Stunning large home lovingly maintained. 4 Beds & 3 full baths on 2nd. 1st has 3 living spaces, living, family & recreation room! Fabulous updated kitchen. Master suite & guest suite. 2 car garage screened in porch. Private study. Lovely!

The post 610 Floral Avenue, Terrace Park, OH 45174 appeared first on Cincinnati Real Estate | Cincinnati Homes | Amy B Sells.

For many, the house hunt is a quest for the the holy grail of more square footage. But the reality of home ownership is this: you furnish and decorate the spaces in your home according to their planned purpose (e.g., dining room, kitchen, bedroom, etc.) only to realize that you spend 80 percent of your time in 20 percent of your home’s square footage!

Most homeowners who have formal living and dining rooms rarely use them (Thanksgiving and Christmas are but two days of the year). Similarly, millions of square feet in great rooms, breakfast nooks, laundry rooms and hallways and even “spare” bedrooms go underused – space wasted most or all of the year.

Sometimes this is simply a sign that you have a really great kitchen or bedroom that you love – and love to be in.  But it’s often an indicator that there might be a little disconnect between your everyday life and the way you’ve chosen to configure your home.  In either case, given the cost of those precious square feet, it is a worthwhile endeavor to do what you can to make as many of them as lovable and livable as possible!

There is a cure for the scourge of wasted space:  rethinking your rooms. The fact that a room is called a dining room or a breakfast area does not mean that’s the only function you can do there. In fact, buyers and owners alike might want to spend some time this Spring rethinking and rearranging your rooms to live to the very edges of your precious square footage. Here are a few ideas for repurposing your underused spaces at home:

1.  Too-small bedroom into closet or extra bathroom.  If you have a bedroom so tiny that it’s barely usable as such, and only when the occasional guest rolls into town, consider getting a sleeper sofa or making friends with a concierge at the hotel down town and converting the little bedroom into an amazing closet. You can do this by simply opened up the wall between the small room and the master, insert floor to ceiling closet doors and call in a closet organizing company to help trick your new closet out with shoe racks, sweater shelves, rods at varying heights and drawers.

Best. Closet. Ever.  And to boot, you will no longer find yourself griping about the unusable little room!

If you have a little more money to invest and could use an extra bathroom, a too-small bedroom makes for a good, efficient bathroom – especially if it’s located next to another bathroom, so the plumbing already exists.

2.  Wide hallway or under-stairs space into study or storage areas.  Even if every proper room in your home is spoken for and being used, you might still be able to find underutilized areas and spaces in your home that you can arrange more efficiently and squeeze maximum use out of those square feet.  Common culprits are very wide hallways and spaces under the stairs, both of which make excellent spaces for custom built-in storage cabinets or desks.  Need some inspiration?  Visit online home design wonderland Houzz, where there’s a whole category for under-stair design ideas and pics from real homes.

3.  Dining room into office or game room.  Probably the number one room conversion homeowners consider is the change of a formal dining room into an office. Think about it – you might use the dining room a couple of days a year – a couple of weeks, max, if you are an avid entertainer or dinner party host.  But these days, many people work at home, at least part of the time, and running a household is a job of its own, generating papers, files and bills galore. Kids also need a study area for homework and school projects.

Now, with wifi and laptops, all these work and study activities can happen anywhere in a home.  But many families find their best case scenario is to have one room with well-arranged desks, lighting, seating, monitors and office supplies, where one or many family members can contain their work and study activities and clutter. This promotes balance and calm in the rest of the home and minimizes distractions to boost focus.

4.  Breakfast nook into computer or bill-paying area.  There’s something very sweet and romantic about the notion of a breakfast nook. But if you’re fortunate enough to have a nook and an eat-in kitchen island or other casual dining area, you might find yourself using the nook more for organizing the family calendars and paying the bills than for eating.  If this is how things go for you, it might make sense to lean on into what you’re already using this space for and optimize it by bringing organization and storage solutions to the area to cut clutter and make even your bill paying a bit more enjoyable.

Consider installing a bulletin or chalk board, a table with a drawer in which you can stash your laptop and ensure you have drawer storage for your files, checkbook, pens or other objects you need to handle the family business.

