This one just hit the market and won’t last long with all of the updates the owners have made.

Here are just a few of the details to get you started:

• 3,242 square feet – 4 beds, 3 of which have a master suite setup. 2 are upstairs and 2 are down. All bedrooms have walk-in closets and ceiling fans.
• 3.5 baths, which include one powder bath located conveniently for the great-room.
• Open, flexible floorplan which features 3 living areas (2 down and 1 up).
• Large greatroom features refinished hardwood floors, 10′ ceilings, surround sound, and is perfect for entertaining.
• Newly remodeled island kitchen is a cook’s dream, with tons of cabinet and countertop space, stainless-steel appliances, a gas Dacor cooktop, and a double self-cleaning oven.
• Your guests will be greeted by a two-story entry, updated neutral paint throughout, and all carpeting was just replaced.
• The large, picturesque front porch is covered in brick pavers and surrounded by white railings.
• Both front and back yard are extensively landscaped and can be enjoyed from the 2 large covered patios in the back, or the covered porch out front.
• Huge utility room, separate from the garage entry allows for more usable space on laundry day.
• James L Dennis Elementary and Putnam City North High School are both only one block away, making the kids’ walk to school short and easy.

Priced at $273,949.00, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better value than this home, and it’s completely move-in ready! Call 405.802.4663 to schedule your private showing.

MLS#397297 – Listing Realtor is related to the sellers.

So, you’re hearing more and more about how beneficial home staging is. You’re wondering “what can a home stager do that I can’t do myself?” An experienced, professional home stager can do wonders to get your home from “listed” to “sold!” in record time.

Here are some of the things a good home stager should do for you:

• He/She will work with you to decide what stays and what goes in the way of furniture, art, accessories, etc. Once the stager has determined which items will be used in the staging, you may have these options in regards to your unused items: Store off site, Move to the new residence, Store in garage in an organized manner.
• He/She will arrange and display the selected items so that each room, as well as every nook and cranny within that room, is maximized to the fullest.
• He/She will look at your home objectively and create a space that appeals to the masses. Personal items such as family photos will likely not be used, as it is the stager’s job to convince the average buyer that they could be at home there. This is hard to achieve with personal collectibles, memorabilia and photos on the shelves.
• He/She will make suggestions on curb appeal if necessary.
• Along with your Realtor, he/she may suggest upgrades that will be most beneficial/efficient (i.e. new appliances, new or painted light fixtures, new faucets).

From the first meeting with your realtor to moving day, selling a home is a major undertaking, but with a professional home stager, it doesn’t have to be a major headache!

Jennifer Hicks is a Certified Interior Designer and Owner of Designing Diva Interiors, LLC

New home construction is something I’ve been around for a while and I’ve had the pleasure of helping lots of people build their new homes over the past several years.  It’s one of the areas I specialize in, allowing me to provide some guidance where others may get lost.

Along that vein, two friends and trusted local professionals in their respective field – Trey Bowden and Brodie Tucker – recently sat down together to discuss some of the finer points of successfully building a new home in Edmond, OK and I thought this would be great information for you, my readers, to commit to memory.

One of my favorite points in this article:

“It’s important to follow up with phone calls and to make only the promises you know you can keep. Then when those things come up that you can’t control, you have a relationship that can withstand the bumps in the road.”

That’s solid advice in any venture, and home-building is one that definitely requires solid communication and delivery on promises.

Don’t miss your chance to make this beautiful, unique place home.  Located in the sought-after master-planned Stonebridge community of SE Edmond, this one’s got it all.  Take a gander and the photos and you’ll be amazed that it’s priced at only $239,948.

Call me now to schedule a showing or, if you’re in the area of Memorial and Eastern this weekend, stop by the open house!

Did you know that LibertyFest in Edmond, Oklahoma was selected as one of the top 10 places to be in America on, July 4th by CNN & USA Today?

Pretty big props for the long-standing tradition of where to be during the week of July 4th.  This year, the festival runs from June 25th through July 4th, so if you’re looking for something to do, check out the LibertyFest schedule and I’m sure you’ll find something for everyone to enjoy!

It’s becoming a common theme through many stories nationwide; OKC is weathering the economic storm pretty well, but apparently the news has even spread overseas. The BBC published a story back in April about the economy in Oklahoma.

I guess good news not only travels fast, but also far.

Last week, I posted about the trend of Californians relocating to Oklahoma, so the timing couldn’t have been better for a letter to the editor, published Saturday in the Oklahoman:

Comfort vs. chaos

Regarding “Finding a California dream in Oklahoma’s heartland” (feature, June 16): Offering a fresh start to newcomers has always been an Oklahoma tradition. After years of poking fun at our state, it’s not just Californians who’ve recognized its beauty, values and opportunities. Having lived in California for 20 years before being adopted by the great state of Oklahoma, I can attest to the comfort of stability versus the chaos of California.

Stan Faulk, Pink

I love home-improvement projects. There’s just something about improving an area or feature of your home and enjoying the benefits of it when you’re done. Saving a little money on it might be another reason to do it yourself

Our back yard is one of our favorite places, and our pergola is just one of the many things that help it feel like an extra living space. In fact, pergolas may be one of the things I suggest most often to my clients who’ve just bought a house that really has no flair outdoors.

Here’s a great little do-it-yourself guide to building a pergola of your own. Now get to work expanding your living space without the expense of adding square-footage to your home.

These days, it’s no surprise to see OKC in a Top 10 list, especially when the topic of economic strength comes up, but it’s reassuring to see that trend continue, as OKC and Tulsa were both named among the Top 10 Best-Performing Cities in the US earlier this week.

We already know there are a ton of families moving here for the economic stability, but here’s a thought that hadn’t previously crossed my mind, that may further help our metro’s short-term growth:

“While some areas of the country have experienced only a shallow downturn, and may be emerging from the recession already, people living in metro areas that are now performing the weakest economically should prepare themselves for a long recovery period.”

Yep, I’ll say it again, central Oklahoma’s a great place to live!

News 9 reported earlier this week that foreclosures are on the Decline in Oklahoma, and nationally. We’ve weathered that storm pretty well all along, as evidenced by this tidbit:

In Oklahoma, one out of every 1,851 homes faces foreclosure in May, compared to the national rate of one in every 398 homes

While the ‘experts’ will tell you that we’re not out of the woods yet, I’m not sure Oklahoma ever really stumbled into the forest.