SkyFive Properties Blog

Real estate has long held immense earning potential.

The property market is booming, and investing in a rental property is more popular than ever.

With house prices on the rise, many first-time investors are looking to jump on the rental property bandwagon. However, some come less prepared than others. It’s one thing to have the down payment, but it’s quite another to make a wise purchase on a second property.

With proper preparation and financial backing, anyone can become a rental property owner.

Here’s what you need to know to make a wise investment decision.

1. Prepare for life as a landlord

Before purchasing a rental property, you need to ask yourself if you’re cut out to be a landlord.

You’ll be responsible for providing a decent home for your tenants in return for their rental payments. This means you could be called upon at any time to arrange quick property repairs that cause minimal disruption to your tenant’s lives.

How often will you conduct property inspections? What will you do if your tenants are late with their rent? Will you need to make any upgrades to the house before tenants move in?

These are all questions you need to ask yourself before becoming a landlord.

If responsibility isn’t your forte, life as a landlord may not be for you.

2. Understand your legal obligations

As with all property ownership, a rental property comes with a series of legal obligations.

In this case, you’ll have legal obligations both as a property owner and a landlord.

It pays to be well-versed in all of your local property laws to avoid a potential lawsuit. As a landlord, you’ll have several additional rules and regulations to abide by, such as providing habitable housing and respecting your tenant’s privacy.

Sit down with your lawyer to determine what’s expected of you as the property owner and ensure you adhere to all legal responsibilities.

3. Team up with an accountant

If you’re set on making a wise investment, you will need a good real estate accountant behind you. An accountant will optimize your tax position, improve your returns, and keep you out of trouble with the taxman. In addition, with a grasp on sudden tax changes and trend fluctuations, your real estate accountant will protect your finances from unexpected shock.

An accountant you can trust is invaluable. If you wish to purchase more properties in the future, your accountant will help you make better financial decisions to achieve this goal.

4. Calculate potential earnings and costs

The number one reason to invest in a rental property is to build your asset portfolio and earn a second income. However, what many people don’t realize is that there are also significant costs involved.

You need to calculate whether your rental price is enough to cover your mortgage as well as:

• Routine maintenance costs
• Property tax
• Unexpected repairs
• Accountant fees
• Lawyer fees

New investors need to be prepared to potentially make a loss on their rental property in the first few years. However, real estate is a long term investment that boosts your assets and almost always has significantly high returns at the point of resale. It’s not until you’ve accumulated multiple investment properties that it’s wise to use them as your sole income source.

Keep your day job and ensure you’ve got a good financial buffer to cover costs when you’re starting your investment journey.

5. Location is everything

Your rental location is as important (if not more important) as the house. The location will determine your long-term investment goals, so it’s wise to seek properties in your chosen locations.

Research areas where the property market has a history of steady increase. This doesn’t mean you need to buy in the most expensive neighbourhood; it means you should look at houses in up and coming areas with good earning potential on future resale.

Get advice from a local real estate agent to find the areas where prices trend upwards.

6. “Do-up” properties aren’t always cheaper

Purchasing a property in need of renovation may seem like a good way to secure an investment property at a cheaper price. This is true in some cases, but for most do-up properties, the cost of renovation ends up being much higher than the owners budgeted for.

Older houses are more susceptible to requiring major repairs beyond a quick lick of paint and some new carpet. Areas you can’t see, such as guttering, roofing, and insulation can incur much higher costs than superficial interior upgrades.

If you’re looking at purchasing a do-up, have a draftsman draw up the cost of renovation before you sign away your savings.

Conclusion

Purchasing a rental property is a lucrative long-term investment for the well-prepared. If you’re looking at buying a second property, don’t go into it blind. Do your homework around what it means to be a landlord, and be sure to seek accounting, legal, and real estate expertise before jumping on the investment property ladder.

Every homeowner wants to add value to their property, but the kind of value you should be looking to add is lasting value. There are some changes that’ll not only matter to the value of your home and the people who might be interested in buying it today but also for many years and even decades to come. If you’re not looking to sell up anytime soon, that’s what’s most important. Read on to find out more about these kinds of changes.

Image Source – CC0 License

Take Steps to Make the Home More Energy Efficient

Taking steps to make your home a much more energy-efficient place and space will definitely help the value of your home moving forward. Right now, everyone wants to save energy and for different reasons. It allows homeowners to save money on their bills, and it also helps them to do their bit for the environment, so everyone’s a winner here.

