Real Estate Reality: "I Ams What I Ams"

I have a dirty secret. My fall back television show is House Hunters. When there is absolutely nothing on and I cannot pry my butt off the sofa I will watch the show. Actually I will watch the last five minutes of the show and guess which home they choose. I’m pretty good at this, (Hint, go with the house the woman likes because, statistically speaking, she is the decision maker in such matters), and ninety percent of the time I am correct. I have noticed a trend over the last few years. At the end of the show they show the happy new owners in their new home. I really liked seeing what the new owners had done to make the house their home. Recently what we see is very little has been done to the home. The new owners have just moved their stuff into the home and that is that. Last evening I saw a show where the new owners were so happy because they had purchased the entire contents of the home they chose as well as the home. This is baffling to me. Why would someone want to live in a home that is a reflection of someone else? Why don’t they want to make a house a home?

Making a house a home is not as difficult or as expensive as you might think. The largest investment will be time and effort. There are three things that you can do yourself to make a home reflect you.

Color:

Paint is a relatively inexpensive improvement to a home. Is your home stuck in another era? Change the color and poof you are fresh and contemporary. Does your kitchen seem dark? Is the look of your food unattractive? A fresh coat of paint will make everyone want to hang out there during parties and you cooking will glow. We all have a favorite color and our home may want to reflect what we like. If you are unsure of your painting skills drop by Lakewood Hardware or Sherwin Williams and they can give you their expertise and soon you can competently color your world.

Details:

Does your kitchen or bath seem old, outdated, and just out of touch? The easiest and most cost effective remedy is to change the hardware. Get rid of the gold shiny knobs and replace with something current and understated. You will be amazed at what you see. You don’t have to replace cabinets or counters to make a kitchen or bath seem new and fresh. What about switch plates and outlet covers? Do they match? Are they appropriate to the new colors you just chose? This is an improvement that costs pennies and takes thirty seconds. Remove that old carpet and clean the hardwood floors. Odds are that the floor will not need refinishing. Everything else in the room will pop when you do this.

Appropriateness:

I think we have all been through the Lakewood home that has a bath from the fifties, a kitchen from the seventies, and a dinning room lamp from the wacky eighties. We have also been in homes that seem timeless but have been updated all along. The difference was the appropriate choices for the house. Does this lamp reflect not only me but also the home in which it will hang? Are vinyl windows really appropriate for a century home when some glazing and caulk can do more for insulating the home and save you a pile of cash? A home that considers the house will be a timeless reflection of you and your taste.

It takes some thought and effort to make a home yours. Sometimes mistakes are made (that awful green of my first floor bedroom) but that is the fun and challenge of owning a home. If you don’t like a color you can change it. We change so why can’t your home?

Eric Lowrey

I am a Realtor working with Prudential Lucien. My wife Cindy and I have lived in Lakewood since 2004. A former hige end Pastry Chef and College Teacher, I have lived many lives. Both Cindy and I are involved with Lakewood Alive, Live Well Lakewood and The Lakewood Historical Society. We live on Waterbury road with two cats and you can usually find us sitting on our front poarch come evening.

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Volume 7, Issue 23, Posted 4:43 PM, 11.15.2011