West Coast Property

Whether you are looking to sell your home or just simply want to give your house a lift, there are many small things that you can do to your home that won’t break the bank but will give it that much needed curb appeal.

Cleaning

If you want to make your house look beautiful, an inexpensive way to begin would be to use a pressure washer and do some cleaning! Start with window cleaning, the driveway, gutter cleaning and finally consider house washing to remove any mildew, mould, dirt and anything else that may have built up on your property.

The Front Door

Before you go ahead and paint your door you need to consider which colour to paint it. Here are a few suggestions of the colours that you could consider and what they say about you:

• Yellow: you will be seen as a welcoming and happy host.
• Black: a colour that’s selected by those who are regarded as mysterious.
• Pink: if you’re mischievous or outgoing then this is the colour for you.
• Grey: this colour oozes sincerity.
• Lilac: this is a colour chosen by those are creative.
• Cream: a colour which is linked to a home that is peaceful.
• Navy Blue: a colour that’s supposed to be picked by intelligent people.

If you are thinking of something bright then consider painting your front door red, after all a brightly painted front door will draw attention to your home and help it to look inviting and modern. Additionally, you would be seen as a passionate person.

Plants

A simple but very effective way of enhancing the entrance to your home would be to add some plants. Ideally you need plants that are not needy but add curb appeal. Consider:

• Evergreens as these will stay green all year round.
• Climbers but refrain from climbers that can affects your windows and guttering such as ivy or climbing hydrangeas. Instead opt for roses, clematis and wisteria. Add a trellis to a wall and grow these plants up it. This way the plants and the trellis can still be removed for cleaning purposes.
• Pots are great for front gardens and are a great way of adding colour to your garden all year round. For instance:

Summer – Alliums

Spring – Tulips

Autumn – Agapanthus

Winter – Violas

Place any pots at either side of your front door to provide a symmetrical look to the front of your home.

Lighting

If you want to make your home feel welcoming then consider adding a wall lantern. To add lighting on a budget you could purchase some stake lights that are solar powdered and these can be added to flower beds or to plant pots and they will provide a nice soft light in the evening time.

Lighting can not only look effective at night, it also adds decoration to your property in general. Additionally, it can also offer an extra layer of security to your property as it’s not just security alarms that do this. Effective lighting can also deter unwanted visitors from your property.

Hardware

To further enhance the front door of your property you could consider replacing the hardware if you are on a budget and cannot afford to splash out on a new door. Begin by updating the letterbox, numbers and the door knocker. You will need to decide on what material you prefer as you can chose between, wrought iron which is the traditional option, chrome which is more contemporary or finally choose classic brass hardware. Head to an antique shop if you would like to find something unusual, or if you can afford to stretch your budget look to find hardware that could be custom made to suit our own taste.

The Windows

Replacing the windows is not an option when you’re on a budget but what you can do is consider investing is some shutters. A cheaper alternative could be to get some window film which is a good alternative to using frosted glass. This way you will gain some privacy without affecting any sunlight into your property.

Another idea would be to add some window planters to your windows. This option is a simple yet very effective way of accentuating a rather boring exterior area. It would be a good idea to select colourful plants or even herbs for your window planters to make them even more interesting.

Garage Doors

A large and boring aspect to your house is your garage door and it’s one element that can really affect the way that your property looks. There are a few ways that you can give your garage door a makeover and this does not mean you need to spend lots of money. For example, paint your garage with a nice new bright lick of paint or hang plants or vines across the top of your garage door and see how easily you can lift this uninteresting area and ultimately add curb appeal to your home.

The Lawn

If your green lawn is looking a bit brown, something needs to be done! There’s nothing more appealing that a luscious green lawn, however a new lawn can be costly. Therefore, the best option would be to look at using some lawn paint, as this will help to turn that rather ugly brown lawn into a fresh green lawn in a very short space of time.

Fencing

If you have any wooden fences you will be aware that they take money and time to look after. Instead of replacing a fence you need to fix and repair any damaged or broken parts. Finally remember that adding a lick of paint to a fence, particularly coloured paint, can bring an old fence back to life.

By following this advice and perhaps even looking around your local area for houses for sale you will soon see that there are many ways that you can add curb appeal to your property, even when you are on a budget.

