How unique would it be to have an indoor swimming pool? Instead of walking to your loft or bar, why not swim to read a magazine on your comfy little chair or grab a cocktail at the bar?  The beautiful crystal clear blue water gives the room a calming and soothing effect.  Candles found throughout the place also give a romantic touch to the picture.  Boy, would I love to take a swim in this place! I just hope everything is waterproof!

{ Cute & Charming Country Kitchen }

Country kitchens are cheery and welcoming, with light and/or bright colors, painted and glazed cabinets with wire or metal inserts, woven baskets, beadboard panels, floral motifs, and decorative shelving and molding.

 French Country, English Country, Tuscan Country, cottage, farmhouse and garden are popular country styles that share a handcrafted, homespun look.

~ Kitchens

The Federal Housing Finance Agency laid out new rules aimed at speeding up the short sale process, a move that could keep many homes from falling into foreclosure.

In a short sale, the bank that holds the mortgage must agree to accept a price for the home that is less than what is owed. Even though short sales are considered a better alternative to foreclosure, banks often take so long to review and approve short sales that the deal falls apart and homes get repossessed.

“Delays in approving short sale requests remain a significant challenge for realtors and consumers and often results in canceled contracts and the property going into foreclosure,” said Moe Veissi, president of the National Association of Realtors.

In California, which accounts for a disproportionate number of the nation’s short sales, 60% of short sale offers failed to result in a closed sale last year, according to a California Association of Realtors member survey

The organization attributed much of the closing problems to extended lender response times. Some agents said that lenders even foreclosed on the homes before a short sale could close.

To help avoid the trend from continuing, the Federal Housing Finance Agency, which oversees Fannie Mae (FNMA, Fortune 500) and Freddie Mac (FRE), laid out rules that will require lenders to review and respond to short sale requests within 30 days and make a final decision within 60 days. The lender is also required to provide weekly status updates to the borrower if the offer is still under review after 30 days.

The new guidelines, which go into effect on June 1, can prove to be beneficial for all of the parties involved.

For lenders, it could mean saving a distressed property from falling into foreclosure, saving them tens of thousands of dollars in lost property value and costs.

~ CNNMoney

{ Backyard Hangout }

This outdoor fireplace is a dream! The abundance of fresh flowers along with the soft serene ivory colors make you just want to relax outdoors all day! It’s hard to believe this is actually outdoors. It’s so cozy!

Every girl dreams about a walk in closet. It’s just about how fancy of a closet should one get?! Check out these beautiful walk in closets!

~Photos

{A Pop of Pink}

Love the soft tone of the living room. A pop of pink made a huge difference. Very girly..

{Purple Dining}

Love the touch of purple and gold. Love that there’s not a lot of stuff going on. Otherwise, it would be overwhelming.

This room is gorgeous.

For Purchase

Asking prices rose 1.4 percent nationally in March compared with the previous quarter, according to Trulia’s Price Monitor.  On a month-over-month comparison, asking prices increased 0.9 percent in March and 0.6 percent in February.

Throughout 2011, asking prices rose slightly in several months of the year, but never more than 0.2 percent in a month. Asking prices in March were 0.7 percent below their level one year earlier.

Rentals

Asking rents rose over the past year in almost all large metro areas included in the Trulia Rent Monitor. In the largest metros, rents rose 6.2 percent in New York and 6.1 percent in Chicago, but only 0.6 percent in Los Angeles. Rents rose strongly in Miami (12.1 percent) and Denver (9.9 percent), which also experienced large asking price increases. Meanwhile, rental affordability declined in places where rents rose while prices fell, most notably in San Francisco (rents up 11.1 percent), Seattle (9.7 percent), San Jose (9.4 percent), and Boston (9.2 percent).

~ Trulia

We have to say cheers to the great news! The real estate market is picking up and it’s a perfect time for the market to turn around! This means if you have been wanting to sell your home, do it soon since you can sell your house for more money! Let me know if you need my help. Contact me at katiebrealty at gmail.com! Thanks!

{Fabulous Fine Dining}

Food never tasted so good once you have a dining room setting like this! This is a fabulous room to have a dinner party. At the end of the night, there’s two chandeliers to hang off of!

{Bold Red Accents}

This living room contains an unconventional color combination. Neutral creams and beiges paired with pops of bright red. Daring to say the least. But when done right, there can be nothing negative to say about this space!

Also, the height of the room is truly highlighted by the full length of the custom silk drapes.