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The recent National Association of Realtors settlement has opened a new chapter in the real estate industry. While the legalities may seem complex, the core message is clear: agents have more flexibility than ever in how they structure deals and get compensated for their expertise. This presents a fantastic opportunity for agents to demonstrate their true value to home sellers in a competitive market.

In today's market, sellers have options. Flat-fee and online services are readily available. To stand out, agents need to clearly communicate the unique benefits they bring to the table. This goes beyond simply listing a property. Here's how agents can showcase their worth:

 Leverage your knowledge of local trends, pricing strategies, and buyer preferences to ensure a successful sale.

Secure the best possible price for your client, navigating offers and counteroffers with a sharp eye.

 Utilize a robust marketing strategy to reach the right buyers and generate maximum exposure for the property.

 Guide sellers through the entire process, handling paperwork, inspections, and communication with all parties involved.

Freemodel: Your Partner in Showcasing Value

At Freemodel, we exist to help agents maximize a home's selling potential. We specialize in pre-sale renovations that can significantly increase a property's value and help the home sell faster and for more.

Here's how partnering with Freemodel allows you to demonstrate exceptional value to your clients:

 Our renovations help clients fetch a higher price point, delivering a high return on the project cost.

A beautiful, updated home attracts more interest and sells quicker, minimizing time on the market.

 We handle the renovation details, allowing your clients to focus on their move and peace of mind.

When you partner with Freemodel, you can offer your clients a comprehensive solution that maximizes their profit and streamlines the selling process. This not only benefits your client but also strengthens your reputation as a valuable and results-oriented agent.

Contact Freemodel today and let's discuss how we can work together to make your clients smile – and secure you a loyal client for life. Remember, in a competitive market, showcasing your value is no longer an option, it's a necessity. Let Freemodel be your partner in success!

The Value Equation: Why Now's the Time for Real Estate Agents to Shine

With a shift towards cool tones, blues, and dark hues, the 2024 color of the year selections moved away from the warm earth tones of the year prior and searched for quiet serenity.

Popular colors change radically from year to year based on design trends and the national mood. Some years are hot and intense, others are subdued and quiet. If you’re selling a home, painting the exterior or interior rooms in a trendy, popular color can make the house seem modern and up to date, thereby boosting the selling price. As well as being experienced in the entire remodel project, our project directors are highly opinionated when it comes to self-expression through color!

In the month building up to the release of the Pantone 2024 Color of the Year, Freemodel designers and project directors weighed in on prominent paint and design companies’ chosen “it” color for the year that lies ahead. In this survey, we sought out to get honest reactions to these predictions and also wanted to get a sneak peek as to which colors might appear in future Freemodel projects. With eight different paint color selections from prominent names in the market, we were excited to dig into seeing what our design professionals’ opinions were!

The list of highly sought-after colors of the year include:

Once the voting process concluded, it was unveiled that our winner was Behr: Cracked Pepper! This color is described by Behr as “a versatile soft black that accentuates the spaces you create life moments in.” Followed by Cracked Pepper, we had a three-way tie for second place with Benjamin Moore: Blue Nova, Dunn-Edwards: Skipping Stones and Dutch Boy: Ironside. Our technical third place color, and top 5 color over all was Valspar: Renew Blue.

 commented on our winning color Cracked Pepper saying, “I love a ‘dark and moody’ element to most interiors. It doesn’t work in all rooms, but darks are surprisingly neutral and inviting of all styles of decor.” With project director 

 adding, “I like the soft black for exterior trim and interior beams or special elements. It has drama without being harsh, and is still a versatile neutral.” Additionally, in their commentaries, project directors 

 agreed that they’d both use this as an accent color.

, which includes Lauren Sharp and Brooke Moore, also weighed in on our runner-up colors from their perspective. Talking about Dutch Boy’s Ironside, Brooke Moore remarked, “I chose Ironside because of its deep, moody and sophisticated feel it brings. This color looks to have a green undertone which makes it rich and incorporates a touch of color”. And Lauren Sharp commented on Benjamin Moore’s Blue Nova saying, “It's rich and compelling with an alluring burst of warmth uncommon in blue. This color would be gorgeous on a front door or wrapping the walls of a cozy den.”

At the end of each year, color experts Pantone pick a single hue that they feel summarizes the latest design trends and shows promise at being a “hot color” for the following year. Towards the end of our survey about the other prominent brands’ colors of the year, we also took the opportunity to ask our designers and project directors about their predictions for Pantone’s Color of the Year 2024. 53% of our designers and project directors predicted that the color would be in the cool blue family, 18% predicted that it would be a green color, 12% predicted a warm orange terracotta rust color, and 12% predicted lilac. While the votes took the predictions in many different directions and understandably guessed that it would follow the blue trend from other brands, only a handful were correct when the grand color was unveiled!

On December 7th, Pantone unveiled their 2024 color of the year, 

. This color is described by Pantone as “a velvety gentle peach whose all-embracing spirit enriches heart, mind, and body. Peach Fuzz is a heartfelt peach hue bringing a feeling of kindness and tenderness, communicating a message of caring and sharing, community and collaboration.” With Peach Fuzz falling under the 12% predicted orange category, this color definitely threw our team for a loop!

In the weeks to come, we will circle back to those that participated in our survey and get their take on the crowned color for 2024. Stay tuned!

