Posts in category 'Home Improvement'

If you're planning to sell this year, you're probably thinking about what you'll need to do to get your house ready to appeal to the most buyers. It's crucial to work with a trusted real estate professional who knows your local market to get your home ready to sell. But there are a few things you should consider when deciding what to renovate and update before listing this season. Here are three things to keep top of mind as you're making your list of projects to tackle this year.

1. The Number of Homes for Sale Is Very Low

Housing inventory sits far below what is normally considered a balanced market. In fact, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), the latest data indicates inventory is hitting an all-time low. Because there's such a limited supply of homes available for sale, you're in a un...

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Today we're going to talk about making your home a calm, peaceful retreat from the world. I Googled "Everything Zen" and enjoyed reminiscing about seeing Bush at Woodstock '99. Holy cow, they were loud! What a great band. My time living in Portsmouth, washing dishes at some restaurant, is truly the flash-back I have when I listen to that album. I honestly have no idea if that song has anything to do with being calm. From the guitar riffs, one would think not. Trip down memory lane aside (Go check out Bush if you have never heard them before!) let's dig in and discuss a few ways to "peace-out" your home and soothe the senses. After this scary weekend, it's time.

We visited some friends who have two small children. I think they're around 6 or 7 years old. Overall, I really don't like kids. This visit...

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We talked a bit about making the most of your outdoor space last week and I wanted to continue that thread this week. We're back home now and enjoying the seasons changing and the temperatures (slowly) rising. I took the time to scrub the deck, wash the grill and fire-table and power wash the table and chairs last weekend. It felt good to get the deck ready for summer. We have not put the cushions out on the couch yet. We all know there's still a chance of ice or snow yet. We're almost out of the woods.

When you are considering putting some time and effort into your backyard, there are some generally accepted "rules" that most of us tend to follow. Today I want to encourage you to break away from those norms and strike out on your own. It is YOUR backyard after all. Why not make it a little more distinct and perhaps entice tho...

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As the days are getting shorter and the mornings are getting colder, it seems like the perfect time to talk about landscaping! What!? OK, bear with me. We are having a little work done on the house. The updates include a new front door, re-patched hole in the ceiling where the house fan was, new door to the garage, and last month we had some landscaping done. That's what got me thinking. In a time where xeriscaping and hardscaping are becoming a trend, what about those of us who still love green grass and gardens? Well fear not, fellow floral fiend. Today we're going to explore some of the landscaping trends sweeping the nation.

As we're all being directly or indirectly affected by this virus, our priorities have shifted towards getting OUT of the house and away from our family. No. Wait. That can't be right....

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Looking back, I have lived with around 14 different people in my life. That includes family, friends, girlfriends, and roommates (who became friends). Recently my current roomie and I were having a conversation about the layout of the house (as well as other houses we have lived in) and came up with an interesting conclusion. Bigger is not always better and "open" is not always the best option. Today I'm going to ramble on a bit about the ideas (pros and cons) of the open-concept floor plan. Perhaps it will give you some points to ponder if you're considering knocking down that wall.

In the 80's and before, homes tended to have lots of separation throughout the floor plan. I recall growing up in our standard "cape" home and was always (slightly) annoyed that there was this big "thing" right in the middle of...

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