Month: December 2021

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For the Home Home

6 Essential Tasks for the Ultimate Homeowner’s Upgrade List in 2022

With 2022 fast approaching, millions of homeowners are now thinking about how they can improve their properties over the months to come. Whether you plan to start the work right away or once the new year arrives, now is the time to plot your moves. The harsh reality is that most homeowners will have a long list of projects to complete. Therefore, prioritizing your list is essential. Here are six essential tasks for the ultimate homeowner’s upgrade list.

***This post contains affiliate links. It costs you nothing extra, but I may receive a small commission.***

Homeowner’s Upgrade List
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Homeowner’s Upgrade List

Home Efficiency Upgrades

If the home isn’t as energy-efficient as it could be, it requires instant attention. Aside from causing added damage to the environment through carbon emissions, it wastes your money due to excessive bills.

Home upgrades can include roof insulation and water-saving appliances. Renewal by Andersen window replacement services is another popular choice that can aid the look of the home and its energy use. Adding Smart thermostats is another choice, which can be done yourself or by a professional HVAC company.

You will need to follow these upgrades with habitual updates, like turning appliances off at night. When you do, your property will be better than ever. 

Home Security Updates

There is nothing worse than feeling vulnerable inside your own home. Sadly, this will be the case when your security features are not at the desired levels, even if you live in a safe neighborhood where crime rates are low.

Improving your home security features can be achieved with several simple steps. Security cameras are the natural starting point. However, it is also essential that you consider the windows and doors. Meanwhile, a yard landscape with good visibility is also vital.

You can aid the situation further by joining a Neighborhood Watch program. Nonetheless, taking control of your home security should always be the priority.

Homeowner’s Upgrade List
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Personal Touches 

Personalization is a key ingredient in the recipe for success. Whether you’ve recently moved into a new home or haven’t updated your property for a long time, adding character is vital. For starters, add family photos or decorate using memorabilia and souvenirs.

Personal touches can be made by moving away from general trends and closer to what adds value to your life. If you prefer a home basketball court over a swimming pool, go for it. Likewise, adapting the garage into your recreational space can work well.

Unless you are planning to sell soon, your happiness must take priority over ROIs. Enjoying life to the max is the most valuable reward by far.

Reduced Clutter 

A cluttered home is hard to enjoy. After all, living spaces should be for living. While opting for a minimalist design isn’t for everyone, you can certainly borrow some ideas from it. Borrowing ideas from the minimalist design is helpful, especially if you have a small space to work with.

Embracing paperless technology can be a great option. From paperless billing to digital streaming, the reduced need for physical products will save space. You can also look for ways to make your storage spaces work better. Many steps are simple DIY tasks.

When combined with a regular cleaning strategy, you will find that the home looks and feels bigger and better than ever.

Updates For Sleep

dreams
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Getting a better night’s sleep will improve your life. Underestimating the impact of home upgrades designed with sleep habits in mind is a big mistake. Naturally, the bedroom is where you must begin the process.

Finding a Tempur mattress with the right firmness level for your needs is a great starting point. New sheets and pillows will further improve the situation. Upgrading the HVAC is another step that can lead to a better night’s rest and better quality of life.

Outside of the bedroom, improved bathroom experiences can help your body and mind prepare for sleep, too.

External Improvements for the Homeowner’s Upgrade List

When thinking about exterior home improvements, it’s natural that you will focus on energy efficiency and security. However, don’t overlook other factors that influence safety and looks. Flood barriers and other tools to prevent weather damage are key.

Meanwhile, driveway repair services from experts like Newnan are ideal. Aside from adding curb appeal, it’s a great way to stop puddling water. Similarly, it will help protect your car tires and prevent the risk of family members encountering trips and falls.

Some yard improvements have already been mentioned, but a deck can be useful too because spending more time outside is great. 

Essential Tasks For the Homeowner’s Upgrade List

Of course, if you have any issues like leaks, you must fix those, too. When combined with the improvements mentioned above, the home will suit you and your family better for 2022 and beyond.

