Special offer

McMinn County, TN Real Estate News

By Lori Donegan
(Ready 2 Stage)
Ready 2 Stage Home Staging & Redesign is currently in the process of redesigning a conference room for Tennessee Log Homes.  Using a limited budget we are utilizing the current table in the room which is in need of some help.  The table has two black "marble" inserts that have been cracked and it also seems that the wood underneath has a slight bow in it.  We need your ideas and suggestions on replacement materials for this area.  Thanks in advance for your budget-friendly ideas!!    The inserts in the table measure 25" X 30 1/8" X 1/4" thickness The room has a wood ceiling and beams and is rustic in nature, but we have designed a little more updated look with more modern colors and pops of black in the framed artwork on the walls.  Please include any suggestions as to how to deal with ...
Comments 16
By Lori Donegan
(Ready 2 Stage)
I have always been taught to be frugal and not wasteful--my kids call me "tight-wad!"  For a while now, I have been stashing away the small bits of old candles that didn't completely burn--thinking that I would use them to make more candles.  I finally got to do ti! I gathered all my supplies--most found at Hobby Lobby.  Wicking, metal wick holders and vanilla scent (one of my favorites) along with a metal coffee percolator--minus the inside--for melting the waxes. Not quite sure exactly how to do it, but I was determined to give it a try. Step 1   I first chopped the wax up into smaller pieces--@ 1 inch--and placed them in the metal container.  I used all the white/light colors together to produce a purer color.  I then set the metal container inside a sauce pan with @ 2 inches of wate...
Comments 24
I am so very thankful for my Aunt Louise. Growing up she was just like my 2nd mother, having spent many nights at her house with my cousin.  In July of 2009, at the age of 76 she underwent a very difficult surgery to repair a problem with her heart.  Over the next 6 months she has suffered many complications and setbacks from many different causes.  She is currently in a rehabilitation facility working her way back.  She desperately misses her home and cooking meals for her family and friends.  We all miss having her around for the fun. In December, she turned 77.  Her family met at the rehab center for a birthday celebration.  We shared food and laughs and well wishes for her return to her good health and her home.  Just feeling extra Thankful for her on this Thursday...... L Aunt Lou ...
Comments 9
By Lori Donegan
(Ready 2 Stage)
Ready 2 Stage Home Staging & Redesign recently was asked for our ideas for a renovation project.  Dynasty Spas in Athens, Tennessee was needing a fresh new look for their customer lobby/lounge area and some bathrooms.  We were more than happy to oblige.  We created our very first sample board for them.   After a few months, most of the renovations are complete.  Some of our suggestions were taken and some were not.  The owner, having great taste and design skills of his own, used our insight and suggestions combined with his preferences to make it what he wanted.  We are pleased with the outcome of this project and would like to share the photos with you.        Originally the lobby was to have hardwood flooring installed.  It was later decided that tile would be most durable and practi...
Comments 11
By Lori Donegan
(Ready 2 Stage)
We recently staged a beautiful Executive Home that was going on the market in Cleveland, Tennessee.  At first glance the bones of this house are naturally beautiful, but there were a few obstacles that kept it's true beauty from shining through.  As all homeowners know, it is extremely easy to accumulate lots of clutter over the years.  Little things stuck here and objects place there.....after a while you don't really see your home objectively.  That's where it's helpful to have "fresh eyes" to evaluate the situation.  This home seller was so used to seeing things where they were, that she could not see things as they should be.  Here are a few of the changes that we made: In the kitchen:                    Before:  There is too much clutter on the countertop; and the book nook is cram...
Comments 17
By Lori Donegan
(Ready 2 Stage)
  Here are the After shots of our latest office Redesign.  We used the Realtors "Magnolia" theme to create an office that is calm and relaxing--perfect for a lady who's a sweet Southern Belle.  The existing office furnishings were not quite fitting into our color palette, but sometimes you just have to make do with what you have.   The little alcove behind the desk just screamed table, mirror and lamp to me, so that's just what we did. We also added a floating shelf to anchor the artwork. Not sure if the candles will ever be lit in an office setting, but they look pretty.  The words over the window provide calming inspiration and were so easy to apply.  Those were a first for me, but I am sure to work with them again.  The valance was kind of a last minute added detail.  Wasn't quite su...
