I get that response many times when I recommend to clients that they take down the valances above windows when they are preparing to put their home up for sale.I understand they may have been expensive but many times that was 20-30 years ago so you have gotten your money's worth. Even if they were purchased more recently you can take them with you to your  new home or leave them folded in a closet for the homeowner if they want to use themThe reason I make this recommendation is:1) Valances cut the ceiling height down.It chops the room off visually part way up the wall and the buyer's eye tends to stop right there.2) Valances shrink the window size.A large portion of a window is cut off because of a valance, sometimes 1/4 of the window on smaller windows. Buyers love large windows and l... 03/26/2018

We all seem to make them...New Year's resolution to achieve some big goal. Have you ever stopped to think that your house may have them too?Let's start with the most popular resolution. LOSING WEIGHT!Is your house bursting at it's seams? Way too much 'stuff' crammed in the basement, the closets, the storage spaces?  Perhaps it wants to shed some of that weight and be able to breath a little easier with some extra space. Another popular resolution is GETTING HEALTHY!Getting healthy is much different from losing weight. You may have shed the pounds but if you are still unhealthy at your core that weight loss may not make a difference.     Your house wants to get healthy too! Don't put off maintenance and repairs to keep the house in top healthy condition. Check your furnace, change furnac... 01/03/2018

  3235 Dupont Ave N Minneapolis MN 55412 $145,000 There are a few different types of real estate investors. It could be said that many people who think about real estate investing are concerned because they are not handy, and would not be good at renovating a home to get it market ready to rent for a high enough rent to cash flow!  Well... ATTENTION NON-HANDY REAL ESTATE INVESTORS (OR EVEN FIRST TIME REAL ESTATE INVESTORS) this property is going to be coming on the market that has been FULLY RENOVATED at 3235 Dupont Ave N in Minneapolis for $145,000. All the work has been done. All you need to do is rent it out, and with the HIGH DEMAND for single family home rentals, this will not be a problem. If you are into "numbers", how about a capitalization rate of 8.3%!!!!!!!!(This should rent ... 12/01/2017

As a Home Stager I get that question a lot. There is a very short answer....Absolutely!Christmas is a widely celebrated holiday that most people understand. If it is your tradition I don't feel that you need to put that aside just for selling your home. The potential buyer will most likely also celebrate and decorate for Christmas and may appreciate seeing the perfect place for the tree and the warmth of the holiday in their future home.There are a few caveats, however to decorating your home for Christmas while it is for sale. That caveat being, how into Christmas are you?If you are a person that loves Christmas and it comes out in your home decorations to the tune that you have 53 bins of Christmas decorations then you may need to tone it down and only use 3-4 of those bins. :)   The ... 12/01/2017

Sunday, August 20, 2017 Robert Swetz Living his Life Young Again Body and Mind   Robert Swetz Living his Life Young Again Body and Mind   Well the time has come for old Robert Swetz aka Vegas Bob to switch up his life again, and (no) I'm beyond a middle age crisis.      With all the technology and craziness going on around the world I have decided to step back in time, and I don't mean to live in the past.       I am thinking more on the lines of a less complex life style, less serious, less adult like and start thinking more like when I was in my younger years.     Of course my body is much older and tired then it was in my younger years but that doesn't mean my mind has to be.     I have been going to the gym to work out everyday now for just over three months and my body is starting ... 08/20/2017

It is....a post about doors! And no it's  not a construction post, ha. I recently was on vacation and one of the places we visited was Carmel-By-The-Sea, California. I fell in love with it!! And one of the main reasons was because of the doors. OH MY GOSH!     I seriously could not stop looking and photographing doors. Front doors, garage doors, gates and doors to gardens. Oh my! The character, the charm, the uniqueness got me to thinking.....why don't we all have great doors?    I have a boring front door. I paint it a different color every year to bring life to it but it's still a boring door. When I meet with home owners that are selling their homes I always discuss curb appeal and the front door is always top priority. Clean, fresh paint, repaired, working properly are all part of t... 08/03/2017

When selling your house, if you can see through it, it must sparkle!Let's look at the list:Windows:  That means inside and out, all levels of your home and yes the screens too. Your home does show better without the screens at all so clean them and put them in your storage area.Dirt, grim, winter grit all need to go! That includes the tracks of the window sills. Light Fixtures:  Buyers don't know if the light fixtures are worn, corroded or just plain old dirty. Spit and polish is the key on both interior and exterior light fixtures. Glass shower doors:  Ugh....soap build up and water spots on beautiful glass shower doors is such a turn off. It screams to the buyer that they are walking into someone else's home and who wants to shower in something that doesn't look fresh and clean.The bu... 06/26/2017

