Tower Hill

If you want a great home or addition designed please contact, my good friend, William H. Paynton of TLC Design. He will draw up plans for your new home or addition. Bill specializes in multimillion dollar homes in Wayland, Concord, North Andover and Sudbury. He combines GREEN, environmentally friendly designs, and incorporates them into dMAMAesign plans for a new home, the renovation of an antique home and does so seamlessly with your home’s original plans. Please contact him at rharcher2004@yahoo.com or give him a call at 508-561-7644. He’d be happy to answer any of your home design questions.

When my husband and I were considering buying our second home we looked at homes in Westborough, MA.  I grew up in the next town over so it was pretty logical that we would look close by I suppose.  These were brand new, top notch, spacious homes set back off the main road in a beautiful development.  As we perused the great room and admired the floor to ceiling fireplace it made me wonder who decides all this.  Who decides how this room was to be layed out?  Who chooses the way the windows would be placed to take advantage of the morning sun or how do you keep the noise level to a minimum when the great room would sit directly above the three car garage?  The realtor explained to process to me.  I was thirty something and it was all very new to me back then.  She explained that the builder works with an architect in some cases but, in this case, with a home designer or draftsperson who provided the builder with the plans, or blueprints for the design of the house.  She said that a few of the houses in the development were not completely finished as this one was so there was more leeway when it came to make changes to the original designs.  She said that there is usually a charge for changes to the original design because it would mean more changes to the blueprints.  Any changes would have to be approvd by the engineer once the designer completed them.  I was fascinated.  We didn’t buy that particular house but, it really got me thinking.

Now that I am involved with many types of people in real estate I have found that often people love the location of the home that they have chosen so they really want to keep it.  Sometimes particularly when the makeup of your family changes you need to make changes to your home to make the necessary accommodations.   So, now what do you do?  Its not hard to go on-line and google ‘carpenter’ or maybe ‘housing contractor’ or something like that.  I suppose you could ask your friends as well if they have had any work done too.  I am sure that can be quite daunting for most people.  Just because a carpenter can build a deck or a back yard shed doesn’t necessarily mean that they can tackle a great room, with a large fireplace, a mudroom and an office to boot….right?  An architect would be awesome but, that can mean alot of money.  No offense but, what really is the solution?

  You need a home designer.  You need someone who is familiar with drawing the blueprints and or revising them.  There is alot to consider when doing this, elevations, septic systems, electrical and plumbing work and let’s not forget those lovely variances.  More important than that…well almost…is that you need to find a designer who will listen to what it is that you have in mind when you are considering any type of changes or additions to your home.  If you can find one with  the artistic vision of an architect, remodeling, construction experience who also is versed in building codes, working with engineers and the like then you are in very good hands.  Good luck “Googling” that.  Here’s where I come in .  In my travels I have met a gentleman who has aquired all of that.   He and I have like minds when it comes to being able to envision how a particular home might blossom into a really great piece of real estate because we see the potential where many people, (90% of the world’s population to be exact) are unable.  He has worked for almost ten years for a high end housing development company in the greater Boston area.   Sorry but, I just can’t mention any names.    He designs million dollar homes on a weekly basis from conception through completion.  He is now venturing out on his own.  I’m SO excited.  Stay tuned…..

Back in the early 1800’s  light fixtures were pretty much just hung from wherever they were needed to be hung from.  Back then electricity was so new and merely functional at best.  Homeowners just wanted to get those those light fixtures up and around the room with little regard to much of anything else.  Often some of these fixtures were heavy and needed more support.  Plaster used to be fashioned around the where the fixture would attach to the ceiling to glue it to that spot.  Later medallions were made to better accomodate the lighting fixtures.  Today’s electrical codes require that a junction box be added so now a canopy that is removable can be added to the fixture so that if any electrical work is required then it is accessible more easily.  Today’s standard canopies are 5″ in diameter with a 1″ shoulder hole made to accommodate the power cable.  If you do use a plaster one you might want to think twice and make yourself a second one just in case during the installation it gets broken and you have to forego adding that fixture which also means a second visit from your electrician.

Timing your move is very important and will have either positive or negative effects on all aspects of your life.  It will efect your career, finances, relationships and your health.  Before you move pleasae take into consideration all of the things that you have accomplished in the past and in the present.  Doing this will help you to better clarify your future.  If you move for positive reasons and to a good place and in a happy time then good fortune will follow you.  I can personally attest to this.  It has happened to me very recently.  I have been amazed at how all of the positive energy has come to surround me once again.  It was not that way a few months ago.  Keeping a positive mindsight is key to making this happen.

