Setting Up A Guest Room!

Almost all of us have a guest room. We feel as if we have to just in case….! But, then there are some of us who would just as well not ever, ever have guests. They’re a lot of work! They may not know when to leave! They just may be more trouble than it’s worth!
However, don’t you just LOVE it when you are a “guest” in someone else’s home! It is more comfortable than a hotel! You can be yourself! You are sometimes treated to home cooking, etc.! And, let’s face it, it saves you MONEY! Well, Nikki and I have always lived by the Golden Rule and here’s when a reminder of the Golden Rule becomes necessary:

Give Someone A Guest Room That You Would Love To Stay In!

There! We said it! It’s only right!

So, that being said, would you want to be put in a corner of a child’s room in an uncomfortable single bed….perhaps a bunk bed? I think not!

Let’s start with a comfortable bed in a private room with access to at least a semi-private bath! Would you want to be parading out in the hall waiting for your turn to get into the bathroom? I think not!

Wash the linens the day before your guest arrives so that the fresh smells from that wash permeates as they drop into bed! Heaven! You may even want to spray a linen-ish smell over the pillows and sheets as you make up the bed! Then, as you throw on the finishing covers/coverlets, give an extra spritz of that spray over the finished product! Makes the room smell fresh, too!

Hopefully, you will give them their own private television. Many times after my guests have left, I have found that they had played with the controls so much that no picture was coming up on the television. Could that be because they didn’t know how to operate the controls?? Well, of course! So, I make a photocopy of the controls and with a marker I show which buttons to push for volume and which for channel changing, etc. (see photo inset) I even go a silly step further….I type up a list of the main channels (ABC, CBS, NBC, etc.) and include some other topic channels such as Biography; HGTV; the Weather Channel, etc.! Channels are different state to state! They love all these “extra” things!

You probably don’t want your guests up rambling about the house at night in the dark! So, give them a bottle of spring water and a clean glass in case they have a need to take pills, etc. It’s optional whether or not you want to leave any snacks, candy, etc. in the room! This isn’t the Ritz Carlton, so a mint on the pillow is not necessary!

Set aside some fresh cleaned towels and washcloths! You can even spritz them with that spray you used on the bedding! If you can afford it, nothing is more luxurious than a large bath sheet (much larger than a large bath towel)! The bigger the better! On the other hand, and this is just a personal little thing that I like, I love a thin washcloth! So, I provide both a thin washcloth and a plush washcloth just in case they prefer the latter! I would offer a dark washcloth in case they get make up on it! White is definitely not an option in washcloths in my home! In addition, put a brand new bar of soap in the shower for the guest! Throw in a small, but nice, bottle of shampoo and conditioner and, of course it goes without saying, have a hair dryer next to the sink for their use! If the guest is sharing a bath with someone, give the guest his/her own space for his/her toiletries and their own hand towel.

It’s nice to have a place to sit in the guest room in case the guest wants to stay up and read for awhile! That being said, a lamp next to that chair is important! A lamp next to the bed is also an essential in my guest room because I love to read in bed.

Have some nice reading material lying around in the room for their reading pleasure! A clock is nice, but you’re not their mother. It is not your job to get them up, just make them comfortable!

Hopefully, if theses guests are close to you and you want to provide them with the space you would love to stay in, they will be appreciative and treat you equally “Queenish!”

I hope so! It’s a lot of work, but so worth it!


Happy guesting!!!

How to Remove Popcorn-Textured Ceilings

Whoever invented these horrible ceilings should be initiated in the Worst Ideas Hall of Shame. Real popcorn would look better stuck to the ceiling! I recently did a great deal of remodeling in my home. The last stage of the game was the dreaded ceilings. After all the fresh paint, new floors, etc. the ceilings looked worse than ever. They had yellowed (after 30 years) and all manner of dust was stuck to those little bumpy critters. A friend told me about someone else who removed the popcorn from the ceiling so I decided to try it. Now to say that this procedure is messy would be an understatement but, hey, this was the final hoorah; so I plunged ahead.

Items that are needed:

1. Ladder

2. Squirt Bottle filled with water

3. Joint Knife

4. Rag to wipe off the joint knife

5. Joint Compound

6. Sand Paper

7. Plastic Sheeting to cover the floor and/or furniture (walls, too, if you are so inclined)

OK, here we go – move what you can out of the way and cover what you can’t move with plastic sheeting; (some folks may want to even cover the walls but I did not; I just cleaned up afterward).

