Winter Festivities in Boca Raton

The holiday season is in full swing, and Boca Raton is definitely feeling the Christmas spirit. Whether you’re looking for a festive activity for the family, or planning a holiday date night, Boca has winter attractions for everyone. Even with Covid-19 putting some of Boca’s favorite holiday traditions on pause, there are still a ton of fun and local attractions to get people feeling merry!

Sanborn Square

Every year Sanborn Square displays a 25 foot Christmas tree, lit up by nearly 8,000 lights. While there will be no tree lighting ceremonies of any kind this year, the Sanborn Square tree is still a beautiful display worth seeing!

Mizner Park

The 47’ holiday tree at Mizner Park will perform five light shows every day until December 31st. Each performance lasts 25 minutes, with slots every hour from 5:30pm to 9:30pm. The tree is decorated with ornaments and 25,000 lights—and don’t worry, the tree stays lit in between shows!

Meet Santa

Bring the North Pole directly to your living room with virtual visits from Santa! Now through January 7th, Mizner Park is sending out personalized videos from Santa. Add your name to the (nice) list and register here.

Winter Wonderland Photo Booth

Find a festive photo opportunity at Boca Center’s winter-themed photo booth. Snowflakes, a birch tree backdrop, and an artificial fireplace give the photo booth a cozy winter feel. You can even post your photo on social media using the #MerryAtBocaCenter hashtag for a chance to win a $250 gift basket!

Rosemary Square

Wishing for snow this winter? Well, Rosemary Square is the place for you! Watch the Wishing Tree light show under a magical “snowfall” and experience an immediate boost in your holiday cheer.

While this holiday season is much different from years past, our Boca Raton residents have still found safe ways to celebrate and be merry. Boca is a wonderful place to call home, and in times like this we are especially reminded of how special our community is. If you are looking to make your move, Boca Raton is waiting, and Alina Schwartz is here to help! Happy holidays, everyone!

Staging Your Boca Raton Home - Alina Schwartz

When is comes to selling your home, we all want to sell in the shortest time and for the most money. Luckily, there are proven strategies to help sellers achieve this. The goal is to remove any negative features and present the home in the best light possible. Alina Schwartz is an accredited staging professional -ASP, and she can guide home sellers through this process.

Here are some guide lines that she recommends.

FOCUS ON KEY AREAS

Kitchens are the heart the home and baths are a quick second on buyers list. If you are going to chose to improve your home to increase your chances of selling for more, focus on these two areas. If cabinets are outdated, consider replacing them or painting them white or a combination of white and a secondary darker color on the lower half or island. If a kitchen has a bar height counter, it's recommended to remove the bar and taking the counter top to counter height. This will make the kitchen appear larger and open up the space. Update the countertops to quartz or a neutral stone. Think about updating appliances, faucets, sinks, cabinet hardware. 

Bathrooms may need an old framed shower removed and replaced with frameless glass door and updating the tile in the shower and floors. 

NEUTRALIZE FOR BROADER APPEAL

Neutralizing the colors in a home makes a huge impact when preparing a home to sell and appeal to the broadest audience. We recommend painting the walls off white or light gray/beige as these colors go with everything. Dark colors such as reds, greens, blues and purples may make the home feel outdated.

LESS IS MORE

We all have those extra items that we love to collect, too many items on the walls or shelves, on top of the cabinets or in the closet. Decluttering is key when selling a home. Here are some tips:
 
  -Stick to fewer pieces of art per room.
  -Remove items from counters and top of the cabinets.
  -Remove everything from the floor and upper shelves in closets.
  -Follow the two finger rule between clothes. 
  -Put away personal items such as family photos, knick knacks, bathroom toiletries.
  
FIX MAINTENANCE ISSUES 

One negative trigger that may impact buyers is a perception that the home is not well maintained. Taking the time to fix small maintenance issues ahead of listing helps alleviate this perception. Alina Schwartz always recommends a pre-inspection of the home when she lists your home. If a buyer believes that the home is not well cared for, they will assume other bigger issues are possibly present and that will result in a lower offer. 

   CHOOSE A CLEAN, COASTAL DECOR 

Home owners become attached to a specific decor and furnishings and it's difficult to understand that it's not about our personal taste but rather about what a buyer wants. Having a clean, neutral or coastal decor can make the home appeal to more buyers and make it more competitive. 

If a home is vacant, staging it the correct way can help a home sell up to 90 percent faster than when not staged. Most buyers cannot visualize a home when its empty and staging helps a buyer see the full potential of the floor plan. 

Overall, when selling a home , it's best to eliminate the undesirable elements and enhance the positives to help a home appeal to the broadest audience. Your chances of selling in the shortest time and for the most money will be at it's greatest.

We are here to help with staging advise. Please contact Alina Schwartz:
phone : 561-789-1676,  email : Alina@BocaNewListings.com

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We can definitely fill you in on details that are not listed on the report and help you determine the best home for you. If you are wondering if now is the time to sell, please try out our INSTANT home value tool. You’ll get an estimate on the value of your property in today’s market. Either way, we hope to hear from you soon as you get to know our neighborhoods and local real estate market better.