Before & After: Ranch Home Redux

Did you know that nine out of 10 new houses built in the United States in 1950 were ranch-style homes? Unfortunately, the identifiable low-slung architecture faded by 1970, and a thirst for more square footage and classic adornments had hit the scene by the 1980s.

Today there is renewed interest in these iconic 20th-century homes. Not only are they readily available, but many people are realizing their one-floor set up is quite practical.

If you’re looking for ideas for your own ranch house, check out this ranch home makeover.

Dining room

Replacing a mustard wall color and dated light fixture is key to bringing the dining room into this decade. Walls in shades of gray pair with an oversized mirror to reflect light.

A California casual chandelier and natural fiber rug anchor the space on newly installed hardwood floors, while a shared French settee welcomes friends and family around a reclaimed wood table, inviting conversation and great meals, too.

Living room

Once unapproachable and stodgy, this living space has transformed to tell the family’s story via a gallery wall of mementos. Splashy accessory and fabric color choices liven up the room.

Woven wood shades allow for filtered light and bring the outdoors in with organic texture, while a tree-like coffee table beckons all to gather around. A graphic area rug underfoot creates softness and visual interest.

Family room

Now neutral and celebrating hues of tangerine tango, this family room invites relaxing in front of the television or pulling up additional seating for game night.

Silhouettes of each family member proved to be an interactive DIY project to create artwork all their own. Curated accessories from the family’s travels provide added comfort to the space.

Kitchen and nook

Lighting and hardware can swiftly bring a space from frumpy to fantastic. Affordable light fixtures and packaged hardware refreshed the white cabinets and solid-surface counter tops. New bar stools and custom seat cushions at the nook add comfort and personality.

Bathroom

A new light fixture and faucet brought this powder room up to par, but the graphic wallcovering took it to the next level, showing that even a small space can accommodate big design personality.

Check out more great ranch house design ideas.

Photos by Kerrie Kelly Design Lab

Related:

• Before & After: Media Room Gets a Modern-Glam Update
• 8 DIY Ways to Redo Your Bathroom (Without Remodeling)
• Before & After: Gloomy Garage to Light and Airy Kitchen

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Mayweather Didn't Drop Pacquiao, But He Keeps Dropping Penthouse Price

Welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s betting creds may be rising, but the price on his Florida penthouse just keeps falling.

The boxer, who remains undefeated after beating Manny Pacquiao, is asking $1.999 million for his condo high above Sunny Isles Beach, FL, which is on a barrier island north of Miami. That’s down from $2.599 million last July.

The penthouse weighs in at 3,020 square feet with 4 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms and comes furnished, listing agent Tanasha Pettigrew of Galleria International Realty told GossipExtra.

“He wants to leave condo life for a house,” Pettigrew said. “His four children are getting older — they are now 12 to 15 years old — so he wants them to be able to run around.”

Meanwhile, his opponent Pacquiao, the favored fighter in other ways, recently picked up Sean “Diddy” Combs’ former home in Beverly Hills.

Related:

• Phillies’ Cliff Lee Pitches Rittenhouse Condo With a Sweet Ride
• Another McExit: Patrick Dempsey Lists His Home in Malibu
• Joe Manganiello Lists Bachelor Pad With Backyard Oasis

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3 Secrets to Holding a Painless Open House

Hosting an open house can be a weird process. You invite in complete strangers who will look around, open your closets and make judgments — sometimes out loud.

There is a psychological element to literally “letting people in.” It’s intrusive. You may feel exposed. Particularly for sellers who have owned for many years, it will be a tough experience. Here are some ways to make the best of opening the floodgates for an open house.

Prepare yourself emotionally

A home sale has huge emotional implications. If you understand this well in advance and come to terms with the change or the “loss,” the actual sale and open house process will be easier.

If, after 20 years in a home, you decide to sell overnight, you’d better believe that the process will be a roller coaster. Don’t do it under the gun —otherwise you will make knee-jerk decisions and react emotionally.

Depersonalize the house

The open house won’t seem so odd if you’ve made the effort to put many of your personal items away. As a part of prepping the home for sale, declutter, take down family photos and start to see your home as an object. Consider it a product — like something on the shelf at your local Walmart, it’s for sale on the open market.

Buyers don’t want to feel like they are walking into someone else’s home. They want to see a place as neutral. That’s what pulls them in.

Sellers who do best with open houses are those who move out of the home or even do some serious staging. That way they can emotionally detach from the house, and remove their presence so buyers can imagine themselves living in the home.

Think safety

If you still live in the home, you need to take stock of what you have and think of your safety and security. You hope for genuine and trustworthy shoppers, but you never know.

Remove from public view any small and expensive items. Put jewelry, watches and cash deep in closets, or even inside a safe.

People may go through drawers when nobody is looking. Make sure there is nothing of value in them.

Open houses are the fabric of the real estate industry and the real estate market. Buyers will continue to see homes on Sunday as a way to learn the market and get inside the inventory. For some sellers, they are a necessary evil.

