Month: February 2018

My branding coach always says that I don’t want to just attract clients, I want to attract the right clients for me and my message needs to align with my ideal clients expectations. Selling your house is really no different. Your house has to align with your ideal buyer’s wants and needs. And, most likely, her buyer is going to be someone younger than her looking for a fresher feeling space.

Attracting the right buyers is great. Aligning with their expectations is even better.

I believe that you can sell your house quickly in any market. You just need the right tools and information. So what can you do to attract today’s buyers and make them really, really want your house when they come to see it? Here are some Home Staging tips that buyers in 2013 love to see:

Lots of Pictures

20-25 photos will really display your property and give buyers plenty of information to consider a visit. You know that happens when you do that? You know that when someone is coming to your house, they really liked what they saw online and you are more likely to get an offer.

Kitchen Updates

Now, if you have a recently updated kitchen, you are in great shape and just need to follow these Home Staging tips for your photos and showings:

– clear your countertops for your photo session.

– remove all accessories that are placed on top of cabinets, including plants. Honestly, that is more likely to turn off buyers than the older model refrigerator.

– remove all magnets from the refrigerator

– remove the banana tree-I see this so often and always wondered who bought those things. um… everyone it seems.

Once your photos are taken, I am more lenient about what you can keep out just don’t make it look like you are having an appliance or tchotchke yard sale! That said, keep the stuff off the tops of the cabinets. It really dates your house and turns today’s buyers off.

If your kitchen is older and full of oak cabinetry, your first thought may be to add granite counters. Honestly, you would be amazed what just painting the cabinets and updating to stainless appliances can do when Staging your kitchen. Buyers today love lighter kitchens. 9 out of the top 10 kitchens on houss.com last year had white cabinetry-and all had stainless appliances-so dig out your paint gear and get going!

Neutral Paint Colors

Do you have a room (or two) that even you are questioning may be turn off to buyers? Go with your gut on this one! I’d rather have you put in extra work now than be left sitting with an unsold house later. There are some great neutrals that can work beautifully with a lot of color schemes.

Bathroom Updates

Buyers today love a spa like setting in the bathroom. You can Stage it by:

– painting a neutral color

– adding white towels (not embellished with chords or trim or themed)

– adding a white shower curtain

– making sure everything is off the counters

– removing bathmats or rugs of any kind on floor or toilet seat cover

– removing the plunger from next to toilet

– painting dated tile

– changing out the mirror and/or light fixture

– adding a frameless shower enclosure

Window Updates

I’m strictly talking about the decorative element of windows here. I see so many outdated window treatments in my line of work and they are probably the things that I change most often in my clients’ homes. Valances, swags and jabots, and fat verticle blinds really make your house feel tired and old. Buyers today like straight panels that reach the floor and natural woven shades. Now, I know that buyers can easily change out the window treatments themselves, but honestly, they can’t visualize how your house could look hip and fresh with the outdated ones in place. Invest in some reasonably priced ones from Target and Ikea-my go to sources for inexpensive fashionable window coverings-and they might even ask to include the treatments in the sale.

I hope that these tips will work for you!

