SkyFive Properties Blog

Buying a home can be a confusing yet exciting process. Knowing the proper steps to take can eliminate the confusion and make your home buying process simple and easy.

Whether you are a first time home buyer or you are in the market to sell, there are a few common mistakes you will want to avoid during the home buying process.

In this post, we will discuss common home buying mistakes.

1) Not Staying True to Your Budget

It is easy to find a house you love and quickly justify going over your budget. Your budget is set in place for a reason. Unfortunately, this is a common mistake that many home buyers make, which may lead to stress and regret later on down the road.

To determine how much you can afford on your home, try to follow the 28/36 rule. The 28/36 rule means home buyers should spend a maximum of 28% of their gross monthly income on their entire housing expense and no more than 36% on total debt.

2) Avoiding the Home Inspection

In the race to close a deal, it is not wise to skip or quickly go through the home inspection process. The home inspection is one of the most critical parts of the home buying process.

Finding a licensed and trained inspector to examine a house is the best way to identify any potential problems. Unlike a licensed inspector, most people aren’t trained to find mold, identify leaks, or point out structural issues in a home.

3) Not Preparing Your Mortgage

It is ideal to have your mortgage pre-approved before you begin searching for a new home.

It’s okay to visit different banks to find your ideal offer. In fact, comparing and contrasting different offers is ideal. If you accept the first offer, you’re potentially losing out on more money.

An experienced lender will asses your financial situation and offer several options. They can also identify any potential roadblocks during the home buying process and offer solutions. Talking to a few lenders or banks is crucial to preparing your budget and getting the right mortgage.

4) You Try to Complete the Home Buying Process By Yourself

With so much information available about real estate and purchasing a home, many people assume a simple search like homes for sale near me will find their ideal home without enlisting the help of a licensed real estate agent.

Whether it’s your first home or not, taking charge of your home buying process isn’t always the best choice. Real estate agents not only find the appropriate listing but they also work with the seller’s agent to determine an offer and ensure that that offer goes through escrow.

In addition, a good agent won’t leave you astray. They will answer any questions you have and make sure that the properties are up to your standards. It’s easy to see a beautiful home and choose it. An agent will know what questions to ask and may even be able to negotiate a lower process with the seller’s agent.

Enjoy the Home Buying Process

As mentioned, the home buying process can be confusing, but knowing what steps to take can streamline the process and make it more enjoyable.

Hopefully, you now know what mistakes to avoid during the home buying process and how to solve them.

To learn more about buying your first home, renting vs. buying, or other home-related topics, visit our website.

With more people renting than ever, it’s evident that buying a home is daunting.

Some may even consider obtaining raw land loans to build on a lot in lieu of buying a home.

But is buying land really worth it? How difficult is it to obtain a land loan?

Here’s what you should know before planning to get a land loan.

Loans for Land Aren’t as Common as Mortgage Loans

The percentage of prospective loan buyers is much lower than home buyers.

Because more people are looking for mortgage loans, not many lenders offer land loans. This makes your options really limited when buying land. (Unless you’re paying with cash!)

Land Is Hard to Sell

Buying land and building a home is a tough, time-consuming, and a lengthy process.

Most people looking to own a home are searching for existing homes to move into right away. Because of this, the market for land is not great. This makes land hard to sell because the demand isn’t there.

If you buy land to build a home and change your mind later, it might be hard to get the land off your hands.

Land Loans Are Riskier for Lenders

If for whatever reason, a borrower decides to abandon their land and stop paying, the lender has to try and sell the land.

Because the demand for land is low, a lender can predict that they will have trouble reselling a piece of land in foreclosure. This makes it risky for lenders.

As a result, lenders often charge higher interest rates and expect a more substantial downpayment. This is especially the case for land purchased with no intention to build. Higher interest rates help the lender account for any losses they might encounter from lending money for land.

Best Banks for Land Loans

Bigger banks won’t be your best bet when looking for a land loan.

Instead, you might have better luck with local credit unions. They have a better idea of the value of properties in their area because they know their customers may have an interest in them.

A U.S. Department of Agriculture loan is probably your best option. They offer a variety of loans depending on your intended projects. They also award grants for a myriad of reasons. While these loans don’t require a high income and come with low-interest rates, they have a very short repayment period.

