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Now is the perfect time to sell {Easy tips to get your house ready for the market}

Spring is here and with it brings lots of home buyers looking to purchase! If you have been considering selling your home, Spring time is by far the best time to do so.

{We have compiled a list of tips for preparing your home to be sold}

Your goal with this first and foremost is to make sure your home is clean, bright and comfortable.
Keyword clean. You want buyers to be able to envision themselves living in your
home. You don’t need to go crazy fixing up your house, but in order to get top dollar,  make sure these key things are complete:

  • Clean carpets & remove stains and/or replace flooring if necessary.
  • Clean windows, doors (finger prints), keep kitchen clean; remove all food products, cookware, etc from counter tops.
  • De-clutter the home. Get rid of the knick-knacks.

  • Pretend you are a potential buyer. Clean up and repair everything that would turn you off.
  • If your home will be vacant consider having it staged. This helps the buyer see what the house looks like with furniture.Also; depending on the home’s condition can help the house look more appealing! When a house is completely bare, it tends to show every little flaw.
  •  Clean bathrooms; get rid of mildew and mold, toilet bowl rings and remove personal hygiene products. Bathrooms and kitchens are top sellers, so get them in the best condition possible. Nobody wants to see your tooth brush and toothbrush sitting on the vanity! Also, consider buying white hand towels, new bathmats & shower curtain – white suggests clean.
  •  A small vase with pretty flowers wouldn’t hurt either. Just sayin!

  • If necessary, remove pieces of furniture to make a room feel bigger.

If you have dark or bright colored paint on your walls, we suggest you paint
them a neutral light color.Wild colors don’t really appeal to buyers. Neutral sells.

  • Handle all minor repairs around the house. Examples: fix faulty electrical wires, replace lose tiles in the bathroom, replace cracked electric plates,replace light switch plates, fix leaky faucet, repair sprinklers, re-calk shower.

Click here to view our Handpicked Home Vendors list for reputable tradesman – plumbers,house cleaner, electricians, painters & more

  • Install Carbon Monoxide detector – mandatory & the law as of July 2011
  • Install fire alarms in the home or make sure current ones are in working order.
  • Mow the lawn, paint front door, straighten up front porch & plant some pretty flowers (flowers optional). It’s always helps the home sell when it has curb appeal, so do what you can.

We hope this helps! Contact us today for a free, no obligation market analysis of your home.

Any other questions, feel free to email, call or text us anytime.
Direct – 408.921.3601
RemaxAdler@gmail.com

Happy Friday & enjoy your weekend!

Xo, Virginia & Melissa

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OlioBoard Obsessed

I recently came across the most amazing website known to man.. or should I say women. It’s called OlioBoard and I am beyond obsessed. I spent approx 3 hours playing around with the site & designing my ideal home office!

Here’s the gist of how it works; You create your own digital mood/inspiration boards on their site & save them to your profile. A lot of interior designers use this site + regular people who want to design their own space.

 It’s free to join. They do have a pro version that enables you to choose wall colors, add text & use the budget feature, which is $8.99 a month.

All the images you select on the site are fully available for purchase and they list the product’s specifications & prices!! Amazing! You can even upload your own inspiration photos from your computer or photos of your current furniture.

I put this board together for my ideal home office. What do you think?

{Click to enlarge}

It really helps you envision the room you are trying to create.. instead of buying items at stores only to find out that they don’t match your current decor – talk about a major time saver.

