Need a unique gift idea?

Looking for unique gift ideas? Here’s one that our family recently had a lot of fun with; I hope it gets your creative gift giving juices flowing! It’s  great for anyone looking to give something “out of the norm” or perhaps even for a child that wants to give a great (cheap!) gift to a friend or family member.

Several months ago, I stole an idea from my teenage daughter, and it was a hit. She was really into creating scavenger hunts for my husband (Matt) and I- she would leave notes around the house with clever clues leading us from one place to the next. It was a lot of fun, so for her birthday, instead of buying her a typical present, I decided to make an epic scavenger hunt for her with the “gifts” being old photos of herself, family & friends that she had never seen before. Oh, and Silly String. Because Silly String makes everything more fun. Since I’m one of those parents that takes a bazillion photos and forgets about them as soon as I upload them, it was pretty easy to find a ton of photos for the hunt.

Next I wrote out 20 clues onto Post-it notes and numbered them, leading her throughout the house, yard, garage and garden shed. Matt & I hid on the balcony, Silly String in hand, watching her search for clues- it was pretty entertaining. Most of the clues were attached to the pictures and some were attached to Silly String. (Yeah, I didn’t really think that part through, but it actually turned out better than planned!) The idea was that she would have the Silly String for some later event, with her friends or something, but she brought each can with her along the way.. Meanwhile Matt & I were sitting at the last clue, ready to attack (outside) with our Silly String. Once she spotted us, the fight was on- she sprayed us, we sprayed back, and in the all the excitement, Matt and I wound up chasing her through the house, eventually cornering her under his office desk, spraying away. It was a blast! Once our cans were emptied, we realized that Silly String in the house is actually kind of messy (duh), but it was it was totally worth it, and the cleanup wasn’t too bad. 

Anyway, it was a ton of fun and more importantly, it got us thinking about other creative unique gift ideas. Do you have any “non-presenty” gift ideas that have been a hit in your household? If so, we’d love to hear about them!

Madison WI: Living in the City of Playgrounds

It is such a pleasure to re-welcome fabulous guest blogger, Jessica Becker, to introduce our readers to her exciting new project, Madison Playground Review. Jessica is a community outreach professional raising two daughters with her husband in an old house on the isthmus. She wakes early to practice yoga, she cooks dinner for her family, bikes most places she goes, and believes that happiness is a life skill. So much of the business of real estate is about making this place home, and so we hope you join us in exploring this cool resource!

Parks, and if you have kids, playgrounds, are nice to have nearby. When thinking about where to live, it may not be on your 'non-negotiable' list, but over the long haul it will probably affect your quality of life quite a bit.

Madison has more parks and playgrounds per person than any other city in the United States, by far. There is not a close runner-up. It is too rarely mentioned, in my opinion, as part of the ongoing conversation about why this is such a lovely place to live.

Having all these parks and playgrounds to maintain is a big job. The Madison Parks Department is not flush with the kind of budget that the park-rich status warrants. This, at least, is my understanding for why the park playgrounds around town are growing ever-more similar. There are some variable features, but these features are ordered from catalogs and designed to come together as a recognizable-looking playground.

However, despite the somewhat cookie-cutter nature of play equipment in the U.S. these days, there are differences among playgrounds. After working with neighbors to select playground equipment for a park near my house, I’m noticing the nuances more and more. With my two young kids, ages three and five, I am seeking out variety and adventure.

Traveling beyond our immediate neighborhood for our park trips, we have become playground tourists. I am learning from my kids what they like, and how the different settings influence their play. I am also regularly googling things like ‘nature-based play’ and ‘playable sculpture,’ following a growing movement inspired, in part, by Paige Johnson’s site Play-Scapes, and coveting more things like the ‘Swing Time’ in Boston and the Holten Bridge swings in Milwaukee.

This summer, I launched Madison Playground Review: Adventures of Playground Tourists. This is my own playspace, an online project that gives me a place to explore my growing curiosity and share some insight. I hope it is both inspiring and useful.

We tend to like playgrounds set in spots that serve to jump-start further exploration. For example, playgrounds near a trail into a woods, such as Heritage Heights Park. The kids ‘warm-up’ in a familiar way, then we meander into unchartered territory with our energy up.