Freemodel Designers and Project Directors Vote on the 2024 Color of the Year

Freemodel is excited to announce that we are partnering with 

! Feeasy is a free nationwide personal loan comparison platform with 50 lenders, with an online marketplace that displays pre-qualified loan offers to homeowners. They facilitate personal loans up to $100k, and will be working with Freemodel to identify those looking to do a home renovation. I sat down with Feeasy President, 

, to get some more background on their company and how we will be working together:

Hi John! To get us started, can you talk a bit about how Feeasy got started?

Feeasy was started by myself and my cousin, Jac Credaroli. We began our careers as real estate agents in New York City, and noticed a gap in the market, particularly at that time in the rental market. In New York City, the tenant pays the broker fee for a rental, so we thought that it would be interesting if a tenant could finance that cost.

Our offerings eventually grew into financing what we call “pre/post-sale prep” or any sort of cost if someone needs to paint or stage a home or remodel, either pre- or post-close. We wanted to provide a convenient tool for agents to have in their pockets to offer their clients financing for things that would help them to increase property values, and spend less days on the market.

How has Feeasy’s target client changed over time from when you started in 2018?

From the onset, we were always looking to be what we call a “vendor-based business,” so we create relationships with real estate agents/brokerages who refer us to their clients. We were never soliciting the end user or the home seller directly.

We're very cognizant of the fact that agents have their own rolodexes built up of professionals that they like to recommend for all sorts of tasks from painting to staging and so on. Knowing this, we wanted to allow the client to use anyone that their realtor recommends and definitely did not want to get between the agent and their client. We are strictly the financing source tool and we provide one-on-one assistance to the applicants, helping them through the process from start to finish.

Kristina Shelton’s project in San Francisco, CA

With your target audience in mind, which areas do you service? And how has that grown overtime as you’ve learned more about your users?

We are based in New York City and started out by reaching out to agents in the area, as that’s where we have the strongest relationships with agents. The maximum loan we facilitate is $100,000, but our average ticket size is right around $50K. In New York, where a project might be above our threshold, our services may not be as necessary or make that much of a dent in what the client needs. With those figures, we found that our niche was really more in the South, the Midwest and the West where a loan below $100,000 can go further.

So when did the Freemodel discussions begin? Who identified who for a partnership?

The initial mention of Freemodel came through Dan Sachar, the Managing Director of New Valley Ventures, who introduced us to Freemodel. (Dan is one of Freemodel’s points of contact in terms of getting involved with Douglas Elliman). After our discussions with Freemodel, we thought there would be a great synergy between our companies. There are circumstances when an applicant may not be a great fit for a personal loan, so having an alliance with Freemodel which offers a different financing method gives us an alternative solution we can provide applicants seeking to make home improvements, and vice versa.

Is there anything else you want to add or any message to agents that you’d like to share?

The main takeaway is that Feeasy is not the direct lender. We are a platform of dozens of lenders. When a client applies on our site, it's done on a soft credit inquiry, so it does not affect an applicant’s credit to check their rate, how much they're approved to borrow, or what their payment might look like. There is also no commitment, so an applicant can apply and see those terms and if it works for them, they can simply move forward with one of the lenders they select, or choose not to move forward with any of the pre-qualified offers. Loan use is also very flexible.

For example, if a client borrows $30,000, they have the option to mix and match and maybe spend $10,000 for painting, $10,000 for staging, $10,000 for something else. It’s a great way to take in liquidity and use it in the most productive way possible that is going to give them the most value and return on investment.

, we look forward to working with them to better service those that are looking to fund and carry out a home renovation project!

Mackenzie Kirk

Freemodel x Feeasy Partnership: Interview with President John Giannone 

As an agent, you are the first to know that home sales often slow down during the holiday season and that there are fewer buyers in the market. Additionally, you also know that home sellers are more eager than ever to sell before the year comes to a close.

In addition to setting the right price and correctly marketing a property, staging a home for the holiday season can help your clients' home stand out from the competition. Here are some tips to get the gears turning with your clients. Feel free to cut and paste the list below and send it in an email to your clients, or forward the link to this page!

1. Help clients understand the importance of staging

Before you even get started, it is important that your clients understand the added value of staging, especially during this pivotal time in the year. The holiday season is busy, hence fewer buyers will be coming their way for a tour. This means that your clients should be aiming to make their property stand out among the rest with appropriately staged photos.

2. Don’t overdo the holiday decorations

One of the tricky things about staging during the holiday season is not to go overboard on the holiday spirit. Potential buyers have different backgrounds, and while some may be major Santa enthusiasts, others might not celebrate at all for personal or faith reasons. Going too big on holiday decor might be a turnoff to some, and if your home is still on the market in January, excessive holiday cheer in your photos will look out of date. We recommend light color or scent accents to evoke warm feelings. More on that in the next point.

The holiday season is all about spending time together at home. Promoting the connection between your client’s home and buyers’ imaginations is essential to nailing the holiday atmosphere. We recommend making the home feel warm and cozy by adding throw pillows, chunky blankets, holiday-inspired scented candles, and a stack of classic board games. For open houses, touches such as fresh coffee and a well-heated home can help evoke cozy feelings. They allow the buyer to place themselves in each room without being overwhelmed by sometimes corny holiday decor that isn’t theirs.

