One of the best aspects of Moroccan home decor is that you can combine it easily with any other home decor style and create an eclectic interior design in your home.

If you are seeking color, texture and innovative design, you will find it when it comes to Moroccan style. As time has moved, this colorful and dramatic style has captivated the inspiration of many interior designers and evolved to the point where it can be mixed to make an eclectic blend in any home. If you are seeking dramatic effect in your home decorating, consider using Moroccan home decor on your walls.

5 Ways of Using Moroccan Home decor on Walls

1.Take a look at the Moroccan wall shelves that are available in the market today and use them to add instant decor to your walls. You can place clay vases and other Moroccan art on the shelves that can be attached to the wall or even put in the corner. If you want to add both culture and beauty to your home, consider Moroccan wall shelves.

2.Do not ignore Moroccan lighting. You can use wall sconces that not only reflect light but are also pieces of art by themselves. Whether large or small, Moroccan wall sconces are both practical as well as artistic. They can be a focal point of any wall or corner in your home. They also make for a great way to fill up an empty space on any wall.

3.You can find patterned Moroccan rugs that will look great on the floor as well as up on the wall. Do not think that rugs have to be placed only on the floor. Some of the Moroccan rugs look great on the wall and are an excellent idea when you have a large wall space that may be difficult to cover. You can choose a tapestry or any patterned rug and give any wall instant culture.

4.Mirrors are often used to give a room more depth and Moroccan mirrors are no different. They can add more dramatic flair to your home because they are made of metal frames with intricate details. You can place the wall sconces next to the mirrors and get the maximum reflection of the light. A mirror can be used in place of a painting on any wall and broadens the appearance of the room as well as adds beauty.

5.Do not forget paint when you are considering Moroccan decorating. If you want the best effect when you are painting, use warm earth tones on the walls. This will give your home a feeling of warmth as well as beauty. Paint your walls a warm, earthy tone and then decorate the walls using Moroccan artwork and decor. You will have a fun when you are implementing Moroccan decorating and your guests will always feel welcome.

One of the reasons why Mediterranean design is popular is because it is both comfortable, welcoming and will combine with any other home decor style. In addition to that, the designs are timeless and will not “go out of style” any time soon as they have been used for ages. You can pick a wall or a room and just begin adding pieces bit by bit to fill your home with Moroccan home decor.



Repossession

mansions, estate homes, manor homes, anything that is old and needs renovation?

Real Estate Professionals

A real estate agent once asked me to work on the design of his flyer. He told me to come up with a creative and innovative design that stood out. He was new to the industry and had very little experience. I knew from the beginning that just a creative and innovative design isn’t going to help him attract clients – especially considering how much competition he has in a busy city like Toronto. So I decided to concentrate on ways to promote his image with the use of gimmicks and promotions. Why? Because the truth is no one is going sell with an agent who has very little experience unless he/she had something “special” to offer.

The concept of promotions in real estate is not new at all. Many agents use promotions to attract clients to sell or buy with them. Most real estate agents chose to give offers such as “low commission” or “a chance of winning something”. These offers are too common and have very little impact on the buying/selling experience. In such a situation, it is beneficial to use a differentiation strategy to set yourself apart from the competition.

Here’s a promotional tool that will get your clients all excited: renovations. When getting your flyer designed, I suggest that you add a coupon for a “free renovation worth $500″ to your flyer. This would give your clients the opportunity to renovate their existing house before selling it to the buyer. The main benefit to this is that the renovation would add value to the house, so the seller can make more money from the sale. Also, the real estate agent makes more commission because the house now sells for more. Sometimes, the seller may be in a hurry to sell the house and may not have enough time for renovating. In this case, you can offer them a renovation they can use towards their new home. Of course, since you won’t be making any commission from the renovation of a new house, you might want to lower the value of the renovation (to possibly around $400).

Why would a customer get excited from this promotion?

