Preparing A Modern House For Sale? Think Minimalism

When Mies van der Rohe (1886-1969), one of the founders of modern architecture, suggested that “less is more,” he was expressing his belief that simplicity and clarity lead to good design. If the Farnsworth House he designed in 1951 is any indication – and it most definitely is – the German-American genius was right.

With apologies to Mies, “less is more” is also a good principle to embrace when you’re staging a modern house for sale.

But before we discuss the “how” of staging, let’s look at the “why.”

For our purposes here, “staging” means preparing the interior of your modern home for all of the potential buyer visits, real estate agent walks-through, and weekend open houses that are necessary steps in the dance you perform on the way to selling your house.

The reason for all the prep work is to make your house appeal to the highest number of potential buyers so that it will sell quickly and for top dollar. Is it worth it? Well, according to a survey conducted by the National Association of Realtors, 77 percent of home buyers find it easier to see themselves living in a house that’s been staged and 40 percent are more likely to visit a house they’ve seen online that’s staged versus one that isn’t. As for the bottom line, there’s abundant evidence to indicate that properly staged houses bring in better offers and higher selling prices than houses that aren’t staged.

Mid-century Modern minimalism.

That brings us back to “how.”

Of course, the basics for preparing any home for the market apply to modernist houses as well. Check out these links to get that ball rolling:

• 7 Pro Tips To Help Your Home Sell Faster, For More Money
• 8 staging secrets that will help you sell your house fast
• How to Stage Your Home to Sell

Beyond those basics, the key to staging a modern house – from mid-century modern to new construction -- lies in the architecture itself.

Less Is More:  Think about it. What you love about modernist houses is what potential buyers love as well or they wouldn’t be considering your modern house. You love the simplicity of the form and the clean, clear lines; the open, unfettered floor plans; the extensive use of glass that provides an abundance of natural light and a strong visual connection to the outdoors; and the honest use of natural materials.

Spaces designed with a modern aesthetic are bright, light, clean, and organized. Simplicity and clarity not only lead to good design; they also lead to good staging. 

White and bright:  The first step might be a fresh coat of white paint on the walls, especially the living/dining/kitchen area. Nothing lightens and brightens a modern interior like fresh white paint – unless it’s fresh white paint combined with sparkling glass. So be sure to have all the glazing in your house cleaned, inside and out, so that it’s ready to welcome the natural light that will dazzle potential buyers. 

Large, thriving green plants in modern containers or planters are visually appealing additions to your modern space. If you have a few already, good. If, however, you have a collection of violets in cute little pots, ask a neighbor to take care of them while your house is on the market.

Pare it down: Whether or not you practice minimalism on a daily basis, you want to stage your modern home for sale as if you do. So while you’re removing all vestiges of clutter and personal items (as each link above admonishes), consider removing all but the most necessary furnishings. In the living area, for example, that usually means one sofa, one coffee table, and one side chair, or a pair of matching side chairs, to complete the “conversation” area.

With minimalism the mission, put away the magazines on the coffee table (yes, even Architectural Digest), consider taking down any (unfortunate) “window treatments” that obscure the glazing in your house, remove all small area rugs that interrupt the view of your wood, slate, tile, etc. floors, and edit throw pillows down to one or two on the sofa. Remove throw blankets altogether.

Clean, clear surfaces: In the kitchen, clear off the countertops. (Notice the perfectly staged kitchen above.) Store small appliances and canisters, stash that jar of utensils and even the knife block and put away the oils and spices near the stove. If you have open shelving, edit the contents down to the bare minimum. White plates and bowls look beautiful on open shelving. The goal is to let the kitchen’s design, cabinets and countertops claim the spotlight so that potential buyers can imagine their stuff there without having to look through your stuff. A large stainless steel bowl full of fresh oranges or green apples, or an Alvar Aalto vase with blue hydrangea blossoms can provide a simple pop of color on a countertop.

Along with the kitchen countertops, streamline the tops of dressers and bedside tables, credenzas and buffets, and other furniture surfaces that remain after you’ve edited furnishings down to the most essential. Bare surfaces are best if your pieces are made of beautiful natural materials. For the dining table, one large platter or bowl is all you need for a centerpiece, as you can see in the modern dining area below.

