Creative Fixes for Challenging Spaces

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Natural light brightens any room

Most homes have some sort of design challenge, like a small room, or a room that doesn’t get enough natural light. When listing your Knoxville home, it’s important to tackle these design challenges and make the most of the space.

Here are some design tips to improve common problems:

For a small room, furniture placement, paint color, and lighting are important.

Home staging experts suggest to scale the size of the furniture to the size of the room. This means that in a small room, large bulky sofas or chairs should be avoided. Also, furniture should never block walking pathways. Placing the furniture against the wall allows visitors a clear visual into the next room, which also helps to make a room look larger. If you don’t like the all the furniture against the wall, try placing it at an angle. This creates a diagonal line, which seems longer, thus creating the illusion of a larger space. For table suggestions in a small space, try a glass tabletop. This provides an open feeling to the space.

Natural lighting really opens up a space. Make full use of light from windows to make a small space appear larger. Sheer curtains or pulling back the drapes will bring the outside view into the room, which will make the room look more spacious. If the view is less than desirable, a hanging plant will divert the attention.

Natural light and a plant opens up this space

A common misconception is that small rooms must be painted white to appear larger. Some design experts suggest bold colors for a small space. However, if staging a home to sell, a sunny or warm shade may be the right choice.

For rooms that seem dark and cave-like, paint color should be selected wisely. Contrary to popular belief, pale paint colors do not necessarily brighten a dark room. Design experts suggest mid-tones which are the colors located on the middle of the paint sample. To brighten up dark rooms, light and neutral-colored furniture and accessories will also help. For example, if it’s a bedroom, light linens will bring pizzazz to the space.

For more tips on how to sell your Knoxville home, contact an experienced Realtor like Judi Starliper and the J-Star Team. The website offers many Buyer/Seller Tips.

Necessary Repairs to Sell Your Home

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In this Knoxville home market, buyers are expecting the property to be “move in” ready. In order to sell your house in this competitive market, these repairs should be made before you list your Knoxville home for sale.

Repair and clean the gutters. Loose or hanging gutters are a huge red flag that the property hasn’t been maintained.

Fix cabinet doors that are askew. Make sure all cabinet doors can open and close easily.  Cabinet pulls and hardware should be updated and installed properly.

Replace chipped tile and re-seal grout. A cracked or chipped tile will stick out like a sore thumb to potential buyers. It leaves an impression that the home will require a lot of work before moving in.

Repair leaky or dripping faucets. You might not notice a drippy faucet, but a potential buyer will.

Patch nail holes. A little putty and paint and potential buyers will never know where pictures or posters used to hang.

Eliminate odors. Candles or potpourri can’t mask powerful kitchen odors or the smell of smokers living in the home. Cleaning can usually eliminate most kitchen smells, but certain deep fried cooking aromas can permeate the cabinets, ceiling, and walls. A more thorough, deep scrubbing might be necessary. For smokers, cleaning might not be enough. Removing carpet and painting the walls may be the only way to eliminate the smell of smoke.

Clean the baseboards. Dust and grime accumulate along the baseboards and in corners where the vacuum and mop can’t reach. Spend some extra time getting those hard to reach places.

Remove peeling wallpaper. Outdated, peeling wallpaper represents a headache to a potential buyer. Remove the wallpaper and go with a neutral paint color.

Making all these necessary repairs will give you an advantage when trying to sell your Knoxville home. If you have any questions about listing your house, then contact an experienced Realtor, like Judi Starliper and the J-Star Team.

Steps to Organizing Your Closet

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Is your New Year’s resolution to become more organized? Are you thinking about listing your Knoxville home for sale? Or, perhaps, opening your closet door results in being bombarded by its contents. No matter what reason you have for cleaning out your closet, you can make it a manageable task if you have a plan. Here are some simple suggestions to organizing your closet:

Remove everything and sort. Cleaning out your closet will not yield the desired results unless you do some serious purging. One way to sort is to make three piles, one for things you need, one for things you can donate, and one stack for items you’re on the fence about. When sorting through your items and trying to decide whether to keep or donate, try asking yourself questions like, “When is the last time you wore/used the item?” or “Does it still fit?”

Sorting keepsakes and memorabilia can be emotional. Ask yourself if it duplicates a similar item or if a picture captures the same memory.

After the sorting process, make sure to follow through with the donation process. Don’t be tempted to put it off until later because it’s likely you’ll move the items from one closet to another.

