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Originally called French Provincial, Country French Style evokes the casual simplicity and rustic elements of a country home in the South of France. By paying tribute the region’s sunny, warm landscape, Country French style adds cheerful vitality to a home’s design.

Typical elements in a Country French style home include high-pitched hipped rooflines, symmetrical multi-paned, divided light windows, exterior shutters, and French doors. Additional elements may include rounded turrets, multiple rooflines and doorways inset into stone or brick archways.

Exterior finishes in Country French style homes include brick, stone and stucco. Different areas of the country utilize different exterior, typically to withstand the weather elements in that locale, so finding a brick Country French home in Texas is more likely than in Southern California where stucco predominates. If you are planning to incorporate stucco for your home’s exterior or just need stucco repair services, then make sure to contact a Residential and Commercial Stucco Installation professional.

French Country décor is an easy blend of rustic, primitive and Old World textures and patterns with soft hues and bright accents. Drawing from nature, Country French base colors include the saturated spectrum of burgundies, wines and terra cottas as well as more delicate pastels drawn from the lavender, sage and buttery yellow-toned field flowers of the Provincial district.

Brightly printed cottons and French toile (pronounced twäl) prints dominate the look and can enhance your décor by the simple addition of cheery curtains, pillows and seat covers. Toile designs include depictions of the agricultural, pastoral, hunting, military or farm-life settings, floralscapes or a mixture of pastorals, florals and stripes. Historically, toile fabric is rougher, homespun muslin, but modern toile prints are available in an array of easy care blends and finishes.

Country French furniture is not one period, but represents an eclectic mixture of furnishings from 18th-century designs inspired by the great halls of Versailles, rough-hewn, practical pieces of less ornate, sturdier composition, and wrought iron. Finishes include lime-washed pastels, unpolished natural woods and stenciled designs.

Mixing styles, eras, patterns and colors makes Country French decorating easy and fun. Charming accessories such as mixed-media candlestick holders, birdcages, stacked books and earthen bowls piled high with fruit complete the relaxed look.

Call or click here to connect with a local agent to help you find your own Country French style home.

Typically the end of the Holiday season and New Years signal the advent of Spring, so putting your home on the market around the time of the Spring Equinox might be the perfect option for you. Markets vary, so only your local professional real estate agent can advise you on what is best in your area, but there are some reasons you might want to put your home on the market BEFORE the first day of Spring.

Here are some reasons why you may want to consider selling now rather than waiting:

While some analysts tout Spring as the best time of year to sell a house, these same analysts advise buyers to make an offer on homes in January and February. With lower inventories available, homebuyers looking for a deal in the cold of winter may find what they are looking for in your home. Those with early tax refund checks may be ready sooner than others to snap up a good deal.

Homebuyers care about finding the right home in the right place for the right price at the right time for them. According to a National Association of Homebuilders (NAHB) study, homebuyers want energy efficient appliances, windows and other features that permanently lower utility bills; extra storage and organizational features that include a laundry room, linen closet in the bathroom, a walk-in pantry and extra storage space in the garage.

To sell your home in midwinter, consider staging that takes weather into account.

• Make sure the walks and entryways are free of snow and debris. Take the time to clear off the patio too. You may not use it in winter, but your buyer needs to know it is there for the summer. Winter patio use is gaining popularity too!
• Keep your home warm and cozy. Now is not the time to worry about heat costs. If buyers are cold and uncomfortable, they will not stay long enough to experience your home’s special features.
• If you have a gas fireplace, light it. Consider placing a grouping of candles in a wood fireplace and lighting them while the house shows. (NOTE: some buyers may be allergic to smoke from wood-burning fires, so consider not a lighting wood fire unless it is integral to heating your home).
• If you have a Dyna Glo Heater, make sure to repair it beforehand and perform maintenance checks. If you need replacement Dyna Glo Heater Parts, then consider contacting your reliable heating company.

Since daylight is at a premium in winter, try to have your house shown during daylight hours. Make sure your windows are clear and free of winter grime and window treatments are clean and dust-free. If your house must show after dark, make sure to turn on every light in the house and yard so that your home is warm and inviting.