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For the Home Home

House Flipping: 4 Mistakes That Can Make Your Investment Fall Flat

Real estate is a very safe investment and can provide handsome returns. If you want to start investing in real estate, there are many ways you can begin. One of the many ways you can invest in real estate is house flipping. However, you must do your research first and avoid common house flipping mistakes.

Investing in house flipping is a smart way to gain control over your finances and build up a steady passive income. One of the biggest advantages of house flipping is that it allows you to work with your hands. Working with your hands helps you learn how to renovate, helping you get more comfortable with your creative skills.

It also gives you a chance to make a lot of money if done correctly. Many house flippers make around eighty thousand dollars on their first deal. Plus, they make lots of money from future sales. However, some mistakes can cause issues for your investment, making it fall flat.

House Flipping
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House Flipping Mistakes

Not Doing Your Research 

When house flipping, you must do your research to ensure you do everything efficiently. Not doing research could be a bad idea for two reasons.

First, there are many hidden costs involved. Make sure that you have the finances available to cover the cost of renovations, taxes on profit, etc. Second, there is no guarantee that houses will sell quickly – some might not sell at all!

Not Putting In Enough Money

Putting in enough money is essential for house-flipping projects. If you don’t put enough money in, the project will not be successful, and you will not profit.

Estimate how much time and money it will take to complete the project. If you estimate that it will cost $15,000 and take 18 months to complete the project, you’ll be prepared for the process. You can’t spend too much or too little on your house flipping projects because it will not be successful if the money invested is off.

Not Getting People With the Right Skills 

It is not easy for house flippers to find the right person with the right skills. Not everyone wants to work on flipping houses. House flipping can be very profitable, but it requires a commitment, which some people are unwilling to make.

As a result, we have often seen people who are not qualified for house flipping trying to fix parts of the house instead of reaching out for a professional like an air conditioning repair service, or an electrician, to save money. But if you don’t know what you’re doing, you’ll make things worse.

Unrealistic Expectations 

One of the biggest mistakes you can make is not giving yourself enough time to work on the house. To invest in house flipping, you must be realistic about what the house will sell for when you finish. Look at how much you have to do to fix up the property and how much time you are willing to put into the house. Additionally, consider how much you will sell it for.

If your final price point is lower than what you can get for a similar-looking property in the same area, then it’s probably not worthwhile. Consider the amount of work you have to put into it when deciding which properties are worth the investment. Before beginning, you’ll want to make sure that you have realistic expectations and make sure that you can handle it.

House Flipping Mistakes That Can Make Your Investment Fall Flat

These house flipping mistakes can make all the difference in a successful flip or one that doesn’t make a profit. Have you ever flipped a home? What are some tips that you have? Leave a comment and let us know.

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For the Home Home

5 Ways to Improve Your Home’s Exterior for a Professional Look for Viewings

Getting a property ready for viewings can be a surprisingly tricky thing to do right, but it is also one of the most important things to consider doing. After all, the more work you put into it, the higher the chance to impress potential buyers. Focus on the exterior of your home, which is one of the essential aspects. If you improve your home’s exterior, you will have much more chance of success.

Improve Your Home's Exterior
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How to Improve Your Home’s Exterior

1. Consider An Extension

Although it is not always possible or necessary, you might think about adding an extension to your home. An extension is a way to improve and expand upon its exterior. There are many different kinds of extensions you might want to consider.

For instance, adding a bathroom or kitchen expansion will add considerable value to a property. Alternatively, you might want to add to an existing living area or build a sunroom. Whatever you do, an extension always goes down well, and it improves the look of the home considerably.

2. Give It A Paint Job

Repainting the exterior of your home is something else that can make a surprising difference in how professional it looks. It doesn’t have to be a new color or anything, but it can often have an interesting feel about it. Either way, it will help make the building look a little fresher, which can only ever be a good thing. Consider keeping the colors neutral to ensure that it is more attractive to a higher number of people.

