The spring market in Canada is starting to heat up with record low inventory. Buyers have started to come back, as for the first time in the last few months Bank of Canada has not increased interest rates.

In fact, Royal Lepage has adjusted their national aggregate home price forecast to increase 4.5% year-over-year in Q4 2023. This is an opportune time for home sellers waiting in the sidelines, to finally start getting their home ready for sale and look into renovations.

When selling the place you’ve called home for the past five, 10 or 30 years there is always one question that comes to mind: How do I get the most money back on my home?

How can homeowners increase the ROI, or return on their investment? There are a ton of tricks and tips to increase the ROI when selling a home, but the number one piece of advice is to look into hiring a Real Estate Agent.

The right Real Estate professional can assist in setting an appropriate asking price which is influenced by the season, annual trends, neighbourhood and amenities offered in the area. They can also help with other things like organizing showings, and offering invaluable advice about possible projects that can be completed to upgrade your home and also increase sale price.

Other ways to ensure you are increasing your investment in your home upon selling is by putting some money back into the house before the sale sign is even hung.

Who is buying?

Speaking with your hired professional and by taking note of the demographics in the area can help you determine your target audience. Who will be looking at purchasing your home? A young family? An expanding family? A couple looking to retire? Investors? Perhaps it is some people who are looking to flip the property?

Learning your target demographic can ultimately save you from investing money into big projects that will do nothing to return on your investment. “There are a lot of buyers who just want to buy a home that is turn-key. Updating rooms like the kitchen, will have the greatest impact for them. However, you need to know who your buyer is so the upgrades will align with their wants and needs.” says Terry Osti, award-winning, REALTOR® at StilHavn.

Web appeal is the new curb appeal

Forbes reports that it is just as important, or more so, to have a strong web presence when selling your home as it will bring interested buyers to the door. Senior director of PR at Realtor.com, Julie Renyolds told Forbes that ads featuring walk-through tours are clicked on 150% more than ads without them.

Curb appeal still a good investment

HGTV says that curb appeal is still just as important as ever. After all, you can only make a first impression once.

Ensuring cracks in sidewalks and driveways are patched, windows and doors are caulked and door knobs, locks and hardware are upgraded are low cost ways to boost the return on investment upon selling.

Taking that extra initiative and planting flowers and perennials in the garden can also have a lasting impression and increase the value of the home. Interior designer Brittany Farinas of House of One told Forbes.com that adding some greenery can give the outdoors a whole new look.

New siding, although a little more costly, is reported to rank high on the cost vs. value report according to HGTV. According to Forbes.com, homeowners can expect to pay between $1,000 to $16,000, depending on the size of the home and the type of siding material used, but it will not go unnoticed.

Sound structure is key

Interested buyers aren’t going to be as thrilled about an upgraded kitchen if the basement is flooding due to poor plumbing or cracks in the foundation.

HGTV says that investing that facelift money into ensuring the roof is in good repair, the foundation is sturdy, the furnace is functioning properly and all electric and plumbing is up to code will ensure the asking price won’t plummet in order to compensate for the necessary repairs.

Replacing windows can cost around $15,000 for a 2,000-sq-ft home with new vinyl windows, but RE/MAX predicts a return on investment of 75%.

Focus cash on bathrooms & kitchen

The kitchen and bathrooms are where a lot of time is spent in the home and architect Steve Straughan based out of Los Angeles’ KAA Design Group says they are the areas of the home that interested buyers can tell if money has been well spent.

According to RE/MAX, kitchen renovations such as countertops are one of the top three changes that lead to a high return on investment. Countertops can be expensive, but $3,000 stones such as granite or quartz can make a huge difference. To further elevate your kitchen, spend around $5-10,000 for stainless steel kitchen appliances. Kitchen renovations typically have a return on investment of 75-100%, usually the highest ROI.