Maximize Every Area of Space

When your home is not really utilizing all of its space, it’s a drag on its potential value. You should do what you can to maximize every inch of the space you have at your disposal. If you currently have a space that’s not really being used for anything beyond storage, you should convert it and try to make it truly functional. Doing so will immediately add value.

Consider a Full Kitchen Remodel

One of the most important rooms in your home and the one that many buyers look at first is the kitchen. So if your kitchen is not yet up to scratch and you feel that it could be improved or updated, speak to a company that offers kitchen remodeling services. They’ll be able to give you the professional help and guidance you need to make your kitchen everything you want it to be.

Open Up the Home to the Outdoors

Opening up the home to the outdoors and creating a better bridge between the indoor space and the outdoor space is something that’s always seen as valuable by home buyers. When you have that sense of the home opening out onto the garden, it also gives the garden space a greater purpose and worth as part of the wider package too.

Boost the Curb Appeal

The curb appeal of your property is something that you can work on and maintain over many years. And doing so is certainly worth it from a home value point of view. People decide how much they like home and how much they’d be willing to pay for it before they even step inside in many cases. So first impressions really do matter.

Adding value to your home might not seem like a pressing issue for you right now. But when you eventually come to sell your home, you’ll be glad you put in the effort to add lasting value to your home. The ideas above will help you make that possible, so all that’s left to do is put these ideas into action.

Real estate can be a great industry to get into for many reasons. It can be lucrative and also a lot of fun. However, like most careers, it can also be very challenging. You will have to take some classes and pass a test in order to get your real estate license, but once you do you will be well on your way.

In the beginning, it may feel like you’re never going to make real money, but if you stick at it you definitely will! The market is strong right now in places all over the world so you have a chance to be more successful than ever before. Here are some of the most convincing reasons you should consider a career in real estate.

You Get to Market Yourself

Even if you work for a broker, you are an. Independent coworker in many ways. Therefore it is important that you are your own biggest advocate and do your own marketing wherever and whenever possible. Sending out postcard mailings or using online ads can be excellent resources to help yourself find more real estate clients.

You Can Make Your Own Schedule

If you decide to become a real estate agent, you may have the opportunity to make your own schedule. This is a huge plus for anyone, but especially if you have a family or another job and need to be the ability to plan around it. Being able to choose what hours you work is an absolute game-changer when it comes to a successful work/life balance. Many people decide to go into real estate for this very reason!

The Money Can Be Very Good

There is definitely money to be made in real estate, especially if you are located in certain areas. Depending on your brokerage and how much or how hard you are willing to work, you can make a really good living. Of course, some years will be better than others and the market is unpredictable, but once you get into the swing of things you should definitely be able to bring home adequate money.

It’s Rewarding

Helping people to purchase and get into their new homes is very rewarding work. Buying a house is a huge milestone and can be a stressful time for some people, so if you are good with people it is a perfect time for you, as their real estate agent, to shine! You can help to ease their fears and make them more confident in their decision. Small things will go a long way with people during such a vulnerable time.

Becoming a real estate agent might just be the next smart move you make in your life! Embrace the change and look forward to your future and watch where it takes you.

Embellishing anything isn’t at your wit’s end, but decorating a small space is somehow tricky. In small spaces we are not supposed to bring large and massive objects, it will surely make your already small space more cluttered. Small spaces are way more difficult to decorate, as we get perplexed here whether to decorate it or not. Can you leave walls of less spacious rooms, undecorated while beautifying every corner of your house? If you ask me, I just can’t! Here you get many such brilliant ideas to decorate your walls as well as illuminating the space like adding decorative mirrors, making art galleries, etc.

Let’s suppose, you are on your way to illuminate each corner of your house, that’s quite expensive if you replace everything with new stuff. Wait, just don’t do that when you can DIY decorate your walls by sticking on budget. Here, in this blog, we are going to drop some suggestions for you guys to decorate your walls on an affordable budget and give them some style.

7 awesome wall décor ideas that enhance the outlook

Well, remodeling or decorating doesn’t mean you will be losing your entire savings, and it shouldn’t be so. Firstly, fix your budget for this purpose and then proceed with these tips, to brighten up your space by lavishly decorating the walls.