We also like playgrounds with interesting geographic features, like hills, boulders or ravines, like Glenwood Children’s Park. Naturally assets like trees are also really important, and they seem to psychologically make play flow more naturally. In these cases, the play equipment encourages community to gather. A playground in the middle of the field, like a car abandoned on a highway, is not very fun for anyone when the sun is burning hot.

Playgrounds where things are built to a scale that allows adults to play with kids are, in my experience, really fun. One example is the Henry Vilas Zoo children’s area. There are also places that defy category, such as landscaping that makes you want to move around or art that invites climbing. These ‘playable spaces’ are the future of healthy public life.

As Playground Tourists, I hope we can also be instigators for innovative parks and play spaces that break the cookie-cutter mold. In this city with so many playgrounds, we have so many opportunities to invest in what I would call ‘postcard-worthy’ public places. Madison Playground Review is meant to be part of this conversation.

You can read more of Jessica's writing and ruminations at Between Two Lakes and a Hard Place.

Listing a home? Net more with Roost Realty! We’ll market your home with style, vision and boundless energy. Looking to buy? Let us be your property matchmakers! We’ll get you in the community, lifestyle and home of your dreams – because we know a home is so much more than a house.

Get Local! Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is

As Realtors, we are helping members of our local community every day. Our work is very personal and hands-on, and our connection with the people around us and the place we live is what keeps us inspired. As residents and as business owners, our happiness and success depend on the vitality of the community around us. Ready access to fun shops, great restaurants, local entertainment and culture, and strong community resources are some of the big draws that motivate people to want to buy a home in a local neighborhood. These are the same things that make us love calling this area home!

At Roost, we are committed to supporting other local businesses at every turn. We use a local graphic designer and blogger for our one-of-a-kind materials and a fantastic local print shop for all of our mailings, business cards and print marketing. We have our own branded (and delicious!) coffee from Just Coffee Cooperative to give to our clients, and often gift City Tins to clients to say thank you and to treat themselves to a favorite local meal or encourage them to try a new nearby restaurant. Every chance we get, we source food locally for our open houses and events. Plus, check out our online resource for local finds to furnish your home in style!

Each dollar you spend at independent businesses returns 3 times more money to your local economy than one spent at a chain (Source: Dane Buy Local). Please join us in supporting our local community, and let us know if we can help you love where you live a little more!

Listing a home? Net more with Roost Realty! We’ll market your home with style, vision and boundless energy. Looking to buy? Let us be your property matchmakers! We’ll get you in the community, lifestyle and home of your dreams – because we know a home is so much more than a house.

Vintage Gems for Sale!

Over the last few weeks, we have been featuring fabulous bloggers who have graciously agreed to contribute to our dear blog, Live. Love. Roost. While the topics have been straying from what’s near and dear to our heart, Madison real estate, they are all in line with our deep love for great design ideas and all things homey. Please enjoy our final featured blogger in this series, Sarah Mullins, co-owner of the fabulous Monona-based vintage, reclaimed and custom rental warehouse A La Crate! Sarah knows her stuff when it comes to vintage chic and talks about a great opportunity for you (and a great charity) to benefit from her impeccable taste! Are you ready?! Garage sale season is FAST approaching. Mark your calendar for Friday, May 15 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and be prepared to rummage out on our loading dock located at 2619 Industrial Drive, Monona, WI 53713.

We're selling some gems of pieces that we know you'll love at killer prices and all for a great cause. All of the proceeds will benefit Artworking, a local non-profit that is near and dear to our hearts. Artworking provides professional art mentorship and training for adult artists with cognitive disabilities in our community. As an added bonus, they will be selling some of their artwork at the sale as well!

Three other local businesses will be adding to the sale: Oak + Olive, the owner of which was recently featured in this very guest blogger series, The Cozy Home and The Ironstone Nest!

