Decorating Your Staircase? Here Are 13 Unique Ideas

Have you decorated or renovated a major staircase in your house flip? Stairs are easy to forget. Living rooms are more exciting. But if your living room, kitchen, and master bedroom are done, you could finish with a memorable staircase.

Your buyers will go to other open houses. That’s a fact of our business. So, part of your job is to stand out from the others. Show an attention to detail that delights the senses and captures the imaginations of buyers. Use these 13 design tips from Tarek and Christina Seminars for ideas.

1. Pick a Complementary Runner 
The simplest and quickest staircase decoration is a runner. You can hold onto it once the house is sold. Just pick a runner that goes with the property and would appeal to potential buyers. Examples could include a bright fabric, an unusual material, or a soft carpet.

2. Find an Interesting Flag 
A flag can brighten a neutral wall space. Get unique ones online, at antique stores, or at flea markets. Try to get a vintage flag from a previous era, a flag for your state, or a flag from a (non-threatening) organization.

3. Get Large, Reusable Art 
Line a staircase wall with large paintings or photographs. Find low-cost but good-looking oversized art you can reuse at different properties.

4. Hang Family-Friendly Children’s Art 
If you’re showing a house that has family-oriented features, you can decorate the staircase with framed drawings and paintings by children. Bring pieces by your own kids, or borrow pieces from friends.

5. Show Unique Collections 
You can hang other things on the wall besides art. You could try quilts, baskets, plates, or items you find that look like a collection.

6. Decorate for the Season 
If a national holiday is looming, it’s only appropriate to hang seasonal decorations in your stairway, such as candy canes in December or cutouts of pumpkins in October.

7. Use Taxidermy Appropriately 
In a rustic house, taxidermy pieces can look appropriate in the stairway. They could be hunting trophies or examples of natural science. But a modern house can also include a large taxidermy piece or several small pieces as a quirky statement.

8. Spruce Up Your Landing
Stairway landing spaces are a great place to show off. Add a bench and pillows, a bookcase full of classics, a better window, a table, plants, art … just make it interesting!

9. Paint and/or Renovate a Wall
You can stand out in buyers’ minds by renovating a staircase wall. Paint it a bold color; add wooden molding; and/or paint a pattern on the wall with a stencil.

10. Paint the Steps
Make buyers feel like they’re celebrities by painting a runner onto the steps. Or you could paint the top of each step a darker color or paint the front of each step with a stenciled pattern.

11. Light ‘Em Up 
Have a leftover pendant light or chandelier? Don’t return it. Hang it over your staircase for a surprising design element and some added staircase safety.

12. Install Shiplap Boards 
You can renovate a boring stairway wall with shiplap boards. Installing real reclaimed boards shows that you care about recycling and reusing, which can appeal to younger buyers, especially. You can paint them navy blue, charcoal, or classic white.

13. Renovate with Floating Stairs 
Want a renovation project? Swap out your old stairway for modern floating stairs, which give a more open view of the house. This is easiest with shorter staircases. Already have floating stairs? Make them look better by removing old carpet and staining the wood.

Learn Home Renovation at Tarek and Christina Seminars 
To learn the renovation skills of professional house flippers, sign up for a free or advanced event with Tarek and Christina Seminars from Real Estate Elevated.

Your Guide to Hard Money Loans

New to the world of house flipping? If so, you might be feeling stressed about how you’ll fund your first big investment. While more experienced house flippers seem to be rolling in big money, you may be left wondering how to get to that point—or if you ever will.

Luckily, those who are new to the house flipping world don’t have to cough up their own money to pay for their first project. Since getting a down payment for your own house is hard enough, a hard money loan can be a welcome option to make the process much easier.

But what is a hard money loan and how can you get one? Learn everything you need to know about this type of loan with the help of this handy guide. We break everything down into layman’s terms so you know exactly what you need to do to be successful.

What is a Hard Money Loan? 