Bathrooms can often always use a facelift — and, for certain, a deep clean. Every bathroom is different, but it is one of the main focuses that buyers look for in a home. Renovations can vary, but having a vanity with marble countertops or a frameless glass shower are elements that can draw buyers. A tip recommended by RE/MAX is to analyze your bathroom and figure out the strengths and weaknesses of it. A typical bathroom renovation is between $5-$15,000 and can have a return of 62%.

Updates and remodels should focus on creating open and inviting spaces and one of HGTV’s tips is to skip that soaker tub and put in a grandiose walk-in shower — or steam shower. After all, who really has the time anymore to take lengthy soaks often enough to justify the space the tub takes up.

Creating additional space

Does the home have an attic with dimensions that would allow the creation of an additional bedroom or office space? Can you extend the deck or create an outdoor living area or sunroom? Can the basement be finished and transformed into a cozy living space? Adding more functional spaces in your home can make it look larger and eliminate any unused spaces. Forbes predicts that the average cost to finish your basement is $22,850 in 2023.

HGTV says keep other homes for sale in the area and your target audience in mind because you don’t want to renovate your home to the extent that you price yourself out of your market.

Go Green

Concentrating on making the home energy efficient with better insulation, window and door replacements can not only increase your ROI when you sell the home, but you will also notice instant savings on your energy bills. By making such upgrades, AIC says the ROI is typically between 50-75%.

Plus, as of December 1, 2020, Canada has offered a number of grants for homeowners to make energy-saving upgrades.

At the end of the day, it isn’t always the fun and sexy renovations that add the most value to the home. Sometimes it’s the dirty work that goes the extra mile when selling. But, to make sure you are getting the best return on your investment, be sure to speak with a professional Real Estate Agent who can help answer any questions you may have along the way.

The post Renovating your Return on Investment for the Best Results first appeared on RankMyAgent - Trusted resource about Buying, Selling and Renting.

But with COVID-19 and a migration to the digital world, staging your home isn’t only for showings and open houses. Staging your home is also crucial for the photos and videos used to sell your home. These marketing assets will make the first impression on potential buyers.

In this article, we discuss how to stage your home for the virtual world and how COVID-19 may change how you should stage your home in 2021.

The home staging basics

Decluttering and cleaning are still important

Decluttering and deep cleaning your home is an effective way to stage your home. This remains true for staging in the virtual world. Decluttering can make your home seem more elegant and help potential buyers imagine themselves moving in.

Although people won’t be visiting your home in person (just yet), it’s still essential to deep clean your rooms. Often, the dirt, dust, and grim around your home can add up and provide a sense that your house isn’t for the person looking at the photos of your rooms. Unclean windows, a fine layer of dust on your furniture, or a stain on the rug can quickly put someone off.

Small renovations can help you shine

Painting your rooms can be one of the easiest ways to freshen things up. It can turn an old room into a new one. A fresh coat of paint removes any stains, marks, or scratches—no matter how small—from being noticed. This can also reduce the cost of virtually staging your home as the photo editor will have fewer details to clean up (more about virtual staging later in this article).

Enlist small decorations

Commonly, what sets apart a fancy home from a regular one are the details and minor decorations that add up to a certain suave in a room. For example, hardcover books, throw pillows and blankets, potted plants, and artwork can add a lot to a room and jazz it up. The best part is that these items are usually easily accessible from places such as Amazon, so you don’t even need to leave the comfort of your own home.

Consider how COVID-19 trends have changed home staging

Home offices and gyms are now in-demand spaces

COVID-19 has changed what buyers look for in a home. People are moving to the suburbs and to larger homes as they envision a home gym or office to compensate for their inability to have a gym or office like before.

Instead of staging an area as a second dining or living room or as a storage closet, these places could be better set as a home office. You could further stage an empty basement with a set of dumbbells or even a squat rack to expand a potential buyer’s imagination. Other possibilities could include a home classroom, media room (to replace movie theatres), or spa area.

Create an outdoor retreat

The pandemic has also driven demand for private outdoor space. People, more than ever, want fresh air without being in public. Staging your outdoor patio with excellent patio furniture or even a fire pit can create a sense of an “outdoor retreat” that buyers are willing to line up for. It creates an opportunity to entertain guests when the weather is warmer while reducing the fear of COVID-19 transmission.