5.  Too-large great room into living, dining, study and play area.  A surprising number of homeowners with great rooms find that they furnish these massive, vaulted rooms beautifully upon moving in, never to enter more than a corner of the space again.  A great room presents the perfect opportunity to carve out and repurpose the space you have in a way that aligns with the activities your family actually does on a regular basis.  If you have a great room, but no casual dining space, why not make the area nearest to the kitchen into a breakfast nook-inspired dining area – there are scads of bar-height tables and stools on the market for precisely this purpose.  No spare room for an office?  Consider setting up a desk, chair and lamps or whatever other office area equipment your family needs in one segment of the great room.

And there’s absolutely no reason you can’t use furniture and carpets to turn your great room into more of a multipurpose room, strategically laying things out and arranging furnishings to host your family’s living, dining, study and recreation areas all within four walls.

6.  Basement or laundry room into mudroom or pet grooming area.  Many people think “underused space” and what instantly comes to mind is the basement. Basements have been finished with sheet rock, painted, carpeted and turned into living areas as long as human beings have been into home improvement. But here’s the rub: in many parts of the country, older homes were built over raised basements because the builders knew the lower areas were susceptible to flooding in the rain or snow.  In such areas and cases, it might not make sense to finish the basement with carpet and other things that will be ruined if they get wet.

That said, basements often have entry doors to the exterior of the home, and many have plumbing.  This makes them the ideal site for a tiled mudroom, with racks and shelves for family members to stash their muddy, wet shoes, coats, umbrellas and even sports gear – and a sink or other area where they can clean up a bit so as not to track their wintry messes upstairs.  Same goes for oversized laundry rooms that were built in the days before full-sized stacking, front-loaders were even a possibility – if you have oodles of extra laundry room space, rethink it into a mudroom/laundry room combo.

If you live in an area with mild winters, but you have canine family members, the very features which make basements and laundry rooms great mudrooms render them prime sports for installing a pet bath or shower area.

7.  Formal living room into library.  Are you a book junkie? It’s relatively harmless, as vices go, with one exception: it can be excessively space consuming.  By this I mean, it can be excessively clutter-creating, if you don’t get a handle on it.  If you have a formal living or dining room that is simply not being used, consider lining the walls with bookshelves – bought or built in – and converting the space into a library. Comfortable, well-lit seating and a desk or writing area will finish the room off.

If books don’t float your boat or you have switched entirely over to e-reading, this same model can be applied to any space-sucking collection that you spend more time enjoying than you spend in your formal living or dining room.

Dining Room to Home Office:

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Other Posts

• January 22, 2008 -- 3649 Erie Ave., Hyde Park, Cincinnati, OH 45208
• January 23, 2011 -- Bringing Home a New Baby
• November 24, 2008 -- To Decorate, or Not to Decorate?
• November 29, 2012 -- What do I have to leave when selling my house?

The post Rethink Underused Rooms appeared first on Cincinnati Real Estate | Cincinnati Homes | Amy B Sells.

Ready for a living room redo, but don’t want to spend tons of money and time getting it done? No problem! There are plenty of easy ways to breathe new life into the room. Try one of these four strategies:

Curtain Trick. If you only do one thing to improve your living room, do this: raise your curtain rod up a foot (or as close to the ceiling as possible) and make sure your curtains cover as little of the window as possible when they’re open. That’s it! These two changes may not seem like a big deal, but they can increase your window real estate by as much as 66 percent. It’s pretty hard to argue with more natural light and an awesome view!

Fireplace Revamp. Does your living room have an unused fireplace that’s just sitting there? That wasted space is a décor treasure trove! Use it as a unique bookshelf by filling it with tomes, go rustic and stack wood in the fireplace or bring the garden inside by placing a few vases in the space. If you just can’t mentally separate “fireplace” from “fire,” candles are always a good option, too. Note: Flowers and books are an okay combo. Candles and books? Bad idea.

Baseboard Upgrade. Baseboards are like the eyebrows of home décor. You don’t really notice when they look great, but you definitely notice when they’re ignored! Basically, the bigger the baseboard, the more “aristocratic” your living room will look. Give your baseboards a fancy injection by adding an extra line of trim two inches above them. Paint everything the same color, including the space in between the trim and the original baseboard. It will look like one piece! For step-by-step instructions, visit The House of Smiths.

