Loving Where You Live - Inside and Out of the Heat

July 2018 - Issue 9

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Hello!

Well, it's hot.

We anticipated some Texas heat last month when we focused on staying inside and thinking about color (you can find that issue here).

But no one thought that we'd have the record-breaking July that we've seen.

So, I got to thinking some more about staying inside - and how sometimes, in order to love where you live, you have to break a few rules. Be true to yourself. Let your light shine.

This month, we'll be talking about some things that don't necessarily apply if you're thinking of selling - things that you might consider just to make your home a place you love to be.

Because you deserve to love where you live!

817.903.1112

dbarrett@virginiacook.com

p.s. - please share Harmonious Home Adventures with friends and family (they also deserve to love where they live). Just hit that "forward" button on your email. They can sign up here:

Break a Few Rules and Love Where You Live

Yes, It's Hot -

There are things that you can do to beat the heat.

But unless your lifestyle supports staying in the water all day, the best thing to do when the forecast looks like ours does is stay inside.

So, Stay Inside

For some, staying inside means going to an office – whether permanent or temporary. (Ever notice how crowded local coffee shops get when the weather’s bad – people using tables at Ampersand or Avoca or Craftwork or Buon Giorno or good old Starbucks as their workspace?)

For others, it means staying inside your house, which means that it’s even more than normally important to love where you live.

If You're Not Selling, You're the One to Please

We've talked in past newsletters about, when you're selling your home, how important it is to make your potential buyers imagine themselves in the space. (You can find a couple of those here and here.) That means that anything too "taste specific" has to go.

For instance, this room (actual MLS photo):

would be both too personal and too cluttered (even though orderly) to appeal to most buyers.

But, if you're not selling, it's your home and you should love it! If teddy bears are your thing, and they make you happy, then a mob of them might be just the ticket.

Remember the dark red dining room from last month? ( Here, if you missed it)

True, it might be a problem for some buyers. But if the goal is to make your home more closely match your taste and if claret is your taste, by all means, find the shade that speaks to you and go with it!

It's Not Just Decor - Use Your Space to Make You Happy

Think about whether you’re using your living spaces in a way that fits your lifestyle. Or are you unconsciously bowing to convention because, well, that’s "just the way things are done"?

Take bedrooms as an easy example. Most people don’t have trouble seeing how a bedroom can easily be re-purposed into a study/office, or perhaps an exercise room, or a playroom for the kids.

But just because a space appears to be intended as a dining area doesn’t mean that you have to use it that way. Would it make more sense for the way you live to have the TV there, perhaps so that you could watch it – and maybe the kids – while you’re in the kitchen? Then set it up that way!

Lot’s of people convert their “formal” dining rooms into offices. Nothing wrong with that. Or having the office in the "living room," for that matter.

Don’t watch TV very much? Why not relegate it to a spare bedroom and replace the bed with a comfy sofa or a couple of chairs for when you do want to watch?

My family has a love of books, so we often convert dining spaces into “library” areas.

The point is to think about the most convenient way for you to use your space – the way that fits how you spend your time. Then use it that way!

No matter how you use the space, it can be furnished and decorated to match your lifestyle and in a way that will make you glad to come home.

Homework

So, while you're inside staying out of the heat, look around your home. Think about how you use your spaces and what changes you might want to make, both in the use and in the decor.

And, of course, if you'd like help fine-tuning your surroundings to be in harmony with your lifestyle, give me a call! I'd be honored to help you Love Where You Live!

(By the way, 360 West Magazine is having their poll for best real estate agents. I'd be honored to have your vote. It only takes a minute. The link for consumers and recent home buyers is HERE . Thanks so much. - Debra)