Real Estate Information Archive

- First, check with your municipal codes for accessory buildings, garden sheds, and see what permits you need to add one to your yard. If you already have one, you’re one step closer to your party hut. 

- Decide on what will fit in your space, then shop pre-fab shed distributors, Pinterest for DIY material-repurposing ideas, or online for downloadable building plans.  

- How do you want to use your space?  Will it be an entertaining area, a place to relax, or a low-budget pool house? Make a budget for decorating and extras, and stick to it. 

- Once you have your building in place, choose your decor and paint scheme:   

- Beach-inspired colors are bright, and you can include an old surfboard, vintage buoys and signal flags found at tag sales. 

- Rocking chairs, light colored walls, natural elements, and floral seat cushions make for a country retreat. 

- Go modern with simple folding chairs, which offer a storage bonus, simple green succulent plants in sleep pots, neutral colors, and a sleek bar of polished wood. 

- Send guests a message of fun in the sun with a palm-frond roof, tiki torches, lots of wood elements and an open-air bar for a tropical feel. 

- Create a small pool house with space for lounge chairs, as well as hardware for hanging clothes and towels, and storage for pool toys.   

- Lighting can be tricky if you don’t have electricity running to your outdoor structure.  If you decide to fully wire the place, have an electrician take care of this aspect.  You want it well-lit, but not a shining beacon--soft lighting is perfect for Summer night entertaining. 

- Give self-charging solar lights a try.  LED’s associated with solar lighting have come a long way, and can be bright without being harsh. 

- Battery-operated LED lights are an excellent alternative, and come in many designs to complement your decor.  Strings of Chinese lanterns and vintage-style bulb covers can be found in many styles in home centers and online. 

- You may not want to deal with the cost of a hiring an electrician to wire your new party pad, but using solar power on your small building is easier than you may think.  Home improvement centers have small solar kits that you’ll need to light the night without adding to your utility bill. 

- Solar-powered ceiling fans for outdoor use are easily found online, as well as stand-alone units.  Moving air will keep you and any guests comfortable.   

- You can add crown molding to your rooms with little carpentry know-how.  Plaster-covered foam molding is available in many styles, and anyone with a measuring tape, hand saw and some paint can install it.  This Old House has a how-to for this easy update. 

- Clean up and, if necessary, paint your front entry door.  Add a new light sconce, and get a new welcome mat. 

- Electrical outlets are usually not something you think about upgrading, but outlets with a built-in USB port are available at home centers, and are impressive to potential home buyers because of the convenience they offer.  Put them near the kitchen counter, and a few in the bedrooms for easy access. 

- Cleaning the grout in the bathrooms, or even re-grouting can make your floor and tile look shiny-new. 

- Upgrade your doors’ and cabinets’ hardware for every room if it’s outdated. 

- Paint rooms a neutral color; grey and beige--even a mix called “greige”--are trendy right now if you don’t want all-white walls. 

- Add potted flowers or plants to your front entry for a welcome sight--just don’t forget to water them! 

- Check your crawl space for any falling insulation, and replace it. 

- Change out any dated light sconces and chandeliers. 

- A new shower curtain and decorative towels can do wonders for your bathroom. 

- The right backsplash in the kitchen can really make it stand out and look like new.  There are many DIY options, and the self-stick products on the market now make this task go much faster for the novice. 

- A chair rail and wainscoting in the dining area adds a nice eye-catching architectural detail. 

Most experts advise taking down your window curtains while your home is on the market, but you want some color on the windows.  A cornice box is an easy project to try, and cover them with your (now) old curtain fabric. 

Any friends that have recently bought or sold their home can get you started on a reference list.  Ask them what they liked most/least, and what they would do differently. 

Look to the internet for initial research.  Go down your list and search for each Realtor’s listings, blogs, and testimonials. Record contact information of Realtors you’re most interested in. 

Call each Realtor and set up an appointment to meet for a Q&A session. 

Before your first meeting, familiarize yourself with real estate professionals terms, as each title has a different job. 

Have this list of questions to ask on hand at every meeting: 

- How long have you been in real estate? 

- Are you in the real estate business full-time or part-time? 

- Do have more buying or selling experience? 

- How many homes have you sold in the past twelve months? 

- Do you specialize in any certain neighborhoods or locations? 

- How many clients are you working with now? 

- What’s the best mode of communication for you? 

- Do you utilize the internet and social media to list your homes for sale? 

- What makes you stand out in our local market? 

- What should I know as a seller/buyer? 

- A good Realtor welcomes these questions and will be honest with you when they answer them. 

