9 Tips To Make The Move Into Your First Apartment Feel Like A Breeze

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How to Move Into An Apartment For The First Time

Moving into your first apartment comes with a bag of mixed feelings: You’re excited to get started on a new adventure, but it can also feel overwhelming, as it comes with a new set of challenges and responsibilities.

From finding the right apartment to rent to signing a lease and furnishing your new living space, there are a lot of things you will need to consider in order to make your move a success. It’s a big step into the unknown, but when you’re armed with the right information, you can make your move feel like a breeze.

Here are some tips to help turn your move into a breeze:

Tips For Moving Into Your First Apartment

1. Make savings

Moving always costs a lot more than you originally anticipated. Start your moving budget by finding out how much you actually can spend on rent. Make sure you have enough money to cover the first and the last month’s rent at least and renter’s insurance.

Other fees could crop up, such as an application fee and a pet deposit if you have a pet. Additionally, there could be other costs associated with your lease, such as parking or storage fees.

You will also need extra cash to cover the moving costs, utilities, and other living expenses. Finally, stay prepared for anything that could happen outside your control with an emergency fund. Always have that extra cash for a rainy day ready.

2. Find the right location

Before you decide on the ideal apartment, find the ideal location. You might want to consider proximity to your workplace and other spots you need to get to on a daily basis.

Also, think about your potential commute and whether you will use your car or public transportations — traffic patterns and availability of public transport should count heavily when you decide which area you will be living in.

Consider access to local businesses, grocery stores, and entertainment venues to ensure you get access to everything you need.

If you choose to live in a smaller apartment to save on rent, you might want to add self-storage to your budget. It’s a convenient way to keep bulky and seasonal items out of your space without cluttering your living space.

Most people rent a 10×10 unit, but if you’re just moving into your first apartment, you could probably fit your things into a 5×5 unit.

3. Tour several properties to find “the one”

Once you decided on a neighborhood, shop around for the ideal apartment in the area. When touring an apartment, look at the overall condition, making sure there are no signs of water damage or property damage such as leaking faucets, dirty carpeting, and others.

Security is equally important: does the building have a security system and fire alarms? If you decide to rent the apartment, keep records of the property’s pre-existing conditions — take pictures and make videos in case you need evidence of the initial state of the apartment when you try to claim the deposit back at the end of the lease.

4. Pay attention to the fine print of the lease

Now that you found the apartment of your dreams — or close to it, anyway — find out all the rules that come with signing a lease. Pay attention to the section discussing maintenance and rules regarding visitors.

Pet policies are also significant sections of your lease as you might want to bring your best furry friend with you to your new home.

Make sure you have a good open line of communication with the landlord once you get settled in. Having a great relationship with the landlord will make for a much more pleasant living arrangement.

5. Pick the right roommates

You may or may not have had roommates previously, but living with other people can come with various pros. You can split the rent and bills and enjoy each other’s company. It sounds like an ideal situation, so it’s important to discuss their job schedule, personal habits, and their situation before signing a lease.

Go through each detail of your apartment life, from creating a chore schedule to personal pet peeves. You could write up a roommate agreement — not a legally binding document — that you can think of as a set of rules helping you navigate the intricacies of sharing your new living space. This will help you avoid ending up in an unpleasant situation in the future.

6. Buy apartment essentials

You will need a bunch of things to get your new life started. But where to start? Begin with the basics. Make a list of what you think you’re going to need and the space your apartment comes with before you shop.

Before you think about decorations, you will most likely need a good place to sleep, so investing in a bed and nice bedding seems like a great place to start. You will also need furniture — think of smaller pieces if your apartment is already small.

A smaller couch, a nightstand, a table with chairs are just some of the apartment essentials you will need. Buy the basic kitchen tools that include pots and pans and strainers; leave fancy juicers for later.

You will most likely need to keep the space clean, so getting a good handle on cleaning supplies will help you enjoy your apartment so much more.

7. Change your address and set up utilities

Moving can be overwhelming, especially when you’re getting settled into your first apartment. Remember to change your address in order to have your mail delivered to your new address.

