Seven Tips to Get Your Home "Show Ready" in Seven Minutes!

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7 Tips to Get Your Home “Show Ready” in 7 Minutes

Note from Conejo Joe: Connie Tebyani is a Professional Home Stager, Interior Design Consultant and Owner of Platinum Home Staging, Inc. She is also the Preferred Interior Designer for Pottery Barn and a member of the Real Estate Staging Association.  Connie has lived in the Conejo Valley for 20 years with her husband and 2 boys.  Visit her website at www.PlatinumHomeStaging.com or 805.553.9952.

Every Thanksgiving, after we've gorged ourselves on stuffing and pies, we head to my sister's home in the desert resort city of Rancho Mirage. This year was no different except for one small...or rather, HUGE, difference...the house has been listed for sale. So inevitably we had to try to “live” in the home, but be ready to have it shown at a moment’s notice. As a Professional Home Stager myself, I was given a dose of my own medicine.

This was no small feat. It was not just my family of four, it was also my sister's family of four, their dog, our brother and our mother in a 4,000 square foot home.  I must admit that some of these suggestions will take some forward thinking and planning ahead of time to implement.  Some are habits that are going to need to be formed, others are bad habits that will need to be broken.

1) Starting with a clean house is a MUST!  This house started out spotless, and we needed to keep it that way! One thing that we all had to get used to was to make your beds every day, the very second you get up.  I don't mean pull the comforter up so high that it simply covers the pillows and leaves all the sheets in lumps underneath - make it right, make it beautiful, it will be done for the rest of the day.

2) Got kids? If you have an outdoor space or table (weather permitting) where they can do their crafts, legos or even homework it would be ideal and it gets them out of the house.  Put a table cloth or sheet on the table which gives them a clean surface even if the table is not.  Should a realtor come knocking, you can simply fold everything up into the table cloth and pack it away quickly.  If the weather in your area does not permit this, the same idea can be used indoors.  By placing a large towel, sheet or blanket on the floor kids can still spread out but all the tiny little lego pieces, crayons (or whatever) can be collected and dumped into their collection box in seconds.

3) Run your dishwasher every night, or every other night if not full.  In the morning, empty the dishwasher while your coffee is brewing.  This way you can load all your empty dishes into it throughout the day as you use them, never leaving a dirty dish to be seen in the sink. Or another option would be to use paper plates and plastic cups. Yep, I said it; paper plates and plastic cups. If you don't have a dishwasher (or even if you do) if you're not entertaining and it's just you and the kids, why not?  Just make sure they go into your recycle bin at the end of the week and not into the local landfill.

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Seven Ways to Prepare Your Home for Holiday Guests

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7 Ways to Prepare Your Home for Holiday Guests

The holidays are coming and for many this means that there will be family visiting from out of town or even out of state.  Make your guests feel welcomed and keep them comfortable during their stay by following these simple inexpensive tips.

  • Call them ahead of time and confirm everything: Estimated time of arrival, driving or flying, should you arrange for transportation  to and from your house?  Asking simple questions will let them know that you are excited about them coming (even if secretly you really might not be).
  • If they are going to be staying at a hotel arrange with the concierge to have a simple note and maybe a gift basket waiting for them in their room.  There are many micro-vineyards in the Malibu mountains, maybe treat them to a private label bottle of wine or simple seasonal fruits and snacks for them while they stay. 
  • If your guests are staying with you in your home, you might want to ask them ahead of time if they have any special needs or requests.  In all honesty most guests will say, “No” but it’s always nice to ask. But maybe your new daughter-in-law is allergic to cats, or your Great Aunt is a heavy smoker.  Asking them some simple questions will put both you and your guest as ease so that there are no “surprises” to have to deal with at the last minute.  This would also be a good time to see if they are making other plans with family and friends while they are in the area.  This will better enable you to plan your schedule without making them feel that they are intruding.
  • Think of the room as if you were the guest.  Is the “Guest Room” really your office, your sewing room or a catch-all room for excess stuff?  Clean out the room, make sure that the bed, sleeper sofa or even the couch, if that is whe
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Seven Ways to Brighten Your Home on a Cloudy Day!

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Seven Ways to Brighten Your Home on a Cloudy Day!

Fall is officially here in Southern California. Brisk mornings, overcast days, chilly evenings, the leaves are beginning to turn colors…well, ok.  Palm trees don’t change colors, but you get the idea.  The following are a few ideas to brighten your home on a cold, cloudy day.

1. Mirrors, mirrors on the walls...

Mirrors are a great way to expand a space as well as reflect light.  Instead of a piece of artwork which otherwise might absorb light such as above a sofa or buffet table, replace it with a beautifully framed mirror.  However, make sure that the mirror is reflecting something beautiful or of interest such as the view to the outdoors or a beautiful chandelier: not just reflecting yet another blank wall.

