The Two Most Influential Rooms in Your Home

Which rooms in your home make the biggest difference to potential buyers? The KW Blog has the answers! According to buyers, the kitchen and the master bath are the most important rooms in your home. When deciding to undertake a remodeling project, the article advises to invest your money where it matters: by updating appliances and fixtures in these two rooms. For a kitchen, this may mean installing updated lighting, wooden cabinets, and stone or granite counter tops. To turn your master bath in to a spa, the article advises turning to decorative mirrors and updated faucets. For more information on how you can catch buyers' eyes with an updated kitchen and master bath, read the full article on the blog here.

DIY: A backsplash in a flash!

Want a kitchen update the adds value but doesn't break the bank? Barbara Ballinger of The Chicago Tribune has a project any homeowner can do on their own: a tile backsplash.

Here are some of her tips to get you started.

• When deciding on the colors for your backsplash, remember white is always a classic. Or if you're going for a fresh, modern feel, consider pale green glass.

• If you're not sure how to begin, Lowe's has a video that breaks down the project step-by-step.

• Buy more tile than you think you'll need, as some may get dropped or broken!

• Porcelain tile is easier to work with for beginners.

• Don't forget to buy plastic spacers and grout.

• Tiles mounted on mesh provide an easy and quick to start to the project

Happy tiling!

Kitchen Countertops: Out with the Old; In with the New

The kitchen has become the focal point of the American home. Granite used to be an expensive countertop found only in luxury homes. Recently, though, it has become the standard countertop material, and is found at homes in many price ranges and architectural styles. As people update their homes, installing granite is one of the most common changes. People are turning to alternative materials to set their kitchens apart, such as the following:

• Wood. It's not just for floors! Wood is a good option due to its multitude of types and price points. Popular countertops choices are walnut, mahogany, and reclaimed wood. Wood is warm  and inviting to sit at, and newly developed finishes make wood waterproof. In order to make the island stand out, some homeowners use a stone countertop along the perimeter of their kitchen and use a wood countertop for the island. 

• Concrete. This industrial material should not stain after it has been sealed, although it may chip and is heat-resistant only to a degree. 
  
  

  

  Concrete

• Sintered compact. This new material is composed of metals welded together just below the melting point. It is similar to porcelain, and has many advantages: the material is recyclable, stain resistant, waterproof, heat resistant and scratch resistant. It also has near-zero porosity, making it easy to clean.

Sintered Compact

• Porcelain. Like sintered compact, porcelain is heat and scratch resistant. It does not need to be resealed after several years the way granite does, and is suitable for both outdoor and indoor kitchens. Porcelain can be placed over existing countertops. 

Porcelain Tile

• Metal. Stainless steel, zinc, and copper countertops are exceptionally modern in appearance, don't require sealing, and are nonporous (AKA stain resistant). They can be cleaned simply with soap and water. However, metal countertops do scratch. Aside from stainless steel, metals will also oxidize, forming a patina (a green or brown film). Your metal countertops, then, may change colors over time. Click here for more information on metal countertops. 

Copper

• Marble. One of the most expensive options, marble is relatively high maintenance, suseptable to stains, scratches, etches, and developing a patina with time. Marble is one of the more pourous of the metamorphic stones, and is softer than granite, which is why it is less durable. Although they are beautiful, marble countertops may not be the most practical for regularly-used kitchens. To read more about the differences between granite and marble, click here. 

Marble

• Quartz and Quartzite. One of the most popular alternatives to granite, quartz is a nonporous, low-maintaince stone-like countertop. Quartz is one of the most abundant minerals on earth, and as a result, can be engineered into a number of looks. It is stain resistant and does not require sealing. Quartzite is a metamorphic rock formed from sandstone. It resembles marble yet has the durability of granite. Its solid looks makes it popular among modern, gourmet kitchens. 

Quartz

• Glass. Glass is durable and easy to clean, and requires no annual sealants. It's great at bringing light into the kitchen. The downside? It's expensive. 

Glass

How to Modernize the Layout of Your Home

For years, homebuyers sought homes with wide open spaces, with the kitchen competing for attention with the huge, two-story great room. Meg White, a writer for Realtor Magazine, says that's not the situation anymore. Today's homebuyers want to see carved out spaces with designated uses. As for the competition between the great room and the kitchen, these two areas have combined to comprise the main living space of a home. But the contemporary great room doesn't feature a soaring ceiling anymore--it's much more intimate with 10 foot ceilings. Furthermore, buyers don't want to walk right into their main living space, which then gets cluttered with the day's mail, the kid's homework, and car keys. New homes often feature distinct entryways that contain a "drop zone" to help people keep their homes clean and organized. Lastly, the master suite has gained more importance in recent years. Master fireplaces are on the rise, and home builders are conscious to create spaces that work for couples on different sleep schedules.

Does this not sound like your home? There's a few ways to modernize the flow of your house without tearing down walls or adding on rooms. To make the entryway more prominent, add a small table with a drawer, a mail organizer, key hooks, and a charging station. This can serve as your "drop zone." If you have a vast open space for your great room, consider creating nooks and crannies with specific purposes. Perhaps you could make a corner of the room a "homework space" by placing a desk in it. Both of these alterations will help keep your main living space livable--that is, not overwhelmed by everyday clutter. As for the master suite, it often pays off to moderately update your master bath. Funds used to add onto and improve mid-range bathrooms yield a better return on investment than higher-end projects. If you'd like to upgrade bathroom countertops without spending too much money on granite or marble, a mosaic of colored tiles may be the way to go.

For more information, view the original article here.

Contact me if you're interested in updating and staging your home to sell-when I list homes, I stage them for free!