Jill Vegas
Mann Report: July 2008
Cool down indoors
Heat up sales by cooling-off indoors
By Jill Vegas
Jill Vegas LLC
It’s hot. It’s sticky. Your home is your retreat, and when the dog days of summer hit, it’s time too cool things off indoors.
At Jill Vegas LLC, we try to keep things fresh and clean indoors when clients are trying to sell their homes. It’s a sure bet for success; after a staging by Jill Vegas, homes and apartments usually sell within weeks, and very often, for above asking price.
There are things you can do to transform your home during the summer months, whether it’s on the market to sell or you simply need a renovation.
First and foremost, we always remind our clients to clean up and de-clutter. De-cluttering makes a tremendous impact when it comes to giving homes a clean look.
When you are trying to “cool down” indoors, here are some ideas:
---Freshen up your windows. You can hire a professional to wipe away all the summer sticky crud buildup for fresh sparkly windows. You can do the work yourself, but it’s grueling. It’s worth it to hire someone to clean the windows. When they sparkle, your entire home will.
----Swap out those dusty blinds for frothy white sheers or natural linen curtains. Blinds, if they are dirty, can ruin the look of a room. White sheers or linen curtains will let in the light, while adding an elegant, airy touch.
---White-wash your walls in a cool, refreshing white. Starting out with a white palette makes a home look and smell clean and fresh, just what you need to battle the summer haze. It’s best to use flat colored paint on the walls of your apartment. For a modern effect, you can paint the baseboard moldings in a satin finish to make the ceilings feel higher.
---Try swapping out your dusty throw pillows for natural fiber pillows in ivory and jute tones. For a color splash, go with a vibrant fun Marimekko print. Adding new pillows to your couch, chairs or bed can really freshen up a room.
---If you are blessed with outdoor space, give it a burst of new life. Toss out that cheapo chair and create a seating area. Add a vase of flowers. Make your outdoor space inviting, someplace that you or a potential buyer would want to spend time in. Outdoor space can be a tremendous selling point and price-point asset, or it can be a down-side if it looks unused, unloved and messy. See our photos for ideas.
Summer is also a wonderful time for gardening, and greenery and flowers always make a home look and feel more inviting. You may have seen the story in the New York Times; indeed, roof top gardens are big this year. People, more and more, are utilizing roof space to the hilt.
We visited a client’s apartment with a roof top garden in shambles. It was a dump. We brought in natural fiber pillows to create an inviting seating area, and a rug and two poufs that can be used for seating or as a side table. The result is a beautiful, inviting area that is a haven, and a potential selling point as well.
Jill Vegas
212-627-9402
jill@jillvegas.com