Plan ahead and be certain that you are ready to sell before you open your doors. Because once you open the doors, the buyers will come, and there is no turning back.

Related:

• Quick Tips for Staging Your Home to Sell
• Winning Tips for Buyers and Sellers in Sellers’ Markets
• Advice for Buyers and Sellers in a Buyers’ Market

Note: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or position of Zillow.

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Color of the Month: Sherwin-Williams White Hyacinth

It’s hard to find a more impactful or less expensive way to bring a fresh look to a home than by painting it white. This simple strategy is often used to sell a home or revive a newly purchased one.

A color like Sherwin-Williams’ Color of the Month for May, White Hyacinth, can be used to refresh a variety of styles from modern to traditional. Not to mention it can be paired with a variety of colors. Here are just a few suggestions for using this versatile shade in your home.

SW 0046 White Hyacinth

As with all colors, white has an associated temperature, mood, light reflectivity and style, and White Hyacinth is no exception. Soft and balanced, White Hyacinth lightens and brightens shades like Sticks & Stones, Willow Tree and Moody Blue.

SW 7503 Sticks & Stones, SW 7741 Willow Tree, SW 6221 Moody Blue

A modern or minimalist look can easily veer toward cold and commercial without a softer undertone when it comes to paint. Using White Hyacinth and adding plenty of warm wood via cabinetry or flooring grounds the space and gives it a welcoming, inviting feel.

A versatile choice

For a more traditional space, White Hyacinth is the ideal shade, as it works best to create a lived-in familiarity to a room. In dining or bedroom areas, this shade is an optimally warm and ‘delicious’ choice.

Pairing White Hyacinth with Black Fox can create a very elegant, Art Deco feel. The dramatic contrast allows a blank canvas, gallery-like effect for adding a variety of other colors.

SW 7020 Black Fox

White Hyacinth cabinets are a great way to brighten up a kitchen while also adding warmth and style. Here, instead of using true white cabinetry, the creamy tone was used to maintain harmony with the golden tan counter tops and backsplash.

Source: Zillow Digs

Take it outside

The versatile White Hyacinth hue is also ideal for exterior palettes. Pair with Morris Room Grey or Library Pewter for a stately yet inviting curb appeal — or use a true white shade to keep things simple.

SW 0037 Morris Room Grey, SW 0038 Library Pewter

You may even consider pairing the paint with Antiquarian Brown and Ruskin Room Green to create a flawless flow throughout your interior spaces. The Craftsman aesthetic never looked so good.

SW 0045 Antiquarian Brown, SW 0042 Ruskin Room Green

How do you see yourself using White Hyacinth in your space?

Related:

• 4 Tips for Making Any Room Seem Larger
• Capture Craftsman Style in Your Home
• 5 Foolproof Tricks for Brightening Any Room

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Even Inexpensive Homes Too Pricey for Many Workers

With rents eating up an ever greater share of people’s incomes, more renters are looking to buy homes. But that avenue isn’t possible for many lower-income workers.

Their incomes are not keeping pace with rising home values. Since 2000, incomes among the lowest third of U.S. workers have grown 15 percent, while home values have gained 41 percent.

Although renters spend an average of 30 percent of their monthly incomes on rent, and home buyers pay an average of 15 percent for mortgage payments, the situation varies considerably by market — and by how much you make.

One extreme case is in Los Angeles, where someone in the bottom third of earners would have to spend an average of 85 percent of her monthly income on a low-priced home. By contrast, middle-income earners would pay 41 percent for mid-priced homes, and the top third of earners would pay 30 percent for the most expensive homes.

Los Angeles is one of four markets — the others are Santa Barbara, Salinas and San Jose, all in California — where the top third of earners would pay 30 percent or more of their monthly incomes for mortgages on expensive homes. Mid-range earners have to pay more than 30 percent of their incomes for mid-valued homes in 11 markets.

But the lowest third of earners have to pay more than 30 percent of their monthly incomes on low-priced homes in 77 markets — effectively pricing many of them out.

For more, check out Zillow Research.

 

Related:

• Renting Now Half as Affordable as Buying in the U.S.
• 5.2 Million Renters Plan to Buy in the Next Year
• Why Don’t You Buy a House Already? Lots of (Good)Reasons

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BCAN (Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network) 5K Walk - Date: May 9, 2015 10:00 AM

Location: Fort Myers - May is Bladder Cancer Awareness Month, and the bladder cancer community will be joining together for the 2015 Walk for Bladder Cancer! BCAN supporters, survivors, family, friends and the medical community participate in events held throughout the country to increase bladder cancer research and raise funds for BCAN's education and research programs.

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Mother's Day Garden Party - Date: May 9, 2015 12:00 PM

Location: Fort Myers - To make moms feel extra special this year, bring the whole family for a Mother’s Day Garden Party! Invite your mom to come spoil themselves, while dads and kids shop for the perfect present or beautiful floral bouquet, at the Bell Tower Shops on Saturday, May 9th from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. Mimosas, flowers and everything a Mom would love!

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