Clutter Control. Coffee table clutter getting you down? Drink carts to the rescue! Old fashioned drink carts are a dime a dozen at many second-hand shops, and they’re a great way to control clutter. Stack knickknacks or books in the drink cart and wheel it into a corner. Don’t pass over a cart if it’s a little rusty or beat-up. When it’s put in your home, the aging signs will only add character. Bonus: You can save a shelf for booze in the event of an impromptu party (or a long day at work)!

*These easy tips have been provided by BrightNest.com

Other Posts

• July 31, 2006 -- 1010 Bellpointe Commons, Bellevue, KY 41073
• September 20, 2010 -- 28 Fairway Dr., Southgate, KY 41071
• February 21, 2011 -- For Some Buyers, It’s Time to Repay the Tax Credit
• March 1, 2009 -- 615 Valley Trails, Harrison, OH 45030

The post Easy Ways to Upgrade Your Living Room appeared first on Cincinnati Real Estate | Cincinnati Homes | Amy B Sells.

Cincinnati Magazine’s Top 5 Mother’s Day Events are all happening throughout the week and upcoming weekend, offering a great opportunity to show mom just how great she really is.

1. The Great Gatsby at Mariemont Theatre
Moms love Robert Redford. Mariemont Theatre features a special, one-night-only screening of the 1974 Great Gatsby. And for those really looking to jump into the story line, neighboring restaurant The Quarter Bistro will be serving a “Southern style Gatsby-themed dinner” before the show. If you can’t make it to the classic screening, come the next night for Mariemont’s opening of Baz Lurhmann’s much-hyped film. Reservations required for dinner; May 8, 7:30 p.m., 6906 Wooster Pike, Cincinnati, (513) 272-2002, mariemonttheatre.com/events.asp

2. Mother’s Day Brunch at Steinhaus
Brunch is the requisite Mother’s Day activity, but shake it up a bit with an over-the-top German smorgasbord at Steinhaus. The Rhineland-style restaurant offers a “Taste of Germany” brunch that includes a prime rib carving station, a fruit and dessert bar, endless pancakes, and other breakfast favorites like German eggs benedict. May 12, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., reservations recommended; adults $21.99, Children (under 10) $8.99; 6415 Dixie Highway, Florence, (859) 371-3000, steinhausrestaurant.com

3. Cincinnati Zoo
On Mother’s Day, the ladies of honor receive free admission to the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden. And conveniently, May is also the month of “Zoo Babies.” Adults $15, Children $10 3400 Vine St., Avondale, (513) 961-1870, cincinnatizoo.org

4. Krohn Conservatory Butterfly Show
Eden Park’s Krohn Conservatory hosts the Butterflies of Morocco exhibit through the month of May, and mothers will receive free admission on Mother’s Day. While you’re there, look for a special Moroccan market, with local vendors and artists selling their wares. 1501 Eden Park Dr., Eden Park, (513) 421-5707, cincinnatiparks.com/krohn

5. BB Riverboats Mother’s Day Cruise
Take mom on a scenic riverboat cruise along the banks of the Ohio and enjoy either an afternoon brunch or twilight dinner. The brunch cruise is from 1-3 p.m. and the dinner cruise from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Food and scenic overviews of the Ohio riverside will offer a Mother’s Day to remember. Reservations are required, 101 Riverboat Row, Newport, (859) 261-8500, bbriverboats.com/mothers_day_cruise.html

Other Posts

• April 19, 2013 -- International Butterfly Show at Krohn Conservatory
• July 1, 2009 -- 2723 Atlantic Ave., Oakley, Cincinnati, OH 45209
• March 23, 2009 -- SELLERS: Questions to Ask your Realtor
• December 22, 2008 -- Sweet Real Estate

The post Top Mother’s Day Activities appeared first on Cincinnati Real Estate | Cincinnati Homes | Amy B Sells.

Everything is done! Finished basement, great large deck with speakers, fence, professional landscaping, Media on all 3 floors. 4 bedrooms and 3 full baths! Amazing location to walk to school etc. Clean and neutral with amazing natural light. Open floor plan. Master suite with attached study, bath and walk in closet. Walk out basement w Media, Full bath and bedroom. Closets! 2 car garage!

The post 1684 Trace Drive Florence, KY 41042 appeared first on Cincinnati Real Estate | Cincinnati Homes | Amy B Sells.