This could result in higher monthly payments. If you are located in Canada and are interested in homeowning, you can learn more about Canadian homeownership here.

Buying a Home May Still Be a Better Option

If you’re financially stable and intend to build on raw land, you may have luck acquiring land loans.

For some, however, the interest rates and risk may be too high. In this case, it might be better to opt for a mortgage loan on an existing home.

If you are looking for a home in South Florida or want to learn about homeownership and improvement, Sky Five Properties has the information and services for you.

When renovating your house, the primary goal is to get a unique look that will make life easier for you. As such, you will be able to keep your home clean and use the least amount of money for maintenance.

With several options for flooring in the market, deciding the best floor for your house may seem a hard task. The flooring options that will strike your eye and excel in boosting house décor is hardwood and laminate flooring.

However, before deciding between the two, ensure you know the benefits each has to offer and the downside for each. To get this information, visit the wood and laminate flooring guide. In this article, we aim to show you how to style your home with laminate flooring, therefore, making it an epitome of design, comfort, and elegance.

Factors to consider before choosing a laminate floor design

First, let’s go about the factors to consider before selecting the floor design.

Although hardwood laminate flooring ideally fits with any house setting, various designs ensure that your house is the best it will ever be. As such, ensure that what your pick is the best in the market, therefore, achieving a look that guests will covet.

1. Consider your furniture and paint off the walls and ceiling

Too much of everything is dangerous. A frequently used maxim that emphasizes on uniformity and having constant amounts of substance or activity at a particular time. When it comes to house design, too much color is the poison to elegance. Apart from making the interior décor look unplanned, it limits your choices in furniture.

When going for a house floor, ensure that it matches with various elements in your home, therefore,bringing about a pattern and making it belonging. To have better insight on this, it is wise to consult a professional designer.

2. Have a plan before installation

With house renovation, setting out without a plan may lead to devastating results. Boards are not fitting, patterns not going as planned or even worse significant gaps left near walls. When preparing for the floor, try out as many models and settle on the one that satisfies you most.

Also, observe possible combinations in house design, therefore, ensuring that your house showcases class and organization.

3. Size and design of your home

Measure the size of your floor space and use a wood laminate flooring cost calculator to get an exact figure of what it will cost you. Although installing laminate flooring is easy, corners and curved floors may cause a lot of headaches.

To have an easy time installing your floor, ensure that you prepare yourself in advance. Know how to install laminate on stairs and curves areas, therefore, arming yourself with vital tools required. If your home has a lot of corridors, you can take this opportunity to unleash the designer in you and try out possible combinations.

While calculating your hardwood laminate flooring cost, provide for the blocks that will be cut when installing. Also, ensure that you get extra blocksto avoid the stress associated with future repairs.

Styling your home with hardwood laminate flooring

Given that you know the benefits of laminate flooring and some factors to consider, the next step is deciding the finish you wishfor. Here we discuss possible combinations of hardwood flooring, therefore, helping you decide on the shade to buy.

Black laminate living room flooring

Among colors that give freedom in furniture choice and paint without compromising on design is black. Also, black does not bring a clash in colors in your house, therefore, achieving a relaxed ambiance.

With black laminate flooring, dust and pet hair is not easily visible therefore accommodating a busy work life. However, ensure that some elements in your house are of a brighter color thus preventing your home from looking dull.

Taurus hardwood laminate living room flooring

If you are going for a flooring option that will reflect the summer glow, Taurus is the ideal pick. Like the former, this shade is accommodating and allows you to try out various furniture and paint choices without needing to change the floor.

If you are a pet owner, this may require you to clean more frequently. However, mopping the floor is easy,and thus it is not a major issue. Preferably use this in your living room as it gives life to your room, therefore, an easy way to impress your guests.

Liberty hardwood laminate living room flooring

A laminate flooring option that lives up to its name is liberty. With this at your service, the possible combinations of house design are endless. Also, the joints in liberty laminate are harder to notice therefore ensuring uniformity in your floors.

This brings a sense of openness and purity. With liberty, you have a natural time color matching the elements in your house, therefore, making your house design a factor you can easily control.

