All Hallows’ Eve
For those that aren’t ready to say goodbye to Halloween, check out these festive pumpkin succulents you can decorate your home with throughout November!
The Best 4 States to Retire and Buy a Home
There’s a lot of fear associated with reaching retirement age. As humans, we are hard-wired to work; we crave a sense of accomplishment. It’s not uncommon hearing someone complain about their job regularly and then eat their words when they retire. Taking on new hobbies like painting can mitigate this boredom along with other activates that stimulate the brain. The primary concern when retiring, however, is ensuring you have a…
5 Steps to Cleaning Your Couch Like a Pro
Couches represent a unique dilemma: They have to be both comfortable to lounge on and be presentable when you have guests. Creating ‘no eating’ rules help preserve their appearance, however, they take away from the comfort factor and typically last as long as the next movie night or major sporting event. The best way to preserve your couch is maintenance. When you purchase your couch, you will likely be offered…
Open House Etiquette 101
For a first time homebuyer, approaching an open house for the first time can be intimidating. You likely have little wiggle room in your budget and approaching a house with hoards of people (whom you visualize outbidding you) can be overwhelming. Don’t be overwhelmed. Rest assured that there is a wide range of different interests circulating the room from daydreamers to people thinking about getting in the market to serious…
Interior Design: Useful Tips on Scandinavian Style
Another word to describe Scandinavian design is purity. Light colors tend to dominate Scandinavian homes with the use of clean lines. This is intended to contrast the extended periods of darkness in the winter months. Given the long winters and extended periods of darkness, Scandinavian homes are generally designed to be very comfortable and liveable. While these ends can be met in a variety of different ways, the styles they…
Three Easy Steps to Choosing Home Owners Insurance
Insurance is not easy to pull the trigger on for most people. The biggest obstacle is the perception that insurance is a waste of money and will never be needed. The money spent on premiums could be put to better use. There is also a perception that even if one needs to use their insurance, once deductibles and frequency of occurrences are taken into account, you’re coming out ahead if…
4 Easy Steps to Organizing your Pantry on a Budget
Is there anything more frustrating than digging through your pantry looking for that elusive bottle of vanilla extract trapped somewhere in a pile of pasta and cookies? Excavating a granola bar only to drop a bag of flour and spend the next ten minutes trying to pat your pants clean? The thought of organizing your pantry is similar to that of cleaning out your fridge: Usually something along the lines…
The Ins and Outs of Escrow
If you have never owned a home, you likely have no idea what ‘escrow’ means, but have certainly heard the term tossed about in real estate circles. In a nutshell, the escrow agent is simply a third party that holds the money in trust between a lender and a borrower. Their role is to ensure that both parties agree to all the terms before the funds are released. How Is…
Home Makeover: Removing Carpet and Restoring Hardwood Floors
Old, shabby carpet and wood floors can make even the neatest of rooms feel unclean and ugly. By restoring them to their former beauty you’ll make your place look new and inviting again. Of course, there are times when that aged wood or carpet needs to be replaced entirely. Restoring Old Wood Floors The difference between a shiny, attractive wood floor and a squeaky, worn one is significant. The good…
Home Appraisals 101: Everything You Need To Know
Homes are expensive things. That’s why whether you’re buying a house or selling one, it’s important to be well-educated on the home appraisal process. If you’re unfamiliar or just need a refresher, we’re here to help. What is a home appraisal? In short, a home appraisal is a very good estimate of how much a property is worth. Home appraisers use factors such as amenities, area, recent sales, and property…