Word To Yo Mutha : Creative Real Estate Listing Wording

What the Fluff?

Day after day, I fluff our real estate listings at work. Some days I fly through trying to get to my next task and others I thesaurus the junk out of some words. When looking for a new home, you will often see a caption under the photo describing the room and any features it might have. Most agents quickly insert the obvious: “sparkling granite, gourmet kitchen, designer paint color, light and bright room, bring the party outdoors”…overdone and underwhelming. I admit that I do this sometimes as well since I have a million other things on my plate at work. But when I take the time to do it well, it is like music. Seriously, one may even have a fun time doing this. Imagine it is a creative writing class in college and you just had some coffee in the quad while still wearing your flannel pajama bottoms. Relax and let it flow. Need some inspiration? I have compiled some different, creative listing fluff to assist you in your day to day marketing. Take the time to enhance your writing when describing a home feature. You can make even the most ho-hum home sound like a million bucks!

Real Estate Listing Wording/Fluff

statement making

a cooled off paint palette sets the tone for the rest of the immaculate home

family style

a brighter take

keep the conversation flowing

any day can be a special occasion in your bonus room bar

impromptu backyard bash/dance parties

keep the rays at bay

weathered wood

a whisper of color

soothing backdrop

creates a luminous glow

the custom cedar divider provides privacy and frames views

curved path is invitation to the front door

clearly defined entry

stone pillars anchor the walkway

draws out architecture

stunning

showstopper

open air living

bring paradise inside with this fantastic sunroom

looks both relaxed and modern

inviting

dramatic light fixtures

the master bathroom palette evokes the color of a seaside sunset

becomes a getaway for friends and family

visual treat from many angles

The goal is to paint the picture for the potential buyer and help evoke their emotions. Give it a whirl and let me know what you think.

Raleigh Habitat ReStore Field Trip

 

While running around one Saturday in May, I decided to stop by the local Raleigh Habitat ReStore off Raleigh Boulevard. I found some pretty great stuff that could be polished up and given a great home…follow me!

 

 

 

The gorgeous dress with curved drawers, brass pulled and plenty of storage would look amazing as is. You could also get crafty and paint it peacock blue, leave the brass plates and “dip” the feet in shiny gold paint.

They have added more upholstered goods which makes me nervous sometime but with some love and cleaning, you never know!

Ooh boy! Love the flame stich on this one!

 

 

I always thought it would be fun to take the tops off these and the bottom and use it as a terrarium or candle holder on a porch.

This looks just like the one I got at North Raleigh Ministries! A can of coral spray paint, paint the clear shelves gold on the underside and BAM!

 

This metal locker/cabinet has lots of character! Turn it into a back porch liquor cabinet or mount on casters and use as a bar cart.

This trusty drafting table was only $15.00! Even if you do not draw, you could display art on it in the corner of a large room.

 

One Love Travels: Las Vegas

Flashback to Las Vegas in April! We went for our friends wedding and had a blast!

 

John checking out at the HOTEL.

The bachelorette party!

Our awesome bathroom with pebble flooring in the stand up shower.

Heather and I at Aria. Loved this card installation!

John cleans up REAL nice.

Jason and Tiffany – what an awesome couple.

Reception was at the top of Mandalay Bay at the House of Blues Foundation Room.

Eagle Pose in the Foundation Room.

All you can eat brunch with crab legs, yes please.

Adult spring break.

Kitty Glitter, obviously the best game in Vegas.

Sheri and Allison – love these girls!

 

It Has Character!

I have memories of sitting in the back seat of a well loved car gazing out the window and watching the world flash by while my Mom winded and whirled around the mountains. Every so often we would pass an old, decrepit house or barn and my mom would exclaim with so much enthusiasm I thought she had seen a bag of money on the side of the road, “look at that beautiful house”! Was there a home on the hill behind the sad building that I could not see? Was she looking across the street in the opposite direction? Was my lack of height preventing me from seeing this lovely structure? No. She was talking about the very house that looked straight out of a horror film. You know, where the zombies/vampires/murderers live while they plot their next kill. A house with paint peeling like your skin after the first sunburn of the season. A house where the shutters (what’s left of them) are hanging by a single nail, giving it a sad face like Munch’s “The Scream”. She was talking about the very house in front of us.