2. Embrace Fall and the colors of the changing leaves or fall fruits and vegetables.

Bring the outdoors in by adding potted plants or clipping some branches from your yard and placing them in a vase as a centerpiece or on a side table. Plants will soften hard edges, add depth and color to a space as well as texture and interest.

3. Have you seen your kitchen counter lately? 

Are you even sure you know what color your kitchen counter is anymore?  How about the top of your desk? De-Clutter and purge items that are sucking the life and the light out of your rooms. Yes, that might mean putting away half of your rooster collection, or at least some of your countertop appliances  (Do you really use ALL of them EVERY day? Really?)  Simple steps like this will make a huge difference in how bright a room feels.

4. Clean those windows!

Hard water spots, Santa Ana dust, fire smoke, cob webs, wet doggie nose streaks all lead to the same conclusion..."Clean Those Windows!"  You’d be amazed how bright your home will seem by doing this simple task.

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ChaCha for Answers on Your Cell Phone

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Update 9/21/09:  I continue to be pleased at how nicely ChaCha has helped me find information on the go.  For example, on Saturday I was out and about with my kids and decided I wanted to take them to see the new movie, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs.  I called 1-800-2ChaCha and asked "Where is the movie 'Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs' playing near Thousand Oaks, California in the next 2 hours?"  Within a couple minutes I had several choices texted to my cell phone, with movie times and phone numbers!  Worked beautifully! And I was able to do this while driving the car (would have been challenging...and illegal...using an iPhone web browser). (Of course...make sure to stop before reading the text messages.)

What's nice about ChaCha is that you have a virtual personal assistant that does the homework for you! And it is free!

ChaCha is fun for random questions. Like the other day I heard that song "Blinded by the Light" and wondered for the 99th time, what are heck are those lyrics that I never understand?  ChaCha promptly replied that the lyrics for this Manfred Mann Earth Band hit are "Blinded by the light, revved up like a deuce, another runner in the night."  Ah ha!  Learned something new! Now I should call back and ask what those lyrics actually mean!

NOTE: This was previously posted about a year ago but a friend reminded me of ChaCha as a FREE personal assistant.  To summarize ChaCha, it is a free service where you call a toll-free number, ask a question and a real person does the research and texts the answer back to you on your cell phone.  The person who does the research receives 10 cents to 20 cents per answer (I confirmed this by asking ChaCha).  How does ChaCha make money?  Advertising.  I typically receive 3 text messages back from ChaCha...a written confirmation of my question. an advertisement, and an answer.

The ChaCha website is also kind of fun to check out to see what types of questions are currently being asked.  For example, someone asked "How many schools are there in the U.S." and ChaCha replied with "124,110 public/private schools as of 2005."

I tried it at lunch during the 2008 NBA playoffs.  Dialed 800.224.2242 (or 800.2chacha) and asked:  "What is the time and date of the next Lakers playoff game?"  I hung up and within a minute received a text message that confirmed my question and told me I would receive an answer soon. A minute later the next text message said "L.A. Lakers play Denver 5:30 p.m. EDT on TNT.  Lakers lead series 2-0."  So they gave me even more than I asked!

After lunch I tried one more:  "Who was the 5th President of the U.S. and how old was he when he died?"  After the initial reply confirming the question, I heard back:  "James Monroe was the fifth President of the United States (1817-1825).  He died in New York at the age of 73."  So once again, not only did they respond quickly, but with even more than what I asked!

You can also type and text your questions to them at "ChaCha" or 242242. 

Local Trash and Recycling Guidelines in the Conejo Valley

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We seem to always argue in our household about what we are "supposed" to place in the recycling, trash and yard debris containers.  Harrison Industries, one of our local trash collectors in the Conejo Valley (along with Waste Management), publishes guidelines on what we can and cannot do:

Recycling Bin:

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Yes:  Aluminum and metal cans, plastic containers (1-7), plastic bags, hard plastics (including nursery pots, yogurt containers and toys), glass containers, paper and junk mail, newspaper, magazines, cardboard, cereal, cracker and shoe boxes.

No:  Styrofoam, plastic bags or shrink wrap.

The City of Thousand Oaks has some additional tips about the quality of the City’s recycling: Keep plastic bags out of the recycling bin (even if you collect recyclables in them. Dump them out of the bag as it causes problems with sorting them. Rinse any food-contaminated containers before recycling them. And of course, keep all non-recyclables out of the recycling bin.

Yard Debris Bin:

Yes:  Yard trimmings, weeds, leaves, grass, small branches, unpainted/untreated scrap lumber, plants and flowers.

