A Day in the Life of an Interior Designer

If you love design, color, and working with people, then becoming an interior designer could be the perfect career path for you! It allows you to combine your creative mind to design homes, buildings, offices, and more with your practical mind to take care of logistics, budget, customer-service skills, and planning.

However, sometimes people enter into careers without understanding what an actual day in the life is like! Before you commit yourself, keep reading to learn what a day in the life of an interior designer is really like.

We’ve done research on a number of interior designers around the country to give you a pretty decent picture of what an interior designer’s day is like.

Let’s get started! 

9 AM - Meet with a Client and a Paint Color Expert

Color is one of the most important parts of any interior design project. Oftentimes, the color scheme of a room will impact the layout, the overall design style, and the furniture that will eventually be chosen for a room.

Many interior designers are also considered a paint color expert as well, but there are others who choose to employ a separate interior paint consultant as well. These people specialize in color to bring another expert opinion to the table.

Meetings like this will bring the design experts together with the client so everyone can understand the expectations, wants, and desires of the project. The client will outline a budget, what theme they’re thinking of, brand colors, as well as another other factors they can think of. 

Then, the designer and the color expert will suggest various color schemes, oftentimes laying out paint swatches and options to give the client a visual of what to expect. At the end of the meeting, you should either have gathered information to later finalize the colors or you should have confirmed the color palette that will be used for the project.

10 AM - Check on Construction of a Project

As you’ll soon see, a lot of the day for an interior designer is taken up with check-ins and meetings. You’ll most likely need to check on a construction project during the day to make sure things are progressing, that construction is following design and architectural plans, and to make sure the timeline is on track.

You’ll need to take measurements of rooms, notice where/how much light there is, and speak with the head of construction to understand the completion timeline. This will help you as you plan, order furnishings, see how flooring/walls look, and more.

11:30 AM - Consultation with a New Client

Meeting number three! A big part of being an interior designer, especially when you run your own business, is finding and taking on new clients. During an initial consult, you’ll probably show them some of your past work, get to understand what they’re looking for, and discuss some preliminary ideas and proposals for the project.

12:30 PM - Working Lunch 

Taking time for lunch is crucial for both your mental health and your productivity! On busy days, it may need to be a working lunch where you reply to emails or calls. However, even taking just 20 minutes to yourself will help you feel recharged and ready for the rest of the day.

1:30 PM - Notes from Client Meeting, Start Planning

After your meetings from earlier, you’ll want to make sure you have detailed notes, measurements, paint swatches, and fabrics compiled into a folder in order to start planning for the overall project. 

For new clients, you’ll want to create a visual guide, presentation, and/or sketches to outline your vision and ideas for the space taking into account everything you spoke with them about. This is where you’ll likely continue to collaborate with other experts like flooring designers, color experts, architects, and more.

2:30 PM - Finalize Sketches and Visual Plans for Another Project

The grind never stops! Once you finish with the outlining and planning from the meeting and consults of the day, you probably will move over to do some work on existing projects. Finalizing sketches, incorporating feedback, creating a presentation, outlining a budget, etc, are all things you’ll need to stay on top of each and every day.

3:00 PM - Meeting with Furniture Source

Now you get to what you probably envision interior designers doing: picking out furnishings and other components for a room! 

Many interior designers work closely with suppliers, sources, and sellers in order to furnish and supply a room with items that match the design scheme you’ve settled on. You can request various textures, colors, styles, and more and these people will show you options in the hopes that you’ll use them in your design.

You’ll need to take measurements, watch for color and texture, and make sure that you options match with the client’s wants and needs.

4:00 PM - Networking Meeting with Architect

People you work alongside are often the best people to network with. When you have connections within the industry and with people who are on the periphery of the industry, they’ll often be able to get you more work, connect you with clients, recommend you, and generally help your business grow.

Scheduling networking meetings can be a great way to get both of you more work and leads.

Wondering What to Do with Leftover Paint? Try These 4 Cool Crafts and Art Projects!

When painting a room, the outside of your home, your tool shed, or a wall, you have to buy huge gallons of paint in order to get the job done. The problem is many people don’t actually use up all of the paint during that one project, leading to most people having a ton of leftover paint that’s destined to waste away in your garage or the back of a closet.

While it isn’t ideal to allow the paint to go to waste, not many people know what to do with leftover paint besides painting another wall. However, there are tons of leftover paint ideas and easy painting projects you can do with leftover paint to have some fun and get the most use out of that jug! 

Keep reading for 4 creative crafts and ideas for leftover paint.

1. Reuse for Another Home Paint Project

Perhaps the most obvious option is to use the paint again in another home painting project. While you might’ve used a color specialist to decide on that paint color for whatever room you used it in, that doesn’t mean the paint can’t fit somewhere else, too.

And don’t limit yourself to painting entire rooms in that color. If you have outside paint colors leftover then think about using it for your tool shed or your garage door. Use the leftover paint as a backsplash in your kitchen, as trim for your windows and doors, on your picture frames, tabletops, and more.

There are so many places in your home that can benefit from a little pop of color or even just a fresh coat of neutral paint. Use this leftover paint instead of buying a whole new can.

2. Splatter Painting Project

Splatter painting is an easy painting project that’s fun for kids and adults alike. 

Start with your canvas and set up outside (trust us, it gets messy). Place the canvas on the ground. Now, take all of your paints and dip your brush into your first color. 

Instead of a classic brush stroke, you’re going to raise your brush arm up and quickly flick it down towards the canvas so the paint flies off of the brush and onto the canvas. This will cause a “splatter” effect. 

Continue this with different colors and ranging the power of your “flicks”. Watch a video on the process here to see the cool art you can come up with! 

3. Spice Up Your Furniture

Furniture is another way to use up leftover paint. You can repaint tables, chairs, desks, shelves, couch legs, stools, benches, and more! Try doing some cool patterns or accents to make your dining room or study furniture a little bit more exciting. 

4. Create Your Own Chalkboard Paint

A lot of people see chalkboard paint at the store and get excited for all of the crafting possibilities: a chalkboard for family notes, “menu” chalkboards for the dinner table, chalkboard mugs, and even chalkboard walls! However, the pre-made chalkboard paint at the store can be a little pricey compared to normal paint.

But did you know that you can actually make your own chalkboard paint using your old leftover paint? Here’s what you’ll need:

• 1/2 cup leftover acrylic paint
• 1 tablespoon non-sanded tile grout

And that’s it! Simply mix the paint with the grout in a mixing cup, and you’re good to go! Make this paint in small batches since chalkboard paint doesn’t store well and easily hardens. 

Before you start painting, clean the surface you’re working with to make it easier for the paint to be applied. Once you’ve coated the surface (you’ll likely need more than one coat), you’ll need to “prepare” it by dragging chalk over the surface and wiping it off with a paper towel (demonstrated here). 

Once that’s done, your new chalkboard surface is all set!

Ready for Autumn? Try These 4 Fall Home Maintenance Tips

If you’ve walked anywhere in the past few weeks, you might have noticed we’ve been invaded by pumpkin spice. Starbucks announced that the Pumpkin Spice Latte has officially returned, which means that it’s officially fall.

It’s sad to pack away the pool floaties and swimsuits, but it’s also exciting to break out the flannels, pumpkins, and apple cider donuts. And (while it definitely isn’t as exciting as those things), it’s also time to break out your fall home maintenance checklist. 

As temperatures drop and we get ready to receive fall/winter storms, you need to do a few things to get your home as fall ready as you are. Keep reading for 4 simple maintenance tips to get started! 

1. Make Exterior Repairs

Fall (and winter, very soon) weather can do a number on your home. Moisture, fallen branches, and pounds of leaves can damage your roof, your foundation, your siding, your paint job, etc. 

Before things get bad, take a stroll around your house and inspect for anything that looks like it needs tending to. Make a list of exterior repairs you need done in order of urgency. Then, go through the list throughout the fall to have everything done before winter.

Some key things to take note of are your exterior paint and your roof with help from both a paint color specialist and a professional roofer, respectively. 

Any chips or fading of your paint signals that it’s time for a new paint job or at least some maintenance of your current coat. Chips or peeling paint can worsen during the months of autumn and winter, which can leave the wood underneath vulnerable to moisture and damage. 

It’s also unsightly and not a problem you want to handle when it’s freezing outside. 

Consulting with an exterior paint color consultant will allow you to choose the best paint to withstand the elements your home’s exterior experiences and elevate the aesthetic of your house in one fell swoop.

Paying attention to your roof is also of vital importance since roof collapse and general roof damages are most likely to occur during the fall and winter. Enlist the help of a professional to ensure your roof (and the surrounding area) is ready for fall and winter.

2. Clean and Check on Your Gutters

Gutters and leaves are far from a match made in heaven. However, it’s something you will deal with in the upcoming months and it’s something you need to stay on top of.

In preparation for falling leaves, clean out your gutters of any debris, sticks, and leaves. This leaves room for, well, more leaves, sticks, and debris. Be sure to stay on top of cleaning your gutters consistently as fall chugs along. 

Any clogs will allow rain and snow (yes, snow is on the way) to pool in your gutters. This can cause water to seep into your home’s roof and/or siding, which will cause immense and expensive damage.

3. Check for (and Repair!) Drafts and Gaps

A chill in the air outside is great after months of heat and humidity. However, it’s not welcome inside the house.

That being said, the chill will enter your home if you don’t seal any gaps and/or drafts throughout the house. Actually, it’s better to say that you’ll lose heat instead of gain a chill: heat loss through windows is what uses up 20-35% of your home’s energy.

This means caulking and re-caulking gaps in windows and doors. It could mean installing new windows, especially if they haven’t been updated or replaced in a while. It means weatherstripping and making sure to keep doors and windows closed.

This will keep the heat in your house and the cold out of it.

Besides drafts and gaps where air can seep in and out, you should also make sure to inspect for and block up any gaps where animals could enter your home. 

Animals like mice, rats, insects, birds, raccoons, and more get cold too! They’ll seek warmth wherever they can find it; make sure that warmth isn’t in your house, as this could lead to exposure to disease, damage to your home, and shrieks from family members as they see or hear scurrying feet under their bed.

4. HVAC Services

Speaking of heating your house, fall’s the perfect time for HVAC service and maintenance. If you have window air conditioners, wait for the last hot day of the season and then promptly store them away. 

After a summer of blasting the AC, you should also check your HVAC filters at the very least. You should also clean your vents, clean your outdoor unit (if you have one), and check on your heating system as you get ready for the cold. 

If you want to go above and beyond, give an HVAC specialist a call to look over your system and give everything a much-needed tune-up before winter sets in.

This could also be the time to upgrade or replace your system. While that isn’t going to come cheap, you could save hundreds of dollars on energy and power bills if you upgrade to energy efficient systems. You could also install a smart thermostat to prepare for the cold, which can also save you money.

These are just a few things to check off your fall home maintenance list for the upcoming season. The biggest tip is to keep your eye out for anything in need of repair so you can get it done before winter sets in!

Preparing to Sell: An Open House Checklist

In the age of the Internet, especially with the ability to see a home through a complete virtual tour, more people are using the online sources in order to “view” and find homes that they’re interested in buying more than any other method. However, don’t write off the classic open house quite yet.

A study conducted by Realtor Magazine showed that 20% of potential buyers looking at low- to mid-range homes use open houses to decide what home they actually want to purchase. That number jumps to 30% for luxury and upper price range homes.

This shows that there’s still value and advantages to holding an open house during your selling process. But this isn’t the end of that decision. Now, the real work begins.

An open house means allowing a large amount of strangers into your home in hopes that it will convince them it should become their home. The best way to do that is to make them feel comfortable, show them the best parts of the home, and help them visualize themselves living there.

How do you do that? A real estate agent is a great asset for planning, organizing, and staging your home for an open house since they’ve done this before and they know what the potential buyers are looking for. 

There are things you can do in order to prepare your home for an open house to make it as successful as possible. Keep reading for a brief open house checklist to help you get started.