First off, whom are you dealing with for apartment or house? Is it the landlord, landlady directly? Or is a residential property and has care-takers or rental managers? It is always good to know your audience. With landlords you can develop a personal rapport, and can get a better leverage than that with the care-takers as they are only mediators, they report to a final authority.

Whom you are dealing with will decide how much alterations you can get away with. Most landlords/landladies may allow minor alterations. They may even let you paint or drill some holes to hang your art or photographs if you have a long-term contract. But in a residential complex or student residences, this will be a strict no-no. You got to play with what you have and make the space yours without disturbing the basic setup. Fret not, where there is a will, there is a way. There are ways to work around these rules and make the most of any situation. Here are some simple solutions to get you started on your mini makeover journey.

Target the Walls

Well, you see in paint chips and the color wheel, unfortunately, you are stuck with white or beige walls in your apartment. Fret not, there are still ways to incorporate a burst of color in your rental property. You can do so by painting the bookshelves, other wall cabinets or a hutch, the rule is – the taller, the better. There are three ways you can go about it – directly colour the furniture, make use of cardboard panels or insert the panels in the back of the slots. The advantage of using cardboard panels is that it can be changed whenever you want. This way you can remover and add new ones as per the colour scheme you may be going for at that time.

Target the wall to wall carpeting in the Bedroom

This one can be a difficult one to deal with, the only option to undo the carpeting is to seek permission from your landlord/landlady or property manager to redo the whole thing. Now there is a simple solution, suggested by Kyle Schuneman, LA Times column writer, and author. He suggests layering the existing carpet with an area rug on top. Yes, there is some tripping risk involved, you can counter this by getting a rug that doesn’t have a too thick a pile, cause a chunky rug on a carpet will just look super odd. The alternative is to get a reversible cotton rug or an indoor, outdoor one since both the ends will have low piles. Now it is worth your while to figure carpet stain removal or you can simply hide it under cow skin, as it’s thin and it goes really well with most styles of decor.

Target the Bathroom Tiles

Well, now if pastel greens and pinks are not to your taste, you can go in for temporary, moisture repellent decals that can stand the water and hide the unattractive tile underneath. An upside? They come in over sixty different shades and styles, so you can create your own masterpiece. Go in for something vintage or stick to an all minimalistic appeal, and get the bathroom you have always dreamt of. Here are some bathroom decor ideas to go with it.

Target the Echoes

While your apartment may have gorgeous hardwood floors and high rise ceilings, but living with the echoes is more like living amid the Grand Canyon. If the rug hasn’t made a dent, try adding some functional artworks, such as fabric layered padded panels, once hung they will absorb most of the sound and the reverb and help with the echoes. It’s easy to make them. Pick a fabric, cut it to fit the 30 by 46 inches foam board, leave some extra 2 inches around the edges. Now cut some batting to fit the board leaving around one inch around the edges. Now place the batting over the board (board side up) and wrap your fabric over it, tackle one side at a time, duct tape all the excess material to the back, and simply hang these on the wall. Echo problem solved.

Target No-Nails/Drills Policy

There is a simple fix solution to this one. If you are determined to create a photo gallery in your living area, but your rental is strictly drill-free, go for some Japanese masking tape. A quick and easy solution. It can be moved around without its glue weakening. It leaves absolutely no marks whatsoever and does not cause peeling of the paint like some other alternatives.

Fix the Lighting

There are many ways to create more space and liven up the area, fixing lighting fixtures is one of them. Now obviously you are afraid of messing the electrical wiring, a simple fix is to steer clear of all the inwall lights and instead get fixtures such as lamps, lightboards, some fairy lights, or even light stands and attachable lamps that can be fixed on to high rise stands or furniture. Another way to play with the natural light is to add a curtain of different thinness to add an instant depth to the apartment.

Now, these are few of the tips to do up your apartment without pissing off your landlord/landlady or the caretaker. Also, another element is to get furniture that can be taken apart as easily as it can be assembled. It comes in handy in the move. The trick is also to buy lightweight furniture and art pieces which you can fit into small boxes for easy transfer. Pay special attention to the decor. This is where you will set your place apart. Use easy DIY decor ideas to add a touch of your personality to the apartment. Easy wall-hanging, photo gallery with fairy lights, mason jar lamps, fur rucks over the chairs, wire- containers using boxes are a few of the quick fixes that can really lift the space.