Organize the remainder. Clear plastic totes are helpful because you can visually see what is inside the tote. If using colorful totes, make sure to label the boxes.

To organize clothing items, find a system. Some people organize their hanging clothes by season or by item type. Find the system that makes sense to you and then stick with it. This step is easier if you have enough sturdy hangers.

A clean and organized closet can do wonders. It is rewarding to see a visible difference. It might even inspire you to organize other areas of your home, like your pantry or storage shed.

Knoxville is Perfect for Fitness Enthusiasts

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Now that we’re into the New Year, you have to live up to your resolutions to exercise more this year. Fortunately, in Knoxville, there are so many wonderful places to walk, run, hike, and cycle your way to better health.

Parks. Knoxville has more than 80 parks with over 1,850 acres of fun. No matter what part of the city you’re in, you’re minutes to the nearest park.

Victor Ashe Park in Northwest Knoxville features a paved loop and is a popular cross country venue for local middle and high schools. The park also has a disc golf course, soccer fields, a play area, and a popular dog park for your furry friend.

Adair Park in North Knoxville features a one mile path through forest area that runs along a pond and a creek. It also features butterfly gardens, a gazebo available for rental, and a playground.

Ijam’s Nature Center in South Knoxville is one of the city’s most valuable treasures. The paved and unpaved nature trails on the 100-acre grounds are perfect for the whole family. The nature center offers a variety of programs, something for everyone.

Tyson Park in West Knoxville features tennis courts, baseball/softball fields, and a skate park.

Anchor Park is located on the waterfront in Farragut. It features paved pathways, athletic fields, a fishing pier, and a picnic pavilion.

Greenways. In Knoxville, there are more than 60 miles of paved greenway trails that are perfect for biking, walking, and jogging. Many of these greenway trails connect to neighborhoods, cultural centers, and historic places throughout Knoxville.

In Blount County, the Maryville-Alcoa paved greenway connects the two cities. With multiple entry points, the greenway is easily accessible to residents.

The master plan in the works is to link the Knoxville greenway system with the 9-mile Maryville-Alcoa greenway system.

Trails. In East Tennessee, hiking, mountain biking, and trail running are very popular. In the greater Knoxville area, popular off-road venues include I.C. King Park in South Knoxville, Haw Ridge along the Clinch River, North Boundary Greenway in Oak Ridge, Concord Park in Farragut, and Melton Hill Park in Northwest Knox County.

The Smoky Mountains, a half-hour from Knoxville, is an outdoor lover’s dream. Featuring more than 800 miles of hiking trails, all fitness levels can find the perfect trail and enjoy a day of hiking.

The Knoxville Track Club, one of the top ten track and field clubs in the United States, feature group runs, running programs, and races that will help you accomplish your 2012 fitness goals.

New Years Traditions and Superstitions

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For many, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day is full of traditions, like watching football bowl games, eating black-eyed peas, and spending time with family and friends. Did you know that there are other traditions, superstitions, or customs that people participate in to celebrate the New Year? Here are some of the more interesting ones.

Fireworks. A lot of people ring in the New Year with fireworks. This tradition originated because it was once believed that noisemakers, like fireworks, would scare away evil spirits.

Resolutions. Many people use the first day of the year to think about the previous year and reflect on ways to make the New Year a better one. Improving one’s health, relationships, or finances usually top the list of resolutions.

Kissing at midnight. Smooching at midnight on New Year’s Eve is a tradition because it is in human nature to share affection during the sentimental stroke of midnight when we say “goodbye” to the old year and welcome in the new one.

What you do on New Year’s is what you’ll be doing all year. Perhaps, this is the reason we kiss our loved ones at midnight!

Nothing should leave the house. A New Year’s superstition is that nothing should leave the house until something is brought into it.

First footer. Another tradition or superstition is that the first person to cross the threshold on New Year’s is the one who will have the most influence throughout the year.

Eat traditional foods. Different cultures have traditional New Year’s day dishes which have special meanings. Some eat pork because pigs root forward (as opposed to chickens who scratch backward). Black-eyed peas are said to bring good luck. Lentils resemble coins and signify wealth. Greens, such as collard greens or cabbage, represent money. Some eat 12 grapes, one for every month of the year.

Feel free to add any of your traditions in the comments below.

The J-Star Team wishes you and Happy and Prosperous New Year!