The weather is starting to heat up, which only means one thing… SUMMER is right around the corner! What? Didn’t 2018 just start? Yeah I have no idea where the last 4 months went either but summer vacation (ugh I miss those days) is here!
Now for San Diego, it’s pretty much 70 degrees year round. But we did have some rainy days this year so I think I can speak for all of San Diego, we are excited for longer days with maximum sunshine!
Nothing is better than kicking off summer than with a backyard party! There are so many unique designs to use for your backyard these days so I created a Pinterest board with some of my favorites! Check them out below!
1. Beer coolers – there are so many good craft breweries in San Diego so we got to make sure that beer stays cool! I love the idea of removing a plank out of the picnic table and inserting a cooler instead. Some people like to have a cooler on top of their BBQ so it’s within arm’s length for the cook.
2. Wine racks – calling all wine connoisseurs! You can do a DIY wine rack out of pallets and attach it to your fence or deck area!
3. Market lights – this is super trendy right now. Market lights definitely create an intimate setting. You only need a few strands too! Don’t go overboard and make it feel like it’s daylight.
4. TVs – this is super popular as well when it comes to outdoor entertaining. I like to make sure it has a proper cover though to keep it shielded from the natural elements. There’s some that you can buy but I’ve also seen people hide it behind small barn doors. And if this is all too much, I’ve seen people buy a roll down screen with a projector!
5. Fire pits – also another crowd favorite. People like to have them built into the ground but now you can buy them at the stores for a decent price!
6. Swim up bars – OK so this one might be a pretty expensive thing to do but come on they are so cool! I’ve only seen them at super fancy homes/resorts but if I could have a pool, I would totally have a swim up bar! However with small kids, it might get a little messy – I don’t think I want to be picking up soggy chicken nuggets LOL.
Now, I am NO expert. But I have read many articles and have come to the conclusion that this is where our world is heading. People have created eco-friendly cars, the next thing are homes! Check out below to see some of my favorite ideas!
1. Living Walls – a lot of homeowners are choosing living walls or green wall systems because it purifies the air, humidifies the air, AND reduces volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Studies also show that it promotes a happier and healthier family plus improves mental and physical health.
2. Natural Lighting – this is a major selling point for any buyer. The more natural light, the better! You can either invest in large energy-efficient windows (so the warmth doesn’t escape) or you can invest in a skylight to maximize that natural sunlight!
3. Mix and Match Materials – combining old and new materials is not only eco-friendly, but it gives your home some character! A lot of homeowners are now using reclaimed and re-purposed wood, which then keeps landfills empty PLUS has your home differentiate from all your neighbors!
4. Energy Efficient Appliances – there are energy-efficient options for practically every appliance out there! It will reduce your energy consumption, which then reduces your energy bill. People are willing to pay a bit more upfront to save themselves some money in the long run.
5. Gray water – this is the relatively clean waste water that comes from showers, sinks, washing machines, and other kitchen appliances. A major trend right now is to figure out a way to reuse your gray water. This water may have some traces of dirt but it is safe enough to use for outdoor irrigation! Builders can now install pipes that channel this water outside so you can use it!
6. Solar Energy – this trend has been around but it keeps growing. Investing in solar is definitely NOT cheap, but the financial and environmental benefits can be huge in the long run.
There is so much we can do for this beautiful planet – let’s keep it going!
UGH. The garage is the classic place to put random stuff that you can’t find a designated spot for – at least for me and my family. LOL. A lot of people use their garage more as a free storage unit instead of a place to park your cars.
With that being said, it’s probably time to clean up that storage unit attached to your home! There are many different ideas on how to organize a garage but here are some of my favorites!
1. Keep or Throw Out – First and foremost, go through your entire garage and decide if you should keep it or throw out/donate to charity. A good question to ask yourself is “Have I used this in the past 2 years?”
2. Visibility + Accessibility – Items that are used the most should be kept at eye level or below. Christmas and Halloween decorations can be stored high because obviously, you only use those once a year.ign: justify;”>
3. Shelving, Drawers, and Hooks – About 80% of your items can be stored on shelves. The other 20% can be stored on hooks such as lawn equipment. You will most likely need a combination of shelves, drawers, and hooks. Here are some items you can buy to be more organized!
