Solve the riddle: We all need it, and there’s never enough: If you guessed money, we agree, but we’re talking storage space, friends! In a world where more is more, we have a lot of stuff! No need to apply for TLC’s, “Hoarders” yet… Adding the right furniture to your bathroom can create more space and mental clarity.

1) Under the sink storage: Easy to build, and sleek!

2) Mirror ledge

Add a single ledge under the mirror to house that toothbrush and soap. (Since sink storage is limited)

3) Baskets:

Place a basket near the sink to accommodate towels/trinkets.

4) Towel ladder:

Attach an old ladder to the wall and hang your towels on the steps.

5) Shorten your curtain:

A trimmed shower curtain looks tailored, and won’t trap dust and dirt.

Courtesy of MarthaStewart.com

6) Over the bathroom door:

Keep supplies out of view with this trick! Easy to replenish, and admire!

7) Bar doors:

Hang 3 metal bars on your door to take care of those towels. Great for kids (easy to reach) and out of view!

8 ) Magnetic medicine cabinet (Thank-you Martha Stewart):

Save space by using magnets to store hair accessories, floss, band-aids, etc. Easy DIY project!

*MarthaStewart.com

9) Roll-out space:

Create roll-out storage under the sink to make your life easier (and save space)

How great would it be to work in these creative office spaces everyday?!

By Arin Agase

Spring flowers are in full bloom and patio season is finally here. Some of my favorite moments include toasty nights outdoors with great friends, wine, music, and an overdose of laughter. As a Chicagoan, we recognize how important it is to embrace each ticking beat as we live nine months for 12! (It’s so worth it!) Nothing is better than summer in Chicago.

If you’re planning a party, barbequing with friends or looking to unwind after a busy day in the office, mood-lighting is essential. Whether you prefer candle-light, string, or fixtures, your guests will be impressed! And you don’t even have to cash in…

By Megan Welsh

Currently wishing I had the ability to add sliding barn doors to the interior of my house. From the living room to the bathroom to the pantry to the laundry room to the dining room, I’m absolutely craving this mix of rustic and modern somewhere in my future home. Would you ever replace regular doors with sliding barn doors somewhere in your house? If so, which room would you most want them in? Would you leave them rustic brown, a neutral white, or paint them a pop of color?

By Megan Welsh

Chalkboards aren’t just for teachers educating little ones anymore but instead are being utilized for all aspects of life. As seen below, people are using chalkboard paint for entire walls of rooms, for displaying recipes, inspiring words, calendars, and signs, for hosting purposes including seating arrangements, weddings, or writing names on glasses, for labeling plants or spices in gardens, for organization, and for kids to show off their artistic talents. Chalkboard paint has become easily accessible whether you purchase it from Home Depot or whip up a batch of your own in your favorite color (recipe found here). Have you ever used chalkboard paint to make your life a little more exciting or more manageable? If so, how and where? I’m looking for a new, easy DIY project that incorporates chalkboard paint and would love suggestions!

First impressions are important! We’ve selected some of our favorite dramatic entrances from around the world… Enjoy!

Follow Chicago Signature on Pinterest

By Megan Welsh (Owner of thethreadaffect.com)

Sometimes we all hit a decorating rut and need to look for inspiration elsewhere.  I’m currently looking to these beautiful images for some decorating inspiration for our bookcases in our dining/living room.  Which is your favorite?

By Arin Agase

Welcome to Agent Reboot; A six hour boot-camp that focuses solely on marketing techniques and technology in real estate. If there is one conference I recommend, this is it, folks! (And no, Chris, it’s not because of your hair).

As a (proud) second year attendee, I’ve learned how to build a better business, transform my marketing strategy, and discover valuable insights to an ever-evolving industry. As Marketing Director, it’s crucial that I stay ahead of competition, and ensure the best apps for an agents’ productivity.

Professor Roll-Call: (“Bueller, Bueller, Bueller…”)

Chris Smith: ‘Inman’s chief evangelist’ AKA boss (Whichever you prefer)
Katie Lance: ‘InmanNext’s contributing editor & director of social media’ AKA boss
Jimmy Mackin: Founder, MLSApp.com & Frugyl
Darin Persinger: Founder, ProductivityJunkies.com
Jay Thompson: Dir. of Industry Outreach & Social Media, Zillow (congrats on day 9!)
Jim Marks: President & Internet Anthropologist, Virtual Results
Stephen Pacinelli: VP Real Estate Events, Move, INC.
Glen Sanford: eXp Realty LLC

It wouldn’t be possible without them! Thanks for leading great conversation.

Conference Highlights:

Below, I will highlight my favorite takeaways from the day. If I had time to share the entirety of my notes (five pages) I would…

Sponsor Giveaways: Yes, thanks to Zillow, I scored a $100 gas gift-card. And yes, I win bragging rights! Thanks for picking me, Chris!