Clean, Clean, and Clean Some More

Beginning a few days before the open house, it’s time to put in a little (actually, a lot) of elbow grease. You want to wash the floors, wipe down your windows/mirrors, clean the counters, vacuum, and more to make everything look “spick and spam.” 

Put in that little extra effort to really impress the potential buyers. Not only will the cleanliness make your home look and feel better, but it will also help you to highlight some of your home’s best qualities.

Does your home have amazing hardwood floors? Putting in that extra effort to make sure they’re buffed and shiny will highlight that attribute. 

What about a skylight window or large windows that overlook an amazing view? Ensuring that these are clear and streak-free will brighten the home and show off an awesome quality.

Don’t forget about cleaning the outside of your home, too. Power wash the driveway, mow the lawn, pick up any trash/twigs/branches in the yard, dispose of any dog poop, touch up any chipping paint, etc.

Remember Curb Appeal

On the topic of the outside of your home, curb appeal is extremely important for your open house. Curb appeal refers to the impression your home makes as someone looks at it from, well, the curb. 

The exterior of the home, your yard, your driveway, your fence, your mailbox — all of these make impacts on the first impression your potential buyers have of your house.

Take the time to get these things perfect. As we said before, wash your driveway, mow your lawn, keep up with your garden, and other cleaning tasks like that.

But you should also take note of the overall appearance. Has it been a while since your home’s gotten a fresh coat of paint? Consult with an exterior paint color expert to see whether a new color palette or even just some new trim can improve your home’s look.

Also make sure you maintain your pathways, update your plants, clean your gutters, and touch-up paint on your fences, railings, and mailbox.

Time for Some Fresh Paint

Speaking of paint, it’s a good idea to update (or at least think about updating) your interior paint as well. Color trends and themes have likely changed since you bought your house, not to mention that it’s likely there are scuffs, stains, and fading after the home has been lived in.

Think of colors and themes that are classic for the market you’re going for. Perhaps you’re aiming to sell to young families who will appreciate millennial pink. Or maybe, on the other hand, you’re aiming at older generations who prefer a more mature or simple color scheme.

This is where a paint color specialist will help you. They’ll be able to tell you what colors will work best for your market as well as which colors will make the rooms look their best. 

Color can increase light, highlight important aspects in the home, and add life to the space. A color expert will help you make those decisions and get your home in the best shape before the open house.

Create a Blank Slate

As you spruce up your home and make it look as good as possible, you also want to be creating as neutral of a space as possible. What do we mean by that?

We mean that you need to depersonalize the space. Take down your family pictures, remove specific or personal trinkets/decor, and have your pets/kids leave the home for the day of the open house. In fact, unless you’re selling the house on your own, it’s best that you not be present, either.

Some agents even ask homeowners to leave the premises completely during a property’s first listing weekend so the house can be clear for follow-up visits after an open house later on in the weekend or even the same day.

Potential buyers want to see themselves in the home. Seeing images of the current owners disrupts their visualization of themselves there, which can hinder their experience. Also, if you’re present, they may not be honest with how they feel or honestly inspect every aspect of the home for fear of offending you/your home.

Your best bet is to create a blank slate that will allow viewers to truly see themselves living there and start to feel like it’s their home.

Staging Services

It’s not easy to prepare your home for an open house, especially with work, kids, and life taking up most of your time. 

Staging services can help you set up your home in a way that will be best suited for selling. These types of services will help you arrange furniture, create that “blank slate” we mentioned earlier, place candles, remove decor/trinkets, and other things to create the perfect open house. 

It’s hard for the homeowner to take a step back and be unbiased when setting up the open house. 

Why should you remove your favorite art piece from the living room or rearrange your furniture in the bedrooms? You like it that way!

But staging services are experts and will be able to view each room with an unbiased eye to give you the best chance at impressing potential buyers.

Ready to Sell?

List open house checklist is far from comprehensive, but it does give you a general idea of the things you’ll need to think about and do in order to have a successful open house. 