Sellers should focus on staging key areas of the home that people spend the most time around during the holidays. Some light pine or candle accents on a fireplace mantle are a good way to help buyers imagine how they might decorate the area. Additionally, setting a clean tablescape with some light holiday accents can help buyers envision their loved ones around said table enjoying a warm meal together.

Curb appeal during the colder holiday months can be tricky and not as green and floral as the summer months. We recommend that your client clears any debris or leaves that might have fallen onto the yard and lawn. Avoid garish, over-the-top lawn decor such as inflatable Santas. Simple landscaping with accents like a door wreath, a warm porch light, or small pine accents can pull the whole look together while not relying on the weather to do the work!

To recap, we recommend that once your clients understand the importance of home staging, they get clear on the theme and don’t overdo it with too much holiday decor. Having clean, understated accents such as pine scents or wreaths, warm lighting, and cozy throw blankets can help pay homage to the season without forcing it onto potential buyers. Directing their attention towards communal, celebratory places such as the dining room, the kitchen, or the fireplace mantle can be key spots to place small accents and get them thinking about their own future lives in your home. Be sure to not forget about curb appeal, where the name of the game during the winter is simply keeping it clean and tidy.


Remember that low inventory this time of year can work in a client’s favor—with fewer houses on the market, more attention will be paid to your sellers’ homes. Have fun listing and selling this holiday season!

5 Staging Tips To Share With Your Clients This Holiday Season 

If you are considering selling a home during the fall months, do not get discouraged by the calmer market or cooler weather. Yes, it is historically true that more houses are on the market in the spring and summer months. But sellers still can harness a unique advantage when it comes to listing during the fall months: with fewer homes on the market, sellers have the opportunity to spice things up when it comes to timing open houses, curb appeal, and staging. (As always, Freemodel is poised and ready to help you make renovations that help your home sell for more.)

We took a careful look at the pros and cons of selling during this time of year, so that you can make the most informed decisions based on your property!

Homebuyers are likely trying to wrap up their house hunting and make a purchase before the holiday season gets into full swing. This means that potential buyers will be looking more intently and seriously, as opposed to taking a more passive approach during the spring months. They might be more inclined to make an offer as soon as they find the right fit.

 The colder season creates a perfect time to host a fall open house. An open house with some seasonal decor, warm scents, and cozy staging can help buyers to envision themselves spending holidays there in the years to come!

 It is a common misconception that homebuyers operate solely around a K-12 school schedule. According to 

, only 40% of buyers have children under age 18 in their households. Proving that not everyone is operating around the traditional school year to decide on homebuying and moving timelines.

 Fall often offers comfortable, crisp weather that is still very enjoyable during evening hours. This is a great excuse to take advantage of weeknight open houses and maximize showings with people’s busy weekend schedules.

 The start of fall typically involves more events, holidays, and parties for people to attend. This can create scheduling conflicts for how easily someone can come to an open house. A flexible schedule that offers weeknight and weekend viewings can help solve this problem and make up for the quicker pace of this season.

 Many buyers assume spring and summer are the key times to operate, so it might feel like there are fewer of them shopping around during the fall. But do not dismay over the off-peak season and be sure to impress those that are looking!

 The changing weather and temperature causes tree leaves to change color and eventually fall, often onto your sidewalk and lawn. While it’s great to take advantage of the turning leaf colors for listing photos, be sure to stay on top of cleaning them up during open house times so that your yard doesn’t look unkempt. Have those rakes, leaf blowers, and leaf bags ready!

To wrap things up, learning how to best sell your home in the fall months comes down to being flexible with buyers and implementing the right marketing strategies. There are always going to be advantages and disadvantages to selling your home during any season. However, taking advantage of crafty fall decorating ideas, cozy staging, and the beautiful colors of the changing leaves can help to invoke warm feelings towards your home.

Buyers looking during this season are often more action-oriented, as they want to make a purchase before the year comes to a close. While there may be fewer of them, be sure to put your best foot forward to those that are house-hunting and ready to commit to a decision. Most of all, happy fall and happy selling!

Don’t Be Spooked to Sell Your Home in the Fall

At Freemodel, we were thrilled when our project director 

. It was such a fascinating project that I was curious to dig deeper with Joelle to better understand the work that was done throughout Freemodel’s Victorian duplex 

 in San Francisco. This 5 bedroom, 3 bathroom duplex in the buzzing North of the Panhandle neighborhood in San Francisco was built in 1892 and had weathered many decades of renter wear, altering its character and diminishing its natural charm. Coming in at approximately 2,500 square feet, the upper flat offers 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, while the lower unit has 2 bedrooms and 1 full bathroom. Both units feature hardwood floors, spacious living rooms, cozy fireplaces, and ornate wood cabinets. The sellers knew that, with the right renovations, this beautiful property could fetch top dollar. That's our specialty at Freemodel, and that's how talented Joelle came to be involved.

One classic signature of San Francisco apartments is the pocket door that connects living rooms to dining rooms. These were designed for an easy transition between rooms, while giving the option to close off a space temporarily. They are often on rollers and have beautiful wood paneling. This home features pocket doors, and it was up to Joelle to decide how to best utilize the transition from the living room to the dining room. Under her direction, the dining room in this project was transformed into a bedroom, and I wanted to better understand her planning process and decision-making:

So how did you first get involved with this project?

