I don’t know about you, but I practically live in my home office. Now this isn’t such a great thing, and I’m working on getting out more, but it does go to show that home offices are as essential to today’s life styles as a large, family kitchen.  While all buyers may not be running a home-based business, they need a home office or study to run their family business.  The days of paying bills at the kitchen table are long gone.  Which explains why a Home Office or Study is number three on the list of what home buyers want.

A quick re-cap of the items which are highlighted on this list of What Buyers Want:

1. Large kitchens with an island.
2. Energy-efficient appliances and high-efficiency insulation and windows. (These were the most sought-after “green” features from buyers.)
3. Home office or study
4. Main-floor master suite
5. Outdoor living room
6. Ceiling fans
7. Master suite soaker tubs and oversize showers with seating areas
8. Stone and brick exteriors
9. Community landscaping with walking paths and playgrounds.

Notice what’s NOT on the list:

1. Fitness/ Workout Areas
2. Craft Rooms
3. Play Rooms
4. Formal Living or Formal Dining Areas
5. Sun Rooms

What does this mean? If you’ve got one of the above items which is NOT on the list, and you don’t have a home office, you need to figure out a way to transform this space which is perceived as being less valuable into a home office when you are preparing to sell.

A home office doesn’t necessarily have to have four walls and a door. It can be a desk and shelving system set up in another room in the house. Or a computer armoire and chair placed in the corner of the living room.  Maybe you have a great desk built into your laundry room or hallway between bedrooms that has become a collection point for toys and stuff.  Clear it off and make the most out of the space.

Whether your home’s style is casual, traditional, eclectic or more formal, there is a way to incorporate a

home office. Of course, when you do stage your home office, remember to hide those wires and keep everything well dusted and papers filed away. You want to convey that this home is well-run, efficient and organized!

If you’ve not had a chance to read our blog in a while, and want to catch up on this series, click here to learn more about What Home Buyers Want.

Whether you’re designing to sell or decorating to dwell check out these great resources for designing and furnishing a home office:

IKEA’s Office Planner
Ballard Design
Maxwell’s Closet Classics (in Austin & San Antonio)
In-Home Design Therapy and Room Planning with Interiority Complex

Like these tips? Please share this and don’t forget to check out our Facebook Fan Page to receive our daily tips, event announcements and more.

Posted on Young Entrepreneur.com  by Adam Toren, on June 30th, 2010

Why do people buy? It’s a question companies have been asking since the beginning of commerce. Do people make buying decisions based on the facts? Can you truly expect the customer to be rational every time? Or is something else going on that influences the buyer’s behavior? Are there emotions involved in making a purchase? And can these emotions be stimulated by the senses?

Neuromarketing, an emerging science, seems to suggest the latter is true. In his book Buyology, Martin Lindstrom asserts that “roughly 90% of our consumer buying behavior is unconscious.” Lindstrom’s brain scanning studies have found that our brains automatically make buying decisions for us, within fractions of a second. We don’t even realize what’s going on or why we do what we do (we think we know, but what we say doesn’t always match what our brain does), but the simple truth is that buying isn’t really a rational decision at all. Sure, facts and figures play a role in the process, but ultimately, buying is an emotional decision based on a number of factors, including stimulation of the senses, especially sight, sound, and smell.

Click here to read the rest of this article as the author dives in to Sensory Branding, Sight & Smell. Be sure to come back here to let us know what you think! Do your listings use Sensory Branding to engage customers?

Calgon take me away!! A cry that resonates for many of us given our crazy, busy lives. Today however, it takes more than a luxurious bubble bath to take us away from the stresses of 2010. 

We have arrived at Number 7 on the what home buyers want list. This wish is a master bath with separate soaking tub and large shower with seating. Now there is nothing better than a beautiful bath with a deep soaking tub, surrounded by candles that you can sink into at the end of a busy day. Add to that a shower large enough to hold a seat that you can relax on as the warm water rains down and I’m sold! 

But if your master bath does not meet these dreamy specifications, don’t despair you can still highlight your master bath as a relaxing retreat.  Here are some tips for creating a spa-like oasis. 

• Clean it up. Scrub that grout, mop those floors, get rid of that shower scum on the shower door.  Your master bath must be spotless. But, there is no need to prove you clean your toilet by displaying the toilet brush in a caddy! 
• Clean, fluffy towels. Get rid of any mismatched or frayed towels. Make sure your towels are folded neatly and hanging straight on the towel bars. 
• Rugs. Invest in a small area rug – not bath mat -to tie the décor of your bath together. Please no fuzzy toilet seat covers! 
• Accessorize. Add a pop of color to the room using accessories, candles and framed art. 
• Shower stool. If your shower is large enough, add a corner stool. You can find them made of waterproof teak – no plastic! 
• Declutter. And last but not least, put the shampoo, conditioner, razor, face wash, face scrub, body scrub, poof and any other supplies away. Clutter will distract from the spa like atmosphere you are working to create. 

No matter what your bathroom layout is, you can create a wonderful retreat that will add value to your home, whether you are staging to sell or designing to dwell!