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Unlocking New Homebuying Opportunities: The Power of Remote Work in Expanding Your Horizons
In recent years, remote work has revolutionized the way we work, offering professionals the flexibility to work from the comfort of their homes or in hybrid work environments. As some companies transition back to the office, the popularity of remote work remains strong among many professionals. This trend has opened up a world of opportunities for homebuyers, enabling them to explore new horizons in their search for the perfect home. In this blog post, we will delve into how remote work expands your homebuying horizons and how this newfound flexibility can lead to more affordable and exciting housing options.
Overcoming Geographical Constraints
Gone are the days when you had to live within a short commute from your workplace. Remote work liberates you from geographical constraints, giving you the freedom to choose where you want to live. You are no longer limited to bustling city centers or crowded suburban neighborhoods near your office. Instead, you can explore more affordable and serene areas, whether it’s a picturesque countryside retreat, a coastal town, or a quiet suburb with excellent schools for your children.
Exploring More Affordable Areas
The rising costs of living in major urban centers have been a significant barrier to homeownership for many. However, with remote work, you can now consider regions with lower living costs and a more affordable real estate market. By expanding your search to areas outside expensive city hubs, you might discover hidden gems where your housing budget can stretch further, affording you a more spacious home or desirable amenities that were previously out of reach.
Adapting to Your Lifestyle
Remote work allows you to align your home purchase with your lifestyle preferences. Whether you value a more laid-back and tranquil atmosphere or crave the vibrant energy of a beach town, your homebuying horizons expand to fit your unique lifestyle needs. This flexibility can foster a healthier work-life balance, as you have the opportunity to build a home that complements your interests and hobbies, creating a nurturing environment where you can thrive both personally and professionally.
Escaping the Commuting Grind
One of the most significant advantages of remote work is the elimination of long and stressful commutes. The time and money saved from commuting can now be invested in searching for the perfect home. Without the burden of a daily commute, you can focus on finding a residence that truly resonates with your desires and values, without sacrificing valuable family time or personal pursuits.
Nurturing Homeownership Dreams
For many, homeownership has been a distant dream due to various economic and logistical challenges. Remote work provides a pathway to realize these dreams by making homeownership more attainable. The flexibility it offers empowers homebuyers to make informed decisions and navigate the complexities of the real estate market more effectively.
Conclusion
As remote work continues to thrive, it presents an unprecedented opportunity for professionals to explore new territories in their quest for homeownership. The ability to work from home or in hybrid arrangements expands your horizons, enabling you to break free from geographical limitations and discover more affordable and suitable housing options. Embracing remote work not only transforms the way we work but also revolutionizes how we approach homeownership, making it an exciting and empowering journey. So, whether you’re dreaming of a quaint countryside cottage, a beachfront bungalow, or a modern urban loft, remote work can be the catalyst that turns these dreams into a tangible reality.
3 Secrets for a Low Maintenance Garden
Whether you’re a gardening beginner or just want more weekends free from plant chores, there are plenty of ways to create a low maintenance garden. By choosing the right plants and using the right tools, you can have a lush and beautiful garden with less effort.
Try these tips for creating a low maintenance garden of your own:
Lose the lawn
One of the best ways to begin your low maintenance gardening practice is to get rid of your lawn. Lawn maintenance takes a tremendous amount of time and resources you could spend on other things.
If you don’t want to lose the lush greenery, there are plenty of sustainable lawn alternatives you can plant for the same effect and zero effort. Some of the best low maintenance ground cover options include clover, moss and the flowering creeping charlie.
Pick perennials
Perennial plants are an excellent choice for low maintenance gardening. Perennials only need to be planted once and will return every year on their own with limited maintenance.
Some of the best flowering perennials for easy gardening include Shasta daisy, coneflower, perennial geranium and catmint. For a non-flowering perennial, try planting hosta and ornamental grasses. Native plants will also be easy to care for, as they naturally adapt to your local climate.
Mulch for moisture retention
Watering your garden is definitely a time-consuming chore, but it doesn’t have to be. One of the best ways to reduce the time and effort spent in your garden is to protect soil moisture with mulch.
