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Renovating a home can be stressful: dust, debris and disruption can be dangerous and throw your children’s routines out of whack. However, with careful planning, you can take steps to ensure your family’s remodel goes off without a hitch. Read our blueprint below for a happier, safer reno with kids in tow.
The No. 1 priority during any home renovation is the safety of your children. Take precautions to protect your kids from dust, sharp or dangerous tools and toxic products like varnish and paint. Try hiring a family-friendly contractor who has experience working on projects with kids present and ask them to pack away dangerous tools so they're out of reach.
They can also help erect barriers around the work area, such as plastic drop cloths or zip walls, to keep dust from spreading. If possible, put up child-friendly gates around the work area or semi-permanent walls to keep the work zone separate from the living zone.
Keep in mind even the most considerate contractor isn't a babysitter and can't keep an eye on your children for you or pick up after themselves at every second. Make sure you remind your kids which areas of the house are off-limits and be extra vigilant. Lastly, introduce your kids to the renovation team so they don't feel like there are strangers in the house.
The bigger the renovation, the bigger the stress. Choose one room to renovate at a time and you'll save yourself a lot of grief during the process. The kitchen and bathroom are “priority” rooms, in the sense they're harder to live without and will likely make family life easier once complete.
With any home renovation, it's important to expect the unexpected. Assume it will take a lot longer than you anticipated. Laundry still needs to be done and beds still need to be made. DIY projects will inevitably drag on, as one partner may have to do more of the work on one day while the other keeps the kids engaged. The point is to be flexible, adapt and proceed as efficiently as you can.
Since renovation timelines are unpredictable, you'll want to make your living situation as sustainable as possible. That might mean creating a temporary kitchen in the living room or basement (complete with mini fridge, hot plate, kettle, microwave and dishes/utensils) or even kitting out your backyard with an outdoor shower. Adults may be able to go without bathing for a few days or eat out at restaurants for every meal but this simply isn't realistic for children. Find comfortable, interim solutions until you can get your living situation back to normal.
Construction sites aren't playgrounds for children but getting your kids involved in the renovation process is a great opportunity for family bonding. It can be an excellent learning experience, too. Older kids can help out more than younger ones, but things like wiping surfaces or windows, using the tape measure, sweeping (with a small broom) and sanding with sandpaper are a few kid-friendly tasks you can assign. Planting a garden? Let your kids get their hands dirty. They'll get to experience the satisfaction of watching their crops grow firsthand.
Ask for their advice and let them weigh in on things like choosing between paint colours, tiles and backsplashes. Have fun with it. You can even make them a badge and dub them “design expert”!
Construction time is the perfect time to spend a day together as a family. Cope with the destruction at home by planning outings away from the chaos. (And no, a trip to the hardware store does not count as quality time.) Pack a picnic and head off to the beach, park or playground for some well-deserved downtime. If you can get away for a weekend, even better. Your sanity will thank you.
Downtime goes for parents, too. Taking time to decompress, eat right, exercise and see friends will contribute to a happier household—and a happier renovation project overall.
With the right planning, a home renovation with kids can be an exciting and rewarding experience. Once the chaos of the remodel is over, you'll have a wonderful space for your family to enjoy, making the weeks or months of mess and stress worth it.
You may think all the time and effort you have put into your home before listing it, even what you paid for it previously, makes it worth a certain price. Even an appraiser may come in before you list and say it’s worth close to a price you like. But at the end of the day, it is only worth what a buyer is willing to pay for it. They may think your upgrades don’t match up with the asking price. It may be that the home does need renovations and the asking price is too much to justify buying it and immediately pouring more money into it. A buyer would rather purchase a home at $125k, put $25k into it, and have it be worth $180k instead of buying a home at $180k that needs the same work of the $125k home.
It’s normal to think or hope that you’ll get back every penny spent on a home renovation. Unfortunately, in most cases you really only receive back a percentage of what you spent (or sometimes no hike in value at all). Different home improvements generally offer different returns, and that amount can vary depending on the area that you live in. Other factors include quality of craftsmanship and the personal taste of buyers.
No house is ever going to be perfect, especially with a dog in the summer, but it is important to make an effort to keep your home as clean as possible during listing photos and showings. You want potential buyers to remember what they love about the home after they leave, not talking about how much of a mess your home was instead.
We all know what they say about first impressions. It’s hard for someone to change their mind after a bad first impression. Take a look at the front of your home. As a stranger, would you buy it? Just in case you’re biased, look next door. What about your neighbor’s home? Would you buy theirs? If no, imagine if they made it more presentable. Then would you buy it? Yes? Remove the kids’ toys from the front yard. Hide the trash cans and recycling bin. Mow the lawn and trim the bushes, especially before your professional pictures are taken! But continue to maintain the lawn for showings, and for the chance that someone might just drive by and notice the for sale sign in your yard. If you have shutters, make sure they’re all still attached and if needed, slap a fresh coat of paint on them. And don’t forget to pressure wash!
