Starting a new renovation project can be overwhelming. Of course, there are tons of details to consider, so you might find yourself at a loss when it comes to visualizing your end product. Before you begin your remodeling project, you need to have an idea of how you want the result to look. To make it easy for you to articulate your vision for your project, here are some remodeling questions to ask yourself.
Start by thinking about pain points in the room as it is presently. Perhaps you don't have enough storage in your bathroom to handle your belongings, or there isn't enough counter space in your kitchen when you bake cookies. Then try to visualize what you would love to see instead. Maybe you’ve always wished for built-in cabinets to store your grooming products or a kitchen island to cook and entertain the family.
Next, you will need to think about what you like about your current space. Some people believe this is not important, but it is. It gives you an idea of what can stay during your renovation. It will also give you an idea of your overall budget. For example, the price for a bathroom renovation with modern fixtures in a new layout will be different from simply replacing the vanity.
Now to the finance aspect. Start by determining how you intend to pay for the project. Are you using your savings? Will you be financing the project through a home equity loan? Next, develop a budget based on your available funds. Sticking to your budget gives you and your contractor a clear picture of what you want and what materials to purchase.
Ensure that your designer knows about your color preferences from the beginning. Do you like a warm palette or muted tones? Are you more comfortable with bold and bright hues? Do you want the furniture to speak louder than the walls, or do you enjoy seeing a lot of color on each surface?
The last box to check is your taste. There are tons of options to choose from when it comes to interior design. Do you love transitional, traditional, or modern? Browse the Internet or home magazines to get design inspiration or request a photo book from your interior designer.
Need a design professional? Contact me for a few recommendations!
Listing a house may seem like a long, arduous process, especially for a first-time home seller. But with the right real estate agent at your side, you can receive expert support at each stage of the home selling journey.
What does it take to hire a diligent real estate agent to ensure you can sell your house? Here are three tips to help first-time home sellers employ the ideal real estate agent.
1. Conduct a Comprehensive Search
Search far and wide for a real estate agent – you'll be glad you did. With an extensive search, you can learn about the pros and cons of working with various real estate agents in your area and plan accordingly.
Don't hesitate to reach out to friends and family members for real estate agent recommendations. If friends and family members enjoyed outstanding experiences with certain real estate agents, it may be a great idea to contact the housing professionals who have helped your loved ones achieve their home selling goals.
Also, look for real estate agents who boast many years of industry experience. These housing market professionals are likely to understand the ins and outs of selling a residence. As such, they may be better equipped than other real estate agents to help you optimize the value of your house.
2. Ask Plenty of Questions
If you find a real estate agent who seems like a viable candidate to help you sell your residence, it is important to set up a face-to-face meeting. That way, you can ask questions and determine whether this individual is the right person to assist you.
During a face-to-face meeting, find out what a real estate agent has to say about your residence. Typically, a diligent real estate agent will conduct extensive research before meeting with you and should be able to offer honest, unbiased home selling recommendations.
Furthermore, there is no such thing as a "bad" question, especially for those who are selling a house for the first time. And if you have questions for a real estate agent, a face-to-face meeting provides an excellent opportunity to get your queries addressed by a housing market expert.
3. Get Client Referrals
Ask real estate agents for client referrals. Then, reach out to past clients so you can better understand how a particular real estate agent has supported home sellers over the years.
If a client offers glowing recommendations of a real estate agent, this housing market professional may prove to be the best choice. On the other hand, a client who encountered problems with a particular real estate agent may help you avoid making the wrong decision as well.
Ultimately, the right real estate agent is someone who can help you sell your house and keep you informed as the home selling journey moves forward. And if you spend some time learning about the real estate agents in your city or town, you should have no trouble employing a top-notch real estate agent who can take the guesswork out of selling your residence.
Living with kids can be challenging for so many reasons. One of the biggest concerns that most parents have within their home besides keeping their home safe is keeping it neat and clean. Although it can seem like an impossible task, you can keep your house clean while your kids are still living in the house. Read on for some tips to a clean and organized house.
Too much stuff is one of the first problems in a messy home. You need to make a list of every space in your home. See which areas need improvement. Start in those spots to see how much more space you can make. Keep only the essentials. Everything else should be donated or tossed in the trash. If you have more space to get organized, the task of being neat will be even easier to achieve.
After you get rid of what you don’t use, clutter can still accumulate easily. If you don’t have a system in place to help your kids put things away, chaos will continue to ensue. How do you develop a sense or organization? Group things together. Electronics, batteries, and cords should go together. Different types of toys can have separate bins and containers. Keep blocks with other blocks and crayons with art supplies. Not only will things be more accessible to put away for your kids, but they’ll also be able to find item easier as well. Do you see that you still need a “junk drawer”? You can designate one spot in the house for miscellaneous things that either need a home or are in transition. Just don’t let this space be too big or get out of hand.
Sometimes, clutter becomes a problem because we don’t make cleaning up a priority. Add cleaning up clutter to your list of what needs to be done on a daily basis. Just as you clean your dirty dishes up from the sink, you should take the time to put items back in their place. Are you a procrastinator? Make sure you keep the importance of cleaning up fresh in your mind. Keeping clutter at bay is a habit that needs to be developed by both you and your kids. As a parent, you can make a game or competition out of clean up time. This contest can help to motivate your kids to learn your organizational systems and keep them in place.
Keeping a neat house when you have kids isn’t as impossible as it seems when you attack the project from the right angle.