DIY or professional stager?

This generally centres around declutter and trying your best to make everything appear fresh and pretty for the pictures that’ll sell your property.

However, stagers have also adapted to COVID-19. Some stagers are now offering their services virtually. You can take them around your home via FaceTime or Zoom as they provide suggestions on how you can spruce the place up. Another alternative is to find a real estate agent who also provides home staging services.

A stager can be expensive. Especially with furniture rentals, it can amount to thousands of dollars. However, it’s commonly worth the cost. A well-staged home can help your property stand apart from others in the market and ultimately increase the final selling price.

If you do look for a professional home stager, you want to look out for the following:

• Portfolio: What was their past work like? What do their prior clients say about them?
• Professionalism: Do they act professional when they communicate with you? Do they get deliverables to you when they say they will?
• Real estate knowledge: A stager who understands the real estate market understands what’s in demand and can orient your home to fulfill such market demands.

What about virtual staging?

Virtual staging beings with a photographer taking photos of your rooms. The photos are then sent to a virtual stager who uses software to achieve a particular look akin to a staged home. This effectively removes the need to rent furniture when staging your home (an enormous cost and hassle).

Virtual stagers can remove or add in pieces of furniture, change a room’s colour schemes, or even change whole areas of your home. This type of service is more important than ever as demand for staging has increased due to an increased dependency on real estate photography to drive sales. At the same time, traditional home staging has become more complex with COVID-19.

This method of staging is also more cost-efficient. Virtual staging services can cost anywhere between $16-$100 per photo. Although it’s common to have 20 pictures for a single home listing, rooms such as washrooms and closets likely won’t require this treatment. As a result, you’re probably not looking at thousands of dollars to virtually stage your home.

Staging your home is a great way to make it stand out from other properties in your area. It can ultimately help you sell your home for a better price at a faster rate. There are many options to stage your home, such as DIY, a professional stager, or doing it virtually. Whichever option you choose, you can be sure that it’ll likely add value to your selling process.

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Renovating the Basics

Renovating your home doesn’t always mean taking a sledgehammer, destroying whole rooms, and rebuilding said rooms from the ground up. Refurbishing the less sexy parts of your house can commonly deliver the best return on investment. These include

• Painting walls
• Removing carpeting
• Adding new roofing and windows

Painting

Painting a room is regularly an under-appreciated home improvement. But a simple, fresh coat of paint can make your whole property stand out and look brand new. It’s perfectly fine to do this yourself, but a professional painter can ensure the final product is even more excellent. A professional painter can skim walls, repair minor damages, and do the other work before selecting the proper paint for each surface.

You can also consult with an interior designer to help discuss tones and colour palettes and whether a matte or glossy paint would be better for specific rooms.

Removing Carpets

A lot of older homes may still have carpeting everywhere. Decade-old carpets look worn and are plagued with stains. And potential buyers may look at a home’s carpeting and think of the chores they’ll need to do to maintain it. Unlike other floorings, carpet requires heavy vacuuming, chemical cleanings, and more. Although the soft flooring may be ideal for kids who play and could trip, temporary soft floor mats are a great alternative until they get older.

Vinyl flooring is a popular alternative to carpet because it’s durable and affordable. Unlike hardwood, it won’t cost an enormous amount. At the same time, it provides a similar aesthetic to your home. Or even better, maybe once you pull those carpets up, you’ll discover hardwood underneath. In this case, you only need to refinish the floors for an updated look.

New Roofing and Windows

No matter how beautiful a kitchen, if your roof is leaking water into the home or if the windows are letting in winter chills, buyers will still turn away. Ensuring that your roofs and windows are intact can prove that the integrity of your home is stable. If your roof is crumbling, then leaking water can cause water damage or mould. Less than airtight windows can increase the costs of heating and air conditioning. Depending on your property’s specifics, replacing roofs and windows can return 80 percent or more of your investment at resale.