White Parson desk $299 from West Elm ** Round Coco sunburst mirror $199 from West Elm **Aqua glass table lamp $502 from Layla Grayce ** Grant Wing Back Chair in Ivory w/Nail head trim $999 from Home Decorators ** Reflections white storage shelf $349 from Home Decorators  ** 9 drawer mirrored dresser $1,963 from Layla Grayce ** Paris Flea market collection champagne chandelier $700 from Layla Grayce ** Distressed metallic pillow $48 from DwellStudio ** Gold Leaf Cade table lamp $179 from Home Decorators ** Gold table clock $74 from Layla Grayce ** Glossy red boxes – set of 3 $79 from Dwell ** Small wire basket $13 from Crate & Barrel** Yellow laquered magazine storage $22 from West Elm ** Pearl box $48 from West Elm ** White washed weaved storage bins $39 from West Elm ** Trina gold corkboard $49 from Home Decorators **Owl Coin bank $10 from All Modern  ** Bold Black & White Stripped rug $399 from Overstock** Metallic Gold Leather Moroccan Pouf $199 from Overstock

 

xo, Melissa

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DIY Tufted Headboard Tutorial

I have been wanting a headboard in our room for so long. For some reason it was just never something high on the priority list. I also never really found one I was in love with – that wasn’t $1,000+

The other day, I was searching for something on Google and came across this amazing blog and saw that she did an incredible tufted headboard and tutorial.  So I thought, why not give it a try!

Let me first start off by saying that this wasn’t complicated or hard to do, but just takes time! Clay & I did this over a weekend, but you could stretch it out over the week.

The headboard took about 2 days from start to finish. We followed Little Green Notebook’s tutorial exactly.

After doing this myself, I came up with a lot of tips for you, which I will share throughout this post.

{Materials you will need}

Home Depot

  • Pegboard from Home Depot, cut to size. We measured our bed (King size) and had them cut the pegboard 40 inches high x 76 inches wide
  • Spray adhesive
  • Staple gun & staples
  • Mounting hardware to attach headboard to the wall behind the bed

Joann’s Fabric Store

  • 3 inch thick upholstery foam 

**Huge Tip** Download the Joann’s app on your smartphone for a 50% off coupon. They have coupons every month for 50% off a single item, plus 20% off your entire purchase. For some reason these pieces of foam are extremely expensive – we would have paid $120 just for the foam!

  • High loft batting
  • 3 1/2 yards (less if your bed is smaller than king size) of whatever fabric you like. Originally I wanted a more velvet blush pink fabric, but we found a light blush pink satin fabric for 50% off, making it only $4.99 a yard!

Here was my inspiration photo

  • 4 inch upholstery needle
  • Waxed button thread

**Tip** I highly recommend using waxed upholstery grade thread, don’t use non-waxed. Half way through the tufting, we ran out of thread, so I went to a different fabric store that was closer to our house. They only had non-waxed thread. It was IMPOSSIBLE to work with. We ending up having to go back to Joann’s to get the waxed stuff anyway. The wax sticks to the fabric and makes it much easier for making knots as well – more on that later.

  • Button making kit + refills 5/8 inch size – enough to make 58 buttons. You can do less if you plan on having less tufts or if you have a smaller headboard.

Total cost $150 – not bad for an upholstered king headboard

Now that you have all your supplies let’s begin!!

First you will need to figure out your tufting pattern – we decided on rows of 11 and 10 buttons, alternating each row

circle where you will make your holes with chalk

then take a sharpie and make dots through the chalk marked holes.

Take the pegboard off and now you have your pattern.

Take a pairing knife and cut out your tuft holes

Now that all your holes are done, use your spray adhesive and glue the foam to the pegboard. Now all the holes will match up and you’re ready for tufting.

**Tip** make sure to let the foam hang off a 1/2 over the pegboard on the top and sides. This will make the edges more cushy and soft looking when you go to staple the fabric around the edges.

Then make your buttons with your kit

This part wasn’t as bad as I was anticipating.. we watched some Oprah & Real Housewives + we had this fatty to keep us company 🙂

Once all your buttons are done

Lay your pegboard, foam, batting &  fabric down – in that order

Take your needle, waxed thread & button

and poke it through your first hole

Pull it through and staple a couple of times. Triple knot the thread around the staple to ensure it doesn’t come loose

And there’s your first tuft! Yeee!

I am so thankful the Little Green Notebook said to start in the middle of all rows and work your way out with the tufts & save the edge tufts for last.

Knowing us, we would have totally botched this part if not for her advice!