Social Media statistics:

• 64% of twitter users say they are more likely to buy from the brands they follow (Follow @ChiSignature)
• 51% of Facebook users say they are more likely to buy from the brands they follow (Follow Chicago Signature on FB)

App Frenzy: Read my previous article on top RE apps for agents here

Facebook Marketing:

With 300-400 hours spent annually on this platform, it’s important you’re getting educated, so you can get traffic.

-Lists: Facebook.com/bookmarks/lists: Put your most valuable connections into a list. They are more likely to do business with you, or better yet, refer business to you. Putting a list-system in place will help you stay organized and reach out to the right people.

-Find Friends: Don’t be insulted, we know you have them… Facebook.com/find-friends-browser: Connect with new people, and find mutual friendships that allow for potential referrals.

-Daily 5: Facebook Engagement: Write on 5 walls (Facebook walls, people) from lists you created above, send 5 private messages per day, and engage in 5 private chats per day. This is a great strategy for busy agents!

-Cover Photos: Create a cover-photo that tells a story. See what Chicago Signature Properties is doing…

Video Marketing:

Live Action: In front of the camera, be careful with your hands though! (See hilarious example below)

Screencast: Move around a website with an audio voice-over. Apps: Mac: Camtasia, Screenflow, and Screenr

Video Tour: Get in front of the camera

1. Have an energetic, fun opening and introduce yourself
2. highlight things in the home, (don’t do a walk-through) – highlighting your favorite features will spark curiosity in clients
3. Give a call to action “If you want to have a private tour of this home, call or email me” – and post a link to the youtube page

Testimonies: Testimony videos are genuine. The number one thing a client is looking for when purchasing/renting a home is trust. They do not care about the technology, website, social media, etc. They just want to be able to trust you (remember this!)

Challenge: Get 3 testimony videos: Past clients, a buyer/renter you just closed on, and add that to your closing process.

Google:

Google Alerts: Set up alerts with key words (use quotes) “Chicago Real Estate” or “Chicago Breaking News” so you can break stories first to clients.

Google Plus: Sign up your business for Google Plus (If you’re not familiar with it, it’s best you dive right in and learn as you go) Follow Chicago Signature here

Google Map: Embed maps on your web-pages using GoogleMaps.com (choose from a variety of views)

Google Chrome Extensions: Download this browser so you can use applications (Hootsuite, Pinterest, Twitter, etc) without leaving your current site!

Content Strategy: Have a plan

A content strategy doesn’t have to be an exact-date calendar. Use it for a plethora of ideas.

4 Categories:

Local: Favorite feature of a listing, story of a past client, highlight neighborhoods.
National: Economy news, local vs. national, compare home prices, articles.
Community: School holiday calendar, downtown holiday dates, best places to get a burger, story of a re-location client, etc.
Personal Interest: Favorite winery, Chris’s hair (had to), favorite pizza joint, etc.

Fun Idea: 30 photos: Go through your local neighborhoods, and take 30 photos (coffee shops, cool apartments, gardens, etc) and you now have 30 photos for 30 days to share with Facebook fans!

Sorry I couldn’t share everything, but hopefully you learned something new today! Thanks Agent Reboot for a phenomenal conference. See you next year!

By Megan Welsh

In an effort to combine our love of maps and traveling, we created this travel pin map to display our individual adventures, explorations together as a couple, and places we have lived. We are looking forward to placing some new pins in our map in the upcoming months!

Supplies:

cork board (here)
utility knife
straight edge
3/16 thick wood
large map
tacky glue
spray glue adhesive
rolling-pin
command picture hanging strips
pins or tacks (here)

Directions:

Step 1: Using a utility knife, cut your cork-board to the exact size of your map. Our sheet of cork-board (bought here) was 4 feet long by 2 feet wide whereas our map was exactly 3 feet long by 2 feetwide. To add stability and transportability to our map, we had Home Depot cut a 3/16 temp hardboard handypanel (wood panel) to the size of our map, which we used as our straight edge to cut the cork-board to map size. After cutting the cork-board, we placed heavy items on all four corners and the middle to help the cork-board lie flat overnight.

Step 2: Apply tacky glue to the backside of the wood panel (rough side) and carefully align the cork-board on top. Roll out any bubbles with a rolling-pin and allow to dry overnight.

Step 3: Spray the cork-board with spray glue adhesive, let sit 10-20 seconds until tacky, and carefully adhere the map remembering to roll out any bubbles or bumps. On the back of the wood panel (smooth side) attach Command Picture Hangers in all corners and middle, follow directions on Command packaging. Hang map on wall. We used nine Command Medium Picture Hangers for extra support and hung our map above our computer in the office/second bedroom.

Step 4: Pin all your amazing adventures! We chose to use four different colors of 1/8 inch map tacks (from here): green for my personal travels, blue for Justin’s individual travels, orange for adventures we have experienced together, and yellow for places we have lived. We didn’t pin every specific trip, for example Italy got one pin even though we visited Venice, Cinque Terre, Florence, Sienna, and Rome. We are excited to keep traveling to all ends of the world.

Don’t forget to check out Megan’s blog here

Chicago Signature Twitter:

Megan Welsh Twitter: