Ralph Lauren was on Oprah recently and he commented about getting his start in fashion by selling ties to Bloomingdales. The sales person commented after his ties had been on the market a few months that his were different. He told her, “mine are made with love and passion.” Don’t we all want to own something that was made with love and passion?
When we first met with Chris Ott of The Relogroup, he suggested we tell the story of our home. I had never heard of the concept, but after discussing it with him, it made perfect sense. We had put a lot of love (and money and time and elbow grease!) into our home and we wanted the next owner to have a sense of pride in owning something crafted with love and passion. It worked- our home sold to one of the first people to view it after being on the market for less than 48 hours.
Before your home goes on the market, bring it to life. Tell its story! Some things to include:
- Renovations and Upgrades- include paint samples if you have them
- How you live in the house- i.e. breakfast in the kitchen is glorious as the sun peeks through the double windows, the covered patio is perfect for entertaining even in the heat of summer
- Seasonal Highlights- i.e. what will the yard look like in 6 months? Where does the Christmas tree work best?
- Positive Aspects of the Area- i.e. the neighborhood 4th of July picnic shouldn’t be missed, be ready for lots of trick or treaters in the Fall, being so close to Mopac and IH35 makes the commute smooth
- Positive Aspects of the Schools- i.e. our daughter walked to middle school everyday, the high school football team is one of the best in the state
Here is the story we told. Chris printed it out and placed it on the kitchen table with a scrapbook illustrating all of the before and after pictures of the process.
The Backyard and Patio
We purchased this home in April of 2003 after falling in love with the privacy and attention given to the back yard. We purchased it from the original owner, Lucy. Lucy was a single middle-aged British woman who had spent many of her weekends in the backyard. She loved to garden and not only had the vision of a deck shaded by trumpet vine, wisteria and passion flower, but wanted pockets of color all over the backyard. She improved the side fencing to give more privacy and allow the vines to roam free and replaced the back wall of fencing to allow more of the wooded utility easement to show. Not being gardeners ourselves, we spent some time with Lucy prior to buying the house and were ecstatic to know that she had placed hearty plants in the backyard that would require little time from us to maintain.
The Front Yard
Lucy had spent so much time personalizing the backyard that we decided to dig in and improve the front yard. The house just blooms in the springtime! We spent a couple of weekends tearing up the standard concrete sidewalk and replacing it with the cobblestone path. It is unique and easy to maintain! We removed large bushes the hid the gorgeous house and painted the front door a bright and welcoming red! We upgraded the exterior lighting and had rain gutters put in. It is fun every year to watch the cannas bloom next to the front porch in bright white and sunny yellow. They will reach a good 4 feet tall by the end of the summer. We also recently added a remote control garage door opener so that we don’t have to take our keys when we go run in the neighborhood.
The Community
We moved to this house from an apartment in South Austin and knew very little about the area. Although there is not a big neighborhood entrance, there is a sense of community among the area from Wells Branch up to Merrilltown and onto Shoreline.
In the area, you will find:
- 2 large parks with fun playscapes for all ages
- miles of running and biking trails
- 2 swimming pools
- recreational center offering basketball and workout classes
- community events planned by the Wells Branch MUD staff
The Downstairs
We purchased the home in 2003, but it had not been updated since first being built in 1994. As amateur decorators who knew exactly the look and feel we wanted, we spent all of our spare time fixing up the house before we ever moved in! When the movers finally arrived they were shocked to already see pictures on the wall.
On the first floor, we:
- removed wallpaper and painted
- upgraded the flooring from linoleum to Armstrong vinyl composition tile
- upgraded the light fixtures
- added knobs to the cabinets
- installed crown molding
- added the old-fashioned ceiling tile backsplash
- added 2” faux wood blinds and drapery
- added storage cabinets in the laundry room
- painted the Ralph Lauren suede finish at the entry
- upgraded the entry hall lighting
- installed crown molding
- added warm designer colors of the living room walls
- added 2” faux wood blinds and drapery
- installed a ceiling fan in the living room
- removed wallpaper and painted the powder room
- upgraded the flooring from linoleum to Armstrong vinyl composition tile
- upgraded the bathroom lighting and bathroom fixtures
The Upstairs
One of the things we love about this house is the big open feeling of upstairs. The loft space can be used for so many different things- office, computer room, second living room, game room, playroom, or a guest bedroom with a futon bed. We even hosted a large Christmas party and placed tables in the loft as additional dining space. The double windows are great for a Christmas tree and the space near the windows works well for the dartboard. One of us often watches TV in the bedroom and can still interact with the other on the computer without yelling. The other beauty of the second floor is the double closets in the master bath, a rare find for under $200,000. Not sharing closet space makes getting ready in the morning so much better!
We made upgrades upstairs as well:
- installed a programmable thermostat
- installed crown molding throughout the guest and master bedroom
- upgraded the ceiling fans in the master bedroom, loft and scrapbook room
- added 2” faux wood blinds and drapery throughout
- upgraded the bathroom lighting and fixtures in the master and guest bath
- upgraded the flooring from linoleum to Armstrong vinyl composition tile
- installed dimmer switches in the master bathroom and toilet room
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