After all your tufts are done, staple at the bottom on the foam slightly pushing up when stapling so that your staples aren’t visible.

Then just simply pull fabric tight around all edges and staple to the back!

Attach your mounting hardware & attach to your wall behind your bed & there you go!!

What a difference this pretty headboard makes in our room!

Notice how the tufting starts right at the top of our mattress and the rest hides behind the bed perfectly

Our headboard kind of reminds me of this Pottery Barn one – I think ours is way cuter though and we didn’t have to spend $800 Yay!

What do you think? Are you thinking about making one??

It really makes our bedroom feel so romantic & chic. What do you think of the color?

The best part is, I was about to buy something identical to this headboard for $600 about a year ago. With everything said and done, we spent a total of $150!

Hope you like our headboard as much as we do!

Xo, Melissa

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DIY Tufted Headboard Sneak Peak!

We are loving our new tufted headboard!

The step by step tutorial will be up tomorrow. For now here is a little sneak peak:

Here is the tutorial

Xo, Melissa

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Brand New Listings & Open Houses

Happy Friday! Thought we’d share some new listings that have hit the market recently. Some of these are having open houses this weekend {2/25-2/26}, so if you are house shopping in the Bay Area, here are some great deals you should check out.

**1691 BLOSSOM HILL ROAD, San Jose 95124 {Bordering Los Gatos}**

Charming 3 bedroom, 2 bath Cambrian home near Los Gatos offers updated kitchen with granite slab counters, stainless steel appliances, cherry cabinets and Travertine floor & breakfast bar. Hardwood floors throughout home. Large back yard with covered patio. Central A/C, close to freeways and shopping, mature fruit trees: apple, lemon, peach & more! 10 days on the market. Please contact us if you are interested in viewing this property. We would be happy to give you a tour. There is no open house this weekend. Full property details here.

Listed for $549,999

{Click photo to enlarge}

***57 HERNANDEZ AVENUE,#A and B, Los Gatos 95030*** {Monte Sereno/Los Gatos area}

Great opportunity!! Two houses on one lot in the prime Glenridge area of Los Gatos. Both the larger house and the cottage would be perfect rentals. Or rent one & live in the other! The lot would also be a perfect site for new construction if you prefer. 4 days on the market. Full details here.

Listed $639,000

Open House this Saturday & Sunday {2/25 & 2/26 – 1-4pm}

{Click photo to enlarge}

***2217 Santoro LANE, San Jose 95124*** {Bordering Los Gatos}

Absolutely stunning 3 bedroom, 2.5 baths newer Townhome with 1,535 SF of living space – a fabulous floor plan in the very desirable Parkwood community by Summerhill Homes. Formal living room w/cozy fireplace. Spacious kitchen w/pinewood cabinets, granite counters, stainless steel appliances, gorgeous cherrywood floors, large bathrooms, large patio & more! Union schools – Carlton Elementary, Union Middle & Leigh High School. Near freeways 85 & 17. Walk to Los Gatos, parks & Good Samaritan Hospital. 4 days on the market! Full property details & photos here.

Listed $615,000 HOA: $215

A must see! Open House 2/25 & 2/26 1:30-4:30pm

{Click photo to enlarge}

***1151 NORMANDY DRIVE, Campbell 95008***

Gorgeous 1,723 square foot, 4 bedroom, 2 bath completely remodeled Campbell home offers tons natural light, beautiful hardwood floors in all rooms except master. Sunroom not included in the square feet. Huge country kitchen with granite counters & abundant cabinetry. Recently installed central A/C & Heat. Beautifully landscaped backyard features huge paved patio,waterfall, lawn for kids.Plus a 1 bed 1 bath guest cottage with kitchen!! Perfect in-law unit! Large lot – 9,100 sf lot size. Fenced in front yard perfect for dogs & children. Great schools & close to all major freeways, farmer’s market & downtown Campbell. 4 days on the market!

Full details & more photos here.

Listed $849,500

Open House Sunday 2/26 1-4pm

{Click photos to enlarge}

We hope you enjoy this sunny weather & your weekend!

