3 Tips For Getting Organized When Moving Into A Brand New Home

If you’ve got a big move coming up, now’s the perfect time to leave behind the things in your life that weren’t working before and start some new habits that will improve your life. One area that you might want to consider starting with is becoming more organized. 

But while starting with the clean slate of a new home can be great for getting organized, dealing with reorganization on top of all the stress of moving, home loans, and everything else can be extremely challenging. So to help you in meeting both of these issues head-on, here are three tips for getting organized when moving into a brand new home. 

Pack Based On Where Things Will Go In Your New Home

To give yourself the best chance of getting things organized in your new home, you’ve got to get the organization started as you’re packing up your old home. 

Ideally, you should try to pack up everything in your old house based on where you imagine putting everything in your new house. While this will likely mean packing things from each room into their own boxes, you may find that certain rooms need a bit of editing before just blindly packing everything all together. Then, once you get all the right items packed with items going into the same room at your new house, Marian White, a contributor to Moving.com, advises that you color code your moving boxes based on which room they’ll end up in to make the unpacking process go much smoother. 

Set Up All Storage Beforehand

Before you start unpacking the first box in your new house, you should first take the time to set up any and all storage items that you’ll be using to store and organize your belongings once they come out of their boxes. According to Laura Gaskill, a contributor to Forbes.com, this includes any storage that you’ll be using in the garage or other areas of the house. 

By setting up all of your storage spaces before you begin unpacking, you’ll ensure that you have room enough for everything coming out of boxes so you can put everything away where it belongs from the get-go. 

Start With The Hardest Rooms

Once you’re ready to start unpacking the boxes of all of your stuff, it’s wise to begin in the room that’s going to be the hardest to organize, which is usually the kitchen. The reasoning behind this is that you want to tackle the biggest projects while you have the most energy, which you might find dwindling as you go through rooms and rooms of boxes. Additionally, once you have the kitchen unpacked, Madison Wetherill, a contributor to LifeStorage.com, shares that it will be much easier to feel like your home is a functional space. 

If you’re going to be moving into a new home soon, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you organize your new space as you move in. 

Things To Consider Before Buying a Home

When deciding to purchase a home, there is much to consider. Continue reading to ensure you've covered your bases before making such a commitment.

Understanding a few essential points before buying a home can not only save you money initially, but in the long run as well. Additionally, you could walk away from your investment making more money than you spent, and using your profit to invest in your next adventure. When embarking on the journey of ownership, remember these things to consider before buying a home. 

Location

Understanding the area you are looking at, and its projected population growth, will help you decide. If you are one of the first in an "up and coming" area that's either being gentrified or newly developed, your potential property may be worth a lot more later. Pay attention to areas that are adding new store and restaurant chains, knocking down old abandoned structures, or building new neighborhoods.

If you are thinking about starting or growing a family, great parks, schools, and child-friendly speed zones and streets are essential details to consider. You want to ensure that the area you're picking to raise your family is safe and leaves room to explore and spread out when possible. Check out the crime rate in the area. The internet is a powerful tool in helping you make a decision for your future residence.

Appliance Quality

Before purchasing a home, you should have the HVAC systems inspected. These systems are the ones you want to make sure are not hazardous to you and your family. A faulty unit could start a fire, explosion, or cause carbon monoxide poisoning, which can be lethal.

You don't want to move into a property and find out that you need to replace a furnace or water heater right away. If this needs to be done, you can often negotiate these units' replacement into the price you pay for the house or have the previous owner handle before another inspection. Expand examination onto electrical outlets and water faucets and check for mold from faulty equipment. Inspections before a purchase can save you loads of money after you move in.

Finding a Loan Lender

When you've taken the necessary precautions and selected the home that's right for you, you'll need to find a lender for your home loan. Choose a reputable company that is transparent with what they offer and what you need to know to select the terms that work best for you. Be sure to keep in mind that the company you choose should have no problem answering all your questions.

Pay attention to how organized the lender is as a sign of legitimacy and proficiency. Steer clear of lenders that appear to be disorganized, lose track of important information or documents, or fumble over answers to questions. Before selecting your lender, you need to fully understand what you’re agreeing to and what the terms of your loan will be. Disregarding warning signs could leave you in an unfavorable position, owing much more than you were willing to pay for your house.