When staging your home for an open house, consider connecting to the season, holiday or local events to give your home that memorable “I see myself living here” quality. With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, consider adding a vase of roses to the dining room. Even a single red rose or a spray of baby’s breath in a vase on the master bathroom vanity will make a subtle impression. A simple glass of red tulips can chase away the winter blues, giving a warm, inviting feel to your open house. Grow a red or pink amaryllis in the kitchen window. Its blooms will last for several weeks, adding a cheery, festive look to your kitchen’s décor. To add privacy, you may also consider installing window shades for your kitchen windows.

Place a decorative jar of bath salts on the edge of the tub to evoke a spa-like feeling and some decorative flower pedal soaps in a dish by the sink. According to US News, a subtle vanilla scent leaves a pleasant memory with your open house visitors and a single scent, rather than a complex mixture of scents, has been shown to assist in decision-making by a Washington State University study.

Consider setting the dining room or kitchen table with bright red or deep pink placemats or tablecloth and contrasting floral or geometric napkins. Set with a mix of whimsical red and white plates for a romantic touch. Adding a few romantic touches needn’t cost very much. Simple thrift store finds may give your house that extra something that says “home” to a young couple just starting life together or empty-nesters wanting to re-capture those youthful feelings as they downsize.

If your colors are neutral, a simple red pillow on a sofa or the master bed or a coffee table book with a red cover can give the atmosphere a lift. Red is an important feng shui color, so a touch of red in the south, southwest or northeast corners of a room or the home may generate feelings of happiness and joy. Give your kitchen a boost of healthful atmosphere with a simple bowl of heart-shaped red delicious apples or red bell peppers.

In any case, make sure not to overdo the decorations. Your understated additions should attract pleasant thoughts, not overwhelming ones. Your professional real estate agent can help you determine what works best in your market, so call today for a consultation.

Your budget dictates that you buy an older home, but your heart wants that home to be environmentally responsible, so what do you do? Here are some ideas for making any home greener. If you plan for these in advance of your purchase, you might just lower your bottom line.

Apply for an energy-efficient mortgage that includes the cost of energy efficient upgrades. You will be required to have an energy audit by an energy rater that reports recommendations for energy efficient upgrades. The potential upgrades include improved insulation levels, energy efficient windows, whole-home systems like heating and cooling, and air leakage. Qualifications for energy-efficient mortgages may include certification that after the improvements the home is more energy efficient and that the upgrades will save more money than is being borrowed to implement them over time.

Other energy-efficient upgrades that save both energy and money include both expensive, big-ticket items and simple DIY projects.

Big Ticket Items:

Add a geothermal heat pump, residential wind turbine, solar energy system, or fuel cell for and get a federal tax credit as well as ongoing savings.

Energy-efficient replacement windows dramatically mitigate the cost of heating and cooling. Not only do they reduce heating and cooling bills, they reduce power consumption during peak load times. Green windows improve personal comfort by reducing drafts and hot spots—areas that heat up due to direct sunlight.

Replace the roof with an energy efficient roof. New roofing materials, designed to drastically reduce household energy use, can minimize greenhouse gas emissions, lower utility bills, and beautify hour home. Some options are cool roofs made of materials that reflect sunlight and heat away from the home. In warmer climates, reflecting away 65 percent of the thermal heat helps keep your home cooler and puts less stress on your cooling system. Low-sloped roofs may benefit from the application of a cool coating or single-ply membrane, while steep-sloped roofs benefit from cool-colored tiles or metal that contains reflective pigments. A more extreme change is a green roof: a roof garden or mini-ecosystem covering an existing roof. Green roofs insulate in colder weather, absorb rainfall, which improves rainwater management, and reduces air pollution by absorbing carbon dioxide and emitting oxygen.

Energy star rated windows and roofing materials also may qualify for both federal tax rebates and state sales-tax exemptions, or credits or rebates through local energy providers.

