the house. There are some practical things you can do that add a lot of value for very little:

• Trim back tree limbs, keep the trunk areas groomed, and make sure trees near the sidewalk aren’t hitting pedestrians in the head as they walk by.
• Let the light in—trim shrubs and bushes so they aren’t blocking windows.
• Get rid of those dead plants! If it’s not green and healthy, it’s gotta go!
• Add a little green. You can find inexpensive shrubs & plants at your local home center.
• Add a layer of mulch under shrubs, trees, and in the flower beds to make the yard look cared for. Mulch comes in several varieties and colors. Pick a type that looks good with your house.
• Add some color! Colorful flowers add instant color throughout the season. If you prefer not to plant them in the ground, consider placing them in pots to line the walk. Don’t forget to keep them watered!
• Keep it neat. Mow often when your house is for sale. A little fertilizer followed by watering will make a lovely, green lawn. Get rid of those unsightly crabgrass patches and weeds, too.

Other Tips

Here are a few more tips to help your house look its most appealing:

• Let them see the light - Make sure each exterior light is clean, has a new bulb, and is in good working order.
• Remove Holiday décor – If it’s not the holidays, take down any holiday lights.
• Make it feel like home – Add a new rug or mat to the porch area, this boosts curb appeal and gives buyers a place to wipe their feet before they come inside.
• Keep it REAL. It’s not a good idea to use fake flowers to decorate outside. They just fade in the sun and rain, and they look cheap. Stick to the real thing if you can.
• Add some life. If it’s fall or winter when you’re selling your house, consider adding larger-size pots of evergreen shrubs near the front door to combat the grey, bare winter.

So there’s your answer.  It’s a competitive market and anything you can do as a seller to make your house more appealing puts you that much ahead of everyone else selling their house. These tips will add curb appeal and attract potential buyers in no time at all!

The post Don’t Forget the Curb Appeal appeared first on Betty Brigade.

Not exactly what you want to hear when he opens your Valentine’s Day gift…And yes, it is possible to give such a bad gift that giving nothing would be an improvement.

For my research into this delicate subject, I consulted…what else? The internet!

What I found both surprised and disturbed me. Read on!

Worst Valentine’s Day gifts. And the nominees are…

• A half-eaten bag of red and pink M&Ms (He got hungry on the way home.)
• A toaster. (The good news: the boyfriend is gone, but the toaster still works fine)
• A used hat. (Three days later the entire family had head lice.)
• A talking picture of him, so she could listen to his voice whenever she missed him
• A pair of his underwear…Yep, to remember him by when she missed him
• A razor that pulls hair out by the roots
• A book called “Love Isn’t Easy”
• An elliptical machine
• A vacuum cleaner
• Jumper cables
• A nightshirt that said, “I only sleep with the best”
• Some Kraft cheese
• Money
• “I love you from top to bottom” toilet paper
• A cactus
• A water filter

Okay, I saved the best for last: a rose loan. Her boyfriend gave her roses, but then took them back because he was going to his Mom’s and needed to give them to her.

THUD! (I didn’t make any of these up, by the way.)

I suspect (and hope) that horrendous gifts are the exceptions. What I think most of us are guilty of is the predictable gift. Red roses and baby’s breath or a tie are okay… but they’re a bit perfunctory. They seem to say, “There, I’ve done my Valentine duty for the year.” And If you just grab something from the center aisle at Walmart, your partner will know just how much thought you put into the gift.

The best gifts are tailored to the person you’re giving to. Make it obvious that you thought about that person when shopping. Does she have a favorite flower, or a favorite color? Has he mentioned wanting a special dinner? What color are her eyes? What music does he like?

It doesn’t need to take a lot of extra time, or even a lot of money.  Just some real thought!  Have fun with it. Romance is anything but boring. It’s exciting, fun, playful and sexy. Your gift should be, too!

The post Worst Valentine’s Day Gifts. Don’t do it! appeared first on Betty Brigade.

At The Betty Brigade we do a lot of home organizings and clear-outs. We have occasionally worked in true hoarding situations, but in most cases, the problem is simply that over time, more has come into a household than gone out.

I have nothing against plastic bins; they’re great for storage. But they should allow you more space — not more stuff.

