Mar 6, 2019 | Around The Home
There are so many ways in which you can green up your home and make it more sustainable these days. Many people are considering tankless water heaters. While this can certainly be the right option depending on the space you have and the type of water you use, here are some things to consider before you decide to invest in the switch.
Maximizing Your Space
One of the biggest issues with a traditional water heater is the amount of space it takes up, whether it’s a side closet or a closed-off area in the basement. Fortunately, one of the benefits of tankless water heaters is that they can be wall-mounted almost anywhere in your house so they won’t need their own separate space. The traditional water heater may be bulky and require an area of its own, but your tankless water heater will not have to work around the needs of the rest of the house!
Heating What’s Needed
While a traditional water heater stores water and will be able to supply hot water at a quicker rate, a tankless water heater works more slowly. Because it is heating the water as it’s being used, it’s only using the energy it needs to in order to provide the water required. While this will have a positive impact on your energy costs over time, it can also mean waiting on hot water a little longer than expected. In order to go tankless, you’ll require a minimum water flow amount.
Do You Have Hard Water?
A tankless water heater can be more efficient when it comes to space and energy, but if you have an issue with hard water, the tankless option may not be the way to go. Because a tankless heater essentially warms water within the tank, it is vulnerable to scale build-up, which can cut into its overall efficiency. While a traditional water heater does not experience this issue, a tankless water heater working with hard water may end up being less useful due to this build up.
There are a number of benefits associated with a tankless water heater, but it’s important to determine if this option will be truly energy efficient for you before you decide to invest.
If you’re preparing to put your home on the market, contact your trusted real estate professionals to learn about which home improvements can bring you the best return on your investment.
Mar 5, 2019 | Around The Home
From a sophisticated couch to a stunning art print, there are plenty of ways that you can dress up your living room and instantly change its vibe. You may not realize it, but wallpaper is back in fashion and becoming another popular way to instantly revamp a room.
If you’re contemplating ways that wallpaper can benefit your space, here are some options you may want to try out.
Add An Accent
A brightly colored accent wall may still be a popular trend, but a way to bring your wall into current fashion can be to add wallpaper. In addition to a fun print, wallpaper can instantly add elegance without overpowering the look of your living room.
Cover The Closet Doors
If you’ve come across a wallpaper pattern you like, try applying it to the front of the closet doors. It will be an easy way to dress up your doors without adding a coat of paint and will add a subtle effect that will go with your room’s decor.
Add In Some Personality
With wallpaper making a comeback, there are so many options that allow you to personalize your wallpaper and make the room your own. Posters of your favorite rock band may be a thing of the past, but unique wallpaper can be a great way to inject your own passions into your favorite room.
Make It Your Wall Art
Many homeowners struggle with how to dress up their walls appropriately, but choosing wallpaper can be a great means of avoiding this dilemma. Instead of an art piece, you can choose strips of wallpaper to provide visual interest or paper a whole wall that will act as the focal point of your room.
Upgrade Your Coffee Table
It’s often the case that people buy oversized books to decorate their coffee table, but you may want to utilize wallpaper if you have a glass surface on your table. Instead of leaving your table neutral, add a patch of wallpaper under the glass for an instant designer look.
With wallpaper making a comeback, there are plenty of ways to dress up your room for little cost that will make a huge difference in the look of your space.
If you’re currently in the market for a new home, contact your trusted real estate professional for more information.
Sep 7, 2018 | Around The Home, Home Decorating, Home Maintenance
Home renovations come in many different forms. For some homeowners, it’s about expanding the living space, while for others, it might mean working on a project that adds luxury features to the home. For homeowners that are planning to sell in the near future, the primary concern should be the expected return on investment.
There are several home renovation projects that can add value to the property and make the home more attractive to buyers. Here are a few home renovation projects that can add the most value at resale.
Enhance Your Home’s Curb Appeal
If you want to sell your home for the highest price possible, it needs to make a good first impression. Since the first impression is made when a prospective buyer pulls up out front, you want to make sure to invest both time and money when improving your home’s curb appeal.
