Summer’s over, the kids are back in school and now it’s November and you’ve finally made the decision to sell your home. You have been waiting for just the right time but now you realize that there will most likely be showings around the holidays and you’re wondering how far to go with decorating. No matter what holiday you are celebrating, it is family time and you should continue to celebrate with your traditions.
Here are a few tips on how to keep the spirit alive, but not to appear like you are months away from packing up and moving out:
Keep the decorating to a minimum. You can go crazy next year in your new home!
If your space is small, and you put up a tree, try to find a smaller one this year. Some trees can take over the whole room. You want to show how spacious the room is. You may consider moving out a piece of furniture to make room.
If you do like to put up decorations around the house, replace your everyday ones with holiday ones. Don’t add more!
Cooking smells. Only if they are good ones! Otherwise, try to make those cabbage rolls on days where there aren’t any scheduled showings. (I think they smell great, but not every- one does!)
Always remember to keep your home tidy and as clutter free as possible. Buyers are not looking at your furniture or decorations, but if they can’t picture their own possessions in there because of clutter, they will have a hard time falling in love with your home.
Keep it warm! You want Buyers to feel cozy during these colder months.
Selling, buying and moving can be very stressful at any time of year. Hiring professional help can take some of the stress off and we recommend that if you can, you should consider it.
The most important thing to remember, is to keep as much of your routine as possible to make it a pleasant final holiday in this home and look forward to a new one in your new home next year!
Remember all those moments you wished for more privacy and some space from your child who followed you everywhere, including into the bathroom? Well, you are about to get you wish, as they start to retreat into their bedrooms. One minute your kid is obsessed with PAWS PATROL the next, they are watching Sydney and the Max. It happens overnight and as a parent, the change from one stage of development to the next can be jarring. The transition from kid to teen can be difficult for a parent, as one minute they are your cuddly little guy and the next, ten feet apart isn’t far enough for them. Every day, friends are becoming more important and being accepted by their peers means things can change in a heartbeat and what was once cool, is now “So lame mom.” It can be hard for a parent to keep up.
Tweens need their own space. A place they can go to shut the door on mom and / or dad to chill out either alone or with friends. A room they feel is theirs. Decorating a tween’s room is a special time where you can learn more about your child, their every changing taste, and what is important to them when it comes to making their space their own. As they grow into their teens, they will include you less and less in their room’s décor decisions. Enjoy this time and make a memorable adventure out of the experience.
Including your tween in the process is important, after all it is the room where they will be spending a lot of time. Guiding them through the decision-making process will teach them how to make design decisions and work within a budget.
Start with the budget. How much are you willing to spend on updating their room? Let them know the budget and come back to it when they are deciding on what to purchase and which items to leave on the store shelves.
Do you have a theme in mind? Decorating kids and tweens rooms can be fun because we are able to bring fantasy into the room and be adventurous with the décor, unlike in the rest of the house. Does your tween have a favourite activity? A favourite story? Are they into sports or music? Here are some theme ideas to consider:
1. Romantic Princess
2. Urban Skatepark
3. Punk Girl
4. Soccer / Hockey / Football / Basketball
5. Snowboarding
6. Bohemian
7. Glamour
8. Film Noir
9. Techno nerd
10. Book nerd
When it comes to a Tween’s room function is important because they will be spending a lot of time in their rooms over the next few years. Since Tweens still have some toys or stuffies they don’t want to let go of yet, but they don’t want their friends to know they still have them, their room will need storage and the odd hiding spot. Shelving on the walls, in the closet, or as bookcases to hold storage boxes full of their stuff will fulfill this need nicely.
It is at this age where schools start to send them home with the dreaded homework, which ends up being one more task on your to do list of parenting. Consider putting a desk in their room for studying and that future computer they will need to complete homework assignments. Whether or not you agree to a computer in their room, they will need a desk to organize their schoolwork along with the little nick knacks that seem to appear.
If your child’s room is short on space, consider a loft bed with the desk underneath it and bean bag chair or a comfy chair. They will need their own hang out seating area, be it a window seat, a hanging rattan bubble, an armchair, or a pile of pillows, they need something to relax on while they contemplate their future or chat with friends.
Are you going to paint the walls? Take your tween to the paint store to peruse the swatches to pick and put up on the wall to see which colour they like. Giving them the option to choose the colour of their room will bring them into the process, teach them how to make choices, and generate a sense of pride when the job is done.
Time to go shopping with your tween to find all the pieces to bring the room together. Make sure you remember to take some of the paint swatches with you so you can see if the bedding will go with the colour of the walls. It will be interesting to see which bedding, sheets, and pillows your teen picks out. If they don’t match the colour of the paint, take the teaching moment to help them understand how to bring a room together. They will find lots of bits and bobbles to put into their room, ensure they understand how each decision affects the budget.
Want to save some cash? Check out thrift stores and restoration places where you can find old pieces of furniture and some funky retro lighting fixtures. Old furniture can be sanded and painted to fit with the room’s new colour pallet. Stick some wall stickers on and cut them where the drawers open to make the piece unique or attach some unique drawer pulls, like old skateboard wheels or hockey pucks. Spray paint old lighting fixtures and add glass beading for a funky chandelier.
Make sure your tween helps do the hard lifting to put the room together, being a part of the process will give them ownership and a sense of pride in a job well done. Not to mention, the wonderful memory you are about to make.
Have fun with the walls. Hang a whiteboard up or paint a portion of the wall space with chalkboard paint so they can make notes and doodle. Either find wall stickers or paint a mural on the wall. Think a mural is outside your skill set? Do you have access to a projector? Project a simple image onto the wall and trace it out with a pencil, then paint over the pencil marks – Voila one instant mural.
Worried about resale? Unless you are going to be selling in the next 6-12 months, go nuts and be unique. You can paint the room with a neutral colour before you list and move on to your next home. In the meantime, give your child a space as unique as they are.
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