Also known as bridge loans, hard money loans are a great tool when you need a short-term lending option. Real estate investors often choose hard money loans to fund a renovation because they are easy to get, allow them to get money fast, and more convenient than a typical mortgage. These factors allow the investor to make a quick and impressive profit on their house flip.

Hard money loans are given out by private lenders according to the value of the property. Most lenders use the after-repair value, or ARV, to estimate the value of the property when the entire project is complete.

Should I Get a Hard Money Loan? 

Wondering if a hard money loan is right for you? This could be a good option if you’re a new house flipper because you don’t have to have an excellent credit score or other collateral to get one. Hard money loans are also ideal for someone looking to buy a short-sale or foreclosure home.

These loans are flexible and convenient, as they can be used for any type of investment including single-family homes, commercial spaces, multi-family property, land, or industrial buildings.

What are the Benefits of Hard Money Loans? 

Hard money loans offer many perks in comparison to traditional mortgages or other loan options. Check out some of the many benefits below:

Get Money Quickly 
Many people choose hard money loans because of how fast you can get the funding for the renovation. When you apply for a hard money loan, you can have the money in your bank account in just days, rather than waiting 30 days or longer with a traditional loan. Mortgages also require loads of paperwork, while applying for a hard money loan is a relatively quick process.

Eligibility
If you have bad credit, it may be impossible to get a typical mortgage. This makes a hard money loan the ideal way to fund your house flip. These types of loans use the value of the property as collateral, rather than a down payment or impressive credit score.

What are the Drawbacks of Hard Money Loans? 

Though hard money loans have many benefits, there are some drawbacks to consider before you make your decision to apply. Here are some elements to think about when deciding if hard money loans are right for you.

Higher Cost
Hard money loans usually have higher interest rates, origination fees, and closing costs to compensate for the convenience of the loan.

Shorter Repayment Time
Keep in mind that hard money loans are meant to be short-term, meaning they have a shorter repayment period than typical mortgages. You’ll have to pay fees or fines if you don’t stay within the pay-back period.

How Can I Get a Hard Money Loan? 

Ready to get a hard money loan? If so, start out by researching lenders and finding one with good reviews and loan terms. Once you’ve decided on a lender, gather the required documents and apply. After you go through this process, your loan will be processed in just a couple of days and you’ll likely have funds available within the week!

Learn More from Real Estate Elevated 

Looking to learn more about house flipping? Sign up for a Real Estate Elevated workshop near you. We travel the country offering expert advice to real estate investors like you.

Real Estate Investing 101 | Real Estate Elevated

You’re looking for better investments that will multiply your money. The financial markets have some power, but you know they can’t be the whole story. They’re too volatile. Someone you know saw her 401(k) value cut in half—or maybe it was your own.

Adding real estate to your portfolio can give it greater stability, earning power, and protection against dips in the financial market. It can give you more direct control over the money you make. 

Also, in real estate investing, you’re building a valuable set of skills. You’re not just picking mutual funds. You’re learning to bring quality housing to the people who need it. And you’re learning real estate techniques most people will never know.

Below, Real Estate Elevated reviews the basic concepts that make real estate investing so appealing.

You Can Ride the Real Estate Trends 

There are different types of real estate investing. For example, you could buy properties to rent out. But the type we focus on is called house flipping. It’s exciting work. You get to fix up houses and see them get to happy buyers who need them. 

We love house flipping because of the strong upward trend in the real estate market, which has continued for decades, even with the subprime crisis. You can put your money (or the bank’s money) into a property and get it all back with a profit within several months or less! 

To be successful, though, you have to follow the trends in your local real estate market and use them to your advantage. Some investors even flip properties without improving them, focusing just on finding hidden profits in certain deals. But fixing up houses can be even more satisfying. 

Use the Power of Financial Leverage

Another exciting reason Real Estate Elevated advocates real estate investing is that you can borrow money to do it. With good funding sources, you can pay very little down to own a property—as little as 5%. 

Once you acquire a property, you’ll need to plan repairs, work on the property, and find a buyer willing to pay the right amount to make you a profit. Even if this process takes a few months, the right funding sources can carry you through that time. 