Keeping in mind these things to consider before buying a home will help protect you from a bad investment. This is where you're going to live with your loved ones for as long as you want. Reviewing all avenues of possibility will not only make the process of buying a home easier, but a good purchase can also appreciate over time.

Guest Post - 8 Home Organization Ideas to Declutter Your Space

All it takes is a few busy days and your house can start to look untidy. But if you want to have guests over and simply enjoy the comfort of your own home, it’s important to keep the space free of clutter. Luckily, this isn’t difficult at all.

In the past few years, minimalist kitchens have taken off among interior designers, homeowners, and the like. So, while you’re saving space, you’ll be keeping up with the latest trends in kitchen design.

Check out eight of our home organization ideas to keep your home clean and tidy!

Storage in Your Kitchen Island

Kitchen islands are prevalent in today’s homes; in fact, you almost never see a kitchen without an island. They are quite versatile, giving you more counter space to use while cooking – not to mention you can even install a kitchen range and range hood over your island.

Most islands are fitted with lower cabinets, too. This is a great place to tuck away more dishes, towels, cleaning supplies, or whatever else might be taking up space on the counters and floors.

Open Shelving

Open shelving is easy to install and can be built almost anywhere in your kitchen, as long as you have the space. You can also make it decorative by putting knick-knacks or fancy dishware on display. This personalizes the space, too.

Open shelving is a much more cost-effective option than adding more cabinetry. In fact, kitchen cabinets are one of the most expensive areas of your kitchen to renovate. Not to mention that open shelving also takes up less space on your wall. Give it a try!

Storage Ottomans

Storage ottomans are incredibly practical for your home. They make great stools and footrests, but you can also store kitchen supplies there too. Some footstool ottomans have removable lids and you can store items inside. Or, you might find storage ottomans that feature a bottom shelf, which you can use for storage or decorative purposes.

Hanging Pot and Pan Racks

Hanging pot and pan racks are quite the space saver. If you have a kitchen island, you can install hanging racks in your ceiling – either in the center or surrounding your range.

You can also find wooden racks that attach to your wall. This is a more unobtrusive option if you don’t want the pans hanging right in the middle of your kitchen.

Have you ever scrambled around the kitchen looking for one pan that you need out of dozens that you own? Big pans likely take up the most space in your cabinets so a pan rack is a practical option to declutter those cabinets. It will make all your dishware so much easier to find. 

Drawer Organizers

These are most commonly used to separate out silverware in the kitchen. You can also use them to separate out other utensils such as spatulas, straining spoons, wooden utensils, and more. They are one of the most convenient storage-saving solutions out there – and every kitchen has them!

Garage Storage Hooks

Out of all the spaces in your home, the garage is probably one that requires the most decluttering. For many homeowners, it’s not something that they have the time to keep organized consistently. One storage method that will keep your tools neat is storage hooks. Hang your rakes, clippers, brooms, shovels, and any other hand tools you might have on these hooks rather than setting them against a wall where they might fall.

Shoe Storage Bench

If you have a big family, you might find yourself picking up your kid’s shoes all the time. They are so often scattered everywhere around the house that they get lost and you have to buy new shoes.

To solve this problem, invest in a shoe storage bench. Just set it at your entryway and have anyone who comes in place their shoes on the bench.

As an added bonus, you don’t have to worry about anyone tracking dirt, dust, or snow throughout the house either.

Closet Separators and Labels

The last tip on our list of home organization ideas is to buy closet separators and labels. This will make life easier especially if you are in a rush in the morning to head to work, take your kids to school, or just get your day started.

If you have kids, you can make a fun little project out of it too. Just make your own fun labels and find some decorative closet separators online. Then let your kids have some fun personalizing their closet.

Recap

That’s it for our article on eight storage-saving solutions to try everywhere around your house. From the bedroom and kitchen to your garage, there are so many different creative ways you can declutter your space. With these ideas, your friends, family, and guests will all be impressed at how well you keep your home tidy.

Author Bio: Eric Mellmer is the Content Marketing Manager at Proline Range Hoods. Among other things, he writes for the Proline blog and manages guest posting there as well.

Organizing Hack 101: 10 Ways to Make a Small Rental Room Look More Spacious

Unearthing spacious room rentals for affordable prices in bigger cities like NYC, Chicago, LA, is still a dream of many tenants. As real estate prices soar to the sky, many Americans find it challenging to find room rentals that they can call home. You check out rental rooms available online and end up renting a place that strikes a resemblance to the place where Harry Potter lived in his pre-Hogwarts years. It is tiny, and you cannot rent a larger space because your wallet might complain. 