Comments 19
By Lori Donegan
(Ready 2 Stage)
A New Year deserves a New Look!  Does your office space need to be perked up?  Don't you just work better when the space around you is well lit and inviting? Ready 2 Stage Home Staging & Redesign is currently completing an office redesign for a valued customer.  A Realtor who is a former home staging client has asked us to give her new office space some life and comfort. Ms. Phyllis Robinson of Crye-Leike Realty in Athens, Tennessee has been such a joy to work with.  She totally trusts our judgment and tells us to "just fix it up!" She had a few things to work with, and we constructed our plan around them.  We hope she likes the results.  Here are a few BEFORE pictures of the space.  We will finish up today and the AFTER pics will be in the next post.             It's a little bland isn...
Comments 8
By Lori Donegan
(Ready 2 Stage)
Happy New Year to you and happy One Year Anniversary for Ready 2 Stage Home Staging & Redesign! Can you believe it is 2010? What a whirlwind year. We are very appreciative for all of you that have supported us this year and we look forward to serving you in the future. We have sculpted our business to fit the needs of you - our customers. When we first began, it was difficult knowing how the public would respond to home staging and redesign. We feel that with a year under our belts, we are now better equipped to serve you and meet your needs.The increase in interest in home staging in the Tennessee area is rising. Did you know that un-staged homes stay on the market an average of 182 days, while STAGED homes sell within 37 days? Staging a home prior to listing can yield a 586% return o...
Comments 5
Do you throw away your old scraps of Christmas wrapping paper and ribbon?  How about old Christmas cards?.....Well, this year I decided to go "Green" and use those small bits of leftover paper and ribbon.  Even if they didn't necessarily coordinate and match with each other....they look quirky and fun.  Those small pieces of paper are perfect for wrapping small gift books for teacher gifts, or jewlery boxes for someone special.  Don't toss out the wired ribbon that was wrapped around that gift basket!  Reuse it to tie onto your boxed candy gifts. How about those beautiful old Christmas cards?  I absolutely hate to throw them out, so I chose to cut around the beautiful pictures and wording to make a new tag for another gift.  (Just be sure the person's name is not written on the back! ha...
Comments 12
By Lori Donegan
(Ready 2 Stage)
Dear ActiveRainers,     I have an urgent prayer request for a 7 year old cousin, who has suffered a stroke.  He is on life support and is unresponsive to medication.  So concerned for him, and I am asking all of you to lift him and his family up in your prayers.  He has a large extended family that is very close, so that they can lean on each other.    We are all believing that a Christmas Miracle is needed, and pray for God's good and perfect will.  Please help us pray for Cole Puryear, who is 7 years old and lives in Athens, Tennessee!
Comments 11
By Lori Donegan
(Ready 2 Stage)
  In a previous post  Cookie Cutter House--Staged for a quick sale! we were unsure of the success of doing a "Photo-Staging"--adding some of our accessories for good photos and then removing them.  So I wanted to update everyone of the status of the "Cookie Cutter House."  It is sold!!  Within 3 days, the Realtor showed the house 6 times (all calls from seeing the pics), received an offer, and closed within 26 days of staging. Well, here we go again!  The same Realtor has called for another small house that just needs a bit of help.  Next week we are scheduled to do the same thing, and we are hoping for the same result.  Check out the "Before" pics below and I will post an update next week.   Thanks for all your comments and encouragement!   
Comments 7
It takes a smart home seller to realize that putting their home on the market is more than just popping a "For Sale" sign in the yard.  It takes lots of work and preparation to put your property in it's best shape for showing. It's a proven fact that once you have lived in a house for a few years--you can no longer see it objectively.  There needs to be fresh "buyer's eyes" to show you how to present and emotionally connect with those coming to view your house.  Most people think that surely anyone can see past my clutter and see how pretty my house really is!  That is definitely NOT true.  Clutter and too much furniture is very distracting to most people who enter, and statistics show that only 10% of home buyers can visualize and see past the clutter. Here are some examples:  This is ...
Comments 13
By Lori Donegan
(Ready 2 Stage)
    Well, it happens every time!  I try my best to take a photo of a beautifully staged bathroom, but I keep showing up in the picture myself.  This bathroom was especially challenging!  Almost every wall was sporting a mirror.  As it ends up, I found myself lying on the floor shooting upward--probably a good idea--you can get the beautiful light fixtures that way!!  I am finding bathroom photography to be the most challenging.  Most of the bathrooms are so small that a decent picture of it is nearly impossible.  You don't really want a picture of a toilet--all bathrooms have those.....you can't really stand in front of the vanity to take your picture because you will get a huge flash and your wonderful reflection. Not a very attractive photo, but that's just about the best that you can...