Some simple steps include mowing the lawn regularly and keeping the bushes and trees well trimmed. You may need to use your electric chainsaw to cut down large branches if you haven’t been doing regular upkeep.
If you have an old front door, refinishing or replacing it can offer a great return on investment. Power washing your home’s front exterior is another inexpensive way to improve curb appeal and increase the potential resale value of the home.
Upgrade to Energy Efficient Windows
Energy efficient features are some of the most attractive selling points for modern homebuyers. Since windows can account for about 25-30% of a home’s heating and cooling costs, upgrading to newer, more efficient models can be a good way to increase the resale value of the home. It might not be the flashiest home upgrade out there, but smart homebuyers will recognize the potential savings that come with better windows.
Minor Kitchen Remodel
The kitchen is listed as one of the most important rooms among homebuyers. Sellers could go all out and do a complete remodel of the kitchen area, but smaller renovations tend to offer the best value in the kitchen. According to Hanley Wood, a homeowner can recoup upwards of 80% of their investment on a minor kitchen remodel.
When you do a minor kitchen remodel, you are not tearing the room down and starting anew. Instead, homeowners can focus on tasks like repainting fixtures or replacing the fronts of cabinets and drawers with a tool fitted with oscillating saw blades. Changing the kitchen hardware and possibly upgrading the countertops will also provide a strong ROI.
Interior Paint
Painting is one of the most affordable home improvements, and it has the potential to return more than you invest. If you have some rooms where the walls look old and scuffed up, a fresh coat of paint will make them look good as new.
While you could certainly just repaint the interior with your standard whites and off-white shades, there is value to be earned by putting more thought into the project. Research has shown that there are colors that can have a bigger impact on the resale value when they are used in certain rooms.
Bathroom Remodel
Second only to the kitchen, the bathroom is seen as one of the most important rooms for selling a home. With a simple bathroom remodel, you can increase the value of the home and make it more attractive to buyers.
Just like with the minor kitchen remodel, this project doesn’t require you to remake the space. Simple renovation work like regrouting tiles and replacing the caulk around the tub and toilet will offer good value. Additionally, if fixtures, like your toilet, tub, or sink, are old, you may want to consider having them replaced.
Many options exist for homeowners when it comes to renovations that will add value to the home, and most are affordable DIY projects. With the right tools and a little bit of time, you can significantly increase the value of your home without having to break the bank.
Mar 28, 2018 | Around The Home
Whether you are hunting for a project that will pry the kids away from their phones or you just want a head start on the spring, few home projects are as rewarding as a vegetable garden.
Invest a few hours in planting today, some maintenance throughout the year and soon you’ll be enjoying some delicious, home-grown veggies. Ready? Let’s get started!
Selecting The Right Spot For Your Garden
The first decision you will need to make is where your garden will live. If you are new to gardening, you can start with a small patch of land in the corner of your backyard. The area needs to have full exposure to sunlight at least six to eight hours each day. Your plants will also need watering, so ensure that your hose can reach the plot or that you have another water source nearby.
Having good soil is necessary but not critical as you can buy a load of topsoil from a local nursery. You may want to invest in a composter as well so that you can make efficient use of food waste.
Choosing Which Vegetables To Grow
Next, you will need to choose what you want to grow in your garden. As mentioned above, if you are new to gardening you can start small with a few simple vegetables. Tomatoes are an excellent choice as they continue to produce throughout the year and can be used in so many different types of food. Root vegetables like carrots and potatoes are also a great choice. If you like fresh herbs, consider setting aside a part of your garden for basil, thyme and other herbs.
Materials You’ll Need To Get Started
As you might imagine, you do not need very much to start a garden. Some soil, gloves, a few hand tools and seeds or starter plants are enough to get going. Take the family out for a trip to a local nursery and ask about the best plants to start in the spring. From there, a trip to one of the large home supply stores will provide you with the rest.
Make What You Can, Buy What You Can’t
Finally, don’t forget that this is supposed to be a fun project! If you decide you need planter boxes, try to build them instead of buying them. Figure out what you can recycle or upcycle from around your home to use in the garden. Try to avoid buying over building unless you’re stuck.