It would probably be a good idea to make sure your ceilings are not asbestos by scraping a sample into a zipper baggie and taking it to an EPA Certified testing lab. If it is asbestos, you will need professional removal.

Depending on your situation, you may have to remove or loosen light fixtures – if that is the case, be sure and turn off the electricity.

When you are ready to begin, climb to the top of the ladder and proceed to spray water on an area of your ceiling about 3 feet by 3 feet. Wait just a minute or two and carefully begin to scrape your joint knife along the wet area and you will be amazed how easily that “stuff” comes right off; wipe your joint knife off with the rag and begin the process again until finished!

I would also add that some ceilings are better than others for this procedure depending on how thick your undercoat is, so proceed with caution. If, after removal, you have any bare spots or nail holes showing apply two thin layers of joint compound; sanding each layer when dry. You may even have to use joint tape. I did not have to go all the way down to the wall board, thankfully.

After the popcorn is gone to your satisfaction, you are then ready to paint the ceilings – I used regular white ceiling paint. If you had to go all the way down to the wall board, you may want to start with a primer. They now sell ceiling paint that goes on pink and dries white – this enables you to see where you have been or where you are going, as the case may be. It is often hard to view the ceiling well due to lightning, etc.

You absolutely cannot imagine until you do this project as to the difference it makes in a room. Fresh clean white ceilings make the room amazing! I also added crown moulding which was the icing on the cake.

After you finish all this work, and you’re through gazing up and admiring the ceiling - you will need to go straight-away to the massage therapist before your neck stays permanently in the look back and up position! For goodness sakes, Be Careful and Good Luck!!!

Be Your Own Home Stager – Part Three

I don’t care how pretty your wall colors may look in your room, certain colors may not appeal to all buyers.

As a buyer is walking through your home, the thing that can distract them is the fact that nothing they own will match the color of the home they are viewing. If you think to yourself, “well, they can always repaint…that’s cheap!....think again! There are enough homes on the market today, that they can just say to their agent, “take me to the next one; we don’t want to nor do we have the time or money to repaint!”

I have been a Realtor for over 25 years. I remember the days when corporations used to buy homes from their employees so that they could move on to their new destination and the corporation would take over in the sale of their home. The corporation would hire people to come in and pull down the fancy drapes, pull up the carpet (usually a different color in every room) and replace with a neutral color carpet; and repaint the entire house in beige. I totally “get” the concept….they wanted any buyer to walk in and be able to visualize their furniture and things in this house….brilliant!

As I suggested to you in our last blog, go visit a model home. Rarely do you see crazy colors in every room. You should see a good flow of colors. Today’s neutral may be different from just beige. You could have neutrals in grays, taupes, etc. Have a stager or a friend with great taste help you pick a neutral color that you could paint your home that would appeal to the masses and go with your furnishings. Avoid yellows as too bright of any color is offensive and can kill your sale.

Are your carpet colors and textures different in every room? Do you realize that your eye stops when the view changes. You want buyers to flow from room to room and not even realize how they got there.

Again about color….do you have a lot of “things” with color that detract from the room?  Do you have a collection of pillows on your couches or beds? I’m not talking about the attractive bunching of pillows that is so popular today….I’m talking about the ones that are sentimental to you or have words on them that only you can appreciate…pack them! Do you have throw rugs spread from the front of your house to the rear that help keep your home clean? Your cleaning will be more difficult, but pick them up and pack them! Do you have chatchkes (knickknacks/trinkets) or collectibles spread throughout the house that distracts the buyers from seeing the great selling features of your home? Go ahead and pack these items. There is a saying, “less is more” and this little phrase alone will assist you in getting your home ready to sell or stage! Pack it or purge it!