By adding a hefty layer of natural mulch, you’ll help the soil hold on to the moisture from your last watering session. This leads to happier plants, more leisure time and less water waste. Mulch will also help suppress weeds and keep pests away, removing two more gardening chores from your list.
It’s possible to have a beautiful garden without spending all your spare time caring for it. With these low maintenance gardening tips, you can truly have it all.
4 Tips for Making Your Best Offer on a Home
Are you planning to buy a home this summer? Though things are more balanced than they were at the height of the pandemic, it’s still a sellers’ market. So, when you find the home you want to buy, remember these four tips to make your best offer.
1. Lean on a Real Estate Professional
Rely on an agent who can support your goals. As Bankrate notes:
“. . . select the best real estate agent for your needs. They will be a critical part of your home buying process.”
Agents are local market experts. They know what’s worked for other buyers in your area and what sellers may be looking for in an offer. It may seem simple, but catering to what a seller needs can help your offer stand out.
2. Know Your Budget
Understanding your budget is especially important right now. As Sandy Higgins, Senior Wealth Advisor at Capstone Financial Advisors, puts it:
“Understand your current budget … what are your expenses, how’s your spending, would you need to make changes?”
The best way to understand your numbers is to work with a lender so you can get pre-approved for a loan. It helps you be more financially confident, and it shows sellers you’re serious. That can give you a competitive edge.
3. Think Through Everything Before Making an Offer
Today’s market isn’t moving at the record pace it did during the pandemic. That means you may have a bit more time to think before you need to make an offer. According to Danielle Hale, Chief Economist at realtor.com:
“In general, you likely have more time to make an offer, although that’s certainly not a guarantee. If you’re on the fence about a home or its asking price doesn’t quite fit your budget, you might want to keep an eye on it, and if it doesn’t sell right away, you may have some room to negotiate with the seller.”
While it’s still important to stay on top of the market and be prepared to move quickly, there can be more flexibility today. Lean on the advice of your agent as you explore the options in your market.
4. Work with Your Advisor To Negotiate
During the pandemic, some buyers skipped home inspections or didn’t ask for concessions from the seller in order to submit the winning bid on a home. Fortunately, today’s market is different, and you may have more negotiating power than before. When putting together an offer, your trusted real estate advisor will help you think through what levers to pull.
Try These Budget-Friendly Home Remodeling Tips
Home remodeling doesn’t have to break the bank. No matter what you’re trying to update in your home, there are ways to save money while still making a big impact. Whether you’re redecorating your dining room or demolishing walls to create more usable space, here are some basic tips for home remodeling on a budget:
Clean your home first
Before you begin any home remodeling projects, make sure you have a clean start. Deep cleaning your home or even just the specific room you want to remodel can be a massive improvement itself. Getting rid of clutter will help you be more efficient and productive in your remodeling project.
Prioritize for the biggest impact
Clarifying your priorities and determining what changes will make the most significant difference is key to saving money on home remodeling. Prioritize the projects that will be the most cost-effective, such as new paint, replacing lighting and rearranging furniture. Some examples of big-impact home remodeling projects include changing cabinet hardware, painting exterior trim and adding window treatments.
Borrow or rent equipment
You’ll likely need tools or equipment to accomplish your home remodeling goals. While having a collection of tools has advantages, it may be more cost-effective, and save on your storage space, to borrow the more expensive tools you’ll only need once.
Contact your local hardware or home improvement stores to see what they offer for rent. If you only require something for a single project, it’s worth it to rent rather than buy.
Shop around for the best price
Prices vary dramatically for most things, and home improvement materials are no exception. It’s easier to stick to your budget when comparison shopping for things like furniture, appliances, replacement fixtures and building supplies. Whether you’re adding storage, redecorating your living room or redesigning your entire home, it pays to take your time and find the best price.
Investigate rebates and tax credits
It’s worth researching your state and federal government options for rebates and tax credits for home improvement projects. For example, you may be able to get a tax rebate for upgrading appliances to energy-efficient alternatives. There are also grants available for construction and renovation projects with certain criteria.
Overall, the key to saving money on home remodeling ideas is to plan accordingly. Create a plan and investigate all the options before getting started. You’ll make the best investment and increase your property value if you spend a little extra time planning your home renovation ideas.
