JUST LISTED 14 Pier Point New Bern NC 28562

 

Picture yourself living in a spacious 3 bedroom 3 bathroom town house with your boat in your back yard! This spacious home has so much to offer and its in great condition. For only $249,900 you get to live your dream. Walking to public boat ramp, kayak launch and Saltwater restaurant (Excellent seafood and waterfront outdoor seating!)

This home is located in a well established community of River Bend. Community has active tennis clubs, Gold course, and club house with outdoor poo, just some of amenities to mention. .

Click here for 3 D virtual tour

https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=mqz2uHkoZRe&play=1&

Click here for properties web site

https://listings.lighthousevisuals.com/v2/14-pier-pointe-new-bern-nc-28562-3684177/branded

 PRIME Realty NC is leader in New Bern real estate market and we are here to help you 

www.PRIMERealtyNC.com

215 Hancock St New Bern NC 28560 $439,900

Take a look at this beautiful historic home located in the heart of Historic Downtown New Bern.

This home has everything you have been searching for, Gourmet kitchen, private backyard, off street parking, bedroom and full bathroom on the ground floor.and so much more.

 This home has been completely updated and renovated.

  Click here to view the listing 

and give us a call to schedule an appointment 252-637-7463

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Walt Bellamy Jr. Memorial Project in New Bern NC

   

   Walt Bellamy Jr., one of the New Bern's African America native sons, achieved national recognition when he was inducted into the National Basketball Association (NBA) Hall of Fame. Born in New Bern, North Carolina in 1939 he went on to win gold medal, have a successful 14 years long carrier in NBA . Bellamy ended his NBA career with 20,941 points and 14,241 rebounds, and is a two-time Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, being inducted in 1993 for his individual career, and in 2010 as a member of the 1960 United States men's Olympic basketball team. Despite being one of the league's top rebounders, Bellamy never made an All-NBA team.

   Walt Bellamy Jr. Project will be an important marker of African - American history for all citizens and visitors of New Bern to enjoy.  The park will hopefully serve as inspiration to neighborhood youth,the city and county residents. You can visit the park at intersection of Jones and Pollock Streets, featuring Kinetic Metal Earth Sculpture designed by Glen Spencer. If you would like to show your support and make a contribution you can contact James City Historical Society or mail 

                                                 Walt Bellamy Jr. Project 
                                                        P.O. Box 1252 
                                                    New Bern NC 28563
  To learn more about Walt Bellamy Jr. you can visit his Wikipedia page here  Walt Bellamy Jr.            

Sonja Babic 

PRIME Realty NC LLC

252-617-0861

Experience matters, call PRIME Realty for all your Real Estate needs 

New Bern NC Real Estate 

OPEN HOUSE 301 Willowbrook Ct. in River Bend Tomorrow 1/3/2014 11-1

Spacious family home in a great neighborhood

Overview Maps Photos Description Open House

$164,900 Single Family Home Main Features 3 Bedrooms 2 Bathrooms Interior: 2,200 sqft Lot: 0.47 acre(s) Location 301 Willowbrook Ct. New Bern, NC 28562 USA

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PRIME Realty NC LLC PRIME Realty NC LLC (252) 637-7463 homes@sonjababic.com http://www.PRIMERealtyNC.com       Listed by: PRIME Realty NC LLC

Our recent listings The Grande Dame of Riverside! Renovated home on a quiet street Affordable golf course home Lovingly maintained historic home Great home with office! Subscribe to our listing feed

Nearby properties for sale

Free Relocation Pack for New Bern NC

                               PRIME Realty NC LLC offers you a FREE New Bern NC Info Pack!

   If you are considering to relocate to North Carolina and you are not YET sure if New Bern is the right place for you let us mail you our complimentary relocation package to get you started. Simply email us at Info@PRIMERealtyNC.com or click on the picture above to fill out a quick form.

   As always we are here to provide you with unsurpassed services!!! PRIME Realty NC!!

                                           252-637-7463

                             www.PRIMERealtyNC.com  

Hurricane preparedness checklist

PRIME Realty NC wants you and your family to stay safe this Hurricane season.  Key to safety during any tropical storm is preparedness so please take few moments read through this and make sure you have all of the supplies you and your family might need. Lets hope we don't need any of them this year but please be prepared!