The big things to keep in mind are: keep things tidy, keep things neutral, and make the potential buyers feel, well, at home! If you can do those things, you’re setting yourself up for a successful sale.

4 Ways to Update Your Kitchen

It’s often said that the kitchen is the heart of the home. So in regards to your kitchen, you want to make sure it’s always beating with vibrancy and life, keeping you moving and inspiring you, your family and your guests to create great memories there.

There are lots of ways to update your kitchen, and your need will depend on the space itself, what you want for it and the budget you are working with. For some, a new paint job may be in store to liven up the space or create a certain feel you’ve been waiting for. For others, out of date appliances may be #1 on the list.

Read on for inspiration on how to update your kitchen.

Paint: You may not be overtly disappointed in the paint colors in your kitchen. But do they excite you? Do they give you a feeling of, “This is what my kitchen should feel like”? Is there a rhyme and reason to them, a palette that comes together to give a “soft” feel or an “elegant” feel or whatever it is you want your kitchen to feel for family, friends and guests?

If the answer to any of those questions is no, you may want to find yourself an interior paint consultant. Speaking with a paint color expert can help you put your thumb on something (paint color) that can be a very difficult thing to pin down. These folks have handled not only all kinds of kitchens, but all types of interior and exterior settings with the intent of helping to give them a purpose. Paint can really bring a room together — or not. What is your paint doing for you?

Flooring: This will depend in large part on the flooring in other rooms of the house — though it doesn’t necessarily have to. So this is to say that while you don’t need to have the same flooring you have in adjacent rooms, you do want to make sure you are at least complementing them somehow as you update your kitchen. Going from a marble foyer to a linoleum kitchen probably won’t make the most sense. A dark hardwood to a white marble can create a sense of class. Examine the rooms around the kitchen so everything flows nicely.

Countertop: Always a main focus of upgrading a kitchen, your choice of countertops has the ability to make an impression like few other choices you’ll make about your kitchen. Your countertops, along with your colors, will set the tone for your kitchen. Butcher block? Country feel. Granite? A smooth, updated feel. Quartz? A more elegant touch — but watch out for spills from the kids!

Furniture/Appliances: The appliances you choose are a big factor in deciding to upgrade your kitchen. On the other hand, though, they have a much less permanent feel than a countertop or floor or color palette that you’ve designed everything around. Lots of people prefer stainless steel across the board. That means stove/oven, fridge/freezer, microwave. A set of really outdated appliances can make updating the rest of your kitchen seem fruitless — a few thorns among a set of roses, if you would. But they can be quite the investment, and if you’re selling your house, buyers typically understand purchasing new appliances can be part of the process — as long as the rest of the kitchen fits their taste.

You’re likely not going to be able to update everything in your kitchen at once. But knowing what to update and how it works into the larger picture of your vision for your home — or knowing how to market it for a sale — is important to creating the best value.

3 Ways to Make More Curb Appeal

If you’re getting ready to put your house on the market, one question most real estate agents are bound to ask is, “How can we make more curb appeal here?” There are lots of ways to do it, and a lot of times the answer will depend on what your home needs the most rather than a catch-all answer for every home on the market. In addition, budget will obviously play a role as well.

Adding curb appeal can run from adding a fresh coat of paint to planting sod to adding a few new bushes and more. Read on for a few ways you can add some curb appeal to your home.

Fresh Paint: When you pull up to a house, few things say “dream home” more than a fresh coat of paint. If you’re looking to sell, you don’t have to stick with the same outside paint colors you’ve had on the house for years. And if you’re not sure where to start, it’s never a bad idea to contact a paint color expert.

Fresh paint, no matter the color, always improves curb appeal. It shows a place is well kept and that whoever lives there respects their home well enough to invest in one of the biggest things they possibly could — the exterior color of their home. And the right paint colors for your home are ones that tell a story, and put you in exactly the right place. They don’t just look good. They make a place feel like home.

Landscape Design: Landscape design comes in all different shapes and sizes. It can mean a row of bulbs next to your walkway. It can mean a row of arborvitaes along the side of your yard. It can mean a fish pond next to your back patio. Or it could mean a whole new yard full of sod (hopefully your yard isn’t that big if that’s the need).