, got ahold of this listing and suggested the sellers bring me in to help restore and modernize this duplex while still paying homage to the home’s deep, rich history. Ultimately, our goal when renovating this duplex was to appeal to modern buyers and continue to keep the charm of the NoPa neighborhood.

Can you tell me a bit about this home before we get focused on the dining room? What state was it in when you first walked through?

This home was rented out from tenant to tenant for over 30 years and the renter modifications were really taking a toll on the place, from bad paint jobs to holes left in the wall to dings in the molding and flooring. It was last updated around three decades ago. The home was built in 1892 and electrical was still original from its inception in the 1920s. We set out to peel off the layers of renter design and start fresh!

Can you talk about your decision to turn the dining room into a bedroom?

The dining room, which sits just off the main living room, was a light pink color which did not flow well with the rest of the home. It felt old and stuffy. When looking at the floor plan and how we could maximize space, we decided that the kitchen was actually big enough to serve as an entire dining space as well. So we opted to turn the original dining room into a 3rd bedroom. It made for a good bedroom because there was already a closet built into it and a door that leads back out to the hallway. The original pocket doors that connect this room back to the living room can be opened and closed, or permanently sealed to create a new room if the new owner were to choose.

From the photos, it looks like you decided to replace the original chandelier. How and why was this done?

This dining room-turned-bedroom originally had an old chandelier on a pulley which we wanted to replace, and the whole room definitely needed a fresh coat of paint. It would have been around $2-3K to re-wire that chandelier to pass current electrical (mainly the plaster would have needed to be opened up, which can crack and cost a lot in repairs) so we opted to put in a remote control lightswitch that runs off batteries and doesn’t require working internet or new electrical. This was a $30 solution to a fix that could’ve cost much more, and helped to enhance this room’s natural beauty while making it look current and fresh.

Apart from the dining room makeover, what are your top three highlights from this remarkable project?

One of the most important steps was definitely making sure that all of the plaster was structurally sound while making it look its best without having to redo it. Plaster is very difficult to make repairs to and requires a specialist that can be very expensive, so we opted to paint over some cracks while ensuring that all the walls were still safe.

Secondly, we loved how beautiful the original Douglas Fir flooring that spans throughout the home was and discovered that it had a beautiful, natural look after sanding. So we opted to keep the natural wood finish with no additional staining and that made a big difference.

A third step and big piece of advice to other designers is to keep all of the hardware that you find or take off and hang onto them until the end of the project. You never know what you’re going to need and might add some elements back in order to keep the original detail. We reused the chandelier canopies and spray painted them gold to give them a fresh finish. It was a real honor restoring a grand old lady to her former beauty!

Read more about this story on the Apartment Therapy blog: 

A Case Study Convo: After 130 Years, A Fresh Start for an SF Victorian

Home staging can be a crucial part of the home selling and marketing process. When buyers can see the potential of each room and view the whole house in a modern light, they’re one step closer to making it their own. With good home staging, even the blandest or simplest of rooms has the ability to take on a calming and inviting atmosphere. While home staging has typically been the standard approach, it can prove to add time onto the selling process, and drive a high price tag.

However, some agents and sellers have opted to not stage in recent years, hoping to create a “blank canvas” for homebuyers to view each space completely empty and imagine their own furniture and decor in each room. This is a more cost-effective method, but may fall short on creating a warm and homey experience. With both tactics having their pros and cons, we talked to project director Danielle Nash, who is an expert on the importance of home staging and its continued usefulness in today’s market.

Why do you think that home staging is so important and effective? And why should homeowners invest in it?

To put it plainly, professionally styling and arranging a property really helps to showcase its best features. It creates an inviting and visually appealing environment that potential buyers find irresistible and probably a bit more elevated from their decorating style. But it gives them hope and ideas for improvements when they do move. This strategic presentation helps buyers envision themselves living in the space and creates an emotional connection, which lends to faster sales and higher selling prices.

Home staging also helps to minimize distractions and drawbacks in a room or a home that can deter buyers. It allows homeowners to highlight the property’s best features while downplaying any weaknesses or flaws. Some tactics here include strategic furniture placement, proper lighting, and tasteful decor. Staging can transform a space, maximizing its potential and creating a welcoming atmosphere.

How do you think that staging impacts the marketability of a home?

The impact of home staging definitely goes beyond the financial gains that it could earn a home seller. Without a doubt, it enhances the online and offline marketing of a property, as professional photographs of staged homes are proven to attract more views and generate increased interest from potential buyers. Staged homes with unique furniture, colors, or distinctive, bold elements can also stand out in the competitive real estate market, creating a memorable listing that buyers will remember and come back to.

Do you think that modern design aesthetics play a big part in making staging “good”? Or is it ok for sellers to opt for a simpler, more subdued package?

Well, to start, gone are the days of the old staging formula: a bed, two nightstands, two side table lamps, one rug, and one accent chair equals a perfectly staged bedroom. Today most realtors are well versed in not only the proven data year after year that shows that staging definitely not only works, but now they are looking for more.