Moving under duress and under force and perhaps to a place that has not been well thought out can lead to further crisis.  This might sound a bit crazy to some people but, in hindsight I have seen this happen and have done my personal best to make sure that it has been different this time.  I thought out my move carefully, planned accordingly, asked for help from friends and coordinated some downsizing, decluttering and choosing just the right place.  It doesn’t hurt to trust your gut instinct with much of this. 

You should be aware of what things are the most important to your well being.  Take everything into consideration.  For example, how do you feel within the new space?  Do you perhaps turn up your nose when it comes to the size of the space, how it smells, if you can hear noise whether inside or outside, and is the place convenient to the places that you frequent.  I needed to drive around my brand new neighborhood to get a feel for the people, new places that I might frequent, where I might want to go to unwind and/or see scenic places.  My new home had to work for me on all levels.  That would be the only way that i would find peace.  I trusted my gut. 

*Feel alive, motivated, invigorated and uplifted in your new home.

*Previous tenants, believe it or not can drag down the energy of a new   home.  A good example can also be in relationship to a divorce.  One partner stays in the home while the other moves on to somewhere new.  That can be a real emotional drain on the person who keeps that home.

* The location of the home can also be important.  A house set atop a hill unprotected from wind, rain and all of the elements can further cause “chi” to flow right in and out of a home.  It can also mean that your financial picture will not be well.  Your money will often flow right out as well.

If you move to a home that is sunken or surrounded by too many tall buildings or industrial areas can cause the air not to circulate so that that illness pervades.  Be aware of your proximity to railroad tracks or water that runs visibly toward or away from your main entrance.  Telephone wires, cables, tv antennae and perhaps high tension wires will also sap your home and you of all that is important to keep close to you.

* The best site for a home is one that sits amongst hills and or trees like a queen upon a throne.  Trees and hills should rise up on either side and a bit behind to protect you well.

*Your home should be a comfortable distance from the road as well.  Trees or bushes should help shield your home from the road but, not overwhelm the main entranceway.

*Note the condition of the home.  Homes in disrepair will not allow “chi” to flow and will therfore make the home unwelcoming. Illness and bad fortune will follow.

* Rooms that are very small. with low ceilings are oppressive and will make you and anyone who enters your home feel trapped, hemmed in and irritable.

* Make sure that the bathroom does not face the main doorway or that the bathroom is in the center of the home or open into the kitchen.

Enjoy your new home…..

According to the principles of feng shui there are two basic shapes that will help to bring any irregular space into balance.  The first is the circle which symbolizes heaven.  The second is the square which symbolizes earth.  All homes which are designed according to a single grid can easily be resolved to a square and also a rectangle.  The circle can be used well too.  I think of turrets or long porches with a round area formed at the corners where the sides of the house meet.  Landscaping also uses circles in many areas of a garden.  Check out any English garden and you will most definately see them there. 

Circular patterns integrate the house in two ways.  By adding circles to an awkwardly shaped home you help to un ify the space and therefor offset any of the otherwise awkward spaces just by implementing these circles.  Circles soften the sharp angles.  They help to unify separate spaces.

Built-ins have always been a popular design element in any home mostly because they look great because they are part of the architecture of the home itself.  Often its these pieces of architecture that establish a beautiful focal point in your home.  They are functional, their purpose has been established previously and many homeowners when searching for a new home relish in design details like these in the next home they choose to buy. 

At the turn of the century with the uprsise of the auto industry home buyers were choosing homes built in the suburbs.  These homes were primarily built on smaller footprints therefore every inch of that home had to be utilized.  Built-ins worked very well in these homes. 

Another unusual fact is based on the germ theory.  I had to read this part twice myself so bear with me.  It was a great concern back in those days to try and avoid the spread of germs.  Areas within a home that had previously maintained a predisposition to collecting, clutter and dust were prime areas for those germs to hang out.  Bookshelves that were raised off the floor or not permanently attached to walls left too much room for error.

Nowadays built-ins are a part of most homes one way or the other for the living room entertainment center, or the kids WiFi, gaming and movie watching in a finished basement. 

take a look around next time you visit a friends house and see what you think.  See which you prefer.  makes sense now doesn’t it?

Tax credits are an incredible advantage to homeowners of older homes.  Thousands of tax dollars are avaialble for many types of home renovations.

