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Showing Gratitude for Your Living Space

Written by Marybeth Heckler on November 17, 2019. Posted in Homeowner.

Thanksgiving is right around the corner and that means millions of people will be sitting around dinner tables to share what they are thankful for this past year. Many will speak of friends, family, and co-workers who have positively impacted their lives in 2019.

But one area you should also be grateful for is your living space—be it a home, apartment, or wherever you hang your metaphorical hat. This Thanksgiving, take the time to show your gratitude for your home by treating it a little nicer. This will not only improve the feelings in your home but also help you feel more at rest and peaceful when you walk into it.

Choose one big project to complete — “Big” project in this case can be a relative term. Just choose one thing that you can do a deep cleaning of to help make your home feel like a better place. This can be something small like cleaning out the refrigerator and freezer or even just a shelf or two in the pantry. Or it can be a complete deep clean of the entire kitchen or bathroom. You can go out and do something that feels truly massive—like cleaning out the garage or attic storage or finally finishing that deck you’ve been wanting for years. Or it can be something as small as sweeping out the entryway, clearing away the cobwebs, and adding a new welcome mat.

Liven up the house — Another thing that you can do is appeal to two huge senses—that of sight and smell. Bring fresh flowers into your home to not only beautify the house visually, but also add some wonderful aromas to your living space. You can also add new air fresheners in each of your main rooms to help give the air a cleaner, fresher smell.

Add an accessory — Another way to liven up your house and show your gratitude towards it is to add one new accessory to your home. This can be a small piece of furniture like an end table—antique stores would be a great place to look for these. Or it can also be as simple as a new throw rug or runner in your entryway, a new lamp for the den, or even just a new tablecloth for the dining room table.

Rearrange and redecorate — Liven things up in your home by choosing one room to rearrange. This could be a small thing, like rearranging the layout of your den or bedroom by moving a few pieces of furniture. Or it can be a total redecoration with new paint and pictures to grace your walls. Whichever you choose, you will see an improvement in your home and your feelings toward it.

This Thanksgiving you should really take just a little bit of time to show your love and gratitude for your living space. By doing so, you can improve your feelings of happiness and joy each and every day.

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Prepping Your Household for the Holidays

Written by Marybeth Heckler on November 10, 2019. Posted in Homeowner.

Just like the certainty of death and taxes, the impending arrival of the holiday season is upon us. While many people dread this time of year because of the stress associated with it, it should be a time of celebration and communing with friends and family.

In order to truly enjoy this season without being stressed out, it’s important to get your household in check before the holiday gatherings begin.

Here’s how you can do everything for the holidays while still maintaining your sanity:

Make a list…check it twice — The first thing you need to do is take an inventory of your home and look for the areas that need to be worked on. You don’t need to clean and overhaul every single aspect of your house. Just focus on those areas that need the work and organization before your guests arrive. This would include high-traffic areas that your guests will be visiting, such as the living room, den, dining room, kitchen, and guest bathrooms (and bedrooms if you plan on having overnight guests). Areas like the garage and master suite can probably be put on the back burner until spring cleaning comes around.

Go room by room — Once you have an idea of what needs to be tackled, then you should go room by room and take care of cutting out the clutter before you move on to the next room. If you have kids, this is the perfect time to clean out all those unused and/or broken toys before Santa brings a fresh load of stuff. An important thing to teach your child is the importance of generosity during this time of year, so be sure to get them to donate their old toys and clothes to those less fortunate.

Clean before you decorate — It doesn’t make sense to put up your giant tree and decorations and then try to clean around it. Instead, get everything cleaned thoroughly before you decorate. This includes getting rid of all the dust, vacuuming, and wiping down walls and baseboards. Sure, these items may not be visible when the decorations are up, but you will have peace of mind knowing that it has been taken care of.

Delegate — The holidays come with a whole extra level of cleaning and daily pickup to keep your house looking great for your guests. Don’t try to do all of this alone. Instead, delegate the jobs to all of the members of your household so that you don’t get burned out doing it all. A chore list just for the holiday season is a great idea for staying organized.

One of the biggest things to remember is that a clean home may be important during your holiday season, but it is not the most important part of the holiday. If you spend so much time stressing about cleaning up, then you won’t be able to actually sit back and enjoy time with your friends and family. That is the truly best part of the holidays and one that you don’t want to skimp on just to keep your house clean.

