Real Estate Information Archive

As we enter the new year, it's the perfect time to breathe new life into our homes. And what better way to start than by giving well-deserved attention to our often-overlooked floors? Whether you're gearing up for a major makeover or simply replacing worn-out surfaces, 2024 promises an array of exciting flooring trends, transforming your space into a haven of style and comfort.

1. Warm Tile Tones for a Moody Elegance

Step into 2024 with a burst of warmth underfoot! Tile design is turning towards inviting hues like cream, beige, and grey, blending different large formats and tonalities to craft captivating patterns. Jordana Moche, the maestro behind Porcelanosa NYC, predicts a surge in popularity for medium and darker wood-effect tiles and earth-toned flooring. Picture a home with a cozy, moody charm—a true retreat with a touch of hospitality.

2. Retro Carpet Revolution: Nostalgia with a Twist

Hold on to your hats because the carpet revolution is here! Audra Keiber, Mohawk's design and development virtuoso, hints at a retro resurgence in 2024. Like vintage furnishings and retro colorways, carpets are making a stylish comeback. Step away from the mundane gray and embrace the unique patterns and warm tones of this nod to nostalgia. Our top pick? The upcoming Karastan release, Stitchery, weaves a classic herringbone pattern with traditional colorways for a truly inspiring finish.

3. Familiar Farmhouse Flooring with a Modern Twist

The modern farmhouse style still reigns supreme in 2024. According to Adam Vester, Mohawk's design maven, farmhouse trends are evolving towards warm minimalism with Scandinese influences. Raw textures and organic forms meet Scandi minimalism, creating a visually clean backdrop that transforms living spaces into soft-spoken retreats. Embrace the familiarity of farmhouse flooring with a modern, sophisticated twist.

4. Innovative Sustainable Floors: A Green Revolution

Eco-conscious living takes center stage as sustainability and inclusivity drive flooring choices. Audra Keiber emphasizes Mohawk's commitment to sustainability, introducing innovative bio-based flooring alternatives. Expect clean, renewable, and sustainable materials to take the lead in 2024. Join the green revolution and explore flooring options that align with your values.

5. Hardwood Floors Reign Supreme in Kitchens

In 2024, we'll see kitchens graced by the enduring elegance of hardwood floors. Mitchell Parker, senior editor at Houzz, unveils the trend, with a quarter of renovating homeowners opting for stained or unstained hardwood. Get ready for smooth surfaces, raw wood tones, and wide planks. While lighter hues make waves, rustic wood's earthy charm remains a steadfast favorite. Dive into the classic herringbone pattern for an elegant and classy appearance.

6. A Nod to Nostalgia Across Hard Surfaces

Nostalgia isn't confined to carpets alone—hard surfaces are joining the trip down memory lane in 2024. Adam Vester reveals a trend characterized by clean lines and a pared-back aesthetic. Visualize wood and laminate flooring with enhanced wood looks, featuring more minor character knots. This fusion of midcentury modernism with retro seventies vibes and futuristic elements creates an environment that transcends time, offering a sense of timeless elegance.

7. Universal Design for All: Future-Proofing Homes

Homeowners are embracing universal design principles, renovating with everyone in mind. Future-proofing becomes key, ensuring accessibility and convenience for all. Mitchell Parker points out the rising trend of addressing special needs during renovations, focusing on safety. Think nonslip bathroom flooring—a simple yet crucial upgrade that enhances safety for all ages.

In 2024, let your floors tell a story of warmth, nostalgia, and sustainability. Embrace the trends that resonate with your style, and transform your space into a haven of excitement and authenticity. Prepare for a year when flooring becomes the star of your home's design narrative!

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If you've decided to sell or buy this year...congratulations!  What an exciting time for you. We're here to assist you every step of the way. Call our family team of experts today and we'll get down to business crafting your plan for real estate buying and selling success! 

There is no denying that preparing to sell your home can be a very stressful time for you and your family - now tack on a global pandemic and the process can seem downright overwhelming. The little items on your to-do list seem never-ending as you do your best to make your home as appealing as possible to potential buyers. 

In an effort to ease some of the stress, we have broken down a few items below for you to review and start checking off your list. One step (and check mark) at a time, you got this!  

Bedrooms:
-Make all beds each day (invest in new linens if any are looking worn)
-Clear off surfaces of furniture items such as bedside tables and dressers
-Keep floors clear and mop/vacuum frequently so no dust builds up
-Organize closets and be sure to keep doors closed for showings 

Bathrooms: 
-Make sure all surfaces are clean and clear of clutter
-Replace old hand towels with new decorative ones 
-Run your shower curtain through the washer (or purchase a new one if yours looks worn)
-Sanitize countertops and any moldy areas within the bathroom (corners of sinks and bathtubs, etc.)
-Clean toilet bowl and always be sure to keep toilet lids closed during showings 
-Make sure garbage cans are completely empty and clean
-Replace caulking if necessary 

Living and Family Rooms:
-Remove any furniture that makes the area feel small and closed off
-Make sure tables are clear of clutter
-Put away any toys from children/dogs
-Incorporate decorative throws and pillows to make the space soft and inviting 

Kitchen:
-Clear off all unnecessary items from countertops 
-Organize the pantry so it looks neat and tidy 
-Deep clean the microwave, stove and oven
-Remove any magnets and/or pictures from the refrigerator doors 
-Clean tile grout (bleach it if necessary)
-For showings, put away pet food and water dishes
-Make sure the garbage is empty prior to each showing

Laundry:
-Remove all clothing from the room (dirty or clean)
-Put away (or organize) any laundry soap and supplies
-Make sure floors are clear and clean – vacuum and mop frequently
-Keep all surfaces clear and clean 

From new, modern homes to old fixer-uppers - whatever your taste let our experienced team help you find your dream home in Omaha, NE. Be sure to sign up for our listing alerts here!

