Los Angeles-based Meredith Baer may have begun life as an actress, but she now inhabits a far more aesthetic realm of the make-believe.

For the past 15 years, Baer has thrived as one of Americas most important home stagers a unique form of interior design aimed at accenting and beautifying homes on the sales market. With offices in LA, New York, the Hamptons and Miami, Meredith Baer Home clients range from high-wattage celebs Christina Aguilera, Michael C. Hall and Bryce Dallas Howard to high-flying execs. In between, Baer has also found time to star in the recent HGTV show, Staged to Perfection. As her business grows, we spoke with Baer to learn how staging can help get homes sold.

What is staging and why is it important? Staging is using furnishings to dress a property in its finest form to turn a house into a home. Much like when prepping a magazine shoot, empty rooms are filled and dated rooms become fashionable. The home is fully furnished so buyers can imagine how they would live in it. Staging answers the visual and spatial questions buyers have when entering an empty home.

Baers work for Michael C. HallPhoto: Don Lewis Photography

So how does staging work? Staging begins with an analysis of a homes strengths and weaknesses after which our salespeople and designers determine the optimal design scheme for the intended buying demographic. Our team then takes measurements and photos, and heads for our large warehouse to select furnishings for the home. Our crew delivers the furnishings to the property where theyre installed by a designer.

Is staging interior decorating? Staging is not interior design because we are not installing pieces in accordance with the homeowners taste. Staging aims to appeal to the maximum number who would potentially buy the property.

Can staging add value during the sales process? On average, staging a property decreases a homes sell-time by 15 percent, while increasing its sales price 10 percent.

Baers work at Bryce Dallas Howards home.Photo: Paul Barnaby Photography

Is a stager always needed? If you have amazing taste and your home is already updated, you may not need to hire a stager. Look at your home with fresh eyes. Step outside, then walk in and see the space from the perspective of someone who wants to buy the home for themselves. They dont want to look at your clutter or photos of your beautiful kids.

What about costs? The cost of staging is as diverse as the housing market itself. Weve staged entry level homes for $5,000 and weve staged luxury, $50 million homes for over $100,000. Price is dictated by the level of design, customization and fabrication.

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Interior insights from Meredith Baer, home-stager to the stars

Published on February 26, 2014

Know when to fold: Murphy beds are back as comfortable space savers for any home

The clients came to interior designer Laura Casey with a space dilemma: They did not want to give up the guest room in their suburban home, yet they needed a place for their child to play.

Casey came up with a solution often used in small urban apartments: a Murphy bed. It takes up less space than a sofa sleeper or futon and unlike many of those uses a standard mattress, so guests, including elderly grandparents, have a more comfortable stay.

"They did not want to compromise the quality of the mattress," said Casey, owner of Laura Casey Interiors in Charlotte, N.C.

The Murphy bed which tucks into cabinetry when not in use is enjoying new popularity as a stylish space-saver in many kinds of homes, not just studio apartments.

"It's an interesting trend," said Chris Fahy, vice-president of The Bedder Way Co. in Indianapolis, which makes Murphy beds and has seen sales rise in recent years. He says many customers are Baby Boomers, empty nesters, and other homeowners who want to turn a bedroom into a hobby room or exercise room but still need a place for grown children, grandchildren or other guests to sleep.

Fahy's Murphy beds range in price from $1,300 to $3,100.

California Closets, which also makes custom wall beds, has seen the same upward trend, said Ginny Snook Scott, vice-president for sales and marketing. Customers still buy Murphy beds for studio apartments and vacation homes, she said, but many others are looking to get more use out of an extra room.

The company designs vertical and horizontal Murphy beds, often incorporating them into cabinetry units for home offices or craft rooms. Prices range from $3,000 for a simple wall bed and desk to $20,000 for a custom project with extensive cabinetry.

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Know when to fold: Murphy beds are back as comfortable space savers for any home

by KREM.com

KREM.com

Posted on February 26, 2014 at 3:32 PM

SPOKANE COUNTY, Wash. Authorities seized 273 marijuana plants late Tuesday evening at a home near Valleyway Avenue and North Conklin Road. Deputies with the Spokane County Sheriffs Office said the rental home had been converted into a marijuana grow operation.

