Home Building Trends | Hiding Cables and Cords in Your Home

 

Home Building Trends | You’ve finally found the perfect lamp that gives off just the right amount of light for your home office. Now if you could just find the best spot for it and hide that pesky cord, your space would be complete. Nothing can ruin clean design lines or great décor more than unsightly electronics and appliance cords. Here are six tips to help keep cables and cords out of sight.

1. Get Rid of the Clutter

One of the easiest ways to cut out the mess of cords is to minimize the number of devices you have. Start with the spaces that tend to get cluttered most, like counters and desktops. For example, if you don’t use your fax machine, get rid of it. Consider replacing office and small kitchen appliances with a single piece that functions as an all-in-one device. To reduce cord clutter from must-have items like cellphones or tablets, use a decorative charging station. It can hide cords for many handheld devices and can add personality to a room.

New House Builder | 5 DIY Safety Tips

New House Builder | Each year, thousands of people end up in emergency rooms from accidents that occurred while performing various home improvement tasks. In order to save money on home renovations and overall costs, more and more people are attempting to tackle DIY (do-it-yourself) home projects. So it’s crucial that DIY safety is a top priority in any home improvement endeavors. Whether you’re an experienced DIYer or an amateur, following strict safety protocol is a must before you turn on your power tools or climb up any ladders. Here are some key safety tips to keep in mind as you work on your home improvement projects.

Use Power Tools Safely

This should go without saying, but never leave a power tool unattended when it’s active. Before leaving the area, unplug all power tools and keep them out of reach of children. Also, take proper care of your tools. You take good care of your toaster and hair dryer, right? The same should go for all your DIY power tools and gadgets. For instance, never carry them by their cords or yank a cord out of the electrical receptacle. Always grab the plug instead of the wire when disconnecting the cord. Finally, keep all electrical cords safely away from sharp edges, oil and heat.

New Home Communities | Property Taxes 101

New Home Communities | When you become a homeowner, you take on many new responsibilities. One of them is paying property taxes. Knowing how your property taxes work, what causes them to go up and down and what exemptions are available is important – and that knowledge can even save you money.

Property taxes are generally levied by county, but often include taxes paid to other local entities like school districts, utility authorities or city governments. The rules, rates and regulations surrounding property taxes can vary significantly depending on where you live. Therefore, these guidelines are general – for specifics, please consult your taxing authority.

Custom Homes | Turn Your Deck Into an Outdoor Oasis

Custom Homes | Your home is your castle, your escape from the noise and chaos of the rest of life. That’s why so many of us invest our dreams – and dollars – into the features that not only add value to our homes but our quality of life. For the money, a wood deck is a great investment for a homeowner to make. Not only will you see an average 80.5 percent return on your investment, you’ll also benefit from expressing your personal style with one of the most versatile fixtures on a home’s exterior.

Though a redwood deck is beautiful on its own, it’s also ready to project whatever postcard-perfect image you have in mind. Combine the growing popularity of both outdoor living rooms and the “staycation” concept, and you have the perfect start to creating your own outdoor oasis.

Whether you’re building a new deck or refinishing an existing one, there are a number of small touches and design elements that can help transform the look and feel of your outdoor deck space with minimal investment or effort. What’s more, defining your outdoor oasis with redwood will give you lasting beauty and unparalleled durability that can change with your own tastes and needs over time.

Here are five easy tips to turn your deck into an outdoor oasis:

Home Builder Jacksonville | 7 Bathroom Face-Lifts

Home Builder Jacksonville | A guest bathroom needs to be clean and convenient, but can’t it also be cute? There are countless ways to quickly upgrade your bathroom’s appearance and make it enjoyable for you and for your guests. To start with, try these seven quick face-lifts and notice the difference immediately!

1. Pick a Theme

Picking a theme is an easy way to tie all of your bathroom details together without changing too much around. Add some key details (like a sailboat picture for a nautical theme, or some shells for a coastal theme) and a basic color theme, and voila! You’ve got a finished look even if it’s not completely new and renovated.

New House Builder | Dealing With Bad Neighbors

New House Builder | Becoming a homeowner means committing not just to a home, but to a neighborhood. Unfortunately, while you can always improve a home, you can’t always improve bad neighbors.

1. Know what you’re getting into before you buy

You can prevent future headaches by doing research on your neighborhood before you buy a home. You’ll want to find a place that fits your lifestyle, whether you want to start a garage band or you can’t stand noise at night. When you tour a home, spend a little extra time in the area and introduce yourself to anyone you spot outside. Most people are happy to help out a potential new neighbor! Ask them if it’s quiet at night, if they think it’s safe, what they enjoy most about living there and what it’s like to work with the homeowners association, if there is one.

If you have concerns, you can request police reports associated with the home address to see if there have been noise complaints, break-ins, vandalism or other crimes associated with the home. In some areas police reports are considered “material fact” (which is anything that could influence a buyer’s decision to purchase a house) and must be disclosed by the home seller. But it’s a gray area, so it never hurts to double-check.

New Home Communities | Appeal to Buyers With These 5 Tips

New Home Communities | When selling your home, your top consideration should be how to help potential homebuyers love the space, and also feel they are getting their money’s worth. When it comes to upgrades, your kitchen has the highest ROI (return on investment) of any room in your home. The appliances, finishes, plumbing, lighting fixtures and cabinetry all add up to a worthwhile investment in the eyes of homebuyers.

When I help sellers stage their homes, we always start and end with the kitchen. Ensuring it has modern appeal and valuable amenities that will wow buyers is essential.

Here are my five tips to upgrade your kitchen so it becomes the heart of the home for potential homebuyers:

1. Start with energy-saving and innovative appliances

Kitchen appliances are the heart of any kitchen, and homebuyers are looking for appliances that are modern and feature innovative technology. These include Wi-Fi-enabled appliances such as refrigerators that connect to the Internet for recipe ideas and water filters that send you an email when it’s time for changing.