Firstly, it helps them make more money from the sale of the house. Think about it this way: if the sale price of a house went up by $2000 just because of a small renovation, then they get to keep most of the extra money made (a portion of it goes towards your commission). They may also get the feeling that they “saved” on commission fees by making the extra money.

Secondly, it gives the client the opportunity to be creative with the renovation of their own house. Any creative activity that lets the client chose what they want to renovate gets them excited. “Should I get granite countertops, marble flooring, or some new appliances?” This decision-making process is quite thrilling to witness or to be a part of.

Thirdly, when your client is involved in this decision-making process, they may consult you for your opinion on what you think is a worthy renovation. This “consulting” factor builds a dependable relationship between the client and you. This relationship would make them come back to you for any future purchases or sales of homes.

Lastly, a renovation is reflected by a tangible product that will get people talking. For example, after renovating someone’s house, they might throw farewell parties just before moving. The guests will notice that the house was recently renovated and may ask your client about it. Your client will mention that they got their house renovated for free by their sales agent. Hence, your image gets promoted which will lead to more sales for you.

So basically it’s the tangible result of a renovation, such as new carpeting or the construction of a deck that gets people talking about you. This word-of-mouth benefit is something that other promotional strategies such as “lower commission” or “a chance of winning something” can’t achieve very effectively.

In the end, everyone wins – your client gets more money, and you get more commission from the increased price of the house. You also end up getting more clients from a better “word-of-mouth” process. Try this tactic in your next promotion and watch your reputation grow.



Rent Back Fast

Tired of looking at the same bedroom, same dining room and same living room again and again? Then it’s time for a change. This time to not just change the furniture or the color of your home, rather go for a completely different look. Decorating your home in Moroccan style is the latest trend these days. Morocco is like a melting pot of different cultures and styles and so the Moroccan style décor will have some of the features of every culture and style. One can even see hints of Arabic style in it.

Moroccan home décor can be classified into two types – urban Moroccan decor and rural Moroccan decor. The urban décor involves the use of ceramics, metal, wood and leather. On the other hand, the rural décor has more of the Middle Eastern influence, with an emphasis on the use of rugs, fabrics and embroideries. The best feature of having a Moroccan style decoration is that the objects used in it are usually those that have use in practical life too. Given below are some tips that will help you in decorating your home in the Moroccan style.

Moroccan Style Decorating Ideas

Use of Bright Colors

When decorating your home Moroccan style, make sure to use bright natural colors. The colors like green and blue, found in the sea of the area, and the ones like gold and yellow, found in the surrounding desert, should be used as much as possible. You can combine other colors like vibrant red, orange or purple with blue or gold to create an effervescent ambience. Feel free to use of vibrant colors such as pink fuchsia, lavender, and orange while keeping the aesthetics in mind.

Bring Nature Home

For creating the tropical atmosphere seen in Morocco, you can make extensive use of plants. The more exotic the plants, the better look they will bring to your house. At the same time, they will also provide you with some greenery in the ‘concrete-jungle’ world of today. If it is feasible, you can also get textured walls.

Lighting

Lighting plays a very important role in adding that perfect Moroccan flavor look to your home décor. Moroccan light fixtures are totally different from those used in the other parts of the world. Moroccan light fixtures include Moroccan sconces, Moroccan chandeliers, Moroccan lanterns, Moroccan hanging pendants, and Moroccan lamps. A great source for quality handmade Moroccan light fixtures as well as Moorish lighting is a California company called Saint Tropez Boutique that design and handcrafts Moroccan light fixtures in Casablanca, Morocco and exclusively distributes them in the U.S.A. The reason why I like Saint Tropez Boutique because they are unique Moroccan light fixtures designs, plus they handcrafted from top quality Moroccan solid brass that has been carved into refined and intricate patterns. Addition to that Saint Tropez Boutique is the exclusive dealer in the U.S.A that has Moroccan light fixtures pre-wired for the UL-Standard (pre-wired for the U.S Standard wiring). To learn more about Moroccan lighting by Saint Tropez Boutique, please visit them online at: http://www.sainttropezboutique.us

Extensive Use of Textures

Moroccans love extensive use of textures in their home. So, if you want to have a Moroccan style look, rule out too much use of smooth and sleek materials. In fact, the fusion of multiple textures and shapes will be best. You can have darkened wood plank floors, which can be covered with natural fiber rugs of sand-ish color. This will not only add texture to the room, but also provide you with some comfort under the feet. You can also try draping fabric from the ceiling.