Protect Your Home: A Basic Guide to Smart Locks
Locking the house is one of the first methods of security most people use. Having a secure lock can make all the difference in keeping your home and possessions safe. Here’s a basic guide into the world of smart locks and why they may be a great addition to your home.
Smart door locks, what are they?
Smart locks are devices installed in your door that seal the door shut. Many can be controlled through WI-FI or Bluetooth and managed through an app.
For example, you may be out with friends and remember a neighbor is supposed to come over to drop something off. You can remotely unlock the door for them with an app connected to your smart lock. This makes for easy management of your home security.
Benefits of smart door locks
They provide surveillance, as you can monitor entries and exits remotely. The lock can be programmed to auto-lock if left unlocked for an extended amount of time, which helps if you accidentally leave the door unlatched.
These locks can even send notifications if suspicious activity arises.
Smart lock best practices
Before installing your new smart lock, read installation and safety instructions. If you set a master password for the lock, don’t give it out unless absolutely needed. Always keep a spare key, too, just in case power goes down.
Having a smart lock increases the control you have over the security of your home. Visit your local home improvement store or check online vendors for more specific info on your ideal smart lock and its installation.
Top Garage Safety Tips
Your garage offers a convenient place to keep your vehicle safe, store tools and gardening supplies and work on a wide range of projects. The following tips can help you improve the safety of your garage to lower the risk of injuries or other harm to you and your household.
Keep hazardous materials locked up
Pesticide products, fertilizers and similar gardening supplies can be harmful to people and pets. Other supplies, such as cleaning products, fluids for your car, paint, cans of gasoline and similar items, are also hazardous.
Keep any hazardous items or materials locked up in a storage area or cabinet in your garage, which helps prevent other household members from being able to access them. Make sure you’re storing these items safely, such as providing ventilation if needed.
Store sharp tools and power tools safely
Sharp instruments and power tools can lead to severe injuries if younger house members get hold of them. Store these objects in a storage cabinet or on shelving far from curious hands. Consider locking power tools and sharp instruments in a cabinet for added safety. For larger or longer tools, you can hang them in your garage in an area where they won’t be disturbed.
Check your garage door opener
Your garage door opener should be in good working condition at all times to lower the risk of accidents and injuries. Check your garage door opener to make sure there’s no damage to springs or other components.
The sensors for your garage door opener should be kept clean and unobstructed as well to ensure safe and proper usage. Keep garage door opener remotes in a safe spot where younger home members cannot reach them.
Improve garage lighting
If you only have one dim bulb in your garage for lighting, replace it with a better lighting system with more illumination. Having better lighting in your garage is important for safety purposes, since it ensures you’re able to see well and avoid hazards.
Having good lighting is also a safety concern if you have a workshop in your garage. Consider switching to LED or similar light fixtures for more even and efficient lighting in your garage.
What Buyer Activity Tells Us About the Housing Market
Though the housing market is no longer experiencing the frenzy of a year ago, buyers are showing their interest in purchasing a home. According to U.S. News:
“Housing markets have cooled slightly, but demand hasn’t disappeared, and in many places remains strong largely due to the shortage of homes on the market.”
That activity can be seen in the latest ShowingTime Showing Index, which is a measure of buyers actively touring available homes (see graph below):
The 62% jump in showings from December to January is one of the largest on record. There were also more showings in January than in any other month since last May. As you can see in the graph, it’s normal for showings to increase early in the year, but the jump this January was larger than usual, and a lot of that has to do with mortgage rates. Michael Lane, VP of Sales and Industry at ShowingTime+, explains:
“It’s typical to see a seasonal increase in home showings in January as buyers get ready for the spring market, but a larger increase than any January before after last year’s rapid cooldown is significant. Mortgage rate activity this spring will play a big role in sales activity, but January’s home showings are a positive sign that buyers are getting back out there . . .”
It’s important to note that mortgage rates hovered in the low 6% range in January, which played a role in the high number of showings. What does this mean? When mortgage rates eased, buyer interest climbed. The jump in home showings early this year makes one thing clear – while rates may be volatile right now, there are interested buyers out there, and when mortgage rates are favorable, they’re ready to make their move.
The Role of Access in Selling Your House
Once you’ve made the decision to sell your house and have hired a real estate agent to help, they’ll ask how much access to your home you want to give potential buyers. Your answer matters more now than it did in recent years. Here’s why.