I would smirk and say with the confidence of youth “that is the ugliest house I have ever seen”!

“Why would you say that?”

She had the same answer every time. “It has character”. We passed so many old homes on trips to my grandmothers, to the beach trailer, to our local general store and the answer was always the same. It has character. I never fully understood what she saw in these rotten, porch hanging off the front, houses.

That is, until I got older and wiser.

After I started design school I quickly learned about houses and their structures. We learned about what influenced certain styles throughout history. We learned about the important events during that time that created a necessity for mud rooms or even fall out shelters for example. My education started to create an interest in “old” homes but it wasn’t until it started to happen in front of my own eyes did I see the beauty and what gives a home character. It is the people and stories that happened in these homes. Right before my eyes I started to look at my grandmothers house in a new way. The mint green tile and knotty pine walls that I always overlooked were so beautiful to me. They reflected a piece of history that can never be brought back. If only the walls could tell stories.

When walking around my grandfathers property you can see the Byland homestead of my grandma Grace in the distance. An old, two story, white house on the hill probably built in the 1800’s. At some point in the late 80’s, cows got into the house and destroyed it which is a shame. I need to make a point to go up to the house and take photos. My sister and I would sneak up there when we were younger and walk room to room, dodging cow patties on the floor. The walls were thin and the glass windows (when not broken) seemed to have morphed with time. It sits in the middle of the field, surrounded by grazing cows and yellow daffodils. This is beauty. My grandmother grew up in this home with several brothers and sisters. Waking up early to help with the farm and walking to school. Stories like these give a home character and you can tell when a home has a story to tell.

I brake for old houses now and I have turned into my mother. Don’t we all eventually turn into our mothers?

John and I knew we wanted an older house when beginning the home buying process 5 years ago. The very instant we walked into our current home, built in 1976, we knew it was the one. It wasn’t just the Ranch home qualities that we loved, it was the glow and warmth we felt when we walked in. The previous owners put love and time into fixing up and maintaining the home. It had stories to tell. For example, the skinny pantry door has children’s height marks penciled in all along the edge. I can’t wait to add our future children to it!

We need to appreciate and love the older homes in our communities. We need to band together and do everything we can to preserve them and the memories they hold. Check out the great Preservation NC website to learn more about historic preservation in our area.

Sidewalk Sale This Saturday to Support Note in the Pocket Organization!

One Love Interiors is always looking for ways to help our community! Are you looking for something to do this coming Saturday, March 15? Look no further! There is a wonderful sidewalk sale happening in North Raleigh that is for a great cause. Note in The Pocket is a non-profit organization that provides clothing to children in need who have been identified by various schools and social service agencies. They are oftentimes impoverished or homeless and need clothing to wear to school. Note in the Pocket accepts clothing donations all year long. The Sidewalk Sale is Saturday, March 15 from 8-2! They are selling overstock, off-season, and non-school appropriate clothing for $1.00 to $2.00!

If you follow this blog you know that thrifting is one of our favorite things to do! You never know what you might find at a clothing sale like this. You could find something fabulous to wear like I did here OR you might be able to create a one of a kind piece of artwork like I did here!

A Tisket , A Tasket

 

 

 

 

 

I made my way to the Goodwill this past weekend like I always seem to do. Stumbled across these three beauties and thought about this picture I posted here. At $1.98 per wicker item, I was out da doe!

Our guest room is a struggle for several reasons.

1. It is constantly messy with my “stuff”. Don’t have a spot for something? Put it in the guest room. This drives John bananas! I am the yang to his yin.
2. I have a hard time committing to my own personal design decisions. It is so hard for me to pull the trigger because I have about a million ideas going at once. I get nervous that once it is up I will hate it and be upset I wasted nails and put holes in my wall. Therefore the guestroom is pretty bare for the most part.

I figure at a price like this, it was exactly what needed to happen. I grabbed my box of nails and the hammer and in 2.5 seconds, had an amazing focal wall behind John’s old college bed.