It seems that wireless home printers are coming the way of the razor. There is little to no value in the hardware anymore. They can make it so cheaply by reducing the quality of the product that you can just replace it rather than fix it and not be ticked off about it.  You don't say: Hey, I spent XYZ on this product, and now it doesn't work. I want my money back.  No, no, you say: Oh what the hell, I'll just buy new. They count on that. That attitude was very evident to me when I walked into Best Buy at Mall of America with my sister to buy a new printer for her. I mean, I've always known the money in printers is in the cartridges, but it was splashed all over the advertising. The manufacturers were offering memberships in printer ink clubs. Discounts if you signed up now.  Was it unre... 06/05/2017

This is a photo of a few people fishing off one of the docks at Lake Nokomis in Minneapolis that I did not publish in my personal blog today, along with the others. Somehow I overlooked this from the others, but the serenity of it struck me when I shot it. There are a lot of fish in Lake Nokomis, many more varieties than I used to catch 50 years ago. Although, I don't know if one would want to eat them today due to high mercury levels. When I was growing up in Minneapolis, we did not have air conditioning. Most people didn't. Unlike Sacramento, when it gets hot during the day in Minneapolis, it can stay hot all night. Hot and humid. In Sacramento, we enjoy delta breezes that come through in early evening to cool things down. Not in Minneapolis. Which meant when it was too hot to sleep, ... 06/04/2017

 Whoever heard of a cemetery that inscribes the deceased's name on a wall after cremeation but does not allow the scattering of ashes? Only 15 years ago we scattered my mother's ashes here, and engraved her name on the Winter Wall. Only 3 families are immortalized on this wall. Everybody else in Minneapolis chose more popular seasons, like Spring, to the left.  Hillside Cemetery made an exception for us, since some of us traveled from California and New York for this celebration of life for my Aunt Dolores. The cemetery's reasoning for the ban? The ashes are killing the vegetation around the memorials. You'd think they woulda thunk of that in advance, given their choice of businesses to run. It's a lovely cemetery over Northeast. As we approached, I noticed almost every grave seemed to ... 06/03/2017

Have you ever seen a blue porch ceiling? Maybe looking up and thinking "well that's pretty". It is pretty but there is a history behind them.When I designed this farmhouse style house I wanted to do some unique things and you don't see the blue ceilings much in the north as it was originated in the deep south. It made its way to the east coast into Victorian homes and has recently seen a revival of interest throughout the country.Originally called 'Haint' blue, haint is the Gullah pronunciation of haunt. First used in Charleston, South Carolina in the early 1800s the blue was thought to keep evil spirits away. The superstition was that spirits could not cross water and the blue tricked the spirits into thinking it was water thus not entering the house.  Apparently the blue ceiling has a... 04/24/2017

Step back and look at your fireplace objectively. Is it dated? In rooms that have fireplaces, the fireplace is normally the focal point of the room so ask yourself "Is my fireplace a good focal point?"If your fireplace has dated brick paint it....please! I know it is scary. I know you may like it the way it is and if you aren't selling then great....keep the dated brick. But if you are selling, or if you want to update the look of your home, PAINT IT! It makes such a difference to the overall look of your fireplace and your room. Some who have dated brick think they need to rip it out or cover it with tile or stone. You don't have to go to all that work to update it. It is relatively easy to paint brick and once it is painted it is easier to repaint to change the color. White or soft wh... 04/05/2017

It seems as though it is either a love or hate response when I ask that question to my design clients.The #1 reason people tend to not like them is "My mess will be out in the open for everyone to see." Or...."I will have to keep them neat all the time and that will be too much work."I get that, I totally understand that response. I have seen some kitchens with all opening shelving and I think "where do they hide their mess?" as everyone has at least one junky area in a kitchen that needs to be hidden!But my oh my, if you can just get past that first instinct about floating shelves, they are so beautiful. You don't have to use them everywhere.....maybe just one set in a kitchen, bedroom or family room.I really believe if floating shelves are done correctly they make an incredible statem... 03/27/2017

Well the great thing about area rug rules is that you can break them! Really, it does come down to personal preference for both size and style but I want to address some common size options that you have. Although it is personal preference, I do believe there are times when a room can look odd if the area rug is placed wrong or if it isn't the correct size. Let's look at the main living area of the home such as the living room or family room. Option 1:The rug comes up to the front edge of all furniture. In this option none of the furniture actually sits on the rug except the coffee table but it comes right up to the sofa and chairs.I like this option, it pulls the room together by defining the space and making it feel cozy. It is a great option for extremely large rooms when buying a la... 02/20/2017