These days, realtors and sellers are looking for a hybrid of home staging and slight interior design. It’s still true that home staging means styling for the masses in the most neutral way and interior design means styling for one specific person or family based on their specific needs. That said, though, the cookie-cutter days of home staging are ending, and it helps to be distinctive and memorable.

Not only is it important to stage your property, but it is equally important these days to think about design as you research your local home stagers. Look at their website and check out their recent work. If you find yourself bored while looking at their portfolio, that is probably a sign you should seek other options.

What are some of the risks of not staging a home and opting to keep it empty and blank?

By forgoing staging, you’re literally leaving money on the table and increasing the days on market for your listing. I cannot emphasize this enough! Keep in mind that not every buyer is a designer or has an artistic eye, which means that a majority of people cannot visualize an empty house as a home. Buyers need staging to provide a visual for them to see a potential property as a home not just another property.

Without staging, buyers will pass through these listings as they don’t stand out, and they don’t want to take the creative or imaginative time to envision their furniture in that space. The good news is many pre-sale concierge and renovation companies such as Freemodel who front the upfront cost of upgrades and renovations will include staging in the services they upfront the cost for. With this being said it doesn’t make sense to forgo this important must have when listing a property on the market.

Thanks for the overview. It sounds like staging is as important as ever!

More important than ever! Staging is a useful visualization tool that pays for itself many times over. Might as well go with what works!

Is Home Staging Worth The Money? Project Director Danielle Nash Weighs In

Opting to stay living in your home during a remodel can feel like a stressful and cramped arrangement. It can be frustrating to live amidst subcontractors coming and going, noise levels, dust and debris, and rotating schedules. Of course, remodeling before a home sale is a great way to boost the value of your property. But, depending on how extensive your remodel is, some homes are completely uninhabitable during a project, or sometimes certain parts of the house can be sectioned off while all efforts move forward in harmony. Your Freemodel project director can help you decide if staying is even feasible, and how to merge schedules to pull it off.

If you’re considering staying in your home during a remodel, we have a handful of tips that will help you master your planning (and muster your patience):

Prioritizing your safety and the safety of those in your household is the most important factor amidst all the commotion of a renovation. The most straightforward way to accomplish this is by setting clear traffic spaces for the renovation team, and different traffic and dwelling spaces for your family. Be sure to contain and clean the areas that you will be using to ensure that your children, seniors, and pets are out of harm's way and breathing clean air. We understand that children can get restless, and for that reason, we recommend repurposing a room solely dedicated to keeping them entertained. Toys, games, electronics, and reading materials can all be great ways to keep kids preoccupied and engaged.

2. Move any food, supplies, and belongings

During your renovation, the inaccessible rooms will no longer be useful or beneficial for storage purposes. We recommend identifying essential items that you’ll need throughout the project and moving them to a room that will remain utilized throughout the process. Organize boxes of items by category so that they’re easy to locate and keep tidy. Remove any items (essential or nonessential) that might get in the way or that could be damaged, and find a better place for them. Sometimes, non-essential items can be tucked into storage or cupboards that will not be disturbed during the remodel.

3. Designate your work, living, and play areas

Once your schedule is set into place, your Freemodel project director will work with you to identify and seal off any areas that will be under renovation. Temporary barriers, substitute facilities, and alternate routes can be set up to help keep you and your family clear of dust, noise, and any dangers from the active worksite. We also recommend putting up plastic sheeting to create "clean" spaces and corridors, In addition, be sure to exercise extra caution if there is plaster-and-lathe that contains asbestos. When working with Freemodel, our subcontractors will be sure to clean up at the end of every day on the job, minimizing the mess in your home as much as possible. Be sure to communicate to your household which areas and passageways are theirs, and which are off-limits. Color coding or using signs or decorative duct tape to identify zones can be a fun craft and easy for kids or elders to remember.

4. Get a kitchen and bathroom strategy in place

Kitchens and bathrooms are two rooms that you truly cannot live without in a home. And if either or both of them are under construction, things can get tricky. When it comes to kitchens and eating, we recommend adjusting your menu from heavily prepared to pre-planned or lightly processed meals for a few weeks. Stock up on nonperishable items, and consider using disposable plates and cutlery. Investing in a minifridge can be helpful as well, and is something that will still be useful post-renovation. Any dishes can be washed in an unused bathroom sink, or at a makeshift station in the backyard. This also could be a great time to go check out those local restaurants that you’ve always been interested in!

When it comes to the bathroom, strategize renovating one bathroom at a time, so that the other can stay in use throughout the process. From there, planning a daily schedule will help everyone get their needs met without creating a traffic jam and thereby minimize stress. Utilizing a personal a caddy or carry-on that you take to and from the bathroom can help to make the most out of limited space and ensure that everyone’s items stay organized and mobile. Lastly, move any electrical appliances like hair dryers, lit mirrors, electric toothbrushes, or electric razors to a different room so that they can be utilized in a more open space with less clutter.

If you’re still deciding on the best course of action for you and your family when it comes to staying in your home or leaving, check out our “

?” article from our “What To Expect When You’re Remodeling” series!

Considering Living in Your House During a Remodel? Here are 4 Essential Tips!

