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When prepping your home to sell, you might find yourself tempted to spend lots of money to reface the street side to improve its appeal. However, cutting into your bottom line may not give you the return on investment you want. Instead, take the time to check out some of these budget-friendly curb appeal ideas to spruce up your look without breaking the bank.
By the numbers
Since buyers coming to look at your home typically look for the house numbers to make sure they are in the right place, those faded, outdated numerals might be the first thing they see. New house number ideas vary from stylish metal numerals to tiles set into a frame. There are lighted boxes that highlight your house numbers too. Look for ones you like at your local hardware, DIY, or hobby store that match your home’s architecture. Paint wooden ones to match the trim or a contrasting color. When using metal numbers, choose the metal that matches your door handles, porch lights, and other nearby metals. Take care to make them stand out from the house color so that they are easy to see. Install them in a visible location, avoiding installation where vines or trees might cover them in the future too.
Front porch mailbox
If your mail delivery carrier allows it, a front door mailbox adds charm to the area beside your front door and gives it function too. You find anything from antique brass styles to modern options with lock mechanisms to protect your privacy and secure important mail. Typically, they install quickly, with just a few screws, so that this project can enhance your home after only an afternoon.If instead, you have a mail slot in your front door, you can easily replace it as well with options found at your hardware store or look online for a wider variety. Make sure the one you buy works with the thickness of your front door and fits in the existing hole so that you do not have to make any extensive modifications.
Paint or replace shutters
Since they hang with just a few screws, shutter replacement is an easy do-it-yourself project. Bright new vinyl shutters enhance your home’s color palette. If you want a more modern update use wooden shutters with a complementary stain color that matches your home’s fencing, garage door or other wood elements.
It only takes a little effort to bring new life and appeal to your home. Your real estate pro can guide you in updates trending in your neighborhood.
Hardwoods, tile, and finished concrete make beautiful floor finishes, but to pull your look together, you want texture and the warmth a vintage rug brings. When buying a vintage carpet, here are a few things to which you should pay attention.
Know where it goes
Depending on where the placement, a rug can take a great deal of abuse from foot traffic, pets, moving furniture and the like. If your carpet goes in a high traffic area, look for a sturdy rug to withstand it. On the other hand, if a decorative piece is what you need, don't be afraid of a vintage carpet that shows a little wear.
Know what to look for
In general, pay attention to these areas:
Fraying: Handmade, woven rugs might unravel when frayed edges and loose fringes catch or pull. Look for tight binding. Avoid loose fringes or hems and make sure the backing remains attached.
Knots: Depending on its style, technique, origin, and age, the knots in vintage rugs might range from far-apart and loose to close and tight. In general, the tighter the knot, and the closer together or more knots per square inch, the higher grade and quality the rug. Look on the backside to see the knotting. If knots appear too loose or knap is missing, the carpet may not withstand a high traffic area or the rigors of a vacuum cleaner.
Vintage rugs typically show wear and imperfections unless it came from years of protective storage. Uneven piling, worn patches, discoloration, and even slight stains add to the vintage charm and reveal its storied past.
Know how to care for it
That antique blend of dust and years of household odors might seem more apparent when you get your vintage purchase home. Before you do anything else, air your rug out of doors to get rid of most of the musty odor. Gently beat your rug with a rug beater or broom to remove surface dust.
Recheck the rug for any loose knots and tighten them. Look for any frayed areas that you missed (or determined were minor) and tighten them by hand.
If your rug’s odor persists, enlist the help of a professional rug cleaning service to have it dry cleaned.
There’s things that you’re doing right in your home to keep everything flowing. There’s probably also things that you’re doing wrong that could deter from how much you actually love your home. The bedroom is a tricky space. There’s a delicate balance that exists. You really shouldn’t be doing much in the bedroom except for sleeping, according to experts. This helps to keep our sleep/wake cycles in balance. If you regularly walk into your bedroom and seem to find that something is missing or off slightly, you may want to heed some of the tips below. Also if you’re having trouble sleeping, you should double check the design of your bedroom. Your bedroom can be the place of peace that you deserve!
Keep Away From Bright Colors
Loud prints and loud colors don’t help to make your sleeping apparatus an oasis. Stick with basic colors that can work well with anything. Adding decorative throw pillows is a great way to add color to your bed without the noise.
Fill the Walls With Character
Don’t leave the walls of your bedroom bare. Be sure to choose cool artwork. Your bedroom is a reflection of who you are. Find art and decorative pieces for the walls that you love. Not only will this help you to express yourself, it will bring you happiness every time you enter your bedroom.
Clean the Clutter
It’s easy to let clutter pile up, especially in the bedroom. Make sure you’re cleaning everything up regularly. This will save you from long hours of cleaning at a later date. It will also save you from stress. Clutter can cause us to feel anxious. You definitely don’t want those feelings of chaos when you’re in the room you’ll be sleeping in.