Improve Your Home's Exterior, improve your home
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3. Use Lighting to Improve Your Home’s Exterior

If you have not thought about your exterior lighting, it is essential to consider it. After all, the better the lighting is, the more likely it is to look great during the first impression. If you want to make the first impression as good as possible, the best way is to get in touch with a team like NightScenes Landscape Lighting Professionals, who are able to rig up entire professional lighting sets for your exterior, so that your home looks movie-ready and amazing to the naked eye. The lighting can drastically improve what people think of the building right away.

4. Keep It Clean

One way to immediately remove any sense of professionalism from the exterior of your home is to allow it to become dirty or messy. You’ll want to put the necessary work into keeping the place clean to make it as attractive as possible. Keeping it clean is usually a simple task, but it requires putting in the necessary effort. Your effort will make a huge difference to how many people like the look of your home.

Improve Your Home's Exterior, improve your home
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5. Get The Lawn Manicured

Finally, make sure that the lawn itself looks great. Taking care of the yard is one of the most important things for people looking for a new home. You’ll find that you garner much more interest, which is likely to translate into a sale. 

Improve Your Home’s Exterior

Before you sell your home, you’ll want to improve your home’s exterior. These tips will help make a difference in the look of your home. If you have any other suggestions, leave a comment and let us know.

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For the Home Home

4 Simple Tips To Improve Your Home Security In Winter

When you think about winterizing your home, reviewing your security might not be the first thought you have. It’s true that home security matters all year round. It does, however, arguably matter more in winter because nights are longer, people go out more, and there are new Christmas presents in homes. With that in mind, here are four tips to improve your home security.

***This post contains affiliate links. It costs you nothing extra, but I may receive a small commission.***

Improve Your Home Security
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Improve Your Home Security In Winter

Check Your Doors and Windows

You should be checking your doors and windows all year round, but it’s particularly essential in fall and winter. It’s more important because any damage to your doors and windows will usually impact your insulation as well as your security. For example, if the glass is loose in the frame, it’s easier for cold wind to get in and usually easier for a criminal to break or cut.

In general, you can usually work around minor damage for the course of the fall and winter. Then you can get your doors or windows replaced in the warmer months when it’s less disruptive. (Bremerton Window has some great options for replacement windows). However, severe damage will need to be dealt with no matter the season.

If your door doesn’t have any security features on it, then now is the time to install some. Smart doorbells can enhance your security, but it’s risky to rely on them. They need both power and internet connectivity to work. Both of these can be vulnerable in winter. A plain, old-fashioned door-chain and viewing glass always work no matter what.

Make Sure You Have Plenty of Light

Light serves two purposes. First, it allows visitors to find their way to your door. Second, it makes it easier to see unusual or unexpected visitors. These visitors may be legitimate as winter tends to be the time of year when people get a lot of home deliveries. Then again, they may not be safe visitors.

Because people get so many deliveries in winter, it can be a cover for criminals. These days, many packages are delivered by freelance delivery drivers. The companies behind them may encourage them to wear branded clothing, but it can be legally challenging to make it obligatory. What’s more, branded clothing doesn’t guarantee that somebody works for a company.

Ideally, you want to use motion-sensitive lighting. It’s the most economical (and environmentally-friendly) form of light. Plus, it can act as a form of alarm. Seeing a light suddenly come on will often draw your attention to somebody approaching your home. Criminals are well aware of this.

Protect Your Driveway

The closer a criminal can park to your door, the easier it is for them to move your property into their vehicle. This may sound far-fetched but remember, winter has long hours of darkness, bad weather, and many tradespeople doing legitimate business. All of this provides perfect cover for criminals. Fortunately, it’s now easy to protect your driveway.

If you already have or can install a fence or wall, you can add an electric gate. These essentially work in a similar way to automatic garage doors. In other words, you can open them without getting out of your car. Plus, you can get them in swing and slide versions, so you should be able to get something to suit your space.

