Remodeling Ideas....

The couple interviewed five architects before settling enthusiastically on Roberto de Leon of Louisville’s De Leon & Primmer Architecture Work­shop, drawn to his “clear understanding of how to use light and space in a thoughtful way,” says Gray.From the outset, there were challenges. For one, the century-old house sits in a historic preservation district. De Leon and project manager David Mayo had to design a structure whose modern flair wouldn’t clash with its surroundings, while also passing muster with Louisville’s strict Historic Landmarks and Preservation Districts Commission.De Leon and Mayo documented every structure within a six-block area, taking design cues from the lean-tos and semi-detached sheds found in many of the neighborhood’s backyards. They proposed cladding the addition in fiber-cement lap siding and painting it dark forest green, a color commonly found on historic Kentucky plantation houses. “That was a way for us to make a case for the scale of the addition, the materials, and even the detailing to the landmarks board as a way to say, ‘This is really in character with everything that’s around this neighborhood,’” de Leon says. Read more: http://www.dwell.com/articles/a-well-grafted-home.html#ixzz1eNHnepp7

Contemporary Problem Solving....

Bringing to you compelling custom solutions to off-the-shelf problems are often hard to come by. But landscape architects James A. Lord and Roderick Wyllie relished the challenge of making a standard hot tub the most exciting element in the garden. The American Association of Landscape Architects gave Surfacedesign a Residential Design Honor Award for the project.Read more: http://www.dwell.com/slideshows/stoked-to-soak.html?slide=1&c=y&paused=true#ixzz1eNCPEKlc

Weekend Mortgage Rates

Foreclosure? Why not...

Forelosures....

What happens more often is the owner of the fore-closed property ends up thanking the buyer for saving him from debtors’ prison. Foreclosure is the legal process by which an owner’s right to a property is terminated. This is usually caused by an owner defaulting so heavily on a loan or tax debt that 
the bank or government steps in to sell the owner’s property to reclaim monies owed. “The deeper into the foreclosure process the owners are, the more of a discount you can get,” explains Jonathan Ainscow, real estate partner in The Johns. An early stage 
of preforeclosure called “financial distress” is when the owner tries to sell a house quickly before the bank or government takes it over, often at a discount.

But Ainscow touts the real deals as being in bank-managed short sales. “Banks are 
not in the business of acquiring properties,” explains Ainscow. “Once they foreclose on 
a house they want to get rid of it quickly.” Short sale properties can sell for 10 percent below their value. It’s this kind of foreclosure that Peter Bracher of Dayton, Ohio, bought. “This 
guy didn’t pay his property taxes, so the government took over,” explains Bracher. 
“It went to auction and we bought it for $15,600.” Though it took Bracher four months of legal wrangling and court proceedings to get the property, he was eventually rewarded for his perseverance.Read more: http://www.dwell.com/articles/foreclosure.html#ixzz1e56vX4iT

Probate Sale?

Thinking about buying something in probate...

Legally, probate is the court’s procedure to determine the validity 
of the deceased’s will and verify the identity of the beneficiaries. A typical scenario is that Grandma Smith died. She bequeathed everything to her loser son, Bobby. Bobby doesn’t have the money 
or fortitude to fix up the house, so he sells 
it, as is, through probate. “Most of the time these houses have worn shag carpet from 1978, rhinoceros wallpaper, and will smell like an 80-year-old woman,” explains real estate agent John Barnette. “This is exactly what you want.” Because of the often poor condition and the insanely frustrating and complex purchase process (every state’s is different, 
but can include putting 10 percent down at the time of the sale), these houses generally sell for 5 to 10 percent under their value. 
In real estate, these are huge numbers.Furthermore, if the deceased died in the house, the property could be even more undervalued. Many cultures view living 
in a house where someone died as strictly taboo; others simply view it as gross. But if you don’t mind having a clay-stained Patrick Swayze massaging your shoulders every time you do the dishes, a probate sale is a gold-mine opportunity for the truly adventurous (and nonsuperstitious).Read more: http://www.dwell.com/articles/probate-sale.html#ixzz1e53VMywK

Modern Home Staging.....

Modern Home Staging.....