1. Adding mirrors is a luxury!

Whenever the word luxury comes in decoration, we get a sudden reflection of ‘Mirrors’. As mirrors are something that can lighten up your space, make it look stylish, elegant as well as highlight your breathtaking yet expensive showpieces. In the case of decoration with mirrors, we have a lot of options, really like a lot! Here below are some options within mirrors so you can add them to your walls and you know what the wonderful thing is? They are quite inexpensive.

• LED Mirrors

An LED mirror is the best option to enhance the outlook of your wall as well as brighten it up. These wonderful mirrors not only enhance the décor of your room but also work well, its integrated LED light brightens up your room and gives a detailed view while makeovers. Types of such mirrors like wall-mounted mirrors or vanity LED bathroom mirror are available at FAB Glass and Mirror at affordable ranges, must check it out!

• Decorative mirrors

Have you ever installed a beautiful and elegant decorative mirror in your home? If not, then we recommend adding one! It not only enhances the wall’s beauty but also reflects light and other objects by putting on the illusion of great space in the room.

1. Add portraits or create your gallery wall 

Another trendy thing that has set the internet on fire is to DIY create a gallery wall. A gallery wall is a cool suggestion in order to make a wall more attractive. You can frame whatever portrait you like, or some old stuff, letters, certifications, or some memorable pictures. Choose an elegant frame and must place the glass on each frame, it will reflect the light by brightening the space as well as highlighting the entire yet precious wall.

Creating your gallery wall by framing your pictures and whatever you want to display will save your budget and time as well. The major thing is, you will be satisfied with your creation. Some people want to preserve their baby’s first ever clothes, you can frame them and hang them, too. This will remind you of those beautiful and unforgettable moments.

1. Must add wallpapers

Refresh your walls with some printed wallpapers, you can add removable wall arts, which is quite common these days. Decorate your small rooms by adding wallpaper on one side and paint the other walls, make contrasts. Here you can go with 2 suggestions, either to add a wallpaper or over-sized portrait behind, sofa or bed. Both are going to enhance the overall view of a small room. Be conscious of the color scheme you chose.

1. Paint the boring walls with soft and eye-catchy colors

Here’s a tip: never go with dark paints, until it’s a demand for a theme. Dark or deep colors will darken up the room which makes small spaces more cluttered and messed up. Always prefer fresh and light colors because they enhance the mood and environment as well as lighten up the entire space by consuming fewer lights.

1. Add wall shelves- save space!

Small spaces are more difficult to treat when you are supposed to adjust the bundle of stuff there. For this purpose, we recommend adding wall glass shelves that come in different styles. It will not only beautify your wall but also help to save some space in the room. You can hang, caps, towels, books, or other decorative pieces there. Well, if you’re confused about where to buy affordable and durable glass shelves, we recommend checking out these products. These are quite affordable and made with great care.

1. Preserve some memorable stuff on the wall

We’ve seen some people hanging their old bicycles or other parts like its basket or handle on a wall. Well, that’s cute to hang your first ever cycle on a wall that can take you to those old days anytime. From that we didn’t mean to hang a cycle indeed, that’s just an option to hang your favorite stuff on the wall, that is old and you want to preserve it, too. Make sure it’s not bulky at all.

1. Adding on other simply elegant accessories

To fill up space, you can add on huge calendars, wall clocks, or a whiteboard, even, that you can utilize on a daily basis and look pretty there. This depends upon your mood and choice, just add whatever you want to. Just keep in view, not to over-decorate small walls.

Concluding it!

Now decorate small spaces with the above brilliant ideas to illuminate your space and to refresh the barren boring walls. As, small spaces are quite tricky to decorate because all the time you need to focus on that one point, “not to clutter the space”. The above-mentioned ideas won’t clutter your space and decorative wall mirrors will help to brighten up the less-spacious areas.

Any type of commercial property is an excellent investment, especially if you know what to do and where to go. This opportunity generally offers financial rewards that you’ll reap for years, which is evident in shopping centers, rental apartments, and single-family homes.

However, there are risks, which is why you need someone who can guide you in navigating the rough waters of real estate. You can consult with experts like Norm Ebenstein that have spent a lot of years knowing more about the commercial real estate industry. Visit Norm Ebenstein – Residential Property Owner, for his academic profile and talk with the right people about your plans. With this said, here are some types of properties that you can invest in.