Budget-Conscious Items:

Upgrade your appliances to more efficient models and qualify for a rebate through your local energy provider. Appliances that may qualify include refrigerators and dryers, pool pumps, portable room air conditioners, whole-house fans, evaporative coolers, and water heaters such as a tankless water heater installation. If you don’t have the budget to upgrade your water heater, have your unit serviced by a water heater repair technician regularly to improve its efficiency.

Projects that Won’t Break the Budget:

If you’re handy or willing to put in some hard work, there are energy efficient projects that are both inexpensive and simple to implement. DIY projects include installing aerators on faucets, replacing weatherstripping, changing out lightbulbs for energy efficient ones, or just simply cleaning your refrigerator’s coils.

If your home has can lights, consider getting a retrofit kit that seals the “can” and improves insulation. You can even change your can lights to more attractive pendants or LED versions to get the most bang for your buck. You can call experts like a licensed Residential electrician to install new fixtures.

Change out your existing ceiling light fixtures for a smart ceiling fan. A “smart” fan is not just well dressed and good-looking, it can reduce heating and cooling costs, sense unoccupied rooms and turn itself off when no one’s around. Just look for the Energy Star rating and install it as directed.

Install a programmable thermostat. For example, the Nest Learning Thermostat learns your schedule, can program itself, is controllable with your phone, and might lower heating and cooling bills as much as 20 percent. Other options include adding a tube-style skylight and putting a clothesline in the back yard to reduce dryer use.

Even though 30-year fixed rates dropped in the first half of January, many analysts expect fixed mortgage rates to go up somewhat in 2014, but to top out at around 5%. What this means for buyers is that while higher than 2013’s historic lows, the rates will remain favorable and predictable for homebuyers.

What is less predictable is the potential rise in home prices. In fact, a Fannie Mae survey shows that more than 90% of the nation’s consumers believe that home prices are likely to rise and that potential buyers should start looking sooner rather than later. Nationwide, home values rose as much as 10 to 20% last year and many consumers expect at least another 3 percent rise in the coming months. One factor driving home prices up is the lack of available inventory. Many homeowners have placed their homes on the market, but according to the Fannie Mae survey, at least 33 % are under the impression that this climate is great for placing their homes on the market. If inventory rises, prices may remain stable for awhile, giving buyers the opportunity to solidify their financial situation, set a budget, gather their down payment, double check their credit report and get preapproval for a loan.

Another potential driver of home prices is the cost of materials for new homes and remodels. The aftermath of disasters such as Superstorm Sandy and various wild fires has pushed the price of lumber up more than 5 percent overall last year. Labor cost increases due to changes in many state minimum wage laws and immigration rules, as well as rising insurance costs affect materials costs too. For sellers, this means placing your home on the market now has to potential to get it sold faster, and at a moderate price increase. As interest rates go up, however, prices will correspondingly come down to adjust to buyers’ debt-to-income ratio. To set the appropriate price on your home, work closely with your professional real estate agent.

Your neighborhood comparables and the “mood” of the housing market in your area, along with the input from your agent will help you determine the best price for your situation. Remember, the mood of the market includes more than the national reports tell you. Your market is made up of a combination of the local jobs report, home inventory, interest rates, local school popularity, which neighborhoods or home styles are trending, and the community’s perceived desirability of your address. Your professional agent stays abreast of this information and works with your to set the right price for your home.

Spring is just around the corner and the lure of a new home has you thinking about putting yours on the market. Your neighbor added a new bathroom last year and you’re wondering if you should upgrade yours before you sell. Logically, a new bathroom should increase the value of your home, right?

From 2006 through 2012, the return on a bathroom remodel investment averaged around 62%, according to the cost vs. value report prepared by Remodeling magazine while a bathroom addition garnered only 51%. Beginning in 2013, however, those numbers began trending up, so a bathroom remodel in 2014 is hovering near 72% and an addition is at 60% ROI. Even so, you will be spending more money than you can expect in return. That being said, there are great reasons to go ahead with a remodel, and your professional real estate agent can help you decide if it is a good investment for you.