We all have been there. Whether you are renting a dorm room, a studio apartment, or a tiny rental, you sure may know how challenging it is to decorate a small space. The matter gets worse if you are an extrovert and someone who loves to have their friends over. You might even end up fighting with roommates for some closet space. 

Finding rental rooms using a roommate finder online in cities like NYC, LA, Chicago, to name a few, could be pretty straightforward. Just a few taps and you could lead your way to fantastic rental options. However, what could be challenging is finding a spacious room at an affordable price. 

Luckily, there are some tips that you can follow to make your small room rental look more spacious.

In today’s article, we divulge to you ten organizing hacks that can make a small rental room look more spacious:

1. Say no to clutter: Having a lot of clutter inside your tiny room rental can be a nightmare. When you are residing in a small room rental, you can’t have unnecessary things scattered around. Clutter does take up a lot of your floor space, making it difficult to even move inside the room. It’s a good idea to toss away the things that you think are not essentials. You can sell, donate, or throw out such unnecessary items as it is better than stacking it up someplace else.

2. Go Creative: The mind is your greatest weapon. Get creative and try to find tricks that could help you attain more space out of that tiny room rental. Try to utilize the kitchen walls to gain additional counter space, buy the right sized floor rugs, and follow the “rules of three” when it comes to lighting. Interior designers say having at least three light in a room makes it look even more spacious. 

3. The spell of smart storage: You might be scratching your head over the number of things you possess while moving into your new home. Smart storage solutions are the most convenient way to solve the problems of small room rentals. You can get started with maximizing wall space with floating wall shelves first and then overhead storage space.

Pro Tip: Installing things as high as possible can make your rental room look taller. Utilize corner space to build shelves.

4. A game of mirrors: Here’s a trick to create an illusion that you rent a room that is spacious enough. The trick is simple- buy a floor-length mirror and say Engorgio. Well, you don’t need to say that verse. All you must do is place that mirror opposite to a window and let the mirror do its trick. It will distribute most of the light inside the room to create a feeling of spaciousness. 

5. Little things don’t matter: Most of you are a fan of miniature items. No doubt, they are appealing to the eye and make the home decor more impressive. But, they are not a great way to decorate a small room rental. Also, a couch is better than having several chairs around. Items that are larger but more functional will keep your space less cluttered. 

6, Small is better: When you move into a smaller room rental, it is better to buy more miniature furniture. Each furniture you incorporate will play a larger role inside your humble abode. Control your thoughts about buying an oversized bed or a large wardrobe. It might get tempting, but you do not want to end up living in a room where you do not have space even to walk freely.

7. Your room is a puzzle: Yes, Sherlock! Your room is a puzzle that needs to be solved to become more spacious. Inside your mind, have a blueprint of what could go where—brainstorm ways to take up the least space and still fit all your essentials. Begin with the more oversized items and then go about furnishing the smaller things. If you are lucky, you may indeed end up finding the solution to this little room rental puzzle in one go.

8. The cast for Multiple Roles: Your small rental should not have room for items that perform only one task. Every item should be capable of multitasking. There is a whole new DIY industry out there that caters to such needs. From a bed that flips to reveal more storage space to a desk that doubles as a dining table, you will find many such creative items that will help you save a whole lot of space. 

9. Spare some walls: In a tiny room rental, filling every wall with wall hangings or decorative items can make it seem even smaller. It is a smart idea to leave some walls undressed so that the rooms look more spacious. Resist the urge to place a decorative bench against it even though it seems like something that will up your home decor game.  

10. Let those windows breathe: Only a few lucky get the chance to score some exciting window views in room rentals. Finding rooms for rent with a fantastic window view is even more difficult than finding rental places. So it’s wise not to cover these windows and let your space be airy. This way, it makes the room look more spacious to the eye. 

Bonus Tip: If you have the freedom to paint your room rentals, you could use color psychology to its best to make your room look more spacious. You could try tones like whites, grays, and pastels to make your room look clean, fresh, and large. White hues make your room look largest, but if it is not your cup of tea, choose light greens or blues. Never do dark colors. 

Hope this organizing guide helps you become a master at making your small rental room look bigger and more spacious. If it does, do not forget to show some love and share across this article with your friends and boast about how you found it.