Kitchen and Bathrooms are the Money Makers

The kitchen and bathroom are often the standout parts of your home. They’re what most people notice and what homeowners want to show off. That’s why it’s common for people to spend the most renovating these two areas. And it’s a smart idea to do so. The Appraisal Institute of Canada found that the kitchen and bathroom were two renovations with the highest return on investment. But precisely what renovations should be done to the bathroom and kitchen to increase your home’s value the most?

Kitchen

Kitchens are important gathering places for families and friends. It’s a place to show off marble countertops and induction stoves. There’s an unlimited number of ways to pour money into your kitchen, but generally, a minor remodel can deliver more returns than a big one. A minor remodel could include:

• New flooring
• Replacing appliances
• Refurbishing cabinets

When renovating these areas, it’s vital to choose traditional looks such as wooden cabinets, stainless steel appliances, and natural stone finishes for floors and countertops. Although you may want to get creative with personal tastes and trends, remaining conservative is best for your home’s value. Dark green cabinets may look good in 2020, but if you sell your home ten years from now, it’ll likely look outdated. Ensure that you use high-quality materials and that the quality is similar to the rest of the house.

It’s also important to not overspend on luxury materials when cheaper ones suffice for what your home’s worth. This is an essential piece of advice for renovating any area of your home. For example, if you live in a middle-class neighbourhood, laminate countertops will likely be good enough, while real marble countertops could be too luxurious for your home’s area. This could make your house too expensive or high-end for the area it’s in.

Bathrooms

Bathrooms are similar to kitchens because you can sink plenty of money when renovating your home. There are countless fancy tubs and countertops that you can add. It’s common for a home to renovate their bathroom once it becomes worn and damaged. Counters may start to crack, and mould may begin forming in the shower.

The best return on investment for a bathroom, however, is adding a new one. If you live in a home with three bedrooms and only one bathroom, and there’s space for a second one, a second bathroom could drastically increase the home’s value. More so than any bathroom renovation.

The Face of the House: Curb Appeal

Your home’s curb appeal is its first impression to anyone entering it. So, it’s not surprising that this is a great place to put your money if you want to renovate your home to increase its value. Common curb appeal renovations that provide a good return on investment include:

• Replacing or painting your garage door
• Installing a sturdy steel front door
• Adding a front porch

Any of these renovations can provide the front of your house with a fresh look. A front porch can add dimension in cases where the front of your home looks flat.

Like the interior of your home, you can liven the exterior with a new coat of paint. Although not every house may have a painted exterior, it’s an easy opportunity to increase home value.

Renovating your house is exciting and fun. At the same time, it’s a stressful process. We hope that this article explained what renovations increase home value the most and aid you in your renovation process.

The post Top Renovations to Increase Your Home’s Value first appeared on RankMyAgent - Trusted resource about Buying, Selling and Renting.

Small spaces typically deter those with green thumbs. Where am I going to put everything? What can I grow in this tight space? What if there isn’t enough light? What if there is crowding?

Sometimes, unfortunately, these potential green thumbs turn an ick-ish shade of grey and they settle for pre-cut flowers. Boo. I’m here to tell you to pursue your green dreams and grow! Grow anything and everything!

Here are a few tips on how to create an elegant garden, even in a tight space.

Grow up

A vertical orientation to your nature escape is one answer to your space issue. This can be done indoors or outdoors.

Constructing a living wall, for instance, is not only a space saver, but it is an absolutely stunning way to display all of your plants and herbs.

One way to do this is to get your hands on an old pallet and with a few minor tweaks and adjustments, you can create a home for all of your leafy friends.

This trendy living wall can be mounted indoors — in your pallet surgery, you will add a plastic backing to ensure the wall is safe from moisture — or you can keep it outside and save some of that valuable square footage for more gardening goodies.

Another super inexpensive way to grow indoors or out is to grab one of those storage hangers that hold shoes. You know? The plastic sheets with lots of pockets? Poke some drainage holes in the bottom, fill each pocket up with soil and plant away. These are especially handy for growing herbs.