Are you looking to buy? We can help! 408-921-3601

Mortgage loan pre-approval info here.

Xo, Melissa & Virginia

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Weekly Pinterest Favs {Easy DIY projects}

Mirrored furniture is extremely popular right now. I have had my eye on this peice to complete our living room & provide some much needed storage. Honestly though either I’m becoming a major bargain shopper or I am just getting used to Craigslist & TJ Maxx prices, because for some reason I just can’t pull the trigger. It’s also $800 for a decorative piece. Little ridiculous. Plus Babe has been dying for a new bed and would be a little annoyed if I bought that over a new bed first! OK anyways, I found this awesome and easy peasy DIY on Pinterest:

{How to make mirrored furniture}

Step 1 – Buy a thrift store dresser, desk, buffet with drawers

Step 2 – paint it in whatever color you like

Step 3 – Measure the drawer panels where the mirrors will go & have a hardware store cut the mirrors to size – Pay extra to have polished edges

Step 4 – Drill holes for the hardware & apply the mirrors to the drawers with mirror glue or liquid nails.

Step 5 – Tape mirrors on furniture to ensure they stay in place while drying. Let dry overnight & you’re done!

Now you have a chic and glamorous new piece of furniture

Check out this DIY mirrored coffee table tutorial

{Tufted ottoman DIY}

Make an ottoman out of an old coffee table or chair! Brilliant & cost effective! Instructions here

{All images from Pinterest}

{DIY Herringbone Tray}

This looks so easy! All you really need is a tray, paint, ruler and tape. She did a great job. You could do this in whatever color matches your decor. I’m tempted to do this in hot pink.. ah so cute!

Instructions here

{Photos via House & Home}

So those are my Pinterest favorites this week.. This weekend me & the man will be attempting this tufted headboard project ekksss!! I’m really scared but I think we can pull it off; I’ll keep you posted with pics & everything!

Any of you attempted making your own headboard?? Please share your tips with me, as I will need all the help I can get! Haha

Xo, Melissa

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EASY DIY – spray painted media cabinet + trellis design

Since everything else in the living room has been updated, our good ol’ Ikea media cabinet  was really starting to bug me. It was in need of some serious style infusing.

Soooo for fun, I started googling “trellis design/pattern” and came up with this

I decided to print it out and glue the paper together, making it large enough to fit in my 11×18 inch windows of the media cabinet.

It looked a-ma-zing, so I got all excited and informed my husband that I would be painting & covering the windows to the media cabinet. He always thinks I am nuts, but agreed and requested I paint it an antique white color rather than pure white.

I really didn’t feel like getting out my paint brushes, sander & primer and doing the whole messy ordeal, so I grabbed a couple of cans of Heirloom White Rust-oleum spray paint from Home Depot. (I ended up needing 4 cans) + some spray adhesive to apply the trellis paper to the windows.

Tapped off and hardware removed.. First coat!

Almost done…. Oh and I bought two aqua knobs from Anthropology to replace the old brassy gold ones + it matches the aqua wall.

So here is the living room before..

Before again..

After!!

Yayyy now people don’t have to see my extensive collection of workout dvds!!

I sprayed a light coat of spray adhesive directly on the paper before sticking it to the windows – worked very well!

What do you think?? Just for the record, I definitely don’t recommend skipping the sanding and priming steps even if you are going to spray paint. I am just lazy.

{Some other options/ideas}

A stencil would be amazing on any piece of furniture you are re-painting like this one – Cutting Edge Stencils have a good variety

{source unknown}

O’verlays would be amazing too

{via pinterest}

Xo, Melissa

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785 Lakehaven Drive Sunnyvale 94089 – $439,950 Great value!!

Just listed!! 785 Lakehaven Drive Sunnyvale, CA 94089

This is a great property for first time home buyers or young family. The home is located in walking distance to Lakewood Elementary School, Lakewood Park, swimming, tennis, dog park, walking trails & more!