I was at a home yesterday doing a Home Staging Consultation and I ran into an issue that I see over and over again. Lack of light!Plain and simple.....buyers do not like dark houses. I think you could look at hundreds of feedback comments on homes and never see "The house just had too much natural light." or "The  house was just too bright." You just never hear that.But you do hear, "The house was so dark." or "Boy there just wasn't any natural light."Perhaps your home has all of it's windows facing north or it was built in the decades when installing ceiling/recessed lighting wasn't a common practice. It's okay. It's an easy fix!!Lamps, lamps and more lamps. An easy and inexpensive fix to any room.A Few Tips:In a living area such as a family room, great room or living room: Use 3 lamps... 01/13/2017

5137 Abbott Avenue S, Minneapolis, MN Get Directions Click Here Description Photos Maps & Local Schools Print Brochure My Reviews $ Click for current price 5 BEDROOMS | 5 (4 full, 1 half ) BATHROOMS | 3880 SQUARE FEET New built traditional style 2 story. Open floor plan, large footprint for the price range. Custom built by local builder RCA construction. Home features Large rooms, huge master closet, walk in pantry, main floor office, upper level laundry, and mud room. Follow This Home! Search All Homes For Sale Edina Home For Sale Minneapolis Homes For Sale What Is Your Home Worth Presented By: Showing Agent: Alex Wheaton Realty Group, Inc. 651-308-1850 Schedule a Showing/Request Info   11/30/2016

On my last post I showed photos of a farmhouse that I designed from the ground up. Not everyone has the luxury to buy or build a new home but they like the farmhouse look that has been made popular by Chip and Joanna Gaines of the hit HGTV show "Fixer Upper". If that's you, know that you can achieve the look in your home.I really think the reason this look has become so popular is that it is a throwback to a simpler time. The home is warm, inviting, and looks like it has been put together over time. Items don't match but look like they have a story behind them.I too love the style and wanted to bring it into my home even though it is far from the farmhouse look architecturally.  I got the chance to visit Joanna's store "Magnolia" in Waco, TX for inspiration and of course brought home a ... 11/16/2016

The farmhouse style home is all the rage right now, made famous by Chip and Joanna on HGTV's show 'Fixer Upper'.I just had the opportunity to design a farmhouse style house from the blueprints up, and then stage it. What a fun experience and may I say I want this house!It has elements of rustic but with modern and chic mixed in. A warm and cozy home for sure. I want to share the photos with you so if you also are a huge fan of 'Fixer Upper' like I am,  you may enjoy these. House Before Demo Day:   House now rebuilt:    Great Front Porch, note the light blue ceiling:       Look what awaits you when you open then front door! A foyer that opens up to an office with a barn door for privacy:       Would you really even mind working in a cozy office like this? Complete with a Shiplap accent w... 11/06/2016

Robert "Vegas Bob" Swetz at Crosby Lake Minnesota 2003 Robert Vegas Bob Swetz steps back in time  Well Vegas Bob will be headed to Minnesota early this afternoon and it's been 5-6 years since I have gone back.Being born and raised in Minnesota every time I go back there I get flashbacks of when I was very young.   Robert "Vegas Bob" Swetz Portland Oregon 1979 Now some of you might think with the name "Vegas Bob" that I must have been born and raised in Las Vegas Nevada.But actually Vegas Bob was born in the state of Minnesota.And at the age of 17 years old Vegas Bob traveled to Portland Oregon and lived there for 5 years.       Robert "Vegas Bob" Swetz Portland Oregon 1980 And after living in Portland Oregon for 5 years Vegas Bob went back to live in Minnesota for several years.Then in ... 10/18/2016

Vegas Bob is trying to get 10 posts written in 2 days Robert Vegas Bob Swetz will be flying into Minneapolis Minnesota this coming Wednesday for 6 days and he (will not) be taking his laptop.This shouldn't be a problem for Vegas Bob because his laptop is a (new) HP with Windows 10 and Windows 10 SUCKS!So Vegas Bob will be trying to get 10 posts written and loaded up before noon on Wednesday.Can it be done, why not and this is already my 3rd post in about 45 minutes.Vegas Bob will be taking 2 cell phones, both iPhones by Apple and one of them is a iPhone 7 so Vegas Bob should (maybe) be able to load up a post with some photographs of Minnesota if the (new) platform from ActiveRain will allow it.I have had trouble quite a few times trying to post from my cell phone and maybe the ActiveRai... 10/17/2016