As you sell your old home (ideally with renovation by Freemodel for maximum profit), you’re probably looking to buy a new one. Be aware that tedious, out-of-date advice about the buying process can come from all directions. From tips to warning signs to advice from agents to financial planning, there is a lot of information out there! This was especially true of real estate content in 2020. Though it might feel like a lifetime ago, the pandemic and subsequent effect on the economy were only a few years back, and a lot of the advice and notions about the housing market that came out of that time have lingered to this day.

With access to a vast virtual library of advice and writing on the topic of home buying and renovating during the pandemic, all of us had access to a lot of information and opinions—many of which were understandably grounded in fear. As years have passed and we have come out of the pandemic, we believe that housing advice should be adapting as well! Here are some outdated homebuying tips from 2020 that may no longer be relevant:

Project director Joelle Belmonte’s project in 

Back in 2020, bidding wars were rampant and the competition was high. There was a notion that asking for any type of savings or concessions on the listing price was a surefire way to not get the house you were putting an offer on. Now that interest rates are higher in 2023 than they were in 2020, there are more of a limited number of buyers who can afford homes. This means that homes can sit on the market a bit longer, which puts more of the power back into the buyer's hands.

Outdated Advice #2: Find your dream home on a big listing site.

During the pandemic, online house hunting and working with an agent were the only two ways to safely house hunt. While sites like Realtor.com or Zillow showcase amazing homes for sale, there was a good chance that every other interested buyer in the area was looking at the same house. This could have driven up the competition and price for those specific homes.

Now, instead of relying on traditional methods, it is recommended that eager buyers like you can find sellers by utilizing area-specific Facebook groups and community forums. This way, you can build local relationships and make people aware of your interest in buying in their area. You’re likely to get on the radar of people who are eager to sell before they’ve even listed a house or gotten their agent involved. This can save everyone time and money, being a win-win for both the seller and the buyer!

Project Director Melissa Jones’ project in 

Outdated Advice #3: Send a “love letter” with your offer.

Going along with the stiff competition that was the 2020 real estate market, another outdated piece of advice is that you should write a “love letter” with your offer. During the pandemic, competition was high and bidding wars were practically inevitable, so it was often advised to send a caring, heartfelt letter along with your offer to butter up the sellers to choose you.

While sending a letter can still be a nice gesture, the timing on when to send it has changed. It is now advised to send a love letter to several people in your target neighborhood around 6 months before you are ready to buy. While you may not hear back right away, you may receive some calls down the road from people preparing to sell their home who are looking for someone emotionally invested in it!

Outdated Advice #4: Prioritize homes with office and gym spaces.

During the pandemic, many people looked at their home-buying priorities and wanted to be able to fulfill every aspect of their lives while at home. This meant that homes with larger square footage or spare rooms that could be made into offices and gyms were in high demand. While extra space is still a nice-to-have, our world has turned back to a safer, more flexible place with hybrid work schedules and safe ways to stay active outdoors or at gyms. Looking for homes that meet a whole host of life needs just isn’t realistic anymore, and may severely limit your options. We recommend keeping an open mind while house hunting and differentiating between your must-haves and nice-to-haves.

Project Director Susan Lennon’s project in 

While much of 2020’s homebuying advice was born out of times of fear and stiff competition, it is important to recognize how the tides of the real estate market have changed since then. Buyer power and eagerness have adapted as inventory levels have continued to rise, removing the need for some old bargaining and softening tactics. We recommend getting your name out there in the neighborhoods that you’re interested in early on, don’t be afraid to negotiate within your comfort levels, and keep a clear list of priorities throughout the process. Happy home hunting!

Buying in 2023? Beware of Outdated Advice from Recent Years

Hardwood floors are a timeless, durable home flooring solution that has been around for centuries. Hardwood flooring gives an elegant, cozy feel to any living space and can usually handle the wear and tear of life, children, pets, and dinner parties. Many of our 

 involve refinishing hardwood flooring, or installing luxury vinyl plank (LVP) flooring that gives the look of hardwood floors.

I was curious about the pros and cons of maintaining hardwood flooring versus installing LVP flooring when it comes to pre-sale home renovation projects, so I sat down with San Francisco project director 

—an expert on the subject! Living and working in a city full of historic homes and apartments with hardwood flooring, Danielle talked about different options that she presents to her clients, hardwood pros and cons, and tips for maintenance:

What is your background with working on refacing, replacing, or installing hardwood flooring in your projects?

I specialize in pre-sale renovation advice and so a lot of the work I do involves cosmetic upgrades - facelifts, so to speak. For pre-sale projects we always try to refinish the hardwood floor if it’s salvageable. This will get the seller the highest ROI. For post-sale interior design projects, this is when people will opt to install new hardwood, especially if it’s their forever home.

When deciding on a project scope, what warning signs point to a client needing to upgrade their hardwood flooring? Or replace it entirely?

Any kind of leak, especially a roof leak, is a red flag that there may be damage to their hardwood floors. A lot of the time the floor isn’t visible as it may be covered with carpet. Although it’s rare, I have seen homes in which the hardwood floors have been covered with an LVT or sheet vinyl flooring. In these situations, refinishing the hardwood floors becomes more difficult because of the adhesive used.

Azary’s project with new luxury vinyl plank flooring in 

When it comes to hardwood flooring, what trends, materials, or design choices are you seeing rise in popularity?

Lately, people have really been opting to restore hardwood flooring. People seem to dislike the faux wood or stone LVT & sheet vinyl.