One reason is that if several similar homes are on the market in your neighborhood, an upgraded bath may help yours sell more quickly. After all, when comparing side by side, who doesn’t want a clean, fresh bath? Busy buyers looking to move in quickly won’t want to do the upgrade themselves. Another reason to consider updating your bath is to attract a different type of buyer. Flippers, investors and DIY-homeowners will want the bones of the house to be in great shape, but will probably offer a lower price because they plan to make upgrades and changes themselves. Qualified buyers that want move-in ready conditions will appreciate not having to worry about upgrading, remodeling or renovating.

If you and your professional real estate agent determine that a bath upgrade will improve your sale, be sure to do it right. Do not attempt a DIY project you’ve never done before just to save a few bucks. Poorly installed flooring may cost you a sale. Remember, some changes do have more appeal than others. For instance, if you only have one bath, consider putting in a double sink. Couples, families and even roommates appreciate multiple sinks when trying to get out the door in the morning. Even a small bath can accommodate a double sink with the right choice. A new eco-friendly toilet is a nice touch too. Simple changes and give your bath a fresh look without a lot of expense. Consider fresh paint, a new rain-style showerhead, new classy but neutral shower curtain, updated faucets, or a new toilet. Don’t skimp on lighting. According to Alicia Garceau at HGTV, a bathroom remodel should include task lighting for applying makeup or shaving, ambient lighting—that bounces off walls—to soften shadows, accent lighting to give depth and dimension, and decorative lighting to add luxury or play up an architectural feature.

Contact us and we’ll help you determine your home’s value and how to prepare it to sell.

When the housing market rebounded, so did home builders eager to show off their design skills. Buyers expect that newly constructed homes will be safer and more energy efficient, but they’re also looking for homes that meet the needs of the more modern buyer. Here’s a round-up of some of the most popular design trends seen in today’s newest homes.

Kitchen islands look more like continents.
Maybe it’s the Food Network’s influence or maybe builders have finally realized that people ALWAYS end up hanging out in the kitchen. Either way, kitchens are now being designed by professionals from https://kansascitykitchenremodeling.com/ to accommodate the crowds they always seem to attract. Kitchen islands with with granite countertops and  plenty of seating allow people to sit and watch the home chef in action, and they let the host and hostess interact while feeding family and friends. With lots of incorporated storage and attention to design details, the extra-large kitchen island is becoming the focal point and showpiece of the modern kitchen.

Foyers that earn their keep.
Home buyers don’t want to walk in the front door and straight into a living room setting. So foyers that give a sense of entry are making a strong comeback in modern construction. But today’s foyers aren’t just a short hallway. Builders are adding built-in benches, alcoves, book nooks or high-end places to hang your things up as you enter. Then, consider the invaluable benefits mix on site concrete services bring to construction professionals. Here is where Carters Concrete stands out, their service maximises productivity and minimises waste, a crucial consideration in the modern construction industry.

Extended uses for extended families.
As the Baby Boomers age, the number of multi-generational households continues to rise. Buyers are requesting more homes with two master suites – often with one upstairs and one downstairs, which better suites elderly parents living in the home. Also, small “shadow” homes are being built alongside the main house to give aging parents a more independent living situation that’s still only steps away the family.

Productivity in pocket offices.
While the popularity of a large, formal home office may have faded over time, people still want hard-working spaces where they can do the work required to run a household. These small “pocket offices” are being located off of high-traffic areas like the kitchen and great room, where parents can still be in the middle of the action but have a separate, dedicated space for paying bills, signing papers and checking email.

Connection is key.
When people started saying “There’s an app for that,” it was only a matter of time before that app frenzy worked its way into new homes. With everything from smart thermostats to smart garage door openers, home buyers want more control over their environments by using the one thing we hardly ever leave home without – the smartphone. Soon there won’t be any more worries over whether or not you left the door unlocked or the garage door open because a touch of a button on your smartphone screen will assure you that all is well; however, these doors still need garage door repair and maintenance from time to time, so if it needs a minor garage door repair make sure you do it as soon as possible before the issue gets worse. Look for complete home automation systems to take a big step forward in newly constructed homes.