At the height of the buying frenzy seen during the pandemic, there was a rise in the number of homebuyers who put offers on houses sight unseen. That happened for three reasons:
- Extremely low housing inventory
- A lot of competition from other buyers wanting to take advantage of historically low mortgage rates
- And general wariness of in-person home tours during a pandemic
Today, the market’s changing, and buyers can usually be more selective and take more time to explore their options.
So, in order to show your house and sell it efficiently, you’ll want to provide buyers with as much access as you can. Before letting your agent know what works for you, consider these five levels of access you can provide. They’re ordered from most convenient for a buyer to least convenient. Remember, your agent will be better able to sell your house if you provide as much access to buyers as possible.
- Lockbox on the Door – This allows buyers the ability to see the home as soon as they are aware of the listing or at their convenience.
- Providing a Key to the Home – This would require an agent to stop by an office to pick up the key, which is still pretty convenient for a buyer.
- Open Access with a Phone Call – This means you allow a showing with just a phone call’s notice.
- By Appointment Only – For example, you might want your agent to set up a showing at a particular time and give you advance notice. That way you can prepare the house and be sure you have somewhere else you can go in the meantime.
- Limited Access – This might mean you’re only willing to have your house available on certain days or at certain times of day. In general, this is the most difficult and least flexible way to show your house to potential buyers.
As today’s housing market changes, be sure to work with your local agent to give buyers as much access as you can to your house when you sell.
Tips for creating a budget for home expenses
As a new homeowner, one of the first important tasks to accomplish is making a budget for home expenses. The homebuying process had a budget, but now it’s time to think about taking care of your home and enjoying it to the fullest.
To help you get started on making a household budget, here is a basic guide:
Identify your goals
Deciding on financial goals can be an excellent way to build your budget. Some examples of financial goals to consider might be paying off your mortgage early or financing a major renovation project.
List your expenses
Track your spending habits for a month to examine the details of your cash outflow. Include fixed expenses, like monthly mortgage payments and property taxes. Variable expenses like entertainment, maintenance and transportation costs should also be included.
Record your earnings
Figure out your exact income amount by listing all possible sources of money. This could include regular employment and also gains from selling or renting assets. For budgeting, use your net monthly income rather than gross monthly income to account for taxes.
Find your starting point
Once you have your total monthly expenses and net income numbers, you can do the math. A basic formula for finding a starting budget is: net income – total monthly expenses = monthly budget.
Expect adjustments
After finding your results, you may find opportunities to adjust. For example, you might want to set aside more money into an emergency fund regularly, or find ways to limit your daily spending.
These are only the first steps in creating a workable household budget to account for ongoing costs of homeownership. Use this process as an example for building your own personalized financial plan for your life in your new home.
Designing a small space: How to decorate a small bedroom
Designing a small space can be challenging. When you want to add style and comfort to a room with little square footage, every design decision becomes more important. Small bedrooms can be especially tricky to decorate without making them feel cramped. To help, here are some ideas for decorating a small bedroom:
Layout matters
If you’re decorating a small bedroom, it can be beneficial to consider non-traditional layout options. If you arrange your furniture in the right way, you can make the room feel larger and more comfortable even when taking up the same amount of square footage. Try placing all the furniture on either side of the room rather than facing the door. Doing so will draw your attention to the free space rather than the furniture itself, giving the illusion of a larger room.
Go for multifunctional
Multifunctional furnishings are key to decorating a small bedroom. Drawers and other storage solutions built into the bed are the best way to begin, as the bed is typically the largest piece in the room. More ways to make your furnishings double-duty include using a shelving unit as a headboard and opting for seating with hidden storage.
Create the illusion of more space
There are many decorating tricks you can use to make a room seem larger than it really is. One common strategy is to use one or more mirrors to reflect light and create the illusion of more space. Other options include choosing low-sitting furniture and hanging window treatments from above the window frame. Hang or wall-mount your lighting rather than use floor or table lamps, and you’ll conserve space while making the room seem more expansive.
There are many clever ways to decorate a small space to make it stylish and comfortable without being cramped. Keep these tips in mind when decorating your own small bedroom to create the perfect fit.