Types of Commercial Properties

1. Offices

Office buildings are categorized into two, and they are suburban and urban. The urban offices are usually high-rise properties and skyscrapers found in the metropolitan areas and the heart of the cities. They are a few million square feet in their height, requiring in-depth research and more capital.

On the other hand, suburban buildings are often grouped in a city’s office parks, and they are smaller in stature. They can consist of a single tenant or multi-tenants tend to rent them as their temporary business office. You can choose between Class A, B, and C, depending on your overall budget.

Class As is considered the premier, luxurious, and most prestigious location in town. The rent is above average, and they offer state-of-the-art amenities, high-quality finishes, and accessibility near the major roads of the metro. They have a strong presence in the marketplace as well.

Class B offices are competing for various audiences, and they target a wider range of people. They have the average rent costs in the city, and they have standard finishes. The systems are adequate, but they can’t usually compete with the luxury and exclusivity of Class A offices at the same range of price.

Class C areas are for those who require a more functional space for operation. The company owners may use these as storage areas, and the rents are below average. They are far from major roads, and medical office buildings are considered sub-sectors of this class.

2. Retails

Retails include stores and restaurants that many people are frequenting into. They can comprise multiple tenants where there’s an anchor that drives traffic or standalone buildings.

The retail sector is often found in many shopping centers, and they can be community centers, regional malls, and strips. They usually follow many metrics to be considered a power center. The factors that dictate them include having trade areas, tenants, number of offices, concept, and size.

Buildings with single tenants are often considered big-box shopping centers. This is evident in Best Buy, Walmart, Dick’s Sporting Goods, and Target. They are also padded sites that have banks, shopping centers, and drug stores.

3. Industrial

If you are in a specific industry yourself, investing in buildings that house these big operations can be worth it. They may be located in an urban area that gets major transportation traffic. An industrial park can group low-rise buildings together so that tenants can share the overall cost of the rent. Some of the categories involved in industrial buildings are the following:

Flex Industrial – These are the buildings that usually contain office space and an industrial manufacturing plant. Read more about the manufacturing industry on this site here.

Bulk Warehouses – These are the larger distribution centers where online orders are grouped according to their destinations. They have accessible locations to make it easier for delivery riders to go to them.

Light Assemblies – They don’t have as much customization as the bulk warehouses, but they are still used for product assemblies. Some company owners also use them for the storage of their own products.

Heavy Manufacturing – Most companies involved in heavy manufacturing are part of the aircraft or automobile industries. They need to house heavy equipment and machinery in these types of buildings to produce goods and operate on their services faster. You may also be interested to know that a research and development facility often uses an industrial facility in its daily operations.

4. Multi-families

The multi-family sectors are real estate homes where condominiums, townhouses, apartments, and co-ops are included. These types are classified accordingly like the ones in office buildings. They have classifications in six different buckets such as:

Walk-Up – These are homes that consist of a six-story building, and they are accessible by stairs. Some real estate properties have four stories, and they don’t have elevators.

High-Rise – High-rise building development usually consists of nine or more floors. There’s at least a single elevator inside a high-rise.

Manufactured Housing Communities – This is an arrangement where the operator leases the ground side to the developers or owners of a manufactured house.

Special-Purpose Housing – This is when a multi-family property is built, and it’s usually targeting a particular segment of the population. They can be involved in housing seniors, newly-wed couples, students, or those with special needs.

Mid-Rise – These are multi-story condominiums with an elevator. It’s usually located in a metropolitan or urban area.

Garden-Styles – This is a one or three-story apartment house that has gardens. They may be in a suburban or rural location, and they don’t have elevators. Read more about garden-style properties here: https://home.howstuffworks.com/real-estate/buying-home/what-do-you-need-to-know-about-buying-a-garden-level-property.htm.

5. Hotels

The hotel sectors have thousands of rooms, and they provide accommodation for guests. The stay includes meals and other services that maximize the experience of tourists booking at the hotel. This can be independent, or they are a part of the chain of hotels found across the world like Sheraton or Marriott. They are usually split into categories just like residential housing, and these are the following:

Resorts: Full-service resorts take up a huge amount of land, and they have attached waterparks and golf courses.

Boutiques: These are the properties located in resorts, and they are not part of a national chain. They have fewer rooms, but guests can find full-service amenities in them.

