Clay Lee
Broker/Realtor®
Read my blog below
Thinking of Buying or Building? Make a Book First
June 18th, 2008 Categories: Buying Real Estate, Home Improvement & Design, Market Trends
How many times have you looked through a magazine and spotted something you would love to have in your next home? Have you ever driven by a house and taken a picture of the outside because it was exactly what you wanted? We have all done it, but how many times do we actually rip those articles out and organize them in one place?
A house book is one of the best ideas I’ve ever used to help clients decide what they really wanted in a house. If you are thinking of buying or building, how do you plan on telling your REALTOR, architect, builder, or interior designer what you want? Pictures are worth a thousand words, and having those ideas in one place makes it a snap.
To get started, you will need a large 3 ring binder, several tabbed dividers, some blank plain paper, a 3 ring hole punch, a glue stick, and some clear sleeves that fit in a binder. Label the dividers with different headings like floor-plan, kitchen, exterior, pool, master bath, home theater, audio-video, and others that suit your taste, you can always add more tabs. However, the tabs just help keep it separated. You don’t have to have them as long as you put everything in the book. Now all you have to do is start putting things in it.
For example, if you are looking at floor-plans and you like the layout of either a whole house or just a part of it, rip it out and put it in your book. If you like just a part of it, make sure and circle that part and always make notes if you feel its necessary. If you are driving around somewhere and see a house you like, break out your camera or camera phone and snap a picture. When you get home, print it out and put it in your book. If you end up gluing it to a page in your book, try to write a note next to it of what you liked about it. When reading a magazine, look for things that you are attracted to. Maybe it’s a design element, a cool new appliance, flooring, plumbing product, or awesome audio video feature. Whatever it is, if you like it, rip it out and put it in the book. Even though you may not be able to afford it, put it in your book. The purpose isn’t to make selections at this point, it’s to pick out things you like and put them in your book for reference.
Some people make a book and keep it for years. They constantly add things to it and take things out. It just makes deciding what you like and conveying that to others so much easier. If you are moving from a property you love, take pictures of it and your furniture and put them in the book.
Showing your book to a REALTOR lets him know what you like and helps him see your personal style. An experienced agent knows most homes on the market and your book will help him narrow it down to houses that you are truly going to fall in love with.
Showing your book to an architect and interior designer is the best part of all. Your new home should be a reflection of you, not an assemblage of rooms. Your book will help convey what you love to professionals who can take these visual references and turn them into something that will truly knock your socks off and amazingly enough will reflect your personal style and taste.
If you have questions about putting together a house book, luxury living or luxury real estate, please feel free to email me anytime @ rclaylee@yahoo.com
This is a great idea for narrowing down choices and getting a clearer picture of your dream home which makes finding or building that home easier. On a more emotional level when we think about and dream about something we are one step closer to making that thought or dream a reality. It brings together the plan in our mind and heart. For couples or families it strengthens relationships to entwine our thoughts, opinions and dream together. Start your book today!
Great idea!!! Some of us need you to build our book….
Maybe that is why it is so important to have a GREAT Realtor (like you of course) help.
Yes, this IS a great idea…my wife, Christine, subscribes to several magazines where she gets great ideas for our home. She is always pulling out pages that she adds to her “idea file” for future reference.