As for artwork and other accessories, put away all but the largest paintings, framed prints, sculpture or artifacts. (Borrow large pieces from friends if necessary.) Remember: Scale is key and it's always better to go too big than too little because the latter just looks busy. Again, you want potential buyers to see the house's architectural design and modern finishes not your collection of Russell Wright pitchers or Eames Elephants. (Kudos if you have such collections, by the way!)

A well-designed modern house is as much a work of art as it is a house. Let that concept guide you as you prepare your work of art for its next owner.

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Perhaps you don’t agree with our approach to staging a modern house. If so, say so! Share your thoughts in the Comments section below.

The Annual Post: Modern vs. Modernist. And: why should you care?

(If you feel like you saw this piece before: because of the significance in terminology and confusion about these terms, I publish this post once a year).

Many years ago when I was to start my blog “The Modernist Angle”, my wife and I discussed those two terms at length. What seems like an inconsequential First World Problem is actually a bit like cooking: if you’re sloppy in the details, it comes back to bite you later.

And even though sometimes folks frown upon me, a native German, throwing around words I barely understand and can hardly pronounce in my native language, not to mention English, there is a reason we prefer “Modernist” over “Modern”.

We found an interesting discussion where the pros differentiate between those two rather carefully, the former referring to a style or aesthetic, while the latter – modern – meaning something “current”:

“Takeaway lesson: There's an important difference between 'modern' and 'modernist'. Modern means nothing more than 'current' or 'recent'. Modernist means... the ideology of modernism... an aesthetic movement that emerged in Europe during the interwar period”. (Ray Sawhill, on the Visual Resources Association Forum)

Even more to the point:

“Modernist is ultimately a more valuable and specific term for us than the more generic Modern. Modernist is our stylistic term of choice, whereas Modern seems more like a state of mind.” (– Dane A. Johnson, Visual Resource Coordinator, College of Architecture and Design, Lawrence Technological University, Southfield, MI, on the Visual Resources Association Forum)

Thus, a mid-century design by Breuer or Mies as an example should really be referred to as Mid-Century Modernist. Though nobody does that, as a client reminded me when he snubbed all homes older than five years, regardless of their modernist style.

Two homes newly built in 2017. Both are Modern (or “recently built”), but only one is Modernist.

With my own firm’s mission being “Brokering, Promoting and Preserving [...insert the M-word here] Homes and Architecture”, an important step was to check the use of the two terms on the web. “Modern” was the clear favourite, especially from a business perspective.

So we use “Modern” in the website name and mission statement, but on social media as well as in a verbal context where we can discuss, explain and elaborate, we prefer “Modernist” as the correct and more precise term.

Good question to ask your favourite architect, isn’t it? And: what are your thoughts?
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On Home Scouting

Often times I get asked how I happen to know a neighbourhood or building that’s not really on the radar, or how I know my way in an area a bit out of the way.

Such as when driving home from the Gulf Coast: Alligator Alley (the highway crossing South Florida) was blocked right at mid-point between the coasts, due to a brush fire. The police diverted all traffic south to Miami–a big pain if heading home ENE towards Boca Raton. When I asked the officer if he instead would let us take the small roads heading northeast, he inquired if and how I knew my way. My answer: I ride my motorcycle often in that area. He was kind and let us through, saving us circa 2 h drive-time. 

Unexpected finds plop into view this way as well: I was riding to the Boynton Inlet on Easter Sunday, took a side road, from there a side road and from there another side road. Voila–I discovered this home, on a handkerchief-sized lot close to the beach.

And quite a few of the 4,100+ modernist homes I documented in SE Florida made it into my architecture address list that way. I still find new ones, especially when I scout a neighbourhood I haven’t seen yet.

So if you have a horse, a bike or a motorcycle–go ride and explore. Even if you get wet, it’s much more fun than Google Earth.

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Photo ©tckaiser

Three Modern Homes by Duckham and Singer in Fort Lauderdale's Garden Tour

Last Saturday, the Fort Lauderdale Garden Club in it's "Secret Gardens" tour featured five homes – or gardens and exteriors to be precise, since the homes themselves were not available to the public – three of which were modern homes by beloved local architects, Dan Duckham and Donald Singer.

If viewing only the gardens and none of the interiors sounds a bit like a consolation price, it is. But in the choice between a consolation price or no price at all, it was an easy choice.

