9 questions you should ask yourself before making an offer on a home

Hello friends, a few weeks ago I wrote a post on Buying a home-The first steps and in that post we covered a lot of what to do in the early stages of buying your first home things like Deciding to buy, What questions to ask yourself first, who to call first, who to call next, what role will your real estate agent play and finally we went shopping and we discovered just what style home we liked. With all that being said isn’t it only fitting we ask ourselves a few questions before we make the next very important step?

9 questions you should ask yourself before making an offer on a home:

Questions to ask yourself

1.       What do I want my home to be close to?

2.       How much space do I need and why?

3.       Which is more critical: location or size?

4.       Would I be interested in a fixer-upper?

5.       How important is home value appreciation?

6.       Is neighborhood stability a priority?

7.       Would I be interested in a condo?

8.       Would I be interested in new home construction?

9.       What features and amenities do I want? Which do I really need?

Friends these are all interesting question that need considering let’s break a few down!

What do I want my home to be close to? 

Schools, highways, malls, parks, shopping, restaurants or maybe close to where you work.  Do you have kids who is about to start school or teen kids who needs to go to the local high school or do you need to be near a bus or train route? All are good questions to ask yourself.

How much space do I need and why?

Do you need a lot of space or not so much? Sometimes we find that our wants doesn’t meet our needs or sometimes we have to choose between the two however we can sometimes jive them both but that may require more dollars out of your pocket. This is when what is priority comes into play.

 

Which is more critical: location or size?

Now here is a doozey: which is more critical? Do you want the big house no matter what it causes you as long as it’s big and roomy or do the 3 critical in real estate means more to you: Location, location, location? This is a question you may want to consider strongly!

Would I be interested in a fixer-upper?

Now I really love this question because I love me a fixer-upper but it’s just not for everyone: This is a good question because sometimes you can really find a bargain or should I say a diamond in the rough if you’re open to it. Really this is something you should consider if your finances don’t allow you to purchase a house with all the trimmings. Now what does that mean? It simply means you can buy a fixer-upper and do to it what you please and buy it for less. Now of course you want to make certain it makes sense and more important dollar cents too. I know! We just said you can get a bargain and that is true but sometimes a fixer- upper could be a money pit so make sure your doing the right thing. 

How important is home value appreciation?

Friends it’s been a while from the time when I was in the real estate business but I know that this question is still on the top of most home buyers list. How important is value? I personally would say it makes common sense even dollar cents to be conscious of it for it will structure the future of the selling of your home someday. I know we all buy a home and fall and love with it and we’re going to live there for the rest of our lives: Well that is most of our intentions but in all reality things happens beyond our control which will cause us to make changes and sometimes it means selling our homes. So how important is home value appreciation? I don’t know about you but for me its take priority and I hope it will for you as well.

 

Would I be interested in new home construction? 

This question is often a topic of discussion for some homebuyers because sometimes you know that a new home don’t come with all the problems maybe an existing home comes with. New construction can provide you with the confidence of less house work. Most people like the idea of being the first to ever live in that home and that can be something special to a new homeowner as well but is new construction always the best way to go? Some love the charm of an existing home and all the amazing hard work of the days of old craftsmanship. “They just don’t make it like that anymore” That alone makes an existing home all the more appealing. But for me I’m a fan of both but my preference is existing home for all the above reasons but as a homebuyer make sure to weigh your decision close to your heart and you will make the best decision for you and your family.

 

What features and amenities do I want? Which do I really need?

I know, I know you will love to have a pool and live near a golf course but are these most important things you need to consider in purchasing a particular home? Now I’m not mad at you if you do because sometimes this is what’s most important to a home buyer. All homebuyer aren’t created equal because everyone has different needs but if we can all agree on one thing is that all of us has to prioritize our needs. The questions you should ask yourself are what are most important to me to live in this house or neighborhood? Now am I saying to settle no to the contrary? Most will find if they prioritize they will end up with whats needed and even get some of their wants on the list. 

Friends I hope this real estate tips has been informational and helped inspire you to get out with confidence and purchase your new home. 