Keep Lots Of Lighting Options Available
Lighting in your bedroom should be multi-faceted. There should be lights accessible from wherever you are. Whether it be a bedside table lamp, a reading light, or a bright overhead light, you need more than one option for lighting when you’re in the bedroom.
Window Treatments
Don’t skimp on the windows of your bedroom. Hang some curtains for a more complete feeling in the room. Also, make sure the blinds or shades that have been installed block out the light well. Not taking care of windows in the proper way could cause you to sacrifice both sleep and privacy in your bedroom.
More Tips
When it comes to sleeping, you want to get the best rest possible. That’s why you should keep electronics out of the bedroom. While we live in a technology obsessed world, you’ll sleep much better if your phone is away from you during the night. If your phone is your alarm, consider keeping it far away from the bed in another part of the bedroom.
You don’t have to go to a furniture store and spend thousands to find great furniture to fit your home. Secondhand furniture shopping can be a fun and creative hobby that will get you outdoors hunting for the perfect item to fix up for your home. This guide will tell you everything you need to know to help you get the best deals on furniture and how to go about making it your own once you find it.
Furniture sources
Many people think the bargain section of their local furniture store is the best they can do when it comes to saving on furniture. However, there are several better places to start your hunt.
- Craigslist. The “for sale” section of your local Craigslist is bound to be full of furniture that people are clearing out. Oftentimes people put things on Craigslist that are still in good shape that hoping to make a bit of money from. For best results on Craigslist, sort by “most recent” and by posts that have images. This will give you the best items and ones that are most likely still available.
- Facebook. Aside from being the go-to place for arguing with your relatives about politics, Facebook is also a great way to find cheap used furniture. Search Facebook for local buy/sell pages for your town or city. Post in these groups with what you’re looking for. Also post what you’re searching for on your own wall. There’s a good chance one of your Facebook friends has something like it.
- Thrift stores. Secondhand stores like Savers, Goodwill, and Salvation Army all sell furniture in their brick & mortar locations. If you’re bored on a rainy day, head out to the thrift stores in your city to see what they have.
- Yard sales and flea markets. When the weather’s nice, take a Sunday drive out to some yard sales and flea markets. At yard sales especially people are desperate to get rid of everything so you’re likely to get the best deals.
Making it your own
Aside from getting a great deal, arguably the best part about secondhand furniture is that you get to add your own personal touch to it. Whether it’s reupholstering a sofa, sanding down a bookshelf, or painting a new kitchen chair, you’ll have the gratification of putting in work on your furniture, making it that much more special to you. Here are some furniture items that make great DIY or restoration projects.
- Tables. Since the weathered and rustic look in in style, finding used tables has become a competitive market. If you have a small kitchen you can turn a old cafe table into your kitchen table. If you need something larger an old work bench can be crafted into a long dining room table.
- Chairs. Many people think chairs need to come in sets to be worthwhile. However, having mismatched chairs can be a fun way to personalize your kitchen. Paint all the chair legs the same color or sand them and stain them all the same color to give them a sense of unity.
- Repurposed wood. Pinterest is filled with ideas on how to repurpose used lumber. A wine rack out of an old pallet? There’s a tutorial for that.
- Sofas. Oftentimes the only thing an old sofa needs is some reupholstering. Buy a secondhand sofa based on its style, not color. You can focus on fitting it to your color scheme when picking a fabric to reupholster with.
Are you a lover of all things Disney? Do you wish that you could be in Disney more often than not? Well Disney lovers rejoice! There are simple ways to add subtle and classy touches of Disney into your home, inside and out.
Here’s how to add subtle hints of Disney to your home:
Art: Disney has stunning pieces of artwork and sculpture for sale in their parks and online. There are various artists that create these works of art for Disney and the themes vary. You can find Mickey and Minnie, theme park, attraction, and other character themed pieces and in all different sizes. There’s even artwork for various seasons and holidays such as Christmas and fall. There are pieces to fit all styles from vintage to classic that would look great in entryways, bedrooms, bathrooms, and bedrooms.
Family Room, Bed & Bath Accessories: Small signs, accent pillows, throws, a toothbrush holder, and towels are among the many accessories available for living spaces. bedrooms and bathrooms. Add accent pillows to your couches and beds, small signs to your nightstand and shelves, and a toothbrush holder and decorative towels to your bathroom.
Kitchen Accessories: There are so many great kitchen accessories that you can purchase in the parks and online. There are items ranging from salt and pepper shakers and silverware to wine glasses, mugs, plates and dishes, hand towels, and so much more. Create a small display of the various Disney mugs from the resorts you’ve stayed at or display Disney plates in your dining room or kitchen.
Outdoor Accessories: Disney and other retailers sell various types of accessories for the outdoors. Items such as lawn gnomes, string lights, and solar lighting are great ways to add a little Disney magic to your outdoors.
From Mickey and Minnie, Goofy and Donald Duck to theme park and attraction themed items, your possibilities for brining Disney home are endless. And with so many possibilities you can add the touches of Disney that you love the most.