What landscape design offers in the curb appeal department is two main things. First, for potential homebuyers, it means being able to move in to a brand new yard without having to think about what they need to do with a space. If your back yard or front flowering is lacking, that might seem obvious upon pulling up. Rather than having to think about what should go where (and who should do it), that’s already done — a value add. The second thing landscape design offers is an extremely obvious and customizable “pop” when approaching the home and taking a look at it from the outside. Depending on the size and layout of your property, you can scale your landscape work in all sorts of directions.

Smooth surface: One more thing that gives a property great curb appeal is working to literally smooth out any rough corners. What this means is giving your property a nice finishing touch by resurfacing the driveway, walkway leading up to the front door, or a patio. If a set of stairs are in disrepair, make sure they’re cleaned up and painted or stained appropriately to create a fresh and clean look.

Keep these tips in mind and before long, people will be pulling up to your home and seeing the curb appeal they want to see in their future home.

Buying a Home? Keep These Hidden Expenses in Mind

The home buying process, while often a joyful experience ending for many with a beautiful new home, can often be a stressful time. Not only are factors that can drum up a lot of emotion at play — where will the kids go to school, is this location too far from family, etc — but on top of that, there are always the more straightforward, numbers-based questions.


“Will we be able to afford this monthly mortgage payment?” “How long will my commute be from here?” “Is this enough space for us to live in now — and even in three years?”


Lots of questions on both sides and everywhere in between can make it hard to remember some hidden costs that you might have to pay down the line. And not in a bad way necessarily, as some of these costs can help improve the value of the home.


Working on a home’s exterior, interior, top, bottom, inside, outside, left, right — it all has to be done at some point. The question is: “When is the last time it was done and will you need to be responsible for doing it anytime soon?” Here are some questions to consider the next time you step into an open house.


“When will the exterior of the home have to be re-done?”

If you’re really serious about buying the place, make sure you ask your inspector to take a good look during the inspection phase at whether or not the home has to be repainted anytime soon. If you do end up having to paint, remember that you might want to consider bringing in an exterior paint color expert to help you make your big purchase worthwhile. While you might not look up a color consultant right after closing, remember that for further down the line.


“Does this come with public sewer or will I need to maintain a private sewage treatment system?”

Everyone’s favorite topic, right? Keep in mind you could either be looking at a regular monthly bill as an added utility cost, or more intermittent costs such as pumping your septic tank or cleaning out your cesspool. And of course, if it’s a private system, make sure you ask the selling agent how old it is. If little information is available, assume the worst.


“How energy efficient is the home?”

Watch out for old windows that have to be replaced. Not only do they suck up warmth and throw it out into the dead of winter, but then there’s the obvious cost of installing new ones to start with. How is insulation in the home? Do the rooms you’ll be spending time in get some sun for the winter, and/or some shade in the summer? Consider your energy bills.

While there are several other factors to consider, hopefully this got you going in the right state of mind next time you tour an open house and get wow’d by the staged furniture and heated bathroom floors. Sadly, it won’t look that way forever, but if you prepare yourself for future costs, you can make sure you’re well-prepared to handle what comes your way.

3 Types of Consultants That Can Improve Your Home Value

For many people, purchasing a home will be the largest investment they make in their lives. So ensuring you can find great value in that investment will be key not only to your long-term financial health, but also your happiness as you will want to feel fulfilled and satisfied in your home throughout the years.


And as the years go on, your tastes will change, styles will change, and so will the look of your home. While there are many projects you can take on yourself, it’s also worth keeping in mind that there are experts who can help you feel even more fulfilled in your home. That’s their jobs! And not only that, but as you begin to approach the stage where it may be time for you and your home to part ways, these folks also specialize in creating financial value for your investment. This means that they can not only help you customize your home to suit your personal needs, but they also specialize in suiting it to the broader needs of any potential buyers if you are considering putting it on the market.


Home consultants run the gamut, and we think a few types in particular stick out that are worth keeping in mind to help you get the most value — not just financially but also emotionally — out of your home.

