Home Based Archives - Page 11 of 12

March 27, 2018

Is It Wiser to Renovate or Buy a New House?

If you’ve spent a long time in your current home, but need to expand on the space available, you face a tough dilemma. You’ll probably have fallen in love with your home, which will make the “do I relocate or not” decision even more difficult. There are various situations where you’ll need to address whether it’s wiser to renovate or buy a new house altogether. Perhaps you want a new house, but love your neighbors. Your house has charm, but it’s in desperate need of a new look. You might even value your backyard so much you want to stay put.

Different factors motivate homeowners to make an important choice. If you’re wondering whether you should relocate or renovate, here are some critical points to consider:

Neighborhood

Location plays a vital role in the decision process. If you don’t want to leave behind your beloved neighbors, renovation is a wise choice. It’s natural to grow an attachment with your area, where you become comfortable with amenities and are used to calling a certain place home. A useful side effect of staying put arises when you sit in a trendy area where real estate prices are on the incline. This makes renovation a sound investment, since you’ll increase the value of your home considerably. Before your remodeling project begins, you can determine the fair market value of the project once completed. The decision is a no-brainer if the eventual sale price outweighs the cost of renovations. If the concept of renovating your home is appealing, a custom house builder like Kalka can attend to your remodeling requirements. They can help you create a luxury home to suit your individual requirements. This means you can stay in the neighborhood you’ve grown accustomed to, but achieve the home of your dreams.

Finances

Buying a new home and renovating are two decisions that require financial backing. This is arguably the biggest consideration of all, since you can only decide within your financial means. Buying a new house means you need to qualify for a mortgage. The timing probably isn’t right if you’ve recently incurred debts or have changed jobs, because financial stability is paramount. Buying a new home is more realistic when you have the money to do so. If you’ve established reasonable equity in your current home, there are options for equity loans to pay for renovations. There will be other costs to consider, like credit reports, title insurance, and appraisals, but the procedure is much cheaper. If you do decide to buy a new home, remember to factor in real estate commission and selling costs. These are common expenses when moving your belongings from location to location.

Space
The amount of space available is a huge factor when deciding what to do. The great thing about buying a new house is that you can choose an environment with ample space, providing you have the money. When renovating an existing home, you can create more space by building up or out. Adding a second story is a viable plan, but it requires research to discover whether your foundation can support additional weight. Building out is a great option for increasing square yardage, but it requires considerable planning. When extending your home, you’ll also need to consider interior design. An important aspect in the latter stages is decoration, specifically the inclusion of attractive decor that suits your theme. You’ll need to consider questions like ‘do I install plantation shutters or blinds?’ If you’re wondering how much do custom plantation shutters cost, by researching online you can find suitable options well within your price range.

March 13, 2018

Tips To Spring Cleaning Your Garage

Spring Clean Your Garage

If you are a homeowner, there is no denying that your garage is the room that collects the most clutter. From camping gear and sports equipment to power tools and garden supplies, your garage is the holding area for all your favorite weekend activities. The garage also holds things you don’t want to be brought indoors, like dirty boots and wet snowsuits. If you are a woodworker, an artist, or a mechanic, the garage may be the room where creativity comes to life. Without a garage, we wouldn’t have the space to support our hobbies, like converting that old Mercedes to biodiesel that uses cooking oil from the recycling center in Portland Oregon or constructing a bed frame out of reclaimed wood. The garage is the room that you travel through daily and is the first room you enter when you get home each day. The garage houses the space where your passions become reality, so it deserves to be well organized and clean.

Organize the Clutter

Since you use your garage daily, it collects a lot of stuff. Cleaning out your garage is not a small task, so set aside a whole day to get it accomplished. You don’t want to get partially done and have to leave your garage an unfinished mess. First, sort everything in the garage into piles of things you want to keep, things to sell or donate, and things that are garbage. Since a lot of equipment in your garage use oil or are electronic, broken or useless items will have to be disposed of at your county landfill. Donate things that you don’t have a need for that still work at your local Habitat for Humanity or thrift store. If your “give away” pile is big enough, consider having a yard sale so your neighbors can reap the benefits of gently-used gear or equipment at a low price. One thing to keep in mind is the efficiency of your equipment. Engine technology is constantly updated on equipment like mowers, weed wackers, and chainsaws like the ones from Gresham, OR, so if your engine is more than a couple years old it may be time to upgrade to a new model. The equipment they make today is more efficient and pollutes less than older models.

Space Plan and Reorganize

Once you know what you’re keeping, it is time to make a plan that maximizes the space in your garage. Items that you rarely use, or use only annually like ice salt or garden chemicals, can be stored on the highest shelves, where they are also safe from pets or children. Items that you use often, like bicycles and tools, should be more accessible. The best way to store a bike is from hooks on the ceiling. Other organization tips include buying bins to store all your camping equipment in one and all your garden supplies in another. Label the bins accordingly and store them under your workbench or on shelves. Another way to organize in a garage is with a pegboard. Put hooks on a pegboard to store things vertically. Hammers, roller skates, and tennis rackets are great examples of things to store on the wall. Maximize the space without looking cluttered, and get as much off the ground as possible. This will ensure you have room to park your car and space to work on your hobby. If you are interested in deep cleaning your garage, make an appointment with Mama Ducks Cleaning Service and I have a great experience in working with them.

