LRV Means What to Me?

Light Reflectance Value is a numerical rating assigned by paint manufacturers to each color they make. This number is an assessment of the amount of light and heat that color will reflect on a scale of 0 to 100. Pure black has an LRV of 0, absorbs all light and heat, and can get very hot. On the other hand, pure white has a reflectance value of nearly 100, and can keep a space light and cool. All colors fit in between these two extremes. A color with an LRV of 50 will reflect 50% of the light that falls on it, and one with an LRV of 23 will reflect 23% of the light. 

When a new space is being designed, the LRVs can be very important in selecting the proper lighting. For example, in a workplace environment proper planning can be paramount in color design for settings such as individual work surfaces, hallways, and everything in between. From an energy-reducing and sustainability point of view, a wall painted with a higher LRV color can support lighting plans and reduce the standard number of fixtures required to enable employees to efficiently and safely perform their tasks.

But what does knowing a color's LRV mean to a homeowner selecting colors for the interior of their homes?  I don't think that it means a whole lot.  The value refers strictly to the lightness or darkness of a color. When selecting color pallets for a home, we try to create spaces by invoking a specific feel.  For example, a low-contrast, low-saturation scheme is used for relaxing pallets. For warm, engaging and inviting color schemes, we mix warm and cool colors.  For more traditional and formal spaces, higher saturations of warm and cool colors can be used.  I have never used LRVs as my overriding guide in selecting colors for a house.  It's important to note that the number of windows, which way the windows are facing, and the finish of your paint will also impact the actual visual reflectivity, as will the number of lamps, overhead lights,  accent lighting – any lighting -- in the room.

However, it is certainly possible to create a low contrast color pallet by selecting colors with LRVs that are – say - no more than 10 points apart.  When more impact is needed and you want a room or area to make a statement, have an impact, or simply be better defined, the LRVs can and will vary widely.

LRV can sometimes be misleading, so please use caution. Yellow is a very reflective color and is probably the color most likely for people to make an error selecting. It’s too green, it’s too lemony, limey, or simply so doggone bright that you want to don your sunglasses when entering the room.  On more than one occasion, I’ve been asked to correct a yellow space where the homeowner thought they were selecting a neutral, golden creamy color and ended up with a loud yellow.  Because here’s the thing:  there is a difference between actual visual brightness and the Light Reflectance Value and visual brightness. When choosing colors – especially yellows – it’s so important to consider the actual visual intensity (that is, how bright or dull the color actually looks).  This should be a more prominent consideration than the LRV number.

Summing it up.

LRV is to be used as a guide and is not a standard by which to choose colors, but it certainly can be an indicator to help you out.  It can be used as a point of reference for predicting how dark or light a color may look and -- therefore, how your room will feel -- once applied.

Sell Higher | Sell Faster | Sell Smarter

www.ballantynehomestaging.com | 980.322.5825 | carol@ballantynehomestaging.com

4511 Bainview Drive Mint Hill

Check out this completely updated and renovated ranch floor plan in the wooded Mint Hill subdivision of Bainbridge. Conveniently located off 485 and 51, this 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath ranch with library/office space is truly move-in ready.

From the beautifully landscaped ½ acre yard with in-ground irrigation to the welcoming front porch and large backyard deck, this is a family-friendly house that is also perfect for entertaining.

MLS #2029430 listed at $215,000. To view this property, contact Mary Abel, Allen Tate Company, at 704.497.7722.

  http://www.homefinder.com/NC/Mint_Hill/77295600d_4511_Bainview

 

        

www.ballantynehomestaging.com | 980.322.5825 | carol@ballantynehomestaging.com

Should I put hardwoods in the kitchen?

Although a classic flooring choice, hardwood is often considered in areas throughout the house where perhaps other choices are more practical.  Remember that form should always follows function, so use caution when considering wood flooring in high moisture areas such as the kitchen and bathroom.  That being said, one of the great things about hardwood flooring is the range of choices.  Sometimes this can lead to confusion and indecision. To avoid this from happening to you, set up priorities and guidelines to help you select the proper hardwood for your application.  Here are some tips:

1.  By hardness. If you are installing a hardwood floor in a busy office area or commercial space, then it makes sense to choose a harder variety of hardwood. (And remember to higher a professional installation company.)  However, if your traffic is more moderate and residential, then a middle of the road wood that is more easily cut and handled like a red oak makes good most sense. And how do you judge hardness, exactly? Ask you flooring professional to explain the different types of hardwoods and constructions of -- and if you really want to show off just how smart you are --  check out the Janka hardness test. 

excess expansion and contraction of maple
wood in kitchen of old farmhouse

2.  By stability. Some types of woods tend to expand and contract more than others.  For example, a hard maple floor tends to be a little less stable than a red oak, which is a softer wood. This is a question of how stable a species is when exposed to its environment. It’s important to consider these factors which affect expansion and contraction for the living area and humidity levels in the site you’ve chosen. 