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The Power of a Good Decluttering Session

Written by Marybeth Heckler on October 27, 2019. Posted in Homeowner.

We’re all enjoying Fall but that doesn’t mean you can’t do a little spring cleaning right now. In fact, we encourage people to do this as the holiday season approaches.

Whether you need the room for new toys for the little ones or are feeling cramped just ahead of visiting relatives for the holidays, it’s always a good idea to run a decluttering session in your home. And the benefits go beyond just feeling less packed in. There are actual health benefits to decluttering your home.

The Benefits – We already know the obvious one here: less clutter means less stuff to have to clean and dust plus less stuff to trip over and step around.

But did you ever consider the psychological benefits of a decluttered home? Mentally, having less clutter keeps you less anxious. By looking all the time at the stuff in your home, you may be thinking that you have to clean it or move it or pick it up. With less things to clutter the home, you have less worries.

Also, when you are decluttering your house, we encourage you to donate all the unneeded items. The act of donation shows gratitude and a sense of wanting to help others, not trying to foist your unwanted junk on someone else. So, donating these items can help you with your overall personal outlook on life.

How to Declutter — The best way to do this is on a room-by-room approach. Go into each room with the mindset of getting rid of things you no longer need or want, are broken, or not being used.

The best way to do this is to set up three different piles for your “stuff.” The first pile will be things that you plan to keep. These should be your essentials as well as those personal items that you could never bring yourself to part with. The second pile should be for things that you wish to donate. If you haven’t used it or looked at something in over a year, chances are you don’t need it. Unless it has serious sentimental value (like a family heirloom), then put it in the donation bin.

Reserve the third pile for trash and make sure that this one is your smallest pile. Even if you think it is trash, someone might be able to find use or value in it with a donation. Only toss things in here if they are broken beyond repair or something that no one could possibly want.

Maintaining a Clutter-Free Zone — Once you have your house de-cluttered, try to maintain it as best as possible. A good rule of thumb (especially for kids and toys) is that for every new item you purchase, one old item needs to be donated. This will keep the clutter down to a minimum and help keep your peace of mind.

An uncluttered home is often the sign of a happy soul as it means that you are not letting your personal possessions take over and rule your life and home. By spending some time decluttering your house, you can ensure some peace and calm in your own life.

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Impress Your House Guests on a Budget

Written by Marybeth Heckler on October 20, 2019. Posted in Homeowner, Motherhood.

Benjamin Franklin famously said that “fish and visitors smell after three days.” While Mr. Franklin may have been alluding to the idea of guests overstaying their welcome, many of us love the idea of playing host and welcoming in houseguests for either dinner parties or overnight visits.

But one of the problems with these types of visits is the need to overdo things and try to do “too much” to impress our guests. Here are some tips you can use to impress your guests if you are working on a budget:

Keep everyone entertained — It’s great to think that all your guests will be able to sit around and mingle with lively conversation. But as a host of a gathering, you still need to provide some entertainment for your guests. This doesn’t have to be really expensive. In fact, one entertainment item is making a huge comeback—board games. Whether it’s old favorites like Monopoly or Trivial Pursuit or newer adult-oriented games like Cards Against Humanity, these activities can get people mingling, talking, and laughing in no time with a very small investment on your part.

Spruce up the bathroom — This is where you can really shine with your guests. Add nice fluffy hand towels in the guest bathroom and throw in a scented candle for ambiance and decoration. Hand soaps and lotions are another good choice, just be sure to include a scented and non-scented option for those with allergies.

Keep them eating — The key to a person’s heart is through the stomach and you want to make sure your guests have plenty to munch on. Ask them ahead of time if they have any allergies so you can avoid these foods. Then set out food spots around the house. If you have guests for overnight, be sure to keep plenty of fresh water, juice, and soda on hand as well as snack items in the pantry and fridge. Good options here would be granola bars and cheese sticks. If you are working on a budget, stock up at your local warehouse store and buy in bulk. You can always chow down on the leftovers after your guests leave.

Get personal — If you’re having overnight house guests, a simple and inexpensive thing to impress them is with a personalized note. Simply get a small card or piece of stationery and write a personal note welcoming them to your home. If you really want to make it feel like an upscale hotel, have this on the guest bed which has been turned down with a piece of chocolate on the pillows.

Entertaining house guests doesn’t mean that you have to break your bank. Whether they are coming over for dinner or staying for a weekend, there are plenty of ways that you can welcome them to your home and impress them while still staying firmly on a budget.

