Hello Small House Enthusiasts!

I've been struggling with what to send you for this approaching Springtime. After having many people respond to my survey on what information they'd like to see more of at Small-House-Building.com, I decided to start work on an ebook! Basically, visitors to my site are looking for information on home building for absolute beginners... Where do you start when you've rarely ever picked up a hammer? It's pretty exciting so far, I think you'll really like it! I'll send out more announcements when as the launch date comes closer (I'm aiming for late March or early April).

Until then, I found this great article by Shannon Aldrich, a realtor in New Hampshire that I thought you might find useful...

Make a Small House Look Larger to Sell

When you are selling a small house you don't have to be a magician to make petite rooms look larger. You can employ some simple tricks to make them appear more spacious.

The simplest way to "enlarge" a room is to de-clutter it. It really doesn't matter how long you have lived there - 20 years or 20 months - stuff just has a way of accumulating. Thinning out your possessions will quickly make any room look bigger. You will be amazed at what you find tucked into closets, cupboards, bookshelves and dressers. You might even find a treasure or two. Start by making 4 piles- stuff to store & keep; yard sale or craigslist items; the give away box; and trash.

Go room by room and purge all closets, shelves and cupboards of unused or unwanted items. Pack seasonal clothing away that you will wear again. I prefer to use the larger plastic totes for this. Give away clothing you haven't worn in 2 years. Chances are if you haven't put it on in 2 years you are not going to. Clear off all the nightstands and tops of bureaus. Box what you have decided to keep and store it away. If you can store it in a self-storage unit away from the house all the better for making spaces look bigger.

Most of us have a collection or two - think about packing them away. After all if you are selling the house, you are planning to move, so why not pack your treasures away first so you will know that they are safe and sound. Especially small items should be removed from the house before Buyers arrive. You don't want to be heartbroken because Aunt Ethel's glass paperweight turns up missing after an Open House.

Time to get ruthless in the Kitchen. Get every gadget and utensil off the counters. And keep them that way! My downfall is cookbooks. But packing them up for a few weeks never turns out to be that painful. I can still get dinner on the table. Plus it is such a joy to unpack them and get to know them all over again. Scrutinize the Kitchen for unused items that you can get rid of for good. Now check the cupboards, refrigerator and pantry. Plan your meals around what you have on hand. After all YOU ARE MOVING do you really want to haul all those cans, bottles and boxes? - they are really heavy.

If you have a Garage, Basement or Attic its time to really get to work. Have that Yard Sale you have been putting off for years. Or just get on with it and donate all that stuff to charity. Trust me - it's probably not worth as much as you imagine.

Books are easy to pack - plus remember YOU ARE MOVING. (Have I mentioned that often enough yet) Take the books you are no longer interested in to the Library. Even if they don't keep them but sell them at their book sale you are doing a good thing. Old computer manuals have no use and should be permanently let go of - just throw them away. I know it's hard. I dropped 50lbs by getting rid of computer manuals going back to the 90's!

Now for the big stuff - start eliminating furniture. Take the larger pieces you want to keep to storage and rearrange the rest. By larger I am talking about the sideboard, armoire or family heirloom you don't want to part with. Move out the coffee table, end tables and bookcases. Make sure there are open pathways through each room. Sometimes putting furniture at angles can help with this. Decorating with tall and narrow should be the words you are living by. Keep decorations to a minimum.

A well placed mirror can add to the illusion of depth and spaciousness. Use tall plants to lend a sense of height and airiness. You might even want to consider getting rid of any heavy curtains and opt instead for sheers. Let the light in to make a space seem larger. While you are at it increase the wattage of all your light bulbs. If you decide to paint - paint the ceiling a lighter color than the walls. Keep your colors neutral. If you are replacing any carpeting - keep that in as light a shade as possible. Always paint the walls lighter than the carpet.

There you go - see you don't have to be a magician but you do need to be dedicated to the task at hand. You should see the rewards in a quicker sale and higher selling price.

You can find Shannon at www.RealEstateSeacoast.com, and Keller Williams Coastal Realty 501 Islington Street, Portsmouth NH
(reprinted with permission)

peace and prosperity,
Anne Lupton
p.s. think Spring!