Color consultant

Having a paint color expert in your corner is really a secret weapon when considering how to extract the most value out of your home. Often when people think of painting, they can tend to think of the physical labor that goes into the process of doing the work, and less on which colors will adorn the walls for years to come. That can take up a lot of mental energy in itself if you do focus on it. And knowing which color schemes could fit your space the best and combining that either with your personal passions or understanding that you may be selling your home is the job of a color expert.

Interior designer

This suggestion shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. Most people who have used an interior designer can attest to how good of an investment it was, so why would we leave this out? While interior designers may not specialize so much in something like paint, for example, they can complement a paint expert in creating an overall environment in your house that suits your desires.

Landscape designer

Looking to make an outdoor paradise? Good luck doing this one on your own. If you thought the labor involved with painting was difficult, how about grading, building retaining walls, choosing the right stone, and more and more — not to mention designing it and possibly getting permits to do some work? A professional landscape designer can take your outdoor space and make it a place you want to relax and enjoy anytime.

The best part is that all three of these types of consultants can work with one another. While that may sound like a lot in fees, just remember that if you truly do want to maximize the true value of your home, that may involve putting in a little extra investment to make sure the finished product is one you can truly be satisfied with.

Design Tips to Improve Your Resale Value

There are so many factors to think about when getting ready to sell your home. Circumstances surrounding your move notwithstanding, the process can be enough of a handful as it is. Which agent do you go with? How much should you list the house for? Will you be able to close in time before you move, or will you be paying two mortgages at once for some time?


It’s a lot.


A few things that are nice to think about, however, are relatively simple ways to improve your resale value without breaking the bank. So what are the secrets? Here are a few.


Color it Up

The importance of color in interior design is one of the most important factors to consider when you’re deciding to sell your home. It’s easy to forget that as much as you love, and have loved, the things that make your home unique and yours, people need to imagine themselves in the space as they go through the buying process. While neutral colors are typically go-to’s when selling since they are generally safe bets, each home — including yours — is unique. So neutral might not necessarily be the way you want to go. A color design expert could help you identify a particular color scheme here or an accent color there to really make your listing pop.


Spruce it Up

What’s one of the most common phrases in real estate — beyond “location, location, location”? “Curb appeal.” A relatively modest investment — even $500 — can reap far more than what you spent. While it won’t get you an extra $20k for your property, depending on what you clean up and how much work you do, making a great first impression for potential buyers once they pull up to your curb is well worth the investment.


Clean it Up

So many properties are staged for a reason: They make home sellers money! Investing in a modern chair you never would have budgeted for yourself before, or a cush rug that you flat out don’t like might seem like silly investment. But not unlike color experts, home stagers know how to make an impression on potential buyers. Just don’t break that chair you paid $200 for before you sell the place.


While these may seem like additional costs you don’t have the bandwidth to take on during the home selling process, consider them investments in improving the value of your home. Done correctly, and with the right professionals, you are bound to recoup what you spent — plus so much more.

HOW TO PICK THE RIGHT OUTSIDE PAINT COLOR SCHEMES

Choosing the right outside paint colors for your home can be a daunting process. The sheer number of colors can be overwhelming, and knowing that it’s a decision you — and your neighbors — will be reminded of each and every day, multiple times a day, can add to the pressure to make the right choice.

Partnering with a color consultant can help ensure you pick shades that complement one another. These are individuals who can spot and give you the pros and cons of various shades of all of the broader colors. Generally speaking, though, there are a few key things to keep in mind when picking outside paint colors for your home:

1. Take an inventory: This is where you take note of everything on the exterior of your home that provides color, whether you’re painting them or not. Bushes, foundation, trim, overhangs, windows — you see it, put it on the list. This way, you can know going into the painting process everything that will need work that is within your control. From here, you can start to conceptualize where you’ll want to see various shades employed.
2. Color family: This is where having a color consultant on hand becomes handy, as you can bounce ideas off someone who has seen all types of colors used in a variety of different settings. He or she can likely even show you work done in the past, and give background as to why certain colors were chosen.
3. Proper contrast: Now that you know which family of outside paint colors you’d like to work within, whatever you decide to go with, getting the right amount of contrast among the different shades is key to creating a beautiful finished product. If you have a lot of molding or trim, you may want to consider something with not quite so much contrast. If you don’t have as much, you’ll want to make sure you have enough contrast to make your house pop.

