SOLD!...finally

Almost 5 months ago today, I posted that we put our house on the market so that we could move closer to the 'CITY' i.e. closer to DFW airport.
And FINALLY we are under contract and will be moving at the end of the month!

After months on end of not posting, because let's face it, who want to read about my whining and complaining about not having anything to do because 'projects' would mess up the house that I'm supposed to be diligently keeping 'Show Ready". And who want's to read about all the cool stuff that I didn't buy on my shopping trips, because let's face that one too... who buys stuff for a house that they are selling?

I can't wait to show you our new place, and begin posting  about all the fun projects that I have planned for it. In the meantime I will be packing, enjoying making a HUGE mess while I do it, and start addressing my 'hording' tendencies!

 Here's a sneak peek of the new House Dressing...

Front

Back Yard

Thank you Anonymous!

I recently posted the photos that our Realtor's photographer took of our house that we are trying to sell, and I asked for any staging advise that my followers and visitors had to offer. (See post & full comment here) I like to think of myself as a 'big girl' who can take constructive criticism, so I was up for whatever was thrown my way, and sure enough... one kind soul took me up on the offer and made this suggestion.
"The only thing, and I do mean only, because everything else was absolutely full of beautiful perfection, was the large window in the family room that had no blinds, curtains, valances, panes, or other items to keep one from feeling as if the second one enters that area, the window overpowers and keeps the eye on it, making it hard to notice all the other stunning things in the room."

Even though this window (like all the others) have custom made Hunter Douglas Silhouette blinds installed, when fully raised, it does look as though there is nothing in the window. That being said and
thanks to Anonymous's observation, I added some panels that made a significant difference to the room.

This falls under the category of "why didn't I this sooner?" I have had these panels for over a year, they were intended for the lounge/sitting room's bay windows.

I hung the panels to the sides of the window and slightly overlapping the sill, so that none of the golf course view was obstructed from the view point of our chairs that we use to watch TV.

The panels are 102" long and this window, due to the slop of the roof line requires only 95" max, and since I didn't want to cut off the access fabric because our next house will more than likely have high ceilings and tall windows too, I just puddled them on the floor. (Yes, that's Miss Tessa, the scene stealer)

The color of the panels is the exact same shade of cream as the Silhouette blinds on the patio door and breakfast area windows, allowing them to blend effortlessly with the room.

Even with the Silhouette's closed, the panels still add texture and warmth to the room that was missing before.

Thank you Anonymous! Whoever you are... I really appreciate the candid and honest suggestion that you left in my comment box. Not only do I hope your comment helps our house show better to potential buyers, I also hope it encourages other blog readers to voice their honest opinions even if it means going against the unanimous opinion of the other comments... I think this helps us all be better bloggers, think outside of the box and grow as home stylists.

House Dressing Virtual Tour!

The Virtual Tour of House Dressing is finally available for viewing!  Just click HERE to start the tour.
You will have the option to enlarge the screen and choose from 5 scenes...
Entry & Formal Areas, Family Room, Kitchen & Breakfast, Master Bedroom, Back & Golf Course View.

Virtual Tour

Just like I said in yesterdays post... It's so surreal to see our house with a marketing spin on it.
I appreciate all of your tips, advise and comments on staging and selling, and starting next week I will post more detailed photos of the pared down vignettes and also photos of the rooms that did not make it on the Virtual Tour.

Have a great weekend!

House Dressing Tour

As promised, here are the photos of our house taken earlier this week by the professional photographer for the listing and websites.
The house looks a lot different from the photos I have taken for earlier posts... EVERYTHING is neutral in color and drastically pared down for the showings.
The captions of each photo is the description written by our Realtor and since there are 23 photos, I will reserve my own thoughts, descriptions and comments for a later posting... sometime this weekend I will post the link to the Virtual Tour.