Here are some examples of pieces that could be yours:

[slider]

[slide image_width="250" image_height="166.5" alt_text="Vintage Sale Items" auto_resize="true"]http://www.roostinmadison.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/BarCart1.jpg[/slide]

[slide image_width="250" image_height="166.5" alt_text="Vintage Sale Items" auto_resize="true"]http://www.roostinmadison.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/BarCart2.jpg[/slide]

[slide image_width="250" image_height="166.5" alt_text="Vintage Sale Items" auto_resize="true"]http://www.roostinmadison.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Beads.jpg[/slide]

[slide image_width="250" image_height="166.5" alt_text="Vintage Sale Items" auto_resize="true"]http://www.roostinmadison.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/BlueChest.jpg[/slide]

[slide image_width="250" image_height="166.5" alt_text="Vintage Sale Items" auto_resize="true"]http://www.roostinmadison.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Chair.jpg[/slide]

[slide image_width="250" image_height="166.5" alt_text="Vintage Sale Items" auto_resize="true"]http://www.roostinmadison.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Chairs.jpg[/slide]

[slide image_width="250" image_height="166.5" alt_text="Vintage Sale Items" auto_resize="true"]http://www.roostinmadison.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Chest.jpg[/slide]

[slide image_width="250" image_height="166.5" alt_text="Vintage Sale Items" auto_resize="true"]http://www.roostinmadison.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Cloth.jpg[/slide]

[slide image_width="250" image_height="166.5" alt_text="Vintage Sale Items" auto_resize="true"]http://www.roostinmadison.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Compact.jpg[/slide]

[slide image_width="250" image_height="166.5" alt_text="Vintage Sale Items" auto_resize="true"]http://www.roostinmadison.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Coquet.jpg[/slide]

[slide image_width="250" image_height="166.5" alt_text="Vintage Sale Items" auto_resize="true"]http://www.roostinmadison.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Fireplace.jpg[/slide]

[slide image_width="250" image_height="166.5" alt_text="Vintage Sale Items" auto_resize="true"]http://www.roostinmadison.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/FoldingChairs.jpg[/slide]

[slide image_width="250" image_height="166.5" alt_text="Vintage Sale Items" auto_resize="true"]http://www.roostinmadison.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/IroningBoard.jpg[/slide]

[slide image_width="250" image_height="166.5" alt_text="Vintage Sale Items" auto_resize="true"]http://www.roostinmadison.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Lace.jpg[/slide]

[slide image_width="250" image_height="166.5" alt_text="Vintage Sale Items" auto_resize="true"]http://www.roostinmadison.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Leg.jpg[/slide]

[slide image_width="250" image_height="166.5" alt_text="Vintage Sale Items" auto_resize="true"]http://www.roostinmadison.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Picture.jpg[/slide]

[slide image_width="250" image_height="166.5" alt_text="Vintage Sale Items" auto_resize="true"]http://www.roostinmadison.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Pinecones.jpg[/slide]

[slide image_width="250" image_height="166.5" alt_text="Vintage Sale Items" auto_resize="true"]http://www.roostinmadison.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Rings.jpg[/slide]

[slide image_width="250" image_height="166.5" alt_text="Vintage Sale Items" auto_resize="true"]http://www.roostinmadison.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/RollingChair.jpg[/slide]

[slide image_width="250" image_height="166.5" alt_text="Vintage Sale Items" auto_resize="true"]http://www.roostinmadison.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/SPShakers.jpg[/slide]

[slide image_width="250" image_height="166.5" alt_text="Vintage Sale Items" auto_resize="true"]http://www.roostinmadison.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Table.jpg[/slide]

[slide image_width="250" image_height="166.5" alt_text="Vintage Sale Items" auto_resize="true"]http://www.roostinmadison.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Table2.jpg[/slide]

[slide image_width="250" image_height="166.5" alt_text="Vintage Sale Items" auto_resize="true"]http://www.roostinmadison.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Tea.jpg[/slide]

[slide image_width="250" image_height="166.5" alt_text="Vintage Sale Items" auto_resize="true"]http://www.roostinmadison.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/TennisRackets.jpg[/slide]

[slide image_width="250" image_height="166.5" alt_text="Vintage Sale Items" auto_resize="true"]http://www.roostinmadison.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/TinBucket.jpg[/slide]

[slide image_width="250" image_height="166.5" alt_text="Vintage Sale Items" auto_resize="true"]http://www.roostinmadison.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Tray.jpg[/slide]

[slide image_width="250" image_height="166.5" alt_text="Vintage Sale Items" auto_resize="true"]http://www.roostinmadison.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Tripod.jpg[/slide]

[/slider]

Vintage Elementary School Chairs: Use one in a child's room for a reading area!