4. Hidden storage areas – If you’re working with limited space, think vertically! There is such a wide variety of door/wall racks you can buy these days. These are great too if you have a “no shoes allowed in the house” policy.
5. Bins for Small Parts – There are always random screws and nails rolling around on shelves and floors. Get smaller bins for those smaller parts! If you really want to be OCD, you’ll label those bins too!
6. Sports Equipment – This just needs a separate area to itself because there is always so much equipment! A steel basket is perfect for all your basketballs!
I am the QUEEN of buying tons of groceries/bringing home all my leftovers and just throwing them in the fridge … and then eventually throwing them out – ask any of my roommates!
Did you know that 40% of the food in the US goes uneaten? Which means that Americans are throwing out the equivalent of $165 BILLION each year! Yeah, I’m not helping the cause but HEY it’s time to change!
Some of you might already know these, but here are some tips I have learned about organizing your refrigerator!
1. Set your refrigerator to 40 degrees or lower – bacteria grows rapidly between 40-140 degrees.
2. Refrigerator door is the warmest – try to only store condiments in this area. Anything dairy (especially milk) or eggs will go bad quickly – the temperature fluctuates too much in the door.
3. Upper shelves are the slightly-warmer section – store foods that don’t have a health safety risk aka leftovers, drinks, ready-to-eat foods. Getting clear containers for leftovers is also helpful because it will help you see what the heck are in those white take out boxes!
4. Bottom shelves = coldest section – store meats, poultry, or any other raw meats. This also prevents drips from contaminating food below. If you take it out of the meat packaging, put it in a bowl.
5. Mason jars for salads – mason jars are the longest-lasting way to keeps salads. Dressing on the bottom, veggies and other salads goodies get piled on top. If you have a lid for your jar, they can last up to 5-7 days!
6. Containers – if you haven’t figured it out by now, I LOVE the Container Store! Here are some great containers to use for wine bottles, soda cans, eggs, etc!
8. Allow enough space between foods – air needs to circulate around food to keep it cool. A crowded fridge can create warm spots and cool spaces, which can lead to spoilage.
This week we are going to tackle the closet and dresser. Now everyone is going to have something different in size so you decide what is the best option for you! In my opinion, I think it gives everyone a piece of mind knowing that your closet and drawers are in order and you can see everything clearly – rather than trying to get dressed for work and can’t find that matching sock or that favorite blouse to wear for your big presentation.
First thing’s first, go through all your clothes and get rid of stuff you will not wear. Here’s a great question to ask yourself while doing this – “If I was out shopping right now, would I buy this?” I did this and half my closet was gone LOL.
Here are some tricks you can try at home to give you that piece of mind you’ve been wanting!
1. Drawers – Group Items by Category – This is kind of an obvious one. Sort each drawer by their type – undergarments drawer, top drawer, etc. It’s even better when you split your categories more than once. With the tops drawer, you can split it into tanks, short sleeves, and long sleeves!
2. Closet – Store all your seasonal clothes – Why would keep all your winter coats/sweaters in your closet in the middle of summer? Storing away your colder climate clothes is key! There are many way you could do this. I’ve seen people buy those storage benches and then place them at the end of the bed. If you don’t have much square footage to work with, then you can buy containers that go under your bed – I did this in college!
3. Drawers – Roll > Fold – I just did this with my sock drawer (that was originally jam packed and overflowing) and it worked WONDERS – now my drawer is only half full! I do this with cotton shirts and sweats too. It will really make a difference, especially if you’re one to have a hard time letting go of things! Drawer organizer work great too!
4. Closet – Adding Another Bar – You can easily double up your closet space by adding a second bar! If you don’t want anything permanent, these expander bars have become really popular and I can see why! Longer items on the top, shorter items on the bottom.
**Special Tip** for Drawers + Closets – Add Lavender – By adding a small cotton or linen bag of dried lavender, you will keep the moths away and continue to have beautiful clothing! Not only is lavender a repellant, but it’s also antibacterial and anti-fungal.
I don’t know where the last three months have gone, but it is now April which means time for some SPRING CLEANING! There are a few places in a home that always seem to get cluttered and messy. Each week during the month of April, I will talk about how to better organize your space so it not only looks nice but it will be easier to find things!
