Category: Home and Property Discussions

5 Steps on How to Buy Your Dream Home

Two key focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Home/Living/Property Discussions. While it sounds simple on paper, buying a home whether it’s finding or building a dwelling that suits your needs and preferences, or the financing transaction, it can all be very complicated and draining. If you a few basic things, the process can go much more smoothly. The following contributed post is entitled, 5 Steps on How to Buy Your Dream Home.

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Buying a home is an exciting experience and an involving one, especially if you are a first-time owner. There are basic steps you need to take for a great home buying experience, and a few are highlighted in this guide.

Image via Shutterstock by TijanaM

Get Pre-Approved for a Mortgage

While you may be psyched about owning a new home, don’t begin hunting for a home before getting pre-approved for a mortgage. You can still use mortgagecalculator.org to check how much you will pay back based on your lender’s time and interest rate. When you get pre-approved for a loan, it becomes easier for you to narrow down your search to a home that best fits your budget. Your pre-approval letter will indicate the maximum loan you can get.

With this information, you will instantly know your maximum price point.

List Your Essentials

Once you get pre-approved, the next step is to list the essentials you need to have in your new home. Put this in a list and make sure that you follow through. It’s also important not to have too many essentials so that you find it challenging to get a house in your area. By sticking to your list, you still avoid “list creep.” These are instances where you see particular objects in a home, and suddenly you want it included in your home.

Are You Moving In or Relocating

Based on your budget, you already know whether you want a move-in ready house or a fixer-upper, which will need some renovations. If you want to settle for a fixer-upper, you should consider those below your price range. This way, you will save enough for your preferred upgrades. It’s still advisable that you speak to your financier to learn more about the renovation loan process.

Document Your Walkthroughs and Settle On the Best

As you view different houses, the features can sometimes blend, and it can get confusing, which feature was in what house. To ease the confusion, be sure to take photos of the areas you love. If you are searching for a dream home, one of the things you should avoid is getting caught up in the listing. If you have narrowed down your search to ten houses, your choice should be based on your top three choices.

Quit Searching

Even after finding an ideal home, some buyers still want to keep browsing to check on more trends. Once you have made your choice, there is no need to keep checking for new listings. This can confuse you even more and delay the home buying process. Therefore, learn to be confident with the decision you make.

Wrapping Up

When purchasing a dream home, the initial step involves getting pre-approved for a home loan. Given that the loan will act as a guiding principle for purchase, your choices are to settle for a new or older home. Understand that issues with purchasing older homes range from simple renovations to remodeling. This means that you’ll have to spend less part of your loan so that you have enough for renovations.

Homeowner Discussions: Is It Better To Relocate Or Revamp?

Three key focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money, Home/Living Discussions and Home/Property Discussions. A popular television show is “Love It Or List It” where homeowners must decide whether to update their current property or find a new one altogether. It’s something all homeowners must face. The following contributed post is entitled, Homeowner Discussions: Is It Better To Relocate Or Revamp?

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A happy home life is something that everyone deserves. So, when you’re not 100% satisfied with the current living situation, you will have a number of key questions to consider. The most pertinent, however, is whether to move property or invest in improving the one you already own.

While there’s no single right or wrong answer for everyone, there are several key factors to consider. Be sure to consider the following issues and you won’t go far wrong.

The Financial Aspects

Given that a property is the greatest financial asset at your disposal, it’s impossible to ignore the monetary elements. When relocating, buying a fixer-upper could be one of the greatest ways to bolster your financial status over the long haul. However, it will require a lot of patience. Moreover, you’ll need to remember that buying and selling properties comes with various taxes, fees, and hidden costs.

Meanwhile, most people can add value to the existing property as well as their home lives with ease. Land clearing with the view to creating an extension or adding luxury backyard items can deliver a fantastic ROI. Meanwhile, attic and cellar conversions are capable of making the home feel bigger. They also add significant value. Moreover, you can complete projects one at a time to aid your cash flow at this time.

