4 Things That Will Kill Your Home's Value

As you know, your home has been without a doubt your biggest investment. Because of this, you want to do everything possible to keep its value as high as you can. While some things you can do to accomplish this are in your control, others are not. If you are curious about what things can kill your home's value, here are four that may or may not come as a surprise.

Bad Neighbors or Neighborhood

Unfortunately, you can't control who may move into a house near or beside yours. If you happen to get neighbors who have a penchant for throwing wild parties, keep their yard filled with junk, or get regular visits from police, this can significantly impact the value of your home. If you're lucky, they won't stick around very long.

Poor Exterior

If the exterior of your home is in poor condition, expect the value of your home to decrease. Whether you have paint that is peeling, old vinyl siding in need of replacement, or decided to have the outside of your home be a very unusual color, potential buyers will be turned off in a hurry.

Lack of Maintenance

For many homes that have a sharp decline in their value, a lack of maintenance can be the primary reason for the drop in value. While almost all homes have some things that need to be fixed, having major issues that have been left to decline further will always make your home worth less. Thus, if you have a leaky roof, contact a roofing contractor about getting repairs made, or even a new roof installed. Also, make sure you take care of big issues with your plumbing or HVAC unit, both of which will also make your home worth far less.

Foreclosures in Your Neighborhood

Last but not least, foreclosures of other homes in your neighborhood will ultimately decrease your home's value, as unfair as this sounds. When foreclosures occur, property appraisers estimate your home's value by comparing it with the selling prices of comparable homes in your neighborhood. Thus, when a home is foreclosed and eventually sells for a very low price, this hurts your home's value.

Though such things as foreclosures or who moves into your neighborhood are beyond your control, you can be proactive on maintenance and other things that will keep your home at its maximum value. By tending to your roof, plumbing, and keeping your home's exterior and yard beautiful, you'll have a home that is always valued at a high price.

The Best Ways To Display Collections in Your Home

Whether it is a collection of antiques, wall clocks, seashells, photos of places you have been, or vintage items, you should display your work with pride. That said, what are the best ways to display collections in your home? Use these tips to show your collection and make the most of the years you’ve spent building it.

Create Customized Shelving

Shelves are good for toys, figurines, or sculptures. Shelving can help you display your collection in an uncluttered and secure way, all while avoiding using up precious floor space. You can build a room with various-sized shelves and sort everything according to the type of collection. Consider even adding a glass cover so dirt and dust won’t get through. Customized shelving, whether handmade or ordered, ensures you can fit every piece of your collection into your display with ease.

Show Them on the Wall

If you are full of pride in your assemblages, you can create a wall that is an exclusive space. You can hang the collections and make them visible to visitors to guests where you can share the story and how you come to collect them. Make the wall the point of conversation that you and your guests can enjoy. Just keep in mind that where you set up your wall displays matters. For example, one rule for storing a crystal collection is to keep the stones out of direct sunlight. Quilts, photographs, and documents are also susceptible to sun damage.

Dedicate a Room to Your Collection

If you want to have your entire collection display without letting it take over your home décor, you can dedicate a room’s interior design to your collection instead. A library or an exhibit room where you can have them on full display with distinction is a perfect idea. You can use furniture, color schemes, and materials to give your collection the best backdrop possible.

Display Them With Pride

Overall, the best way to display collections in your home is with pride. Sometimes our favorite items disappear into storage, unseen but certainly not forgotten. Keeping your collection on display doesn’t just provide you with happy memories and a sense of accomplishment; it allows you to keep your collection safe and well-maintained as well. Whatever it is that you collect, celebrate it and enjoy the fruits of your labor!

Guest Post - Home Improvement Trends You’re Going to Observe In 2022

If you’re looking to renovate your home and looking for the latest trends that you can include in your project, you’ve come to the right place. 

Renovations are essential and updating your property will give you benefits like low power bills, more utility, style and comfort. Depending on your need and budget, you can think of small or big renovation projects which can make your home modern. 

So, here are a few ideas that we think you should include in your next home improvement project. These are focused on giving more utility, less electricity consumption and cutting down on your other monthly expenses. 

Home Improvement Trends in 2022:

• Investing in a home office

Though work from home is there for so long, many companies implemented it during the pandemic. Many employees had to work from home and attending calls and meetings would be quite difficult if there isn’t a proper environment. You should have an office like experience at your home to have seriousness and activeness while working.