The wiring and ventilation in the home had been altered to accommodate commercial grow equipment according to authorities. Deputies stated that there were signs of mold growth and other issues in the home associated with long-term indoor grow operations.

Cole Brown, 21, was arrested and booked for manufacturing a controlled substance. Deputies said they plan to make more arrests in the case.

Authorities began watching the house after receiving complaints from neighbors.

Neighbors told investigators that there was suspicious activity at the home. They claimed the renters actually lived down the street in a different house. All of the windows were blacked out and vehicles only parked behind the house according to their complaint.

Investigators witnessed vehicles frequenting the house. The majority of the vehicles had Idaho plates according to deputies.

On Tuesday, deputies stopped Brown and a woman leaving the house. Deputies described both suspects smelling of marijuana. However, the suspects claimed no knowledge of a marijuana grow at the house. They did admit to be staying off and on at the Conklin address and also living in Coeur d Alene. Neither claimed to use or grow marijuana for medicinal reasons according to authorities.

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273 marijuana plants seized from Spokane Valley rental

Provided by Networx.com

Having a house fire is one of my greatest fears, especially when I'm away from home and my paranoia is allowed to imagine up all sorts of horrendous scenarios. I'm the kind of person who checks the stove and heater before leaving the house, fusses over the electrical wiring, and takes special care when snuffing candles -- and not just I remember a friend losing his home to arson when I was a kid.

I always think that one of the best way to deal with your fears is confronting them head on, so I researched the progression of a house fire to understand how and why they happen. Having that information is key to the other part of the battle: reducing the chance that one will happen to me, using sensible, evidence-tested means.

It can take as little as 30 seconds for a small spark to turn into a conflagration from which people have only a few minutes to escape, thanks to the increasing number of highly flammable materials being used in home construction and kept around the home. Synthetic materials are a part of our lives now, but unfortunately, they don't offer the fire resistance available from cotton, wool, linen, and similar fabrics and other natural materials.

Almost half of house fires start in the kitchen, typically on the stovetop, where something boils over and onto a hot burner. That's actually an easy point to catch and stop a fire, if you don't lose your cool: you should have a fire extinguisher rated for kitchen fires in the kitchen, along with baking soda if necessary. Both substances will cut off the supply of oxygen to the fire, knocking out a critical leg of the fire triangle (fuel, air, and heat).

If your kitchen is dirty (including your range top or hood), the fire can spread very fast. Grease may spatter across counters covered in debris, jump to the table, and snake its way across kitchen messes, with flames leaping behind, causing the fire to leap around the kitchen. Within seconds, the kitchen will be a haze of flames and smoke, which will make it hard to see or escape. Heat rises, carrying heat and vapors into the upper levels of the house.

The more the fire spreads, the hotter the air inside the house becomes. At this point, it would be difficult to breathe without incurring serious lung damage, and parts of the house would be reaching the point of spontaneous combustion because of the heat. That's when you get a phenomenon called flashover, where abrupt and very rapid combustion effectively causes a room to explode with flames. Once one room catches fire, flames will quickly spread, and a home can be fully involved within minutes of the initial flames.

The second most common cause of house fires is heating equipment, which is why it's important to make sure yours is in good working order, so have an LA HVAC technician take a look at your system if it hasn't been checked in a while. Careless smoking, electrical equipment, and candles come next, followed by playful kids, out-of-date wiring, flammable liquids, Christmas trees, and barbecues. Tragically, many of these causes can be addressed before they cause a major house fire, and programs are even available in some cases to help people mitigate their fire risks (for example, Christmas light trade-ins let people get rid of older strands of lights in exchange for new LEDs).

A few simple measures can radically reduce the risk of fires in the home. Anything that produces heat or an open flame shouldn't be left unattended, and should be regularly serviced (if applicable -- obviously, your chimney needs to be swept, but candles don't require regular servicing!). Keeping your house clean and as free of dust and flammable chemicals as possible will limit fuel that a fire could use to spread, while installing fire extinguishers and fire detectors so you can act fast when the worst happens is strongly advised (and legally required, in some areas).