In many cases, then, working on your existing home is probably best in the short-term. However, each route can deliver benefits in the long haul. The key is to do it correctly.

Lifestyle Changes

When buying a property, you aren’t just purchasing a building. You are committing to a new way of life. Therefore, it’s essential that you think about those impacts on your life as well as the benefits of the property itself. When moving to a new city, weighing up the career prospects and living costs is as crucial as the cost of the property. Otherwise, it won’t become the foundation of a happy life like you crave.

Even when moving locally, you may need to consider transport links to your work or the schooling facilities. The truth is that your move may provide an upgrade or a downgrade. Only thorough research will give you a clear indication of what to expect. If you decide that a move is right for your future, it’s important to choose a suitable time for the move too. Moving during your child’s exam season, for example, may not work.

Staying put offers stability and convenience, but only you will know if it’s where you wish to stay. If the surroundings are a source of displeasure, a move could be right.

Personalization

When hoping to make a house a home, character-defining features are vital. If planning to move into a new property, you should invest in personalization from the start. Living in someone else’s dream property will never deliver the best results, even if the surroundings are impressive. This is another incentive to choose a home that needs a little work. It’ll save money, that can be spent on those updates.

If your current home is in good health and just needs a little updating, cost-effective ideas work wonders. New kitchen cabinet handles are far cheaper than gutting the room. Meanwhile, a change of color scheme or rearranging the furniture can bolster living spaces. Fixing TVs to the wall or using shelves rather than display cabinets can deliver stunning rewards too. Increased floor space is the key.

It’s quicker to personalize an existing space, but starting from scratch in a new home may be better for some. But only if you have the time and budget needed for success.

Superb Ideas For Tricky-To-Decorate Spaces

Two key focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Home/Property Discussions. A key consideration for your living space is decorating it. Decorating your home to your satisfaction will be critical to your quality of life and generally how you feel in your dwelling. The following contributed post is entitled, Superb Ideas For Tricky-To-Decorate Spaces.

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Most modern homes maximise the volume of interior space by making sure that everything is square. Older homes have more hidden nooks and crannies. Even so, homeowners of both types often find themselves in situations where they have to decorate tricky spaces. Either they’re too small, hard to reach, or a weird shape.

The good news, though, is that a lot of keen home DIY enthusiasts have come before you. And they’ve figured out myriad ways to get the job done, even in the tightest of spots! Here are some solutions:

Windows With Architectural Details

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Some homes have weird windows with architectural features that get in the way. You would think that something as simple as treating a window frame would be easy. But that’s not the case at all. You wind up with bits and pieces of the window design jutting into your room or getting in the way of your tiling work.

Whatever the case, the best approach is to leave the feature alone and then just work around it. With paint, this is easy. With wallpaper, it’s more complicated. And with tiles, it’s the hardest of all. Sticking with a period feature and working around it neatly, however, often creates a beautiful visual effect. In fact, it looks so good, you don’t envy those with simpler setups.

Nooks In The Ceiling

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There’s nothing more annoying than trying to repaint a ceiling with a dormer window. The angles are just impossible, even if you have a great ladder.

For some people with double-height ceilings, the problem is even worse. Not only do you have to twist and turn at some weird angles, but you also risk falling to your doom.

The best solution here, according to Access One Scaffolding to build an aluminium frame below the area in which you’re working. The idea is to create a temporary walk surface – like a second floor -to make it easier to get to those tricky areas. If you still can’t reach, you just add extras to the frame until you’re in the perfect position to start painting.

Random Spaces Behind Doors

It’s always hard to know what to do with spaces lurking behind doors. You can’t put an antique table there. And you certainly can’t place pottery there. So what the heck are you supposed to do with it?

One idea is to buy a piece of artwork that just so happens to fit the available space. It won’t get in the way of the door opening, but it’ll also provide visual interest.