So, if you’re planning to renovate your home, make sure you’re allocating some space for an office. For instance, you can have a small portion of your living room transitioned to your office desk. You can have a glass partition or if your budget is less, think of a curtain to separate the space from the rest of your home. Invest in proper furniture to replicate your office environment so that you can work peacefully without getting disturbances.

• Improving outdoor features

Though this pandemic restricted ourselves to home, you can entertain yourself by improving your outdoor features. You can improve the sitting system in your backyard or deck. To have a nice time at night, you can update the lighting system. However, more lights mean more electricity consumption. So, here you can think about the ways you can use outdoor solar lights to use the natural energy to light up your house. Using solar lights is a one-time investment, but you get the benefits of it throughout your lifetime.

• Multifunctional rooms

Multi-functional rooms give you the maximum utility not only to you but also to your family members. As this pandemic allowed kids to attend school virtually, everyone working in a single room may not be ideal. So, it’s better to think about the ways to use a single room in multiple ways. 

So shift your hall or living room so that it serves a double purpose. Make sure you have enough plug points, charging stations, work zones, etc. Talk to your renovator to know how you can have a multi-purpose room according to your requirements.

• Luxurious bathrooms in budget

The bathroom is a space where you can be yourself and unwind all your frustrations and emotions. So, make sure you have a relaxing bathing area (in a tub or shower), storage cabinets to keep your belongings, designer vanities, relaxing and bright lighting system (you can think of adding bathroom chandeliers for more lighting and ambience). Also, invest in proper locks so that you can have your privacy while taking a long bubble bath.

• Giving importance to storage

To increase more utility and to have a more organised home, you should give importance to the storage space. The more storage you have, the more organised your house will be. However, you should take care that you’re not stuffing things in the shelves or closets that you build during a renovation project. You should first remove or throw the unnecessary items and then focus on the extra shelves or storage spaces you should have in your home.

Renovations Are For You and Family

No matter how many latest trends come up in renovation, you should concentrate only on those which are useful to you and your family. For instance, converting to solar is the best cost-efficient option during renovation, and here you can think about why switching to solar garden lights is beneficial and entertaining for you. On the other hand, buying luxurious and expensive bathtubs, vanities, etc. can be avoided if you want to focus more on functionality. 

Hence, during renovations, always think about your family and invest in those which give you the maximum utility and comfort. 

Author Bio:

Hello, I’m Erika Rhein, a professional writer, and blogger obsessed with good design and all things pretty. I travel, read, and eat my way through various cultures across the globe. I utilise my writing skills to inspire and render my readers with informative, at the same time, creative articles. However, when not writing, I crochet, cook, or buy craft supplies.

Steps to Take When Planning a Home Renovation Project

Are you considering renovating your home? Whether you want to update a few things or do a full-scale remodel, it's essential to plan the project successfully. If not, you could run into a lot of problems - and end up spending more money than you intended. This blog post will discuss five steps to take when planning a home renovation project. By following these tips, you'll be able to avoid common pitfalls and have a successful renovation.

Define Your Goals

The first step in any renovation project is to define your goals. What are you hoping to achieve? Are you wanting to update your home's appearance, make it more functional, or increase its value? Once you know what you want, you can start planning accordingly.

Set a Budget

It's essential to set a budget for your renovation project and stick to it. This way, you won't end up overspending on things that aren't necessary. You may need to get creative and find cheaper ways of achieving your goals - but it's worth it in the long run.

Hire a Professional Contractor

Hiring a professional contractor can help you get the most out of your renovation project. A good contractor will take care of all the details, so you don't have to worry about anything. You'll also want someone who is insured and licensed to avoid any legal issues later on down the line. Depending on your project, you will also want to hire an electrician and local plumber, like one from Spartan Plumbing and Services. 

Research Your Options

Once you've decided what type of work needs doing (and how much money it will cost), it's time for some research into different products and services available on the market today. There may be cheaper options than initially thought - but remember that quality counts too. Make sure everything fits your budget before making any final decisions since this might affect things like warranties, etc.

Get Quotes From Relevant Contractors

Once you've researched and found some excellent contractors, it's time to get quotes from them. This is an essential step because it will give you a better idea of how much money they charge per project and what kind of artistry they offer in return for this price (and so on). It would help if you always asked about warranties, too – ideally, these would cover both labor costs or materials used during construction/renovation works. Suppose anything goes wrong within twelve months after completion dates. In that case, however, there are other factors at play here, such as exclusions that may affect whether certain things get covered under warranty terms & conditions.

Planning for your home renovation is highly important. You need to make sure you follow all of the correct steps to making your project run smoothly.