This aside, if you are a landlord and want to be more friendly to the renters, it can be worth a while to invest in rental property management companies. What these agencies do is make the whole process of dealing with the tenants a tad bit easy. Property management is a breeze with these agencies taking over the monthly/ weekly dealings with the renters. It can also take care of the decor queries without you having to get involved every time. As far as the renters go, it becomes easy for them as well, as they have a mediator for smaller queries and they can disturb the landlord only for the big ones.

In the real estate industry, the bigger the better. That does not always stand true. Sometimes moving to a smaller space can be just as rewarding. However, you need to be prepared and prepped up to ensure this transition is smooth with minor hiccups. Irrespective of the circumstances, when you decide to downsize to a smaller space, it is inevitable that you would have to say goodbye to some of your things – favourite pieces, memorabilia, even furniture, and clothing. Well, it’s natural to be stressed and worried about the process. But there is a lot you can do to minimise the stress. We’ve listed down 5 tips that could guide you in the process of downsizing and making your life clutter-free.

DECLUTTER

You’ve put your current property for sale and are now moving to a downsized space, it’s but obvious that space won’t be able to contain all your belongings. It’s good to get a realistic estimate of the space and the things it can contain seamlessly without looking cluttered. The key is to take only the essentials. Don’t toss any of your stuff, instead, you can hire a junk removal company, they will help recycle the junk. You can also donate it, or sell some of it or simply reuse some of your stuff by making some DIY alterations to it. If there are some items you absolutely adore and would hate to throw away, pass it on to your family or give it to charity. This will ensure that someone needy or within the kin will give it the care needed and cherish it.

GET HELP

Sorting out through your personal belongings is never easy. Make three piles – Keep, toss and maybe. Get a friend or someone objective to help you with the process. Don’t ever do this alone, you can also get your kids or family members to help. You can help each other, you can be objective about their belonging and they about yours. This will ensure the process is a lot smoother. Another tip is if there are some treasures that you absolutely must take along, but lack space to display them. You can rotate them monthly, this way you get a chance to display all the items at the same time giving a fresh look to the room. You can also invest in storage units if you have some essentials that you would like to keep around for future use. Here are 41 ways to sort your belongings.

PLAN AHEAD

Now that you have sorted all your stuff, don’t wait until the moving day to figure where each item goes. Take the dimensions of the space you have and your furniture and start preparing the layout in advance. Take only quality furniture you can multipurpose, as this can save a lot of space. The extra chair or study table will be of no use in your smaller space, it’s best to carry functional elements only. This will ensure only the best things make it to your new home, it can be a life-changing process both lifestyle-wise and psychologically.

PAPERWORK

It’s easy to accumulate a lot of paperwork when staying in a place for a long time. And it is essential to have them all in order so that you don’t misplace something important. Designate a small file cabinet or portable storage units to keep them safe and sound. Remember to declutter here as well, most of the times we have documents we don’t really need. Keep only the essential – important house documents, insurance papers, warranty documents, bank files and records, medical files and records. All these should be easy to access. Labeling the box clearly as ‘crucial’ or ‘very important’ can avoid it from getting lost in the clutter.

STORAGE & ORGANISATION

The best option is to get clear boxes, as you can quickly see what’s inside them. Boxes that stack over each other help save space and use it efficiently. Make sure you don’t stack a lot of them together as it might get difficult to get to the bottom ones. Also get easy-to-open lids for kids and senior citizens. A lot of time, items go missing in a move or are lost in the sea of boxes as they are not labeled well. A good practice when you start packing is to colour code the boxes so that the movers know where to put them, always it’s easier for you to unpack them later. Also marking things as important and fragile will make sure the movers are extra careful. Another useful tip is to get tall freestanding shelves to store all the boxes in and keep them organised. You can also use open bins for items that are frequently used and does not need dust –protection. This will make access to them easier.

SAFETY

Make sure when you move; all the hallways and pathways are free from boxes so that you don’t trip over it. Ensure that the items you would be accessing every day are stored at the bottom of the shelves and the ones not used that often can be stacked on top. A step stool is better than a ladder, make sure it has wider steps and comfortable handrails. Also, make sure all chords are tied up individually and kept safe. It’s not fun to sort out a tangled mess of wires at the end of the day.

We hope these suggestions come in handy when downsizing. Downsizing can be a great move to unclutter your life. Added bonus? You are also helping the environment by doing so!