And more sellers than ever are staging modern. Modern design befits a staged living environment because of its clean lines and purity of form. It delivers a sense of cool urbanity, blissfully free of that icky lived-in feeling. You may relish the nostalgia of country floral wallpaper or grandpappy’s hand-whittled bar stools, but potential buyers do not. They don’t care about your kickin’ eight-track collection or your Lynyrd Skynyrd airbrushed 
pool table—even if it is ironic.

The homeowner’s equivalent of hiring a celebrity stylist for Oscar night, the modern stager’s goal is to accentuate all architectural assets, making spaces that could be perceived as austere or intimidating feel warm and inviting. Hands-on staging services can cost anywhere from $1,000 for a small condo (utilizing existing furnishings) to $10,000 or more for larger homes in desirable markets.Beth Ann Shepherd, the president of Dressed to Close, a full-service staging company based in Los Angeles, explains the physics-defying effect that staging can have on a home. “It makes small rooms larger, outdoor areas more dramatic, and expands overall square footage,” 
she explains. And it’s not merely about looks. “In my experience, [staging] always increases the sale price,” 
she continues. “It’s a short-term, high-yield investment.” High-end staging companies such as Shepherd’s can turn an empty house into a swingin’ mod paradise in 48 hours. They source from vendors all over the world, scouring the Milan and High Point furniture fairs for the latest “it” item.

Your home can be custom designed (“done-done” in the industry vernacular) with lighting, rugs, upholstery, bedding, chairs, sofas, and even custom artwork. Shepherd calls these homes “designer perfect.” As design is increasingly democratized, buyers are adopting new ideas of what constitutes desirable decor. “People want modern,” Shepherd continues. “Modern has become symbolic of success, of happiness.” And modern home staging is particularly adept at communicating a lifestyle—that elusive symbiosis of good design and subtle luxury that says, “I’ve made it. Not that I care…”The most popular staging pieces represent a cadre of design classics typically found in five-star boutique hotels or the pages of, well, this magazine. Italian and mid-century chairs. Low-rise sofas. Modular sectionals. Pony-skin rugs. And, of course, our friend the Barcelona chair. “Everyone loves a Barcelona chair,” Shepherd says. “It’s the epitome of modern staging.”But the clincher is, surprisingly, the humble ottoman. “Oversize movable ottomans are the hot item right now,” Shepherd explains. “They allow people to improvise their living spaces.” As the popularity of staging increases, so does the number of buyers who purchase homes completely furnished. “Homes are selling ‘to go,’” Shepherd says. “Especially single men. They buy it all.”Good news for the swanky bachelor set. But does this result in a sort of assembly-line design, the aesthetically principled version of the McMansion? Or perhaps the to-go home typifies the point of modernism, to simplify, embrace functionality, and celebrate essential objects.

Either way, business is booming. Shepherd is even launching a new product line website, fabulousbyfriday.com, built around pieces used for staging purposes.Paul Kaplan, a Palm Springs, California–based real estate agent who specializes in modern homes, also notes that staging can educate owners about the assets of their own spaces. “Often I get listings from sellers that may not have an appreciation for the modern design of their home,” he explains. “Staging shows people how a space can be used.”Perhaps the most persuasive argument for modern staging is in the numbers. In a 2004 survey of almost 2,800 properties in eight U.S. cities, staged homes, on average, ended up getting 6.3 percent over their asking price. For anxious would-be sellers, that’s reason enough.Read more: http://www.dwell.com/articles/all-the-homes-a-stage.html#ixzz1e51U1Ob8

By: Heather Wagner
Illustrated by: Rinah Lang

Real Estate in Copehagen....

Jamie Gross at Dwell Magazine just returned to the office from a trip to Copenhagen spent reporting a handful of stories for the magazine and scouting future projects. A highlight of the trip was my visit to HAY, a fantastic store dedicated to contemporary Danish design that's set in a historic building overlooking Strøget, the city's main pedestrian thoroughfare. I spent more than an hour in the store in a kind of happy design daze, gawping over the lovely sofas, chairs, rugs, tables, and miscellaneous gifts and gadgets. Here are some photos from my visit. I'll share some of my other favorite Copenhagen discoveries online over the next couple weeks.Read more: http://www.dwell.com/articles/a-visit-to-hay-copenhagen.html#ixzz1du8i6tVw