The Heart & Soul of Birmingham Michigan

Birmingham, Michigan is a small but vibrant city that offers a downtown that is accessible and fun!  This is the heart and soul of a community where people gather and feel a sense of pride.  I am fortunate to be a part of this exceptional community as a Birmingham Realtor, and see the impact our downtown has on the property values and neighborhoods in Birmingham.  People want to live where there is good energy, and activity and Birmingham is it!

Birmingham offers experiences that are rich and layered for all ages. From theatre, to shopping and dining spending time "downtown" is a common occurrence for many residents and visitors. Come explore Birmingham ... we have a lot of new surprises in store for you!

With numerous parks designed for all ages,  it is easy to get-to-know-your-neighbor while pushing your child on a swing, or sitting on a park bench.  Old fashioned values keep Downtown Birmingham not just alive but thriving.

This is a city that CARES and it shows by their extensive outreach to the residents of Birmingham and beyond.  Throughout the year, you will find a variety of events from Santa House to the Farmers Market that give everyone the opportunity to make lasting memories with family and friends!

 

 

Sell In The Winter?

contact me for a copy of my 10 Reasons list.

When a boring wall becomes a Focal Point

My husband and I took a trip to Napa Valley which was amazing.  The photo on the left is from a restaurant in downtown Napa.  I loved the texture and warmth of the walls with the gallery shelf adding an opportunity to showcase lovely artwork. 
In the photo below, I decided to use a faux stone wall mural t in one of the houses I bought and sold in Royal Oak, Michigan.  I purchased gallery shelves at Ikea then staggered them to add a sense of motion to the wall.  Accessories were added to finish the accent wall that would have been a simple boring pass through without this approach.

Step out of the box when it comes to design to make your home spectacular.



Ikea Wall Mural

 Wow, look at this awesome wall mural, a great idea for making a huge statement.  This particular mural was at Ikea.  I love the organic feel of tall birch trees!

You can find a variety of mural patterns at Ikea, Target on line, and Sherwin Williams.
It's a great way to make a big statement without breaking the bank.

What Not To Do

This is as house  that I showed to a client last month.  It looked great from outside, new roof, siding, trim, really cute!

When we walked inside, we were horrified!! It was a disaster and smelled to high heaven.  Needless to say, we ran out as fast as we could - in the end, my buyer found a darling house that is perfect for her and she just got the keys last week.

Rehabbing and remodeling

Before

After

Make a Gallery Wall

Kathi's Basement

Create a Dynamic Porch

This was a empty room that lacked any function or design.  I added a dining room table and chairs to encourage eating and entertaining in this space.  The table was dressed with a decorative runner, candles, and a tray of wine glasses and bottle of wine.
A seperate seating area is against the wall which consists of two chairs and a round table for a more intimate area.  A little green always adds warmth, so the ficus tree was placed in the corner along with a floor lamp that throws light upward for mood lighting.  Finally, perched on the top of the sliding doors are four framed art pieces to draw the eye upward and add interest to this formerly empty space.

Transform your Wall

Create a dramatic impact using rich wall color and these inexpensive shelves.  Ikea carries gallery shelves for your wall that come in black, white, and woodtone.  They are easy to hang and take only minutes.  Add art and you have a stunning wall.  The artwork I have on display from upper left to right are framed greeting cards, a photo of my last home's stairway.  LL: VanGogh torn from a calendar. LR: I made star bursts using supplies purchased at a dollar store.  The sticks were colored by my Dad (before he passed away from cancer last year) using a black magic marker.  They along with  circle mirrors, were glued (with a glue gun) together to form a star burst.  I made the lower picture  using materials around the house, a bit of gold needlework thread, piece of flat wood, piece of copper, and black screening material.  I laid out a design and glued everything on to a matt back board.  All the frames were  purchased at either a dollar store, drug store, or Michaels.

CURB APPEAL tips from Kathi as featured in the Birmingham-Bloomfield Eagle

Paper: Birmingham-Bloomfield Eagle (MI)
Title: Increased curb appeal boosts neighborhood merit
Date: September 15, 2010

Curb appeal can go far beyond home maintenance, landscaping and design. It's also a crucial element to maintaining the value of a home and the surrounding neighborhood, especially with more and more foreclosed properties popping up, marring the aesthetics of neighborhoods across metro Detroit and making it more important than ever to stave off blight by keeping homes and lawns in tip-top shape.

Whether selling or staying put, maintaining a home and increasing its curb appeal not only helps maintain a home's value, but also enhances the surrounding neighborhood's allure, said Kathi Jones-Cutler, a Realtor with Max Broock in Birmingham and a staging expert.

"People want to live in a nice neighborhood, and they can tell at a glance if a home is well cared for.
Things like overgrown shrubbery, rust on railings, peeling paint, tired-looking lawns … all those things send out red flags that the home hasn't been well-maintained," Jones-Cutler said. "If a neighborhood has well-cared-for homes - no matter what size - people want to live in that neighborhood; they feel comfortable investing in a stable and desirable community." Not only are well-maintained homes more desirable, they also cost less in the long run: Many costly repairs can be avoided by taking on such projects as painting wood so it doesn't rot, and having the roof cleaned to increase its longevity, Jones-Cutler said.

Click here to read the entire article: Increased curb appeal boosts neighborhood merit

My book, Cashing in on Design, will be available at 1/2 price for a limited time!  Purchase a copy today for only $9.99 plus tax and shipping. 

Do you have any friends or family members that enjoy home design or real estate?  This book make a great gift ~ just in time for the holidays.  Please email me at kcutler@comcast.net with any questions or feedback about my book.

Sincerely,
Kathi