3.  By grain patterns. Some species have prominent grain patterns, like oak and ash.  Others, like birch and maple, have less distinct patterns but are beautiful. Some love the intricacies of grain patterns, while others find them too busy and distracting. The choice is really all about your particular taste.

The grain and color of these wide oak planks
make it a good choice if you want to bring nature indoors.



4.  By natural color. Every type of hardwood offers its own color range, from light, pale yellow to the darkest darks  and everywhere in between. So, when shopping for hardwood flooring with color in mind, it’s best to make your choice based on a range of color, rather than holding to a single color. And remember, real hardwoods can be stained a myriad of color, but go cautiously with the popular dark stains that may cover up all the natural grain.

http://www.ballantynehomestaging.com/ | 980.322.5825 | carol@ballantynehomestaging.com

Selling a house is like a steeplechase race horse jumping over hurdles.

Selling a house is like a steeplechase race horse jumping over hurdles.

Some race horses make the jumps look so easy; they run and jump in rhythm under the jockey's guidance. As a home seller, your job is to make home buyer's hurdles easy to jump. Home buyers make up their minds about a house on each step they take or every barrier they cross. You need to make sure your buyer crosses each barrier. Here are eight hurdles for you to win the house race.

Hurdle #1 Listings Advertised with Benefits.

Buyers make up their mind about the online or print listing whether or not to continue reading. That means they approve of the basic features and price.  Home shoppers must see something that makes your house stand out in a buyer's market. To entice a buyer to email the listing agent or pick up the phone and call about your house, the buyer must read some benefit that they need or desire. This should be your property's best benefit to the buyer, such as "Enjoy the panoramic views of Charlotte’s skyline from your large deck and entertain in style with custom barbecue" or "Move right in without fixing or painting a thing. Owners will even help with your costs."

Hurdle #2 Curb Appeal that Pulls the Buyer Inside

When shoppers pull up in front of your house, the first glimpse must impress them enough to get out of their vehicle to see what's inside. For condo sellers, the development has to pass approval and your unit should stand out with added appeal like large potted plants near the door in colorful containers. The typical house needs pizzazz near the front door to draw the eye into the house.  You must entice the buyer to cross the threshold to see what's inside.  The front porch and door should be clutter free and clean, with a good mix of color.
Hurdle #3 First Impressions Entice Buyers

Inside, the typical home buyer makes up their mind within 15 seconds whether or not they're interested in your house. This is why the first sighting inside must pass inspection and peak interest, a critical role of Home Staging. 

Hurdle #4 Lasting Impressions Sell Houses

To encourage shoppers to spend more than the usual four minutes previewing a house, enlist the help of an Accredited Staging Professional® and employ their strategies. Buyers select a home based on their emotions. They choose the home they connect with and one they think "feels like home." This just doesn't happen in four minutes.  Houses that make buyers envision living in the home, enjoying a better lifestyle, and entertaining friends help buyers make up their minds.

Hurdle #5 Yard Signs that Attract the Eye without Destroying View of Home

The yard sign should look professional and not take away from the appeal. Many over-sized yard signs clutter the landscape. Put the sign to the side a bit and consider a shorter sign for smaller houses. Instead of wasting words with the all the amenities, make the phone number legible from the street and list the best feature not obvious from the curb. QR codes, while popular with Realtors®, haven’t caught on with mainstream buyers yet.

Hurdle #6 Non-Generic Sales Flyer

Perhaps a house shopper will be interested enough to get out of their vehicle and pick up a sales flyer. This means that the flyer needs to be written with sales copy that gives motivation to see the property. A black & white (i.e., boring) generic flyer with a long list of features should be rewritten using Marketing Psychology with strong benefits to the buyer.

Hurdle #7 Make the Purchase Easy

Buyers make offers on houses when they feel comfortable with the paperwork. If you're selling by owner, have a basic contract on hand that doesn't confuse buyers and have a closing agent or escrow officer draw up the formal documents later. If you're selling by agent, your agent must be trained on how to handle negotiations beyond just filling out forms.

Hurdle #8 Keep Sale on Track for the Finish Line

During the sale process, monitor all the closing details. Keep your home staged for the most important date: appraisal day. Invite you buyers to return early in the sale for their walk through so they stay "in love" with your home. Make sure all the appointments are made and kept, such as inspections, and contracts signed on time.

Turn house shoppers into motivated buyers, help your buyers jump the hurdles, and you'll win the house race.

www.ballantynehomestaging.com | 980.322.5825 | carol@ballantynehomestaging.com

Feng What???

Feng Shui is a practice used to create spaces that are attractive, comfortable, and harmonious with their environment. Translated, Feng Shui means “wind and water,” and the principles provide practical guidelines for Home Staging® and decorating. 

