Michele Van Der Veen is host of Good Day segments, including Flip It, Decorate Like a Designer, and Stage to Sell. She started her career in real estate investing more than 30 years ago. A published author, Van Der Veen has been recognized and featured in international magazines for her unique approach to interior design. Acquiring a formal education from the Interior Designers Institute of California, her experience stems from building custom homes to flipping more than 100 homes and working in commercial real estate development alongside her father at a young age. Not afraid to push the limit on her own designs and investments, Van Der Veen will often be heard reassuring her team about her decisions by saying “Don’t worry, we are the comps!” For more on Van Der Veen’s work or to contact her, visit iHeartHomescorp.com. A deck gives a home a new and inviting look, adds more livable space, and connects the interior and exterior in an almost unexplainable, yet natural, way. A deck can take a house with a simple window view and expand it by making it possible to step out on the deck. Whether you add a deck to your own property or build one for an investment property you’re renovating, you’ll learn quickly that life is always better when there’s a deck to stand on! • Also, with so many people working from home these days, some may view a deck as either an escape from their work or as the perfect place to do their work. After all, who doesn’t love the idea of working from home on their deck while lounging in a chair, sipping a glass of lemonade, wearing slippers, and listening to the birds? 6. THE FUN FACTOR OF DECKS Remember loving a tree house when you were a kid? Or one of those play sets with the play house up high? There’s something about being up high overlooking everything that people enjoy. At any open house where there’s a newly built deck, watch how it draws people out to it. You’ll hear potential buyers standing on it sharing their ideas about how they would enjoy it, including how they can use it to entertain. After all, who doesn’t love a deck party? A deck allows the party to remain close to your house without being right inside your home. Because most decks span the length of the house, most of the time the kitchen will be next to the deck, allowing the host to prepare food while still being a part of the party. Decks can be an all-around great investment project for any home. Whether it’s a small deck off one side of a house or a deck that spans the entire length of the house, a deck adds a new feel to any home.
52 | think realty magazine :: september - october 2022
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