Let me know what you think in your comments below!

xoxo 

Shinay Key

Unifying Patterns

This past week I was pandering over what kind of design I think is the most challenging and that’s when working with different patterns popped in my head. Who of us struggles with how to make the patterns we love work together in a room? Well I raise my hand because even as a season designer it’s challenging to bring patterns together. That’s why in this post I decided to take a closer look at pattern. I round up some pretty cool rooms using pattern as it design backdrop and I even done one myself check out these cool room decorated in patterns done right.

I love this room because the designer chooses the right since of patterns and it doesn’t look like it’s too much. Mixing patterns of various sizes helps set the style of this beautiful bedroom. The wallpaper pattern is a dark contrast to the light window covering pattern and the stripe rug is a bold but complimenting pattern to ground the room. I absolutely love this room.

Pattern walls, sofa and window covering

Check out the bold patterns in this room!

Look how well all the patterns work in this room.

Pretty retro right! Here are a few patterns I put together for you. If you were to design a room with these patterns it would be pops and subtleness’ of pattern mix together. I put the solid in to com the eye just a little

I Love this one as well! This is not too bad on the eyes.

Wow this is wild! Normally what you would do is take the pattern you are most attracted to and then choose two more that work with it. Three patterns provide plenty of variety sometimes more than three can be overwhelming but I chose four because as long as the two large patterns don't compete with attention there won’t be a problem and sometimes using them in different parts of the room helps also

This is what I cooked up for you in 3d design. Now I would definitely do this is someone’s house because it’s not to disturbing to the eye at least not to me others may think differently. I mostly used color to unify the patterns. This is another way to make pattern work in your room. What do you think is this too much pattern or just right? Here is what I used below

Here are the different patterns I used. They all seems to work. Large and small scale working together.

Here is what to remember when using pattern in your design.

Tie them together.Take your one pattern inspiration and then choose two more that work with it.

Use color to unify the patterns. Pattern with a light background will open up the room; ones with dark background makes it more intimate so all you have to do is figure out what feeling and mood you like. 

Vary them.Choose a variety of styles and use pattern that are different in scale.

Friends I hope this was helpful and inspiring thanks for stopping by and checking out my little old blog I hope I'm giving you something to think about in the design world or should I say my world. Please let me know in your comment below what you think of this post and most of all if you are inspired by my blog. 

Thanks again 

Shinay Key

XOXO

How to Spot Furniture Quality - Dressers

Hello friends, have you ever been out shopping for furniture and wanted to know just how to determine the quality of a certain furniture piece? Well by now many of you know I worked for a furniture company before but what you may not know is I learned a whole lot about the quality of furniture and I thought how fitting will it be if I could help you when you’re out looking for quality in your furniture purchase.

What quality means to me is excellence, value, superiority, and worth so if you add all those things up you get a high ticket purchase but for these high quality furniture pieces ones may expect to pay for it. 

Now there are multitudes of ways that furniture can be built better or cheaper and every manufacture has their own way of doing what they do. It would be impossible to detail all of them. The objective here is to give a comprehensive outline of those features of construction and materials which are commonly found in better grades of furniture.

Shopping for a dresser! How to find a quality one?

The finish should be smooth and satisfying to the touch. If stain or varnish is employed in the finish, it should be applied evenly and to a uniform thickness. For design and decoration reasons, most of the structural details of furniture are hidden. Most of the details and construction features of well-made furniture as you may be aware of can’t be seen and almost none of the benefits are visible.

 

Now friends when you’re out at the furniture store and the salesperson comes up to you and ask you what you’re looking for and you tell him/her you’re looking for a quality dressers, the salespersons or person should be aware of such quality and not just a pleasing to the eye structure dresser but he/she should be able to show you the unseen hidden under the beauty benefits. Now I talked about how the finish should look and feel but before all of that the dresser had to be made and put together right? 

 

Here is what you should be looking for in a high quality dresser- Dovetail Joints

 

What is a dovetail joint? Dovetails have traditionally been considered a benchmark for quality drawer construction. Its purpose is to stabilize drawer fronts so that years of use won’t loosen them. Here is what a dovetail looks like.