Just because we love our furry friends, doesn’t mean that everyone does. It’s hard to erase every piece of evidence that they exist in your home. No matter how many times you vacuum, there will be pet hair that you miss. Just make an effort. And if you can, hide their bedding and food bowls. Pet odor is extremely hard to hide, especially if you have a puppy learning how to be potty trained or a senile dog with a bladder problem. It might be worth your while to replace your flooring, or offer a flooring allowance in the deal. For now, stick a few air wicks in each room.
Get rid of those dark colors and bright purple accent walls now! That will stick out like a sore thumb in your listing photos before a potential buyer even schedules a showing of your home. The first thought going through their mind is, “How many coats of paint is it going to take to cover up that hideous color?!” Neutral is in. Neutral is always in. As for decor, minimal is best. Go ahead and pack any extra decor that is unnecessary while you’re trying to sell.
If you can’t afford to update the whole house, don’t. Trying to cover everything will result in cheap updates that the potential buyer will most likely want to have redone. If nothing else, as stated above, at least paint. A fresh coat of paint in the whole house, as long it’s a natural color, is never wasted money.
Seriously. Everything is negotiable. While the refrigerator seems to be the biggest thing that buyers want or sellers note that it can convey with an acceptable offer, many other items have been negotiated. Blinds, curtain rods, curtains, furniture, even tractors. However, it is very important to make sure negotiations are done right and documented correctly in the contract.
Because we’re in a seller’s market, it is the perfect time for you to list your home if you’ve been considering it. Homes can barely be put on the market before there is a contract put on them. This being said, time is of the essence for buyers. If you fall in love with a house, you need to put an offer in now, and a good one at that. There’s no time to waste going home and talking about it or sleeping on it. That home might not still be on the market tomorrow.
Why does location matter so much? For starters, you can’t move a home — at least not easily or inexpensively. When you buy a home in a good location, it’s usually a solid long-term investment. It’s often wise to buy the worst house — a property that could use some TLC — on the best block. Why? Because fixing up a home in a great neighborhood will give you the best return on your investment. Quite simply, it will be easier to sell later on. Conversely, you can buy a beautiful home that doesn’t need any work. But if the block is sketchy or just plain bad, you could have a hard time selling the property at a decent price.
Like previously said, it’s hard to please everyone. Even though you just spent $30,000 on an upgraded kitchen and $10,000 on a remodeled master bathroom, a buyer may be groaning because they’re not looking forward to having the carpets ripped up and hardwoods laid. Or, they just might not like the choices you made during the renovation process. One fail-safe move you can make is to allow a flooring allowance or paint allowance, therefore you’re not wasting the money while getting the home ready to sell and they can pick out the details they like.
Even if you’re in a hurry to sell and price isn’t your main concern, you still need a baseline to start marketing your home. One thing’s for certain: Pricing is one of the biggest decisions in the selling process. Set too high a price and you run the risk of turning off potential buyers. It also means your house will not compare favorably with other similarly priced homes. Even worse, buyers may not even see your listing when they search online since they will be using lower price points.
Written and posted by: DECORMAG
Because no wall in your home should be left as a blank canvas, we’re looking at trending interior paint colors for 2019 to get you inspired before the summer season is over and we go full-throttle into fall. From which paint colors will work best in which rooms throughout your home to paint color ideas for accent walls to create conversation-starting visual interest in any room, take in the 10 best paint color ideas to try for the year ahead and beyond.
And we bet you’ll be surprised at some of the latest paint colors to make Pantone’s yearly forecast and how easily you can introduce them into your home as sometimes all it takes is a fresh coat of paint to reenergize a room. To make it easier for you, we surveyed Décor Aid interior designers for their takes on the latest paint colors to give a go.
Warm and inviting creamy shades of hazelnut paint colors are sure to never go out of style nor ever clash with existing furnishings as it makes for one comforting go-to of a hue.
For hazelnut paint color ideas in your home, take a quick survey from room to room and consider which spaces need to be brightened up and catch more light as varying shades of hazelnut are great for bouncing light off to make a room appear larger than it is.
Though dove gray is one of the most classic paint colors when looking for modern alternatives to stark neutral paint color ideas, there’s something a tad moodier about 2019’s lilac undertone injected options.
For one, the addition of lilac works to make gray hues warmer, more gender neutral and cheery. And as some of our designers favorite home interior colors revolve around varying shades of gray, an option boasting lilac tones makes for a refreshing alternative that also happens to be subtle enough to not tire of it easy. We recently made a strong case for the hue on an interior design project in Brooklyn that came alive with a warm, minimal feel.
Officially called ‘night watch’ and one of Pantone’s top 2019 paint colors, the hue is basically a new take on rich hunter green that hasn’t looked so viable since its last time in the interior design spotlight in the 90’s.
From muted to moody, this deep green color trend can work to emulate the feeling of lush botanicals and the healing power of nature in your home while setting the tone with a strong foundational hue.
For hunter and bottle green paint color ideas, our interior designers suggest that this trend should be reserved for well-lit, large rooms as its intensity can overpower small spaces and make them look darker. And as always, when considering bringing in the latest paint colors in your home, think about what works with your lifestyle, taste, and design direction as no paint color trend is worth sacrificing your own personal aesthetic.
