The Savvy Synopsis

Look out! Look up! Look down! Where do the lights in your house direct your eyes? Are they highlighting your home’s best features? We discuss the good and bad of home lighting design. 

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Angie Cole - Contact - Call: 919-538-6477

Show Transcription:

Note: This is an automated transcription. Please forgive the robots as they tend to make some (a lot of) mistakes...

Speaker 1: It's time for the savvy real tour podcast I'm Walter Storholt alongside Angie Cole, the owner and broker in charge of acole realty serving you throughout the triangle, teaching you about the ends announced When it comes to buying or selling a home, you can find the team online by going to acolerealty dot com. That's a c o l e realty dot com or by calling 9195783128. That's 9195783128, and now it's time for one of the top rail tours in the Triangle. Angie Cole and the savvy real tour podcast. I Want to get your reactions to a couple of these headlines. Angie 1st 1 I saw an article about lighting mistakes in a someone's who's kind of doing some lighting changes in their home, currently somewhat successfully, just redid to bathroom vanity lights this weekend. So

Speaker 2: how did that turn out there? I didn't die. You're here today to talk with.

Speaker 1: I didn't get shocked, so that's good. Um, you know there aren't major holes in the wall, so that's good. I got a little crafty and creative on solving some problems. But I'll probably will go back in a few months and redo it so. But

Speaker 2: we were true. Do it yourselfer hot and

Speaker 1: it'll get us through a couple of months. Just put it that way. Ah, but this one pointed out some lighting mistakes that people often make in their home. So one appointed that was too many lights in the kitchen that point to the floor and just kind of giving overall light versus using lighting to highlight features in a work space areas. So they suggested things like under cabinet lighting and well positioned recess lights that, you know, hit certain elements and details in the room. It's an interesting way to think about lighting, you know, I guess I just have always thought you just throw the line on you just wanted to be bright rather than using it strategically.

Speaker 2: Yeah, no, I I agree with that, For example, like under cabinet lighting, you know, it really will reflect off of the countertop. And then if you have a backsplash, it really just makes up backsplash, you know, pop and show up a lot better. It is night and day when you have under cabinet lighting versus not and just kind of that. It's like that ambiance. I feel like that's your word I just stole. But you know, it gives you just that warmth feeling. Yeah, I think I agree with that. You know, kind of more of focal points versus having a kitchen that's glowing.

Speaker 1: My folks did the under cabinet. I think it's like under cabinet. I don't know if the verb ege is correct, like track lighting. It's not just one light under each one, but like a little row or strip of lights. Man, that's really good at night when they turn those on it, it

Speaker 2: really does. I I just love. We have it on underneath our cabinets and, you know, even though we have enough in my my husband goes crazy because I'm one of those people turn on all of the lights and I turned on all of the lights. But then I'm like, Oh, we got a pop on the under cabinet lighting as well because it just gives it a different feel. It just seems kind of luxurious to me.

Speaker 1: Yeah, I've always been one who just like leaves on the microwave light. You know, the, uh like, That's the only light in the kitchen. Unless you're in there doing something. I kind of like walking through a dark kitchen that just has the one. The one light from the microwave. Sort of lighting things

Speaker 2: I used to love. We don't on.

Speaker 1: You have to clean your

Speaker 2: way. Okay? Right. You're right. You're exactly right. So we have Ah, we have a range hood instead of the microwave above. And same idea. I love keeping that on because it just kind of brightens up the cooktop and just the nice backsplash behind it. Yeah. Just gives it a cool look. I great

Speaker 1: if you don't clean the cooktop, though. Don't don't highlight that. That's not good,

Speaker 2: right? But I always think, you know, instead of just a huge, like fluorescent light on the ceiling, that's kind of old school. Little bit, you know, do some nice like pendant lighting, you know? So it's more focusing on certain areas of the kitchen, and it's just changes up the field. I agree. I'm not a

Speaker 1: fan of pendant lighting.

Speaker 2: Now,

Speaker 1: I'll be honest. I don't I just don't like it. I don't like how it dangles down. I don't It's almost to spotlight e. No, I've just never been a fan of pendant lights were I like under captain, like, recess lighting, but

Speaker 2: yeah,

Speaker 1: the pendant lights. I don't know. I just I'd rather have my vision bee be cleared, you know?

Speaker 2: You know, I understand that. So we have We have pendant lighting, but ours don't drop down super low. So I know what you're saying. Like we we have the pendant lighting, but it's still it's, like, high enough up that it doesn't seem like a sin. Your line of vision, Like a

Speaker 1: big difference. Yeah.

Speaker 2: Yeah, I I see where you're going. You were going with I'm not

Speaker 1: criticizing people who like pendant lighting under same for me. My experience

Speaker 2: again, We're gonna We're going to receive nasty phone call.

Speaker 1: My experience with it has just been a not a not a fan. But, you know, I'm a fan of things that other people aren't. So it's such as the world similar toe highlighting the floor. People often will illuminate drywall with their lighting. Instead of focusing on cool again, it comes down to details, right. Instead, position lighting the highlight Molding, arches, shelving that kind of thing.

Speaker 2: Yeah. So I agree here. You know, just eliminating the drywall is kind of ah, placing a focal point on just a blank canvas, a blank space instead, you know, focus on kind of the changes wth e. You know, extra touches in the room, like you mentioned the molding, the arches of shelves. You know, there's some bookshelves. I think that's a great thing. Toe put some extra little lighting and those just to give those a pop. Because in most homes, those are considered to be upgrades right where every home has drywall. So, yeah, I agree with that.