If your house is small, lighting has a way of making it feel bigger owing to this fact; many interior experts lay much emphasis on this. With liberty, you can open out your room without necessarily ditching your dear furniture.

Ghana hardwood laminate staircase flooring

With stairs, wood has been sought after for a good duration of time. If you wish to have a finish on your stairs that will shout professional, go for the Ghanaian hardwood laminate. This is not only accommodating with dust but also reflects light adequately ensuring you see every step.

Also, this can be used to liven up the atmosphere of your space thus an ideal flooring option.

Although you are looking for a cheap laminate flooring solution, the design does not have to look cheap. With laminate flooring, there are a lot of benefits to rip including easy installation and conforming to the trends in flooring. For the best results with this, the tips above should come in handy.

As you get older, your needs will inevitably change. The first time you went property hunting, you were probably looking for a place to get started. You and your partner made do with a fixer-upper that you remember fondly now but probably wasn’t that great at the time! You likely moved on to a family home; a white picket fence in a good neighborhood where your kids could grow up happy.

But now the kids have grown up and moved out into their own questionable fixer-upper. Your family home is big and empty. You are probably wondering where next for you. While staying here is certainly an option, you might also consider how your needs have changed. Does this property still work for you?

Accessibility

Accessibility is crucial for older people. You might be fine now but as you age, you may find getting around a large home more difficult. Keeping fit and refusing to slow down is a good start. But, it does pay to consider the kind of adjustment you may need in your old age.

It is worth looking at your house to see what would cause problems. Adjusting your home to your needs is a good idea but it doesn’t always work perfectly. A good example is the stairs. If you are living in a house with multiple stories, a lift from Lift Works might be a more pragmatic solution. But the question is, do you have room to install one and how much building work would it take? It may be easier to move than to adjust.

Local Conveniences

At the moment, you are probably driving quite a lot to get to superstores and go to social events. This is fine for now but should you decide to quit driving, would it be a problem later on? Taxi bills can be quite high and, if you are living on a tight budget, you could find that your freedom is significantly reduced.

Have a look around your local community. Are there small shops nearby that you could walk to? Is there a club you could join or a meeting place you could go to regularly? You don’t have to box yourself in right now, but knowing these things are here will help later on.

Staying in Budget

Retiring is a great opportunity to finally do some of the things you have always aspired to. You could travel the world. You could eat out during the week. You could take up golf. You’re likely to get roped into looking after the grandkids!

Whatever your retirement plans are, you must consider your budget when you choose the home you will have. For some retirees, renting could be a better option than taking on a mortgage; for others, keeping a family property and renting it out could be the funding you need to travel the world.

Setting your goals for retirement is just as important as planning for the future. Take everything into account while you decide what’s best. There’s plenty of time to choose your forever home.

Good landscaping can add thousands of dollars of value to your home. Not only that, but it will add value to your home life as well.

Imagine this: summer is approaching and you’re planning the first big barbecue of the season. Everyone flocks to your backyard where they lounge in the lush grass, run around your deck, and enjoy their time in a backyard escape.

Doesn’t that sound great? You might be wondering how to make that dream a reality. If so, keep reading. We’re going over 4 backyard landscaping ideas to turn your yard into a picturesque wonderland for the whole family.

1. Water Features

You might think you need a mansion with a 10-acre plot of land to have water features in your backyard, but that’s far from the truth. Even small spaces can benefit from a small stream, waterfall, pond, fountain, or even a pool.

Water adds a brand new element to your yard by changing the look, sound, and movement of the entire area. A waterfall bubbling on a late spring night brings peace and serenity to your yard, while a small pool will bring joyous laughs and parties to your house all summer long.

2. Create a Garden

If you don’t mind giving yourself a bit more work into your lawn care, a garden can add color and life to your backyard.

Plant flowers of all different colors to create a beautiful and colorful space. You can also try your hand at herbs, vegetables, and fruits if you want to test your green thumb!

3. Fire Pit

Grab yourself a fire pit, some stones of your choosing, and outdoor furniture. You can turn part of your yard into an amazing lounge area complete with a fireplace that’s perfect for late summer nights roasting marshmallows and deep conversations.

Use the stones to create a designated firepit area. This serves to protect your yard from any stray sparks, but it also sections off the fire pit area, which makes it feel more like its own designated room.