Materials: Pinecones, barn wood, lace, beads, fabric, you name it! Use the pinecones to make a wreath for your home; the beads to make a necklace; lace for garland and vintage fabrics for table settings or sewn together for pillows! I varnished and suspended large embroidery hoops to create a light fixture in our home. You could too!

Furniture: A bar cart in your home could be used to hide beverages and a variety of chairs/tables. The andirons could house a stack of books or an ironing board could be used as a console table behind your sofa. It’s the perfect height!

Trunks: They make great coffee tables and can hold keepsakes.

Odds and Ends: Sometimes these are the best finds! Take for example our stack of burgundy lunch trays! Imagine taking them and making a pattern on the wall. A tripod would make an awesome lamp base! Now that would be cool and I would be jealous!

The sky is the limit, friends, for what you can do with vintage found objects in your home. Get creative and have fun! We’re here to help with ideas.

See you at the sale!

Listing a home? Net more with Roost Realty! We’ll market your home with style, vision and boundless energy. Looking to buy? Let us be your property matchmakers! We’ll get you in the community, lifestyle and home of your dreams – because we know a home is so much more than a house.

Affordable DIY Ways to Decorate Your Space

Over the next few weeks, we will be featuring three fabulous bloggers who have graciously agreed to contribute to our dear blog, Live. Love. Roost. While these upcoming topics stray from what’s near and dear to our heart, Madison real estate, they are all in line with our deep love for great design ideas and all things homey. Please enjoy this week’s featured blogger, Jane Blanchard, from the fabulous Austin, Texas blog Modernize! We think this post will especially appeal to those venturing to decorate their new accessory dwelling unit or Airbnb space. Whether you just bought a home or are looking to furnish your newly constructed accessory dwelling unit, you could be flat broke when it comes time to decorate. Luckily, we have some ideas for you that make use of basic items to decorate your space DIY style.

Make that Firewood Useful

Some properties are chock-full of firewood just decorating the backyard. Bring some choice pieces inside to use as decorative accents. Cut small branches lengthwise to hang on the wall. Add fasteners for a makeshift coat rack or even connect four branches into a framed piece of art.

Create an Office...Out of the Closet

If you lack the space for a completely separate office or the supplies to fill it, try filling a closet with shelves and a desk, allowing a compact chair to slide right underneath. You can remove or keep the closet doors as needed. Hiding the space may be preferable in a studio apartment, for instance.

Sand and Finish an Old Wood Table

If you salivate every time you pass by a designer wood table, you are a traditionalist at heart. From the 1950s to 1970s, everyone wanted that smooth wood table. Step it up for the 21st century and make your own wood design. Search for large pieces of wood sold at thrift shops and other outlets. Sand it down, add legs and place it where you like!

Brighten up that Firebox

Fireplaces can look lonely for most of the year, so fill yours up with candles. Use different candles with various heights and sizes to fill the space. Turn them on throughout the year to lend a gorgeous glow to the room without the added heat.

Make old items brand new again with some creative ideas. Your decorative prowess may persuade people into thinking the items are chic designer products. Keep your decorative secret to yourself to impress everyone with a shoestring budget.

Need more home design inspiration? Check out Modernize.com!

Listing a home? Net more with Roost Realty! We’ll market your home with style, vision and boundless energy. Looking to buy? Let us be your property matchmakers! We’ll get you in the community, lifestyle and home of your dreams – because we know a home is so much more than a house.