Casinos: They have gaming components like slot machines and poker available for guests.

Photo by Étienne Beauregard-Riverin on Unsplash

Cooking is synonymous with the kitchen. Every kitchen needs it – but how much and where? When planning your home renovation, there are so many decisions from color scheme to how to make it more modern. However, do you know what do you need to look for in stoves, ovens, microwaves, and appliances when designing your new kitchen?

Today we review the best cooking options and explain which ones best suit a variety of lifestyles. This will help you choose what will suit your kitchen when planning your kitchen renovation. Here’s what you need to know.

Stove

A must-have in your kitchen, from caravans to palatial mansions. A good stove or cooktop must be functional and high-performing. Bonus points for chic style. Function: you want it to cook at a range of temperatures well and be easy to distinguish between cooking settings. Can you light all burners and fit your pans on them comfortably and safely? There is also limited use to an amazing stove but subpar cookware, you don’t need to spend the earth, but pans made with quality materials are best—non-stick is not long-lasting, especially if put in the dishwasher.

Oven

An oven is another kitchen essential and available in many more varieties than cooktops. Whether built-in or freestanding, you can power these with gas or electricity. Conventional electric ovens are standard in many homes today using an electric element to heat food. A convection style uses a fan to circulate air throughout the oven to cook more evenly and quickly. Many higher-end ovens offer a range of cooking settings to circulate the air in particular ways including grilling, steaming, convection, conventional, and even rotisserie style. For regular high-volume chefs, 900mm is best, but for the occasional party or smaller batches 600mm is fine, or x2 600mm for flexible space and energy efficiency.  Mounting at hip height is ideal placement if your kitchen space permits as floor ovens can be cumbersome and less safe to retrieve heavy trays of food.

Microwaves

Despite the microwave cookery phenomenon that was the 1980s, there is still a place for the humble microwave in today’s kitchen, even if you don’t do leftovers. In fact, studies show that the shorter cooking time that microwaves deliver means that more nutrients are retaining in foods you’re cooking – like vegetables. Powered by electricity, microwaves use electromagnetic energy to heat and cook. Whether you opt for countertop style or built-in, the basic defrost and heat settings from last century have been replaced by the cook, grill, simmer, and broil. There are even models with sensory technology that will auto-adjust temperatures to suit what’s inside. Modern kitchen designs should consider how to best integrate a microwave to maximize cooking utility.

Appliances

All the added extra cooking options fall under the category of appliances. From slow cookers, air fryers, toasters, sandwich and waffle presses, bread makers, rice cookers upright grills to multi-cookers and the luxe Thermomix, there is an appliance to fulfill almost any need. Combined appliances like multi-cookers save space but allow you to complete more tasks and are a great option for a small kitchen. For an ideal kitchen renovation, think appliances first and cupboard design second – there needs to be a place to put items that are not being used. Do you need a popcorn maker, or can you do this on your stove? Weigh up how you cook and that will guide you on which appliances to invest in.

From stoves, ovens, microwaves, and appliances, your kitchen should work for you and your lifestyle. If you can’t quite picture where all these cooking options will fit, or how to choose the best one that suits your needs and budget, head to a kitchen showroom or consults an expert team to help you maximize your cooking potential in the kitchen. For other great tips when planning your renovation, visit yourhome.gov.au.

Moving properties is a big task. It isn’t as simple as picking up, clicking your fingers, and being in the new home. We wish it were. Thus, getting the right help and planning effectively will help the moving process be stress-free, or as close to it as possible. Here are the five best tips for making your move as smooth as possible.

Use a moving company

Moving your home is not an easy job. It takes a lot of time, organizing, and effort. Thus, getting help with moving from your current house to the new property will mean you can focus on other areas of the moving process.

You may require a moving company to move large furniture, or even to free up your time. They will help pack your things, load them into their safe and secure trucks, and drop them at the new property. Some companies can help unpack too, which will make the process even less hassle and work for you.

Declutter before you move

Before you consider packing up your home, it will best useful to declutter first. No matter if you are upsizing or downsizing, you will not want to take stuff with you that you no longer need.

Getting rid of old belongings is satisfying and well worth the job. You can make room for new stuff or help you achieve a minimal new home. You will not want to pack up and move more stuff than you need to, so get on with a declutter as soon as you can.