Comments 10
By Lori Donegan
(Ready 2 Stage)
This past Saturday, I had the pleasure of setting up an information booth at our local "Pumpkintown Festival."  The set-up fee for an information only booth was $25, so I thought--WHY NOT??  I have had a difficult time educating and getting the word out about staging in our little city, so I decided that this would be a great way to introduce Athens, Tennessee to READY 2 STAGE HOME STAGING & REDESIGN.   The early morning hours of set-up day were quite rainy.  When we arrived at 9:00 a.m. to prepare, the streets were still a bit wet.  October being a very unpredictable month weather-wise, I wasn't sure whether the day would require cold drinks or warm drinks--so I provided both.  Bottles of water and cups of hot apple cider (both labeled with the R2S name--of course!) attracted many to h...
Comments 17
By Lori Donegan
(Ready 2 Stage)
  This summer's theme for Vacation Bible School at Sewee Church of God was "Crocodile Dock."  We wanted to participate in a service project for kids--by kids.  We decided to make these great stuffed turtles out of soft and squishy felt.  Each VBS participant chose a un-stuffed turtle shape--(that was sown by our very generous ladies group)--to fill with stuffing.  After lovingly filling with stuffing and closing it up with velcro, a small card was slipped into a pocket on the turtle's shell.  On each card was a printed verse of encouragement from the Bible.  Each child was so pleased to be able to make these precious gifts for our local abused women's shelter.  Many times these abused women bring children with them, and these will hopefully provide comfort to those in need.  There's no...
Comments 17
By Lori Donegan
(Ready 2 Stage)
   JOYCE KILMER MEMORIAL FOREST I am just amazed every time I visit Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest near Robbinsville, North Carolina.  Having never visited the redwoods of California, I am in awe of the biggest trees that I have ever seen.  On a recent visit, I noticed that some of the beautiful evergreen trees were dying all around.  What a shame!  My husband informed me that it was some sort of blight or disease that had hit them--and hit them hard.  Soon there will be lots of large trees falling and making the beautiful walking trails impassable.  (By the way, Joyce Kilmer is a man.  Google it and read the story behind the poem.)  I encourage everyone that lives close enough to visit there soon and enjoy this beautiful forest.  Fall is an especially beautiful time to make the trip up t...
Comments 12
By Lori Donegan
(Ready 2 Stage)
Again......I found myself in need of the perfect artwork for a Master Bedroom Staging.  What to do.....what to do......I kind of liked making my own artwork for the last staging job, so why not try it again.  Ok.....let's get creative.  I walk down to my basement, which has become "Staging Accessories Central" and look around.  For many years, I collected antiques and any kind of great thrift store finds came home with me.  I love to refurbish and repurpose things.  Several years ago at our Museum Guild's trash & treasure sale I found these three framed watercolor prints.  Not particularly pretty, but I liked the frames and there were 3 ....that rule of 3's thing, you know.  So I purchased them for $2 each and they have been stashed in the closet ever since.  I pull them out and begin d...
Comments 29
By Lori Donegan
(Ready 2 Stage)
Ready 2 Stage Home Staging & Redesign recently staged this home near Niota, Tennessee.  We just love the difference that adding some color and beautiful furniture made in this space.  It was total "Vanilla" and now it's "Spicy, but relaxing."   We used some beautiful pops of red mixed with browns and golds to achieve a warm look in the Living area and kitchen.     There was also a beautiful Dining Area that due to seller budget, we weren't able to stage.  The living area is the very first room you enter and those all important first impressions were our top priority.  The Master suite was also one of the biggest selling features because of it's size and placement in the home.      Focusing on spa-like relaxation in the Master Suite, we used soft teals and browns to achieve a relaxing at...
Comments 13
Recently when staging a townhome, We needed artwork to hang on each side of the bed in the Master Suite.  Having black furniture with Neutral and Gray bedding, left me struggling to find something appropriate within my budget.   Quite a while earlier, I bought some great 11X14 black framed art--didn't really like the art in the frame--but couldn't resist because of the great price.  I took those frames--removed the rather ugly artwork inside and added my own. I started with 2 simple 8X10 sheets of scrapbooking paper in a pattern and color that coordinated with the bedding.  I had 2 articificial palm-type leaves that I had used for decoration at a Hawaiian luau party, which I spray painted with dark bronze metallic paint.  I mounted them on the paper with tacky glue--used the white matti...
Comments 61
Explore McMinn County, TN
View all cities
McMinn County, TN Real Estate Professionals