No:  Trash, garden hoses, animal waste, dirt/rocks, yucca/palm, plastic bags, food, recyclables, concrete, metal, flower pots and painted/treated wood.

Trash:

Yes: Well, just trash.  Everything that doesn't go into the recycling and yard debris, with exceptions below.

No:  Hazardous waste, TVs, computer monitors, fluorescent light bulbs, tires, batteries, oil/paint, medical needles.

Bin Spacing:  2 to 3 feet apart. Now there’s been some heated debate on NextDoor regarding whether to put the bins on the curb or in the street in front of the curb. E.J. Harrison says the carts should be placed “with the wheels facing the curb,” which to me infers they should be in the street. I’ve personally always place my bins/carts in the street, and find it quite obnoxious when folks block sidewalks with their trash bins. So I guess you know my feelings on the matter. :)

Hazardous Waste

Thousand Oaks residents can take hazardous waste for disposal by appointment 1 day per month.  Click here to make an appointment.

Materials accepted includes acids, oil, antifreeze, paint, propane, pesticides, batteries, electronics, various household chemical, etc. 

Looking for other places to bring recyclables and hazardous waste?  Check out www.Earth911.org.

Batteries and Fluorescent Bulbs

For several years now it has been illegal to toss used batteries and flourescent bulbs in the trash.  While I am not aware of anyone going to jail for dumping a AA battery into the trash, do the right thing by taking used batteries to a hazardous waste disposal event or taking your batteries to drop-off locations in the area.

Or better yet, switch to rechargeable batteries! 

Kids and Teenagers on the Internet - Should You Use Internet Filtering Software?

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So yesterday I spoke at a local elementary school "Career Day" about Conejo Valley Guide.  It was a lot of fun and there was a large range of presenters...including firefighters, a dentist (actually, MY dentist), a shoe designer, jockey, creative director, ad salesperson, x-ray technician, project manager and a whole range of others.

Anyhow, it was no surprise to me that ALL of the 25 students in my sessions use the Internet.  But what WAS surprising to me was how many, probably 80% to 90%, of the 4th, 5th and 6th graders in attendance, are avid users of YouTube and other popular websites.  A few of the kids mentioned "Webkins" and other kid sites, but a lot of the kids are on the Web all the time on all sorts of sites.

Not that YouTube is bad or anything; there's a lot of great stuff that kids can learn from in there.  But the Internet as we know has a virtually endless supply of stuff we rarely got exposed to as a kid...pornography, chat rooms, hate sites, social networking, shareware, personals/dating, drugs, weapons, violence, etc.

I know some parents that rarely let there kids on the Internet, and others who allow it under close supervision.  However, can be hard to do.  I know it is in my household, with 3 boys ranging from 3 to 15.

So I strongly advise taking a look at one of the various Internet Filtering Software products out there.  We've used, with success, a product called Cybersitter. Among other things it allows you to block dozens of different website categories as well as specific sites chosen by you.  Cybersitter costs about $35 to $40 but is worth it for peace of mind.

Net Nanny one of the most popular and well known Web filtering software products and sells for $30 to $40.  This website: http://internet-filter-review.toptenreviews.com/ has a great summary and reviews for all of the top products, including Net Nanny and Cybersitter.  Worth checking out!

What to Do With Old Cell Phones and Other Electronics

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We have 3 cell phone users in our house and a bunch of old cell phones lying around.  The kids get tired of playing with them and they are basically non-functional (though they do work successfully as paperweights).  Are they worth anything?  For the most part, no.  So the best bet is to take them to a recycler that has been approved for taking e-waste.

If you prefer to rid yourself of these items via mail, the USPS is piloting a recycling program, where they provide postage-paid plastic envelopes for recycling old cell phones, PDAs, MP3 players, digital cameras and up to 4 inkjet cartridges.  Call your local post office at 800.ASK.USPS to see if they have these bags.  I know they carry them at 2150 Pickwick Drive, Camarillo as I plan to use a few myself.

So does your old cell phone and other old electronic equipment have any value?  You could spend time on eBay and try to sell your old equipment.  But you could also check out Gazelle.com, which allows you to type in information about your equipment and they tell you how much they will pay you for it. I found out that I could fetch a whopping $17 for my 6 month old LG phone while my old Nokia has no value.  But they also buy old laptops, gaming consoles, digital cameras, MP3 players, etc.  I found out our ancient Nintendo 64 also has no value :<

Click this link:  Get Cash For Your Gadgets at gazelle.com! so that Conejo Joe gets credit if you do happen to sell something to Gazelle.  Whatever I make I will donate to local charities!  Go on, start uncluttering your house of old electronic stuff!