Real estate investors understand that fixer-upper properties carry huge potential.
Yes, they may look bad initially, but their property value will steadily increase with the right improvements and renovations. Buyers know this and take advantage by acquiring such properties for less and investing enough in the renovations to increase the value.
Renovating a fixer-upper is a huge financial endeavor. It’s labor-intensive, and it might take some time before things look good as envisioned.
Homeowners who want to improve their fixer-uppers must work with a reputable and experienced contractor to address issues that may crop up during the project.
They must also look for a good skip-hire company to help eliminate the waste produced by the project. If you’re looking for such a company, you can check out betaskips.co.uk to determine how they can assist you. They can provide adequate-sized skips at reasonable rates, so you wouldn’t have to worry about waste disposal.
Checkout Top Six Fixer-Upper Improvement Ideas That Make A Huge Impact
Here are some home improvement ideas that can make a huge impact.
1. Replace the front door
If your front door isn’t stable and the door frame isn’t secure enough, it’s time to replace them. A good front door will help you save energy costs and improve security and kerb appeal. You can also repaint the door with a suitable colored paint that will reflect your personality.
2. Paint the exterior
Chipped, peeling, or faded exterior paint doesn’t look good and will greatly affect the property value. Potential buyers look into such details and will be discerning when it comes to that. It will be best to paint the exterior walls with good weather-proof paint to ensure durability and better kerb appeal. It will take a bit of change to finish the job, but it will be worth it.
3. Light up the property
One of the best ways to improve a fixer-upper is to ensure that it has adequate lighting fixtures inside and outside the house. For example, you can use strings of LED lights or strips for the front and back yard. You can also use solar-powered lamps to illuminate pathways. Inside the house, make sure that you have enough lighting fixtures in every room to guarantee safety.
4. Repaint the cabinets
If your budget doesn’t accommodate new cabinetry, you can repaint the existing ones with a color scheme that would make them pop. It will help improve the design cohesion and will also define the area. Bright-colored paint will brighten up the space and energize people.
5. Install a backsplash
Backsplashes may be a minor installation, but they can help make the kitchen area look better. When cooking, these backsplashes will also protect the walls from messy and greasy splashes. Install ones that complement the countertops or tiles for design unity.
6. Install better windows
Another way to improve property valuation is to install more secure windows. Typically windows in fixer-uppers have rotted frames and aren’t properly secured from theft, so it would be better if you had a professional window installer replace them with newer ones.
Endnotes
If you buy a fixer-upper house, you will spend some money getting them into shape. You might spend a lot, but the results will be worth it in the long run.
Arnab is a professional blogger, having an enormous interest in writing blogs and other jones of calligraphies. In terms of his professional commitments, He carries out sharing sentient blogs.
So you want to downsize to a smaller apartment?
If you’re banging your head against the wall trying to figure out how to make a move go smoothly, you’re not alone. We’ve all been guilty of having too much stuff!
Give yourself a break and start thinking of solutions. Stay inspired by focusing on the many benefits of downsizing!
Moving into a smaller apartment gives you the chance to start over and get rid of things you no longer need. It can also help you to get organized and keep only the essentials.
Even better, you won’t have to clean nearly as much space and can live as a minimalist! That in itself has some serious perks. Your stuff won’t own you and you’ll have more time to enjoy life.
Do you see where we’re going with this?
Get ready, because, in this article, we offer seven expert hacks to help make the process of moving into a smaller apartment easier.
Here are 7 Expert Hacks for Downsizing to a Smaller Apartment:
1. Analyze the space you’ll have
It’s essential to know the total space of your new apartment before you start the downsizing process.
Take a look at your new floor plan and figure out how much room in feet and inches are on each wall. That way you’ll know what will fit in your apartment.
If the measurements aren’t on the floor plan, ask the leasing office to provide you with the details.
But, the floor plan or provided measurements won’t tell you everything. You need to measure the extra spaces as well:
Closets
Space under the bed (more on this later)
Bathroom storage and cabinets
Garage storage (if your apartment includes a separate garage)
Kitchen storage and cabinets
Other spaces where you might add shelving (like the top of the fridge or in a window)
When you’re done with that, measure your current furniture and decide which pieces will fit into your place and which ones you won’t need.