Do you have an old ladder around that you would like to repurpose? These vintage beauties are another excellent choice to use for vertical growing. You can purchase a variety of cute planters and arrange them on the ladder rungs. Use the low rungs for plants that need the least amount of sunlight.

Step it up

Don’t forget your front steps — use ‘em if you’ve got ‘em!

The front steps can be used to house a number of potted plants. Try mixing in some edible plants with ornamental that way you’re not only getting the beautiful perks, but you’re also scratching some dollars off that weekly grocery bill. Just remember to pay attention to which direction your stairs face so your plants don’t get too much, or too little sun.

Let your creativity flow freely!

Do you have a railing near your front stairs?

Try hanging some small planters on the railing. There is a myriad of examples on Pinterest and Instagram that show people hanging little decorative teapots from their handrail with small flowers and herbs growing out of them. So cute. And a good way to take advantage of all of that available space.

Growing indoors

With winter at our backs, take some of that glorious spring green indoors.

Let’s take a peek at some indoor nooks and crannies that are ready to be transformed into an indoor-outdoor space.

Growing herbs on the window sill or hanging plants near natural light are ways to keep those thumbs green all year round without taking up too much usable space.

Stacking containers is another option. Do you have a corner in a room somewhere that isn’t being currently? Try tiering some planters up to create a unique structure that is as tall or short as you’d like it to be.

Tiered container gardens allow for a variety of plants to be grown in one structure. This falls in line with a vertical garden, but it doesn’t have to be mounted to a wall. You can construct on yourself with some pots of different sizes — I have even seen coffee mugs incorporated into tiered gardens.

Hang ‘em high

Hanging planters are always a viable option to save square footage. Hanging planters can also be used indoors or out  — just be sure that if you are hanging inside you consider the possibility of overwatering and potential spilling. What I mean is, maybe think again before hanging over a crisp white carpet.

Boston Fern, Devil’s ivy and String of Pearls are all fantastic hanging plant options that will add some green into any room. Plus, they’re tough as nails so if you forget to water once in a while, like this girl — with her brown thumbs — you won’t have to worry about planning a plant funeral.

Hanging options are endless now, it seems. You can take an old coat rack and repurpose that to hang a variety of plants from all at once. Or you could create a floating shelf to hang from the ceiling near a window that can be the new home for a few different pots at once. Of course, you could go classic and use some woven basket options that hang from the ceiling from stylish hooks.

Hanging accessories have also expanded and there appears to be endless availability of stylish options that will go with any decor.

Terrariums are so stylish

These enclosed mini-gardens are so cute! You can buy these pre-made or try your hand at creating your own. They can be stacked, they can be hung, heck, they can just be placed on a table. But these tiny tanks of greenery are the perfect way to bring the outdoors inside on a small scale.

Suck at gardening? Get succulents

Succulents come in such a wide variety of shapes and styles and they are pretty low maintenance. So, if you are away from home a lot, or you are just forgetful, like me, try your hand with some succulents.

There are even some that are planted in fridge magnets! How easy is that! These things are so multifunctional — holding up your electric bill and boosting moods!

In Calgary, there is an amazing local shop in the Inglewood district called Plant that has all the knick-knacks and accessories needed to get a small garden started in any season. All we are left with to do now is pick a few of our favourites, hit up our local flower shops and get gardening.

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But, there’s good reason: bathrooms have become our personal spas and beauty salons. I spend a lot of time in the washroom! I enjoy taking long soaks in the tub — using all of those fancy bath products typically gifted around the holiday season. And I enjoy playing with makeup — also gifted — and hair products.

If I were to add it up, I’d say I typically spend at least 40 minutes a day in my bathroom. I take my sweet time getting ready for work in the morning. Mostly because I’m fighting with my winged eyeliner to ensure it matches (I know, I know — sisters not twins). But! Because I spend a lot of my time in there, is it so much to ask for a nice space?

