Lighting Fixtures
Whether you are thinking about selling your home, or just want to update your current home, paying attention to your lighting fixtures is a great way to brighten your living areas, as well as make them more current with today’s trends and styles.
There’s nothing worse for an agent to walk into a home that shines everywhere but with the lighting fixtures. This is such an easy and often inexpensive fix. With the advent of so many unique and beautiful lighting options, some lighting fixtures can even double as a focal point of the room itself. While you don’t need to have a fancy, expensive chandelier, taking the time to pick out a dramatic lighting fixture in the right space will make your room look amazing.
For example, on trend right now are tiered lighting fixtures. These fixtures are stacked and multi-dimensional and look fantastic in dining rooms. Another dining room lighting fixture that’s becoming very popular are rectangular chandeliers. These can be anything from an industrial chic chandelier to classic crystals or even brushed nickel with Edison bulbs in glass enclosures.
Pendant lighting is a classic fixture over kitchen islands, but are still on trend, especially some of the larger pendant fixtures with 8 or 10 bulbs. Cage pendants are particularly stylish, yet are traditional. Oversized drum lighting fixtures are another fun trend that also read as classic in many rooms, from the living room and bedroom to the dining room and kitchen.
Whatever lighting fixture you choose, be sure to pay attention to finish and scale. While being matchy-matchy with the rest of the fixtures in your rooms (such as door hardware and faucets) isn’t a requirement, keeping in the same tone and color family will create a harmonious design décor. The scale of the fixture is also important. If you choose an oversized lighting fixture for drama, tone done the rest of the surrounding décor so it doesn’t compete with the scale of the fixture. The bottom line, however, is that going light and bright with beautiful lighting fixtures is a win-win proposition for updating your home, or getting it ready for sale to maximize your resale value.
One major design trend in tile flooring is the wood-look plank style flooring that can be seen all over design blogs, in home improvement stores and on HGTV home design shows. These tile planks come in a wide range of colors, textures and sizes. While most of these tiles do mimic the look of wood floors very well, be careful if you venture into lower price ranges as some of these tiles tend to look too busy and “plastic”. Also, try to avoid larger or wider grout lines, as these detract from the wood look you will desire. The way these tiles are laid is also important, as the way they are set can convey a variety of styles from rustic to modern.
One of the perks of living in Arizona during the spring season is there’s no barrier to outdoor festivals, thanks to our fabulous, sunny and mild weather in March. If you’re looking to get outside and enjoy this amazing time of year, here are a few fun activities to consider.
Admittedly, listing your home for sale can be a stressful, and often disruptive life event. One of the concerns that home sellers may have is keeping their home secure and safe while it’s on the market, and open to the public for showings. Therefore, here are some tips to help you maximize keeping you and your family safe during this time.
Sometimes, dinner and a movie just isn’t going to cut it. Sometimes, we feel the need for a high-speed adventure. Here are a few places to consider paying a visit, to feel that wind in your hair:
AZ Airtime
Navigating the home-buying process can be akin to traveling in a foreign country where one isn’t familiar with the language. There is a lot of vocabulary that isn’t familiar to non-real estate professionals. One such term is PMI. PMI, or private mortgage insurance, is insurance for lenders. Homebuyers who have at least 20% of the sales price as their down payment on their new home must pay PMI. Lenders require PMI in these situations because they’re assuming more risk when they are investing more in the home than you are.
Whether you are an accomplished golfer or a beginner still learning the ropes, Scottsdale is truly a mecca for the sport of golf. While Scottsdale is host to world-renowned designer courses, there are also several public or community courses, perfect for all levels of players from the novice to the expert. Here are some public courses to check out in Scottsdale:
It’s that time of year again, and what better way to get your kids in the mood for celebrating than an excursion up north? One of the most popular holiday events is the 
One of the first design features to consider is having at least one zero-grade entry into your home. In other words, is there at least one threshold that can be crossed without a step? You should be able to enter into the home without lifting your feet, if necessary. Another design feature that should be considered for those age 55 and up are grab-bars in at least one bathroom. Grab bars can be beautiful, unobtrusive design features, that will come in handy when they are needed later. As a default, consider installing backer-board into the wall if you are doing a bathroom shower remodel, to make it easier to install a grab bar at a later date. Another corollary design feature for bathrooms is making one shower curb-less. Removing the step will also increase your home’s resale value as the population ages.