Front Elevation

Formal Living Area

Another view of formal living overlooking the wonderful views

Formal dining off entry

Formal Dining Area

Formal Study

Family room with sliding doors opening to patio

Open family room with tile floors

Another view of the family room showing the wonderful golf course view

Breakfast room

Breakfast Bar overlooking kitchen

Gourmet kitchen with granite countertops

Kitchen features stainless steel appliances & gas cooking

Master bedroom with trey ceiling, tile floors and spacious sitting area

Master Bedroom with wall of windows overlooking golf course

Master Bath with jetted tub & separate shower

Master bath tub & shower

Secondary bedroom

Another view of the spacious second bedroom

Spacious courtyard off front entryway

Enlarged tile patio overlooking panoramic view of the Wild Horse Golf Course

Spacious enlarged covered patio and pergola

Golf Course view from the covered patio

It seems so surreal to me to see the marketing photos and spin about our house...
Obviously all these photos are taken to promote the openeness of the floor plan, views and the outdoor living spaces, and not the decor.
I will be sharing with you all the 'up close and personal' photos and reasoning behind the vignettes and staging strategies I used... of course I am open to any and all suggestion and advice from all you out there in blogland!

I will be joining these fun parties!


SNS at Funky Junk Interiors 
Fridays Unfolded at Stuff and Nonsense
Potpourri Party at 2805
Inspiration Friday at The Picket Fence
Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground
Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage
Show and Tell at My Romantic Home

Home Savvy A to Z

House Dressing is for sale!

Not the blog of course... but the house!

I have had a laundry list of things to do before the listing, such as....

1. Interview real estate agents.

2. Clean out and reorganize every closet, cabinet and drawer in the house.

3. De-personalize, by removing family photos, and personal items.

4. De-clutter, by removing excess furniture, overly decorative and ornate items.

5. Neutralize the rooms by removing all specific color schemes, heavy patterns and replace 'dated and tired' decor, for more modern items with clean lines.

6. Start packing rarely used and seasonal items.

7. Donate unused items to charity.

8. Trim and cut back all spent foliage, dress planting beds with mulch and plant seasonal flowers.

And THAT'S why I have not been posting! The list is not totally completed, I still have yard work to do and I need to start cleaning out all the storage cabinets in the garage, but I feel like a have a big enough handle on it, to get back into posting and visiting all my blog friends again... I have REALLY missed ya'll! 

Yesterday the professional photographers came over and shot the virtual tour, and took tons of photos for the internet sites. I saw the preliminaries today, and can't wait to show you the results tomorrow... it's AMAZING how the pros make your house look! And hopefully I will have the link to the virtual tour to share with you as well.

Moving is a LOT of work, and when we moved here 3 1/2 years ago, I didn't think we would be doing it again so soon, but during our time here, we have realized that we would rather live a more 'urban' lifestyle. My husband, who travels a LOT would prefer to be closer to DFW International Airport, and I want be closer to shopping and we both really miss the variety of dining and entertainment choices that more populated areas have to offer. 

We moved out of the Dallas/Fort Worth 'metroplex' 17 years ago when our kids were very young  so that they could attend an exemplary school district in the much smaller town of Aledo. After they both graduated and moved out of the house, we moved here to a resort style community located outside of Denton, and even though it certainly has it's perks, it happens to be at least 20 minutes to the nearest grocery store! 

Moving back to the 'city' will be very different for us, but it's a change that we are both looking forward to.

I want to personally thank all my followers and visitors for being so patient with me during the lack of posts I have had lately, I plan to start posting again on a regular basis with lots of updates, tips and trials of trying to sell our house in this crazy market.

All the best, 

Lisa

Ewwwww!

They're Creepy And They're Kooky
Mysterious And Spooky
They're All Together Ooky....

look what showed up on my back porch... 

Happy Halloween!

'nuff said!

Halloween Dinner Party

We love hosting a Dinner & Mischief party on Halloween, and this years theme is Black & White Arachnophobia.
This post is photo overload, so I wont bore you with text...

I will be joining these fun parties...

Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style 

Fall into Fall at DIY by Design

Ginger Snap Crafts for Wow My Wednesday

Amaze me Monday at Dittle Dattle

Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch

On the Menu Monday at Stone Gable

Brag Monday at The Graphics Fairy

Creative Bloggers at Home Maker on a Dime