Remember your first apartment? Relatives and friends gave you cast-offs, and you could barely furnish the place? Then, gradually, you replaced pieces with nicer pieces, and more stuff started coming in. In this country, from toddlerhood, we’re primed to consume and acquire. It’s no wonder so many of us live with clutter.

Pursuing the American dream, we go from an apartment to a starter home, to a larger home to raise our families. Not enough room for our stuff? We must be outgrowing our house; time to move! All that stuff is a sign of success, right?

Or are we confusing possessions with freedom?

I think true success means you have more choices and fewer limitations. You can travel where and when you want to, spend time with loved ones, enjoy your hobbies and your fulfilling work. Not much stuff is required for that.

For an interesting take on clutter and being green, click here.

We’re currently working with a family of four who is preparing to sell their home. It was cluttered and messy, and they needed help clearing it out and staging it. They’ve lived there for 13 years, having moved in with a toddler and later having a second child.

Over the years, stuff came into the house. School papers, art projects, gifts, toys, sports paraphernalia, computer games, clothing, books, etc. Stuff became clutter… You see where I’m going, right? Very little ever went back out.

The husband and wife called each other pack rats, but they weren’t holding on to things on purpose. They just never considered getting rid of anything. Closets were stuffed full, and furniture blocked the closets anyway, so no one even remembered what was in there.

We’re all encouraged to consume, but few are trained to let go. Yet the process is quite liberating. As we continued de-cluttering in this home, one by one, the family members got on board. As more space appeared, tension levels subsided.

Boxes of stockpiled books and clothing left the house. Recycling bins were filled. Stacks of papers were sorted into categories: keep, recycle and shred. The kids became excited to see their rooms transform into a nice place to spend time — to read, to work, to have friends over.

With spring underway, consider letting stuff go. Get some free boxes at the grocery store and label them donate, keep, sell and discard. Remind yourself that very little is irreplaceable.

As you look at each item, if you keep hearing yourself say, “But I might need it someday,” you are keeping real stuff for an imaginary reason. Trust in your own ability to find what you need when you need it. The world is full of amazing things. But they don’t all have to be in your house.

The post Keep Clutter at Bay appeared first on Betty Brigade.

Recent statistics gathered by Stagedhomes.com show that 94 percent of homes staged by a professional stager sold in 29 days or less. This, compared to an average of 145 days for unstaged homes.

Why? Apparently, it’s because most people are not good at visualizing the potential of a space. If you are one of the estimated 10 percent of people who can visualize what a cute little cottage that ramshackle shed could be, then it’s probably hard for you to understand the 90 percent who only… well, see what they see.

Another stat: staged homes sell three percent higher than unstaged homes . That would be $9,000 more on a $300,000 home. Also 91 percent of realtors recommend staging.

Okay, enough statistics! Bring on the tips! (And yes, The Betty Brigade does stage homes, but it’s not always necessary to hire a professional stager.) Keep these points in mind:

• Buyers respond to space. They want to walk in and feel like there’s more than enough space for their stuff. Declutter! Then declutter again and then again! Have enough furniture there to define the purpose of each room, but not much more than that. Your mantra is, ” When in doubt, leave it out. ”
• Buyers want to envision themselves in this home. Therefore, take out personal items like photos, kids’ pictures on the fridge, etc. Imagine these possible buyers: an old lady; a young couple expecting a baby; a nerdy guy. You get the idea!
• This follows from the previous point. Appeal to the largest possible group . Therefore, although your home will be staged and attractive, it should seem somewhat “generic” for staging purposes. Keep it simple. Plainer is better , with a very few well-chosen accessories.
• Buyers want to know that the home has enough storage, built-in . So any storage unit, such as a bookcase or shelving unit that isn’t selling with the house should be sparsely “populated.” Buyers will interpret crammed shelves as meaning there’s not enough storage in the house. It’s best to remove bookcases, shelving units, etc., if they won’t be sold with the home. If you need to leave them while showing your home, try to keep them 50 percent empty.

And about that question up at the top, why did no one ever used to stage their homes? We probably did, but instead of calling it staging, we called it, “Making the house look nice.” Life was so uncomplicated back then!

The post Home Staging Tips appeared first on Betty Brigade.

Or is it?