I run into a lot of people who are interested in the practice which is often referred to as “acupuncture for the house” or “the art of placement”. Conversely, I’ve met a few people who don’t believe in it at all. Feng Shui is not an ethereal idea. It is rooted in thousands of years of history, and has evolved through the years to provide practical applications of principals in today’s housing environments.

The philosophy is simple: everything is alive, interconnected and changing. It is about achieving balance and success in all areas of life.

The most commonly used principals of Feng Shui when Staging or decorating a house are the command position and armchair arrangements for furniture placement; the Five Elements: Fire, Earth, Metal, Water, and Wood - which are represented by colors, shapes & materials that must be balanced; and the positive, free flow of Chi (energy).

Ancient Feng Shui masters studied the land, the slopes of mountain ranges and curves of rivers to identify what they then referred to as dragon veins. They used this technique to identify auspicious sites for emperors’ tombs believing that future generations would prosper. Certain configurations of hills, valleys and rivers were considered fortunate, others were considered unlucky. Over time, these principals were applied to housing sites and eventually to interior spaces.

The command position refers to an area in a room that has a commanding view of the space. Look around and determine where in a room you would be able to see everything going on – people coming in or leaving, all activity – this is your command position. Generally, this will be along a solid wall and/or the tallest wall. The armchair arrangement refers to having your largest piece of furniture in a room such as a sofa or bed in the command position. The piece is then balanced on each side with similarly sized and shaped items that are slightly taller than your primary piece of furniture, such as end tables or night stands with lamps. The final touch is to hang wall art above the furniture. The overall result of this arrangement is an outline similar to the shape of an armchair. By combining the command position and armchair arrangement, which are both based upon the ideas of those ancient Feng Shui masters seeking auspicious burial sites for their emperors, is to provide balance and protection.

The five elements are water, wood, fire, earth, metal. Each element creates or enhances another and each element can destroy another. This is why balancing these elements through the use of shapes, materials and colors is a practical application of Feng Shui in today’s world.

Energy: Chi is considered good energy represented in all things. It flows freely meandering like a river, flows down hill, and can sometimes be directed. Sha Chi is negative or harmful energy caused by blocked, constricted, improperly directed, or too much & too forceful energy. Yin represents the passive principals in nature and is associated with femininity, while Yang represent the active principals in nature and is associated with masculinity. They cannot exist without the other and must be in balance.

There are a variety of tools available for those who want to incorporate Feng Shui into their lives:

• Color. Used to create balance and is brought into a room with wall art, accessories, area rugs, and lamps.
• Live plants and flowers represent life and abundance. From a practical viewpoint, live plants can also absorb moisture in areas such as the kitchen and bathroom. The best plants to use in these areas are upright growing.
• Water features are used for their calming effect, and the moving water attracts Chi. Water features represent wealth and prosperity, and are often used in an entrance area, a home office or outside near the front door.
• Mirrors and crystals. Used to attract, slow down and redirect Chi. Be careful to not place a mirror incorrectly as this will have the opposite effect of attracting negative energy.
• Mixed materials. By mixing woods, metal, ceramic, and glass you can create both balance and an impressive room!

  http://www.ballantynehomestaging.com/ | 980.322.5825 | carol@ballantynehomestaging.com

Practical Home Staging Advice

Eliminate Clutter.  Everyone thinks of this as the first step in preparing a home to sell. Boxing up extra books, toys, clothes, etc. Homeowners also need to whittle down huge photo displays to a few frames. Pack up collections and knickknacks cluttering bookshelves, desktops, dressers and end tables. By the way – anything that has more than 3 pieces is considered a collection. A good way to utilize those photo collages without having to spackle & paint the walls is to use beautiful prints from magazines or calendars of scenic places you would like to visit or have vacationed, maybe just finding beautiful landscapes, flowers, or beaches. Simply place these images over your family photos and hang the frames again. Now, instead of a wall of family photos, you have a cohesive and simple selection of peaceful images. TIP: Similar frames (examples A & B below), identical matting (example A below ), and similiar images (example C below)  make picture groupings work best.

Show Me the Light.  Pull up the shades and draw back the curtains! Natural light invokes positive emotional responses. During showings, turn on every light in every room. It is also a good idea to leave some of the lights on in the rooms that face the street in the evening hours so that any potential buyer driving by sees a welcoming house inviting them inside.

Make the Background Neutral.  You don’t want potential buyers’ initial thought to be, “Well, I’d have to repaint the whole house, it's crazy in there!” so consider repainting dated colors, trendy colors, and bright-hued walls before you start showing. Neutral is NOT boring and does not need to be antique white. There are many beautiful complex neutrals available today. Safe colors include Sherwin William’s Softer Tan and Macadamia, but I always try to select colors that complement the homeowner's furnishings so the colors may include green or gold undertones. Remember that a room is balanced and livened up through "movable"colors -- artwork, textiles, lamps, accessories, and rugs. All of which add visual interest, but the buyer knows you’ll take them with you AND they don’t have to repaint anything.