However, this business comes with no guarantees. It takes guts, but most of all, it takes knowledge and experience to buy investments safely. 

Build an Ultra-Valuable Skill

People will always need places to live. By building a set of skills in finding houses, improving them, and offering them to people who need them, you improve your value to others for the rest of your life. Contrast that with picking a 401k once!

There are many different parts to this skillset. You can learn how to: 

• Calculate the potential profit from a house before buying it
• Research a target market
• Find funding sources
• Work with real estate agents
• Find potential deals
• Make good offers, which include contingencies for backing out
• Negotiate through counter-offers
• Work with an escrow company or attorney
• Get houses inspected to detect problems
• Form a team of contractors
• Oversee renovations
• Pay the bills during the rehab
• Stage a property to sell
• Negotiate with buyers
• Finish the sale the right way

Most people in the world are never going to learn these and the other skills it takes to be a good house flipper. Once you master house flipping, you’ll be in an elite group.

Are you interested in building these skills? To get some of the greatest real estate investing advice available, sign up for a Real Estate Elevated event today. Learn the secrets of famous and experienced investors Tarek and Christina. 

Real Estate Elevated Reviews: The Power of Setting Goals

Almost nothing important is accomplished without someone setting a goal first. Goal setting is crucial in real estate investing. Responsible business owners don’t start work without a business plan—especially with thousands of dollars on the line. 

And a business plan is just a major goal broken into subgoals and steps on how to reach them. If you’re running a series of house flips, you shouldn’t be less well-prepared. You should set goals that: 

• Give you motivation and purpose
• Will give structure to your days, weeks, and months
• Are really big but can be broken down into small objectives and actions
• Are easy to track and finish

If your New Year’s resolutions hardly ever work out, how can you set better goals? Real Estate Elevated reviews the steps below that have worked for us. 

Set Goals that Excite You

Do you find yourself thinking “should” a lot about your goals or tasks? The word “should” is a clue that you’re not interested in what you’re doing. You need to instead set goals that are truly important to you.  

Business educator Marie Forleo advises using this two-step process for setting better goals: 

1. Brainstorm

First, write down everything you want to experience or accomplish in the next 12 months. Use the following categories to help you think of ideas: 

• Growing your skills
• Improving your finances
• Relationships with business partners and vendors (contractors, etc.)
• Improving your renovations
• Upgrading your team
• Networking
• Building your portfolio of projects

Write down every possible idea without criticizing any of them. Just get them out onto a piece of paper or into a document. 

2. Prioritize

The way to achieve excellence is to focus your time and energy on just one or a small handful of goals. That’s why your next task is to decide which goals will give you the greatest rewards and to prioritize those. 

For each goal, ask yourself these questions: 

• What benefit will it eventually bring to this business?
• How will it improve my relationships with my team, family, vendors, etc.?
• What skills and habits will I have to learn in order to accomplish it?
• If I could only accomplish this one goal, would I be truly excited about it?
• Am I interested in the process of accomplishing this goal, not just getting it over with? 
• Is finishing this goal important to me personally, or do I want to satisfy someone else’s agenda?

If any goal doesn’t seem worth it after these questions, delete it or put it off for later. Try to find the smallest number of goals you can accomplish with full attention, rather than trying to work on as many as possible. 

How to Use Your Real Estate Investing Goals

Goals are only valuable if you act on them. With your highest-priority goals, your final task is to plan your next year. You’ll need to: 

• Split those goals into 12 objectives (one for each month).
• Write each objective in a different month on a yearly planner. 
• Divide each monthly objective into weekly and daily goals (starting with just the next month or two).
• Put your goals and subgoals up somewhere you can’t miss them.
• Refer to your goals constantly.
• Take daily or weekly action to advance your highest-priority objectives.

Also, you can adjust your goals if feedback from your actions suggests it.

Learn more about how to set goals, renovate homes, and build a real estate investing business. Register for a Real Estate Elevated event to learn from the principles of Tarek and Christina.