4. Upgrade Your Fences

If you haven’t upgraded your fences in a while, spruce them up to add polish to your yard. Even just a paint job can make them look brand new and elevate the look of your entire backyard.

Want to go even bigger? Install some brick walls or white fences and grow ivy or vines along them. This adds a classic and almost collegiate vibe to your yard.

Backyard Landscaping Ideas to Add Style to Your Yard

These are just 4 of the hundreds of backyard landscaping options you have available to you.

But even these 4 little ideas can spark a huge variety of options for you. Water features could mean anything from a huge pool to a tiny waterfall. Gardens can range from a couple of hydrangea bushes to vegetable garden.

Looking into other home improvement projects you can do? We’ve got you covered. Check out this article on the top 10 home improvement ideas that add value to your home and your life.

Buying a home is one of the most stressful things you’ll ever do. In fact, about 40 percent of Americans who have purchased a home in the past call it the most stressful life event they’ve ever faced.

But there are some simple ways to reduce the stress you feel when shopping for homes. One of the best ways is to create a house hunting wish list for yourself before you begin the process.

You, of course, want a home to have a sturdy foundation and a new-ish roof. But those aren’t the only amenities to look out for when buying a home.

Here are 7 other things that should be on your home buying wish list.

1. Great Location

Even if you’ve never shopped for real estate before, you’re probably familiar with the phrase, “Location, location, location.” Real estate agents repeat it early and often to their clients.

And for good reason! You can find the absolute best home ever for you and your family. It might even look like what you imagine your dream home to be.

But if the home is in the wrong location? It’s not the home for you.

A home might be in the wrong location if:

• The property values in its general area have been declining for a decade now
• It’s situated right near a highway or an airport
• The local school district isn’t great

You should consider a living community like Cross Timbers Home Community, for example. Cross Timbers Home Community is an excellent location to begin looking for your starter home.

Cross Timber’s housing community is complete with resort-style amenities, beautiful landscapes, and luxurious commercial properties. These are the types of amenities you want to keep in mind when considering “location, location, location.”

The decision-making of house hunting is too easy to be swept away n. When you find the right area for you and your family: you will know immediately. Do not settle for less!

Don’t get blinded by all the amazing amenities inside of a home. If it’s not in an ideal location, continue shopping around for homes in the right areas.

2. Enough Bedrooms and Bathrooms

Do you have five kids, three dogs, a cat, and a mother-in-law who visits for long weekends at least once every month?

If so, a house that has three bedrooms and 1.5 bathrooms is not going to be your best option. Even if you can somehow manage to make it work, it’s not going to offer you any opportunities to grow further (and your mother-in-law won’t be too happy shacking up at a hotel every month!).

Prior to looking around at different homes for sale in your area, consider how many bedrooms and bathrooms you’ll need—and stick to the numbers you come up with.

3. Updated Kitchen and Bathrooms

If you don’t mind doing a little work and spending a lot of money to remodel the kitchen and bathrooms in a home when you move in, you don’t have to include an updated kitchen and bathrooms on your house hunting wish list.

But on average, a kitchen remodel will cost you almost $22,000. And a bathroom remodel could cost upwards of $25,000 if you go with all high-end finishes.

That means that you could be forced to sink a lot of money into a home that has a kitchen and bathrooms that are on the older side. Why not avoid that altogether by investing in a home that already has these areas updated?

4. Modern Appliances

You’re going to check out tons of homes when you’re shopping for one. When you walk through these houses, pay close attention to the appliances in them.

Appliances can cost more than you might think. Here is a rough estimate on how much each individual appliance could end up costing:

• Refrigerator: Anywhere from $1,000 all the way up to $8,000
• Oven: Between $600 and $2,000
• Washing machine: From $400 for top-loading machines up to $1,000 for front-loading machines
• Dryer: Anywhere from $400 to $1,000
• Dishwasher: Somewhere in the neighborhood of $400 to $700

If you don’t like the appliances in a home, you should, at very least, make sure you can live with them for a little while. The last thing you want to do is buy a home and have to start replacing appliances right away.

5. Well Maintained HVAC System

Before you buy a home, you should always have a home inspection done. During the inspection, an inspector should take a close look at every aspect of the home you want to buy.