Where and How to Buy Good Vintage Pieces

Over the next few weeks, we will be featuring three fabulous bloggers who have graciously agreed to contribute to our dear blog, Live. Love. Roost. While these upcoming topics stray from what’s near and dear to our heart, Madison real estate, they are all in line with our deep love for great design ideas and all things homey. Please enjoy this week’s featured blogger, Madison’s own kick-butt furniture refinishing extraordinaire, Krizia Villanueva from Oak+Olive! Do you love thrifting? Do you love cruising Craigslist? Do you love going to antique stores and markets? I think most of us do, and how could you not? It's fun, it's energizing, and it spurs creativity to no end! But, how do you know where to go?  Will you find what you're actually looking for? Will it be the right piece for you? Don't go rushing to the nearest big box retailer because you might be frustrated! Of course there are items that you need at these larger establishments, but it's really wonderful to be able to mix and match your decor. It's interesting, it has a story, and it feels more welcome for both you and your guests. Blending new, vintage, and handmade is the perfect recipe for a cozy home, I promise.

I'm Krizia, the owner of Oak+Olive. I paint and refinish furniture. I find a piece of furniture that needs some love and turn it into a modern and sophisticated (sometimes whimsical) piece that you can add to your home. I like to use color, but I also want my pieces to have a warm and earthy feeling to them because I value a comfortable and stylish home. My other goal is to provide you with inspiration on style and decor as evidenced by the addition of House Tours on my blog. I show homes that are creative and stylish. Homes that blend those three important pieces: new, vintage, and handmade.

Today, I wanted to share with you some tips on where to find good vintage furniture and decor as well as some thought processes on how you can determine that the item(s) will be the right purchase for you.

The first thing to consider is where to shop:

Well… Shop local, of course! See what kind of cool vintage shops and antique stores are around you. I promise there are many. Sometimes I think these stores are a little harder to find with basic searches - like “vintage shops (+your city),” “thrift shops,” “antique stores/malls,” etc. - but it is possible to find them this way with a little effort.

A REALLY great resource to find shops in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin is the Vintage Shop Hop. I don't know a lot about who's behind this magnificent idea, but it's an excellent way to plan a weekend, hit the road with your friends and stop at all of the participating stores in the area. This year's annual Shop Hop just happened; however, they leave the names of 200+ participating shops on their website for you to check out. You can easily plan your own road trip anytime to visit these unique places. They make it so easy to figure out your route with their handy map of shop locations too.

Also, if you’re into sourcing even more vintage, the folks behind the Vintage Shop Hop have put together a photo album of places all throughout the midwest. Click on “Photos,” then “Albums,” then “Road Trips” on Nellie’s Barn Sale Facebook page for all sorts of flyers for  flea markets, pop up shops, and barn sales in the Midwest.

Etsy is another great way to shop local believe it or not! I think so many people think Etsy is this unmanageable sea of stuff (which it can be), but if you know what you are looking for or have an idea, then this is an excellent resource for vintage and handmade. On their homepage you can choose “Shop Local,” type in the city you're looking to shop and also what you are looking for. For instance, you could type in "vintage" or "furniture" or you can be more specific and type in "ceramics" or "jewelry.” I think the great thing about this is that you can find small businesses who are really passionate about what they do but don't have a brick and mortar shops. You can write the shop owners directly, ask questions, meet them and pick up your order without the hassle of paying for shipping.

Along with local shops, go to vintage and handmade markets to find great pieces. You can search the internet easily for flea markets, pop up shops, indie craft fairs, or urban outdoor vintage markets in your area. Many times, you'll find out about local shops because they are the vendors at these markets along with other regional shops who travel to be in the shows.

How to shop:

Now that you know where to shop, it's time to think about how you are going to choose the right item to add to your collection. Decor purchases are generally easier, but be careful about going overboard with those smalls! It's easy to buy small $5-$20 purchases just to get home and wonder where the heck you’re going to put it all and does it actually match your style/decor?! Try not to let it get out of control because if you're like me, it'll just make you feel uncomfortable and your space will be cluttered.

Buying Furniture:

When buying larger items like furniture, that's always a little harder. Prices tend to be a little higher than you were hoping, yet you know you really want something fun and unique to add to your house. Here are some things to consider when you're choosing a piece of furniture for your collection.