  
FROM National Hurricane Center 

Two keys to weather safety are to prepare for the risks and to act on those preparations when alerted by emergency officials. These are essential pieces to the Weather-Ready Nation.

Refer to the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) ready.gov/hurricanes for comprehensive information on hurricane preparedness at home and in your community.

Highlights on how to prepare and take action are available below:

• Gather Information
• Plan & Take Action
• Recover
• Resources

Gather Information

Know if you live in an evacuation area. Assess your risks and know your home's vulnerability to storm surge, flooding and wind. Understand National Weather Service forecast products and especially the meaning of NWS watches and warnings.
Contact your local National Weather Service office and local government/emergency management office. Find out what type of emergencies could occur and how you should respond.

Contacts

Keep a list of contact information for reference.

• Local Emergency Management Office
• County Law Enforcement
• County Public Safety Fire/Rescue
• State, County and City/Town Government
• Local Hospitals
• Local Utilities
• Local American Red Cross
• Local TV Stations
• Local Radio Stations
• Your Property Insurance Agent

Risk Analysis

Online hazard and vulnerability assessment tools are available to gather information about your risks.

• Check your hazards risks with FEMA's Map Portal.
• Rate your flood risk with the FloodSmart.gov portal.

Plan & Take Action

Everyone needs to be prepared for the unexpected. Your friends and family may not be together when disaster strikes. How will you find each other? Will you know if your children or parents are safe? You may have to evacuate or be confined to your home. What will you do if water, gas, electricity or phone services are shut off?

Supplies Kit

Put together a basic disaster supplies kit and consider storage locations for different situations. Help community members do the same.

Emergency Plans

Develop and document plans for your specific risks.

• Protect yourself and family with a Family Emergency Plan - [PDF]   [Google Docs]
• Be sure to plan for locations away from home
• Business owners and site locations should create Workplace Plans
• Make sure schools and daycares have School Emergency Plans
• Pet owners should have plans to care for their animals. The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention offer information on animal health impacts in evacuation shelters.
• Prepare your boat and be aware of marine safety if you are on or near the water.

Health & Environment

Follow guidelines to guard your community's health and protect the environment during and after the storm.

• Review the Centers for Disease Control's (CDC) health considerations before, during, and after a storm.
• Remember to follow the U.S. Food & Drug Administration's (FDA) food and water safety guidelines during disasters.
• Review the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) suggestions for health and environmental safety in disaster preparedness.

Evacuation

• Review the FEMA Evacuation Guidelines to allow for enough time to pack and inform friends and family if you need to leave your home. FOLLOW instructions issued by local officials. Leave immediately if ordered!
• Consider your protection options to decide whether to stay or evacuate your home if you are not ordered to evacuate.

When waiting out a storm be careful, the danger may not be over yet...

Be alert for:

• Tornadoes – they are often spawned by hurricanes.
• The calm "eye" of the storm – it may seem like the storm is over, but after the eye passes, the winds will change direction and quickly return to hurricane force.

Recover

• Wait until an area is declared safe before returning home.
• Remember that recovering from a disaster is usually a gradual process.

JUST LISTED 105 Ellis Ct. Vaceboro ONLY $209,900

Better then new!

Overview Maps Photos Description

$209,900 Single Family Home Main Features 4 Bedrooms 2 Bathrooms Interior: 1,960 sqft Lot: 0.52 acre(s) Location 105 Ellis Ct. Vanceboro, NC 28586 USA To get updates on open home dates and other property events, please click the "Like" button below:

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Sonja Babic PRIME Realty & Development LLC (252) 617-0861 homes@sonjababic.com http://www.SonjaBabic.com Listed by: PRIME Realty & Development LLC

Our recent listings Better then new! FOR RENT Lots of potential Park like setting Great rental history Subscribe to our listing feed

Nearby properties for sale

Real Estate market update for New Bern NC by PRIME Realty

                Real Estate market update for New Bern NC by PRIME Realty

 

  The national housing market continues to recover, indicated by consistent increases in both home sales and prices. Inventories in much of the United States are primarily balanced, which favors neither sellers nor buyers. However, large pockets of the country are experiencing inventory shortages, which puts pressure on prices. Many of the hardest-hit areas during the downturn now have some of the tightest inventories. The return of price appreciation and a stronger market, particularly in those locations, is a welcome signal of returning market health.