You should also have a fire plan in place. With only minutes to escape in an emergency, you need to know exactly how you're going to get out and where you're going to meet up with family members. Once you're free of the danger zone, you can communicate with first responders about who might still be inside and what to do next. It helps them to know where the fire started (if you know), and if you have information about the electrical wiring, plumbing, and floor plan, make it available so they can plan their strategy more effectively.

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The progression of a house fire

THE WOODLANDS, TX (KTRK) -- You know the saying, everything is bigger in Texas?

That's definitely true in The Woodlands, where we found one of the largest, most expensive homes in the Houston market.

The more than 33,000 square foot mansion is tucked deep in the heart of The Woodlands. The French Renaissance-inspired home also has an additional 7,000 square feet of patio space. The three stories soar above the four acres of surrounding property, but it's the interior that truly stands out.

Listing agent Arlene English says you will find 12 bedrooms, 18 bathrooms, 12 fireplaces, and nine kitchens (five full and four mini-kitchens).

Out of the eight unique bedroom suites, the master is the largest, taking up 3,000 square feet, the size of most homes. The master bedroom has his and her showers, his and her walk-in closets, a full sitting area with a fireplace, and a private salon.

The other seven suites are like staying in a luxury hotel.

A palatial office is filled with rich wood, crackling fireplaces, and plenty of bars.

The house is lit with 42 chandeliers along with 2,200 other lights, more than 100 doors, and three elevators.

The entire third floor is an entertainment complex, including a luxury theater, gentlemen's lounge, soda fountain, and a game room.

Outside you can find a spectacular pool with two spas and waterfall.

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Inside Houston's most expensive home for sale

SPOKANE VALLEY - A 21-year-old Coeur d'Alene man was arrested late Tuesday for allegedly operating an illegal marijuana operation at a Spokane Valley home in which 273 plants were recovered.

Cole Brown was booked into the Spokane County Jail for manufacturing a controlled substance. More arrests are pending.

Brown told police he had been staying off and on at the home on north Conklin Road and also living in Coeur d'Alene.

"Detectives hope to stem any trend from developing where Idaho marijuana growers set up illegal operations across the border in Washington to try and take advantage of more lenient state laws regarding the drug," a Spokane Valley Police press release states.

Detectives served a search warrant at the Spokane Valley home and discovered the rental house had been converted into an alleged illegal marijuana growing operation.

A male and female were staying part time in one of the bedrooms, and tending to the plants that were in various stages of maturity, the press release states. The home's wiring and ventilation had been altered to accommodate commercial grow equipment and there were signs of mold growth and other issues in the home associated with long-term indoor grow operations.

Neighbors in the area had become suspicious when they never saw the new renters, the press release states. All the windows were blacked out and vehicles parked mostly behind the house, hidden from view.

Detectives conducted surveillance and noticed that all the vehicles frequenting the residence had Idaho plates. Further investigation established probable cause for the search warrant.

Brown and an adult female, who was not arrested and also claimed to be living in Coeur d'Alene, both smelled of marijuana, but claimed no knowledge of a marijuana growing operation at the house, according to police. Neither claimed to use or grow marijuana for medicinal reasons.

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Cd'A man arrested during pot bust

10408 Saint John Dr | Laura Janski | Home Has It All
Take a Virtual Tour : http://tours.realvisionstudio.com/tour.php?tourid=38151 referrer=youtube.com Look no more...this home has it ALL!! Pristine waterfront ...

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AHS Home Warranty Training
Learn how to protect your buyers and sellers with a home warranty!

By: Brett Duffy

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AHS Home Warranty Training - Video

3 Bed 2 Bath HOME FOR SALE | 5906 Midnight Ln Louisville, KY 40229 | $129,900
Offered FOR SALE by AcklesWilliams Real Estate: Look no further if you #39;ve been seeking an Updated 3-4 Bed, 2 Full Bath Brick Ranch with an Awesome Finished B...

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3 Bed 2 Bath HOME FOR SALE | 5906 Midnight Ln Louisville, KY 40229 | $129,900 - Video

1027 Green Rd, Madisonville, TN 37354 - MarriedToRealEstate.com
http://1027greenrd.IsNowForSale.com?rs=youtube For more info and pics, Text "154840" to 79564 2 bed/ 1 bath home with bonus area This home is eligible for a ...

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