DIY/Home Improvement

First-time home buyers represent 35 percent of the market, with 91 percent of homebuyers purchasing single family homes, according to Realtor.org. While purchasing your first home is exhilarating, decorating it can be very time consuming. Try these 6 tips for success:

1. Paint before you furnish a room

Paint can be a wonderful and inexpensive way to inject your personality into a new home. Since it can also be messy, save your nice new goods by painting before you furnish the room. If you've already put down large furniture pieces, move them into the center of the room and cover them with a drop cloth to protect them from painting accidents.

Photo by Qole Pejorian via Flickr

2. Repurpose donated pieces to save money

Don't pass up the

 Window treatments not only add to a home’s aesthetic value, giving it a warmer feeling and helping to protect it from unwanted “peepers,” they are considered to be one of the least expensive energy efficiency upgrades for increasing property values. A 2012 study funded by Energy Upgrade California, revealed that energy upgrades can raise a home’s value by as much as nine percent. By choosing the right window treatments, homeowners can help reduce heat loss during cold winter months and prevent heat gain during the sizzling temperatures of summer.

Shades

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, when installed correctly, window shades are one of the easiest and most effective treatments for saving energy, ultimately increasing the value of the

Lawn-care techniques can vary, depending on the time of the year. While some of the following tips do apply year round, they are specifically designed to help you get the most out of your lawn during the spring months. Spring is the best time for your lawn to thrive, so let it!

You May Want to Skip the Poisons

A lot of us take advantage of the pleasant spring weather to get out there and deal with the weeds, but the chemical herbicides that many of us use may not be doing as much good as we think. Many of them only damage the grass and may even affect the health of animals and children without effectively eliminating any of the weeds. Some weeds can be pulled, or simply left alone if they are not a threat

Modern homeowners are figuring out the backyard is worthy of just as much attention as the bathroom or kitchen. You can use this area to extend the living square footage of the home and gain some obvious equity advantages, for example. Landscaping alone increases property values between five and 15 percent. There is more to backyard renovations than just monetary upgrades, though.

Style expert Catlin Atkinson describes the backyard as a blank canvas to transform into something warm and inviting. From a bamboo garden to an exterior kitchen, consider the trends that add bang to your backyard.

                     Photo by Flickr user Texas_Custom_Patios

Sustainable and Low-Maintenance Landscaping

The most

Attractive flooring like wood can increase the value of your home in an appraisal, which directly affects mortgage refinancing and home sales, CNBC notes. When refinishing or replacing outdated flooring, it can be tempting to skip hiring a contractor and do it yourself, especially if you’ve tackled other home projects. Yet when done incorrectly, DIY flooring can be a glaring flaw and negatively impact appraisal value. Learn what to do and not to do yourself when it comes to refinishing floors.

Wood floors: Do’s and Don’ts

DO: Refinish existing floors yourself:Scratched, dinged and uneven wooden floors can be made gorgeous with sanding and refinishing. Rent a sander at your home improvement store and sand away wood varnish and wood damage. Once done

I’m a new Homeowner – now what?
A Guide to Owning a New Home
(PART 1)

Owning a new home is a dream come true for most. It means no more surprise rent hikes from your snaky landlord or costly pet deposits that you have to pay when moving in your beloved pets. But do not forget, owning a home is more than freedom to do as you wish but it is a big investment with a lot of responsibility. Owning a new home takes a lot more care and preventative maintenance than most people realize.

Why should I care about preventative maintenance you ask?

For example: a tube of caulk costs just a few dollars at your local hardware store but replacing an entire wall due

The job of a home inspector is to ensure that your home is up to code and livable for the next owners buying your property. While it may seem that a home inspection isn’t necessary for your home, buyers like to have an evaluation done to ensure that the property they’re purchasing isn’t attached to a mountain of repairs or health hazards. We know this process can be stressful to sellers, so here are some tips and guidelines to consider before having your next home inspection done.

1. Remove the Clutter
Make sure your home is tidy and mess free before the home inspector pays their visit. Items surrounding any wiring, plumbing, vents or electrical outlets should be removed so that the inspector can easily access each item on their checklist. Clutter also

When attempting to sell your home, it is extremely important to make your house stand out from other houses on the market. A simple way to do this is through home-staging. The goal of home-staging is to make the buyer feel and see themselves living there. If the buyer is unable to picture themselves living in this home, the sale is lost from the start. Home-staging may seem like a small part of selling your home, but it can make a huge difference in the end.

5 Simple Tips for Staging Your Home

1. Do Not Forget the Exterior. The first thing a potential buyer sees when searching for a home is the exterior. If the front yard of the house is not kept neat and tidy, why would a buyer want to explore further? To get a buyer inside the house, a

Often times the holidays are stressful for many different reasons. So many things to cook, and clean, so many parties to attend, and of course so many gifts to buy. One of the most stressful things about the holidays is deciding what gifts to get for loved ones. There is always the desire to avoid being too cliche or predictable, and of course you want to get something that the person will actually enjoy. In order to save yourself some stress, here is a suggestion: instead of buying a gift why not give the gift that keeps on giving? Why not do a home project as a gift. In other words if there is something in the home that you have realized needs to be fixed but you just have not gotten to it, then fix it as a gift. Your time and effort will be well