The homes, all of which are located in the aptly named Shady Banks neighbourhood and are hardly visible from the street:

Uchin residence, 3/3.5, 5,071 sf on a 48,300 sf waterfront lot, architect Donald Singer, 1977.

Uchin residence by architect Donald Singer, 1977.

Singer residence, 2/2, 2,631 sf on a 14,300 sf lot, architect Donald Singer, 1976.

Singer residence by Donald Singer, 1976.

Allen residence, orig. 2/3 single story, later expanded to 4,377 sf, lot 24,200 sf, architect Dan Duckham,1963

Allen residence by Dan Duckham,1963

Allen residence by Dan Duckham,1963

If you were on the tour or are familiar with these homes, I'd love to hear your impressions!

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Photos ©tckaiser

Construction Adventures

This series – written in retrospect, not in real time – follows the ground-up construction of a 4,000+ sf modern waterfront home.

A short time ago, new clients - husband and wife – contacted me to find a modern home for them. The criteria were: minimum three bedrooms, two baths, between Fort Lauderdale and Miami, deepwater (local speak for "ocean access without fixed bridges"), pool and garden for two large dogs, all under $2.5m.

The buyers would be in town in a few days – could we please meet? Which of course we did.

The couple had very clear and concise ideas about the property and the style they were looking for: ideal from a real estate agent's perspective. Within seven days of our initial contact, we conducted the first six viewings.

But it quickly became clear that we would have to also consider ground-up construction. The clients being on travel again, I took video clips of areas I recommended to include in our search for vacant lots and tear-downs.

One of the waterfront lots the clients were considering

Upon their return, I also introduced them to several long-term rentals where they could stay during the construction period, which I anticipated to be at least 14 to 18 months from programming – the architect’s brief on the builders' criteria – to move-in.

Five weeks after our first contact, I met with the clients again. We looked at several larger rentals and as well as waterfront lots – including the rental they were going to live for next two or three years, and also the very lot they would have under contract only five days later.

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To be continued.

Loans for Modern Homes Are Possible

When you are working with modern architecture, one of the big problems can be the appraisal (and the loan) for a modernist home. 

To quote my friend George Smart from the non-profit North Carolina Modernist Homes:

Just mention a Modernist-house loan, and most bankers give a deer-in-the-headlights look that usually ends in time-consuming disappointment. 

The loan process can take many months, if it happens at all, and getting comped against non-Modernist neighborhood houses can yield unrealistically low appraisals.  

Home buyers in the North Carolina Triangle region, an area chock full of modern architecture (though not quite as many documented as in Southeast Florida counting over 2,400 mod residences) got a break: 

They now have a lender (Harrington Bank) that seems to have at least some understanding of the uniqueness of modern houses. Utilising the extensive architecture archives of NCMH, the bank states: 

Rather than restricting [three comparables] to just a few miles away, if there are no Modernist homes found nearby we’ll use two additional specifically Modernist homes up to 20 miles from the subject property. That means we can comp against previous Modernist homes almost anywhere in the Triangle. 

I count myself lucky enough to have recently worked with three (!) different Southeast Florida appraisers who know and appreciate modern architecture. Not one but three - that is a miracle in itself.

But if you are a South Florida lender – or know of one – who understands and works with modern architecture, and is willing to go the extra mile (or 20), please do drop me a note! Many thanks.

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*Raleigh - Durham - Chapel Hill. Full disclosure: no consideration of any type has been received in exchange for this blog post.

Challenges in Marketing Modern Architecture

Florida's lovely Tropic magazine, the legitimate successor to Homes magazine, also a brainchild of capable publisher John O'Connor, focuses on all aspects of contemporary and mid-century modern design and living in Southeast Florida.

In its November issue, Tropic has a riveting piece – I must state that, I'm mentioned in it – on the challenges of marketing modernism, specifically modern architecture.

It's not the life of the Fast and Furious, or the Rich and the Famous. Not really; more the opposite.

As my dear colleague Martie always says: if you want to become rich in real estate, don't specialise in modernism. But we have super-interesting clients and even fun, don't we?

To read more on the ins and outs of marketing modern homes, pick up an issue of Tropic anywhere around the TriCounty area, read the article online here (jump to pages 22-24) or download it here as a PDF, for yours to keep and cherish.

Oh, and let me know what you think of it.

Happy Independence Day!