What are the pros and cons of hardwood flooring?

Aesthetic appeal: Hardwood floors offer a timeless and elegant look that can enhance the beauty of any space.

Durability: High-quality hardwood can last for decades with proper care and maintenance, making it a long-lasting flooring option.

Easy to clean: Hardwood floors are relatively easy to clean and require nothing more than regular sweeping and occasional mopping.

Adds value to the home: Hardwood flooring is a desirable feature that can increase the resale value of a property.

Cost: Hardwood flooring can be more expensive to install compared to other flooring

Susceptible to scratches: Hardwood floors can be prone to scratching and dents, especially in high-traffic areas or with pets.

Prone to water damage: Excessive water exposure can cause warping and damage to hardwood floors, so they are not recommended for areas prone to spills or moisture.

Maintenance: Regular maintenance is required to keep hardwood floors in good condition, including refinishing every few years.

Lara’s project with original hardwood flooring in 

Do you have any tips for homeowners when it comes to maintaining, cleaning, and getting lasting longevity out of their hardwood floors?

Indeed I do! Here are my top five maintenance tips:

Regular Cleaning: Sweep or dust your hardwood floors daily to remove dirt and debris that can scratch the surface. Use a soft-bristled broom or a microfiber dust mop for best results.

Avoid Water: Prevent water or liquid spills from sitting on the hardwood for extended periods. Wipe up spills immediately to avoid damage and warping

Use Area Rugs and Mats: Place area rugs or doormats at entryways and high-traffic areas to trap dirt and prevent it from scratching the floor. Make sure the rugs have a non-slip backing to avoid movement.

Use Furniture Protectors: Attach felt pads or furniture protectors to the legs of chairs, tables, and other furniture to prevent them from scratching the floor when moved

Regularly Trim Pet Nails: If you have pets, keep their nails trimmed to prevent them from scratching the floor accidentally.

LVP (Luxury Vinyl Plank) flooring has a hardwood look, and we see it being installed fairly often in Freemodel projects. Can you talk about the pros of that alternative? Do you like using it?

There’s a lot to love about the ubiquitous LVP! Here’s why I like it:

Realistic Appearance: LVT flooring comes in a wide variety of designs, mimicking the look of natural materials like hardwood, stone, or tile. It offers a high-quality, realistic appearance at a more affordable price.

Durability: LVT is highly durable and resistant to wear, scratches, and dents, making it suitable for high-traffic areas in both residential and commercial spaces

Water Resistance: LVT is water-resistant, which makes it an excellent choice for areas prone to moisture, such as bathrooms, kitchens, and basements.

Easy Maintenance: LVT is effortless to clean and maintain. Regular sweeping and occasional mopping are usually sufficient to keep it in good condition

DIY-Friendly Installation: LVT often comes in click-and-lock or peel-and-stick options, making it easier for homeowners to install without professional help

Affordability: Compared to hardwood or natural stone, LVT is generally more affordable, making it a cost-effective flooring option.

All that said, though, I always lean towards refinishing the original hardwood flooring, if possible. I’m currently working on a project where there is damage to the hardwood flooring in one of the bedrooms due to a roof leak. Even with some damage and replacement needed, the cost is well worth the ROI that this Seller will receive when this home sells. As I mentioned previously people seem to be starting to steer away from the faux stone or wood look, except in bathrooms and kitchens where there is a lot of water. In these two rooms, LVT is a great alternative.

Joelle’s project with original Douglas Fir hardwood flooring in 

Anything else you’d like to add on the topic?

Absolutely. There are definite steps you need to take when refinishing hardwood floors. Especially if you’re opting to do a large surface area such as your whole home, you will need to empty the rooms being refinished as there is a lot of dust produced during the process. Afterwards, you’ll need to wait at least 48-72 hours before walking on the floors to prevent any damage while the finish settles. If you’re refinishing hardwood that’s currently covered with carpet, make sure to hire a professional—there will be carpet tack strips and staples and nails that will need to be carefully removed to prevent damage. And discomfort. Ouch!

Very enlightening, Danielle! Thanks for telling us how you achieve flawless floors!

Of course! We spend most of our lives on floors, so we might as well have ones we love!

Are Hardwood Floors Worth Preserving? Project Director Danielle Nash Weighs In

Agents: Freemodel is committed to helping your clients understand, embrace, and participate in the remodeling process. We hope you will share this and future articles with your sellers so they can maximize the sale prices of their properties and empower buyers to make informed decisions.

As you know, a home’s exterior is the most important aspect to consider when it comes to making a first impression on MLS listings and in-person visits. As such, we’ve written quite a few blog posts about the importance of curb appeal, exterior staging, exterior lighting, and landscaping. But instead of telling you what to add or improve on the exterior of a home, we thought we’d offer a guide on unattractive, distracting features that are known to instantly date a home. These are items you should consider removing or replacing before listing your home on the market:

, a home’s entryway and curb appeal can make all the difference when it comes to impressing buyers. The look, color, and design of a front door can really tie a front porch together or pull together the entire look of a yard. While the front door is mainly used for security and protection, it can also be used to filter some natural light through to the interior of the home. While many doors with glass features are still widely popular, one door in particular gives more of a dated look. It’s the oval glass door. You know the one! Once beloved in the ‘80s and ‘90s, the oval glass door with frosted features or decorative patterns has been around for a while and gives less of a modern look to the front of a home. Given the neighborhood, it can also make a home feel less secure.Another type of front door that is past its prime is the mini-paneled front door. These are the types of doors that have a seemingly endless amount of small square panels and looked more stylish in the ‘70s than they do now. Upon first impression, this door can give the sense that the rest of the home’s interior could be something out of the Brady Bunch.

