Are houses really as cluttered as they show them to be on TV?

I'm often asked if houses really are as bad as they show on the television, or if they have been made worse for the drama.  This client is real, and so is her 40 years of clutter, unfortunately...

 

 

 

Beach House Makeover

I'd love to make-over a beach house - does anyone own one and need this service?!!  Preferably in the sun, and of course I'd need to test it out for several weeks! Something like this would be fine...

 

 

Home Makeover Lessons

... now available!

Ever wondered why the professional makeovers look so good? How we do it on such a small budget? How we get the rooms to feel like they 'flow' into each other? How it all looks so calm and inviting? Why nothing clashes?

Have a Home Makeover Lesson!   Learn a skill for life.

The 3-hour lesson will take place in your own home, and will include makeover advice for several rooms in the house, as an integral part of the lesson. It is similar to having one of my Consultations, but you're learning why I'm making the suggestions, so you can make your own decisions next time.

Personalised Plan
We will build a personalised plan for your home during the lesson, on a spreadsheet, so you can alter ideas later, or add to it, or use the budget section to keep an eye on your spending!
 
Perfect Gift
This lesson is a perfect gift for anyone wanting to make changes to their home, but lack the confidence to do so. A useful Wedding or Engagement Gift, Birthday or Christmas surprise, Retirement gift etc.  For all ages, all budgets.

See this link for many more details... Home Makeover Lessons

Feedback your viewers won't give you...

Here are some examples of feedback your viewers may think, but are too polite to say...
 
"Your house smells" ... of dogs /cooking / smoke...  
"Your house is dirty."
"Your clutter tells us you don't fit into your home so we probably won't fit either."
"Your rooms are bland / boring." (Or, "Your room colours are awful.")
"Your garden is a mess, it must be really hard to look after."

None of these things would take long to cure if they bought the house, but the chances are they won't buy it anyway.  So, clean up, tidy up, and give your home more of a showhome feel.

10 tips for viewings

1) Have a checklist to use before each viewing, so nothing is missed in the panic.
2) Have a spare set of fresh bedding to place on every bed, with new pillows.
3) Have an empty cupboard in each room so you can have a quick tidy-up.
4) Start packing now.  Fewer items in a room make it appear larger.
5) Have spare fluffy towels to put out for viewings.
6) Open all windows half an hour before viewings.
7) Remove all false scents. Don't use plug-in scents.
8) Wipe over kitchen and bathroom surfaces so they shine.
9) Practise which lights need to be switched on at different times of day.
10) Remove all pets for the viewing, and food bowls etc.

Sweet little book...

The little old book I found in a cottage in Wales is so sweet:

 

"Friends will shake their heads - take no notice"

 

"Have a man in"

 

 

And check-out the wallpapering instructions:

 

I found a real little treasure in N Wales...

In a remote holiday cottage, in Wales, on a little bookshelf in the hall, I discovered this little gem. A "House Doctor" book, from 1926! It refers to a house as being alive - having eyes (windows), veins (electricity), a heart (kitchen stove), lungs (room spaces) etc and mentions servants and housewive's handymen hero's!! Lovely. They let me keep it, I will treasure it.

 

"The heart may demand diagnosis"

"A careless servant's hand..."



 

 

"A handyman is of more use than a hero!"

 

 

More gems to come as I find them...

 

 

 

Hear me on the radio!!

I was on BBC Radio Derby again this week!  This time talking about presenting your home for sale - how a messy bedroom can take £8,000 off the price of the home etc. Here's the link to the show:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/player/p00wv65p  My slot starts 14 minutes 44 seconds into the show.

This is the article that we were discussing on the show:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2192259/Messy-bedroom-knocks-8-000-house-value.html