- Don’t be surprised if the real estate pro interviews you as well! They need to know about you as much as you need to know about them. 

- Meeting with potential Realtors help you see their personalities, and having good chemistry is essential to your Realtor-client relationship.  You will be spending a lot of time with each other. 

- References with contact information are essential and can help you seal the deal with the right real estate professional for you and your needs. 

- If the Realtor is new in the field, don’t count inexperience against them.  They should be eager to add your sale to their portfolio and want to offer you a great experience. 

- Cracked, curling or buckled shingles are an obvious problem. These should be replaced or repaired as soon as possible to prevent water damage and mold infestation. 

- Are your shingles dirty? Look in the gutters for tiny bits of the shingle granules.  If you find a lot of them, and not many are left on the shingles themselves, it may be time to re-shingle the roof. 

- Check around chimneys, vents, skylights, and anything else that is installed on the roof for any cracks or tears in the flashing beneath the shingles that could be allowing water to leak in. 

- Inspect carefully where tree branches could come in contact with the roof, to make sure they haven’t caused any damage from Winter winds. 

- Now would be a good time to check the eaves and gutters.  Make sure the wood is in good shape, and that gutters are clean and not loose. 

- If you think you may have especially bad soft spots in your roof, call a professional to climb up for a more thorough inspection.  

- Get into the attic and look for dark spots or obvious places where water has run.  Pay close attention if your attic smells musty and look for mold or mildew.  If you see any daylight shining through where it shouldn’t be, you need to check the corresponding area on the roof and get that repaired. 

- Check every inch of the top floor interior ceiling plaster or drywall for discoloration, crumbling, cracking or bubbling. 

- Don’t forget closets, cabinets, storage areas, and even wallpaper.  Use a very bright flashlight to help you see these hard-to-see places. 

- In spite of what we see on house flipping television shows, the open floor plan is losing some popularity.  People are starting to define their open spaces with small partitions, paint, and other clever ways. 
 

- Natural things like wood, botanical prints and florals are still hot.  Wood is still king in the flooring department, and wallpapers and fabrics will be featuring natural prints. 
 

- For kitchen countertops, quartz is moving up the ranks because of its beauty and ease of care--it doesn’t need sealing like marble and granite, and it’s also heat resistant. 
 

- Accent walls are painted in bold colors, or covered with wood or bold-printed wallpapers. 
 

- Metallic pieces are making a comeback.  Finishes in brass and even stainless black are taking over stainless steel and brushed nickel.  Good thing that mixed metals are an acceptable look. 
 

- Larger tile on floors and backsplashes are coming in style, but the classic subway tile is still number one because of the clean, classic look it has. 
 

- Concrete is showing up in unusual places, like flooring and walls.   
 

- Smart technology is being integrated into almost every room of the house, including the bathroom. 

Courtesy of New Castle County DE Realtors Tucker Robbins and Carol Arnott Robbins.   

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- Now is a great time to prune dead wood and suckers out of flowering trees and shrubbery.  If you have plants that bloom in spring or bloom off old wood, wait to cut it back until after it flowers. Cutting them back now will take off the new flower bud.  
 

- After pruning fruit trees, spray with neem oil to help prevent any pests that have overwintered and can destroy your Summer harvest. 
 

- Rake leaves and other debris so your lawn can absorb as much sun as possible to look its best. Place debris in the compost pile. 
 

- Don’t wait to start mowing the lawn in a few months to find a mechanical problem.  Home Depot offers some tips for getting your lawn mower ready for the busy season. 
 

- Check your irrigation system for any cracks if the cold weather has been brutal this year. 
 

- Have your garden soil tested through your local cooperative extension service.  
 

- If you haven’t already, get your seeds ordered and started as soon as possible. The Old Farmer’s Almanac has some great advice for indoor seed-starting. 
 

If you see daffodils blooming, that means it’s time to get cold weather veggies in the ground:  onions, garlic, sweet peas, salads, carrots and potatoes are cold-hardy and will be ready for harvest first! 
 

- Cut back ornamental grasses and mow any natural wildflower landscaping you may have. 
 

- Don’t put away the bird feeders just yet--keep them full, because winter fruit is fading, and their favorite insects haven’t ventured out yet.  Clean your hummingbird feeders with a bottlebrush dipped in warm water with white vinegar, rinse, and allow to sir dry.  If you’re not sure when to fill them and have them ready, read this hummingbird Spring migration information from The Spruce. 
 

-Mulching now is a good idea, unless there has been a lot of snow and rain in your area.  Before you put down new mulch, make sure the ground has had some time to dry out.