Home-Ownership Archives - Page 2 of 4

October 5, 2019November 15, 2021

How to Easily Furnish Your New Home

Once you have completed the purchase of your home, it is normal to want to change the furniture according to evolving tastes or to match the dynamic of the new space. Even if you’re renting a place, you want to make it feel like a home, says Bighorn Rentals team. Here are some tips for quickly decorating your new house.

Make a Decorating Budget

A good way to make sure you stay within your price range for furnishing is to create a decorating budget. The easiest way to do this is to divide the furniture you want into rooms and create an individual cost breakdown for each area. Additionally, noting items that need to be prioritized, such as a dining table and a couch, versus optional purchases like artwork or end tables, can help you determine the amount you would like to spend on essentials, as well as the amount you should have leftover for miscellaneous items. This budget is a great base number to work with if you want to move costs around further into the project.
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Decide on a Theme

Although it can be entertaining and inventive to mix and match furniture pieces to your liking, it is always a good idea to find a common theme for your furnishings. For example, if you are a rustic person, you may lean towards log cabin decor and furniture. Having pieces that are coordinated together can help create a sense of peace and harmony in your home. You may also want to consider picking a theme that will stand the test of time so that you will not have to completely overhaul your decorating scheme when home trends inevitably shift in the coming years.

Incorporate Feng Shui

As it is becoming increasingly popular, the Chinese art of spatial organization, or feng shui, has been shown to have real benefits in terms of arranging the furniture in your home. Arrange your new items in a way to keep your house systematically less cluttered, which will help lower stress levels and give you relief and comfort when you arrive home. One of the most important elements of feng shui is to incorporate furniture around the energy flow of the space. It is also a good idea to create areas that serve multiple functions and purposes as well.

Furnishing a new house can be a difficult and sometimes overwhelming task. With these tips, you will be sure to find the decorations you want and incorporate them into the size of your space as well as your budget.
[…] Sophia
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July 14, 2019

Common Obstacles To Avoid When Selling Your Home

Selling your home can be quite a long and complex process. There are all kinds of considerations that need to be taken into account when getting ready to list your property for sale. Often times, sellers make mistakes which potentially impact their finances as well as the overall peace of mind.

From start to finish, the process can be stressful, challenging because homeowners often times overlook the various obstacles.

Below we take a look at some of the most common items that come up when selling your property:

Listing Your Property on the Market with an Unrealistic Price

Setting the “right” price for your home is critical. If you price your home way too high, you will turn off a large buyer pool and your home may stay on the market and never sell. It is extremely important that you have a licensed Realtor guide you to make sure your home price is competitive and not too high.

There are many instances where sellers simply “want” a certain price for their home, regardless of the market conditions. This is simply something that should be avoided, especially if you’re looking to sell your house fast and not be stuck with it for months.

Handling Repairs

Before you put your house on the market, you need to make sure the home in inspected and that all major repairs are ideally taken care of to make your home more appealing to buyers and during open houses.

Often times, experienced licensed real estate agents will negotiate with the seller on behalf of the buyer to reduce the price of the home if there are significant or concerning repairs that need to be taken care of.

Indecisive Buyers

If you’ve taken efforts to upgrade your home and make it open-house ready, you’ll occasionally run into indecisive buyers which can drag the process out. Some homeowners may be ready to sign the offer letter and then back out, which leads to you putting the house back on the market again. This extends the timeline and depending on how competitive your market is, it may really slow you down.

Buyer’s Mortgage Approval / Bank Loan

Buyers shopping for a home should be pre-approved by their bank so that they know the price of a home they’re able to afford. Often times, the pre-approval letters that buyers submit with their offer letter could be false.

This is why often times you see properties end up going back on the market with clauses such as: “Back on Market Due to Buyer Financing”.

If you’re selling a home, be sure to have your Realtor carefully review the buyer’s proof of funds and pre-approval letters. Experienced agents will call the lender directly to make sure that the buyer’s taxes, income, and financial statements have been fully vetted, ensuring that the pre-approval is in fact legit.

We hope that you found these tips helpful. For additional information, Investopedia has a great resource section that outlines the process in even more detail which we strongly recommend you go through.
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June 24, 2019July 22, 2022

What To Leave Behind On Moving Day

We all love a clean and clean house, but for most of us, clutter just creeps back in despite our efforts to be ruthless to it. If you’re getting ready to move to a new home, cast an eye over your possessions. There are plenty of things you should leave behind when you move. You will make it easier for long distance moving companies to do their job while at the same time reducing your moving expenses.

Here are some helpful tips.

Owner’s Manuals

Certain appliances, like ranges, microwaves, fridges, and hot water systems aren’t likely to be moving with you. Make sure you leave their owner’s manuals behind so it’s easier for new residents to look after and use the appliances and schedule services.