Speaker 1: Yeah, I think that's, um unless you're just really proud of the drywall work that you've done, you know, as someone who's patched a lot of drywall recently, I might want to highlight my patches and be like, Look, you can't even tell,

Speaker 2: right? Right? You know, you don't Yeah. I'd prefer not to focus on the way. Venous of the drywall. Let's buckets on the bells and the whistles

Speaker 1: Dig in my pants.

Speaker 2: I know.

Speaker 1: Terrible. All right. Ah, third thing in here to be back to the bathrooms harsh bathroom vanity lights. Instead, try using things like wall sconces. It suggests now. You heard wall sconces air out in other parts of the house these days, but still good in the bathroom?

Speaker 2: Yeah, most definitely. Just, I guess, instead of all I can think of is Hollywood, you know where you have those like round bowls like a strip way

Speaker 1: too harsh?

Speaker 2: Yeah, right. And so I think that's what it's stating is you know, those banning lights works a big strip of lighting and just all, you know, seven bulbs lined up instead do? Yeah, like some sconces are a nice, you know, light with a glow body. You know, they have a lot of just really pretty bathroom lighting where maybe it's a two or three kind of, ah lighting feature, you know, with the each other separate own globes on, um, it's just it's it's more of Ah, just a softer look. I would say versus yeah, the the Hollywood lights that just lights up the whole bathroom.

Speaker 1: I saw a picture the other day in a home, and it had what exactly were describing. Must have been 15 bulbs across. I was like God that would be blinding in the morning,

Speaker 2: right? Right? Yeah. It's like, Whoa. Yeah,

Speaker 1: too much.

Speaker 2: I don't want to see all that. So early in the morning.

Speaker 1: Exactly. Three. Go. Some of the lighting mistakes that the article pointed out. Helpful. If you're thinking about doing some of those changes in your home, something else I wanted to discuss today, Angie. Mortgage closings happening faster than ever, according to a recent study. So now this

Speaker 2: comes with

Speaker 1: the caveat I could not make out from the survey or the details in the article here exactly what this period is defined as. And I don't know if you'll be able to give us some insight based on the numbers here. I don't know if they're counting it from, Okay, Offer accepted to now closing. And that's the closing period. Or if they're talking about application, too, closing on a home. My guess is it's from offer accepted to actual closing. But then it almost seems like these numbers heir to two large, don't

Speaker 2: they? You know, And I think we need to remember that this is just not for North Carolina, right?

Speaker 1: Right. National data here. Yeah, that's important to remember

Speaker 2: other, um, other areas. The whole process from contract close is lengthier. You know, the Norman. Our area is typically about 30 to 45 days from contract that closing. You know, most lenders and our market can easily close a home in 25 30 days. So I'm assuming, you know, it's from contract to close. Just because when most people make an initial application, it could be several months. Could be even a year, you know, before

Speaker 1: you might get preapproved. Yeah, most

Speaker 2: definitely. What you should you should always get prequalified preapproved in advance, you know? So you truly understand your buying power, and you understand Ah, the price point that you should consider, right? So, yeah, I would say that they are talking about contract it close. And, um, you know, it's interesting. I I don't know the reason behind that, Um, because I actually not just feel I know that, you know, lending has becoming become more stringent in regards to be instructor on, you know, asking a lot of questions, getting a lot more documentation just because of in the past, you know, where we had the crash and a lot of that was due to lending and just anyone out there receiving alone. So I do feel like they put you through the wringer just a little bit more. But maybe, you know, that's been a while since we had that crash, right? So maybe is starting to get faster again. As faras, the overall process goes. Maybe you also have buyers that are understand the process a little bit better. And so maybe a vacation. Yeah, so maybe it's not so much on the lenders as far as why this timeline is now a little bit more tightened, and we're moving a little bit quicker as far from contract closed. But maybe it's just the buyers understanding the process, being educated better and understanding that, hey, whenever he the lender ask you for, you know, a piece of documentation, get it to them ASAP because this whole process could really be held up if you if you don't.

Speaker 1: Yeah, I think the holdup is usually not so much with the mortgage company Until there's a problem. It's usually the person turning in the paperwork. And that was one of the reasons the article pointed to was that Ah, you know, the fact that everything is a lot more digital these days that allows for quicker turnaround times on getting signatures and things

Speaker 2: like that is true. Yeah, Now idiot is

Speaker 1: it did mention lower volumes of mortgages needing to get through the system, and that's probably byproduct of what you're talking about. More stringent loan situations. There's actually less people applying for loans because of the stringent rules. But that lower volume then helps everything happen more quickly and clothes faster that way,

Speaker 2: Well, and I want her to it. Is the mortgage lenders really doing their job a lot more out front, right to make sure that someone is truly prequalified and good to go before they just quickly hand them that pre qual letter and they start going down the process? Only Thio realize that, Hey, they're not truly qualified. So, you know, maybe it's a mixture.

Speaker 1: Yeah, it's a great point. The numbers, by the way. I don't think I ever gave the actual numbers on Lee. 40 days from contractor close in 2019 so far. It was 51 days last year and then 74 days back in 2017 so it's really come down quite a bit from a couple of years ago. Which is interesting to see those numbers refinancing, by the way, that gave data on that relatively similar a little bit shorter. Timeframe. 38 days this year. 43 last year in 55 back in 2017. So this couple of interesting little stats for you?

Speaker 2: Yeah, interesting.

Speaker 1: You've been listening to the savvy real Tour podcast on Walter store, Hold Alongside and Jiko. She's the owner and broker in charge of a co realty here in the triangle. And if you have questions for Angie Wei, invite you to go online to a coal realty dot com. Listen to past podcast episodes on the website. Read the block and all the great information, including the option to find a home right there on the website. That's a coal realty dot com, and you can also call Angie with your questions. 919578 31 28