Virtual Tours and Internet Home Searching

Reporting from the National Association of Realtors and Google shows that more and more people are using the internet as part of their home searches. This can mean starting with a Google search for the name of your area and a phrase like "homes for sale," or using the website and online resources of a real estate agent you've selected.

One piece of internet capability that's particularly useful in searching for a home is streaming video. A Google survey reports that home shoppers use videos to learn more about a community, take a virtual tour of the inside of a home, and compare features. If you're looking for a home from afar, consider taking a virtual tour of a home or neighborhood. Ask your realtor about video options, or a set of digital pictures if video isn't available.

Try the home search on the Bray website and use the photo galleries or virtual tours (available on some listings - look for the video camera icon!) to see the listings that interest you. You can use the advanced search options to make sure there are virtual tours or multiple photos: under "Choose Your Display Options," check the box for "Only show listings with virtual tours or [__] or more photos."

How-to: Home Painting Tips

A fresh coat of paint can make a big difference, whether it's for a whole room, a front door, or your kitchen cabinets. But painting well and efficiently requires that you know a few tricks. Thankfully, experienced painters have shared their tricks with us all, via the internet!

The Family Handyman has a page filled with tips from a veteran painter that tells you how to paint a room quickly, cleanly, and with professional style. The tips for getting clean edges without taping (and knowing when using tape is essential) are great, and all the advice combines big picture and details.

Painting your front door is another project that can really change your house's presentation, and Barbara at DIY Home Staging has a "Girl's Guide to Painting Your Front Door" that shows you how. What makes it a "girl's guide," you ask? Barbara writes, "you'll paint the door in place, so there's no need to pull hinge pins and lug the door somewhere to put on sawhorses. And like a real lady, you'll get beautiful results without making a mess." But you don't have to be a girl to benefit from these tips. Anyone can click over and start painting!

And of course sometimes you'll need to paint things like kitchen cabinets. Jenny at Evolution of Style has a detailed blog of her experience painting her kitchen cabinets with a HVLP (high-volume, low-pressure) sprayer. See how she got a professional look while doing it herself!

What are your favorite internet resources for painting projects?

Inside Real Estate: Home Atmosphere for Selling

When selling your house, there are a variety of things you can do to maximize your home's appeal and value. Remember that many buyers are looking at multiple houses, so it's important to help your house make a good impression. We'll talk about six major aspects of your home and what you can do to improve them. Previously, we talked about curb appeal, interior maintenance, exterior maintenance, kitchen and bathrooms, and garages, carports and sheds.

The last aspect we'll talk about is atmosphere. Rather than being a specific area of your home or kind of work, creating atmosphere is about making a prospective buyer's first experience of your home pleasant. These added touches help your home shine.

Suggestions:

• Turn on lights and open drapes
• Light candles or put out fresh flowers
• Play quiet background music
• Turn on air conditioner or heater as appropriate
• Be absent during showings and keep pets outside or confined