Some Other Tips

Colorful mosaic tables not only give a Moroccan feel to your place, but also help to brighten up a dull room. Use of handmade Moroccan tiles will go a long way in creating a Moroccan décor. Use of Moroccan tent as a Moroccan lounge getaway in your own backyard. Use of Moroccan wood lattice screens also known as Jali Screens in your windows doors, kitchen and bath cabinet doors, or even as a room divider wall Last but not the least, you can buy silk bedcovers or cushion covers, in jewel tones, to create that perfect Moroccan look.

To learn more about Moroccan home decorating, please contact  :

Saint Tropez Boutique

25 Evelyn way, San Francisco

California 94127

Phone: (415) 513-5920

Email: sales@sainttropezboutique.us

Web: http://www.sainttropezboutique.us



Repossession

Are your Renovations Really Increasing the Value of Your Home?

When considering a home upgrade or reno there are 2 very important things to evaluate:

#1. Value to you

Enhancing your home with a renovation may offer more than money can provide. A beautiful outdoor living area to entertain on, a finished basement for the children to play, or that dream bathroom to help you unwind, all may contribute to a quality of life that only a home can build.

#2. Return on Investment – Resale Recovery

Despite what the trendy home flipping television programs show, not all home renovations or upgrades will give you a large return on investment. Infact, more so than not, most home renovations give you very little return on your investment. Very rarely does a $10,000 home renovation get you a $20,000 return. When considering a home renovation or upgrade for resale purposes, keep all costs in check and splurge only on the necessities.

Return-on-Investment Renovations Chart

Some renovations can seem more promising than others regarding your return on investment. In a buyers market, certain home upgrades are necessary to get top value for your home and to move quickly.

The following information is a range of the 20 most popular renovation improvements identified by a survey of the Appraisal Institue of Canada. The goal of the survey was to determine, in the informed opinion of Canada’s professional real property valuers, what effect home improvement projects have on the value of home resale.

Please note: Home values and returns on renovation investments are dependent on so many factors such as the location of the property, i.e. rural/urban, the neighbourhood and notably important is the quality of workmanship and materials.

Renovation

Resale Recovery

Basement Renovation

50 – 75%

Bathroom Renovation

75 – 100%

Install Central Air

25 – 75%

Recreation Room

50 – 75%

Adding a Fireplace

50 – 75%

Flooring Upgrade

50 – 75%

Furnace / Heating Upgrade

50 – 80%

Kitchen Renovation

75 – 100%

Landscaping

25 – 50%

Exterior Paint

50 – 100%

Interior Paint

50 – 100 %

Adding a Swimming Pool

10 – 40%

Window / Door Replacement

50 – 75%

Roof Shingle Replacement

50 – 80%

Build a Deck

50 – 75%

Construct a Garage

50 – 75%

Build a Fence

25 – 50%

Install a Skylight

0 – 25%

Interlocking Driveway

25 – 50%

Asphalt Paving

20 – 50%



Quick House Sale

My mother is in financial difficulties and it is unlikely she will be able to maintain a mortgage on a 6 bedroom house with a large garden in a good area in north london, that is rundown, with damp problems, bits coming apart. She need to sell it off, pay off the mortgage then down size and have money left over as a pension. A conservative estimate would be half mil for house, she still has 250,000 in mortgage, which actually doesn’t leave her much, in terms of buying a flat and living in london.
The question is, in order to maximise the amount she gets (every penny helps as she does not have other income)
Should we get rid of the house as it is, should we borrow somemore from the mortgage to do some careful renovation and sell it on, although structurally, this maybe more hassle, or should we get planning permission for flats, then sell on with this, as it is in an area that is increasingly been developed into flat? Comments from estate agents/developers welcome!