If you can’t have a fence or wall, you can use smart parking barriers. These are basically rise-and-fall barriers you can operate from your phone without getting out of your car. They are easy to install and do a great job of protecting your driveway without sacrificing convenience.

Remember Out of Sight is Out of Mind

Technically, this isn’t strictly true. Criminals know that people will have presents in the house around Christmas time. They also know that people tend to go out more around Christmas time. You do not, however, need to make life easy for them.  

Keep your valuables out of sight and out of mind. If you put presents under the tree, keep the tree out of sight of the window or use fake gifts. It’s best to do both. The sight of fake presents might be enough to tempt a criminal to attack your home. Once they’re in, they may take a lot more than your fake gifts.

Similarly, be careful what you post on social media. Even if you think it’s private, it’s impossible to stop information from being shared, often with entirely innocent intentions. Keep information about your gifts and plans for people who need to know and encourage them to keep it private.

Tips To Improve Your Home Security In Winter

Protecting your home in the winter can be easy if you know what to do. These tips to improve your home security can make all the difference. Do you have any other tips to share? Leave a comment and let us know!

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For the Home Home How To

5 Ways to Give Your Home Some Vintage Charm

If you feel that your home lacks something essential and doesn’t quite offer the charm and character you’re looking for, now is the time to do something about it. Updating your space can be daunting if you don’t know where to start. Luckily, there are many ways to add more vintage charm and style to your home.

***This post contains affiliate links. It costs you nothing extra, but I may receive a small commission.***

Vintage Charm
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How to Give Your Home Some Vintage Charm

Choose Vintage Artwork

One of the best and easiest ways to deliver more vintage charm inside your home is by hanging vintage artwork. Landscape paintings and things like that can help. However, it’s up to you what you choose and how you interpret the word vintage within the context of the art. There are not any right or wrong answers here.

Make Use of the Original Features

If you live in an old home that has seen many changes and renovations over the years and decades, you might want to think about stripping things back a bit. Using the home’s original features, you can deliver on that authenticity factor and utilize the home’s underlying vintage charm.

Go Back to Basics

Going back to basics and not worrying too much about small details can be a big help. Focus on the things that truly matter and strip back the layers. By doing so, you create a home interior that feels classy and charming. It’s a strategy you might want to consider if you’re looking to keep things clean and simple.

Choose Furniture with a Vintage Spin

Pick out a couple of new vintage-inspired furniture pieces for your home to add vintage charm. At independent retailers like A Cottage in the City, you can find a wide range of furniture pieces that are heavily influenced by vintage aesthetics. 

Go Antique Hunting

If you don’t want to buy new furniture with a vintage spin, look for original pieces instead. You can find pieces from the design period of your choice. There are so many great antique stores and websites out there that you can browse and search through to find the ideal pieces for your home.

Give Your Home Some Vintage Charm

There’s no shortage of ways to bring some of that warmth and vintage charm into your home. If you’re unsure where to start, make the most of these ideas. Just make sure you put a personal twist on the tips you implement.

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For the Home Home

What To Do When Your Home Offer Is Rejected

Setting out on the adventure of buying a home is exciting but also nerve-racking. Then comes the time to put in the offer, sit back, and wait to hear from the owner. What do you do when the offer is rejected?

Offer Is Rejected, Home Offer Is Rejected

First, don’t be too hard on yourself.

There are plenty of reasons for rejection, and even seemingly perfect offers can end up getting pitched. Here is a quick rundown of why some offers are rejected and steps to take afterward.

For starters, we’re in a hot market — as you probably already know. Generally, in a hot market with rapid sales, a buyer has an increased probability of seeing his or her offer rejected as sellers see an increased number of bids. Receiving a negative response to your offer can stem from many issues. Was the amount of earnest money or the bid too low? Was there a competing offer with a higher down payment or even a cash offer?

All these financial issues and more could have factored into the seller’s decision. It could also be something so simple as the owners decided to remain in the house for personal reasons or you asked for too many contingencies. Having such conditions is good because it shows seriousness. However, having too many contingencies may put more responsibility on the seller than he or she is willing to accept.