Leftover Paint

Do you have a few tins of leftover paint from the last time you renovated? There’s no need to take them with you. New homeowners are sure to appreciate having the correct colours on hand if they need to touch up scuffs and scratches after moving in. Leave the tins in a spot that’s cool enough and where they’ll easily be found.

Curtains

Whenever you move out of a home, leave your curtains on the windows. New owners are sure to be grateful for the curtains, which were probably made to fit those windows anyway.

Light Fixtures

New home buyers expect light fixtures and other attached objects to remain on the property. If you want to take a particular light fixture with you when you move, let the estate agent know before you sign the sales contract. Once that’s clarified with your agent, you can then seek help from cheap removalists Gold Coast homeowners hire. It’s also courtesy to replace the fixture with another one. You should also leave any spare light bulbs behind so new owners aren’t quite literally left in the dark.

House Plants

Unless you’re only moving a short distance, rather find new homes for your plants. Moving vans don’t offer the best moving conditions for house plants, plus there are the stop-and-go movements and lack of water that will only harm them. You could leave your plants behind or gift them to someone.

In-ground Features

Anything that is secured to the ground is part of the property and not a personal possession. That means it should stay in your home once it’s sold. This includes things like fire pits, post boxes, yard lights and birdhouses. If there’s something you really want to take with you, be sure to list it as an exclusion in your sales contract.

Warranties

If you recently renovated or remodeled, the new materials will still have transferrable warranties in effect once your property is sold. Leave the paperwork for things like appliances, windows, and siding on the kitchen counter where the new owners will find it.

Hardwired Alarm Systems

You can take portable wireless alarm systems with you when you move, including Wi-Fi enabled cameras. But any hardwired alarms that connect to the property’s electrical system must remain behind. If you’re connected to a security company that monitors the system, let them and the new owners know about your move.

Tick these 8 things off the list when you’re getting ready to move, and your whole move is sure to be just a little easier!

May 31, 2019

5 Steps To Finding A Great Neighborhood in Delaware

We all want to live in a great neighborhood with well-developed infrastructure, secure, accessible and that has great neighbors. Besides, you will become part of the neighborhood, so it is best to choose one that meets your needs.

Unfortunately, not all neighborhoods have these characteristics. Some have high crime rates others have poor infrastructure and in some instances, you may find hostile neighbors.

Therefore, how do you find a great neighborhood in Delaware? Here are steps to guide you.

Assess your needs

A young couple may look for a neighborhood with small houses, great nightlife, and shops nearby while a larger family would prefer bigger homes that are close to amenities such as schools, playgrounds and shopping areas with a close-knit community.

First, ensure that the neighborhood meets your needs. Do you want to live near your place of work? Do you prefer a walking distance to amenities? Do you like quiet or busy streets? Do you want a neighborly area or do you want to be anonymous?

For a family with children, you should consider if there are great schools nearby.

Find out information about the neighborhood

A simple online search can give you information about a particular neighborhood on crime rates, cost of housing, schools and more. There are many free online services such as street advisor that review neighborhoods such as Delaware.

There are websites providing information about schools in a particular area such as enrolment statistics, and student-teacher ratio as well as detailed info based on students’ performance.

The crime rate info is more detailed for urban areas though you may get general information for smaller towns. A declining or low crime rate is an indication of an improving neighborhood. You can check the local newspaper sites for crime statistics or on the police department websites in Delaware.

Another option to gather info about a neighborhood is to consult real estate agents since they are knowledgeable about the Delaware neighborhoods.

Visit

There is no better way to check out a neighborhood than to do a bit of leg work. Visit the neighborhood you are interested in Delaware during the day, at night and over the weekend to get its feel at different times.

Is there traffic during rush hour? Do you need to drive a long distance to work? Are the neighbors friendly?

Observe the streets, front yards, sidewalks. What is the condition of homes? Do they look well taken care of or they leek of neglect? Have they been freshly painted, roof repaired and grass mowed? Well maintained homes are an indication of a great neighborhood.

Talk to the locals

Talk with the neighbors and ask about issues such as crime, traffic, schools, noise and other matters. Go to restaurants, coffee shops, playgrounds to get the feel.

A neighborhood where people walk freely, kids play or walk to school and residents walk their dogs indicates that it is safe.

Choose the perfect neighborhood

Delaware is diverse and you may be more comfortable living in Milton if you want New Homes in Delaware that are close to your office than in Camden where you will spend a lot of time commuting.

Choose your perfect neighborhood that meets your needs. A retiree may be more comfortable in Camden while young professionals will want a neighborhood close to their work such as near major cities including Washington DC and Philadelphia.
Home Buying Tips:
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