Whether you’re hoping to get the house you’re living in sold this upcoming year or just want to invite more people over to your current residence, now is the best time to start thinking about changes, big or small. Here are a few things to ponder when looking at ways to improve the space you occupy for the new year.
1. Stow, Store, or Scrap
When life gets busy, your living space can become one big walk-in closet. If you want to up your home-owner game, you’re going to have to do away with that habit and take some time in the realm of stow, store, or scrap. If it’s something that’s frequently used in the house but isn’t necessarily good-looking, create a system of baskets or bins to stow them for when they’re needed. If it’s something that doesn’t need to be in the room right now, put it into storage. If it’s only taking up space and serves no purpose in your home, throw it out.
2. Invest in Inviting Interiors
If you’re looking to make your space better for entertaining others, consider looking into a few new ways to liven the place up into a hospitable space. A fresh coat of paint or a new rug can help, but what can occupy those spaces? Plants are a great way to keep the air fresh and to make the space more exciting. For walls, consider investing in some prints or paintings to decorate your walls with a little flavor. If your furniture is comfy but also not the most attractive, never fear! An accent-colored throw pillow or blanket can make that space more uniform.
3. A Sanctuary that’s Safe
Now is the best time to make sure your home will be a safe one for the rest of the year. Think about checking your house for radon, a colorless, odorless gas that causes 21,000 lung cancer diagnoses every year. A testing kit is usually only around $20 and can be found at most hardware stores. As always, make sure your smoke detectors are up-to-date and have plenty of battery life, and along with that, consider installing carbon monoxide detectors as well. Lastly, check the vents and ducts around your dryer- dryer lint is very flammable.
4. Eager to Save Energy
Like safety-conscious decisions for your homes, energy-conscious home improvements can be greatly beneficial in subtle, long-term ways. Your wallet will be thanking you later if you install a smart thermostat, swap out your lightbulbs for LED’s, and install low-flow showerheads in your bathrooms. There are bigger things you can do too if you’re serious about saving energy. Planting trees to shade your AC unit can keep it cooler, which keeps it from working harder than it needs to stay cool. Speaking of cool, how about converting your house into a solar house? We live in a world where that is now possible, so give it some serious thought!
5. A Tidy House is a Happy House
Though this change may be the least fun, it can save you plenty of money in the long run and can benefit visitors as well! Early this upcoming year, deep-clean your carpets and tiles. If the stains are too deep and the grouting is too strenuous, hire cleaners on to get it done. Once these cleaners are done, however, you can save yourself from hiring them ever again if you do a simple cleaning of these floors every week. Not the most attractive task, but a highly rewarding one!
Being a homeowner is a lot of work, but this year I promise you, if you put in that work, you’ll feel so much better in your own space, and so will your visitors! For more information on this, check out moving.com, HGTV, and Homeselfe. Or, if you ever need more personal help with real estate in general, you can contact me at (765) 744-9951.
