Buying Your First Home? Read this First

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Looking to buy your first home?  You’re in luck!  The housing market is better than it has been in years as the economy continues to makes its slow turn-around.  Still, buying your first home is a big step to ensure your financial future as well as the future of your family. It also means no more greedy landlords, lengthy credit checks, and lack of permanency that renting provides. Buying a house can feel like an overwhelming process, but it does not have to be if you are armed with the right knowledge.  Here are the things you need to know so that you can buy a home with confidence.

Be Fully Committed

They call it “settling down” for a reason.  You can start gathering pins on your Pinterest board for décor inspiration, but you should not purchase a home until you are fully ready to make the commitment.  That is because if you buy a home, you will invest a lot of money—a down payment, a mortgage, and home insurance, just to name a few.  You should prepare yourself to settle down for a few years for it to pay off financially.

Determine a Budget

When you go to look for a home, you should go in with realistic expectations about what you can afford.  Gone are the days where loans were handed out like candy to new homeowners, and for good reason.  Banks want to know that you can afford a home, and you need to know that you can too. Take into account your finances (or you and your spouse’s finances if it applies) to see what you can afford.  As a general rule, your total housing payment should be under thirty percent of your gross monthly income.  Do not fall into the trap of becoming “house poor,” a term used to describe when someone owns a home but can barely cover monthly expenses on other obligations.  If this is the case, consider renting for a few more years.

Get Your Credit Checked

As stated earlier, in order to get a mortgage from the bank, you have to show the bank you can afford it.  There is no better way than a credit check to see where you are at.  The best way to do either of these is to pay off credit card balances and possibly stop using them a couple months before you apply for a mortgage.  Another good tip is to not apply for a new credit card or car loan until you have closed on your new home.  Get started on improving your credit as early as possible!  If you are trying to buy a home in the next year, remember that it will take at least six months to recover your credit.  Note that if you are buying with a spouse or partner, then the lender will evaluate both of your credit scores.

Shop for a Mortgage

Before you look at houses, you have to look at your budget, but after you know your budget, you have to shop for a mortgage.  Get your mortgage pre-approval as soon as you can—it is a free and non-binding process, and is essential to showing sellers that you are ready to sign immediately.  If you go in without a pre-approved mortgage, another buyer may swoop in on your dream home, and the only difference between the two of you may be the mortgage.  Don’t let this happen to you—be prepared so you can jump on the house you want right away.  Know that there are two types of mortgages: fixed-rates and adjustable rates.  You can take out a mortgage for different spans of time and different interest rates.  The most common loan is the 30 year fixed rate mortgage loan.  If you are unsure which mortgage you should get, consult with your real estate agent for help.

Reflect on these points and analyze whether you are ready to buy a home.  Whether it be now or in a few years’ time, you will be happy that you bought a home in your budget at the right time of your life.

Small Things That Add Value to Home

Adding value to your home does not mean you have to invest in high-end renovations or expensive things such as artworks, etc. Small and insignificant things can also add value to your home and liven up the ambiance. So if you are looking forward to add some oomph to your home décor without spending too much, here are some tips you can try out:

Clean the Clutter

This is the first step towards switching up the look of your home interiors. A cluttered and untidy room is not only unhealthy it also leads to flow of negative energy within the room. So clean the clutter first. Mop the floor and dust the tables, chairs, racks, shelves and all other elements that stand within the room. While dusting and cleaning should be everyday affairs, make sure to deep clean and vaccum you home at least once in a week. Remember, a clean room is not only more welcoming, but it also creates a clean canvas for decorations.

Add Flowers, Add Colour to Your Life

Add flowers to your home décor to liven up moods instantly. Fresh and fragrant flowers add colour to a space and make the room smell good. So when you enter the room after a long tiring day, it helps you get rid of all the stress and tension (much like the way aroma therapy helps). So place colourful and fragrant flowers in your living room, bedroom, guest room and even the kitchen and bathroom. You can get fresh flowers delivered at your doorstep with the help of a local florist just as Flowers for Everyone offers flower delivery in Perth.

Small Improvements Add Great Value

Small improvements such as polishing the furniture or repairing a dampened wall can add great value to your home. The carpet might have lost its lustre due to continuous use, cleaning it can bring it back to life and make your room look stylish and gorgeous. Similarly, a sunken sofa can be an eyesore; get it fixed to bring back the comfort factor.

Paint the Walls for Quick Makeover

Painting the walls is the easiest way to uplift the mood of a room. If you can’t afford to paint the entire house; consider retouching paint in places where it has been damaged. If that looks odd, create some wall art with the paint that will cover up the damage and make the room look beautiful.

We often do not pay attention to less significant things within our house; but when used properly they can add great value to the home. So start with the above mentioned tips and increase the value of your home.        

Why You Shouldn't Neglect Regular AC Maintenance

If you have an AC, you would want it be in great shape to cool your house as best as possible. Neglecting to maintain your AC is a mistake as dirty filters and coils will hinder the proper functioning of your AC. Check out some reasons why you shouldn’t ignore your AC maintenance.

Helps to keep your energy bill low
If your AC is not maintained regularly, it will be less efficient. A unit which runs poorly will increase your energy consumption leading to higher bills. Regularly maintaining your AC, repairing parts if required and tune-ups will keep your electricity bills in control.

Warranty protection
Many warranties require that AC is maintained regularly. Without proof of regular maintenance, the company may void the warranty of your AC. Commercial units need to be well-maintained too, and if you’re looking for commercial air conditioning in Brisbane, you could visit the dealers of commercial AC units and get them to set up your unit, and ask their help to maintain the unit, which would help to keep the warranty valid too.