Going along with the front door topic, door hardware such as locks and latches that are loose or sticky can set a negative tone before a buyer even sets foot in the door. Opening the front door should be easy, seamless, and offer a sense of arrival. Solid, updated door hardware can offer a luxurious feel and also add a level of safety when compared with older locks. A lock with a push-button entry code can make a door feel modern and also help with showings and contractors when you're not there.

While many homeowners have opted to keep wrought-iron railings simply because they were there from the previous owner, these railings are starting to become outdated and look dark and clunky. They draw the eye away from lighter colors or vegetation in the yard and create harsh lines across the front of a home. We recommend considering more modern railing materials, such as aluminum, wood, or a wood alternative called Azek.

While you may love a bit of naturally growing vegetation such as twisting vines, sprawling tree branches, and wildflowers, that might not be the taste of a potential homebuyer. Landscaping can be a very personal preference, but you can’t go wrong by trimming back any shrubs and trees, clearing fallen leaves or debris, weeding flowerbeds and crevices, and laying fresh mulch or mowing the lawn. This gives a potential buyer the opportunity to really see the potential in a yard and offers that feeling of a blank slate to adorn with their preferred foliage.

Driveway asphalt that runs right up to the road with no transition can look outdated and even worse, unfinished. For the best driveway current curb appeal look, we recommend adding something to adorn your driveway or mixing in a different stone like brick or rock to outline the driveway and show where it ends before meeting the sidewalk and street.

A exterior foyer light fixture is another element that can make all the difference right before buyers enter your home. Because chandeliers are difficult to clean and maintain over the decades, many older homes have a decorative chandelier which often features tarnished gold metal, broken or missing crystals, cobwebs, and LOTS of dust. These instantly give the wrong first impression. There are a multitude of fresh, modern, weather-resistant exterior lighting options that are available for you to consider instead. We compiled a list of some of the most popular in a 

Step down entryways are immediately noticeable when you walk into a home and often present an issue with accessibility. This can be a potential deal breaker for buyers with limited mobility or with young kids running around. Sunken entryways and sunken attached living rooms have had their time in history, but are now viewed more as a hazard and a design challenge than anything else. Building a new floor can be more affordable and less time-consuming than you'd think when working with a project director who’s on your team!

Believe it or not, entryway closets are inching towards being past their prime! As buyers step into your home, they want to reimagine spaces and not be limited to what they can do in each room, or what certain closets are meant for. There has been a rise in entry benches and peg hooks not only for easy access and convenience, but also to create a kind of focal point of the entryway.

All in all, we know that a modern-looking home exterior can be the difference between buyers even deciding to come to your open house or not, based on MLS listing photos alone. While each buyer will have their own unique tastes for design and modernity, there are a handful of elements that are a surefire way to date a home and be a turnoff to buyers. We recommend taking a look at this list when deciding on your project scope and consider factoring in—or, should we say, factoring out—some of these exterior elements and upgrading to something fresher!

Eight Out-of-Date Exterior Features That May Curb Your Curb Appeal

As summer is in full swing and heating up, there has never been a better time to have a pool in your backyard! From cooling off on a hot day to lounging and reading a book or hosting backyard parties, pools are one of the most enjoyable home features during this time of year. Pools can also be a great selling point of a home when potential buyers are coming to open houses. But how much maintenance, repair, and staging should sellers and agents factor into the equation and remodel project scope before listing the property? And what exactly are buyers focusing on when they see a pool on an open house tour?

 to get some of these pool questions answered, as she has extensive history working on these types of projects. She had some great advice from personal experience and from working with clients on budgets. She knows what is really worth a seller's investment—and what’s not. Let’s dive in:

To get started, can you talk a bit about your experience when it comes to working on homes with pools?

My background with pools and pool renovation knowledge definitely began with the first single family home that I bought. It was the first purchase where I was the client, rather than the other way around! The property was on five acres and it had a pool that was in very rough condition, and we did about two and a half acres of landscaping around it. So that was my introduction to learning about all the steps, planning, design, materials, and maintenance measures that it takes to have a beautiful, working pool.

When it comes to my background on working with clients on homes that have a pool in the backyard, I have worked on a handful of projects where that was a factor. For those, I always like to suggest that the clients focus on investing in landscaping to improve the usability of the backyard space.

That segues nicely into my next question: If a home seller is on a tight budget and maybe not trying to invest too much in fixing up a pool, what are some of the key elements that you suggest they focus on?

Safety. For sure, that’s the biggest focus when it comes to pools. ou want adults to have easy access, but you definitely want to keep little kids out of it. I recently worked on a project in Sunnyvale that had metal fencing around it and the agent was suggesting that we remove the fencing to open up the space and declutter a bit. But I really rallied for keeping the fence and repairing it because ultimately, that fence can be a huge bonus to potential buyers. Especially those that have children. And it was!

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