Some people might have an actual pantry, which is a small room next to the kitchen to store food/sauces/etc. Others might have extra cabinets and shelving, which then becomes their official “pantry.” Here are some ideas that can make sure your pantry doesn’t a hodge-podge of ‘stuff’:
Use clear air-tight containers – I swear this will solve half your problems. Best part about this is you can get them anywhere – Container Store, Bed Bath & Beyond, literally wherever. This will help your pantry look so clean and crisp rather than having a bunch of bags and boxes of stuff everywhere. Since they’re air-tight, your food will last so much longer – WIN WIN!
Door storage – This is great for “on the go” snacks or anything you would like to have easy access to! I’ve seen people use these for spices as well. If you would like to use this trick, I would recommend putting only light items in the racks so the door won’t be heavy/hard to open.
Clear bins or baskets- This is pretty similar to #1. If you don’t want to take food out of the original box/bag you can store them in an open container! You could also try to group them into categories like a bin for baking, grains, tea bags, etc! And if you want to be EXTRA organized, use a label maker so things are easier to find!
My best friend from college works at Facebook HQ and check out all their snacks in baskets/bins!
4. Use a cart – Bar carts have become extremely popular within the last few years – especially for those young millennials! They can also be used to store plates, bowls, mugs, whatever your heart desires! This idea is great for people who have a smaller kitchen and need more shelving.
5. Pegboards – I LOVE this idea! Pegboards would mostly be used for a man’s tools – well the times have changed and now people are using them in kitchens! This would be perfect for pots and pans rather than reaching far back into a cabinet or drawer. If can also free up some counter space. Check out our Pinterest page to see more photos of people using pegboards!
This is currently something my mother and I are putting together so why not discuss it with all of YOU?!
A lot of people work from home, which definitely has some pros but also some cons. Pros – NO COMMUTE (for SD no sitting in traffic – ugh), you can wear whatever you want, get things done around the house while on a break, etc. Cons – LOTS OF DISTRACTIONS aka kids, TV, a refrigerator with endless amount of food…. yeah, you get the picture.
Creating the perfect home office is clutch. You are planning on spending countless hours/days in this space, so it is extremely important to create the perfect environment based on your wants and needs. Here are some ideas you can incorporate into creating your perfect home office!
1. Invest in a chair – if you are not comfortable, you will not get anything done. Spend money on a good one! Some people might also consider getting a stand up desk due to back issues. Both my parents have one!
2. Function > Form – before you go crazy and spend thousands on pretty furniture, really think about it. What do you need at your fingertips? What is your workflow like? The shelving and storage spaces are there to serve YOU! The furniture should not only look nice and compliment the rest of your home, but it should also help you to be more efficient!
3. Add color – nothing is less motivating than being stuck in a gray or beige room. Colors can help make someone get their work motor running or get that creativity flowing. You can either paint a wall your favorite color, add some colorful artwork/photos, or a beautiful arrangement of flowers!
4. View – we all will wonder off and just stare into space for 5 min (or like 20 LOL) but it’s refreshing to stare into something more interesting than a blank wall. A window is ideal, but if that’s not possible in your space then hang a pretty picture!
5. ORGANIZATION – realize what you are. Stacker or a filer? If you stack, get some baskets to organize notes, mail, etc. If you file, get vertical file folders to put on your desk. Most spaces don’t have a lot of square footage, so take advantage of those walls! There are so many places that now sell floating cubes/shelves – SHOO random knickknacks!
6. Inspire yourself – for me this is a photo of my best friends. Seeing them gets me motivated, makes me want to get stuff done so I can go visit them or go on a vacation with them! It is nice to have a mini-shrine to help you get inspired or to remind you why you do this everyday.
I think we can all agree that Instagram has completely blown up since it’s launch in 2010 – last year they had 800 million active users! Posts can include from delicious recipes to all the hot celebrity gossip, but you can also get lots of home decor inspiration. There are so many accounts out there but these are the ones that I like the most.
It is no secret that I watch the Kardashians – my favorite being Kourtney. She is also really into interior decorating and she mentioned a few accounts she likes to follow on her app.
Here are some of her Instagram favorites:
@archdigest – this is Architectural Digest’s official account. They have every kind of design style for any type of home!
@adesignersmind – photos from all over the world – inside and outside designs.
@1stdibs – they are a New York based marketplace filled with furniture (new or custom!), fashion, art, and jewelry.
