Author: Marlowe Clark

A kitchen remodel can be extremely effective at increasing both the value and the utility of your home. But it’s also costly, and if done improperly, can be a huge money sink. Too many homeowners neglect to plan their kitchen remodel adequately and end up regretting some of their choices.

Most plans to remodel the kitchen begin with the idea that something is missing or wrong with the current kitchen setup. This could be various things, such as insufficient counter space, odd direction of workflow, or not enough storage, or perhaps you just want an island and don’t have one. However, it’s important to recognize that space is finite. Whatever changes you make, you’re probably sacrificing something else to make it happen. Plan out where you are going to place appliances — both large and small — and how much storage you will need. Consider how you intend to navigate the kitchen while using it, and ensure that the path is both clear of obstacles and sensible. For example, if you fry up some eggs for breakfast every day, you’ll probably want the stove to be relatively close to the refrigerator, and if you make coffee at home, your coffee maker should be near where the coffee is stored.

Another common error is choosing the trendiest materials and colors for your kitchen. It may garner the most interest now, but if you aren’t selling immediately, it’s a mistake. Whatever’s in fashion now will probably be more expensive than other options and isn’t any more likely to stand the test of time than any past trend. Timeless designs and neutral or classic colors will always be at least serviceable.

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Halloween is upon us. If you’re expecting trick-or-treaters, you’ve probably already done all your preparations. But just in case you’re doing things last minute, or just want to check to make sure everything is okay, here are some tips to ensure trick-or-treaters’ safety so that their Halloween scares don’t become an actual danger.

While low lighting can produce the type of ambiance you may want for Halloween, it’s not a good idea. Kids can easily trip and fall, especially if your decorations require cords. Don’t use candles, either, since they are potential fire hazards. Of course, you should also make sure to keep hazards away from where kids are likely to be walking — which does include your lawn, even if you have a walkway. The risk is greater if your decorations can potentially cause jump scares, so try to avoid that type of decoration.

Tripping isn’t the only danger to kids’ health. Strobe lights and fog machines can cause seizures or asthma attacks. Pets can be a threat if not properly secured, and can cause scares if they can see the kids even if they can’t reach them. Even if you love baking homemade treats, don’t give them to kids — you don’t know what allergies they may have.

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More: https://www.realtor.com/advice/home-improvement/are-homeowners-liable-injury-trick-or-treater/

Many people may consider hardwood floors to be the fancy, expensive option. But there’s a reason hardwood is more expensive than other types of flooring. It has several benefits that make it an excellent choice if you are planning to update your flooring.

Hardwood is one of the most durable flooring options. Vinyl and laminate floors scratch and dent easily, and the damage can be permanent. Carpet needs to be replaced frequently, and you may also need to remove it if it causes allergy issues. Even if your hardwood floor is damaged, in many cases, it can be solved with sanding or refinishing. Chances are, if the damage is severe enough to warrant replacing hardwood flooring, the same would be true if you had that sort of damage to any other type of flooring. Because of how long hardwood can last, it’s potentially a money saver despite the higher upfront cost — not to mention it also improves your home’s value when you eventually go to sell it.

With all the color and pattern options available for vinyl and carpet flooring, it may seem like hardwood is the boring option. It doesn’t have to be. Hardwood is also available in several colors, textures, and grain patterns. Granted, the available colors are mainly various shades of brown. But the neutral tone makes it easy to accent with rugs and decor that can be exchanged at low cost whenever you want a change.

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With many of us feeling the squeeze of a higher cost of living, you may be looking for a few ways to lower your utility bills that won’t involve a complete change of lifestyle. Here are just a few simple ideas to reduce your utility costs.

-Switch your switches to dimmers. We don’t always need our lights on full brightness, so using a dimmer switch instead can help save on electricity by only using as much light as you need.

-Fill your freezer. You may not expect this, but having a full freezer actually helps to insulate it, keeping your food cool while using less energy to do so.

-Let food cool before refrigerating. If you’re saving leftovers from your dinner, putting them in the refrigerator while they’re still warm actually causes the fridge to have to work harder to cool them down. Let them cool first.