Roaring Gap, NC, ©tckaiser

Cash Buyers Rule

A phenomenon certainly not limited to the South Florida real estate market, the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel reports that the vast majority of home buyers in Broward and Palm Beach County are paying for their deals in cash, whether they hail from America or abroad.

That represents a marked shift since the years of the housing boom ca. five years ago, when approximately 10 percent of sales in Broward and 19 percent in Palm Beach County were cash deals.

Now, more than 60 percent of the September transactions in Broward and Palm Beach counties were from buyers paying cash – twice the national average.

"The cash buyer is the market right now," said Mike Pappas, president of the Keyes Company. "It's amazing to see the number of cash transactions in the marketplace. It boggles your mind." (Full article: Sun Sentinel via WPTV)

In addition, when I look at the modernist market data for October and first week in November, I not only observe the usual seasonal amount of cancellations and temporary withdrawals – people want to forget the global crisis and rather nest, instead of having buyers trample through cocktail hours and dinner parties.

There also is a noticeable number of transactions hanging forever in pending or backup status, finally falling through and being cancelled or sometimes marketed again. And quite a few deals go to cash buyers at lower prices than to those with financing clauses.

For now, the cash buyer rules.

DIY Security Check for (Modern) Homes IV: Home Office

Making a home 100% burglar-proof is not totally impossible, but it would be outrageously expensive and overshoot the target (more on that in an upcoming post–stay tuned).

Certainly a professional home security system can prevent losses.

But you better also prepare for burglars once they entered your house. Not taking a few extra steps – by protecting personal data, computer equipment, electronics and such from theft, fire and other dangers – is asking for trouble. Let’s highlight the hot spots:

Make sure you're insured

Take a look around your office. Are you properly insured for all of your equipment and possessions? Don't assume that your umbrella homeowner's policy is sufficient. Most policies will cover replacement of computers only up to a specific dollar amount, say $1,000 or $2,500. You'll bear the rest of the cost, unless you add a rider to your existing policy. (Riders tend to be inexpensive; you may pay an extra $50 a year to cover all your camera equipment, for example.)

Equipment that you use solely for business may not be covered at all by your homeowner's policy, necessitating a separate commercial policy. The cost of these policies varies widely, depending on the type of work you do and the value of the items. Equipment on loan from your employer, such as an office laptop, should be covered under your employer's policy.

Back it up–twice!

There are two types of computers users: those who lost data and those who will loose data.

So are you are currently backing up your data to an external hard drive? If you are, good for you. But you can't rest there. If you lost both computer and backup drive to theft or fire, you'd be SOL (...out of luck). Use a cloud-based storage such as DropBox, Wuala, Spideroak or Sugarsync, or a service like CrashPlan, which charges $100 a year to constantly back up all your critical data to a remote server.

Another inexpensive option is off-site storage, where you back up to a rotating number of external hard drives, such as small portable a 1 TB (T stands for truckload of storage... just kidding) USB3 drive by WD, recently offered at Costco for $89. Keep at least one drive always off-site, means in another location not afflicted by the chaos that befell your house.

Paper documents are slightly trickier than the digital variety, because they're usually one-of-a-kind. That's why important data–insurance policies, Social Security cards, passports, auto titles, a list of your family's credit card numbers, etc.–should be stored off-site in a safe deposit box ($50 to $75 a year), or in a fireproof safe bolted to your basement slab. Better is to scan these documents as a PDF to keep them handy, but be sure to back up the digital versions, too.

Bear in mind that digital media, such as DVDs and CDs, can still melt in a fireproof safe. Media safes constructed by companies such as FireKing are built to block heat transfer, but only for a certain time and you'll pay for the extra protection. A 650-pound, 1.5-cubic-foot safe that can hold 140 CDs might run you $3,000; smaller ones that hold 20 CDs cost about $400. (I have once seen a whole house burn down, and I bet a safe with 2 or 4 hours of fire protection won’t cut it. That’s why I prefer off-site storage).

Avoid data and identity theft

Backups are fine, but they won't keep prying eyes off your data if your computer is stolen. Most computers have built-in security features--controlled via their system preferences panel--that you probably aren't using. For example, you can drag your most sensitive data into a single password-protected folder. And you should, by all means, "disable automatic login" so the computer can't boot up or wake up from sleep without a password.

