.58 acres

Animal Rights

Corrals

Out Building

1400 SQ. FT.  3 Bedroom, 2 Full Bath

Open floor plan with Vaulted Ceilings

Landscaped

Stucco

Front porch

Gospel Doctrine Old Testament Lesson 17

http://blogs.wsj.com/developments/2010/03/01/buffett-predicts-housing-problems-behind-us-within-the-year/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:%20wsj/developments/feed%20(WSJ.com:%20Developments%20Blog)&mod=WSJ_Real%20Estate_BLOGSDEVELOPMENTSFEED

Here’s a perfect Friday Fun blog post on some unique, weird, and wild buildings around the world, featured by Property Center in the Dominican Republic. Enjoy!

Home in Cincinnati, Ohio

 

Spite House

According to local legend in Alameda, California, a man sold a small parcel of land adjacent to his house, thinking it was too small to build on. Unfortunately for him, the buyer turned out to be a carpenter who indeed began building on the site. Perhaps spurred on by the protests of the homeowner, the carpenter finished what would come to be known as the Spite House in 1890. Eventually, the Spite House was bought by the owner of the larger house and a connecting passageway was built between the two homes.

 

Guitar House

Word has it that this home in Fayetteville, Georgia, was created by a country music fan in the 1970s, receiving accolades for its unique design. From the street, it seems like any old ranch-style house. But when you view it from above, it really does look like a guitar, complete with electrical wires strung along the roof to mimic strings. Now, if only there was a giant guitar pick!

 

Here's How:

1. Disassociate Yourself With Your Home.
   • Say to yourself, "This is not my home; it is a house -- a product to be sold much like a box of cereal on the grocery store shelf.
   • Make the mental decision to "let go" of your emotions and focus on the fact that soon this house will no longer be yours.
   • Picture yourself handing over the keys and envelopes containing appliance warranties to the new owners!
   • Say goodbye to every room.
   • Don't look backwards -- look toward the future.
2. De-Personalize.
   Pack up those personal photographs and family heirlooms. Buyers can't see past personal artifacts, and you don't want them to be distracted. You want buyers to imagine their own photos on the walls, and they can't do that if yours are there! You don't want to make any buyer ask, "I wonder what kind of people live in this home?" You want buyers to say, "I can see myself living here."
3. De-Clutter!
   People collect an amazing quantity of junk. Consider this: if you haven't used it in over a year, you probably don't need it.
   • If you don't need it, why not donate it or throw it away?
   • Remove all books from bookcases.
   • Pack up those knickknacks.
   • Clean off everything on kitchen counters.
   • Put essential items used daily in a small box that can be stored in a closet when not in use.
   • Think of this process as a head-start on the packing you will eventually need to do anyway.
4. Rearrange Bedroom Closets and Kitchen Cabinets.
   Buyers love to snoop and will open closet and cabinet doors. Think of the message it sends if items fall out! Now imagine what a buyer believes about you if she sees everything organized. It says you probably take good care of the rest of the house as well. This means:
   • Alphabetize spice jars.
   • Neatly stack dishes.
   • Turn coffee cup handles facing the same way.
   • Hang shirts together, buttoned and facing the same direction.
   • Line up shoes.
5. Rent a Storage Unit.
   Almost every home shows better with less furniture. Remove pieces of furniture that block or hamper paths and walkways and put them in storage. Since your bookcases are now empty, store them. Remove extra leaves from your dining room table to make the room appear larger. Leave just enough furniture in each room to showcase the room's purpose and plenty of room to move around. You don't want buyers scratching their heads and saying, "What is this room used for?"
6. Remove/Replace Favorite Items.
   If you want to take window coverings, built-in appliances or fixtures with you, remove them now. If the chandelier in the dining room once belonged to your great grandmother, take it down. If a buyer never sees it, she won't want it. Once you tell a buyer she can't have an item, she will covet it, and it could blow your deal. Pack those items and replace them, if necessary.
7. Make Minor Repairs.
   
   • Replace cracked floor or counter tiles.
   • Patch holes in walls.
   • Fix leaky faucets.
   • Fix doors that don't close properly and kitchen drawers that jam.
   • Consider painting your walls neutral colors, especially if you have grown accustomed to purple or pink walls.
     (Don't give buyers any reason to remember your home as "the house with the orange bathroom.")
   • Replace burned-out light bulbs.
   • If you've considered replacing a worn bedspread, do so now!
8. Make the House Sparkle!
   
