Making Your Home Business Aesthetic and Functional
by Jackie Waters
Photo via Pixabay
When you’re running a home business, creating a space that is both functional and aesthetically pleasing is vital for productivity. From the outside of your home to your inside office, everything needs to work toward your business’s success. Home design expert Lorelei Taylor offers some tips on how to spruce up your home business.
Consider Curb Appeal
How a business looks on the outside informs potential clients how it will operate on the inside. With that in mind, think about how your home looks to prospective clients — and consider making changes starting there.
This can be as simple as planting a few trees or flowers or having some basic landscaping done. It may require painting your house or installing new siding, though, and many home businesses would benefit from a total home exterior makeover. For this, hire exterior experts who can remodel the outside of your home and increase your curb appeal exponentially.
Make Your Home Office Aesthetic
Just like the outside of your home business should appeal to clients, so should your home office space. You want clients to feel comfortable when they visit, and it’s important to project a professional image. To achieve this, connect with interior designer Lorelei Taylor to design the perfect office that fits your business type and your preferred style.
Make Your Home Office Functional
A home office space can’t just look good; it needs to work well, too. Because so much time in home businesses is spent at a desk, it’s vital to invest in ergonomic seating that feels comfortable to sit in for long periods of time and won’t cause any long-term damage to your body. Your desk should be at a comfortable height for you to easily use your mouse, and your screen should be able to be viewed without strain on either the eyes or the neck. Similarly, any seating your clients will be using should also be comfortable, and they should be able to view any projects or presentations they will need to without any undue strain on their bodies.
Also, make sure that your internet speeds are adequate for your needs so that you won’t drop off of business calls and can upload and download items as quickly as possible. Check that the internet works well in your office space, as areas of a home outside or at the edges of a modem’s range can lose speed.
Consider installing smart technology for your home office. Voice-activated lighting and technology are not only convenient, eliminating time and energy better spent completing other tasks, it also makes a good impression on clients.
If you haven’t already, filing for a sole proprietorship or limited liability company can be a smart move for home business owners. The LLC is particularly alluring due to the asset protection and tax advantages it provides; however, the sole proprietorship has its own advantages, and allows you to launch quickly. Note that whatever structure you decide, you don’t necessarily have to include “LLC” or “Corp.” in your business name if you prefer to use a business alias that speaks to your brand. In California, this is referred to as using a “fictitious business name.” Since this can be a little confusing, check out the Zenbusiness guide that clarifies what it means to have a business alias.
A home business setup should work for you, not against you. Make the outside appealing enough to bring clients in and make the home office aesthetic and functional enough to help you deliver quality work that will keep your clients coming back.
Whether you’re selling a home or improving your current property, contact Home Design by Lorelei Taylor. In addition to home staging, she’ll help you with interior design, property photography, and so much more.
Contact her online or by calling 619-933-2251.
We are proud to share this great info from Jackie Waters of www.hyper-tidy.com. Visit Jackie there for great advice, recipes, tips, efficiency strategies and much more!
4 Tips to Help You Affordably Prepare Your Home for Sale!
by Jackie Waters
There are many things you can’t control when you put your home up for sale – the location, the market conditions, and price range, among others. However, there are ways to prepare your home that increase the chances of a quick and profitable sale.
Preparing your home for sale doesn’t have to be expensive; in fact, most tips in this article will cost next to nothing. There’s a delicate balance between overspending on home preparation and making repairs or improvements that can improve the selling price. Read on for affordable home prep tips from Home Design by Lorelei Taylor.
Photo via Pixabay
1.Check Listings around You
The listing price is one of the most significant decisions you’ll make when putting your house up for sale. The only way to know the acceptable price range for homes like yours is to scout listings near your locale. While no two homes are entirely similar, looking at these listings can give you a range within which to work. In La Mesa, for example, homes sold for an average price of $615,000 over the last month. Having this information handy will help when trying to set your price point. Of course, getting a reputable and experienced Realtor early on can help you price your home correctly.
2.Remove Your Clutter
There are two kinds of clutter you’ll accumulate in your house: genuine clutter (items no longer used) and things that don’t work into your home-selling plan. Decluttering can be a useful way to emotionally move out of a house and also start packing. If you declutter correctly, you can save lots of time and money when you finally move out.
You’ll also want to remove items that aren’t right for selling your home, such as:
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Items that are too large or too small for the space
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Personal effects, toys, and books
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Excessive items that make your house look smaller than it is
If you need a holding plan for the interim, you can remove these belongings from the house and place them in storage until it’s time to move. Some removal companies can take some of your stuff and keep them until you’re ready to move to your new home.
3.Depersonalize the House
Depersonalizing is more than just removing items like books, photographs, family antiques, knick-knacks, and art. It’s also about creating a neutral space that allows the new homeowner to visualize themselves living in the home. Therefore, opt for paint in neutral colors and remove any statement furniture pieces (e.g., a brightly colored couch).
Remove religious art, evidence of personal hobbies or DIY projects, and relics like animal fur rugs and animal statues. Additionally, remove any special collections or sports memorabilia, wallpaper or patterned furniture/hangings. These items are subjective and can be off-putting to someone that doesn’t share your same taste.
4.Invest in Staging
Staging can significantly improve your home’s appeal to potential buyers. Working with a professional stager like Lorelei Taylor will help you get the job done well so that your home will stand out in online listings and during open houses.
Whether you work with a pro or DIY, you should start by touching up any scuffing or scratching, and make any other needed minor repairs to help your space show as well-kept. You’ll also want to have your house cleaned professionally, including windows, driveways, and polishing.
Once your home is clean, consider small, unobtrusive decorative touches that make your home appealing while staying neutral. You’ll also want to remove about half of your furniture, which eases movement and allows buyers to visualize how they’d fill the living spaces. One tip is to move furniture away from walls – called “floating,” which creates a sense of coziness.
Once you prep your home for sale, it’s time for its debut and possibly even an open house. If you’re still living in the house, make sure your Realtor gives you notice before bringing a buyer over (ideally, at least two hours). This gives you time to do a quick tidying-up.
It doesn’t take much to set your home up for sale. With a little planning and some elbow grease, you can declutter, stage and depersonalize quickly and affordably so that before long, you’ll see a “sold” sign in your front yard.
Whether you’re selling a home or improving your current property, contact Home Design by Lorelei Taylor. In addition to home staging, she’ll help you with interior design, property photography, and so much more.
Contact her online or by calling 619-933-2251.
We are proud to share this great info from Jackie Waters of www.hyper-tidy.com. Visit Jackie there for great advice, recipes, tips, efficiency strategies and much more!