Sneaky storage spaces.
Square footage has to work harder in today’s home and every inch counts. Builders are sneaking those highly-coveted storage spaces into places that were once overlooked. Cabinets under staircases, drawers inside stair risers and storage space under window seats are all creative uses of space that would otherwise be wasted.

Look for design trends like these to meet the demands of today’s bigger, busier, more well-connected family.

Some people are great at articulating exactly what they want in their next home. But some of us know what we want yet find it tough to explain that vision to someone else. It usually comes out something like this: “I’ll know it when I see it.” But seeing tons of listings can be frustrating and can waste your time unnecessarily. Enter Pinterest – the social network that lets you collect all those dream house mental pictures that are often hard to put into words. Pinterest has become a favorite online hang-out for home buyers and those who plan to build or remodel a home, so if you are planning to sell your Moore County house fast to get a new home and decorate it how you want, this post is for you.

After all, knowing what you want is half the battle in finding or creating it. With a few simple searches, Pinterest users are exposed to thousands of photos they can use as inspiration in their house hunt. High-end and creative home features are one of the most heavily populated areas of Pinterest so there’s no shortage of ideas to sift through. Some users have created virtual “pin boards” for each room of their dream house and yard, making it easier to organize ideas and find them later. Do a simple search for “bathroom” in the search bar and you’ll find everything from rustic cabin outhouses to over-the-top luxury master suites equipped with Oak Vanity Units Made to Last.

If you’re having a tough time explaining your vision to your agent, consider sharing your Pinterest photos with him or her. Seeing what you like best can guide your agent’s selections for which listings are most likely to interest you. Of course, no one can make every Pinterest dream come true in one house, but it’s a good way to get on the same page and narrow down the choices of which houses to see and which ones to skip. Pinterest photos can also guide your decisions when looking for a house with “good bones” that can be remodeled into your dream house.

Pinterest for Home Sellers

For sellers, Pinterest can be a great way to get insight on what potential buyers are hoping to find during their house hunt. If the same type of living room photo keeps cropping up on Pinterest, you can bet it’s representative of a style that’s trending right now. Consider using that photo as a guide for how you might update, rearrange or stage your own living room to reflect the current trend. Pay special attention to wall colors, room layout, window treatments and floor coverings. Appeal to visual thinkers by making your home’s online photos as “pin-worthy” as possible.

Cleaning and organization are also huge areas of interest for Pinterest users, and the tips found in these “pins” can help as you prepare to put your house on the market. Clutter and half-hearted cleaning attempts can thwart a deal with potential buyers. Use the tips collected on hundreds of Pinterest boards to find new ideas for eliminating cluttered areas. You’ll also find innovative ways for simple household fixes like repairing nail holes, cleaning baseboards and dusting window blinds – all things that discerning home buyers will notice.

Whether you’re buying, selling, building, remodeling or just plain “nesting,” Pinterest might become your favorite online tool for finding inspiration, advice and friends who share your vision.

Finding a new home can be one of the most exciting times of your life. It’s a little like dating – the pursuit, the “getting to know you” period, the proposal (aka “offer”), and the marriage (aka “closing”). If you don’t want your relationship with a new house to crash and burn, you need to know a few things before you fall in love.

 1. Know thy numbers.

You’d be surprised at how many home buyers start their new home pursuit without really knowing what they can and can’t afford. Avoid being disappointed later by getting preapproved for a mortgage before you even get started, always make sure to make a mortgage deal with companies you can afford like the one at iwillbuyhouse.com. And be sure you know the difference between being “prequalified” and “preapproved.” You can be preapproved only after a lender has reviewed all your financial information and has told you how much the bank is willing to lend to you. Being pre-approved will let sellers know you’re a serious buyer, and it will also prevent you from falling in love with a home that is financially “out of your league.”

2. Love the neighborhood, not just the house.

It’s easy to get caught up in how perfect a house is and forget that the house is only part of a bigger picture. It won’t matter how awesome the master bathroom is if you discover that the neighborhood just isn’t a good fit for you. Spend as much time researching the neighborhood as you do checking into all the nooks and crannies of the house. Regardless of whether or not you have kids, ask questions about the neighborhood’s school district since that will impact the home’s resale value. And be sure to drive through the neighborhood at various times of day to make sure you’re not missing any “deal breaker” factors.