 “Some buyers are frustrated with mortgage availability. If most of the financially qualified buyers could obtain financing, sales would be about 10 to 15% stronger, and the related economic activity would create several hundred thousand jobs over the period of a year,” states NAR President Moe Veissi.

 

 Despite difficult mortgage qualifying conditions sidelining some buyers, others are still taking advantage of excellent housing affordability conditions, which is evidence of notable stored-up housing demand that accumulated since 2007. With the housing market coming close to a full recovery and mortgage rates hitting new record lows, the time to buy is now.

 

  As for our local market here in New Bern we currently have 1380 residential properties offered for sale. Our inventory is still on a high side but we are seeing signs of improvement. There are currently 180 residential properties under contract (30 of them are foreclosures) and this is a very important number that has been showing great improvement.

   Today we have 63 foreclosures listed for sale and that number is significantly higher then last this time last year. I am hoping that we will see this number start to decline soon.

   However with this many foreclosures on the market still dictating the prices and current interest rates it is definitely time to buy. As we are observing shifts in metropolitan markets and markets that have been experiencing decline before us I feel confident that next year in New Bern Real Estate market will look different then this one. I feel that we are approaching an end of buyer’s market conditions that we have been experiencing for several years now.

  As always PRIME Realty is right here to provide you any information’s you might need as well as offer you PRIME services in marketing and buyers agency.

 

                         www.PRIMERealtyNC.com   252-637-7463

                        

Notable people from New Bern NC

Notable people

Title page of the 1702 Journal of Franz Ludwig Michel of Bern, Switzerland, a founder of New Bern, North Carolina

• Lewis Addison Armistead, Confederate Armybrigadier general^[13]
• George Edmund Badger, politician
• Graham Arthur Barden, 13-term US Congressman (1935–1961).
• Cullen A. Battle, postbellum Mayor of New Bern
• Samuel J. Battle, first African-American policeman in New York City.
• Walt Bellamy, NBA Hall of Fame basketball player
• Caleb Bradham, inventor of Pepsi-Cola.
• John Heritage Bryan, US Representative
• Davon Drew, football player, tight end for the Baltimore Ravens
• Elwood Edwards, voice of AOL's "You've got mail"
• William Gaston, jurist and U.S. Representative
• Montario Hardesty, NFL running back for the Cleveland Browns
• George Koonce, NFL player for the Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks, Athletic Director of the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee
• Bob Mann, NFL Football player, first African American to play for the Detroit Lions, and later also the Green Bay Packers.
• Aaron Martin, former NFL player
• Linda McMahon, wife of World Wrestling Entertainment founder Vince McMahon
• Eliza Jane McKissack, First Director and a founding member of the Conservator of Music at the University of North Texas
• James E.C. Perry, Justice of the Florida Supreme Court
• Teddy Shapou, Distinguished and awarded Flying Tiger during World War ll
• Brian Simmons, NFL player
• William Henry Singleton, former slave who became a Civil War soldier
• Furnifold Simmons, U.S. Senator
• Richard Dobbs Spaight, signer of the Declaration of Independence
• Edward Stanly Son of John Stanly, US Representative 1837-1843, appointed Military Governor of North Carolina in 1862
• John Stanly, Father of Edward Stanley, Congressman 1801-1803 1809-1811
• Adam Warren, baseball player in the New York Yankees organization
• George Henry White, attorney, banker, last of four African-American US Congressmen from NC in the 19th century; next was not elected until 1992
• Kevin Meade Williamson, American screen writer, I Know What You Did Last Summer, television series Dawson's Creek
• Nicholas Sparks, novelist and screenwriter lives in New Bern, and has used the city as the inspiration for novels such as The Notebook (novel)

If you are thinking about New Bern NC Real Estate Think PRIME Realty!

www.PRIMERealtyNC.com 252-637-7463

Bike MS: Historic New Bern Ride

  

This weekend in New Bern get “Ready, Set, GO.. “

 

Registration Fees:
$45 - June 1, 2012 - July 31, 2012
$55 - August 1, 2012 - Bike MS weekend

 

You can register online at

http://www.nationalmssociety.org/chapters/NCT/fundraising-events/bike-ms/index.aspx

Bike MS is a fundraising event. Each Bike MS cyclist must raise a minimum of $300 by the event to be able to participate in the ride.