 

I figure once the room is cleaned up and I make the bed, they will compliment the circular design in the Suzani pillows I made. These pillows were made with fabric samples I had gotten while at my last job in hotel design. Score!

 

See what I mean by a catch all? And obviously the bed is still unmade from when John had to sleep in there while I had the pig flu. And yes, those are dolls. The one in the middle used to scare my friends at sleepovers so I had to put her away. Now I just let her scare John 🙂

 

 

Disposable Camera, No Disposable Memories

This evening I turned on some 90’s music in my office/guest bedroom, sprawled on the floor and started to look through my box of photos dating from my pre-existence to recent times.

My photos are extremely precious to me. My tangible photo collection tapered off around 2006 when I started dating John and he uploaded everything to Kodak Gallery. Once it was there we never print them off much. Then we started posting to Facebook exclusively. No need to print, right? There is something so special about a real, old photograph. I am convinced some of them even smell like my old room. There is an assortment: glossy, Polaroids, matte, panoramics, tiny school photos, speckled “bad film” photos that I did not have the heart to throw out. I am sad for the kids growing up in the digital age who will never get to experience a disposable camera. It was such a thrill to pick up your photos from Wal-Mart or local drug store after receiving the phone call they were developed. The stuffed envelope with negatives attached was a treasure chest waiting to be opened. This reminds me of how excited I would get in 8th grade when I had a disposable camera. My friends and I took ridiculous photos at school, the high school football games, of boys when they were not looking (and of course we would hang them on the wall as if we were dating). What funny little weirdos we were. Those throw away cameras were like gold and each photo had to count because you only got 24 chances before the camera was “done”. What a let down it was when you gathered everyone in for a picture just to have the camera be out of photos!

At times I do wish we had the technology we have now so we could have captured more moments on film, but wouldn’t that desensitize us? Having only a handful of photos from 8th grade or high school really makes me appreciate them more. As I hold them in my hands, I stare at them for several minutes trying to remember what was happening or what we were doing. I inspect our questionable outfit choices, wonder what music was playing and who was dating who at the time. This triggers a stream of consciousness that sends me down memory lane. Sometimes I get sad, sometimes I laugh out loud, but always, I am grateful. Grateful for the good times and good friends/family that were part of my crazy life. Grateful for snapshots into a time when I was not so concerned with the future. Grateful there is proof that my friends and I wore dog collars for a brief moment in time (I told you we were funny little weirdos).

 

Photos are an everyday utility and just because it is so easy doesn’t mean we shouldn’t make them count more. Laugh often, cry just because you can and live every moment as if the camera is almost “done”.

All You Need is Love E-Design Board

Here is a Valentines Day inspired interior design board for your viewing pleasure. Can you believe everything is from Anthro or West Elm? You can have great style and design with product that is a click away!

One Love Interiors : I’m Gonna Pop Some Tags

Yes, I know. That song is so last year but it is how I roll. When it came out I was so excited that thrift stores might get some more love. If you know me, you know I love a good thrift store/consignment shop/antique store. Don’t get me wrong. There are times when I purchase mass produced items at full price (it is hard to avoid). However, nothing beats getting a deal AND finding treasures that have some history to them.

Going to Goodwill is a thrill. You never know what you are going to find. Today I had the itch and mosied on down to the Strickland/Six Forks Goodwill. I always start at the frames just in case there are some gems hiding. The best thing to do is remember that you can spray paint ANYTHING!

As I was walking through the store, this fab, strapless dress from Express said “Hello, buy me”. It would be great for a wedding and I have about 3 to go to next year.

Side Note: I hate selfies. I feel foolish taking them but am going to post anyways because I cannot believe what a find this was. It looks brand new! A little loose on the top but that is the norm for me and nothing some chicken cutlets can’t fix! Holla!

The next golden nugget was a cute white top from Loft for $3.49 that makes me long for warm, summer days and Oberon beer.

BOO! The scariest Goodwill toy ever. Sad really. All alone in a toy bin. Think anyone will take him home?

