Living February 4, 2018

Practical Resolutions: Preparing for the Best in 2018

Everyone’s list of things to accomplish in the upcoming year is different, but one thing is pretty universal: most of us are too ambitious for our own good. The best thing to do is make reasonable goals for yourself and work towards accomplishing them one at a time. So be realistic. You may not renovate your entire home, but in all likelihood you can finish your kitchen remodel.  You may start the year with plenty of momentum; just remember to pace yourself when it comes to big goals–it’s a marathon, not a sprint.  Here are some tips to keep your goals in check:

Set a goal: I find it useful to create a bucket list of all the things I want to do and prioritize the most important, most time consuming and most expensive. Your goals and what you do to accomplish them will differ whether you are making your home more your style, saving to buy or preparing to sell. From this list you can prioritize the goals in order by urgency, seasonality, and difficulty. If you cannot fit all your projects in this year, move them to the rolling 2019 bucket list.

Make a budget: Do your research and make an informed budget. If you are looking to renovate, you will want to make a plan, check resources and make an informed budget. If you are looking to save up for your down payment on a home, you will want to assess how much you need to have saved in order to have enough to put down, and create a budget plan. Creating a budget is a great way to keep your finances in check and keep your projects as affordable as possible.

Set benchmarks: If you have a big goal, breaking it up into smaller bites is the best way to stay motivated. If you can do a little bit every week to keep your home clean and tackle an organization project, you are more likely to sustain the momentum than if you attempt a complete overhaul. Also, there’s one great thing about goal setting, budget making and project planning: the more you practice, the better you become!

Stay motivated: Your resolutions may already be going by the wayside now that we are caught back up in life-as-always. It may help to write out your resolutions in a central place–a document on your computer desktop, a list on your fridge, or benchmark reminders in your mobile calendar. The key is to keep your resolutions at the top of your mind so you can work towards them a little bit every day/week. For more advice on how to keep your momentum, go here.

The new year offers the chance of renewed energy to accomplish the goals from past years and start fresh projects. This is the first post in a four-blog series about setting home resolutions, come back to see more information on making your existing home more personal, and buying and selling your home in 2018.

For more information on Windermere Evergreen and our team, please contact us here.

Living February 2, 2018

New Year, Bold Home

“New year, new me” is so 2017. We thought we would change things up a bit because frankly, 2018 deserves better and so do you. This is the year to be bold. In fact, if there was a color named “bold” we would recommend it for your kitchen remodel. Once a month we will be showing you a different way to go bold with your home. These will be easy, inexpensive changes to add character and life to various rooms and spaces.

Our first? Colorful, crafty storage. Many New Year’s Resolutions include decluttering your life. Not only is this great for your house, but it can also be very therapeutic. However, instead of putting the same old containers or storage back on your shelves, opt for a modification. For those of you who are more DIY, try painting the lids of mason jars your favorite bright color. If you are more of an online shopper than DIY queen, we found some storage options that are cute and simple: These are the perfect solution to keeping your kids playroom tidy, while still feeling fun friendly. Try these for your office space that feels a little dull and in need of inspiration. If you’d rather do something more permanent, paint the back wall of your storage shelves, it adds dimension and character. If you don’t want to permanently color your bookcases, try fabric or wallpaper. If you choose wallpaper, tie in the color with the items that are filling the shelves (hint: match to your mason jars).

We’ve mandated that 2018 is the year to be bold, but to also have fun. So start by adding some color to otherwise boring old storage spaces! If you go bold with your home each month this year, you can bet that the ending of 2018 will be sweeter than last.

For more information on Windermere Evergreen and our team, please contact us here.

Buying & Selling January 1, 2018

New Year’s Tips for Buying and Selling

Now that the end of the year is upon us, it’s time to start thinking about some New Year resolutions. If your 2018 resolution is to buy or sell a home, here are some suggestions to help you along the way. For everyone else, we’ve added some tips about building equity and investing in updates to your home.

Buying:

If you’re in the market to buy your first home or if you’re upsizing/downsizing, here are some ideas that can help you make this dream a reality:

  • Create a buying timeline and work towards your goal
  • Check your credit scores and work to improve your rating
  • Start or increase your savings for a down payment
  • Start the loan pre-approval process
  • Meet with your real estate agent
  • Start looking for homes

Selling:

If you are planning to put your home on the market in 2018, here are some good places to start:

  • Create a selling timeline to work towards having your home ready for market
  • Make a list of home improvements and a plan on how to manage them
  • Get rid of the clutter
  • Contact a real estate agent (If you don’t have an agent, click here to be introduced to a Windermere Real Estate agent.)

Building Equity:

You may not be moving this year, but you can create a plan to increase your equity in the home you have now.  Here are some tips:

  • Take advantage of low interest rates by refinancing to a lower rate
  • Consider refinancing to a shorter term loan
  • Make extra lump-sum payments. Consider using your tax refund, cash gifts, work bonuses, garage sale money, or any other unexpected income toward paying down your principal.
  • Pay every two weeks instead of once a month. A biweekly payment plan can substantially reduce the amount of interest you pay because you are breaking the interest accrual down from 30 days to every 15.
  • Pay a little extra each month. Even if you’re only rounding up to the next $100 increment, putting a little extra money towards your principal every month can add up.

Investing In Your Home

You can add a lot of value and additional enjoyment to your home by investing in improvements and upgrades.

  • Choose a home improvement project that will yield a good return on investment when you do choose to sell
  • Create a home checklist to track maintenance projects over the year
  • Make eco-improvements to increase your home’s sustainability and reduce your utility payments over the long-term. These improvements are generally a good return on your investment when reselling.
    • Upgrade furnace to an efficient model
    • Upgrade windows for better insulation
    • Add alternative energy resources, such as solar power
    • Update toilets and showers to low-flow
    • Install a programmable thermostat
    • Update to energy-efficient appliances

For more information on Windermere Evergreen please contact us here.