If you are thinking of selling your home, from time to time you may catch yourself making mental notes of areas that need repair, carpets that need cleaning and clutter that needs to be sorted and donated/thrown out. Many home owners may not realize the extent of work that needs to be done on their home before it is ready to be put on the market and shown to potential buyers. If you are wondering where to start in the home staging process, and want to do it without breaking the bank, then today’s blog post is for you. There are a few golden rules for you to keep in mind as you prepare and stage your home for potential buyers, and we have listed them below for you to check out. Let’s jump right in!

The first rule we are going to talk about is de-personalizing your home. What do we mean by that? Well, remember the large, framed family photo from three summers ago at Lake Tahoe that you have hanging in the living room? While it may bring you great joy as beautiful memories flood back to you when you look at it, it may not be as appealing to potential buyers who are looking at your home. You want your home to essentially be a blank canvas for buyers to picture themselves settling into. You want them to look at your kitchen and picture their Sunday dinners, your master bedroom as a cozy oasis for them to escape to and your family room as a central hub for gatherings. It will be hard for them to do that if all they see are reminders of how you have made the house yours and all the wonderful time you have spent there. So, with that being said, it is important to remove personal items that you have around your home when staging to sell. 

The next tip we have for you is to de-clutter the space. There is no better way for potential home buyers to picture a blank canvas than for them to see clean and neat spaces. You may even want to think about renting a storage unit if there are items that you think do not add to the space, but that you aren’t quite ready to part with yet. This can include items such as bulky furniture, artwork, kids toys, holiday decorations and clothing that makes your closet look too packed, thus making it appear smaller. De-cluttering will maximize the space in your home, ensuring that potential buyers see the real and full potential of the house. Our next tip is arguably the simplest, and that is to clean/sanitize your home. No one likes a dirty home and you only have one chance to make a first impression on buyers. Whether you hire on a company or choose to grab the rubber gloves and tackle the cleaning yourself, it will be the best time/money you could spend when it comes to staging your home to sell. 

Our last tip for you is to neutralize your home. It is no secret that color can make or break how people view a particular space. And while you may think that bright pink accent wall does wonders for the aesthetic of the home, potential buyers may think otherwise. All they will see is money, time and potential frustration on a home improvement project. One of the most inexpensive ways to change the look and feel of a home is to paint, and we can assure you that updating the space with calming and neutral colors will make a world of difference for buyers. We hope these tips and tricks will help you when it comes to staging your home to sell, and take off some of the stress and guess work on where to start! 

Is it time for a little face lift for the outside of your home? Are things starting to look a little worn down and dated? If so, today’s blog post is for you! We understand that the maintenance on the outside of your house can sometimes get pushed to the back burner, especially since you may only notice it in passing when coming/leaving. But with a few quick exterior updates, you can give your home a little curb appeal and have it back in tip-top shape in no time.

Dressing up the front door is a great place to start! If your front door is looking a little outdated, splashing a fresh coat of paint on it and adding a decorative wreath will do wonders. You can also incorporate some additional touches such as a welcome mat or festive doorbell cover. Next, if you think that people do not take notice of your mailbox you may want to think again. Sprucing up your mailbox with a fresh coat of paint and/or personalizing it with your last name is a fun and easy way to add a little life to the front of your house.

Another way to bring some flair to the exterior of your home is to add some window boxes underneath the windows in the front of your house. You can purchase a variety of colors and styles of window boxes, as well as plant vibrant flowers such as daises, petunias and marigolds within them. This is a wonderful way to incorporate natural beauty and color to the front of your home without breaking the bank. You also want to be sure to clean out the gutters on your house to make sure that excess water is able to flow away from your home. Spraying them down with a power washer will help to restore the gutters to their original color and make them look new again!

Have you been thinking of revamping your home and find yourself wondering what aspect to focus on? Whether you are remodeling to put your home on the market or just updating areas that are outdated, you always want to think about what you are improving, what you are spending your money on and how that will affect the salability of the home in the future. And while it is thought that kitchens and bathrooms should be prioritized when considering return on investment, what many people don’t realize is that paint color can have a large impact on how buyers see and judge the home. And yes, that is exactly what we are going to be talking about in today’s blog post!

Now you may be asking yourself exactly which paint colors will get you the most bang for your buck and will appeal the most to potential buyers in the future. In Zillow’s 2018 Paint Color Analysis, over 135,000 images of homes that were sold across the country were examined. These images were examined to see how colored walls affected selling price of the home compared to plain white walls, and the results are quite intriguing. It was found that homes in which feature black or charcoal gray doors sell for more than $6,200 than expected. And, as you may imagine, yellow exterior paint ranked on the lower end, and those homes sold for $3,400 less than what was expected. When it comes to living rooms, the color taupe with peach, tan or pink undertones tend to be more appealing and on average the home sells for over $2,700 than expected.

When it comes to kitchens, you want to be especially picky because home buyers see themselves spending a lot of time is that particular part of the house and therefore judge it more closely. It was found that the most popular color combination in kitchens is white cabinets paired with dark navy blue or black islands. Homes that features tuxedo cabinets, which refers to the lower and upper cabinets being a different color, sell at a $1,550 premium. And when it comes to bathrooms, using colors such as periwinkle blue or a light blue paint with a gray-blue tint can increase the home’s selling price by over $2,700. So if you are wanting to upgrade your house and put a little life back into it, putting a fresh coat of paint may be just the trick you need. And if you incorporate the information we talked about above, you have a good chance of not only increasing your home’s appeal to future buyers, but in turn get a higher selling price!