Consider the structure/assess damage:

Is the piece of furniture well built? Is it solid wood? Are there broken pieces like missing veneer, cracks, and/or water damage? Sometimes these aren’t always reasons to say no to the piece and it’s important to ask yourself if it’s fixable. A lot of times broken or missing pieces of wood can be fixed with wood filler if you are going to paint it. If you aren’t going to paint it, occasionally that missing piece is not that big of a deal.

For example, to the left is a Mid Century Modern dresser that I refinished earlier this year. You can see where there’s a small chunk of wood that’s missing on the bottom right of the third drawer. To me, that was no big deal and I thought it added to the uniqueness of it. Plus it’s old! Letting some character show is OK in my book.

Style:

What’s the style you’re going for? Is your home mostly modern, cottage chic, industrial, bohemian? Many times these different styles can work together, but sometimes they don’t. I’ve always loved a more modern look with some industrial and bohemian thrown in. But, occasionally I’m drawn towards a vintage farmhouse look. I found that when I bought furniture and decor with a farmhouse look and tried to mix it in, it just didn’t quite fit. There have been a lot of  times where I’ve spent money on things that just don’t go, leaving me with more clutter than I know what to do with. (Good thing for Craigslist!) So, I think it’s always a good idea to keep in mind the overall look you are trying to achieve before buying a piece of furniture.

Function:

What are you going to use the furniture for? Dressers, for example, have become very versatile with people thinking of other ways to use them. Changing tables in nurseries, credenzas in the dining room or living room, or entryway storage are the most popular. It’s great that one piece of furniture can be so multifunctional.

Below are three pieces I worked on that speak to the power of versatile furniture. The first one is a MCM dresser that I painted for Sarah and Jeff of A LA CRATE Vintage Rentals to use as changing table in their little one’s nursery (image courtesy of Twig & Olive Photography; dresser painted by Oak+Olive). The second one is an antique buffet retrofitted as a bathroom vanity (image courtesy of Oak+Olive). The last one features a MCM dresser used for storage in a kitchen (image courtesy Beth Skogen Photography; dresser painted and refinished by Oak+Olive featured on this house tour).

[slider] [slide image_width="500" image_height="333" alt_text="Dresser changing table" auto_resize="true"]http://www.roostinmadison.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/DresserChangingTable.jpg[/slide]

[slide image_width="500" image_height="333" alt_text="Dresser vanity" auto_resize="true"]http://www.roostinmadison.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/DresserVanity.jpg[/slide]

[slide image_width="500" image_height="333" alt_text="Dresser kitchen storage" auto_resize="true"]http://www.roostinmadison.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/DresserStorage.jpg[/slide]

[/slider] So when you start planning your trips and getting out there, try to keep in mind function, style, and the structure of your vintage furniture (and decor)! There’s an incredible amount out there along with reclaimed and handmade, so why not fill your home with all of these gems? Spring and summer are the perfect times to plan your trips. Good luck and happy hunting!

Listing a home? Net more with Roost Realty! We'll market your home with style, vision and boundless energy. Looking to buy? Let us be your property matchmakers! We'll get you in the community, lifestyle and home of your dreams - because we know a home is so much more than a house.

Spruce Up! Designer Home Decorating Tips

Did you know that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development reports that a staged house will sell, on average, 17% higher than an empty or unstaged house? Did you know that an investment of 1-3% of the asking price results in an 8-10% return, according to the National Association of Realtors? Well you do now! So what can you do with this vital yet somewhat overwhelming piece of information? Check out our blog series where we discussed home staging tips and tricks with one of Madison’s most creative interior designers, Katie Rusch!

Part 1: Home Staging: Expert Q&A Part 2: Home Staging: Common Mistakes & Success Stories Part 3: Home Staging: 10 Commandments Part 4: Home Staging on a Budget

All About CSAs

A number of years back, I heard about something called a CSA from some of my book club friends. Not having heard of this before, I was curious and wanted to know more about it. They explained to me that a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) essentially meant joining a local farm by buying a share and having a box of fresh produce delivered on a weekly (or biweekly) basis. The catch was that you had to pick up the box from a delivery site and you got what you got in your box, whether or not your family actually liked (or ate) what was in it. I was all about trying new veggies so I did some research and signed up for what sounded like the best fit for my family the next season. We have had a CSA ever since and rave about it to people who either haven’t heard of it or haven’t yet tried it. There are so many benefits to having a CSA. It supports local farms, challenges us to eat much more of a variety of healthy foods, and reduces the miles between where our food comes from and our plate. Living in the Madison area, we have the luxury of having loads of farms to choose from.

