All Forum Posts by: Raven Parmer

@George P. the last thing I want is to come off pretentious. Granite is a fine choice, and I know it is very popular. I tried to word my post in a way that didn't come off judgy. Sorry if I offended you.

But you are right, I am a dreamer. Which is why I have come here to find some grounding! I think there is a balance to be had. I know that neutrality is important for selling a home, but I believe subtle upgrades can help sell the home faster. Thanks for commenting.

@Slav Tkachenko thanks for your encouraging words! The house looks great! Can I ask what you spent to rehab it? I also like the staging furniture - I think that it being a little more modern helped really set the house apart. And for that price point, I feel like you really did go above and beyond. Is it located in Atlanta? Good work!

@Brett K. we both do commercial work, so we don't really use spiral stairs, but I have a couple of leads for you. This house in Butchertown has a really nice spiral stair, which probably cost a fortune. But the article has the name of the designer and builder, so you could contact them to see who fabricated it. 

Also here is a company that you could contact and ask them if it's something they could fabricate for you: http://www.artisticironworksco.com/ and, if not, I  bet they have some suggestions for you. Hope that helps.

@Sharad M. thanks for posting. The story made my stomach drop a little, but being a newbie myself, I'm going to remember this.

Also, I lived in a rental with a reglazed tub, and there were strict rules on what I could do to it (no suction mats in the tub, specific cleaners, etc...) or the warranty would be void. We scratched it within a couple of weeks by using a baby tub in there. Oops. Now that I think about it, @Katie Neason is right about not using it on rentals.

@Karen Margrave - that house looks really nice. California's market is an enigma to me. Several of the shows I watch are based there, and in some of the areas, the possibilities seem endless. And folding glass doors are not cheap, will be a great feature in the California climate!

Also, thanks for pointing me to The Scott Pad. Really interesting stuff!

@Jon Klaus a few things:

1)That house is gorgeous. Fact. Spec houses are a distant dream for me. Love what you did there and that you had the interest to do something so unique. 

2) In my podcast marathoning, I got to your episode today. Thoroughly enjoyed it. 

3) And you are right - I took your comment the wrong way. Conformity can be a positive thing for me, depending on where I am. My glass-half-empty self read that part the first time :)

@Richard C. - ouch! :) I do get it. But it is a real effort to take everything I have learned in my schooling and my job and to set it aside. It's not in my nature to, as was said above, to "conform, conform, conform." That said, I am here to learn, which is why I am asking the questions and listening to the podcasts. I think that several of the commenters have said it can be a good idea to offer a little extra touch, and while I may not choose an accent wall as I did above (I hate for materials to be wasted), perhaps I can offer something else that might appeal to more people. You (and many of the others who have taken the time to comment) are telling me to keep my taste out of it. I am trying to find a niche and a business plan where I can use my skills in this business. From listening to the podcasts (I am in the 40's now), one thing is apparent to me: this business can take on as many different forms as there are people, and hopefully I can find my niche. But I do appreciate your comment and your direct-ness. And I think your last line is a tweetable tweet for sure. Very catchy!

I'm probably the last person to ask, but I never like the look of it. Although, if it's a lower end flip or a rental, it's probably the best bet. It does make everything look clean, but I'm a bit of a purist (or maybe a snob?), so it turns me off. When I have researched it in the past, I have read that it doesn't hold up well, but I am not sure if it has gotten better. We have a pink and blue bathroom in our 50's home, and demo would be a nightmare. I am going to perform a miracle and embrace the pink tile and make it look intentional. I hope.

@Andrew Syrios - I need "foo foo" to be part of my every day vocabulary. Love it. 

@Brett K. - You said, "from a financing point of view it can be a kiss of death if an appraiser states a property is 'unique'." Can you elaborate on that more? Is that like a Realtor euphemesim when they call a space "cozy" to mean tiny, or "vintage charm" to mean that it  is totally outdated? 

As for a spiral staircase...not off the top of my head, but my fiance is a GC and I'll ask him. We both do commercial work, so we don't run into spiral stairs very often. Are you planning on having a custom stair fabricated?

@Walt Payne - I like that advice. I will definitely dial back my excitement, and save the big ideas for my own home. I love the idea of offering just a little more.