There’s still the matter of getting a houseful of stuff from point A to point B. It’s enough to interfere with your Zzzzz’s…

But truth is, with some planning, it doesn’t have to be overwhelming — even if you’re packing your own possessions. Here are some tips to make the process a little easier:

• If possible, allow six weeks for packing up the average household.
• Get all your supplies together. You’ll need sturdy boxes, packing paper, bubble wrap, a good tape gun, labels, markers and a notebook. You’ll also need some basic tools for taking items apart and a tape measure for planning furniture placement in your new place.
• Enlist some help. This makes packing go faster and can even become a pleasurable activity as you chat about the items you’re packing and talk about your plans.
• Label each box and give it a number, as you pack. In your notebook, by the number, list what’s in the box. On the label, say which room it’s going to at the other end. This takes seconds per box but can save hours and headaches at the other end.
• When packing the contents of a storage cabinet that you’ll be moving, create a diagram of the cabinet and give each drawer and cubby a letter. As you pack each space, put that letter on the box containing the contents. Tape the diagram inside the cabinet so it’s handy when you unpack.
• Use clothing, towels, pillows and blankets to cushion extra fragile items.
• Pad each box of breakables with two inches of padding material on all six sides. Pack items snugly, so that after you’ve sealed the box, you can press your hand against any side, and it will “push back.” You should be able to gently shake the box and not hear anything moving. If packed well, a box of fragile items could be dropped from four or five feet without breakage.
• Contrary to popular belief, plates, mirrors, picture frames and other flat breakables are safest when packed on their edges — not flat in a box. They can absorb any impact much more safely this way, reducing chances of breakage.
• To prevent injury when lifting, don’t make boxes too heavy. Maximum weight should be 50 pounds, with 40 pounds or less being ideal. Clearly mark any extra heavy boxes to warn movers, and to make sure those aren’t stacked on top of lighter boxes.

Before you know it, you will be in your new home surrounded by all the boxes you just packed. The good news? Unpacking goes much faster than packing! Good luck in your new home!

The post Nine tips for packing up to move a household appeared first on Betty Brigade.

Before the launch of the school year, lots of folks are moving or shipping books. It may sound like a no-brainer, but there are dos and don’ts when it comes to packing them safely.

If you’re moving out of state, cull your books before packing, as you’ll be paying by weight. Ask yourself, “Am I likely to read this again?” and, “If so, could I easily get it from a library?” Even paperbacks are heavy and can contribute considerably.

Once you’ve scaled your library down, it’s time to pack.

• Use small boxes, as medium or large will be too heavy and more apt to be
• dropped, damaging toes or the books inside, or landing on other boxes.
• Always start by lining the box with plain newsprint paper.
• Group the books by size.
• If you’re packing books out of a bookcase, pack from the bottom shelf up and have your boxes nearby. After you fill the firstbox, place the second box on top of the first. That way you are working from bottom to top from your bookcase into the boxes.

Books can be packed any of these three ways:

• Flat on their backs
• Standing upright
• Sideways, with their spines downward and pages facing up

You’ll probably find using a mix of these methods works best, to fill in odd pockets of space. This is where your Tetris skills come in! And the best part: the books don’t have to speed up as they go in the box!

There will invariably be some leftover space in each box. Use crumpled packing paper, peanuts or bubble wrap to snugly fill the gaps.

Never pack books with pages facing down, as this stresses the spines and can bend the covers and pages.

Magazines are best stacked flat.

There is some disagreement about whether, when books are standing upright, their spines or their open edges should be touching the side of the box. The Betty Brigade believes it’s safest to touch the open edge of the book to the side of the box, and then pack another section of books “spine-to-spine” against the first section.

Pages should never be touching pages, whether the books are hardback or paperback. If you start another row next to an outward facing row of books, place paper between the rows, and turn the books sideways to the open-faced books.

When pages must face pages, separate them with packing paper.

Don’t pack books too tightly together, or you may damage them when unpacking later. For fragile books, photo albums or first editions, line the box with bubble wrap first.
Wrap these volumes in craft or packing paper (not newspaper) and separate them with cardboard to keep them from damaging each other.

Before sealing a box, always cover the top layer with a sheet or two of packing paper.

If you’ll be storing the books for awhile, try to get a climate controlled storage unit, so the books aren’t subject to high heat or moisture. Also if you have precious books in storage, wrap them with acid-free paper, which won’t rot or discolor over time.

Okay, now we just have to figure out how to use of your World of Warcraft.

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