When it comes to choosing the right CSA there are numerous factors to consider:

• Size of the farm
• Price of the share
• Size of the share
• Number of delivery weeks per season
• Location of the pick up sites
• Types of produce offered (most CSA sites have a list of what they grow)
• Other food items offered (eggs, bread, fruit, meat, etc)

Having a CSA has opened our eyes to the importance of eating local and, in a good way, forced us to try things we never would have bought at the grocery store. Consider sharing a CSA or signing up for a biweekly share if you’re not feeling confident you can get through all the produce in a week. Sign up now to get your pick of farms and help your local farmers with some early season seed money. Soon you’ll be raving to all of your friends!

Declutter! You'll Be Glad You Did

Decluttering is a topic we here at Roost think about often (see here, here and here). And it’s no wonder! Whether preparing to be a home seller or gearing up to simplify your space, eliminating extra stuff can be hard. When items feel too valuable to donate, not only is it time consuming to sell them (determining value, taking photos, marketing, etc.), but it can also be emotional. Recently, I decided to take the plunge and liquidate my collection of mid century modern goodies. The first to go was my most prized treasure, a beautiful pair of mid century sofas. It was kind of like losing a family member. That said, they’d been in my garage for months, so it was time to find them a new, loving home.

As listing agents, we take great pride in our work. This work includes (on top of many things) staging, which is just one of the ways we maximize client profit. This process of decluttering opened my eyes to what our clients may feel as we walk through their homes identifying possessions that must go (or get packed up) in order to make buyers swoon. You may ask: Is it really worth it? You bet. It’s just another reason why our listings sell 2% higher than the average listing.

Starting with the sofas was like ripping off a bandage; painful at first, but soon enough it was like it never happened. The end result felt great; less can be more! If you’re preparing to sell your home, here are a few simple ways to declutter, inspired by the folks at becomingminimalist.com:

1. Make it manageable. Give away just one item each day, every day. This will create momentum without overwhelming you away from getting started.
2. Turn it into a game. See how quickly you can find 10 items to toss, 10 items to donate and 10 items to put back where they should go. Enlist your family members to play!
3. See your home in a new light. We develop a blindness to our everyday surroundings. Take photos and evaluate your space objectively or invite someone new over to get their two cents. Simply preparing for their visit may spark changes!

9 Mini Home Makeover Tips

Whether preparing your home for sale or the parade of holiday visitors, here is our list of 9 tips to make your home shine.

1. Commit to the deep clean. It may not be spring, but a deep and thorough cleaning will make you see and feel a difference in your home! Tackle these often neglected areas or consider hiring a pro to do the dirty work. --Steam clean carpet --Wash windows, sills and trim --Wash walls --Wash baseboards and floors by hand --Take down overhead light shades and globes and wash them up in hot soapy water --Clean cabinetry, especially around the hardware --Do a cobweb sweep of ceilings throughout the house
2. Eliminate the clutter. Donate or sell what you don’t absolutely need. You will appreciate what remains more and it may even free up some mental space too!
3. Hide the necessities. Stash your to-do piles and everyday gadgets like phone chargers and keys in decorative containers. Making the functional more beautiful may not only brighten your mood but also help keep your life organized everyday of the year. (Pictured right: Wood boxes hide countertop clutter and cloth napkins.)
4. Pare down the furniture while making the most of what you keep. Can a cedar chest also serve as seating in an entryway or under a window? Can you use a bookcase for storage and as a room divider?
5. Touch up your walls, trim and baseboard if you still love the colors. Consider painting your ceilings if it’s been a while, it can make a giant impact! You could freshen up your white or get adventurous with the color.
6. Repaint if you're ready for a whole new palette. Choose complementary paint colors for rooms that connect to improve the flow of your home and make spaces feel larger and more cohesive.
7. Update your window covers, rods and/or brackets. Hang rods slightly higher than and farther out from the window trim to give the illusion of bigger windows. Floor length curtains also make ceilings feel taller.
8. Update your lighting. I love Cree LED bulbs. They give the appearance of higher wattage. I recently put these bulbs in all of my ceiling fixtures and lamps. What a difference!
9. Replace bland artwork with pieces that make you happy and help tell your story. Consider framing snapshots from your last vacay, favorite cards from friends or even your child's artwork. (Pictured left: Collages made from items collected on an extended cross-country road trip.)

