Real Estate Search Blog

The hardest part of Newton real estate shopping is over — picking out the home that is right for you and your family. But wait! Before you spend hours flipping through home design magazines, here are 5 tips to help you get started on home decorating without the headache.

1. Take cues from the masters. Do you have a favorite painting? Bring a print to a paint store and have them match shades of paint to the painting’s colors. Just think about how great it will feel to introduce guests to “The Waterlily Room”!

A Pedro Cano painting in the Vatican Museums

2. Wallpaper one wall. It’s a modern alternative to papering the entire room – and it also saves you time and money.

3. Mix and match textures. Black leather couch? Add gray satin pillows. Tiled white bathroom floor? Toss down a soft, nubby white bathroom rug.

4. Cluster objects by color. Merchandisers group by color in window displays and with clothing inside the store  – it works great at home, too. The best part is, you won’t have to store away all of your knick-knacks.

5. Skip the home design magazines and look at hotel rooms instead. Hotel rooms are the simplified version of home decor. Surface Magazine and National Geographic Traveller are two magazines that show contemporary indoor and outdoor spaces from top hotels.

A room at the Ace Hotel in New York City

Thinking of selling your home in the near or distant future? There are several things you can do to make your home more appealing to potential buyers that don’t require a lot of effort or expense. These tips were pulled from a video on HGTV’s Frontdoor.com.

Tip 1: Hire it out

Hire a designer or realtor for about an hour to check out your home. Though you’ve always liked that art deco backsplash in the kitchen, a potential homebuyer might not. See what works and what doesn’t when it comes to the taste of the general public. If you’re not comfortable doing the work yourself, see these helpful tips for hiring a contractor or remodeler.

Tip 2: Get an Inspection

I’ve spoken with several real estate agents in Massachusetts, and most of them recommend having your home inspected before you do anything else. The inspector can point out major and minor problems that you can fix, before potential homebuyers see them.

Tip 3: Get a Fresh Look

Paint each room in a different earth tone. Doing so will give each room its own distinct feel — a house full of white rooms isn’t very appealing and doesn’t inspire buyers to imagine how they will decorate each room. Make sure to draw attention to accents like crown moldings. Below is a picture of the hallway of one of the homes for sale in Newton MA. The earthy, sandy color that the owners chose for the walls draws sharp contrast to the banister, the moldings, the small window, and the gleaming hardwood floors. Sometimes plain white paint just doesn’t do a home justice.

Tip 4: Decorate

Pick up a few home design magazines and see what you can do to improve the aesthetics of your home. Don’t go overboard with trends and embellishing — after all, when you move out the decor goes with you. Stick with basic decorating details. If your larger furniture has a busy or bright pattern, throw a few neutral slipcovers over them and add a couple of brightly colored pillows. Upgrade bland window blinds to neutral-colored drapes. If you can’t afford to overhaul your bathroom, paint it a neutral color and choose one bright accent color for the hand towels, shower curtain, and rug.

Tip 5: Get an Energy Audit

Visit your energy provider’s website to evaluate your home’s energy efficiency. You can find tips to quickly and inexpensively decrease your home’s electricity costs, like replacing regular lightbulbs with energy-saving ones. If you’re not planning to sell your home for some time, consider replacing windows with better-insulated ones. Take advantage of this federal tax credit which allows for 30% off your home energy-improving expenses (in effect until December 31, 2010.)

These basic tips should put you on the right path to selling a home.

Shopping for a home is a lot like dating. When we look for a mate, we want them to be a bit attractive – and if not, at least hold a bit of potential when it comes time to renovate. We might go on dozens of dates before finding that one person who we feel is perfect for us, might have even been made for us; just like we go to dozens of open houses before finally stepping into the parlor of our dream home. Certain features might draw us to the other sex, just like some house-hunters have a soft spot for quirky features like turrets and wrought-iron spiral staircases.

There is no simple way to find your dream home. We like to think that we are logical when deciding on something as crucial as where we want to raise a family or settle down and retire. But sometimes the littlest things can make our heart melt.

Several homes around Fall River MA area have distinct, charming details that just might make you fall head over heels.

A Double-Sided Fireplace

104 Kelly Dr, Somerset MA

This beautiful double-sided fireplace at 104 Kelly Drive in Somerset MA separates the home’s living room from the dining room. The interiors emulate the Gilmore residence on the TV show Gilmore Girls. Imagine yourself hosting dinner parties, sipping drinks by the fire during cocktail hour then moving to the dining room and not having to leave the warmth and glow of the fireplace. Click the image for more details on this property.

A Private Boat Dock

2434 Riverside Avenue, Somerset MA

This recently revamped riverside home at 2434 Riverside Avenue in Somerset, MA has its own boat dock, in addition to its other spectacular features. For those that don’t own a boat (yet) this would be a great feature for a family that loves to spend time swimming or fishing. Grandparents could even watch the grandkids play from the nearby patio overlooking the river. Click the image for more details about this property.

Energy-Efficient Features

533 Kathleen Ave, Somerset MA

The solarium (similar to a sunroom but designed for natural heating) at 533 Kathleen Ave in Somerset, MA was installed to help the home become more energy efficient. The home also has a fireplace, two wood stoves, and a Tasso Built boiler that can burn an array of materials including gas, oil, coal, and wood. With oil prices skyrocketing and tax breaks becoming more and more common for energy-efficient homes and businesses, there’s no better time than now to invest in an energy-efficient property. Click the image for more information about the property.

Historic Details

491 High St, Fall River MA

This beautiful Victorian home in Fall River MA at 491 High St is part of Fall River’s Historic Highlands, and is full of charming details like the glass entrance to the right that opens up to a grand foyer. It also has a large, beautiful fireplace with its original moldings intact, beautiful wood paneling, wood floors, and spacious rooms. Click the image for more information on this property.

Fall River MA real estate has many unique properties for all different kinds of home buyers, and for all price ranges.

Now that you’ve settled into that new Newton home, it’s time to start decorating the place. Following are a set of help tips that can help you get the place looking great in no time. One of the questions that people ask about most often is about the art for their walls. They want to know if the paintings that they choose should match the furniture or the wall color.

Art For Art’s Sake

The answer is neither. You should buy something artistic because you like it and not as an accessory. Remember that the right art is best when it’s in syn with your emotional life. Something that was chosen for its own sake has real conversational value as well.

Another concern centers around real versus artificial flowers. Many people who would love to have their Newton homes full of real flowers hesitate when they aren’t home all year round. The best advice here is simple. Artificial flowers can look as good as real ones but you need to splurge. Here’s not a place to try and save a few bucks.

Other homeowners love bookshelves but don’t always have enough books to fill them. In fact, leaving some space for accessories that don’t cover the whole shelf leaves some of the wood exposed to create an interesting look. Try smaller candles and ceramic vases.