And lastly, for this issue, don’t just appeal to the sense of vision when preparing your home. Appeal to ALL senses! Smell! Don’t go out and buy the cheapest (nor the most expensive, for that matter) of room sprays or carpet powders, but do get something soft that will make the buyer feel like the house is clean and they would like to wake up in this lovely smelling home! Diffusers are great! You just turn the sticks every day or so and the rooms will smell great! Hopefully, you will be able to mask any smells or odors that are normally predominant in your home (dog smells are some of the worse…also, keep cat boxes in a discreet place). I have seen home sales lost to smells of cigarette smoke! Beware! Sense of Hearing! In the model homes you may hear soft sounds of music playing. Try not to leave music on or a television on that will make your buyer/guest feel uncomfortable while walking through your home! Soft instrumental music can make them feel so relaxed and comfortable that they may want to stay and spend more time enjoying your home! Loud kid and animal noise, however, may run them off!

And the most important thing I can tell you to aid in getting your home sold is: Get out of the house while the buyers and their agent are at your home. If your home is set up to showing at its best, it doesn’t need you to extol its virtues to the buyers! They need to be able to picture their things in your home and to speak out loud about the things that are good or bad for them. If they have to do that later with their agent, they may not be able to remember some of the finest things about your home to discuss! Stay away! Go for a walk! Take the dog with you!

We'll send you more about staging throughout our blog sight!  Hopefully this will help you get inspired; get started and get staging!

Next week, Nikki will take you on a journey of removing the dreaded popcorn surface from your ceilings!

Be Your Own Home Stager – Part Two

The Cleaning part that you did on the exterior of the home holds true especially from the time you enter your home until you exit….clean up everything! If someone sees dust an inch thick, they will know you probably don’t take care of simple maintenance around your home and it might be a sign to them to not look any further.



Most everyone has clutter! You know you are moving….pack things up now! No one cares about your collections, no matter how great they are! To get an idea of how your home should look in terms of “no clutter,” visit a model home or model condo and take a look at how they show off their furnishings. They don’t call them model homes for nothing! If you have too much furniture or pieces, get rid of the extra ones. Check out the kitchen countertops and baths at the model homes and notice how clutter-free they look. Hide your many small appliances (only leave the toaster and coffee pot out). You will love the way it looks and will be amazed at how much larger your space and countertops appear!



Do not invite anyone into your home until your cupboards and closets are organized. Here’s the perfect time to pack or purge! Make some extra money and have a garage sale with your unwanted or unneeded objects; OR consider donating them and take the tax deduction!



Want to know the “Perfect” box for packing up? It’s the one you buy from the office supply warehouse that comes 6 or 10 boxes in a pack! Sometimes you can get lucky and find them on sale for about a buck a box. You can’t overload them and they stack wonderfully! Perfect!



Once, when I was packing for a big move, instead of marking on the box “kitchen,” “kid’s bedroom,” etc., I designated a color for every room I was moving to: black for kitchen; red for master bedroom; etc. I cut out a small piece of the color from construction paper and glued them on the side of the box. When I got to the new house, I taped a whole piece of the color to the appropriate room and all the movers had to do was look at the box and match the color. It worked sooo smoothly and I wasn’t asked a hundred times, “where does this go lady?”



Next blog let’s discuss how neutralizing colors in your home will get you a quicker sale! Plus, decorating by appealing to all the senses…Can’t wait!

Be Your Own Home Stager – Part One

Welcome to our “virgin” issue of Heart Home Happiness!




In this economy, we are all struggling to make ends meet; maybe some of us for the very first time. It’s a big club that you are joining! Don’t take things too seriously and try to turn this experience into a positive one!



Are you currently in a position that you HAVE to sell your home? Are you being transferred or are you downsizing? Whatever your motivation, we want to give you all the assistance you need to make your home more sellable! While you might not be able to make a ton of money in this economy as you would have a couple of years ago, we want to keep you from losing more!



Let’s begin at the beginning….a buyer is driving up to your home…how’s the street appeal. Let’s begin there! Have you ever heard “You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression?” It is soooo true!



Clean up the entrance! Make that walk to your doorway pleasing….make the buyer want to come in and see more! Clean up the sidewalks and entryways….clean, clean, clean! Put pretty pots of fresh flowers on both sides of the front door and scrub that front door! Let go of the urge to hang “things” on the door (i.e. wreaths, catchy signs, etc.). Make sure there are bulbs in the exterior light fixtures and clean the fixtures. Cut back overflowing shrubs; weed the area and put down fresh mulch! There’s your first impression!


Check with us next week as we actually go INTO the house and give you tons-o-tips on staging your home!