For Sale By Owner: What I'd Do Differently

My husband and I had just tied the knot. My domestic urges must have been in overdrive, because within days of the wedding, I found a house on a Madison "for sale by owner" website that seemed so perfectly us.

I had been combing the Madison WI MLS as a matter of habit -- but I had gone to only a handful of open houses, and I really hadn’t moved from curious to serious. We loved the Schenk-Atwood neighborhood, where we were renting an apartment. However, we also wanted to keep our mortgage affordable and not sacrifice our lifestyle in order to pay our housing costs.

Unfortunately, everything in our ideal area that even came close to our comfortable price point needed an incredible amount of work! We’d seen The Money Pit  -- and we had been warned of the ways a fixer-upper can take over your life (for better or worse), so we were focused on our first home being as move-in ready as possible.

In the end, this two-bedroom house a little further beyond our ideal area held all of the charm we were looking for -- plus a kitchen and bathroom that were both generously sized and updated. As seasoned apartment dwellers, we thought two bedrooms seemed like more than enough space, and we were willing to overlook the lack of garage for the large basement and walk-up attic. One fast month later, it was ours, and we were moving in! A happy ending!

Now, I'm armed with 6+ years of life experience and a real estate license. I can look back and offer the following kernels of wisdom to “first-time-homebuyer me” and others.

Lessons I've learned:

1. Know your priorities. We sacrificed on location to get the house we wanted for our price. Was this a good decision for us? Probably. We’ve been able to comfortably roll with life’s punches (several job changes, new babies, travel opportunities) thanks to a very affordable monthly payment. However, location is the one thing you can never change about your house, and this will absolutely top our criteria for our next purchase. We really miss being in a more walkable area, and have some new family-related neighborhood priorities. I also think my husband will insist on a garage next time around! There will always be trade-offs; it’s about weighing them and making the best choice for you and your lifestyle. Make a prioritized list of your wants and needs at the start of your search and use it to keep yourself honest.

2. Hire a "Wisconsin Registered" Home Inspector. We asked a family member who is a licensed professional home contractor to look at the house for us. He helped us go into the purchase with our eyes open about some of the home's potential issues. But, even if he had pointed out every defect that a home inspector would have found, we wouldn’t have been able to use his findings to negotiate with the sellers, per the state-approved Offer to Purchase contract. This basically meant we bought our home "as-is." When we go to sell our home, chances are the buyer will want a formal inspection, and we’ll be on the hook for issues that may have been present in the home when we purchased it. The money spent on a qualified home inspector pays off up front in negotiations and down the road in peace of mind. A professional home inspection and report is in the best interest of every buyer.

3. Work with a buyer’s agent. We bought the home on our own, from a seller who was selling it on their own. While I don’t have a horror story to accompany this scenario, I do wish we had used a professional buyer’s agent to guide us through the process and help us pay attention to the details we overlooked. Sellers pay the buyer’s agent commission 99% of the time, so it makes sense to employ a seasoned buyer’s agent who can advocate for you and manage the paperwork and other details of buying a home, which can otherwise be pretty stressful. While we felt like we purchased the home for a fair price, now I know how much information should be used when determining market value, and we didn’t consider all of the pieces in the puzzle. When we go to sell our home, we will be subject to the market conditions and recent comparable sales when choosing a listing price and negotiating with a buyer, so it pays off to work with someone who knows this data when you buy.

I’m looking forward to finding our next home in the coming year or two and applying what I’ve learned to advocate for my family in the process. Our home has treated us well over the years, so I also look forward to giving it new life with its next owners!

Want to learn more? I welcome your questions and would love to apply my experience and professional knowledge to help make your next home-buying experience a positive one!