Pastel derivatives in chalky, muted tones, have a soothing appeal that brings with them an understated vibe that’s perfect for gender neutral rooms and common areas like kitchens and bathrooms as they’ll do double duty and conceal everyday scuff marks and nicks. Plus, muted pastels make for a warm backdrop for minimalist design.
We love how the kitchen featured above combines the latest paint colors and a dramatic marble backsplash in complimentary tones that are sure to make it more memorable than a standard black and white kitchen.
Go for similar muted pastel paint colors if you’re looking for the unexpected without having to commit to a bold color trend or the latest paint colors being touted as an ‘it’ hue as you’ll tire of it in the long run, and run the risk of having similar paint colors as your friends and neighbors.
Evoke the spirit of Miami with zesty hues. For those with wanderlust and an earthy spirit, soft clay paint colors are great alternatives to beiges and browns as they’ll lend any room a certain sunny zest and casual elegance. Think terra cotta, caramel, clove, and burnt orange home interior colors that have more personality than any neutral ever could.
For this interior design trend, we suggest going for the latest paint colors that boast unusual takes on clay tones to make any room a feature in your home or go for an accent wall or backsplash and see how effectively the hue can elevate a room and your mood with ease.
For the traditionalist with a casual approach to interior design, charcoal blue, ice blue, gray-blue, and a very pale powder blue are great options when looking for paint colors that are far from every day yet subtle enough to not take over a room.
With an endless amount of alternative blue paint color ideas available, there’s no limit to the number of routes you can go with this exacting tone. Just be sure that any blue home interior colors you go for remain soothing and spare to avoid a heavy-handed hue that will make a room feel smaller, darker, and stuck in an 80’s nautical time warp. In general, when going for hues known to leave a strong initial impact, tone it down with a more muted, and subtle color palette to get the longest run from your selection.
For those looking for a pop of color and an alternative to gold, deep mustard is great for instantly creating rich focal accents and make for smart paint colors for accent walls and even trim.
Do go for muted and moody mustard home interior colors to create provocative depth, and to highlight décor and art brilliantly as sometimes the best paint color ideas are applied in small doses.
A non-color of sorts, mist home interior colors may come from a blend of muted pastel blue and green with a gray and lilac undertone, but it’s far from an easter egg hue.
Instead, think of this color trend as a blank canvas for décor of all colors and styles as its a much more interesting starting point than standard beiges and whites, plus, like muted pastels, a misty hue will work to cover up blemishes with ease.
An update to the popular 70’s era mousy browns and rust paint colors, mushroom looks fresh again thanks to a newfound appreciation for everything natural yet moody.
One of our favorite fashion and paint colors for 2019, shades of mushroom are also gender neutral, timeless in appeal, and unique enough to have guests taking note for their own homes. Plus, it looks great with natural furnishings and finishes as seen in the room above.
The perfect gray-beige and a rich alternative to all white walls, pewter pain colors provide an almost blank canvas that’s anything but bland.
Though it should have been a standard before it was shortlisted as one of the best paint colors for 2019, this is one color trend not to be underestimated. In fact, our interior designers suggest taking pewter paint color ideas throughout your home rather than just one room as its one shade that works with everything, everywhere.
Images via Pinterest
Apr 06, 2018 / INFOCUS
As CREW has discovered this week, thousands of Canadians are heading down to Florida each year in search of properties to either rent or buy. Data show that over 500,000 Canadians own homes in Florida – that’s approximately 1 in every 72 people - and Canadians accounted for 37.0% of all foreign purchased real estate in Florida. In fact, Canadians purchased $7.03BN of real estate in Florida between April 2016 and March 2017, which represents an increase of 227% against $3.09BN invested in 2015-2016.
In order to improve the property purchasing process for Canadians, Global Real Estate Services launched the Orlando Agency, a specialist company to help out-of-state and foreign nationals in the buying and selling of investment properties for short-term or long-term rental.
“We were created to help the property investors navigating a foreign purchase,” says Garry Walmsley, Senior Global Real Estate Advisor at The Orlando Agency, “We think that Canadians buying in Florida need a full-service option and that they will be much more comfortable working with a company like us who understands the local market and all of its nuances.”
Operating solely in Central Florida, The Orlando Agency as an independent brokerage is able to provide an unbiased overview of the market, combined with a white-glove service and representation, all while enhancing existing strong relationships with the areas local developers and management companies.
The company has also invested a lot of time in understanding Canadians and how they like to do business. Hundreds of thousands of Canadians have bought properties in Florida and for Walmsley it’s important to understand the nuances of Canadian culture.
“We are engaged in Canadian culture, understand how Canadian investors think and also have Canadian nationals within our Orlando based team,” Walmsley says. “We are transparent in how we do business and we attempt to fully educate everyone who is contemplating a purchase.”
Creating long-term relationships is at the core of how Walmsley runs his business. He’s not interested in doing one or two deals with an investor, he wants that partnership to run and run. “That means we have a customer-centric approach, everything is not about us,” he says. “We want people to fully understand what they’re getting into before they finalize a deal.”