Take time to clean (both homes)

Before moving into your new home, you might want to clean and decorate so that it is ready to move into. You won’t want to arrive with all of your stuff and not cleaned in preparation to unload. Getting this done means you can settle in sooner and have one less thing to do when you arrive.

Additionally, you will likely need and want to clean your current home in preparation for the new owners. This will make them happy and also ensure that you have done all the necessary packing. You will not want to leave anything behind.

Move utility bills in advance

You will likely need to move utility bills or set up new ones. Either way, doing this in advance means that you can sort all of your paperwork at once. It will also mean that when you arrive at your new home, everything will be ready to go. You will a lot more stress-free if your new home is ready to move into when you arrive with your boxes to unpack.

Make lists

Making lists is essential when moving home. You will not want to forget to do anything, otherwise, you could end up with financial or legal issues to deal with. Writing lists and ticking off the tasks when they are complete means that you will ensure everything is done and finalized before you leave.

Image Pixabay CC0 License

Many people spend their adult lives dreaming of living in a vast home with acres of space. But, there comes the point in many people’s lives where maintaining a large property is no longer appealing.

Are you at the stage where you don’t need tons of space and find maintaining a large home too challenging? If so, now could be the ideal opportunity to consider downsizing into a smaller property. Before you put your current home up for sale, it is crucial to consider how downsizing will work for you. Here are a few factors to think about before you downsize your property:

• Will Your Next Move be Your Forever Home?

If you plan to downsize into your permanent home, it must meet all of your requirements. It pays to think about the exact features your new property needs before you commit to a purchase. Identifying must-have features of your new property will ensure it matches your requirements, and you won’t need to move again.

• What Will Your Budget Be?

Thinking about the amount you want to spend on downsizing is essential. Finding out how much money you can make from your current home is a great place to start. Maybe you have a financial goal you want to reach when selling your existing home? Or, perhaps you want to reduce your outgoings and save on running costs? Downsizing is a big move, so knowing what you want to achieve financially is crucial.

• How Much Room Do You Need?

Downsizing into a smaller home is an excellent idea, but it needs to work on a practical level. Working out how much room you need in your smaller property is vital. Downsizing into a home and realizing it is too small can be problematic, and you may need to move again. Calculating how many square feet you really need before you start house-hunting will ensure you have plenty of space.

• Think About Your Storage Needs

Deciding what you want to keep and take with you to your new home is a big decision. It is a good idea to declutter your current home to assess how many belongings you need to move. Decluttering is an excellent way to make a fresh start and only take items you love to your new property.

It is helpful to use a moving company that also offers storage, such as https://movingdixie.com/. Storing belongings you want to keep but don’t have space for is the perfect solution for your space issues.

How Much Outdoor Space Do You Need?

Downsizing your property usually means you will have less outside space. If you value spending time in your yard, this could be a big adjustment to make. You may want to look for a property with communal gardens to ensure you can still enjoy time outside. Alternatively, a property with a balcony could be the perfect solution. Adding outside space to your must-have requirements will help you find your ideal home without compromising on your lifestyle.

Home styles and designs are constantly changing. These trending styles play a significant role in increasing your home’s value, appeal and asking price. However, updating your old house can be confusing and overwhelming to carry out. Assuming you are not ready to take on a significant remodeling project. Fortunately, there are still several ways you can modernize your home to give you the comfort and appeal you desire. Here are three easy ways to update your home.

• Update your cabinetry

Image Credit

The worn-out and dirty knobs and pull handles, and broken, unhinged cabinets in your kitchen and bathrooms create an ambiance of disorganization and scream old-fashioned! You can make these spaces more modernized and increase their appeal by simply changing your cabinets. Consider repainting your cabinets to give them a fresh new look. You should also consider replacing your old cabinet knobs and pull handles. There are countless styles of cabinet pull handles to choose from to give your kitchen and bathroom a sophisticated look. For example, you can create a modern-chic style in your kitchen with a white cabinet finish and stainless pull handles and knobs.

• Create an open space

Having a separate room for your living room and dining room seems to be going out of style, with more homeowners preferring to create an open space in their homes. Creating an open space makes your home airier and less cluttered. You can do this by simply getting rid of excess furniture and other elements such as decorative pieces to create more space. However, you do not need to get rid of all your beloved furnishings. If you want to keep bulky furnishings such as antique bookshelves and cupboards in your open space, consider painting them off-white. This creates a “disappearing effect” to make the room airy and spacious. You can also use mirrors to create the illusion of open space. There are several ways you can create an open space in your home without breaking down walls, and reliable services such as Candea Development can help you do that.