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How to Stage Your Home to Impress Potential Buyers

Written by Marybeth Heckler on October 6, 2019. Posted in Homeowner.

If you think that selling a home is easy, think again. You can’t just throw out a “For Sale” sign and wait for the offers to come pouring in. Instead, it’s necessary to get every aspect of your home ready for the onslaught of prospective buyers who may be coming in to check out your home.

As such, you need to think about “staging” your home as if it was a set piece for a play so that your visitors can see the charm and potential you know exists in your home. Here’s how you can do just that:

Start out front — You’ve probably heard the term “curb appeal” and you cannot deny this is important. As soon as the potential buyers pull up to the house, you want them sold on why they should consider it. In order to do this, make sure that the lawn, plants, and flowers look immaculate. This means mowing regularly (and re-sodding if needed) and putting out new flowers in hanging baskets or flower beds. Also, clean the whole of the exterior, including windows and power wash the house’s walls and walkways. For a last touch, spruce up the front porch with some small lawn chairs for a sitting space and a new welcome mat to invite your visitors in.

Clean your house top to bottom — Now is the time to do that spring cleaning you’ve been putting off. You need to make sure that everything from the ceilings to the baseboards looks neat and clean. That means wiping down the walls, vacuuming every square inch of the carpet and furniture, cleaning the bathroom grout and tile, and making sure that nothing is left looking dingy. Our best suggestion here is to hire a cleaning service if you are pressed for time and want to make it really dazzle.

Clear out your personal stuff — Basically, when it comes to staging a house, you want to remove any clutter and items you keep lying around that have personal meaning to you. Rent a storage space and move out as much as possible. We aren’t saying to move out completely—keep everything you need to live while you sell the home. But personal pictures, knick-knacks, and mementos should go so that the visitors can picture themselves in this “ blank space” instead of you.

Really clean the carpets — Now that you’ve vacuumed the carpets, take a close look and see if they need extra help. If this is the case, you should hire a professional carpet cleaning company to get rid of the accumulated grime and stains that will turn off prospective buyers.

Set up the dining room — If you’re like most people, the dining room isn’t used that often except for holidays and parties. But now, you should set out place settings and make it look like you are ready for the arrival of guests for a dinner party. This will give that perfect look of inviting.

Go seasonal — Make your home fit the season of the year. If you are selling your home in the fall, decorate with pumpkins or seasonal flowers. At Christmas, have the tree up with some small, tasteful decorations that will make them see this as their permanent home. Also, set up the backyard to look inviting with a fire pit in the fall and winter and a grill in the spring and summer.

Getting your house ready for potential buyers goes a lot further than just cleaning up. You need to do some serious overhauling on your home and decorate it to look perfect for its new owners. This way, you can hopefully beat out the competition and get your house to sell quickly.

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Inspiration for a Stunning Autumn Porch Display

Written by Marybeth Heckler on September 15, 2019. Posted in Homeowner.

With autumn right around the corner, many people are thinking about sprucing up their home’s exterior with a beautiful porch display for the season. Although many people wait until October to do something Halloween themed, you can find a way to express your style and creativity with a variety of porch displays throughout the season.

Here are ideas to get your brain spinning and your creative juices flowing so you can be the envy of your neighbors this fall:

Start with a splash of color — When people think of the fall, they often think of pumpkins. The big color that pops into their mind is orange. This is a great starting point for your porch color scheme. Don’t stick with just orange, instead choose decorations or items that hit an array of fall “earth tones”—brown, gold, yellow, deep crimson, and even a rich purple.If you do want to use pumpkins, consider a variety of gourds that come in a multitude of colors. Make sure that the items are on planters of varying height. This makes the eye move a little more rather than feeling like a static straight line.
It’s not just about pumpkins — Two other big hits with porch displays are hay bales and mums. You can easily find these at any nursery and the hay bales, being rectangular, work perfectly as the bases to put other items on top of.
Don’t forget the seats — Be sure to include an area of your porch for rest and relaxation. These can be comfortable chairs, rockers, or even a porch swing. Whatever you choose, make sure that they are paired closely together so that you can entertain and converse easily. You don’t want two chairs on opposite sides of the porch, where you have to yell at each other to talk. Add warm blankets so you can snuggle underneath them on cool autumn nights!
Get crafty — Another idea for creating unique planters is to use crates of varying sizes. These can give you the height differences that you want while being interesting eye-catchers. To add the fall sensibilities, you can either choose to paint these in fall colors, or you can get stencils from your local craft store and paint fall flowers or other designs on them.