Going out to local bars and restaurants you can see that bathroom trends have changed a lot over the years. And 2019’s bathroom trends are no exception.

You will see a lot of new styles hitting these throne rooms come the new year. Anything from vintage vanities and mirrors to bathrooms that look like you walked onto the set of Netflix’s Black Mirror.

Here are a few trends you can look forward to next year:

It’s all in the details

Mike Docherty from The Royal Flush Boutique, a decorative plumbing and hardware store in Calgary’s Mission neighbourhood says one of the most notable trends is special finishes on fixtures.

“Particularly matte black and brushed gold,” he says. “This straying off the beaten path of polished chrome and brushed nickel has really changed the designs of the new products that have come out this year.”

He noted this particular trend has moved the finished look away from the crisp stylings and toward the “industrial chic look that has really taken the kitchen and bath industry by storm.”

“It seems like every fashion-forward manufacturer has a new line that has that raw exposed pipe look with knurling on the handles,” Mike says.

Keep your eye on producers such as Watermark Designs, Crosswater London, Samuel Health, California Faucets and Brizo, Mike added.

Vintage is king 

Vintage items have always been sought after. There is something about a classic timepiece that is just transformative. Perhaps it is because it makes us think of simpler times, or maybe it pulls at our fascination for the old-school glitzy Hollywood era. Or, perhaps, we just enjoy rooting around at garage and estate sales or hitting the local thrift shop. It’s like treasure hunting.

Well, now, you’ll find a lot of these treasures featured in water closets.

Old dressers are being reimagined as vanities. Vintage sinks are being cleaned, revamped and reinstalled in modern bathrooms. Gold and copper plumbing is being left exposed and clawfoot tubs have made a comeback as a nod to bathrooms of yesteryear.

My personal favourite vintage bathroom motif is adding in those classic tiles boasting geometric patterns. I find they can really tie a room together — even with more modern vanities and accessories, the tiles alone can transport you to another time.

Mixing old with new is also a popular fashion choice, so don’t be afraid to flip the calendar forward while designing your new space.

Cabin chic to escape and relax

Adding wood elements throughout your personal haven is a great idea if you are chasing that relaxing oasis style.

Imagine a crisp winter white bathroom adorned with pop colour accessories and a wooden feature wall. Tie in additional wooden accessories to nod to the feature wall like toothbrush holders, baskets or even the mirror frame. Add some greenery to really bring nature into the space.

Now, take a deep breath, add in that bath bomb you’ve been waiting so long to use and relax.

Sounds pretty good, huh?

Reclaimed wood is a perfect option for attaining this type of design. That old barn wood being upcycled is not only great for the environment but because the wood has been exposed to the elements, it is more likely to withstand the high-humidity without warping as it has been completely dried out.

Also, it adds an instantaneous-snap-of-your-fingers farmhouse style to your space.

High-tech space age

Technology is all around us. It is in every room in the house. So, you best believe it when I say it’s a-OK to bring that tech into the bathroom as well!

Whether you add LED backlighting to your mirror, or you program your voice-activated Alexa or Echo to dim the lighting before you enter, you can have technology working for you to create that spa space that is so desired.

Smart mirrors are an option to bring your bathroom into the digital era. Not only do these mirrors offer a backlight, but they often have stereo speakers and a heating component which means no more foggy mirrors post steamy showers. And, they are becoming a viable place to get the news with their tech displays that cover headlines through to weather forecasts and traffic.

How about towel heaters, or digital showers that can be controlled by your smartphone to ensure consistent temperatures and settings. Finally, the perfect shower can be had time and time again without dipping your toes in first!

These high-tech aspects are also very stylish. They come in a variety of designs from sleek to cyborg, so you can get as technical, or go as rustic as you want with your design.

Simple storage is in

Say good riddance to all of the bathroom clutter that seems to grow and grow and go untouched for years. Bathrooms, like the rest of our lives, are becoming more streamlined. This means ditching the clutter and embrace the minimalist methods in the water closet.