{Property Features}

  • 3 bedrooms
  • 2 full bathrooms
  • 1,108 Square feet of living space
  • 5,720 Lot size
  • Cherry wood laminate flooring throughout + carpeting in bedrooms

  • Enclosed front yard makes for a private setting

  • Kitchen overlooks backyard patio area
  • New stove & refrigerator stay!

  • Kitchen/dining area offer skylights for added natural light

  • Backyard features patio area, newer fencing + large storage shed

  • Wood burning brick fireplace in living room

  • Master suite offers, dual closets, attached bathroom & sliding glass door to backyard patio
  • Ample storage in hallway

  • Master bath has pretty blue tile counter tops & stall shower

  • Hall bath offers bathtub/shower combo &  laminate flooring

Listed for $439,950

{Schools}

K-5 Lakewood Elementary

6-8 Columbia Middle

9-12 Fremont High

View MLS listing here

For property disclosures & reports please contact Melissa – RemaxAdler@gmail.com

Are you looking to buy or sell? Give us a call 408-921-3601

Client Testimonials – click here

Still wondering why you should choose us to represent you? Click here

Mother-daughter Virginia & Melissa have been proudly

serving the community for two generations!

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$4 Wine cabinet easy update

You all know how I love me some spray paint. This is probably the easiest & cheapest DIY project of all time. This should inspire you to break out your own can of spray paint and do a little re-vamping on your outdated furniture. I actually sprayed my little wine cabinet a couple of months ago.. I was holding off on this post, in hopes of  finding some super adorable new knobs to really transform the piece, but i couldn’t find anything small enough. Oh well it’s still cute!

This wine cabinet is from Pier 1 and was purchased approx. 5 years ago! I remember it being something like $200 ?! I would never pay that now. Jesus Pier One  is so overpriced (compared to what you can find out there nowadays)

I was SO sick of the barf green color – OMG

After two thin coats of Rust-oleum Satin Lagoon, we have a whole new look. I was too lazy to sand or prime, but I think it came out perfect.

I think Rust-oleum satin finish spray paints give just the right amount of shine.

I love that the shabby chic cabinet goes so perfectly with the wine cabinet

To see how I easily created the below shabby chic burlap & paper lined cabinet  – click here

I’m really loving the nice burst of color it brings to the dining room

What do you think?

XO, Melissa & Virginia

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Photograph Wall Collage

When I created the gallery frame wall in our living room {shown below} it was exactly what I had in mind to showcase our wedding/engagement photos.

{Gallery wall tutorial click here}

We adore our “love wall” BUT I still have so many photos!!

I was browsing Pinterest & came across this really cute idea of doing a collage wall full of pictures – I know that may sound really tacky but if done right, it looks amazing!

{via Pinterest}

My favorite is the one below. I really like the look of having the entire wall covered from top to bottom. It’s almost like personalized wallpaper.

Heart shaped collage – does it get any cuter!?

{via Pinterest}

Now the question is where do I create this photo collage in our house?!

 Artistic photos, vintage, black & white photos etc can create whatever look you are going for.

{via MadeByGirl}

{via Pinterest}

{via Pinterest}

Using a large frame like the one below is gorgeous to!

So far here are my wall options:

I’m leaning toward this skinny wall that is the threshold between the dining room and living room. I would make the collage go above the doorway & down the left side, filling the entire wall.

What do you think? It could look really bad, but I think it’s worth a shot!

Or we could do it on this wall near my closet. This wall is a lot wider and will fit more photos.

{The gorgeous chandelier painting was made by the talented Katie Arambula – click here to see more of her awesome work}

Or option #3 –  this door that covers the furnace, in our hallway.

Not the cutest door, but a photo collage could definitely bring some pretty to this dingy closet.

Plus I would replace the knob with a jeweled one – I don’t know, could be cute. What’s your favorite spot for the photo collage? Leave me a comment with your vote. I can’t decide!

We hope you are all having a fantastic week so far!

**UPDATE**

I decided on the dingy door. See more photos here

Xo, Melissa & Virginia

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