It’s a swift process and can be done online on USPS’s website. Don’t forget to notify your internet provider and your other utility companies (gas, water, electric) of your move to ensure service is set up by the time you move.

8. Be smart about packing

Start your move before you actually move. Get packing supplies and make lists with your belongings and even label boxes as you pack. This way, you can keep track of your belongings, and it will be easier to unpack once you’re at your new apartment.

Don’t pack towels separately — instead, use them to pad the packing boxes. It would be a good idea to have a few blankets for wrapping larger or sensitive items such as the TV. Wrap the blanket around the item and use tape to secure it.

If you need to disassemble any devices, take pictures beforehand to ease the assembly in the new place. Place small nails and pieces belonging to furniture in sandwich bags so you can easily find them when it’s time to reassemble them again.

9. Get ready to move in

Once your lease is signed, schedule your move-in day. You might think that you don’t have many things to move, but you’re better off prepared. Start by renting a moving truck and even ask friends to help you. Now you’re ready to move and start a new chapter of your life!

Final Thoughts

Moving into your first apartment is a big step in one’s life. Practice being patient so you end up making the right decision. Rushing is only going to increase the potential for mistakes.

Hopefully, you have enjoyed the tips for moving into your first apartment!

DIY Home Staging Tips – Stand Out From The Competition

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How to Stage Your Home Yourself

Do you need to get your home looking better? Are you looking for some DIY home staging tips that will help make your home stand out from the competition?

Do-It-Yourself (DIY) home staging is the skill of transforming your home into a product that will be generally pleasing to most onlookers.

While there are many reasons for staging a home, the most popular would be when a home is up for sale. It is about optimizing the layout and space of your home in a manner that highlights its best peculiarities making it stand out from other houses in the market.

This art is becoming quite popular owing to the results it brings to homeowners. In this DIY home staging tips article, we will focus on the major components of a typical home.

DIY-Home-Staging-Tips

Clean and Repair to Start The Home Staging Process

Clean and repair are the rule of the thumb when it comes to DIY home staging. For any room, this can be one of the largest hindrances for home clients. Having a clean home that is free of major repairs makes your home seem move-in ready, so potential clients are not coming up with the list of stuff requiring extra work on their part.

Before you start adding decor pieces, try to get your house in top shape. Fix anything that is broken and work on decluttering the various parts of your home. It would be highly advisable first to get rid of anything you no longer need or want.

One of the better avenues to take would be to hire one of the top junk removal companies such as 1800 GOT JUNK or another refuse removal company like them. They will come to your home with a truck and take away what you don’t want.

If some of your things have value they will donate the items to charity for you – a nice bonus to be able to help someone out in need. Once you have the larger items out of the way, you’ll want to start organizing what remains.

This means removing unnecessary items from cabinets and closets to show that the home has plenty of storage area. Also, remove clutter from the garage, attic, and basement so that the floors are easily visible and people can start to imagine their furniture and belongings in the area.

After cleaning, repairing, and removing the unused items out of the way you can shift your focus to staging each room in the house to appeal to a wide range of buyers.

Even homes that are in bad condition can benefit from home staging. Even properties that need some TLC show much better when they are not filled and unorganized with junk.

Kitchen Home Staging tips

Certainly, this is one of the places in your home that needs to be staged exceptionally well since it will help you sell. Normally, homeowners are seeking stylish and refreshed kitchens, thus, you need to learn what is trending.

First and foremost, make sure the kitchen is sparkling clean. Declutter the countertops, clean the floors, and make all the appliances as clean and sparkly as possible.

As you might expect, it is the tiny details that make a lot of difference in home staging.

For instance, fresh fruit and flower bowls can produce a little life in your kitchen. You can enhance it with a few excellent stemwares that are set out to encourage visitors to think of entertaining in the place.

In case you own a breakfast bar, position the stools nearby but with a bit of space between the stools and bar to give the image that the bar is spacious.

Make sure all the lights are on and if there are windows, allow as much natural light as possible by opening curtains and blinds.

Living Room Home Staging Tips

When preparing the living room for potential buyers, your aim should be to make it appear big and spacious with a lot of possibilities.