Related:
Garage Organization and Cleaning
Organizing For a Successful Garage Sale
This post contains affiliate links, which means I might receive a small commision,
if you make a purchase using this link.

March 2, 2018

Five Ways To Reduce Your Household’s Energy Use

I think we all agree we want to save Household’s Energy Use

An average Australian house will use 6,570 kWh’s of energy every year. That’s a lot of energy and a significant cost to you.

Home-energy-use-pie-chart-with-percentages-web — Image: Home SA.GOV.AU

There are two reasons for reducing your energy usage:

Saving the environment – the less energy you use the lower the number of fossil fuels being pulled from the planet. Of course, many energy providers are moving towards more green energy sources.
Money – saving money benefits you directly and is a great motivator for anything!
There are ways to lower your energy costs and that is by learning more about thermostats: Saving Energy & Money at Home

There are several ways in which you can reduce your energy use and save money:

Check Your Electrics

Get your local electrician to take a look at your electrics. This is the best way to ensure you don’t have any dangerous wiring that could cause a fire or any unnecessary drain; that you might not even be aware of.

Electricians are trained to spot and fix any issue.

Lower Your Thermostat

Lowering your thermostat on your heating by just one degree can result in huge energy savings over the course of the year. In fact, it is estimated that every degree increase over 20°C can increase your bill by 10%!

To help compensate from the reduction in your thermostat you can keep the heat in your rooms by keeping doors, windows and curtains closed.

You can also put on an extra layer to stay warm.

Close Off Rooms

If you have a room that is never or rarely used there is little point in heating it all day and night. Instead, shut the heater off. Once a week allow the room to warm up properly, this will ensure you don’t get any problems associated with damp or cold.

Additionally, before you go to bed you should shut the heating off in all the rooms that you won’t be using first thing in the morning. Again, there is no point in heating unused space.

Insulation

This is the greatest way to save energy because you simply won’t need to have your heating on as much. You can get grants to have insulation added into your ceilings and pumped into your walls.

The insulation will help to keep the heat inside your home and keep you warm in the winter, as well as cool in the summer.

Of course, this is an investment; the cost will need to be offset against the reduction in outgoings thanks to your energy saving techniques. A good level of insulation should pay for itself in 2 – 5 years.

Energy Efficient Light Bulbs

An energy efficient light bulb will take longer to brighten than a standard one. But it will also use a third of the power. This makes them great at energy saving and reliving the strain on your wallet.

You can replace all the bulbs in your house with these. However, it is worth noting that you still need to turn off the lights if you are not using them; this is the best way of saving energy; simply don’t use it!

March 1, 2018

5 Tips to Budgeting for a New House

Ok you have decided to buy a new house here are 5 tips for budgeting for your new home

Renting a house may seem like a great idea when you’re just starting out. But as time goes, it becomes more expensive and is a lot harder to keep up with. Paying for a house that you’re only temporarily going to live in seems like a lot after a while. It is always a good idea to start saving at the earliest and buy a house for yourself.

The Top 5 Home Budgeting Tips You Need to Know

We are sure you have chosen your right home, from the many houses for sale. However, after the downpayment, you know that you need to keep it a little tight.

While saving to buy a new house isn’t an easy task, watching your budget and a couple of dedicated ideas can always help you with that. Here are 5 tips to budgeting for a new house.

Clear Your Dues

The first and foremost rule to budget for a new house is to not have any pending dues. A pile of loans only makes it easier for the bank not to give you one for your house. Also, if you move into a new house with a home loan along with a few more, it would only worsen your credit score and finances.

This will also increase your chances to go higher for the house loans as the lesser dues you got, the more money you can borrow. You will also end up saving a lot on the interest.

The process though needs some spending at the start but as Derek Dawson of Dawson Property Management points out – it is beneficial in the long run. The sooner you start the sooner you’ll pay all of the dues.

Budget Your Monthly Earning

It is imperative to save some cash when it comes to buying a house. The more you have on hand, the less you borrow, and the lesser goes in the interest payments. The more cash also means that if the house you’re looking at requires some repair work before you move in, you’ll be able to pay for all of that.

Make an account of your monthly income and look at your budget. You can cut down on unnecessary items and limit your luxuries. You don’t have to start off with the big bucks immediately, but even a slower start can lead to big savings in a year.

Get the clutter out

The best time to have a garage sale is while you’re looking to buy a new house. Make a note of the things you wouldn’t need in the new house or probably haven’t used in over a year. You can make some good money for the repairs and the coloring without having to carry any of the old stuff into your new home.

Build your credit score

Buying a house isn’t an easy deal and may require you to borrow a hefty sum from the bank. But the amount of your loan depends on your credit score and so, you need to have a good rating.

To ensure your credit score is high, you can clear all of your past dues, and maintain a good amount of savings in your account.

Get Educated

Stay informed not only about the process but the type of loans you can apply for. Each bank is different, and your loan may or may not include the insurance cover at times. Always look at your savings, and only go for an option that suits you best.

Have you started budgeting for your new house yet? Have an experience you would like to share?