Dovetail Joints

Double groove and loose tongue joint-tongue and groove

The two comes together and this is what you get

 

Now as I mentioned earlier you won’t be able to see any of these benefits just by looking at the dresser or opening the drawer, this is when you tell the salesperson or interior designer who’s shopping with you to pull the drawers out and then you can see if that particular drawer has a dovetail joint. 

 

You may also want to ask the store salespersons if the piece was made with solid hardwood throughout or are there some veneers that are present and if so it doesn’t mean you don’t have a quality piece it’s just a method that was used.

Now friends if cost is in issue and a quality piece aren’t as important, there are cheaper options such as particle board.  Particleboard is cheaper than, not as strong as your hardwoods but it’s substituted for them when looks and strength are less important than cost.

So friends the next time you’re looking for a quality dresser at your local furniture store remember to have the salesperson pull out the drawer and look for dovetail joints.

What do you think?

Are you looking for a well structured dresser?

What matters most to you; strength or appearance?

Let me know in your comment below!

Five Familiar Decorating Troubles-Which Do You Want to Overcome?

Hello friends, I want to tell you about an upcoming series I’m doing called Five Familiar Decorating Troubles- Which do you want to overcome? Many times our decorating fears stop us from making progress or cause us to give up altogether so therefore we need to overcome them.  A lot of our decorating fears are as simple as getting started or maybe we want to overcome the fear of color but sometimes it’s a little more complex like furniture arrangement and flow these are some of the decorating fears that keeps us up at night.” OK maybe it’s not keeping us up at night” but who don’t want to rise above the fear and conquer their decorating woes?  Friends I want to help you rest easy, what may seem like decorating troubles at the moment I’m here to let you know next week I’m dedicating a whole week on the series Five Familiar Decorating Troubles- What to do about it?  So without further ado here are the five familiar decorating troubles we will overcome next week starting Monday July 2^nd– Friday July 6 

1). Getting Started

Believe it or not many people have a hard time getting started and that’s with lots of things. Many times it’s hard just to put words on a page but once you get started you can’t and won’t shut up- like me!!! So with that being said it’s sometimes hard to get started when it comes to decorating maybe because of fear, you don’t know where to start or maybe because you think you can’t so you just don’t start at all. ? Stick around for the upcoming series on Decorating Troubles what to do about it!!!

2). Striking the right balance- While decorating do you have trouble balancing out a room? do  things looks sort of uneven or should I say a bit lopsided? Stick around for the upcoming series on Decorating Troubles what to do about it!!!

  3). Placement, furniture arranging – is furniture arranging your decorating trouble? You just don’t have a clue where to put all that furniture? Stick around for the upcoming series on Decorating Troubles what to do about it!!!- Furniture placement

4). How to use the right color- Color is big, huge even. Lots of people are stuck when it comes to color. What color should I choose how color will affect the feel in this room, should I just use one color throughout or should I just keep the walls white? This is one of the leading questions as a designer that I get asked all the time. What color should I choose? Stick around for the upcoming series on Decorating Troubles what to do about it!!! -

 5). How to create flow-Do you have troubles creating flow throughout your home? Not to worry lots of people do, stick around for the upcoming series on Decorating Troubles what to do about it!!!-

 

 Series - Decorating Troubles what to do about it!!!

 

1.)    Getting Started

2.)    Balance- How to achieve it in your decorating project

3.)    furniture arranging 

4.)    Using the right color!! How

5.)    How to create flow throughout

Series - Monday July,2nd- Friday July, 6  


Shinay Key
xoxo

Buying a Home-The First Steps

Hello friends, happy Monday. How are you? A while back I had the chance to talk to a good friend who recently made a big decision and now reaping the benefits.  I guess I should tell you what I’m talking about Right! A friend of mine just recently bought her first home and it got me to thinking, how many of us know the first steps to buying a home? Now, I’m not sure if I’ve told you I was once a real estate agent in another lifetime ha! "You didn't know that did you” I’m sure by now you figured that I love real estate along with my obsession with interior decorating. I can’t tell you how many times someone has come to me and said” buying a home is a huge decision” and yes your right. Buying a home is a big decision. Home ownership is one of those unexpected investments. But I believe if the process is done right, home ownership becomes an “intentional investment” that lays the foundation for a life of financial security and personal choices. Although there are many good reasons for you to buy a home but friends did you know wealth building ranks among the top of the list? Hmmm interesting ha! I always say that buying a home lays the foundation for a life of financial security and there are solid financial reasons to support the decision to buy a home, and, among these, equity buildup, value appreciation, and tax benefits stand out. Furthermore let’s talk about the first steps you must make to support your buying decision.