   • Wash windows inside and out.
   • Rent a pressure washer and spray down sidewalks and exterior.
   • Clean out cobwebs.
   • Re-caulk tubs, showers and sinks.
   • Polish chrome faucets and mirrors.
   • Clean out the refrigerator.
   • Vacuum daily.
   • Wax floors.
   • Dust furniture, ceiling fan blades and light fixtures.
   • Bleach dingy grout.
   • Replace worn rugs.
   • Hang up fresh towels.
   • Bathroom towels look great fastened with ribbon and bows.
   • Clean and air out any musty smelling areas. Odors are a no-no.
9. Scrutinize.
   
   • Go outside and open your front door. Stand there. Do you want to go inside? Does the house welcome you?
   • Linger in the doorway of every single room and imagine how your house will look to a buyer.
   • Examine carefully how furniture is arranged and move pieces around until it makes sense.
   • Make sure window coverings hang level.
   • Tune in to the room's statement and its emotional pull. Does it have impact and pizzazz?
   • Does it look like nobody lives in this house? You're almost finished.
10. Check Curb Appeal.
    If a buyer won't get out of her agent's car because she doesn't like the exterior of your home, you'll never get her inside.
    • Keep the sidewalks cleared.
    • Mow the lawn.
    • Paint faded window trim.
    • Plant yellow flowers or group flower pots together. Yellow evokes a buying emotion. Marigolds are inexpensive.
    • Trim your bushes.
    • Make sure visitors can clearly read your house number.

Real estate agents, home stagers and decorators strongly recommend painting a home in neutral colors to help it sell faster. Why? "Today's buyer doesn't want any work," says home stager Carol Buckalew of Frederick, Md. You don't want buyers to walk into a house and immediately think about the extra costs of repainting because they have a strong reaction to a color, she says.

Neutral colors also help a property look best in photographs online, which is where potential buyers first make the decision to look at a house or condo in person, says Long & Foster real estate agent Deb Gorham.

There are only a few situations in which they'll bend these unwritten rules. Gorham says it's OK to not repaint children's rooms, because it could be upsetting to a child who already is facing a big change when the family moves. Plus, she says, "sometimes you have families moving in, and perhaps those colors even entice the new family."

Another exception is in powder rooms, where home stager Monica Murphy feels it's easier to add personality: "Bathrooms, since they are private rooms and often have the door closed, can have more whimsical colors, like pumpkin, or a deeper green, or a silver gray - colors I would never suggest for a public room like the living room or dining room," she writes in an e-mail.

Here are some recommended colors and the best places to use them:

• Ground Ginger from Behr. Murphy, of Preferred Staging in Loudoun County, Va., likes this pale olive because it "isn't overwhelming."

• Kilim Beige from Sherwin-Williams. Lynn Chevalier, a home stager with Falls Church, Va.-based Staged Right, says this khaki color "makes the house more useful-looking. It covers up flaws nicely, and it has a very crisp look." Chevalier also recommends a near-white shade, Marshmallow from Sherwin-Williams, for the trim.

• Pale Smoke from Benjamin Moore. "The master bedroom is the perfect room to impart color," says Leigh Newport of Staged by Design in Leesburg, Va. This paint "is a soothing pale blue-gray that reflects well in photos," she says.

• Rain from Sherwin-Williams. Lyric Turner, of D.C.-based Red House Staging and Interiors, says this smoky blue is on her bathroom walls. She says the bathroom is one place where she recommends color, because most homes have white bathroom fixtures. "A lot of times people have the white sink and the white bathtub and beige tile, or they might have a beige granite countertop, and to do beige in there is kind of boring," she says.

• Rice Paddy from Duron. Gorham, who is based in Clifton, Va., says, "We like to use it as accent walls, especially (in kitchens) above the sink area." She says this celery-green goes well with the popular granite countertop color uba tuba, which is a shade of green.

• Wickham Gray from Benjamin Moore. Buckalew of Omni Home Staging likes using this solid gray to cover up bright colors. "All the red dining rooms need to be neutralized," she says. "If you don't like red, then you don't like the house."

• Woodmont Cream from Benjamin Moore. Cindy Fortin of Cynthia Anne Interiors in Loudoun County, Va., says this pale neutral color helps rooms look brighter and more airy, even in small spaces lacking natural light. "A lot of times when you have the oak-colored cabinets, it just goes really well with that," she says.