Is risk assessment rocket science? No of course it isn’t.
Health and safety law requires that you carry out recorded,documented risk assessments for work,jobs,tasks or operations with significant risk, if you have more than five employees. The people involved should be included and their input valued, include,engage,embrace your workforce in the safety culture. The results and any changes required should be cascaded,communicated to everyone in the workforce, do not leave information in a file to rot.
I have never done a risk assessment! Of course you have, if you drive a vehicle,car,bike, you perform one at every junction, (I hope), looking both,each ways before driving on, if it is clear to do so. If you cross a street,road,highwayon foot you do the same thing, look both ways before you walk,step out.
Risk assessment is 90% common sense, clean up mess,spillages, repair leaks, dont leave draws open for people to walk into. No trailing cables,wires. Specialist information,knowledge of machinery, production,processes or chemicals,products will,may be needed, so make sure you have this advice when you need it.
Your business’s most valuable asset are employees,staff,workforce, so it makes business sense as well as legal, moral sense to protect them.
It is impossible to eliminate all risk and the law would not expect you to, you are required to do what is reasonably practicable. The definition of this is, what an open minded, reasonable person would expect to be in place. Sometimes referred to in legalise The man on the Clapham Omnibus, but you can Google that yourself.
The Definition of Risk Assessment
A thoughtful,thorough examination of hazards in the workplace and the controls in place to protect people who may visit the workplace
What controls are in place? Review and make changes if necessary.
Did you know?
o 245 people in the UK are killed at work each year not including road related deaths
o There are 30,000 work related serious injuries every year, 1 every 17 minutes o 137,000 people in the UK were injured or killed in work related incidents last year
o 2 million people in the UK believe their illness to be caused or made worse by work
o 25,000 leave work every year never to return o 38.5 million working days are lost in the UK through injury or ill health each year which is a 30 billion annual cost to businesses
Did you know?
o The average fine for successful prosecution by the HSE was 18,765 in 2004 and this is not covered by insurance!
Five Stages of Risk Assessment
Stage 1 Hazard Identification
Pretend you are new and look at everything with a fresh view, is what you record reasonable or should changes be made.
Everyone in the workplace will have an opinion, seek them out and evaluate their comments.
Manufacturer data sheets are an excellent resource for hazard information on machinery and chemicals. Use them as a reference for your risk assessments.
Information that is already in your business’s possession may also be useful, like accident and ill health records, they can often identify hazards which are less obvious.
Not all hazards are immediately obvious, noise and exposure to dust for instance may not manifest themselves for some years.
Step 2 Who is at risk and how?
Compile a list of all persons,individuals who may be at risk then you will be able to manage it. You may need to consider them as groups rather than as individuals.
Descriptions of harm are needed, type of injury, e.g. repetitive tasks like on a production line. There are special requirements for some groups of workers like young people, pregnant women, disabled persons.
Extra thought will be needed for some hazards workers in particular disciplines such as cleaners, visitors, contractors, maintenance workers etc, may not be in the workplace all the time. Also consider members of the public if they could be hurt by your activities. If you share your workplace, you will need to think about how your work affects others present, as well as how their work affects your staff ” talk to them and ask your staff if they can think of anyone you may have missed.
Step 3 Evaluate the risks and decide on precautions
There are Approved Codes of Practice available from the HSE which are taken to be industry best practice. What are you going to do about the hazards, everything reasonably practicable is the answer.
Is what you are doing sufficient? Use the ACOPs to measure your performance.
Use the ERICPD acronym to check that you Eliminate, Reduce, Isolate, Control, PPE (personal protective equipment), Discipline of the workforce to work correctly
Step 4 Record your findings and implement them
All findings should be written down, kept simple and not too elaborate. For example ‘Tripping over rubbish bins provided’, Staff instructed, Housekeeping checks now in place weekly. Welding fume, local exhaust ventilation used and inspected regularly
Risk assessments need to, be sufficient and suitable, they are rarely perfect, but need to evaluate the hazard properly.
You need to be able to show
o a proper check was made
o who might be affected
o the significant hazards are controlled
o all people potentially involved
o precautions are reasonable
o staff were involved
o the remaining risk is low
Dont try to do everything at once. Make a plan of action to deal with the most important things first. Health and safety inspectors acknowledge the efforts of businesses that are clearly trying to make improvements.
o Quick fixes
o Medium and long term goals
o Training
Step 5 Review your risk assessment and update if necessary
Review at least annually
Nothing stays the same
o Changes
o Improvements
o Any near misses or accidents
o Ask the workers if everything is OK
o If you know there has been a change review immediately
Some frequently asked questions (Courtesy of HSE Web Site)
What if the work I do tends to vary a lot, or I (or my employees) move from one site to another?
Identify the hazards you can reasonably expect and assess the risks from them. This general assessment should stand you in good stead for the majority of your work. Where you do take on work or a new site that is different, cover any new or different hazards with a specific assessment. You do not have to start from scratch each time.
What if I share a workplace?
Tell the other employers and self-employed people there about any risks your work could cause them, and what precautions you are taking. Also, think about the risks to your own workforce from those who share your workplace.
Do my employees have responsibilities?
Yes. Employees have legal responsibilities to co-operate with their employers efforts to improve health and safety (e.g. they must wear protective equipment when it is provided), and to look out for each other.
What if one of my employees circumstances change?
Youll need to look again at the risk assessment. You are required to carry out a specific risk assessment for new or expectant mothers, as some tasks (heavy lifting or work with chemicals for example) may not be appropriate. If an employee develops a disability then you are required to make reasonable adjustments. People returning to work following major surgery may also have particular requirements. If you put your mind to it, you can almost always find a way forward that works for you and your employees.
What if I have already assessed some of the risks?
If, for example, you use hazardous chemicals and you have already assessed the risks to health and the precautions you need to take under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (COSHH), you can consider them checked and move on.