• Create a unique color scheme

Faded, peeling paint makes your home outdated and unattractive. Simply, refreshing your paint job can make all the difference. Usually, colors such as white, grey, and black are color schemes associated with modern houses. However, this is far from the truth. Instead, it would be best if you considered incorporating a pop color into your home decor style. Not only does this increase the appeal of your home, but it also gives it flair and a personality. Remember, it isn’t all about paint. You should also consider the color scheme of elements in the room, such as your furniture, rugs, wall art, and even throw pillows and curtains. Be sure that the various colors blend harmoniously to create a unique and warm ambiance for anyone using the room.

Consider making these changes today to enjoy remarkable returns as your home increases in value as well beauty.

The success of countless women-owned businesses and other ventures globally is ample proof that female entrepreneurs are on the rise. Women are also making their presence felt in the world of real estate. According to Forbes, single women are one of the fastest-growing demographics in the housing market.

However, many female entrepreneurs pour huge amounts of time and energy into their businesses, which could leave them with less time to invest in the process of buying a home. If this sounds like you, use the following tips to successfully navigate the real estate buying process.

1. Use Real Estate Groups On Social Media

Social media can be a great way to connect with real estate agents, especially if you’re looking to buy in an area you’re not familiar with. According to Kansas City-based Mill Creek Home Buyers president Brady Hanna, real estate groups on Facebook are a good source of off-market properties.

2. Research Real Estate Agents

Whether you find out about agents using social media, billboards, posters, Google, or any other way, don’t choose the first name you see. Mortgage lending vice president at a Californian credit union, Carlos Miramontez recommended meeting several agents before making a decision.

3. Consider City, Suburbs, and Country Living

The convenience of city living is undeniably attractive but can come at a high cost, both financially and in terms of quality of life. Unless the nature of your business or other factors demand that you look for a home in the city, don’t be afraid of looking for property in the suburbs, or even the countryside. According to RealtyHop data analyst Shane Lee, you could find a much better deal.

4. Buy A Home For Less Than You Can Afford

Rather than buying a home for the maximum you can afford, buy one that’s below your means. Julie Gurner, a real estate expert, said that purchasing property that is 75% or less of what you’re approved for can help you to keep your cash flow in check. As an entrepreneur, access to cash flow is crucial, and tying up all your funds in property can be a costly mistake.

5. Go Through All The Costs Before You Start

The down payment may be the biggest of the out-of-pocket expenses you face when buying a home, but it’s not the only one. According to Lee, you should make yourself aware of all the other fees and costs before you start the process of purchasing a property. Origination fees, mortgage-related payments, broker’s commission, and legal fees are some of the other potential costs.

6. Research The HOA

A good HOA sets standards that help preserve the character and atmosphere of the neighborhood, and that protect property values. Bad HOAs either don’t act in all residents’ interests, or they behave like overly involved busybodies. Research the HOA in the area you’re considering buying in to ensure you have shared values.

7. Time Your Purchase Carefully

Purchasing a house and moving is stressful, and it takes time. If you face business issues that are likely to be time-consuming, or if you’re planning a wedding, you’re pregnant, or you’ve just had a child, consider delaying your purchase until life has settled.

8. Ask For Post-Inspection Reductions

If you’ve spent time reading property descriptions and then viewing those properties in person, you’ve probably noticed that the descriptions usually are better than the reality. Real estate investment company president Lucas Machado suggested asking for reductions if you find defects during a property inspection, as many sellers will give them on request.

9. Budget For Repairs And Interior Design

Whether the home you purchase is brand-new or 100 years old, damages can surface within weeks. It’s a good idea to budget for repairs when considering your purchasing costs. Just like you’d use accounting templates for your business, do the same when budgeting for repairs. Having a clear overview of potential costs is essential.

10. Move In Mentally After Closing The Deal

As tempting as it may be to mentally move into a house before you’ve closed the deal, don’t do it. If you move in mentally, you might find it difficult to remain objective and retain leverage in negotiations.

These 10 tips are easy to follow. You just need to make sure you have the right mindset when investing in your future home.