This is essential because oftentimes, this is the area that a majority of homeowners gather and entertain. Make this area simple and eliminate any unnecessary and bigger decoration items.

Accentuate the windows and natural light by pulling back drapes or curtains and opening up the blinds and shades.

Luckily, the living room is the simplest place to include modern trends too, without necessarily going overboard. Although going out to purchase all brand-new decor accessories is not a must, it is a good idea to have trendy accessories that stand out.

Bright, dissimilar palettes are not just in fashion but can be a tool to attract attention to particular traits of the home that you wish to show off.

Bathroom House Staging Tips

The bathroom is another area that can impact a home for sale. Usually, potential buyers will look for a comfortable and ultra-modern bathroom that makes them feel relaxed.

Replacing old light fixtures with modern items is an inexpensive way to lighten the area and add modern touches. If you have the budget, you may consider replacing colored tile with more neutral-toned tile.

The idea is to show your potential buyer the inherent feasibility of your bathroom.

Normally, it is good to add nice items such as candles, towels, decorative soaps, small plants, and other common items found in your bathroom.

Although you don’t spend a lot on DIY home staging, replacing things like bath mats and towels can indeed bring some desirable impacts.

Additionally, a bathroom is a place you should spend extra time cleaning, eliminating any build-up or mildew from the moisture. This can be an immense hindrance for buyers and may even be a reason your home will not sell.

Bedroom Staging Tips

While you want the bedroom to be inviting, you also want it to be neutral enough that a potential buyer can envision living in that room.

You will need to eliminate anything that is messing up your bedroom, as well as photos and personal items. This can mislead the buyer from noticing other appealing qualities of the home.

Have suitable and neutral colors on the bedding as well as a limited number of throw pillows. Be sure the bedroom is sufficiently lit before showing, either with natural light that comes from the windows or decorative light installations.

Home Staging Tips For Your Entrance

The front entrance to the home is what people will see when looking at pics online and determining if they even want to visit your home.

Clean the door and any windows around the entrance. Remove any clutter from the front porch or steps. Add some color by placing a seasonal plant near the door.

If the house number is on the door, or near the door, either clean it diligently or replace it with new numbers.

All of these items can draw more eyes to your listing and help you to sell quicker.

Final Thoughts On DIY Home Staging Tips

You don’t have to follow any complex rules with these DIY home staging tips. Focusing on little details always makes your home stand out. Making some repairs and cleaning is a simple but excellent step to consider to render your home even more attractive to potential buyers.

By doing so you will also increase the chances that when the appraiser visits your home will look even more favorable.

Even More Home Staging Resources:
Staging your home may seem like a waste of time and money but the reality is that in most cases, staging a home can be very beneficial to a home seller. Take a look at this post by Sharon Paxson to learn about how to stage a home and why it’s so important!

Virtual Staging Versus Home Staging: Which Is Better? If you don’t know what virtual staging is, to put it simply, you’re staging your home for the web but not for the in-person visit. Does that matter? It depends and I would encourage you to read this insightful article about virtual staging by Conor MacEvilly.

If you don’t “wow” potential home buyers with a great first impression, there’s a good chance you will not get top dollar for your home. Staging your home is an art and if it is not taken seriously, your home could look downright UGLY. Michelle Gibson goes through home staging mistakes that must be avoided if you want to create a lasting first impression.

Use all of these additional home staging articles to make your home look like a showplace. If you have the time to put it in, DIY home staging can save you lots of money and get your place looking as good as a pro. Best of luck!

 

Waterfront Homes: How to Buy on a Budget

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What to Know About Buying a Waterfront Home

Are you considering buying a waterfront property? Waterfront homes are highly desirable and with good reason. Living on the waterfront is something that many people desire.

You may imagine waking up listening to the sound of the waves crashing, sitting on your porch drinking a cup of coffee at the beginning of the day. Waterfront properties bring an ambiance that other homes do not have.

You have the windows open in your home, enjoying the cool breeze blowing through your home. This sounds like a dream for many! Waterfront homes are considered luxury homes.

It is possible to enjoy living in waterfront homes on a budget with a little planning. If you already have your ocean or lake house and want to save on expenses, you will find some tips to help you live on a budget.