Don’t let the process of picking exterior colors to your home overwhelm you. Follow these steps and the finished product will come out great.

3 Questions to Ask When Choosing Exterior Paint Colors

With all the work that needs to be done, painting your home can be intimidating - but also very exciting! While it may be tempting to pick your favorite colors when choosing exterior paint colors, just make sure you consider a few things before you come to a final conclusion. You’ll be making a big investment in your property and making a personal statement about yourself at the same time.
So, before you finalize your decision, here are a few important questions to ask:

What style is your home?
While you shouldn’t necessarily rule out any exterior paint colors you like because of your home’s architecture, it is wise to look into the history surrounding the style of your home to see if certain colors might make more sense than others. You might end up being pushed one way or the other if you’re on the fence. For instance you may want to go with a more muted, earthier tone with a dark, bold trim on a Tudor.

How much sun will hit the house?
Is your yard lacking any cover, leaving the sun to beat at your home all day? You may want to keep it light, as bolder and darker colors could fade quickly. Is your home in a darker spot, leaving spots of the home in the shade throughout the morning afternoon? Maybe some boldness would make it stick out and bring some vibrancy. Somewhere in the middle? A paint color expert would be able to advise you on what your best course of action might want to be.

What do you want to feature?
Maybe it’s a beautiful front porch or entryway. Maybe it’s your shutters. Or often a great option: your front door! Consider what you want to accent against the main color of the home. How much you accent, the shade of it, and the design will all end up playing key parts in how the finished product looks.


Now that you’ve asked yourself some questions before choosing your exterior paint colors, go answer them, pick your colors out and get painting!

You Need Interior and Exterior Paint Work Done; What’s Next?

As a homeowner, your “to do” list rarely gets much smaller; as you check things off, sure enough, something else usually gets added to it. So it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise one day when you end up realizing that it’s time not only time to paint the exterior of the home, but much interior work needs to be done as well.
So, what to do? Should you prioritize one over the other? What inside and outside paint colors should you go with? How much should one choice impact the other? Should you consult with a paint color expert?

Making a plan
To answer the last question — and the most important one, as it will impact the others — the answer is a most emphatic, “yes.” Seeking a professional opinion for something that will essentially be a real estate investment is always wise. And when you are talking about work that includes the complexities of both interior and exterior color schemes, the cost should pay for itself in the quality of the finished work. So seek out a color expert to help you make a gameplan. Visit their testimonials page, check out their before/after work, and get a few quotes to make sure you have someone who you can trust.

Inside or out? Which colors to pick?
This will depend not only on your budget, but also on your vision for your home and your plans for the future. Is there any chance you’ll be moving in the next couple of years? In that case, it may be best to double up and do both now to save on the cost of the project. If cost is a concern, your color expert can help you put your vision for your space down on paper.
And next, the really fun part! As far as picking colors go, dealing with the sheer volume of colors and shades of colors can sometimes be overwhelming. Don’t let it be. Work with your consultant to enjoy the opportunity to create a new atmosphere in your space — or, if you prefer, just slightly tweak what you have and make it look fresh again. Seek feedback to improve your home how you’d like and determine where your priorities lie in terms of interior versus exterior work. Narrow down your color options and from there, you can move forward, get some numbers, and make a decision based on price and your personal priorities.

Gather some quotes
Fairly straightforward here. The good news is that if you are working with a paint color expert, chances are he or she knows some pretty reputable interior and exterior painters. Sometimes the hardest part of the job is finding someone you trust to do the work. Getting a referral from a pro takes a lot of stress away from the work, no matter how big of a project you are doing.

If both interior and exterior paint work is on your “to do” list, it may be best to gather the opinion of a professional color expert.