This autumn, spruce up your front yard by adding something new and original to your porch display. If you follow the steps listed above, you can create an inviting and elegant feel that will add warmth and style to your home.

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Why You Should Buy a Home This Fall

Written by Marybeth Heckler on September 1, 2019. Posted in Homeowner.

Most people think about buying a new house when the spring is approaching, the weather is nicer, and the temperatures are higher. But the problem with buying a home in the spring or the summer is that it’s when everyone else is buying one too.

If you want to get better deals and more options, then you might want to consider waiting until the temperatures dip and the weather gets a little softer in the fall.

Here are specific advantages to why you should consider buying a home this autumn:

Reduced Competition — The most obvious reason why you should consider the fall for your home buying is because of the reduced competition from other buyers. This means that you have the chance to consider your options more thoroughly. You won’t have to jump at the first house because it might not be on the market tomorrow. Bidding wars are not likely during the fall months.

Sellers are Motivated — This one goes hand-in-hand with the first point. Because there’s less traffic looking at houses, your sellers are motivated and willing to accept less for the home or to offer other things, such as flexible move-in dates and assistance with closing costs.

Many of these homes have been on the market since spring and the sellers may be willing to work with you because they’re frustrated with not selling their home. And with the holidays right around the corner and end-of-the-year tax advantages slipping away, homeowners are highly motivated to be flexible so they can unload their house.

More Time with Your Agent — Another bonus of the reduced traffic is that your real estate agent is not going to be as busy as they might be during the summer. This means they can spend more time helping you search for the best house and the best deal. It’ll be easier to schedule meetings and appointments that meet your schedule rather than working you in around their other clients.

Cheaper Home Goods — Many people don’t think about the deep discounts on home goods at the end of the year. These are products from appliances to bedding and window treatments that you may need when you move into your new home.

See the House in a New Light — In the spring and summer, the neighborhood is likely to look its best and be less busy with people away on vacation. In the fall, you can see the house and the neighborhood in all its glory. If there are problems with leaky roofs or foundation issues, the fall weather will showcase these faults more readily.

Better Rates — There are many other fields that all depend on the housing industry. Banks and lenders, as well as movers and contractors, all depend on making money from the sale of homes. When business is slow, such as in the fall, you can get better rates and deals from these businesses.

Fall time is becoming optimal for buyers who are looking for motivated sellers and more individual attention from your real estate agent. The lack of traffic and the end of the year deals makes all of this the perfect time to buy a home.

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Preparing for the Fall Homebuying Season

Written by Marybeth Heckler on August 25, 2019. Posted in Home Improvement, Homeowner.

Although traditionally the warm weather months of spring and summer have been the best for home sales, many people still like to get out and start house hunting when the weather takes a slight dip during the fall.

The cooler temperatures seem more ideal for visiting and touring homes to (eventually) pack up your belongings and move into a new house. If you have been thinking about buying, but haven’t decided to make that move just yet, remember that you can still take advantage of tax breaks that are given to homeowners so you can claim them on your taxes when you file in 2020.

If you are looking to make a home purchase, here are a few things you should do:

Educate yourself

The first thing you need to do, especially if you’ve never purchased a home before, is to educate yourself. Many of the types of loans, requirements, and terms used by realtors can be quite confusing. You can find many government offices, libraries, and real estate agencies will offer introductory courses to educate homeowners on all of the intricacies of this complicated process.

Get your finances in order

The next thing you will need to do is assess your finances and determine your budget. This means that you need to check your credit score to determine if you have the credit needed to buy a house. (Generally, a score of 740 or higher is necessary to get lower interest loans.)

You should also evaluate your budget by determining just how much you can afford monthly and how much you can place as a down payment on the property. This will help determine “how much house” you can afford and help you narrow down your search later on. Once you determine how much you plan to pay on the house upfront, you need to transfer this money into an account so that you can easily cut a check or transfer the funds.

Get preapproved

Another thing you can do to help make the process even easier is to get preapproved for your home loan. This way, you can make an offer on your dream house as soon as you find it without having to play “wait and see” to show that you will be approved for the loan. If there is a bidding war for the house you are interested in, this preapproval will give you a competitive edge over the other prospective buyers.

