Improving the Curb Appeal of Your Home

It’s the first thing you see when you pull up to a house, and based on that you have an idea of what to expect going in.

Have everyone so excited to come into your home with a few quick changes! Here are some simple tips to adding appeal to your home starting with the outside!

• Start with the most basic step of clean your house! Get out a pressure washer, get some old towels, scrub brushes, whatever it is going to take to clean your house up! Over the winter especially layers of salt scum build up as well as layers of dirt. Don’t forget your porch either! Clean the windows to so they let more light in, scrub your front steps so the entry looks brighter!
• Make sure all the vegetation beds around the house are cleaned out and all the plants pruned nicely. Get those weeds pulled, get all the leaves that have blown off the trees, and trim back any wild bushes. They don’t need to be perfect, just presentable.
• Go out into the street in front of your home and make sure that none of the trees or bushes are obstructing the view of your home! If they are, trim them back. You only get a first look once, make sure potential buyers can see all off your house, especially the unique parts.
• Check your gutters. Are there twigs sticking out, secure bands hanging off, a leak? Clean them out and repair those small mishaps. They more tidy and cleaned up they are the less of an eyesore they are to buyers.
• A simple last touch to your flower beds is mulch. It adds a final clean and crisp look to your beds and helps them all look uniform.
• As you look at your porch, do so through the eyes of someone looking for their “home”. Make it easy for them to see this as their home. Create more uniformity at the front door with putting those colorful pots on each side of the door, putting light fixtures on both sides of the door, replace old hardware like knobs and hinges, add some seasonal flair.
• To add appeal at night, put in some low voltage or solar walkway lighting. Not only does it offer safety, but it can accent trees, flowers, or help them to see the steps up into your home
• If your windows are looking for a quick up-do, add exterior shutters! They are made from so many different materials, they are not only low maintenance but there is one for every household.

The best thing about these projects is, they are simple, easy, and low budget! If you like any of these tips, take some before and after pictures, email them to us at salem@windermere.com and we would love to feature your up-do in a post! 

Happy Valentine's Day!

What a cute day to celebrate all that love is, for your loved ones, family and friends! I was looking around for some ideas of Valentine's Day decor for our office and ran across these ideas for decorating homes.

A cute way to decorate a home office. I love all the different texture of the hearts!

Mantel's can be overdone or under-done. This is very simple and playful. Great decor to celebrate a Date night in.

Classic pinks with vintage greys. 

This felt flower wreath would be great for a front door!

There is nothing like going to visit a friend's home and see the decor to get you in the spirit for a holiday. The important thing is that nothing is tacky or looks misplaced, but that it adds quality to your home!

Enjoy your Valentine's Day and show everyone the LOVE!

Local Real Estate Search Engines

Whether you are looking for a house to buy or a place to rent, this present age of searching for these properties presents itself in so many places.

Where are the places you can actually trust? What sites are local and which have no idea if you searching for Salem, Or and Salem, Ma?

I took some time to research some sites and look through their local real estate sites and compiled a list for you when you begin your home searching:

• http://realestate.oregonlive.com/

They offer a very easy to navigate search bar where you can input simple search properties like zip codes, cities, or even an MLS number if available.

They offer easy inputting to narrow your search of beds, baths, and pricing min and max.

They offered a map that when you hover over home icons takes you to that listing.

There is a modify search button in bright red if you feel the search results weren’t satisfactory.

Boxes under the listing photo, to select a driving tour that will print up directions to get you from house to house.

Easy to navigate buttons to get you back in your search or anywhere else in the site

• http://www.realtor.com/?source=web

Easy to locate search tool bar with simple input form for zip code or area, that counts down the available listings as you narrow the search.

They offer easy inputting to narrow your search of beds, baths, and pricing min and max.

Each listing in easy to differentiate box.

Options along the left side of the results to add even more search tools like square feet, property status, and property features.

• http://statesmanjournal.gon.gannettonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=HOMES

The opening page is a search page with a great feature that I didn’t see in either of the other sites that allowed you to pick a property type in the preliminary search criteria.

Once in the search results are in a list the listing brokers information is readily available to the right of the listings box.

Saving the listing to homefinder.com so you can go through them in a list of homes that have interested you.

Zip code search availability to the far right of the search page.

A tab for foreclosures that is easy to find and navigate through if that is the route of home buying, it is isolated so you see only those.

These are some great sites in addition to our own site www.windermere.com which features:

Navigating any state we have offices in to find one local to you.

Looking through all of our, company wide, listings to see what we have available.

Tabs to get you walking through all about our company, what we stand for and our Windermere Foundation.

Easy navigation to agents personal sites that are filled with personal information to help you get one more step closer to feeling and knowing that our agents are members of their communities just like you!

For more information about our office give us a call at 503-391-1350 or come visit us at 4285 Commercial St SE Suite 100, Salem, Or, 97302. 

Meet Our Agent: Cris Brennan

Service with a Professional Touch

I believe in good old fashioned service. So when you need the expertise of a professional agent, look no further than my years of experience. Your satisfaction, is and always has been, my top priority. No high pressure sales. I find that a happy client that does not feel pressured into the largest purchase they will probably ever make, tells their family and friends about me. Having confidence in me, that I will do as good a job for them .

           Years of Experience

I have been a licensed realtor since 1994 and a member of the Salem Association and the National Association of Realtors since 1994. I received my designation of G.R.I in 2000 from the real estate institute.

My Commitment to Community

I am the Windermere Foundation coordinator for our Salem office. The Windermere Foundation helps low income families and children in our area. We help send kids to summer camp. Supported over 50 mothers in crisis with brand new car seats to bring their new born baby's home from the hospital. Back to school is a special time for many and a hard ship for others. We have packed 100's of back packs with the supplies needed for back to school. We financially support after school programs for low income families and serve them hot meals once a month. As always I am looking forward to raising money to make a family in need have a wonderful Christmas. Our newest program is purchasing new eyeglasses for children with vision problems. I also coordinate the Windermere Services Day. In August each year we close the doors at the office and head out into the community to help others. This year we were able to help two family's with home needs. We painted interior's and exterior's along with every kind of yard work you can imagine, from pruning tree's, building fences, and much, much more. It is always a feeling of accomplishment when we get to stand back and see what a difference we have made.

 

Committed to Service

My commitment of quality service to you is #1. My business is built on referrals from satisfied customers. With each new or repeat client, I want to listen to what your needs are. Helping seller's sell their home fast for the most money, and the least ammount of hassle. Purchasers finding the home that will meet their need's for years to come. Taking the time with professionalism and integrity. Cris Brennan "THE SKILL OF A PROFESSIONAL WITH THE CONCERN OF A FRIEND"