These are other accounts I found from an article in The Spruce:
@em_henderson – she is a stylist, New York Times Bestselling author of STYLED, TV personality, and founder of a daily style blog. She really knows how to make a home look light and bright!
@sun.soul.style – this is Christina Higham’s account, an interior designer in San Francisco. She has done a few designs in San Diego though! I think her design esthetic is very simple but timeless.
@biggerthanthethreeofus – this is a cute story. This woman and her family of three started this blog when they were renovating their 3800+ sq ft home. They share DIY projects, design, home improvement, real-life progress, etc!
@homeyohmy – if you’re a fan of black and white, FOLLOW THIS ACCOUNT!
@jonathanadler – The oh so wonderful Jonathan Adler – his feed is “an exciting wonderland of bold and compelling patterns.”
Follow us on Instagram to stay updated on all things real estate! (mostly Kayla) Our handle – @thesandiegorealestate.
Redfin publishes their commission rate on their website, and it makes sense. All brokerages should make it easier for the consumer to evaluate the choices.
Here are my commission plans for home sellers:
Full Service – Expert (2% to 2.5%)
I handle all of the critical details that result in a signed contract. Preparing the house, guidance on attractive pricing, effective marketing, and implementing bidding-war strategies are the key categories. More details HERE.
The exact percentage is determined by price point, condition of home, and my involvement in the seller’s next move.
Kayla has been a realtor since March, 2014, and has been an active participant in our 122 sales since then. She possesses the best skill in a realtor – she is a natural salesperson – and I have been training her myself. For those who demand less commission but still want top-notch, quality representation, Kayla is an excellent choice.
Transaction Coordinating – Included in Both Above
For the last twenty years, Donna has been our expert in making sure your sale closes successfully with as little disruption as possible. To make sure everyone involved does their job correctly (escrow, title, lenders, and all other supporting cast), Donna tactfully tracks and encourages the 50+ people involved on every sale.
Limited Service
I don’t offer a limited service plan. The buyer-agents resent having to do both sides of the deal, and will penalize a seller along the way with lower offers, and heavy repair requests. Better to pay a reasonable commission to get adequate or expert representation.
Buyer-Agent Commission (2% to 2.5%)
Sellers also want to offer enough money to the buyer’s agents to be competitive with other listings nearby. A house listed with a below-market commission for the buyer’s agents will still get shown, but it will be used to sell the house down the street. Offer a ‘bounty’ that incentivizes agents to give priority to selling your house.
In all cases above, no money is required up front, and commissions are only payable if a transaction closes. The commission rate charged by an agent is a direct reflection of how serious they are about helping you, and their effectiveness. I will pay for myself every time!
I found a blog post by Styled, Staged, and Sold that I thought I should share! There were a couple points that were made on what you can do with your stager but I found the design trends to be the most interesting part.
Gray is slowly becoming more and more dead. We are going back to warmer neutrals like creamy white and beige but some also like to include a pop of color. A bold color can definitely add a upscale design element to your home. They say that the new pop color will be dark teal and millennial pink, which I LOVE! It doesn’t have to be the whole house covered in pink or teal paint but you could add some accessories! I don’t think anyone could say they saw a pop of pink and didn’t smile – trendy colors could also be very appealing to a younger crowd!
Here is our Pinterest board to see some ideas of how to use these colors!
A lot of people are getting rid of carpet completely and using wood or faux wood floors. They say that it should at least be on the main floor. An example would be the golf-course house where we changed the flooring to a luxury vinyl wood after a month of not selling. BOOM! We got a full price offer the same day we put it back on the market with the new floors.
3. Countertops
It’s either going to be quartz, quartzite, or granite. The quartz trend is becoming increasingly popular, which means the price of granite is becoming more reasonable. Quartz is man-made and more predictable, where granite is more unique. I have seen many variations of both and they really increase the sale-ability of a home and make it look current and more upscale.
4. Glam
Some people can mistake the word “glam” as an over-the-top look, girly, or LOTS of sparkle and gold. I go back and forth between this trend but one thing I do like about it is how clean and crisp you can make your home look. You could also make it look extremely expensive with just adding some glam barstools or glam side tables. I personally believe when you have too much “glam” in your home, it’s too much. But I think if you can add glam in a tasteful way, you can really hit the ball out of the park!