Please be aware of the various rules and regulations reviolving around these types of homes and their ensuing tax credits.  Here are a few things to be aware of:

Your home’s elegibility.  In 2007 24 states provided tax benes to historic prioperties, however, these only apply to commercial and rental properties.  Homes must also meet certain criteria.  Most homes must be listed on a  national register of historic homes and the renovation work must adhere to all of the state’s guidelines.  This is all according to the Secretary of the Interior’s standards.  In addition, several states have a certain dollar percentage that the renovation costs must also meet.   A cap can also be placed upon the amount of tax relief an owner may be entitled too.  Some states like Michigan, the carolinas and Kansas have no cap at all.  Transferability also comes into play when carrying a balance forward into a new tax year to be able to gain full advantage of subsequent tax years. 

Contact your state’s Historic Preservation office for more info.

Only expensive houses need to be staged, right?

Spending $150.00 for an initial home staging consultation along with a full day of staging for $360.00 will benefit home sellers by thousands of dollars in return when the house sells.  Your home will sell quicker and for more money done corrctly.  This is based on real estate statistics of the benefits of home staging reports since 2007.

But, If the housing market is improving then I don’t need to stage my home, right?

Most houses will eventually sell when the price has been repeatedly reduced and someone from the neighborhood just wants to live in that town near the family perhaps. It’s a matter of when and for how much. Even if your house sells quickly in a good market, it doesn’t mean it sold for the amount it would have sold for had it been professionally staged. Professionally staged homes sell for at least 6% more than an unstaged home . If your home sold for 400K unstaged it probably would have sold for 425K staged. Now compare the cost of having your home staged….

Can I just stage my own home?

With some drection from a home stager after an initial evaluation, yes, you probably could.  Its not easy to see for many people to see their homes with an objective eye.  few people can effectively do that.  It’s hard to see your own homes inperfections since over the years you have worked hard to make it warm and welcoming. It is difficult emotionally to change how it looks and perhaps feels just for the sake of selling it. If you can’t view something objectively then you would have a hard time marketing it effectively.

Will prospective homebuyers look past my things and my furniture and see the hidden potential in  my home?

Not very often. Only 10% of prospective homebuyers can visualize the potential of a home. Its even tougher when the house is vacant. That makes your home even harder to imagine.  Furniture helps to give home buyers a frame of reference for both size and scale within your home.

How you decide to place things in your office really depends on how often you will be using these things. making these things convenient to you so that all you have to do is either reach over, spin around in your chair or slide over a bit usually works best for me when i am trying to make the most of the time that I have. Making sure that your stapler, or your fax machine is within reach just might be a few choice items at the very top of your list!

You should be able to reach these items easily. Visually they should be right in front of you and readily avaiable. Attractive storage containers are nice too but, make sure that you can still access whatever is within them with a minimal amount of effort.

Make sure that your business finances are viewable from your seat and that you can keep them at hand for when they are to be watched over especially in the beginning of your new business adventure. You want to keep the cash flow circulating around and around to stimulate and make your business grow. If the cash flow is left to stagnate then the business cannot and will not thrive. A good friend once told me that I should spread money around like manure. Rather a disturbing thought to one degree or another but, still the sentiment really does ring true if you think about it.

Make sure that you have a “To Do” list because this helps you to stay organized and focused. It will also help you to stay on top of which things are at the top of the priority list and which ones are at the bottom. Each day the list will change to a certain degree.

I have also packed up a special leather briefcase that replicates many of the same documents that I might need so that when I am visiting clients or spending time with a vendor i have all that I need right htere with me. Obviously, I have my laptop and my blackberry but, I would rather be overly prepared than to have to run back to the office because I need to copy something.

When it comes to answering text messages, emails and phonecalls my day can be overun with both both personal and business related concerns. I’d like to say that i try and save all my answers to my emails, for example are all saved for 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. or something along those lines but, for me, in this business its a little unlikely. people want to reach me now and if theyknow that I am available in all these ways then its definately NOT in my best interest to ignore them too often.

I keep a “To Do’ book, a day planner which allows me to separate each client and track everything that transpires over time with that particular job. It would be too hard to try and remember every phone number, address or detail of any clients home when I stage it.

I try to block my time as much as I can so that I get things done in a timely manner and without too much back and forth of anything.

When it comes to mail i like the one look over approach. I don’t like to keep rifling through the same bills, or quotes or whatever over and over again. If its junk it goes right in the trash. If its something that I need to read then it goes into a bin for that for a time when i can sit down and read all my reading at once. Make sense? Bills are bills they have their own place too.

The key is to be organized. Repeat the same organised methods over and over. keep things in the proper containers so that they are easily accessible.

All of this will make your life so much easier!!

This is the brand new website for Tower Hill Home Staging. I look forward to providing you with blogs about home staging, feng shui practices, interior decorating, color coordination and most importantly tips for how to best market your home for sale in today’s real estate market!