This flat, basket (does that contradict itself?) would look great in a grouping on a wall in a kitchen or above a rustic fireplace similar to the photo from Slimpaley.com.

One Love Tips On Thrifting

• Remember that just because it is super cheap, doesn’t mean you have to buy it. Goodwill receipts can add up too!
• Throw all clothing or upholstered items in the washing machine IMMEDIATELY. Wash with hot water and dry with high heat if possible. I have a crazy fear of bed bugs (probably from working for the hotel developer and being in and out of hotel rooms…bed bugs don’t discriminate).
• Ask yourself if you will wear something at least 3-5 times. If so, you have your money’s worth. Just remember to re-donate!
• Look for home decor items that are classic and not too dinky. Again, just because it is cheap doesn’t mean you have to buy it.
• Spray paint is your friend. Turn that hideous Santa figurine into a classy Christmas prop!
• Check out the jewelry section. See a necklace with some cool beads? Cut it up and use the beads in a new set up earrings. Re-purpose people.
• Check for stains. Yucky.
• There really is no secret on what time of day you visit. Goodwill keeps stuff flowing all the time. It is either hit or miss.
• Bring cash or check.

Now, I must go look incredible with my thrift shop finds from down the road.

One Love Travels: Weekend in DC

The hubby and I try to get to our nation’s capitol about once a year to visit our wonderful friends. It was a weekend full of laughs, 90’s music, yoga, short bike rides, good food and gorgeous sights. I kept my eyes out for Scandal characters because I cannot accept the fact that Olivia Pope is not a real person..if you have not watched that show, you need to start, like now.

Anyways, DC has become such a fun place for me to become inspired. My favorite part is the history. How can you not be inspired on the daily with towering monuments, museums and art. Not to mention the variety of beautiful people from all over the world. Our friends live a hop, skip and jump from the Capitol Building and have the most spectacular view from their roof top. After doing some research on the planning of DC, I came across this fantastic notion from Smithsonian.com in regards to Pierre L’Enfant and his vision for Washington, DC design and city planning:

“His design was based on European models translated to American ideals. “The entire city was built around the idea that every citizen was equally important,” Berg says. “The Mall was designed as open to all comers, which would have been unheard of in France. It’s a very sort of egalitarian idea.”

How fantastic is that. And George Washington was all for it. BTW, egalitarian is the belief that all people are equal and deserve the same rights. I had to Google that one because my 6th grade US History is not so fresh, sorry Mr. Jackson.

Our first stop was Luke’s Lobster which I have been dreaming about ever since I tried it the last time we visited. Just thinking of it now makes my mouth water. Literally. There was no time to take a photo of this magnificent creation but trust me, it is worth every penny. They pile huge chunks of (what seems pretty fresh) lobster onto a buttery roll. The lobster only has butter and some celery seed on top. It is simple and life changing.

My lady friend and I hit up Capitol Hill Yoga for some warm, Hatha Yoga action. It was packed (after photo) and sweaty! A great start to the weekend.

DC has a BikeShare program that has over 300 bike stations for people to utilize. My friend convinced me to ride to the Smithsonian and though I was a little nervous at first, quickly realized how much fun it is. And I did not get hit by a car. Score.

I am truly grateful that we were able to see the Art of Transformation Exhibit at the Smithsonian. I read about it last year and really hoped we could make something happen. What a wonderful collection of art and artifacts from the 3rd century to the early 20th century. They even had black and white footage of a film from 1938 of Krishnamacharya and Iyengar doing postures in Mysore. It was enchanting.

We had some pre-dinner drinks at a new restaurant called Right Proper Brewing Company. Great atmosphere and tasty brews. I had one called “The Bee’s Made Honey in the Lion’s Skull”. Cool name right?

Tyra says to “find your light”.

Erase Marker on Subway tile backsplash.

Nice, round logo. Just how I like them.

This trip was exactly what we needed. We are so grateful to our friends for having us. It was also great for me to get out of town. I passed my real estate exam the previous Monday and had just gotten over the H1N1 flu (not a pretty site). Side note: please get your flu shot because you definitely do not want what I had. It is wreaking havoc.

Thanks for your business. Come again.