2. Determine your actual needs
An excellent way to figure out what your needs are is by asking yourself if everything was gone, what would you replace?
Jot down some necessary items you can’t live without such as a bed, sofa, coffeemaker, dog bed — whatever is important to you.
You should also ask yourself the following questions:
What sentimental items will I miss the most?
Does this item serve a purpose?
Do I already have something that serves the same purpose?
Can I use this item to accomplish more than one task?
Is this object in good shape, and will it last for a while longer?
This is the point where you’ll be making some headway on knowing what you’re keeping and what you can live without.
If ever in doubt of whether you should keep or donate something, go back to asking yourself these questions.
3. Set some tangible goals
When it’s getting closer to moving time, you need to come up with a game plan.
Best get started with setting some goals before time escapes you!
We’re assuming you want to declutter and possibly redecorate your new place, and if that’s the case, it’s time to set some tangible goals.
Ask yourself these questions:
(Yes, we realize we’re telling you to do this yet again.)
What do I hope to gain by adopting a minimalist lifestyle?
Do I want to keep the furniture I have or get new furniture (#1 and #4 will help with this)
How do I plan to declutter?
How will I maximize my space? (Keep reading because we cover this in #4.)
What will I do if I can’t decide to part with some items?
Should I pay for storage elsewhere to store extra belongings?
Need some help answering those kinds of questions?
Here are some goals you could have:
I want a clutter-free apartment that will give me peace.
Not fixating on my possessions will help me feel free.
I’d like to have a clean slate and keep my belongings organized moving forward.
Being minimalistic will help me put emphasis on the most important emotional and physical items in my life.
Write down a few goals that inspire you so that when you feel like giving up, you’ll be able to remind yourself of your intentions.
4. Be a master organizer by maximizing space
Since you know how much space is in your apartment, as we recommended in #2, you should already have a plan in place as to where everything should go.
With the limited storage space in your new digs, it’ll help to store things vertically.
Vertically aligning hooks and shelves helps you take advantage of every square inch of space.
You might want to use adhesive hooks at first because most are easy to adjust.
We’ll be getting into how to simplify your wardrobe next, but for now, keep in mind that multi-use furniture can solve a lot of storage problems.
Keep reading because we’re about to reveal some killer ideas.
One idea is to maximize space by incorporating storage headboards. These are pieces of furniture such as bookshelves and a hutch that’ll fit over your bed.
Incorporating these types of units will make it easier to store a variety of items from family treasures to books and jewelry.
For example, incorporating a fitted unit in your closet can make it easier to organize.
Beyond that, think of other ways you can make use of storage. Is there any room underneath the bed you’ll be moving into your fancy new apartment?
If there isn’t and you need an upgrade, buy a bed that has drawers underneath. Trust us — those drawers will be your best friend when you need to store extra items of clothing such as blankets or sweatshirts.
Keep your bed if you like it, and it just so happens that you may be able to squeeze in some bins underneath to use as storage. For example, milk crates work well when you want to store books, tee shirts, and keepsakes.
5. Simplify your wardrobe
Seriously, how do you go about simplifying your wardrobe with you have a gazillion t-shirts?
If you think your new closet is small, just think about the people who live in tiny homes. Now those are super tiny!
Don’t worry; you can do this if they can!
Here are some steps to follow that’ll make your wardrobe functional in no time at all.
Step 1: Get all of your clothing out (ALL of it!) and put it somewhere you can sort through it. Whether that’s on the floor or on your bed is entirely up to you.
Step 2: Next, divide those clothes into three different piles and decide to donate, keep, or store them.
Step 3: Ask yourself if the clothing fits you or if it's still in wearable condition. If you haven’t worn jeans, for example, due to a weight gain or loss, donate or store those items.
Don’t keep clothing that’s falling apart. That’s just a waste of precious closet space!
Step 4: Are you done going through your clothing and separating them into three different piles?
Okay good, you’re going to do it again. This time ask yourself if this clothing fits your personality and your current lifestyle.