Keeps bigger problems at bay
If you regularly maintain your AC unit, you may be doing yourself a big favor as it prevents bigger problems which cost much more to repair. The life of your AC is extended too by regular maintenance.

Better air quality
Cleaning the coils of your AC unit and replacing air filters on time will help to protect the air quality of your home and the health of you and your family will not be compromised due to poor air quality.

Gas leaks are prevented
Gas leaks are common in poorly functioning AC units. These leakages are quite harmful to the health of you and your family. Carbon monoxide, one of the gases emitted during gas leakage can be quite dangerous and even lead to serious complications and death, if it goes unnoticed.

Broken connections
Operating ACs with broken electrical connections is quite dangerous as this can lead to fires. This can lead to explosions even which are very dangerous. However, you should not try to repair any electrical faults yourself, but get the help of trained professionals to fix this.

The benefits of regularly maintaining an AC are numerous, ranging from protecting your family’s health to avoiding major mishaps which could put your life in risk, and also of course, keeping your electric bill low.

This is the best knife sharpener I own

Anybody who knows me or who's spent any time around this website will tell you that I am a passionate cook. An early lesson I learned was the importance of using the proper equipment for the job at hand especially when it comes to knives.

Tools, including kitchen knives look and function the way they do for a reason. A paring knife is for peeling and dicing. A chef's knife is for carving. A santoku is for chopping. Well, you get the gist.

None of those knives can do their job if they're dull. Not only can they not do their jobs, dull knives pose a real danger to someone using it. A dull knife makes someone work harder and to hold that knife in a way it wasn't designed to be held. That's how you get cut.

I've been an obsessive knife sharpener for almost as long as I've been cooking and I've tried just about every type there is. I got my first carbide knife sharpener around five years ago and it was a real game changer.

Well there's a new use for carbide sharpening tech and it's available now in the form of the AnySharp.

The AnySharp takes the excellent performance of carbide sharpening and adds a strong suction cup to the base. So now for the the first time, knife sharpening is a one-handed operation.

My knives have never been sharper with less hassle and in a bonus to end all bonuses, the AnySharp sharpens my serrated knives too.

Honestly, these things are affordable, sturdy and a perfect gift for any cook in your life.

Five Unique Kitchen Design Ideas

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The kitchen is the heart of every modern home. In fact, it has evolved to play a versatile role as a place to not only prepare food, but also bond with family, entertain friends, and even tackle homework with your kids.

The kitchen is the important place of any home, and it should match the interior of your rooms. These days you have various options to update the look of your cooking area. In addition to trending kitchen designs, you can add wall art to decorate the space. For example, kitchen canvas art by ElephantStock is a great option to create a beautiful kitchen interior.

Therefore, you should ensure that your kitchen provides the most comfortable and welcoming environment for these activities.  In order to achieve this, you need more than just a classy teak dining room table.

Therefore, we present you five unique kitchen design ideas to give your kitchen that magnificent and welcoming look.

1. Lounge-style banquette

Genius architect Ben Awes came up with a design that takes away the traditional dining room and expands the kitchen. It features a lounge like area that would accommodate large family get together’s. There is also the option for a granite slab around the table.

Then, the back of the seating can form a black quartz island work surface, with cabinets underneath.

2. Industrial Lighting

Just like how you expect the merchant services processing your transactions at work to be transparent and ideal for your business needs, your kitchen should be perfectly lit so as to keep up with your culinary adventures, as well as provide the ideal environment for mingling and conversation during family get together’s. You can achieve this by making use of industrial lighting. While this kind of lighting varies, it encompasses the following common features:

• Black steel
• Stainless steel
• Copper or Brass
• Wire Caging – In place of sconces
• Clear glass and Antiquated style light-bulbs
• Press-studs, among other industrial hardware

3. Versatile Kitchen Islands

Kitchen islands are evolving from simply being a preparation or serving station, to also serve as home and décor furnishings.   As such, you can upgrade your kitchen from a simple cooking station to a sophisticated display case by including a unique kitchen island.

Consider fixing glass or mirror doors on your kitchen island storage units. Likewise, you can transform an old barn table into a unique kitchen island. You just need to add some lower shelving units for storage. Any of these styles will certainly transform your kitchen island from the traditional prep or serving station into a unique display of style.

4. Smart Kitchen

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Smart technology is revolutionizing the way we do things. It is even finding its way into our homes, including the kitchen, through the invention of smart home appliances.

The Bluetooth –enabled Anova Precision Cooker is a perfect example of smart home appliances. This cooker allows you to connect to your smartphone and then search recipes and incorporate the suggested cooking temperatures and durations for your food to come out perfect.

Likewise, you can incorporate charging points into your kitchen design. In fact, there are countless smart organizing options that you can choose from that will not compromise the overall kitchen décor. You just need to be creative when it comes to choosing technologies that can make your kitchen smarter.

5. Multipurpose Table on Wheels

If you don’t like the idea of having a full-time dining table, which takes up the better part of your floor space, designer Pangaea has a simple but perfect solution for you. She suggests that you have a table on wheels.

This table should be designed in a way that it built to make a breakfast bar that easily slide chairs under it.

Conclusion

Kitchen being the heart of every modern home, everyone wants their kitchen to look fabulous. Even if you don’t want a complete kitchen makeover, you can choose one of these unique kitchen design ideas to give your kitchen a trendy and welcoming look.

Author Bio

Carl Aamodt

Title: Super-Connector at OutreachMama

Carl is a super-connector with OutreachMama and Youth Noise NJ who helps businesses find their audience online through outreach, partnerships, and networking.  He is a professional writer who has been in the business for 5 years. He has hands on experience with cars, tech, and relationship advice, among other things. Because of how quickly he can turn articles around, he is able to take on multiple projects at once. His writing experience spans from SEO articles to technical guides and everything in between.