As part of this, they should inspect an HVAC system to see what kind of condition it’s in. Repairing a home’s heating and cooling system can cost hundreds of dollars, and replacing it could cost thousands.

Ask your inspector if it appears as though the HVAC system in the home you want to buy has been maintained properly. If it’s in bad condition, that should be a big red flag.

6. Energy Efficient Windows and Doors

If there are older windows and doors in a home, they’re likely going to have an impact on the curb appeal of it. They’re also going to drag down the interior design.

But worst of all, old windows and doors don’t provide the insulating properties that newer ones do. This will often force a home’s HVAC system to work harder than it should have to in order to heat and cool a property.

Keep an eye out for homes with energy efficient windows and doors. They can save you hundreds of dollars every year in energy costs.

7. Spacious Backyard

A big backyard isn’t a necessity for all homeowners. There are some people who don’t want too much outdoor space since they’ll be responsible for maintaining it.

But the more land you can get when purchasing a new home, the better it will be for your bottom line. When you go to sell your home one day, the land will allow you to command top dollar for the home.

Put Your House Hunting Wish List Together Today

There are so many things you’ll need to consider when shopping for homes. It’s why a house hunting wish list will really come in handy.

Your list will allow you to find a home that’s in the right location. It’ll also allow you to get the right number of bedrooms and bathrooms in a home. And it’ll even help you avoid making the mistake of buying a home with older appliances, a poorly maintained HVAC system, or old windows and doors.

Want to see some other mistakes you should avoid when house shopping? Read our blog to check out common mistakes home buyers make during the home buying process.

Every year, more than 5.51 million homes are sold throughout the U.S. Of all these homes, the majority of them are sold with the help of a realtor.

If you’ve been on the fence about hiring a realtor to help you sell your current home or buy a new one, it’s important to make sure you have all the facts before you make a decision.

Buying and selling houses is very difficult, but the right realtor can make the process a lot easier.

Read on to learn about seven reasons why you need to hire a realtor when you’re buying or selling your home.

Why Hire a Realtor?

There are a lot of great benefits that come with hiring a realtor. Some of the main reasons why you want to hire one include:

1. Increased Convenience

Maybe you’ve been considering selling your house yourself so you can save some money and avoid having to fork over a percentage of the proceeds from your house.

This sounds like a good idea in theory, right? Here’s the thing, though: how much time do you really have to dedicate to selling your house?

You probably work full-time. Assuming you want to sleep, eat, and see your kids from time-to-time, too, that doesn’t leave a lot of empty hours to take photos, make repairs, market your house, and host showings, does it? What about looking for a new house that fits your budget and is in the right neighborhood?

Hiring a realtor simplifies the process of selling your home immensely.

2. They Have Connections

Realtors also have all kinds of connections that can be very helpful when you’re trying to sell your house.

They can put you in touch with contractors to oversee home improvements and renovations. They can connect you to great mortgage lenders or lawyers, too.

Don’t trust your future to a Google search for “best contractor near me.” Instead, hire a realtor who already knows who the best contractor in your area really is.

3. Negotiation Is Easier

How confident are you when it comes to negotiating the sales price of your house or the price of the new house you want to buy?

Remember that negotiating down the price of a house is very different from negotiating down the price of an old VCR at a flea market.

Instead of trying to deal with negotiations yourself, why not hire a realtor who can do the hard stuff for you?

They know what they’re doing, and they have a lot more experience than you. Shouldn’t you take advantage of that experience?

4. Better Sales Prices

Speaking of sales prices, you’ll probably be able to get a better sales price for your house if you work with a realtor.

Even when you subtract their commission, you can often sell your house for more when you have a professional on your side.

Many people who sell their homes on their own end up lowering the asking price quite a bit just to get the house off the market.

5. Increased Searching Power

Realtors don’t just make the process of selling your house easier. They also make it easier for you to find your dream home.

Realtors have access to tons of listings that you would never know about if you didn’t hire them.

Don’t limit yourself to what’s available online. Reach out to a realtor and learn about great houses in your ideal neighborhood and price range.

6. Get Advice from Experts

Even if you’ve moved once or twice in your life, how much do you really know about buying and selling houses? Probably not as much as you’d like to think.