Add a floating shelf to the space to showcase some of your stylish and functional bathroom trinkets; that unique perfume bottle, those cute jars that store your cotton rounds, you know? Try some lower enclosed racks under the sink for those daily use products.

You create an open space by reducing the number of cabinets and storage units in a space. Aim for simple and small. Cater to those necessities to de-clutter while creating a relaxing environment.

Bathroom trends change every year and you really just have to find what works for you and your space. The best part about these trends I’ve talked about is that they can all be pieced together and incorporated in the same space if you’d like.

Bonus trend from the pros

The Royal Flush Boutique’s Mike Docherty says another thing to consider for a stylish powder room is an undermounted sink.

Undermounted sinks allow some of that desirable industrial piping to be exposed in a unique fashion.

Mike says Native Trails, Vitraform and Link A Sink have an excellent variety to choose from.

Remember, to update your bathroom space, you don’t need to do a complete overhaul either. Often times a coat of a paint or a new bathroom mirror or faucet can give the entire room a facelift without breaking the bank.

“All in all, it’s been a very interesting year for the kitchen and bath industry with so many sweeping changes,” Mike says. “But, that’s what makes it so exciting.”

The post Bathroom Trends to Look Forward to in 2019 first appeared on RankMyAgent - Trusted resource about Buying, Selling and Renting.

With spring right around the corner, you might be thinking about sprucing up your home. However, it may not yet be time to work in the garden or on other outside endeavors. If cabin fever is setting in, this is a great time for indoor improvements to brighten your living space and get you warmed up to work outside when the seasons change.

Whether it’s over-stuffed closets or cluttered garages, everyone has problem areas on their property. Maybe you just need to give some attention to an area that has not been touched in a while. Whatever your vision, now is a fantastic time to tackle an indoor project. Below are a few ideas to help get you started.

Organize That Closet

Clear out the things you don’t need and make it easier to find the things you do. You can build a closet system for about $100-$500 to put everything at your fingertips. Consider donating functional appliances, furnishings and accessories or your out of date clothing.

Cut The Chore Of Window Washing In Half!

Soon, there will be a warm sunny day beckoning to cleaning your windows from the outside. By washing the inside surface of your windows now, you’ll cut the overall chore of window cleaning in half. I recommend a cleaning solution made of one cup white vinegar to 3 cups water in a spray bottle, with just a ½ teaspoon of a good grease-cutting dish soap. Buff the windows dry and to a shine using old newspaper (Seriously; I doubted this too but it really works!). You’ll be amazed at the lint-free shine!

Paint An Accent Wall

Or, you could choose to do an entire room! The room you spend the most time in should probably be your starting point. Choose a color that will set the mood you want to foster; do you want to be energized or relaxed? For inspirational colour palates and handy tips visit my “Paint a Room Project” board on Pinterest.

Add Shelves Or A Bookcase To A Room

If your house has papers and books stacked up on counters or in cabinets, you may need some additional shelving! Built-in bookcases or shelves can help a cluttered area feel more spacious. Storage solutions can organize your magazines into volumes by publication, season or month.

Change-Up The Hardware On Your Kitchen Cabinets

This shouldn’t be more than a one-afternoon project, but it is definitely a low-cost way to give your kitchen a little facelift. Visit specialty gift shops and woodworking supply stores or search on-line for options. When you look “outside the box” of your local hardware stores (not that there aren’t great options there too) there is a surprising and vast array of contemporary, traditional, whimsical, artisanal, and colorful options fashioned from every manner of materials.

No matter which project you choose to tackle, you can keep the whole family busy and ward off these year-of-the-winter-vortex doldrums at the same time. If you’d like more suggestions for DIY projects for your home visit my blog or other Pinterest boards at kevinhartley.ca.

Kevin Hartley specializes in The Beaches, East York, Danforth Village, Woodbine-Lumsden and waterfront communities of Toronto. Do you have a question you’d like Kevin to answer? Email him at homes@kevinhartley.ca

This content is not intended to solicit clients or properties already under contract. Always consult directly with appropriate professionals about your specific circumstances.

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