How to Avoid a Painting Faux Pas in Your Home

Are you considering selling your home, but need to spruce up the paint before doing so?  Or, maybe, you’ve just bought the house of your dreams and you are having a little trouble choosing a color for the guest bath.  There’s a great website that can help you avoid making a choice that not only costs you money, but time as well.  I once painted a room 3 times before it looked like I wanted.  Let’s face it, none of us wants to spend our time painting a room again because it just didn’t quite come out the way we pictured it in our mind.

Colorjive is a service that allows you to test out different paint colors to find the one that you love the most, all without leaving the comfort of your home.  You can easily upload a photo of the room you want to repaint and play with the different colors until you like the results.  Paint names from Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams are included, making it easy to be sure you buy the right one.

I used the demo on the site to create a focal point on a fireplace with just a couple of clicks.  If this wasn’t the color I wanted, I could easily erase it and choose another.

  

How much does it cost to use Colorjive?

A basic account is free. Premium users can store up to 10 photos for $15 per year. With a free account, you can upload a single photo, paint three objects in that photo and save three different versions. If you get a premium account, you can save up to 10 photos, paint 5 objects in each one, and save 7 different versions.

Most of us are not painting 10 different rooms at one time, but if you are building a new house and need to choose the right colors, it would be well worth the $15 – that’s less than one gallon of the wrong paint!

Go play with Colorjive and share your before and after photos here.  We’d love to see what creative ideas you come up with.

 

**Disclosure:  we have no relationship with Colorjive and were not paid for this review.  We just think it’s a cool service that you will enjoy.

Also read:

• Home staging tips

---

For more information about home buying or selling on the West Bank, or relocating to or from NAS JRB New Orleans, please contact the West Bank Living Team. It would be our pleasure to have the opportunity to assist you with any of your real estate needs and have a little fun while doing it!

Kudos to Keller Williams

When we left a regional brokerage in December 2008 to join Keller Williams, there were some people who said “Keller Who?” and others (ie, agents) who tsked tsked that we would be part of a franchise model that they don’t quite get.

Here is just another reason why Keller Williams is our broker of choice:

 

News Release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Amber Presley 512/439-8708 amber.presley@kw.com

Keller Williams Realty Ranked as Top Real Estate Franchise by Industry Leader and Entrepreneur Magazine

AUSTIN, TEXAS (December 21, 2009) — Keller Williams Realty joined the ranks of the top franchises in the world last week, when the company was ranked as the No. 1 real estate franchise on the 31^st Annual Franchise 500 list by Entrepreneur magazine. During the same week, the company was also voted the Most Recognizable Brand of Real Estate Franchises for 2009 in an industry-wide survey for the Swanepoel TRENDS Report.

“The Swanepoel TRENDS Report is a respected source for the real estate industry and beyond, as is Entrepreneur magazine, and we are excited to see our agents honored in this way for all of their hard work,” said Mark Willis, CEO, Keller Williams Realty. “We certainly wouldn’t have been included on either list without the dedication and resolve of our agents.”

According to the ranking in Entrepreneur magazine, the most important criteria to determine the top franchises included financial strength and stability, as well as growth rate and size of the franchise system. The magazine also looked at the number of years the company has been in business and the length of time it’s been franchising, in addition to start-up costs and financial data. Additionally, Keller Williams Realty made an impressive showing on the overall list, placing higher than any other real estate franchise.

The Swanepoel TRENDS Report is published by Stefan Swanepoel, a real estate industry speaker and insider. The survey was crafted to determine the Most Recognizable Brand for Real Estate Franchises for his report out in February 2010. The survey included votes cast by 11,000 plus real estate agents, who cast 390,000 votes to select the top 10.

Earlier in the year, Keller Williams Realty also received the highest overall satisfaction ratings from home buyers among the largest full-service real estate firms from J.D. Power and Associates for the second year in a row.

“We are extremely proud that our associates and company are being recognized for our strength and stability during this time in our industry,” said Mary Tennant, president and COO, Keller Williams Realty. “We attribute our success to being in business with phenomenal people and to our core business models, which have allowed our franchises to thrive during any market.”

---

For more information about living in or relocating to New Orleans, the West Bank, or NAS JRB New Orleans, feel free to contact the West Bank Living Team. We live, work and play here and would love to welcome you to our community.

Search New Orleans homes for sale

Jefferson Chamber Offering Disaster Planning Workshop

Disaster planning is a critical part of any business plan, especially in an area like New Orleans that faces the threat of hurricanes and flooding each year. 

But more than wind and rain can cause an interruption in your business and the Jefferson Chamber is teaming up with local TV station ABC-26 to offer a FREE planning workshop.

The Jefferson Chamber and

ABC26 invite you to a

DISASTER PLANNING WORKSHOP

Friday, June 19, 2009      8:30 – 10:00 am

East Bank Regional Library

4747 West Napoleon Ave., Metairie

WHAT IF A DISASTER HAPPENED TO YOU OR

YOUR BUSINESS?

· How can you prevent losses and protect your business, employees and your family?   It’s not just hurricanes!

· What do you need to know about the Jefferson Parish Re-entry Program?

ABC 26 Reporter Meg Gatto will MC the workshop and review a recent fire at a Metairie business.

Ralph Petti, MBCI and Roberto Ramirez of RP Risk Advisors, LLC will present protection plans and options.

Representatives from the Jefferson Parish President’s Office will explain the Jefferson Parish Re-entry Program after an evacuation.

FREE ADMISSION

Registration requested Click Here

QUESTIONS: (504) 835-3880 ext. 31

Thanks to the folks at GEDA for helping to get the word out.

---

This information is provided as a community service by the West Bank Living Team.

Don’t Forget Why We Are Free

On Monday, most of America will be gathering for BBQs in backyards or picnicking at the park or just enjoying a day off from school and work.  But don’t let the real reason for the holiday pass without taking a moment to honor the brave men and women who have given their lives in defense of our country, our liberties, our freedom.

If you know someone serving in the military, thank them…and thank them for me too.

If you don’t know someone serving, you can still express your appreciation for all that they do by adopting a soldier, sailor, airman or Marine.

Don’t ever forget why we are the land of the free…

Happy Mother’s Day

Mother’s Day 2009

No matter who you are or where you came from…we all have a mom or someone who played the part of mom in our lives.  In honor of mothers everywhere, I wanted to share some great quotes with you:

The Nice Ones

God could not be everywhere and therefore he made mothers.  ~Jewish Proverb

Making the decision to have a child is momentous.  It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.  ~Elizabeth Stone

Mother love is the fuel that enables a normal human being to do the impossible.  ~Marion C. Garretty, quoted in A Little Spoonful of Chicken Soup for the Mother’s Soul

The Funny Ones

Sweater, n.:  garment worn by child when its mother is feeling chilly.  ~Ambrose Bierce

If evolution really works, how come mothers only have two hands?  ~Milton Berle

Mothers are all slightly insane. ~J.D. Salinger

And a special quote for my own mom, who I miss everyday:

If I had a single flower for every time I think about you, I could walk forever in my garden.  ~Attributed to Claudia Ghandi

Wishing all of you a very Happy Mother’s Day!

Next Page »