Follow the steps above and before you know it, you’ll be enjoying the fruits of your labor. If you decide you need a more substantial yard, contact our offices today. Our real estate team will be happy to show you homes with yards that are perfect for planting your garden.
Mar 9, 2018 | Around The Home
Do you find yourself staring out the window, longing for an early sunrise, hot days and late evenings? With spring just around the corner, it might feel like summer is a lifetime away.
However, the good news is that you can be productive around the home while you wait for summer to arrive. Let’s take a quick look at three easy do-it-yourself projects that will keep you busy until the summer sun is shining.
Add A Splash Of Spring-y Color
As long as you are willing to do the prep work, painting is one of the most straightforward home improvement projects you can undertake. It is also the best way to put your own personal touch in each room in your home.
If you haven’t painted before, it is best to start with a single room. Spend an hour or two watching instructional videos on YouTube before you head out and begin buying supplies.
The colors that you choose are up to you, but if you are going for a ‘spring’ look, consider pastel colors including soft greens, powder blues and creamy whites.
New Planters For The Garden
If you have a flower or vegetable garden, building new planters is a fun weekend DIY project. You can make planters out of wood, but a more durable option is to use granite, marble or another hard stone.
Simply buy four slabs of stone and a tube or two of stone adhesive. Line up the slabs together and, using a ruler, ensure they are at 90-degree angles. Caulk or glue the slabs on the inside of where they meet and then tape them together on the outside to hold them until the glue cures.
Bird Seed Rings For Your Feathered Friends
Do you enjoy the sound of birds around your home? If so, bird seed rings are the perfect treat to attract them. Creating these delicious treats is easy. Combine gelatin, corn syrup and flour into a thick paste. Mix this paste with a bag of bird seed, ensuring that it is fully combined. Then mold the rings together using a donut pan. Hang these tasty treats outside for your feathered friends to enjoy.
Investing your time in home improvement projects is an excellent way to wait out the sunny days of summer. If you decide that it’s too much work to renovate and that you would rather explore a new home, give us a call. Our friendly mortgage team is happy to help you get ready for your next purchase.
Mar 2, 2018 | Around The Home
Do you find yourself staring out the window, longing for an early sunrise, hot days and late evenings? With spring just around the corner, it might feel like summer is a lifetime away.
However, the good news is that you can be productive around the home while you wait for summer to arrive. Let’s take a quick look at three easy do-it-yourself projects that will keep you busy until the summer sun is shining.
Add A Splash Of Spring-y Color
As long as you are willing to do the prep work, painting is one of the most straightforward home improvement projects you can undertake. It is also the best way to put your own personal touch in each room in your home.
If you haven’t painted before, it is best to start with a single room. Spend an hour or two watching instructional videos on YouTube before you head out and begin buying supplies.
The colors that you choose are up to you, but if you are going for a ‘spring’ look, consider pastel colors including soft greens, powder blues and creamy whites.
New Planters For The Garden
If you have a flower or vegetable garden, building new planters is a fun weekend DIY project. You can make planters out of wood, but a more durable option is to use granite, marble or another hard stone.
Simply buy four slabs of stone and a tube or two of stone adhesive. Line up the slabs together and, using a ruler, ensure they are at 90-degree angles. Caulk or glue the slabs on the inside of where they meet and then tape them together on the outside to hold them until the glue cures.
Bird Seed Rings For Your Feathered Friends
Do you enjoy the sound of birds around your home? If so, bird seed rings are the perfect treat to attract them. Creating these delicious treats is easy. Combine gelatin, corn syrup and flour into a thick paste. Mix this paste with a bag of bird seed, ensuring that it is fully combined. Then mold the rings together using a donut pan. Hang these tasty treats outside for your feathered friends to enjoy.
Investing your time in home improvement projects is an excellent way to wait out the sunny days of summer. If you decide that it’s too much work to renovate and that you would rather explore a new home, give us a call. Our friendly real estate team is happy to show you some beautiful new homes in the local area.