-Unplug unused chargers. Did you know that many phone and laptop chargers continue to suck electricity even when your phone isn’t connected? Make sure to unplug any that you aren’t using.

-Use solar night lights outdoors. Solar night lights spend the day soaking up the sun’s energy then turn on in the evening when it’s dark. It saves the need for any electricity or batteries and is totally green, helping the environment and your wallet.

-Lower your hot water heater temperature. Do you really need the hot water to be totally boiling? You can turn the temperature down so that your water is only as warm as you need it to be.

-Cold wash your laundry. Most laundry washes are just as thorough when washed cold. Switch your machine settings to cold washes rather than hot to save unnecessary extra spending on heating the water.

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Most people don’t purchase their retirement home until after they retire. There are certainly valid reasons for this. You may not know where you’ll want to be living, especially if you move frequently. After retirement, you’ll have more time to go house hunting and think about your options. But just as there are justifications for waiting, there are also advantages to buying your retirement home early, primarily financial.

An important one is mortgage approval. It’s significantly easier to get approved for a mortgage while you still have an income. Unless you plan to pay cash for your retirement home, you’ll want to consider whether or not you can qualify once your income is gone. Not to mention this income is probably also what you’ll be using to pay the mortgage. By purchasing while you still have an income, you’ll have a better understanding of how much your payments are and how much you can save.

If you have the money to purchase a retirement home without selling, that can be an excellent boon for you, especially in the long term. It prevents the need to deal with moving while you are still working. You can turn it into income property, allowing you to use the rental income to pay the mortgage, or just for extra income. You’ll also be building equity in two homes at once, while home values continue to inflate naturally, as they do over time. If you start early enough, by the time you retire you may be able to use the sale of your old home to pay off the mortgage on your retirement home.

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Want to keep the exterior of your home looking nice, but don’t want to spend time or money on landscaping? That becomes significantly easier if you know what types of landscaping require the least maintenance. Obviously, you could just replace your lawn with artificial grass — and of course, that’s still an option — but there are much more ecologically friendly options as well.

Knowing what to plant where and how can save you a lot of time. Native plants will usually require less maintenance than non-native plants because they’re naturally adapted to the local climate. This is particularly true in arid or semi-arid regions where there are native succulents. Planting using mulch is effective for both water retention in the soil and suppressing weed growth. Organizing your garden for efficiency can also help. Place plants with similar needs in the same area to streamline your watering schedule, or plant them in containers that can be easily moved if necessary or just to mix up your home’s appearance.

Other options don’t have anything to do with plants. Part of landscaping is the concept of hardscape versus softscape. Softscape is the plants, as you’re used to. Hardscape is any non-plant element of the landscape. This can include things that simply exist in the environment, like your home’s walls or the driveway, but it can also include intentionally placed features. Use stone paths, fountains, or even retaining walls as elements of the landscape. You can also acquire purposefully decorative concrete, which is concrete with added color, texture, or patterns.

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Moving can be a challenging experience filled with mixed emotions. It involves leaving behind familiar surroundings, friends, and routines, which can create a sense of loss and instability. However, it also presents opportunities for personal growth and new experiences. If you’re moving soon, check out these three tips for dealing with the emotions it may bring.

Talk openly about how you feel with your household. Bottling up emotions can create barriers to contend with inside the household alongside the already charged feelings of saying goodbye to your old home. This can be especially true if you have children. Being open to discussing the impact of the move on you all can help to create a sense of togetherness, give each other emotional support, and alleviate any feelings of grief or anxiety.

Seek out community events in your new neighborhood. Activities such as volunteering or joining classes or local groups can help speed you on the road to meeting new people with similar interests in your new neighborhood. Finding people with similar interests in your new community can help give you a sense of belonging.

Stay connected to old friends. In the age of social media, it is easier than ever to stay connected with your old friendship group, no matter how far away they are. Don’t just rely on liking and commenting, though. Have video calls with your pals when you can, and perhaps carve out time to go visit them when you’re able to, ensuring those relationships are not broken by distance.

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