Author: Liz Sells Homes
Explore, Evaluate, Estimate, Plan, Measure.
How should you plan for furniture? Are tape measures on the way out?
As an agent who views a large number of houses on a regular basis, I find that every person’s hunt is a little different, but all share a certain similarity in soul searching. The most common question? “Will this place fit me, my lifestyle, and my stuff!”
And while I cannot speak for each person’s individual lifestyle, there are a fews quick tips and tricks I’ve found to help with the quandry facing house hunters regarding their belongings.
As you begin your hunt for the perfect home, be certain to look and see if the furniture currently in place is similar in size and type to your own. Staging is an absolutely wonderful tool (to be discussed at a later date), but it can trick the eye into thinking a space is larger than it is. Sure, they have two chairs and sofa in the living room, but is it two straight-backed chairs and a loveseat: whereas you have two chair-and-a-halfs and a corner sectional?
Enjoy the rush of serotonin from finding a place you love, but don’t get swept away by the wave of emotion. Ask your agent to go back for a second viewing if you need to do so. Any good agent legitimately wants to to find a place that works for you AND that you love. Really.
OK. So now you’ve looked at the furniture. Maybe yours won’t fit. Take a step back now. Deep breath. Ready?
#1 Ask yourself this question. “How much do you NEED that oversized sectional/ 60 inch TV/ Large Wardrobe (the list is endless.)” and “How much do you WANT it.” The creator of the Awkward Yeti web comic sells fun post-it notes in a two pack, with “want” at the top of one pad and “need” at the top of the other. Now is the time to create your version.
Buying a place to live is a huge investment. Make sure that you are buying a place that will suit you in the long-term: long after that sectional has died, or you’ve given that wardrobe to a family member. Perhaps though, it is an heirloom that you’ll never give up or will last for many joyful years. Great! Just remember you want to be sure you are not purchasing a multiple hundred-thousand-dollar purchase around a $2,000 sofa if you haven’t thought it out first.
#2 You’ve found it, you love it. You’ve taken a breath and established your priorities. Now, before you get too far ahead of yourself, create a visual so that you can follow on your plannning when you get home.
My favorite app for this? It’s called MagicPlan. I tried quite a few apps before settling on this one for ease of use. It’s measurements are probably not perfect, but they’ll give you a good approximation. It’s pretty straightforward to use. Place yourself at the center of the room, set your arms like a tripod, tap to place a floor and a ceiling. Now you simply tap at each corner of the room to create a general floorplan. Easy. Add windows and doors if you like by simply fitting them in your capture screen.
You can even place “furniture” in your floorplan if you’d like. Trust me, your back will thank you later when you already know where things are going.
SO…with all this said, is the physical measuring tape going the way of the dodo? That is up for debate, but for now I’d have to say no. Apps like MagicPlan are wonderful tools. And they are incredibly convenient: especially if you don’t have a tape that day. But ultimately it will behoove anyone concerned with space to double check the measurements with a tape measure. The app allows for you to type in specific measurements in pre-created floorplans, so you don’t lose anything by using both.
Just remember- EXPLORE your options, EVALUATE your priorities, ESTIMATE whether your wants and needs fit the space. Create a rough PLAN, and MEASURE to prevent as many surprises as you can.
Happy hunting!!
#homes #realestate #househunting #househuntingtips #furniture #measuring #apps #appsuggestions #realtor #realestateadvice #priorities #wantsvsneeds #lists #planningahead #saveyourselfsomelifting #longtermplans
Dishes smelling less than d’lish?
Have a less than pleasant smell coming from your dishwasher, or your garbage disposal while you run your dishwasher? Have you considered that your machine might need cleaning?
That right, the machine that you run soap through all the time does, counterintuitively, need cleaning itself from time to time. And while supermarket “dishwasher cleaning” products are good for maintenance, nothing beats a little elbow grease to get things clean enough to eat off of (or at least clean enough to CLEAN what you eat from.)
If you don’t know where to start, first give some thought to whether you held onto the manual for your machine. No? Or perhaps you never had it in the first place? No problem. In the era of the internet there is a good bet that with a quick google search, you can find your model (or one enough like it to give you a good idea how it is set up.) A couple things to look for:
- A filter. Does yours have one? Where is it, and how can you remove it.
- Are there other pieces of the bottom that are removable? Find out what they are and how to take them out. If you haven’t done this before, I recommend removing everything that is meant to be removable and giving it a good cleaning.