It’s easy to get overwhelmed when you’re moving, but a realtor can take a lot of the stress away and provide you with expert advice.

Whether you’re concerned about finding a good lender, need help deciding which renovations to make before you sell, or just want to vent a bit about how hard moving is, a realtor is a great person to have on your side. They’re like an advisor, a parent, and a therapist all rolled into one.

7. Get Help with Post-Closing Questions

Even after all the contracts are signed and your house has been sold, you’ll probably still have some questions.

For example, you might need to know about property taxes or have loose ends to tie up with your mortgage lender.

Instead of trying to navigate these issues on your own, you can talk to your realtor and get clear answers from a professional.

How to Hire the Right Realtor

Okay, you can see that it’s important to hire a realtor. How do you make sure you’re hiring the best realtor for the job, though?

Here are some tips that will help you sort through all the different realtors out there and find one who’s qualified to help you:

• Make sure their license is up to date and valid in your state
• Find out how long they’ve been in working in your area
• Check their online reviews and testimonials to see what past clients are saying about them
• Take a look at their listings to see what kinds of houses they typically sell
• Pay attention to their customer service practices and how quickly they return your calls and emails

If you really want to work with an experienced professional, try to hire a real estate broker instead of an agent.

Brokers have more training and education under their belts. Check out this related article to learn more about the difference between agents and brokers.

Learn More About Real Estate

As you can see, there are a lot of reasons why you might want to hire a realtor to help you buy or sell a house.

Keep these benefits in mind, as well as these tips for choosing the right realtor, and you’ll have a much easier time getting your house off the market and getting into your dream home.

Do you want to learn more about the real estate industry? Maybe you need help choosing what kind of place to buy next?

Whatever information you need, we’re here to provide it.

Check out some of our recent blog posts today for all kinds of helpful tips. This article on whether or not a condo is a good investment is a great starting point.

Do you remember how you felt when you first stepped foot in your home? What caught your eye, and what drew you in and got you hooked besides price? These memories should serve as key factors when staging your home for a potential resell.

Especially since in the past year, 40% of real estate agents surveyed said that home staging had a significant effect on their clients and that 83% of buyers’ agents said that styling a home made it easier for their clients to see themselves in the property.

In fact, you never know, if you effectively stage your home, you may even create a bidding frenzy and exceed the suggested listing appraisal. When you take the time to properly stage your home, you’re not only helping buyers better visualize themselves in the space, but you’re also helping yourself in the process.

If you’re questioning the need to stage your home, think about it from a buyer’s perspective, and even your own when you bought your home. Letting them see what’s possible will only help them see themselves making a home out of your property. That said, here are several must-dos according to the interior designers at firm Décor Aid.

Staging a home shouldn’t be trying or complicated, but it is all about crucial common sense decisions to make the best of the experience. Before beginning, to be as efficient and effective as possible, you’ll need to:

1. Do a thorough deep clean to really make your home sing to them.
2. Research your neighborhood and the real estate market around it. What kind of people have been moving in around you? Think about their age and lifestyle to help you better understand what kind of home staging could inspire them.
3. Get a proper, professional home inspection to ensure that everything is sound and that you have your bases covered.
4. Start to detach yourself from your home by thinking of yourself simply as a seller – not a homeowner.

Entryway

Since it only takes a few seconds to make a lasting first impression, your entryway can make a huge difference in selling your home before they even do a complete walkthrough.

Front door- Let them in with a refreshed and refinished front door that’ll help your home evoke that it’s up to date before they even walk in. And a new welcome mat won’t hurt or break the bank either.

Area rug- Bring your entryway to life with a bold and bright rug that’s full of personality.

Mirrors- An affordable update that’ll up the sophistication factor in any room, mirrors are great for helping an entryway feel brighter and larger since they mimic the feel of a window while reflecting light.

A handy console table- Let them better understand the scale of your entryway with a smart console table that’ll keep the look tidy as well.

Catchall trays- Keep your entryway tidy by storing everyday objects like keys, cards, and mail in a stylish holdall for easy reach.

Lighting- Who likes stepping into a too-dark or too-bright home? Instead, greet them with warm and inviting lighting that’ll have them intrigued the second they walk in.