Step 5: Mission complete! Well, almost. Organize the clothes you’re keeping, store what you plan to wear later (such as seasonal clothing), and drop off clothes you’re donating.
6. Sell or donate what you don’t want
Now that you know how much space you have, and how to simplify your wardrobe, let's dive into why it's so essential to sell or donate belongings. It's time to stop and figure out which items you can and can't part with.
As you know, whether you're moving to a different city or relocating to a separate apartment at the same complex, moving takes a lot of work.
You should do everything in your power to simplify the moving process.
Eager to make some money to help with moving expenses?
One way to do that is by selling belongings and furniture you no longer want.
Try Craigslist, eBay, garage sales, Facebook, consignment stores, and more.
Before you even start packing, you should sell, donate, or recycle stuff you can live without. This will eliminate packing everything up only to decide later that you didn't need that item of clothing or five extra plates.
If you have problems deciding whether you want to keep, sell, or donate an item, take a hard look at everything you own.
Think about whether another person would find use out of that item.
If the item is useful, you can either donate it or sell it, depending on its value.
Who knows, your trash may turn into someone else's treasure.
7. Digitize nonessential media
Next let's dive into how you can digitize and save documents, pictures, videos, cassettes, videos, DVDs, and CDs.
While it's important to keep hard copies of documents such as your social security card and birth certificate, try to save and scan everything else.
Transfer CDs and DVDs to digital files by using free computer programs such as Freemake Video Converter, Movavi, and WinX.
Scan documents to your computer or save them as PDF files. After you're done scanning everything, use services like Google Drive, Dropbox, and Microsoft One Drive.
Online storage sites are lifesavers when your goal is to digitize media.
Think of all of the space you'll free up in your new apartment by getting rid of boxes of videos, paper, and more by going paperless!
It'll take some time, but it'll totally be worth it. And boom! Suddenly you'll realize you're there.
So, do you think it’s time to move? Even though downsizing may seem daunting, it doesn’t have to be. Moving to a smaller apartment has its perks, such as decluttering your life and organizing your new place with fewer belongings.
Simply put, downsizing to a smaller apartment means:
Enjoying lower monthly expenses and living costs
Not having to clean nearly as much since your place is smaller
Living a minimalist lifestyle without meaningless belongings getting in your way
Instead of sweating the small stuff, take the moving process step by step. Before you know it, you’ll be enjoying your new digs, relieved that you took the time to eliminate the clutter.
Carolina Creek is a great townhouse-style community located about a mile from Eastern Carolina University's campus. The community consists of 2x3 and 3x3 apartments and contains a full amenity suite including a fitness center, pool, business center, and game room. The community is the best value in the Greenville NC student housing market.
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Changing home is a stressful and demanding endeavor itself, you have to think about so many things – packing, organizing transport, and of course, cleaning. You need to clean your new place unless someone was kind enough to do it for you, but still, a second-round might come useful.
And of course, you need to clean your old home and leave it in decent condition for the new tenants. Otherwise, you may not get your deposit back. In case you are selling your own place, it is also an important criterion which will make your former home much more attractive to the potential buyers.
Unless you hire professional help, cleaning your old place is definitely not going to be easy, but there are a few things that can make the experience a bit less stressful and burdensome as recommended by move out cleaning professionals.
Start from the Top
A common mistake many of us make while cleaning is to start from the floors, as they usually do represent the biggest item on the list. However, if you start from the floors, and then move up to walls, corners, and surfaces, guess what – you will have to clean the floors all over again.
So, be wiser than that and start this excruciating business from the top. This will save you a lot of time and energy. Also, when talking about directions, always start the cleaning from the back, that is from a wall towards the door, so you don’t end up stuck in one small uncleaned place, like on an island, having to cross all the wiped space to go back, and potentially soil it all over. It sounds funny, but this has certainly already happened to some of you, and you will definitely want to avoid it this time.
Change the Approach
When cleaning, everyone mostly likes to do the job room by room. However, this usually takes way more time than actually cleaning segment by segment, which is task by task. For instance, if you are wiping floors, it is better to do it in the whole house while you are at it, instead of moving to a different segment in the same room. This approach is much more efficient so take it into consideration once you start you moving out clean up.