Now, you’ve done your homework. Grab your camera! And depending on your ick-resiliance, you may want some rubber gloves for the next part. Which is?
Take those pieces out. Be sure to snap a photo before removing so you know how to get it back together. Trust me, you think you’ll remember, but a picture is priceless. Once you have all the parts removed you can give them a good wash in the sink to remove any gunk.
At the bottom of the machine where they have been sitting, there is a good chance there is smelly gunk that has built up. My personal preference is to get as much up with paper towels as possible. If you are a little more “green” you can certainly use regular towels, I just prefer to throw away the “ick” I get out.
Once you do an initial wipe, get out your cleaner of choice. Keep it relatively gentle- pure bleach is hard on rubber gaskets and your hands alike. Fantastic works fairly well, as does white vinegar. Some bathroom cleaners might work too. Your preference. But spray that area down, let it sit for a few minutes, and then give it a good scrub. An old toothbrush works great on nooks and crannies, and a bottle brush in tight spots.
You may have a “well” that still has fluid in it. You can sop up the liquid and then scrub. Then rinse. I sometimes use a turkey baster to suck up the liquid after the rinse, in order to better pick up the pieces of crud that may have been dislodged: crud that I worry my paper towels will simply push back into place.
Pull out your racks and give them a good scrub too. You’ll be surprised at what has accumulated in the rails and hard to see areas. Everything done? Not getting much up anymore? Great!
Remember those photos I recommended? Now is the time to break those out. Ditch the rubber gloves, and reassemble all the newly squeaky clean parts into their appropriate places. But don’t leave just yet! You have 2 steps to go!
- Run a cycle, making certain the water is HOT, with 1 Cup of White Vinegar in a measuring cup sitting upright on the top rack. This will help get rid of some buildup and smells that you didn’t find.
- Empty out the measuring cup into your sink, and run a quick cycle with just water. You don’t have to do the whole 45-90 minutes, 10 minutes ought to do it. Remember, vinegar is acidic, so we want to rinse any remaining vinegar out of your machine to preserve and rubber or plastic bits.
ALL DONE!! Now you can enjoy your wonderfully clean machine, and the knowledge that those dishes are indeed clean enough to eat from.
#hometips #homemaintenance #cleaning #cleankitchen #cleandishes #messyjob #helpfulhints #helpfulhintsforhouseandhome #rubbergloves #keepingitclean #novarealtor #realtorlife #yourrealtor #realtor #realestatepro #homes #whitevinegar #smellyjob #cleandishes #house #someonehastodoit #forgottenjobs #didyouknow #thatswherethesmelliscomingfrom #dishwasher #chores #householdchores #elbowgrease
DC area closed sales, contracts and prices all reach highest April levels in a decade — Blog
Median sales prices of $419,250, closed sales of 4,678 and pending sales of 6,647 are all highest April levels in a decade; Inventory levels up a scant 2.3% Rockville, MD – (May 10, 2016) – The following analysis of the Washington, D.C. Metro Area housing market has been prepared by Elliot Eisenberg, Ph.D. of ShowingTime…
via DC area closed sales, contracts and prices all reach highest April levels in a decade — Blog
Renting in the Northern Virginia Market
Why have a Realtor help you find your next rental?
Did you know a Realtor can help you find your next rental, and as the renter 99% of the time you can have them work for you for free as the landlord covers their commission?
But…you ask…what are the advantages of having a Realtor in your corner?
All too often renters are searching for a particular type of home, in a particular area, for a particular budget: and don’t have access to tools that best enable a productive use of time and energy. All too often I get lists of homes pulled from websites of which many were rented long ago, but the site was never updated! Imagine the frustration of individually calling each of those listings and then finding out that half of them are gone!
With a Realtor, you can get accurate up-to-the minute home listings fitting your criteria sent to you- and you can visit them all in one go. No calling and setting up 15 different appointments, with 15 agents for 15 homes. Nope! You call Your Realtor, tell them which homes from the ones they sent you that you are interested in and you’re done. Your Realtor can take you out, and you can see many homes in one fell swoop, instead of spending all week trying to get from place to place!
I am an active Rental Agent throughout the Northern Virginia area, so give me a call today if you or someone you know is looking for a new rental. It is a great deal, and a great savings of your precious time!
Liz Sells Homes 