Today as I was driving with the windows down and caught a whiff of freshly cut grass. It immediately gave me the feeling of summer, kids playing outside, swimming, the sound of lawnmowers on a Saturday morning. It’s amazing how odors can make a person feel good, like a new perfume, or be totally offensive, like the basketball player who just walked by at HEB (come on… you know what I’m talking about). Well every house has a “smell” all of it’s own too. Many people do not detect their own home odors since they are living in it every day. Homes can potentially have predominant odors such as, potpourri, pets, cooking ingredients, strong cleaning chemicals, or if the house has been vacant maybe a stale, musty smell.

Anyone who has a home up for…

How to Stage Your Home for the Holidays

Well I can’t believe it’s that time of year again. It seems the older I get, the quicker time flies by. We only have 10 short weeks until Christmas, and with the holiday season upon us, I felt a few holiday staging tips may shed some light on the Staging subject. While doing a Staging consultation yesterday in a gorgeous home in South Austin, I was reminded of how adorable those little pumpkins and sparkly spider decorations can be around Halloween. This house was tastefully decorated throughout complete with a silk and velvet witches hat as a centerpiece on the formal dining table.  

Our homeowner knew the décor would need to come down before getting pictures and the house listed on MLS.…

How to Deal With Fogged Windows in Your Home

Fogged windows are not an uncommon issue in homes – even newer homes, and are something I see routinely inspecting homes and commercial properties in the central Texas area.  There are a number of causes and remedies for the issue but lets start with the basics of how thermal pane windows are made and how they are intended to work.

The panes of glass in a multi-pane window are sealed and separated by a spacer bar that contains desiccant materials to absorb moisture.  By design the spacer allows for small amounts of air movement in and out of the window caused by “solar pumping “- the air expands out of the window with sunlight heating, then contracts back into the window as it is…

"How much do I water my foundation...?" 

As an Austin, Central Texas home inspector one of the most common questions I’m asked by clients and home owners is “how much do I need to water my foundation?” If you are relocating here from outside Texas, especially the central Texas area, foundation watering may be a foreign concept, but much of the soil in the Austin area is what we call expansive clay soil which expands when it gets wet and contracts as it dries. In times of excessive rain and dry periods (such as the record breaking droughts we’ve had), the clay soil can move to such a great extent that the foundations resting above move also – in some cases beyond a tolerable amount. While repair isn’t always required…

Think Outside the Plain Vanilla Box

When preparing to sell a home, the most prominent thing an owner can do is paint. A fresh coat of paint can instantly transform a place from worn and drab to new and fab! It is probably the most cost effective Staging technique out there. 

Several years ago, when Staging came into the Real Estate scene, it was customary to paint the interior of a house white or beige in order to make it “neutral,” to appeal to the majority of buyers. This is why Realtors affectionately refer to an all-white or beige interior as a vanilla house.  

That trend has since shifted. Stagers and Realtors know how important it is to create interest in a property, and home buyers may shy away from a boring vanilla house.…

Should it Stay or Should it Go?

When preparing a home for sale, owners often wonder which items should remain in the home and which should be removed. I have seen both extremes—overly busy vs. bare walls and floors. One house had so much visual overload with collectibles, toys, and furniture that potential buyers would not be able to see past it! Another house had been stripped bare with only a sofa and dining room table remaining. While it’s a good idea to do preliminary de-cluttering, packing and cleaning before a staging appointment, there are items that should not be packed just yet. Here’s a guide to get you started:

Remove:  Collectibles, very small items, personal pictures, and unneeded bathroom, kitchen and seasonal items.…

Using Pinterest For Home Renovation

Have you just bought a new home? Or perhaps remodeling yours? If you are, you’re also probably scouring web sites, blogs, magazines and interior design stores looking for inspiration. Instead of the cutting out of pages and dog-earring of magazines, I suggest you look into Pinterest, a great new site that lets you organize your inspiring photos on a series of boards. You can also follow other’s boards, find friends (old and new) and get access to thousands of photos you’d never see otherwise. The site is still in its infancy, so you must request an invite to join. If you already know someone who has an account, they can also send you an invite.

Pinterest is super easy to participate in. After…

Successful Texas Garden & Landscape

Follow these tips and tricks this season and ensure a healthy and lovely garden and landscape.

Planning, Planning, Planning

Develop a garden plan for the coming season, both short and longer term. Know what it is you want to do before digging - what goes where and why.

Prepare Your Soil – Build On a Good Foundation

Soil is the foundation of any garden. Creating a hospitable home by matching the plant to the soil is the first essential step in successful landscapes and gardens. To find out the pH level and what nutrients your soil might be lacking, consider a soil test. Soil testing kits can be purchased from your local nursery.

There are two basic ways to improve your soil: Buy or make…

Normally when you have a home that’s lived through a few years, the time starts to show. It may show up in the pretty wallpaper that screams out 1986! Or it might be that the linoleum you’ve lived with all of these years is starting to peel up in the corners. Things that you might not even notice anymore are severely dating your home, and when it comes time to sell, choosing some simple remodels can make a world of difference in how quickly your home is sold.

Paint – A Lot

Your first trip should be to the paint store. Buy at least three gallons and ask for a contractor’s discount. Then haul that paint home and gets started. You want a light and bright neutral for all of the rooms of your home. Even if your walls are white now,…