3. Beware the lure of the lowball offer.

Even though buying a home is a financial decision that involves legal contracts, that doesn’t mean it’s devoid of emotion. If you’re tempted to make a lowball offer on a home just to see what happens, be aware that some sellers will be so offended that they won’t entertain future offers from you. It may be a business deal, but this is still their home – and that’s personal. Make an offer based on the selling price of other homes in the same neighborhood and then determine what the average price per square foot is for that area. Also, make your offer number an odd number instead of a round one. For example, an offer of $352,500 sounds like you put some thought into it based on real calculations, whereas an offer of $350,000 sounds more like a shot in the dark.

4. Get a home inspector’s “blessing.”

Some churches require engaged couples to go through a few premarital counseling sessions before they can be married in the church. Similarly, you’d be wise to seek the counsel of a qualified home inspector before you make things official with a new home. If the house has hidden baggage, a good home inspector will find it, which gives you the opportunity to decide if it’s something you’re willing to deal with or not.

By following a few simple guidelines and leading with your head instead of your heart, your destiny with a new home is much more likely to end with “happily ever after.”

Home buyers walk into a house with lots of questions. How much square footage does it have? How many bathrooms are there? Does the backyard have a fence? But soon they may be adding a new question to that list: How smart is the kitchen?

With the appliance sales boom, people have higher expectations for kitchen appliances. While our kitchens might not look like something from the Jetsons cartoons anytime soon, appliances are getting smarter each year. For example, a Siemens refrigerator (currently in the concept stage) may one day eliminate the need to call home and ask, “Do we need milk?” The new model comes equipped with Wi-Fi and multiple cameras mounted inside it which will allow people to use a smartphone app to visually scan their refrigerator shelves, even while they’re standing in the dairy aisle at a grocery store across town. When adopting such cutting-edge technology, it’s crucial to consider pat testing leicester for safety and compliance.

Through home automation technology installation, new appliances are also smart enough to save a few bucks. Whirlpool has developed a new line of appliances called 6th Sense Live, and they’re designed to run when energy prices are lowest. Using a Wi-Fi connection, a dishwasher could start its own cycle at whatever point in the day it determines that energy prices are lowest. (It does this by using a constantly updated database of real-time energy prices.) Appliances that break down have been a source of frustration and unexpected expense for homeowners, but today’s new smart appliances may have a solution even when things go wrong. LG has developed appliances with remote diagnostic services. It’s called “Smart Diagnosis,” and it works by allowing the broken appliance to “talk” to a smartphone app by playing a certain sound. The app can “decode” the tone it hears and give the owner instructions on what to do next. If the repair is simple, the app might send a text message to let the owner know it’s time for a new water filter for the fridge. For more complex issues, the app will automatically request a service call.

Kitchens aren’t the only room of the house where “smart” reigns supreme. Laundry rooms are also being revolutionized by the technological wave. GE has a dryer that automatically gets messages from the washer about the load it will soon receive. By customizing the cycle, clothes aren’t as likely to overdry. For now, the bells and whistles of smart appliances are still a novelty. Customers aren’t rushing into big box stores demanding appliances that can talk to the outside world via Wi-Fi. But most manufacturers are preparing for the trend. Samsung and LG, both based in South Korea, are on the leading edge of smart appliances. Samsung is best known for its high-tech refrigerators that feature a touch-screen. Wolf and Sub-Zero both have a few appliance models capable of communicating with smartphones. But some manufacturers, like Bosch, are holding Sense Live, and they’re designed to run when energy off until the appliance industry institutes a standard way for all smart appliances to communicate.

Last year, sales of smart appliances were only about $613 million, a low number according to a Pike Research report. But executives like Bob Baird, vice president of merchandising for Home Depot, was quoted in a report on Reviewed.com saying that, in time, more and more customers will request these types of machines, adding “It’s going to happen.”