Have Everything at Hand
In situations where time is really precious and you don’t have the liberty to take too long because a lot of other things are waiting, good organization is everything. You will definitely need different cleaning chemicals such as glass cleaners, disinfectants, baking soda, vinegar, and others, as well as cleaning equipment like cloths, vacuum cleaners, brooms, dustpans, brushes, and others.
The first important step is not to pack any of these along with the rest of your stuff. The second is to actually know where they are and to organize them as much as possible so you don’t have to lose too much time searching for them. As professional home cleaners at Maid Easy say that good organizational skills can shorten the time it takes to clean the whole house significantly.
“Dry” Cleaning First
Make sure you first do the “dry” cleaning such as swiping, dusting, and vacuuming to remove all the dust and other dirt in that way. If you apply wet cloth or a brush, you will just make bog, rather than clean something. The best option is to dust all the corners and surfaces first, swipe any bigger mess, and then finally vacuum to give it the final touch. After this, you may proceed with “wet” cleaning activities.
Once you are done with the old place, you can apply all these tips to your new home. Even if the previous tenants or owners have cleaned it, you will probably want to make sure it is spotless. Of course, if repeating the same process all over again is just too much for you, you can always ask the professionals for help, at least for one of these cleaning actions.
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With all the indoor and outdoor activities, kids, pets and so many people going through your house, it’s not easy to keep your carpets clean. You keep your shoes on, or often let your guests do it, your kids play and make a mess, your pet shed and make a general mess, and your carpet gets the short end.
If you don’t maintain it regularly, the damage is often irreversible.
That’s why it’s important to follow a few steps in order to keep your carpet in good condition for as long as possible.
Of course, having someone to keep your house clean is always the simplest option, and regular deep cleaning is indispensable, but there is still a lot you can do in meantime to keep your carpet clean and fluffy. Here’s what experts at Deluxe Maid had to say about this topic.
No Shoes :
This can seem like a nuisance at the beginning, both for your family who lives there, and for the guests who come to visit, but your carpet will be very grateful.
It’s already normal and accepted in many houses, but there are still people who find it awkward to ask their guests to take off their shoes. Well, you shouldn’t feel awkward.
Provide enough comfortable, clean slippers for everyone and they should have no complaints.
With their shoes off, they can feel more relaxed and at home, while your carpet is spared all the dirt, mud, germs, dust and other “presents” the guests usually bring on the soles of their shoes.
Your carpet will retain its color for a long time and won’t become all faded and shabby so fast, thus its cleaning and maintenance won’t require so much time and effort.
Vacuum More Often :
Vacuum your carpet whenever you catch a moment.
It would be perfect if you had one smaller, more convenient hand vacuum cleaner which you could use more often, especially, but not only in emergency cases of spilling something.
It’s important not to let the dirt grind into the carpet, as it becomes close to impossible to completely clean it.
So it’s much better and efficient to vacuum often, even just superficially, and have the deep, detailed vacuuming whenever it’s possible, that’s the way the cleaners Indianapolis residents trust the most do it.
Again, it will mean less time and effort, and your carpet will look decent for a longer time.
Clean the Spills Immediately :
Regardless if it’s something liquid and sticky that requires rubbing, or some particles that require vacuuming, do not postpone at any cost.
If you leave it unattended, there are great chances that you or someone else will step in it, spread it, grind it into the carpet, and simply make it worse.
You might forget about it, and if it’s a stain, it will dry and merge with your carpet pattern. And you don’t want that.
What’s worse, if you let it happen once, you will easily do the same again, and that’s where the real problem starts.
It will gradually destroy your carpet without you even noticing it. So don’t postpone the cleaning, take care of those spills immediately, or you will regret later.
Get Some Mats :
Your carpet should not be a mat, that’s why it’s important to ask your guests to take off their shoes, as already mentioned.
But if you really don’t want to do it, at least make sure you have proper doormats at the entrance to your house or apartment.
That should at least reduce and mitigate the dirt spreading and the overall damage. You should have good doormats if there’s the “no shoes” rule in your house, as you probably have a carpet in the corridor as well, and your living room carpet isn’t the only one which needs to be kept clean and in good condition.
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