Create a Lifestyle.  If you think your home might appeal to someone who entertains, go ahead set the dining room for a formal dinner party. Some Realtors® do not like this staging technique, but it works well in homes clearly built for entertaining. Creating a spa-like haven in the master bedroom is always recommended, especially if the stunning master bathroom is a selling point. If a buyer is looking for an upgraded lifestyle, it will benefit the home owner to help them imagine one.

Neutralize Odors.  If possible, open the windows and let fresh air flow through your home. Sprinkle baking soda in the bottom of trash cans and place a box of it in the fridge to absorb unpleasant smells. Like we often say in Staging, “You can’t sell it if you can smell it.” Place pet bowls and litter boxes out of sight or in the garage for showings. Soft scents such as lavender in the master suite, eucalyptus in the bathrooms and fresh citrus scents in the kitchens are nice touches.

Clean, Clean, Clean!  If you’re selling your home, you can’t stash clutter in the closets or have a fridge full of messy takeout containers. Potential buyers will be inspecting every square foot—and that means you should, too. Store clutter in neatly stacked boxes in the garage or basement if you have one; if not, go ahead and invest in a small storage unit. As Barb Schwarz, the Creator of Home Staging has taught us...the house should be Q-tip clean!

Rethink The Furniture.  If taking out a few pieces of furniture would make a room feel more spacious, then don’t be afraid to do it – especially if your furniture is over-sized and overstuffed. Put pieces that are rarely used (like extra dining room chairs) in storage, then rearrange what’s left to maximize each room’s space. One thing to hold on to: items that double as storage, like an ottoman with a lid, where you can stow clutter at the last minute. And remember that it is perfectly okay to have empty corners.

Don’t Forget the Outside. “All of the property should be Staged” is the mantra of the pros. This includes the outside. The house address/house numbers should be big, shiny and easy to read. This is so easy to do with a can of exterior spray paints from any hardware store or superstore. A $3.00 can of Krylon or similar product provides a fresh new look in 10 minutes! Landscaping should be pristine—and give the impression it’s easy to maintain, so opt for simple over fancy pruning designs. Finally, the garage and shed should be in reasonable order, too.

Music.  To be honest, I'm not a huge fan of this tactic. We all know that not everyone likes the same music and I was recently in a home for sale where I had to ask the homeowner to turn down the music so we could actually hear one another talk. This tactic makes me feel as though I'm in a department store.

Sell Higher | Sell Faster | Sell Smarter

www.ballantynehomestaging.com | 980.322.5825 | carol@ballantynehomestaging.com

CBS News Today --- Staging: Home sellers' secret weapon

This Sunday's video on Home Staging has people talking, and I can see why.  First off, I've never known any Stager who was paid $30,000 to Stage a house.  Not to say homeowners don't some times need to make improvements to their home that can add up -- but the Stager does not get paid for this work, the contractors do.  More about this below.

Although I don't agree with everything that was said, I do agree with this:  Home Staging is a home seller's not-so-secret-weapon for getting their home sold faster and for a higher price.

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7366894n

I wonder if it is geographical differences because my friends in the business in other markets, including Chicago, can certainly charge more for their service than we can here in Charlotte.  For this reason, I wasn't too thrilled with the over generalized statement that "home staging costs about 3% of the listing price."  The cost to Stage can vary wildly.  My guess is that when this statement was made, they were including all  the expenses of getting a home ready for the market, including painting, flooring, repairs and upgrades.

Although I've seen statistics stating that Home Staging costs can range from .5% to 3% of listing price, I honestly don't know any Home Stager who bids their jobs based upon a percentage of the listing price. It's more about where the house is located, whether it is a vacant home staging or an occupied home staging, the houses's condition, the style of the house, and and how many rooms are to be staged that factor into the cost of real estate Staging.

What I LOVE about this broadcast segment is the Chicago real estate agent, Ian Schwartz, who said, "You have 2 choices, either stage it or not. And if the answer's "not", I'm not working with you". He states that he cannot waste time on ugly houses and doesn't want to have to apologize for any of his listings. So, "Bravo" Ian Schwartz! Ian is one of the top real estate agents in the Chicago area, and now we know why.

So thank you, CBS Sunday Morning for informing home sellers of the importance and benefits of having your home professionally staged. Yes, hiring a professional home stager and hiring the right real estate agent are definitely a home seller's not-so-secret weapons when selling a home!



www.ballantynehomestaging.com | 980.322.5825 | carol@ballantynehomestaging.com