 

1. Decide to buy.

You’ve been living in that small apartment for a few years now. You worked hard and saved as much as possible. Now it’s time to decide to buy a home.

Questions you may ask yourself! First 

Can I afford to buy a home?
If you are paying rent, you very likely can afford to buy.

When is the best time to buy a home?
There is never a wrong time to buy the right home. All you need to do in the short run is find a good buy and make sure you have the financial ability to hold it for the long run.

What if I don’t have a large enough down payment?
The lack of a substantial down payment doesn’t prevent you from making your first home purchase. You don’t always need a large down payment.

What if my credit score isn’t good enough?
A less-than-perfect credit score won’t necessarily stop you from buying a home. Don’t count yourself out before you know all the facts.

This is a complicated process. How do I go about buying my first home?
Base your decision to buy on facts, not fears. Buying a home doesn’t have to be complicated – there are many professionals who will help you along the way. 

 

2. Who to Call First!

The first professional you should call is a loan officer (or mortgage specialist). Make a loan application and get pre-approved and therefore you can determine what you want to pay and secure financing.

 

3. Who to call next?

Hire your agent.
That’s right friends now it’s time to hire your agent better known as Realtor (or Real Estate Agent). The typical real estate transaction involves at least two dozen separate individuals – insurance assessors, mortgage brokers and underwriters, inspectors, appraisers, escrow officers, buyer’s agents, seller’s agents, bankers, title researchers, and a number of other individuals whose actions and decisions have to be orchestrated in order to perform in harmony and get a home sale closed. It is the responsibility of your real estate agent to expertly coordinate all the professionals involved in your home purchase and to act as the advocate for you and your interests throughout.

What Role Will Your Agent Play?

A Buyer’s Real Estate Agent:

1.       Educates you about your market.

2.       Analyzes your wants and needs.

3.       Guides you to homes that fit your criteria.

4.       Coordinates the work of other needed professionals.

5.       Negotiates on your behalf.

6.       Checks and double-checks paperwork and deadlines.

7.       Solves any problems that may arise.

So friends as you can see your real estate agent plays a very important role in helping you purchase your home so make sure you ask the right questions before you hire him/her to help you with your biggest investment. Here are 8 qualifying questions to ask your real agent before you go on your first appointment.

1.       Why did you become a real estate agent?

2.       Why should I work with you?

3.       What do you do better than other real estate agents?

4.       What process will you use to help me find the right home for my particular wants and needs?

5.       What are the most common things that go wrong in a transaction and how would you handle them?

6.       What are some mistakes that you think people make when buying their first home?

7.       What other professional’s do you suggest we work with and what are their credentials?

8.       Can you provide me with references or testimonials from past clients?

Sweet friends now that you have asked the qualifying questions as your starting point in hiring your licensed, professional real estate agent it is now time to go shopping.

4. Let’s Go Shopping!!

Find your home.
You may think that shopping for homes starts with jumping in the car and driving all over town. And it’s true that hopping in the car to go look is probably the most exciting part of the home-buying process. However, driving around is fun for only so long – if weeks go by without finding what you’re looking for, the fun can fade pretty fast. That’s why we say that looking for your home begins with carefully assessing your values, wants, and needs, both for the short and long terms. Let's have some fun with it! Let’s start by looking for style of a home. We’re going to play a little game. Here are few homes in different styles you choose which one suits you most.

 
Which Style Home Suits You Best?

  

Cape Cod Style House

Mediterranean style house

Traditional Style House

Country French Style House

 

Colonial Style House

Victorian Style House

Tudor Style House

Craftsman Style House

Cottage Style

Contemporary Style Home

poll by twiigs.com

Well friends now that you chose the house that most suite your style. The next step will to be make an offer – We will stop here and in our next post we will discuss what comes with making an offer on your home.