The first course of action is to understand why the offer was declined.

Follow up with the real estate agents involved or ask an expert to review the bid.

Next, draft a counteroffer if one was not provided with the rejection.

If the sale was not made contingent with another offer, you can possibly seal the deal with a counter. It’s advised to seek the help of an agent for this part of the process, as well. Be sure to work with an agent who understands seller interests and is going to have your back. Aside from counteroffering, there are a few other steps.

Ensure your finances are in top shape to better compete with other offers. You can also seek new construction.

While the price may be higher than pre-existing homes, the process for buying new construction can be simpler and you might not have to face rejection after rejection. As you continue your journey, remember to keep in touch with an agent, stay informed, and don’t compromise too much. It’s better to miss out on a home than to agree to terms with which you are not comfortable, or pay more than you can reasonably afford.

While the market is currently wild, finding a place to call home is not impossible. It’s important to stay positive and to keep looking. If you can’t seem to find any luck, there are experts available to help get you on the right path. For further information on what to do when an offer is rejected, please see the accompanying resource.


Infographic Provided by Marketplace Homes

Author Bio: Ian Hall is Vice President of Marketing for Marketplace Homes, a national brokerage and property management company. He specializes in real estate functions, such as buying and selling homes, with a particular interest in new construction homes and SFR investments.

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Health Healthy Living How To

5 Easy Tips For Keeping Your Oral Health In Check

Keeping your oral health in check is essential to prevent teeth and gum issues. Likewise, it can help you attain your best smile. If you are looking for ways to keep your oral health in check, here are some top tips.

Oral Health in Check
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Tips for Keeping Your Oral Health In Check

Get the Right Type of Dentistry

You might be happy with the condition of your teeth yet want to maintain your health. Therefore, getting preventative dentistry will help you require less dentistry treatment in the future and keep your oral health in its best shape.

Getting the right type of dentistry will help you take measures to keep your teeth and gums in the best possible condition, keeping your oral health in check.

Be Aware of Teeth Browning Foods

Certain chemicals in foods and drinks can cause teeth discoloration. Some natural foods can even do this. It isn’t always just down to fizzy drinks and sugar.

Many surprising foods can make your teeth look brown, including:

  • Red wine
  • Coffee
  • Beets
  • Curry pastes
  • Soy sauce
  • Balsamic vinegar

You might enjoy these as a part of your everyday diet. That doesn’t mean that you need to cut these foods out. Instead, you can either cut back or ensure to brush your teeth after consuming these items so that teeth staining doesn’t occur.

Brush Your Teeth at the Right Time

Brushing your teeth twice a day is a must to maintain good oral health. Brushing them at the right time will ensure optimized oral hygiene and the condition of your teeth.

It is best to brush your teeth right before bed. You shouldn’t go to bed after eating or drinking anything other than water. Likewise, it is best to brush them as soon as you wake up so that you don’t forget to brush twice a day.

If possible, brush after breakfast so that you can remove chemicals from coffee, as coffee can stain your teeth. 

Attend your Dental Checkups

Your dentist checkups are there for a reason. You should attend them at least twice a year to stay on top of your oral health.

Attending your checkups will help to uncover any underlying oral health issues. Likewise, you can get tips on what foods and bad habits to cut out to prevent any oral issues in the future.

Quit Bad Habits

Speaking of bad habits, quitting them will help keep your oral health in check. They may be the reason that you are suffering from oral issues, bad breath, or staining. 

Bad habits include:

  • Smoking
  • Drinking alcohol
  • Consuming a lot of coffee
  • Having too much sugar

Keeping Your Oral Health in Check

These habits can hinder the health of your teeth. Stopping them will help prevent oral damage and restore the health of your teeth and gums. Along with quitting, make sure to attend your checkups and maintain a regular oral health routine so that you can optimize your journey back to good oral health.