EXPLORE all the trends – from styling to sell, the importance of art, the latest design trends, the iconic feature wall and many other ideas including what’s the latest out there…. This section will help you dress your home, throw new ideas at you and inspire you to experiment with “tried and tested” guidelines that I’m sure will arm you with the best advice to sell your property and enjoy life.
The Best Chocolate Around Sydney For Easter |
17.03.20 |
ONE of the best things about Easter is of course all the yummy chocolate you can share with your family and friends…and being that I love chocolate, I thought I would send you on a journey to the best chocolate (courtesy of Anna Cleary – chocolate blog extraordinaire “Triple Choc“) around Sydney just in time for Easter!
There are so many great chocolate shops around, but I have rounded up the Top Shops for the best Easter Eggs!
If you are a real chocolate lover and want even more inspiration and ideas, head over to the Triple Choc Blog where you will find all sorts of yummy treats and recipes!
Happy Easter!!
Mexican BBQ Corn and Black Beans Salad with a Tamarind Vinaigrette |
15.02.20 |
I love the elements that make up this salad. A Mexican base with a curveball of a dressing, in Australia we mostly think Asian food when we think tamarind, but it’s actually used in Mexican food too. I have spent years trying to work out the recipe for the amazing tamarind dressing that used to be on one of Mike McEnearney’s salads at the original Kitchen by Mike…..I don’t know if I totally nailed it but I’m still really happy with this version.
2 (800g/1 lb 12 oz) fresh corn cobs, husks removed
1 tbsp tamarind concentrate
½ – 1 tbsp agave syrup or honey
1 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
2 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
½ (360g/12 ½ oz) iceberg lettuce, shredded
400g (14 oz) tin black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (250g/8 ½ oz) avocado, halved, seed removed and sliced
6 (50g/1 ½ oz) radishes, halved
1 fresh jalapeno, thinly sliced
100g (3 ½ oz) Greek feta, crumbled
Salted blue corn chips, to serve
Preheat a chargrill pan over medium heat, cook the corn, turning occasionally, for 20-25 minutes or until well charred and tender. Remove and when cool enough cut the corn from the cob.
Place the tamarind, agave or honey, vinegar, oil and 1 tbsp of water in a screw top jar and shake well to emulsify.
Arrange the lettuce, beans, corn, avocado and radishes on a serving plate and top with the jalapenos and feta. Pour over the dressing and serve with the corn chips.
Serves 8.
Vegetarian Recipe
You can order the full e-book at the following link : Kirsten Jenkins “One Leaf at a Time”
Image and Styling: Kirsten Jenkins
Tips for selling your home in the winter |
12.06.19 |
Despite Covid-19, buyer enquiry has been constant and we simply can’t get enough stock to manage the demand. My clearance rate for 2020 is 97%!!
If you are thinking of selling this year, there are some great advantages that may have you have highly considering the upcoming winter months.
First of all, during the winter, there is a lot less competition as many people choose to sell their homes in the spring months. This means that there may be fewer properties on the market, driving up demand amongst buyers.
Your property may also stand out if it is shown to be warm and cosy.
The importance of a good first impression cannot be overemphasised. When it comes to selling your house, you’ll make your first impression based on the exterior of the property. The last thing you want is a depressing, unkempt outdoor area. You can freshen up your property by putting out potted winter flowers to breathe life into the garden. Raking leaves, mowing the lawn, and pruning bushes that may contain dead flowers will all help your home look more vibrant.
Home staging in winter will need to be conducted with the ultimate goal of creating an atmosphere of comfort and warmth. A roaring fire can be a great asset in the winter, so you’ll want to use your fireplace during an inspection. Thick blankets can be used on couches and in the bedroom to create a cosy feeling, making buyers want to snuggle up in your home.
Having clean windows can help you enhance sunlight during the winter months. Most winter days tend to be overcast, and with clean windows you’ll ensure that any sunlight that appears is able to stream freely into the home. Another reason to keep your windows clean is to avoid muddy streaks due to winter rain showers. This could dampen what would otherwise be a top feature of the home.