Bathroom

Potential homeowners are going to scrutinize your bathroom, so make sure yours is on par before they tour your home.

Use towels to your advantage- You may not realize it, but towels are a great decorative tool. Use brightly colored and patterned fresh towels to refresh your bathroom in style.

Welcome in plants- Not only will plants add needed color and texture in this small space, but they’ll also help to purify the air in the room without having to spend a fortune.

Refresh and showcase toiletries- Every bathroom has them, but the way you style your everyday goods can make a huge difference, so great packaging should come to the forefront and be highlighted.

Closets

You may not realize it, but closets count. In fact, since the rise of fast-fashion, people have more clothes than ever, and a smartly organized closet will be sure to inspire them.

Decorate it with clothing- Keep the look minimal but consistent by spacing hangers evenly and sorting everything by color for an easy on the eye feel.

Go for a lived-in feel- The key here is to avoid the cold and austere feel of a retail environment by going for an authentic feel, almost as though no staging took place at all.

Living + Dining Room:

The most commonly used rooms for residents and guests alike, your living and dining room setups are about as important as the functionality of a kitchen, so decorate wisely with these cues.

Create an accent wall- While a fresh coat of paint can do wonders in any room, an accent wall can help to add depth to a common area while lending it needed personality and a distinctive focal point. And since it’s a small sliver of a wall, go wild with intoxicating colors or a memorable print.

Add mirrors- Again, mirrors can instantly make a room feel brighter, larger, and grander. And since they are easy to affordably source, there’s no excuse to not add a few throughout your home.

Curate displays and collectibles- Show off what you’ve been collecting over the years in a tidy and minimal manner to lend your common areas needed personality to avoid a cold and clinical feel.

Install Higher Window Treatments- By hanging your curtains as high as possible, you’ll lend a room a serious sense of sophistication while making it appear larger and tricking the eye into thinking its ceilings are higher than they really are.

Forget About Dark Colors- Sure, they help set an intimate mood, but potential home buyers are all about stepping into a bright and airy space. So cheer up that dark setting with bright accents like fresh throws, pillows, and rugs all boasting lively print and color.

In the end, reapproach your home as if it was the first time all over again and think about what seduced you in the first place to recreate that magic spell.

Does entering your home every day make you feel refreshed and relaxed? Or, does it make you feel unhappy? If it’s the latter, you may want to think about redesigning your home.

A lot of people think that interior design is just about making your home look nice for when guests come over. But, interior design is so much more than that. You want the design of your home to reflect your personality and for it to make you feel energized and happy. But, how do you achieve such a feat?

It all starts with hiring the right interior design companies. Check out this guide to learn how to find the best one.

Check Their Credentials

Anyone can claim that they’re a top-of-the-line interior designer.

Therefore, it’s very important that you vet every design company you are thinking of hiring to make sure they have the credentials to back up their claims.

Check to see if they have a license and certification (you actually legally need this to call yourself a designer in the US or Canada), where they’ve studied interior design, if they’re a part of any national organizations, and if they’re currently enrolled in any form of continuing education.

There’s a big difference between having “good taste” and understanding how lighting, materials, and layouts work.

An interior decorator may be able to help you choose items based on their good taste, but only a licensed interior designer can put pieces together in a way that will transform a room.

Look at Their Portfolio

It may seem obvious to check out the portfolio of an interior design company, but you’d be surprised at the number of people who neglect to do this before hiring.

When browsing through designers’ portfolios, don’t just pay attention to how “pretty” you find their designs to be. You also need to check that their design style is similar to your tastes and, most importantly, reflect your budget.

Also, make sure they’ve worked on projects that are similar to the ones you need to be done. For example, if you want them to design a luxury bathroom, then they better have portfolio samples showcasing that sort of work.

Schedule a Convo With the Design Company

When hiring an interior design company, you want to make sure you vibe with more than just their style.

You also want to make sure your personalities vibe.

Hiring the most talented designer in the world means nothing if the person isn’t a good communicator.

When talking with a design company, make note of a few things:

• Are they asking me about my lifestyle and style preferences?
• Are they comfortable accomplishing the project within my budget?
• Are they friendly and easy to reach?
• Are they trying to persuade me to do something because it “looks good” or because it works with my style and budget

By asking these questions, it will be much easier to narrow down your choices.