 

Bike MS is a 2-day cycling event that raises funds to support people living with multiple sclerosis in North and South Carolina and throughout the United States. Money raised through this event funds MS research, programs, services, and advocacy. In 2011, over 2,600 participants raised $1,677,423 to create a world free of MS. This year, our goal is to raise $1.7 million!

Bike MS cyclists enjoy two full days of riding through rural eastern North Carolina. Each day, cyclists can choose to ride 30, 75, 50 or 100 miles on fully-supported routes. At the conclusion of each day's ride, cyclists are greeted by cheerful volunteers, a delicious, hot meal, ice cold beverages, and live entertainment. It's a great time, you should join us!

 

If you are not able to ride please consider donating and support those exceptional men and women that will be out there making the difference!

 If you are thinking about New Bern NC Real Estate Think PRIME Realty!

www.PRIMERealtyNC.com    252-637-7463

  

Hand-held Home Shopping

   The best part of Real Estate business for me has always been the dynamic. This business is constantly changing and if you want to survive you have to better yourself daily!
   Today’s buyer is Internet savvy and its equipped with some great technology. Smart phones are in our hands from the time we wake up till we go back to sleep and we don’t even realize how much we came to depend on them (Until one day you forget it somewhere…… and simply go nuts)
    Smart phones are becoming very important tool when house shopping and here is how they have been used in 2012

PRIME Realty listing are always marketed on our mobile web site and each one has its on QR code

http://primerealty.realbird.com

Work with agency that understands today's market and today's buyers!

Independence Day weekend celebrations in New Bern area

Have a happy and safe 4th everyone!

Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the
United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. Independence Day is commonly associated with fireworks, parades, barbecues, carnivals, fairs, picnics, concerts, baseball games, family reunions, political speeches and ceremonies, and various other public and private events celebrating the history, government, and traditions of the United States. Independence Day is the national day of the United States.

Tryon Palace

Saturday


1 p.m. — ‘Making of the State,’ at N.C. History Center


Sunday


1 to 4 p.m. — 19th century town celebration, at New Bern
Academy

2:30 p.m. — Reading of the Declaration of Independence,
at New Bern Academy

Monday

9 a.m. — Celebration of the Declaration, at Tryon Palace.
Activities, crafts, colonial games, demonstrations, free gardens

11 a.m. — Fife & Drum Corps performance, 18th-century
reading of the Declaration of Independence, at Tryon Palace


On the Web: tryonpalace.org


Croaker Festival

Oriental, area around Lou Mac Park

Friday

9 a.m. — Vendors booths begin opening

4 p.m. — The Pamlico County Band


5 p.m. — Opening ceremony, Pamlico Chorale


6 p.m. — Baking contest judging, followed by sale


6 p.m. — Miss Minnow, Croaker Queen Pageants


8 p.m. — Street dance, Bob Tyson Band


Saturday

7:30 a.m. — Croaker Relay sign-up

8:30 a.m. — Booths open

10 a.m. — Croaker parade

11:30 a.m. — Croaker Festival Regatta registration

11:45 a.m. — Kids Park opens

Noon — Music, The Boys from Carolina

2 p.m. — Croaker Festival Regatta

3 p.m. — Music, Creek Boys with Shane Harris

6 p.m. — Street dance, The Southern Aires

9:30 p.m. — Fireworks over the harbor


New Bern July 4 Celebration



11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Union Point Park


6 p.m. — Carolinian Shakespeare Festival reading of the
Declaration of Independence

Music by 2D Marine Aircraft Wing Band


Fireworks over the Neuse River


Free admission


River Bend July 4 Celebration



7 a.m. — Street closing

8:45 a.m. — Contributed food delivery at town hall. Call

Barbara Maurer at 252-670-0757. For contributions to the cake walk, call
252-514-2936



10 a.m. — Parade line-up

10:30 a.m. — Parade begins

11 a.m. — National anthem and opening ceremony

11:15 a.m. — Activities being

11:30 a.m. — Food line opens


Havelock Freedom Festival



Monday, Havelock City Park


5 p.m. — Festival opens, games and entertainment


9 p.m. — Fireworks

Bigfish Summer Festival

Monday, 1 to 7 p.m.

Lawson Creek Park, New Bern


Bands: Third Day, Chasing Eden, Trevor Morgan, Building
429 and Awake the Fire



Tickets: $38.88 in advance. $34 for group of 10 or more.
$72 for VIP. $29.50, ages 11 to 17. $9.33 for children under 11.




