Do you have a favorite holiday? Do you think it’s a crime to let Halloween pass by without plastering your home in cobwebs, ghosts and ghouls? Or perhaps Christmas just isn’t Christmas unless your home is filled with garlands, ornaments and figurines?  Everyone loves getting a little festive during the holiday season, but if you have your home on the market, a word of caution: restraint goes a long way. In fact, when staging your home for sale, you want holiday decoration to be as minimal as possible. Holiday decorations can clutter a home and make it difficult for a buyer to picture living there for the rest of the year. Also bear in mind that not everyone looking at your home will celebrate the same holidays (or celebrate with the same enthusiasm) as you do, so it’s smart to be considerate of those viewing your home. And if you must decorate for the holidays, please be sure to remove all decorations in a timely manner! Lingering holiday décor suggests a level of neglect that may cause a buyer to question what else is being neglected in your home…

Have you been thinking about putting your home on the market but are worried now that summer is almost over you’ve missed out on peak real estate season?  You’re in luck! You still have time to get your home listed and sold this year.  Most people are surprised to learn that there is almost as much buyer activity in the fall months as in the spring.  While technically considered off-season, the real estate market does experience an upswing in early fall due to a combination of factors. For homes in the north of the country, fall foliage and landscaping often show homes off to their best effect. And across the country, off-season buyers tend to be highly motivated, stable buyers. So now is the time to get your home staged and ready for sale by the new year!

Just put your home on the market? Or are you looking around  the home you love and seeing that it could use a little updating…on the cheap? Are you stumped on just how to give your home a miracle makeover? Subscribe to our newsletter! Every month you’ll get heaps of fabulous decorating and staging advice delivered right to your inbox!

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Calling all moms out there! Do you have a kid who just can’t seem to settle down and do their homework? Or would you love to be able to set them up with a home office of their own, but just don’t have the space? We have the solution for you! Create a portable office!

Using a tri-fold presentation poster board (you can find it at any office supply store), you can create a mini room divider. That way, they can work anywhere in the house, but are not distracted by their surroundings. We love it because we can keep an eye on our kids while we make dinner, tidy up and when they’re done, we just fold it up and tuck it by the fridge! Also, having a caddy handy (we love this one from target) with all the supplies they’ll need makes life so much easier. No more hunting for that favorite green marker!

"Every woman needs a room of one’s own…"

We couldn’t agree more. From tackling the mountain of paperwork that households seem to produce to running home businesses, every woman needs a place in their home to organize their thoughts and work efficiently. Every woman needs a proper home office. Now, we’re not proposing that a separate room with a lock on it is necessary (though divine), just a well-thought out desk outfitted with everything a girl needs to run the business of her daily life.

According to our head designer, Julie Dana, the key to a home office’s success lies in the desk. There are hundreds to choose from, but an L-shaped desk is ideal for inspiring maximum efficiency. Because of it’s shape, you are able to physically separate the different functions of your home office (i.e.creative vs. procedural). As Julie says, " When you face one way or another, it helps trigger your brain to shift its thinking." So when you have to go from paying bills to, oh, writing a blog (not that we’re speaking from experience!), changing your physical position actually helps change your mental position so you can focus on the task at hand, brilliant! Now you just need an organizer for important papers, a caddy for all your necessary office supplies and you’re done! Now, get to work!

Love sitting around the campfire but don’t think you’re going to make it to the great outdoors this summer? We here at thehomestylist.com have the perfect solution: build your own backyard firepit! Firepits, like the one pictured above (designed by our home staging genius, Julie Dana) help create a cozy atmosphere for outdoor living. They can be anything to a simple open pit (safely built of course) to much more elaborate installations. Just add a few adirondack chairs and some marshmallows and you have the perfect evening in the great outdoors…just steps from your back door!

Love this look? Contact Julie Dana at julie@thehomestylist.com and she can help you plan the outdoor living space of your dreams!