On dark winter days, you may not have as much natural lighting as you would prefer. In addition to cleaning your windows and pulling back curtains, you’ll also want to make the most of artificial light. Turn on all of your lamps and lighting fixtures to banish dark corners from the home and give the place a cosy glow. Another way to brighten up your home is by using mirrors. Place these across from windows, to open up the space and show off your cleaning and staging to its best effect.
There’s nothing like stepping in from the cold into a warm, comfortable home. The warmth will help put buyers at ease, and will help erase any doubts about whether or not the heating system works. However, take care not to turn it up too high. You want a warm and cosy home, not a sauna.
No matter what time of year you plan on selling your house in, you’ll want to prepare for the sale by having a property that’s in proper working order. Fix issues like leaking roof tiles or gutters, to prevent water running down the walls of your property during inspection. Leaky faucets or chipped fixtures should also be replaced.
Wet weather can do a number on your property’s interior as well. Provide an umbrella stand, coat rack, and welcome mat outside the door to prevent drips and mud being tracked in onto the carpet. You could even leave a polite sign asking buyers to remove their shoes when they enter the home, to protect carpets. This shows buyers that you care about protecting your property, which can be a bonus to those who rank cleanliness high on their list of positive attributes. It also helps to draw attention to your flooring, which is helpful if you’ve just installed new carpeting or floorboards.
If you’re worried about buyers not being able to imagine your home in any other surroundings, you could display a photo of your home in warmer months. This will help buyers visualise what the house is like throughout the year. This could redeem your property in the eyes of buyers if the drab weather is not doing it any favours.
Although you can’t control the weather, you can try to check the forecast and pick a time of day for inspections when the sun is at its peak. This will help maximise your interior lighting.
Although selling your house during the winter season can be a bit more complicated, if you follow these basic steps you can transform your house into a cosy oasis in any storm and take advantage of less competition!
Contact me if you would like to discuss further!
Recipe of the Month : Pumpkin and White Chocolate Pie |
31.05.19 |
800g butternut pumpkin, peeled and chopped
1 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped
50g butter, chopped
100g white chocolate, finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 egg, plus 2 extra egg yolks
200g brown sugar
250g sour cream
Pastry
375g (2 ½ cups) plain flour
55g (1/4 cup) caster sugar
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
250g cold unsalted butter, cut into 2cm pieces
60ml (1/4 cup) apple cider vinegar mixed with 125ml (1/2 cup) cold water and 4 ice cubes
To make the pastry, combine the flour, sugar and salt in a bowl. Add the butter pieces and toss to coat. Turn out onto a clean work surface and, using a butter knife, roughly cut the butter into the flour, leaving some large chunks of butter in the mixture.
Create a well in the centre of the flour mixture and add the vinegar water in 3 batches, working it in with your hands to form a rough dough. Shape into a rough disc and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for 3 hours.
Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface to a thickness off 3mm thick. Line the base and sides of a 24cm metal pie dish. Trim the edges or crimp and refrigerate for a further hour.
Meanwhile, Preheat oven to 200°C. Place pumpkin on a baking paper-lined baking tray with vanilla pod and seeds and butter, and toss to combine. Roast for 1 hour or until tender. Place hot pumpkin mixture in a food processor and process until finely chopped. Add chocolate and process until melted and combined. Add ground ginger, egg and egg yolk, brown sugar and sour cream, and process until very smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.
Line the pastry case with baking paper and fill with baking beads or rice. Bake for 30 minutes or until the pastry is light golden. Remove the paper and beads and cook for a further 10-15 minutes or until the pastry base is dry to touch. Set aside to cool slightly.
Reduce oven to 160°C. Pour pumpkin mixture into pie shell and bake for 1 hour or until just set. Cool to room temperature. Chill for 3 hours or until cold.
Image and Styling: Kirsten Jenkins
SELLING homes is not just a career; it is an art form – one that is carefully honed over years of life experience and knowledge. And, I can proudly say, that I still absolutely love what I do – day in, day out.
For over 30 years, I have immersed myself in real estate and have built an untarnished reputation in the eastern suburbs of Sydney, among my peers and with my clients – many of who are my friends. People say I exude positivity, and I accept this as the highest compliment.