Tour the neighborhoods

In order to find your dream home, take the time on weekends to tour neighborhoods you’re interested in. A lot of homeowners who are looking to sell will take advantage of the fall temperatures to host open houses. You can sometimes bounce from open house to open house on a Sunday with several in the same neighborhood. No matter how much you may fall in love with the first house you see, it’s important to shop around and find the one that is perfect for you.

Fall is a great time to get out and start looking at a new home for you and your family. Not only do the cooler temperatures make the house hunt more comfortable, but you can also get your family moved into your perfect home without breaking much of a sweat.

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Throwing a House-Warming Party

Written by Marybeth Heckler on May 23, 2019. Posted in Homeowner.

If you’ve finally purchased the home of your dreams, you’re probably itching to show it off to your friends and family. House-warming parties are a great way to do this.

As with any type of party, it takes a little bit of planning to pull off a successful house-warming event.

Here are a few things to keep in mind when planning such a get-together:

Don’t schedule it when you first move in—It’s going to take a while for you to get your home settled and all of the stuff unpacked. As soon as you’ve got most of your things put away and the boxes thrown out, then you can start doing some planning. For most people that will be at least several weeks.
Don’t worry about printed invites—Keep this one simple and informal with email invitations instead of going out and getting them printed up and mailed out.
Invite your neighbors—While you are working on the invites, don’t forget to invite your neighbors. This is the perfect way to get a chance to meet them and let them get to know you in return.
Register—Another thing you’ll want to do is set up a registry so that your friends can buy those items that you need to put the finishing touches on your home. Then, when the party is over, you can get a good handle on what’s left for you to buy for the new house.
Food and Drink—For a housewarming party, you are going to want to keep the food simple and not do a huge sit-down meal. Instead, take advantage of warmer weather this spring and set up a barbeque in the backyard and grill hot dogs and burgers along with chips and other cookout foods. When it comes to drinks, be sure to have a table laid out with sodas and ice and another one set up with adult beverages.
Don’t use the dishes—This is an informal, fun day, and you want to keep the cleanup at a minimum. Be sure to use paper plates and disposable cups so you can just throw everything in the trash and not have to deal with a sink full of dishes.

Now that you have a home, it makes sense that you want to show it off. Throw a housewarming party and be ready to take your friends and family on a grand tour of the new place. This will give you a chance to get to know your neighbors and celebrate your achievement with your loved ones.

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Top 10 Spring Home Maintenance Tips for Homeowners

Written by Marybeth Heckler on April 25, 2019. Posted in Homeowner.

Spring is here and that means it’s time to break out of the winter doldrums and break out the toolkit for some home maintenance work. Want to know how to keep your house looking spic and span and running smoothly for the rest of the year?

Here are our top 10 tips for getting your home in shape this spring:

Clean gutters—Leaves and debris have a tendency to clog up the gutters so break out the ladder and clear those out. If you don’t, you’ll wind up with damage to your roof.
Check your tiles—Speaking of the roof, now’s also the time to check out the roof and look for any loose tiles. If you really want to have fun with this, break out that drone you bought the kids for Christmas and fly it over and get pictures to see if you’ve got any missing tiles.
Inspect the outside—Now is also the time to do a walk around your property and check to make sure that your fencing is intact and that there isn’t anything else that needs a repair from the winter storms.
Pressure wash the outside—If you really want to spruce up your exterior, then rent a pressure washer and clean off any of the grit and grime that has accumulated over the past few months.
Repair screens—While you’re dealing with the outside, remove and inspect your screens for any holes. If you need to, replace these screens. If they’re still holding up well, then clean them and reset them so you can open the windows this spring and let in some fresh air.
Clean your dryer—It’s important to clean the dryer trap every time you use it. But some of the lint still makes its way into the vent and can clog it up. Use the hose attachment on your vacuum to clean this out.
Clean your fridge—While you have the vacuum out, clean the refrigerator’s coils. Get rid of the extra dust and it will run more efficiently.
Replace your filters—You need to do this about once a quarter, but now’s the perfect time to take care of this.
Replace smoke detector batteries—A good rule of thumb is to replace the batteries in your smoke detectors when the time change occurs. This will make sure you can keep your house safe for another couple of seasons.
Have your HVAC inspected—Now is the perfect time to have your HVAC inspected and maintained. You don’t want the air conditioning going out this summer, so get it checked while it’s still relatively cool.

This spring do a little bit more with your traditional spring cleaning. By taking care of these 10 items, you can ensure that your house will be clean, well maintained, and safe.

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