Tickets available at Straight Up Faith Gear in the New
Bern Mall and Light of the Lamb in Cedar Point. On the Web: bigfishfm.com

New Bern area list of foreclosures updated today!

New Bern area list of foreclosures updated today!


http://www.sonjababic.com/bank_owned_properties_and_forecl.htm


Let me know if you would like to look at any of the homes listed and if there is anything else I could help you with!


Sonja Babic
252-617-0861

213 Murdock Way in West Crossroads New Bern NC

Priced at $119,900 this great home is priced to sell! Right now it’s being offered with $3,000 in closing cost assistance.

Located in West Crossroads right by Hwy 70 connector convenient drive to all major craven county employers.

Annual Historic Salvage Sale in New Bern

What a great way to kick of preservation month!

The New Bern Preservation Foundation Historic Salvage Sale on May 14 2011 will kick off Preservation Month celebration.

This great local organization has saved more then 60 historic properties in New Bern over the years and Historic Salvage has been doing rehabilitation on donated items for years now.

This is great opportunity for all of you that are renovating Historic home or if you just want to own piece of New Bern History.

Mark your calendars!!

NAR consumer profile report

NAR consumer profile report has been for years great indicator of Real Estate market conditions and trends. 2010 report has some great great points for professionals but also for general public. Take a few minutes and check it out.
To highlight some:
Even with several years of price declines, the typical seller who purchased a home eight years ago experienced a median equity gain of $33,000, a 24 percent increase, while sellers who were in their homes for 11 to 15 years saw a median gain of 40 percent
(OMG has it been 7 years?!)
The number of first-time home buyers rose to a record high 50 percent of all home sales from 47 percent in the 2009 study, building on success of the home buyer tax credit which began in 2009. The previous cyclical high for first-time buyers was 44 percent in 1991; records date back to 1981
Eighty-five percent of home buyers who used the Internet to search for a home purchased through a real estate agent, while 70 percent of non-Internet users were more likely to purchase directly from a builder or from an owner they already knew in a private transaction.
Not surprisingly, for-sale-by-owner transactions reached a record low, accounting for 9 percent of sales in the 2010 study, down from 11 percent in 2009. The share of homes sold without professional representation has trended down since reaching a cyclical peak of 18 percent in 1997. "In a market as challenging as today, it's clear most home sellers need professional assistance.
Use this link to view entire repot
http://www.realtor.org/press_room/news_releases/2010/11/survey

Search ENTIRE New Bern MLS

Click HERE to search ENTIRE NEW BERN MLS

60 day's till Christmas.....

We have 60 more days’ left till Christmas! You still have time to take advantage of this incredible buyers market and get your family in to that new home before Christmas. But you don't have any time to waist right now!

• Get your finances in order before you start looking
• Get your loan preapproval (That will give you better idea about your future payments and how much money you can comfortably spend. But more important right now it will get you in to much better negotiating position.)
• Choose your buyers agent (You needed an experienced agent that you feel comfortable with, an agent that will be looking out for you and your best interest. In the state on North Carolina having a buyers agent is the only way for you to have a true representation)
• Make a check list of things that are very important for you and your family as well as list of thing that would be nice but are not as important. (This will be very helpful later on when you are making decision and are overwhelmed with all of the houses you have seen)

Ready set lets go.........

Form the time you start your reapproving proceeds you can plan to close in 6 weeks. Some banks are able to close as fast as 2 weeks but that would depend on your financial situation as well as banks requested procedures. Make sure to clarify that at that initial appointment with your mortgage broker.

Now it's time to call Sonja and let me help you find that perfect home ... 252-617-0861

This week in New Bern.....

Get ready for variety of spooky events in Historic New Bern North Carolina this week!



♦ ♦ ♦

New Bern Historical Society's annual Ghostwalk (traditionaly the biggest event in Historic Downtoown New Bern) presents spirits from the past at 18 locations around downtown Thursday through Saturday night.

20th Annual


Ghostwalk
The Best of 300 Years


Three nights of entertainment with each ticket!