Another idea is to install a wall lamp. Again, it shouldn’t get in the way but will also provide a bit of extra beauty.

A Gap Under Your Stairs

The most obvious option here is to create a cupboard for your vacuum cleaner. But what if you have cantilever stairs? Your best bet here is to insert some plants and hope for the best. What you’ll find is that large indoor shrubs look natural and cosy in the nook, thanks to their foliage. You can also try adding lanterns and even attractive bins if it still looks sparse.

Top Kitchen Cabinet Handles In The Market

Three focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/money, Business/Entrepreneurship and Home/Property Discussions. If you’re building your own personal residence or purchasing a home from a previous owner, you want it to have the most modern and functional features available. If you’re an investor renting property, you want your units to have the most appeal possible for potential renters. Kitchen space is an important consideration in both instances. The following guest post is entitled, Top Kitchen Cabinet Handles In The Market.

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Source of image: Pexels

Function and decorative purposes. These are the two factors that people consider when looking for kitchen cabinet handles, or just cabinet handles in general.

A lot of hardware stores sell good quality functional cabinet handles, but not in the design that will match your style and vice-versa. Sometimes it feels like you are going in circles because there are just too many choices and too many hardware stores to choose from. If you are remodeling your home, it can cause you much hassle.

To help you save time on picking, here are the top kitchen cabinet handles in the market.

Stainless steel bar pulls

One of the most popular cabinet hardware that people look for in stores. This sleek pull benefits minimalist designs and modern kitchens. It features round shapes that contrast stark 90-degree angles. This design makes it easier for a person to pull a cabinet because it lets you wrap your fingers all around the handle.

Elegant pulls

This variety of kitchen cabinet handles is moving fast to becoming a staple in numerous homes. Elegant pulls have the luxury of being modern yet conventional which makes them adaptable. Its adaptability makes it an effortless update to your kitchen hardware.

Arch pulls

With a black finish on, arch pulls are the simplest way to dress up a sterile cabinet and counter combination. Putting a black finished arch pull on your basic Shaker cabinet makes them stand out because of the white paint. Another little good thing about arch pulls is that you won’t get any fabric stuck in it because of the allowance it has between the cabinet door. They are also excellent choices for wooden cabinets.

Wave pulls

Pair up unique cabinetry hardware with colorful cabinetry to produce visual delight in your contemporary kitchen. Wave pulls make a splash when mounted. Satin nickel pulls like these provide the best upgrade to the traditional home design.

Complete length pulls

Definitely a perfect fit for large cabinets that contain more stuff than usual. This develops a smooth look and a minimal clean surface in your kitchen. It will also most likely standout depending on the color of your kitchen cabinetry.

Stainless steel finger pulls

A modern-style kitchen can certainly gain a thing or two from stainless steel finger pull handles. These specific pulls have an industrial feel which means, it can match an apartment with many metal-touches in it.

T-bar pulls

Bronze-finished T-bar pulls are the best compliment for traditional Colonial style cabinet doors. Long T-bar handles, on the other hand, look great mounted on two-tone kitchen cabinets that are larger in size. For kitchens with a non-traditional layout, you can use the shallow t-bar handle because it serves an attractive accent to Shaker doors and cabinets and it doesn’t consume unnecessary space.

Metal ring pulls

Metal ring pulls give the last touch to traditional mission-style kitchen cabinetry. To really pull-off the said look, you can duplicate the oil-rubbed bronze surface of the hardware with your faucet and lights.

Cabinet handles are the simplest way to decorate and improve the look of your kitchen. There are many to choose from depending on the style you’ll have to incorporate them in. Choose wisely to achieve the best ambiance for your kitchen.

Author’s Bio:

Rosette has a knack for anything “Do it Yourself” (DIY). She spent her younger years learning about the different hardware tools and equipment in the hopes of establishing a hardware business in the future. Her career options may have changed, but today, she continues to write so passionately about her first love.