How to Buy Waterfront Homes on a Budget

Cover Everything When Living On The Water

There can be more costs associated with living on the waterfront. If you live on the oceanfront or anywhere near the beach, the salt air can be very corrosive. There are some budget-saving hacks to consider when living on the water.

You may find that there is much more moisture on your outdoor patio or deck. This can result in the growth of mildew and sometimes even mold. You will need to maintain this, and this is something that you can do yourself by power spraying the deck or patio.

Protect your outdoor furniture. There are conditioners for metal furniture that can be sprayed on it to protect it from the sunshine and air.

Cover the outdoor furniture during the winter months, and if there are removable cushions, bring them inside, or store them in a storage box. This will help you to save on replacing your outdoor furniture every year.

Make sure to cover your barbeque throughout the year as well. The salt air will rust barbeques fairly quickly. It is a good idea to cover it up every time you utilize it.

Be sure to address any deferred maintenance on your home. There are many DIY tips for addressing deferred maintenance that will save a bunch of money.

Choose Economic Aquatic Sports when Living in Waterfront Homes

Depending on where you find your waterfront property will dictate what types of aquatic activities you can have. If the area allows boating, be sure to investigate what types of boats and sizes are allowed.

Having a boat that remains in the water can be expensive and require a lot of maintenance. The bottom of the boat needs to be cleaned regularly, and if there is wood on the boat, that will require maintenance. Anything that requires maintenance costs money.

Some great activities on the waterfront that are more economical include kayaking which might be initially expensive. However, you may be able to find a kayak on Craigs List or any other reseller site! Most kayaks are made of plastic and can be taken out of the water fairly easily, and don’t require maintenance.

Other activities to consider that are more cost-effective include stand-up paddleboarding. Again, this may be expensive initially, but once you have the board and your paddle, you are good to go. And it is a great workout!

Consider Buying a Home Located on an Interior Lot

Consider buying a home on an interior lot but near the water. Ensure that you still have access to the water. An interior lot near the water can literally save you hundreds of thousands of dollars. You may still end up with an amazing view.

Homes that are located on the second row from the beach or the lake are still valuable given the close proximity to the water. And you can still get the benefits of living near the water.

Consider Buying a Waterfront Home That is a Fixer-Upper

Homes that have deferred maintenance or are fixer-uppers may be a great way to buy waterfront homes at a lower price. However, when buying a fixer-upper, you have to plan ahead on how much your renovations will cost. This is true of any home in bad condition.

This needs to be factored in if you are considering purchasing a home that is a fixer-upper. And there are some excellent tips to avoid overspending on a fixer-upper that will help you save some money.

Purchase a Vacant Lot For a Waterfront Home

Consider looking a little out of the area that is trending and hot right now. Look a little further away from where the prices are not that inflated.  Purchasing a vacant lot allows you to have your waterfront property, and then you have the option of building a home.

Before you begin the home building process, you may need to obtain a construction loan. Ideally, you will be able to build the home of your dreams but before you get it designed, be sure to create a needs vs. wants list!

If you are buying a resale, there will be many mortgage programs to choose from as well.

There are many questions to ask when building new construction. If you have ever done a remodel or renovation to your home, it is exciting but also stressful.

Any construction project will likely have delays in the original time period, which can cost money. It is wise to plan ahead and know what to expect with new construction. The reality is that whenever you embark upon new constructions, things may not go perfectly as you have planned.

Inexpensive Landscaping

Generally speaking, the lots that are located on or near the water are smaller in general. So there is not as much area to the landscape.

There are generally planters along the side of your home and front and the rear. There are many creative landscaping ideas that can be done on a budget. You can also use colored pots planted with color to accessorize the home. Planting the area yourself is a great way to save money while adding to the home.

Final Thoughts about Waterfront Homes

You have some options when buying waterfront homes, and be sure to plan ahead. Working with a top Realtor will help you to identify the best areas to buy waterfront homes at a more affordable price.

By being more proactive with the maintenance of the home will also help to save money on a regular basis. It takes a little planning, but it can be done.