You Move Me

A recent survey (appropriately released during the month of love), showed 41 percent of Americans moved for love.  

Interesting to note that more men relocated to be closer to their sweethearts than women and more women than men regretted moving for love. Not surprising was the top reason for that regret: They were no longer with the person they moved for.

You can read about it here.

Noise & the Pandemic

Until more folks started working remotely, many people didn't pay much attention to the noise levels entering their homes.  It's difficult to stay focused on work when life sounds intrude into your home office space. 

Noise levels can actually impact resale value. The closer you live to the noise, the greater drop in resale value.  According to an article in Realtor Magazine, sellers in close proximity to an airport saw a 13 percent drop in prices, those living near train tracks saw an average discount in price of about 12 percent, and homes within a 2-mile radius of an airport saw their resale value about 13 percent lower than homes in the same zip code. 

For more information and to get some great noise reduction tips, you can read the complete article HERE.

Pantone Color of The Year 2021: A banana and duct tape

So… sometime in early December Pantone announced its 2021 Color of the Year.  At least for me, the announcement came with little fanfare judging by the month-long lapse before I decided to care enough to take a look-see.

Apparently one color wasn't enough to paint over the craziness of 2020, so Pantone choose two colors--a gray and yellow. With its unveiling, the executive director of Pantone's Color Institute, said the paint choices provided "a message of happiness supported by fortitude, the combination of PANTONE 17-5104 Ultimate Gray + PANTONE 13-0647 Illuminating is aspirational and gives us hope. We need to feel that everything is going to get brighter – this is essential to the human spirit."

Hope is something we all need.  I'm just not sure this particular color combination will send my spirit soaring. What do you think?

To view colors from previous years, you can take a peek here.

Oh and for more fun, see how one writer compares the color duo to a "viral sculpture of a banana stuck on the wall with duct tape."

A New Year & New Promises

Well I finally dusted off the metaphorical cobwebs that have been accumulating on my real estate blog and decided to be more intentional this year. Not quite sure how that will all shake out, but everywhere I look, I see people telling me I need a word to carrying me through this new year.

Since I didn't do that in the-year-that-shall-not-be-named, I thought maybe, perhaps just maybe, I should do it this year. So my magic word is…drum roll please…INTENTIONAL. 

So since we're already three days into this new year, new me thing, I thought it might be handy to share a few tips for folks who have decided to list their house. You can read eight tips that should come in handy for you although Item #1 (thankfully) doesn't apply to my area.

8 Tips To Sell In the Dead of Winter

Candy Dishes Out The Dirt On MetroTex

Sometimes real estate groups should stay out of things they don't know anything about before they wholeheartedly support a bogus group like the Taxpayers For A Fair Pension. This is particularly true in the Dallas Police & Firefighters Pension fray.  Those who support this group clearly do not understand this issue nor support active and retired Dallas police and firefighters.

You can read about it here and here.

And you can especially read about it in Candy's Dirt, another real estate blog. Just click on the picture below…

#PoundOfFlesh #savethepension #DallasRealEstate

What Do Young Buyers Want?

Dear Home Diva,

I want to sell my home. What attracts young buyers to a home?
--Wanda Tosell

Dear Wanda,

There are many things that can entice young buyers. Here are some factors to consider:

#1…Updated kitchen and bath. Kitchen and bathrooms tend to be the most expensive to update and young buyers just don't have the money to sink into an expensive remodel.

#2...Open floor plans and big kitchens. Young buyers want for people to flow through a home. Since kitchen has become the hangout room, it's important to transition from the kitchen to the family/tv room.

#3...Home office. More and more people are working from home or bringing work home, so it's important for them to have a dedicated work space. A home office can also be used as a flex space to meet a variety of needs.

#4…Location, location, location. We've all heard that before, but for young buyers location means closer proximity to work because of high gas prices and traffic. Walkability can also be an important factor.

#5...Low maintenance. Young buyers want homes that are relatively hassle-free and require little work.

#6...Technology. These buyers care about cell service and internet capabilities as well as smart home technology.

#7...Energy efficiency. Although not a top reason for a home purchase, young buyers still want homes that are energy efficient with good insulation, windows, etc.​

​--the Home Diva

​

Play Up Your Hot Spots

One way to increase a buyer's interest in your home is to play up the "hot spots" in your house. These are spaces in your home that spark what researchers call "memorable moments." 

Features like fire places, high ceilings and built-ins increase a room's appeal.  In addition, the most popular areas of a home underscore these three elements: relaxation, socializing, and function. The more a room has of these elements, the better, according to the study. 

If you plan to do a bit of repainting before putting your house on the market, consider using a taupe color. Sherwin-Williams named its Poised Taupe as its 2017 Color of the Year.