Generation Home Preferences: Dream Homes Vary by Generation

Generation Homes: Does Your Home Tell More About You Than You Think?

Different generations have diverse preferences when it comes to choosing a home.  Think about what you like in a home, then check below to see what a majority of the buyers in your age group are looking for in a home.

Generation Y House (20’s – mid 30’s)

• Contemporary in design and not afraid of color
• Want smaller homes, smaller yards, and low maintenance, so they have time to travel.
• They can’t remember life without a computer, so they research everything, including buying a home
• Tech savvy so they are more customization oriented
• Culturally diverse group of friends
• Likes flex spaces

Generation X House (mid 30’s – mid 40’s)

• Contemporary in style
• Big on entertaining
• Women play a big part in the decision process
• Prefers open spaces and outdoor spaces
• Family oriented (50% have families so themes are important)
• Wants closets and cubbies for storage
• Likes flex spaces

Boomers House (50’s – mid 60’s)

• Prefer single family homes with amenities
• Love to entertain
• Facing retirement but still want to be active
• Want to be near shopping centers and medical services
• Wants a floor plan to adjust to their lifestyle
• Prefers off white with chocolate glaze or dark finish cabinets
• Able to afford a little more in upgrades

View:  Current Lakewood Ranch Real Estate for sale
View:  Current Sarasota Real Estate for sale
View:  Current Bradenton Real Estate for sale

Further Reading:

1. Remodel Your Lakewood Ranch Investment Home: The Steps From Start to Finish
2. Lakewood Ranch  Low Appraisal:  Options for Buyers and Sellers
3. Selling Your Lakewood Ranch Home: Unconventional Tips
4. Non-Profit Leaseback Program For Short Sales Arrives in Sarasota, Florida

Subscribe:  To "See More Listings" of Lakewood Ranch Real Estate

Search:  The Lakewood Ranch Area MLS

Thank you for reading. I hope you  find this blog post informative. Please feel free to contact me or comment below with any thoughts.

For more information on Lakewood Ranch Real Estate, Sarasota, Bradenton, or the surrounding areas, as well as any other aspects of life in the Lakewood Ranch area, please do not hesitate to contact Gina Ursini (941-812-4894) at Keller Williams Realty or visit http://SarasotaHomesCollection.com.

A Twist on Home Staging

A new and innovative twist on staging vacant homes

You only have 15 seconds to make a good first impression. When selling your home, you want buyers to walk in the front door and say "Wow".  One way to accomplish this is to stage the home. It's a proven fact that a staged house sells faster and for more money.

A vacant home sells for 10% less and is harder to sell. The reason -- most buyers can not visualize what the home will look like furnished. To solve this problem, you could hire a professional home stager, but many times the furniture looks generic and will not match the homes personality.

Want to get that lived-in look without actually living in the home?
A national staging company out of Nashville Tennessee, Show Homes, has put a new and innovative twist on staging vacant homes. They have discovered a way to save sellers time and money plus give the home a meticulous lived-in look. How? By sending one of their "resident manager"s to live in an manage your home.

The role of a resident manager
These resident managers are carefully screened and bring their own furniture and accessories. The resident manager also pays for their own utilities while living in your home. And, to top it all off, the home staging service purchases the additional homeowner’s insurance required.

Does all of this sound too good to be true? 
Hiring a professional tenant may not be for everyone. For example, Showhomes only supplies its services for those listings over $500,000 and staging fees can range from $1,000 - $3,000. At closing, the homeowner pays .25 percent to 1 percent of the list price to the company. Because it is a franchise, pricing structures may vary by region.

“On a million-dollar home, we would typically charge a $2,500 setup fee and a $5,000 success fee if and when the home sold, paid at closing,” says Thom Scott, director of operations for Showhomes. “If we didn’t succeed in producing a sale, the homeowner would only pay the setup fee.”

If you have a home in a large metropolitan area, you can find a local company to provide this service such as Quality First Home Marketing in San Diego and Luxury Homes in Atlanta.

Source:  http://www.SarasotaHomesCollection Insider Tips by Keller Williams Realty

For more information on Lakewood Ranch Real Estate, Sarasota, Bradenton, or the surrounding areas, as well as any other aspects of life in the Lakewood Ranch area, please do not hesitate to contact Gina Ursini (941-812-4894) at Keller Williams Realty or visit http://SarasotaHomesCollection.com.

Thank you for reading. I hope you  find this blog post informative. Please feel free to contact me or comment below with any thoughts.

Home Staging Tips: Adding Unseen Beauty to Your Home Through the Power of Scent

A Scent-sational Home

There's nothing that wards off buyers more than a foul-smelling home. After perfecting your home's curb appeal, the next home staging step is to make your home smell welcoming.  To create an appealing environment for buyers, pleasing scents should be part of the selling plan. A home with enjoyable scents can leave a long-lasting impression with potential buyers.

We've all walked into a home filled with the heavenly aroma of fresh baked pie or cookies and felt the happiness that accompanies it. But not all of us have the time (or baking skills) to make a home smell of delicious desserts. Luckily, there are a few quick and easy home staging alternatives that can give that same welcoming aroma.

Fruit
Eric Spangenberg, Dean of the college of business at Washington State University, studied the effects of aromas and found that a simple orange scent may affect cognitive functions in the same areas of the brain involved in decision-making. Grinding some pieces of fruit such as orange, lemon, or grapefruit  in your garbage disposal does wonders in warding off those unpleasant disposal smells.

Flowers
Place a vase of fresh cut flowers at the entrance or in the kitchen. Choose a soft-smelling flower, such as sweet pea. Not only does it look great, it smells great too.

Lavender
Want to lure in potential female buyers? Lavender, known for its calming and soothing effects, is the number one aromatherapy scent and studies have shown that it is especially attractive to women. Use it sparingly in your home to create a pleasant and relaxing effect.

Cinnamon
We can't forget about the potential male buyers. The smell of cinnamon is especially appealing to men. Simmer some cinnamon sticks in water just prior to the showing.  You can also sprinkle some cinnamon on a baking tray and bake in a low temperature oven.

How Much is Too Much?
Although an inviting scent can create a long-lasting impression on buyers, too much may send them running for the door.  Complex scents, even pleasant ones, can be a distraction to buyers who may spend more time focusing on the strong aroma than the attractive details of your home. Although a scent can be used in every room, be sure to use each scent in moderation.

Acknowledgements:  Realtypin.com

I am happy to offer my background in decorating and staging as a service to my clients. Sellers who list their home with me will receive complimentary staging assistance.

View:  Current Lakewood Ranch Real Estate for sale
View:  Current Sarasota Real Estate for sale
View:  Current Bradenton Real Estate for sale

Further Reading:

1. The 60-30-10 Rule: Adding Color To Your Space
2. Budget Friendly Decorating Ideas For Your Fixer Upper
3. Selling Your Lakewood Ranch Home: Unconventional Tips
4. Remodel Your Lakewood Ranch Investment Home: The Steps From Start To Finish

Subscribe:  To "See More Listings" of Lakewood Ranch Real Estate

Search:  The Lakewood Ranch Area MLS

Thank you for reading. I hope you  find this blog post informative. Please feel free to contact me or comment below with any thoughts.

For more information on Lakewood Ranch Real Estate, Sarasota, Bradenton, or the surrounding areas, as well as any other aspects of life in the Lakewood Ranch area, please do not hesitate to contact Gina Ursini at Keller Williams Realty or visit http://SarasotaHomesCollection.com.