Rent Back

My story is a bit like divorce but involves myself and my younger sister.

The short version is that I bought a run down flat with my sister and we have a joint mortgage. The plan was to do it up and split the profit 50/50. What happened was I ended up having to do the large majority of the renovation work and pay for most of the materials, while she made excuses and eventually refused to acknowledge that she wasn’t contributing to anything but the mortgage.

Now the work is finished (and we hate each other) we want to sell, but she is refusing to accept less than 50%. My parents are not helping and say that the work I’ve done doesn’t make any difference to how the profit should be split.

So, my question is does the work done to improve the value of a property come into consideration at all legally? And what is the likely hood of my being granted a higher share if it were to go to court?

Passive Income

 

There are lots of tourists from all over Europe who want to travel to Portugal. This is partly because of the wonderful climate and also because of the friendliness and hospitality of the Portuguese people. Traveling to the country is not difficult since there are several established airports within Portugal.

 

If you’re thinking of buying a summer residence or wanting to live in Europe, look for real estate in the country. While there are many newly developed properties in Portugal, there are also a number of properties suitable for renovation.

 

Since 1993, planning regulations have been revised. After they were introduced, there has been a reduction in new building. Because of this, property prices have increased between 15 and 20 percent. The revision of the planning regulations was to ensure that new buildings would be constructed with the environment in mind. The reduced rate of new construction is not the only reason for the increased property prices. High property prices are also due to the outstanding quality of Portuguese real estate and the high price of building plots.

 

Despite the high costs of real estate, there are ways for you to avail yourself of cheap properties. You can usually find and buy older properties which you can then renovate. This type of property is usually offered at a price lower than other real estate in Portugal. You can find property that you can refurbish all over the country. There are lake and river properties,  coastal properties, apartments, detached and semi-detached properties, terraced properties and plots of land.

 

Portugal’s popular destinations are where buyers and investors alike purchase properties. These places include the Algarve, Costa Verde and the Silver Coast. Because of the rising demand of real estate within the area, properties in the Algarve are often more expensive than in other parts of Portugal. The property demand within the Algarve is high because of its wonderful weather, strict building regulations and income earning potential. Since property prices in the Algarve are constantly rising, buying an older property and renovating it can save you money.

 

A property “ripe for restoration” can be a very practical choice, compared to purchasing new. You may get a certain level of quality and security with newly developed real estate, but it will cost a great deal more. If, however you buy a property that was constructed some time ago, you’ll often get a dwelling with more charm than a newly built house. You can restore an older property to its former charm or use older buildings for new purposes.

 

Since real estate, particularly within tourist destinations, cost so much, properties that can be renovated provide a good alternative. You’ll be able to live in a beautiful country with lovely weather, and in a home you’ve designed for yourself.

 

Coastal properties in Portugal are among highly prized properties. If you are looking for properties to buy and/or renovate, search online. Without having to leave the comfort of your home, you’ll find many opportunities and options for your dream home in Portugal by looking through the offerings of the real estate agencies selling properties in Portugal over the Internet.  

 



Quick House Sale

Some easy and inexpensive ideas to renovate/ redecorate our house and garden? I live in India…
Ive got some new lamp shades already and plan to have the house painted soon too…what else?

Rent Back Fast

While we were renovating our house we ripped out old carpets etc. and came across a few pages of an old newspaper that is from 1935 “Boston Sunday Post” and features a very well preserved cartoon in color on “Tarzan”. I put it aside, thinking that I would bring it somewhere but have since not been able to find out if there are any places that might be interested in this. Any advice? Thanks.

Rent Back Fast