Advance tickets: $15
Days of event: $20
Active Military & Dependents: $10
Students with current ID: $10
Children 3-12 years: $5
Under 3 years old: free

Thursday, October 28, 6-9pm
Cedar Grove Cemetery
Masonic Theatre and Athens Theatre Shows



Friday & Saturday, Oct 29 & 30, 5-9pm
All Ghost Sites, Cemetery, and Theatres Open

♦ ♦ ♦

Updates on the recent Heritage Day are among the topics for tonight's monthly meeting of the Pamlico County Historical Association in Grantsboro.

The 7 p.m. gathering at the Heritage Center and Museum will also include a business session and updates on planned activities and projects. Call 252-745-2239 for more information.

♦ ♦ ♦

The Twin Rivers Quilters Guild hosts a two-day "Quilts for 300 Years" exhibit beginning Friday at the New Bern Riverfront Convention Center.

The show is from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day, with a $5 admission.

The judged show, featuring more than 300 quilts, includes items from the 1700s, 1800s and 1900s.

There will also be continuous demonstrations, handmade boutique items for sale, an estate sale booth, a raffle quilt, commercial vendors and handmade quilts for sale.

The guild designed, made and donated a quilt for New Bern's 300th anniversary, depicting the city's history.

♦ ♦ ♦

Tryon Palace Theater gets into the Halloween weekend spirit Saturday afternoon with a 1 p.m. performance of "WHIT presents Dracula."

It entails a 19th century Gothic classic, via the images of a radio in its heyday - considered somewhat magical at the time.

Attendees become the studio audience for a 1940s radio drama at New Bern's radio station of the era, WHIT.

Admission is $4 for adults, $2 for students and free with regular Palace admission.

♦ ♦ ♦

Two historical highway markers will be dedicated Saturday to honor the African-American legacy in the city of New Bern.

They honor two notable structures - Andrew's Chapel and King Solomon Lodge. The chapel was established in 1802 to serve Methodist congregations. The lodge was first erected in 1870 as the first African-American Masonic lodge in the state.

A processional march to the dedication site kicks off Saturday's 9 a.m. unveiling at Andrew's Chapel. The procession begins at Hancock and Broad streets. A 1 p.m. dedication is scheduled at the lodge.

♦ ♦ ♦

The New Bern Mall hosts a Halloween Celebration Saturday night, with entertainment and a costume contest.

Eddie Eagle will be on hand for the 6 p.m. opening, followed by a costume competition for children up to age 12. New Bern Police will serve as the judges.

Gary Shelton, a comic magician, will perform.

Halloween photos will be available with proceeds going to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

Sonja Babic

Your North Carolina Broker

New Bern NC Real Estate

New Bern Homes For Sale

Search New Bern NC MLS

A Plus Real Estate Professionals

10 Ways to Make a Small Room Look Larger

10 Ways to Make a Small Room Look Larger

RISMEDIA, October 25, 2010--Most people have one: that room in the house that they wish was just a little larger. What many don't realize is that with a little work and some TLC, they could have exactly what they're looking for.

Here, Lowe's offers 10 designer tricks to help you make any room look larger:

1. For the illusion of a larger room, use a color scheme that is light rather than bright or dark. Pastels, neutrals and white are all color possibilities.

2. Use a monochromatic color scheme on the furniture, rugs and walls. Select different shades and textures of your single color.

3. Lighting is a key element in opening up a space. Recessed spot lighting is visually appealing and is perfect for a small space. A torchiere light is great for bouncing light off of the ceiling and back down on the room.Skylights and solar tubes are natural alternatives for adding light to a room.

4. Limit the number of accessories to avoid the cluttered feeling.

5. The floor and the ceiling are the fifth and sixth walls of every room. A light-colored flooring such as light oak or a light-colored carpet will make the room appear brighter and more open. The same applies to the ceiling—use a light color or white to "open up" the space above.

6. Increase the appearance of the size of the room by adding wall mirrors. They not only reflect images, they reflect light and color. Be a little daring! Use mirror tiles to mirror an entire wall. Your room will appear to double in size.

7. Don't place too many pieces of furniture in a small space. A love seat may work better than a full-size sofa depending on the size and shape of the room. Add two medium-sized chairs or two small wood chairs. Place the chairs closer to the wall and then pull them into the area when additional seating is needed.

8. Add paintings or prints to the walls. One large painting works better than a group of small paintings.

9. The visual balance of a room is also important. A large, brightly colored element can overwhelm a room and decrease the appearance of space.

10. A glass table, whether it is a dining, coffee or end table, will keep the appearance of an open and free space.