Now that it’s officially baseball season, there are believe it or not more to games than beer and hotdogs. Born and raised in Cincy or a newcomer, there are many new and exciting things happening in The Banks and new businesses you’ll want to be sure and check out alongside being a Reds fan.

Located on the winding banks of the Ohio River, Great American Ball Park is the home of the Cincinnati Reds, baseball’s FIRST professional franchise. Praised for innovative features, breathtaking views and affordable seating options, Great American Ball Park also celebrates the team’s rich history with the Reds Hall of Fame and award-winning Team Shop!

Unless you’re staying at a downtown hotel or right across the river and walking to the game, driving is the only way to get to Great American Ballpark. Fortunately, access from virtually any direction is a relatively simple affair, with several major highways nearby.

And parking is cheap, especially if you’re not afraid of a short walk. Riverfront parking close to the park will run you between $5 and $10. Parking under Fountain Square in the heart of downtown Cincinnati is only a $1 on game day, and the walk to the park just four blocks.

Those feeling more adventurous should consider parking across the Ohio River in northern Kentucky, in either Newport or Covington. From there you can walk across the bridge or take a water taxi. The steamboat water taxi, a ten-minute ride over the Ohio River for $5 on a mock Delta Queen, serves cold beer and snacks on board.

But perhaps even more interesting is a trek across the Purple People Bridge, the country’s longest pedestrian bridge connecting two states. By parking for $2 at Newport on the Levee, fans can walk the 2,670-foot bridge for free and enjoy the Cincinnati and northern Kentucky skylines and sights. Upon your return, Newport on the Levee offers a plethora of bars, dining, and shopping, including the lauded Hofbräuhaus, replete with bier garden and hall.

Nestled along the river between Great American Ball Park, Paul Brown Stadium and the new 45- acre Phyllis W. Smale Riverfront park, The Banks offers something for everyone, from family-friendly restaurants to sports-friendly bars.

The following restaunrants are now open:

• CRAVE
• Holy Grail
• Johnny Rockets
• Mahogany’s at the Banks
• Orange Leaf
• Tin Roof
• Toby Keith’s I Love this Bar & Grill
• Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse
• WG Kitchen and Bar
• Yard House

Check out a baseball game soon!

For a full game schedule, ticket pricing, etc, please see the Reds official website at: cincinnati.reds.mlb.com

Other Posts

• August 2, 2009 -- Shakespeare in the Park
• February 15, 2011 -- Better than Bottled: Fresh Water Alternatives
• April 24, 2012 -- Have Your Voice Heard – Brent Spence Bridge
• May 5, 2010 -- Mt. Lookout, OH Real Estate Market Conditions (April 30, 2010)

The post It’s Baseball Season: A quick guide for being a Reds fan appeared first on Cincinnati Real Estate | Cincinnati Homes | Amy B Sells.

Other Posts

• October 27, 2008 -- Boo! Cincinnati Halloween Schedules
• March 25, 2013 -- 7593 Skyview Circle, Cincinnati, Ohio 45248
• July 10, 2008 -- Inside Scoop: How to Get A Mortgage
• December 31, 2008 -- Amy B’s Top 10; Predicting the Market: 2009

The post Top Fun Runs in Cincy before the Pig! appeared first on Cincinnati Real Estate | Cincinnati Homes | Amy B Sells.

You could feel colder temperatures this weekend, so why not see amazing butterflies and plant life in a tropical feeling environment?

The Cincinnati Park Board presents the annual Butterfly Show at the Krohn Conservatory. Each year the uniquely themed show offers thousands of colorful butterflies where thousands of butterflies are free to fly throughout the show room in a specially-themed garden, beautiful floral displays, speical children’s programming, and additional special features and events. You’d have to travel a good distance from Cincinnati to visit a rainforest or a desert, so go to Krohn Conservatory, and experience Cincinnati Parks’ nationally recognized showcase of more than 3,500 plant species from around the world.

Experience the essence of Morocco, etched by nature into one of the world’s most beautiful countries, through a visit to the Butterflies of Morocco at Cincinnati’s historic Krohn Conservatory. The sound of water flowing, bursts of colorful flowers, and alluring musical rhythms will accompany you as you stroll along the centuries old passages with their marketplaces hung with woven carpets, embroidered fabrics, sparkling jewels and carved woods.

The Butterfly Show will be from:

April 20 – June 30, 2013
Open Daily 10:00am – 5:00pm
$7 adults • $6 seniors • $4 children • 4 & under are FREE!

For more information or directions, please see: cincinnatiparks.com

Other Posts

• November 1, 2012 -- Drink some local coffee in this cold weather!
• February 6, 2007 -- Having a second mortgage is bad, right?
• July 9, 2010 -- Overpricing Can Attract Fewer Buyers
• April 3, 2013 -- 1439 Laurel Park Dr, Cincinnati, OH 45214

The post International Butterfly Show at Krohn Conservatory appeared first on Cincinnati Real Estate | Cincinnati Homes | Amy B Sells.

According to the FBI, over two million burglaries occur each year in the United States, and 70 percent of them are in residential areas. Don’t worry, you don’t have to turn your house into Fort Knox to secure your home because many of these solutions are free and take less than ten minutes!

1. Maintain your doors and locks. Inspect the condition of your exterior doors. Make sure that they fully close, are sturdy enough to provide resistance to kick-ins and that there are no gaps along the frame. Also, check each door’s strike plate, hinges and handle to make sure nothing is loose. If you find any damaged door hardware, repair or replace it immediately.

2. Maintain your windows.Inspect and repair all exterior frames, glass panes and latches. Make sure all windows are securely attached to the window frames and always keep them locked when they’re closed. This includes all sliding patio doors, too. Tip: Take a strong dowel or steel bar and slide it into the back groove of your sliding doors. This way even if the lock is picked, the door can’t be slid open.

3. Install safety lighting. Purchase indoor lighting timers if you know you’re going to be away from your home for a lengthy period of time. These allow you to set lights on a timer to make it look like you’re home. It’s also important to have adequate outdoor lighting. Consider installing outdoor motion detector lights near exterior doors and windows for some added security. If you have a large yard, you may want to install floodlights, too.

4. Be aware of what you showcase in your home. Don’t keep expensive items in plain sight or near windows, it makes your house a target! To see what a burglar might see, open up all of your curtains and take a stroll out to your front lawn. If you can easily see your jewelry, big screen TV or your new laptop, consider rearranging these items or buy thick drapes and blinds so your valuable items don’t tempt robbers.

5. Be mindful of your spare keys. Try to limit the number of keys you lend out. Give the babysitter or dog walker your garage code instead of an actual key. Although we don’t recommend keeping a spare key around the house, if you’re going to do it, be original. Avoid hiding a spare key under fake rocks, doormats or along the door frame – it’s been done. Many times. Choose a spot that a burglar won’t think to check!

6. Don’t leave signs of an empty house. Have a neighbor get your mail while you’re away, or put it on hold at the post office. Piled up newspapers or packages on your front door will be a red flag that you’re not at home, making you a prime target for a break-in.

7. Consider installing an alarm system. If you live in an area with high crime, are away from home often, work odd hours, or just want some extra protection, an alarm system is a great security addition. Homeowners generally pay between $100 and $1,200 for a burglar alarm (the price depends on the size of the home and type of system), plus a monthly monitoring fee of around $40. If that doesn’t fit your budget, just seeing a home security sign prominently displayed out front of your home can deters burglars, even if you don’t actually have a security system installed.

*These very useful tips were provided by BrightNest.com

Other Posts

• August 1, 2007 -- 619 Greenup St., Covington, KY 41011
• March 4, 2013 -- 7211 Ivy Way, Cincinnati, OH 45244
• November 24, 2008 -- To Decorate, or Not to Decorate?
• May 25, 2010 -- Anderson Township Real Estate Market Conditions (May 25, 2010)

The post How to Protect your Home from Burglary and Store Your Valuables appeared first on Cincinnati Real Estate | Cincinnati Homes | Amy B Sells.

Other Posts

• October 28, 2009 -- Small Homes: Economical and Eco-Friendly!
• October 27, 2008 -- Boo! Cincinnati Halloween Schedules
• January 16, 2009 -- Top Nine Trends for 09: Outdoor Living
• December 18, 2008 -- Just for Fun: Bring HGTV to your PC!

The post Best Outdoor Dining Spots appeared first on Cincinnati Real Estate | Cincinnati Homes | Amy B Sells.