Interior Design Companies: Which One Will You Hire?

By considering the above points, it will be much easier to find the best interior design companies.

If you have any questions about finding the right company, please don’t hesitate to comment below or get in touch with us.

Also, if you aren’t sure which colors to use for the interior of your home, be sure to check out this guide on the biggest color trends of 2019.

Most homeowners decide to have some sort of open house as a way to increase the visibility of their listing and get their house sold faster. But if you don’t take the right steps to stage your home and prepare it, then you could be wasting a lot of time and effort.

Buyers want to see a home that looks like it’s waiting for them to move in. Check out these open house tips to ensure you’re setting the right scene to make a sale.

1. Get Rid of All Your Clutter and Family Photos

When someone is touring your home, they want to be able to imagine their own things in it. That means if you have a lot of clutter or family photos around, you should take them down.

You also want to make sure that you clean the excess items out of all of your closets so that the doors can shut easily and it looks like you can fit a lot of stuff. If you have items falling out of your closets, then people will feel like your home doesn’t have enough storage.

2. Hire a Professional Cleaning Service

Hiring a professional cleaning service is the best way to ensure that you don’t miss any major spots of dust or stains while you are cleaning. You want the people who are touring your home to be able to focus on its architectural and design features.

Having a dirty or messy home can distract the people touring your home from those details and put their focus instead on the living habits of the people who inhabited the home before them. To ensure your home is in the best possible condition, hire a cleaner. Check out this service for a great option.

3. Make All Repairs

When people are touring your home, they are going to be thinking about all of the little projects that they want to complete. It could be things like painting walls, replacing fixtures, or a complete remodel.

You want to make sure that you have knocked as many things off that potential list as possible. By making repairs yourself, buyers will feel like your house is more move-in ready and will be more likely to put in an offer.

4. Stage the Home

Staging your home with furniture that fits it well is a great way to help buyers envision themselves living in your home. Make sure that you select pieces that make sense in your home.

If you have a lot of oversized furniture that never fit well in your home, then it’s best to move it out before the open house and hire someone to stage your home with more reasonable furniture. Otherwise, potential buyers might think your rooms are smaller than they actually are.

5. Make Sure Your Home Smells Great

There are a lot of different options when it comes to making your home smell great. If you don’t have that much time before your open house, then you can just put a few candles around to make sure it smells like home.

But if you have more time, you should consider baking something or boiling a mixture of spices on the stove to create an aroma in your home. It might be the extra touch someone needs in order to envision themselves hosting holiday parties in your home with their family.

6. Fix Up Your Curb Appeal

The curb appeal of your home can make or break a sale. Try to do everything you can to get it in as good a shape as possible.

That means making sure your lawn is trimmed and that your flower beds have recently been weeded. You can also put a fresh coat of paint on your house if it hasn’t had one for a long time. Those small efforts can make a huge impact on the first impression someone has when they come to your home.

7. Make Sure You Leave

Some people want to stay in their homes during an open house. They rationalize it by saying that it’s good to have someone around to answer the buyer’s questions.

But in reality, buyers will be much more open about asking questions if they know the owner of the home isn’t there. They don’t want to feel like they are insulting you or questioning the way you live.

Let your real estate do the job of highlighting the positive features in your home. It will come off less like bias coming from them.

Just take those couple hours and take your dogs for a walk or take your kids to the park so that your potential buyers can browse in peace.

8. Choose the Right Time for Your Open House

Choosing the right time for your open house is key to being successful. Sunday afternoons are often the best time since a lot of people are off work and a lot of other open houses are on that day.

Your open house should last for at least two hours, although from one to five P.M. is optimal if you want to get all possible traffic.

Try to choose a weekend that doesn’t conflict with any major holidays and check the weather forecast to avoid rainy or cold days where people might be more likely to stay home.

Beyond Open House Tips

These open house tips can ensure that the people who come to look at your home get the best first impression making them more likely to put in an offer. But they’re not the only steps you can take to increase your chances.

Hiring the right real estate agency is key to your successful sale, contact one of our agents today for help with your listing.