If you want to go whole hog, activate your built-in encryption program (comes with Mac OS X as well as Windows 7) or install a third-party program such as the free download TrueCrypt that will scramble every file on your computer. Without the password, no one can access a single file.

The downside: If you lose or forget the password, adios data. If you're not comfortable with high-tech data security measures, then the best advice is probably the simplest: Install a solid office door with a good lock. And don't forget the office windows (see previous installment).

Protect against power surges

Electronic equipment that you use every day should be plugged into surge protectors ($40 and up). These devices, which look like high-end power strips, guard against occasional fluctuations in electricity coming from your local power company, or from electrical appliances cycling on and off inside the house.

Surge protectors can't make up for improper wiring or insufficient power coming into the house. If you're unsure of your home's power capacity, consider hiring an electrician to do a wiring inspection. Ask him to check how many amps your electrical panel carries (200 amps is typical of most modern homes).

Even if a wiring upgrade isn't in order, ask him to clamp a whole-house surge protector onto your electrical panel and to any other incoming transmission lines, such as cable or data lines. These units, which cost between $200 and $300 installed, can stop a 40,000-amp surge in its tracks.

Not even a top-of-the-line surge protector, however, can guard against a direct lighting strike. As an added measure, unplug all sensitive appliances during a lightning storm, or if you're leaving your home for a lengthy period of time.
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Next installment: Home surveillance.

Have a happy and relaxed Labor Day weekend!

Based on an article series by Joseph D'Agnese, journalist and book author who lives in North Carolina, for the National Association of Realtors®.

Property Values: What to expect for $250,000 to $350,000

In this new series of posts, I will explore how much modern home per Dollar you currently can expect in SE Florida. With asking prices as of yesterday ranging from $179,000 to $42,000,000, expectations from a modern home at $75 per square foot surely differ greatly from one for $2,100 per sf.

In the first installment today, I will look at modern homes listed between $250,000 and $350,000.

In this price bracket, over half of the listings offer three or more bedrooms, but the houses are certainly not huge. Square feet under air – assuming that you want to live in air-conditioned space or don’t count your car port as living space – range from 1,020 to 2,274, with one lonely outlier of (unverified) 3,542 sf. The average lies somewhere around 1,800 sf.

Half of the homes in this price range have a pool, 55% have a garage. What you do not find in this group is new construction: the majority was built between 1950 and 1970, the youngest house in this group is still 21 years old.

But the homes are often in good to very good upkeep. Updates are quite common, but not always in the spirit of modern architecture: Mexican or some funky tile on top of terrazzo, lead-glass front-doors, country cherry kitchens with stainless-steel appliances and granite counter-tops or bow/bay windows are quite typical.

So either a remodeling budget or willingness to live with a stylistic mismatch for a while are helpful. Occasionally I see homes in original condition, often even well-kept: those are much easier and more fun to update in period style than a house that needs to be de-renovated.

From the houses on my for-sale list (remember that there is no “modern”-specific search in the SE Florida MLS) between $250,000 and $350,000, I chose six examples typical for this range:

Fort Lauderdale: 2/1 with room to expand, ca. 1020 sf, pool, carport, short-sale listed at $249,000. Notice the original corral wall and clerestory windows.

Boca Raton: 3/2, 1896 sf, remodeled, keystone entry, fireplace, marble floors, cabana bath, pool. $298,000.

North Bay Village: 4/3, 2577 sf, remodeled, pool, $349,000. Note the kitchen renovation: corner window meets cherry cabinets.

Lake Worth: 2/2, 1162 sf, garage, completely renovated, $249,000. Noticeable: crown- and door-moldings in a modernist home.

Delray Beach: 2/2, 1740 sf, PGT windows, sunken living room, diamond-brite pool, large lot, carport, $349,000.

Fort Lauderdale: 2/2, 1102 sf, waterfront with ocean access, move-in condition, new kitchen (with Mexican tile), fireplace, room for pool, short sale listed at $269,000.

In summary: between $250,000 and $350,000, you certainly can find interesting mid-century modernist properties. It helps tremendously if you are not in a hurry or if you are geographically flexible, as the houses shown here are over 40 miles apart.

Interested in more examples, questions regarding any of these properties, or would you like a specialist for modern architecture – that would be me – help you find the right home? Then do let me know. I look forward to hearing from you.