10 Reasons To Love Your Home Again

Okay, at this point it is not a news flash to say the real estate market has taken a nosedive and few people are selling their current home just to buy something that they like better. With so many homes in foreclosure, the value of your property has taken a hit and the opportunity to sell it and buy a new, bigger, or better home with the proceeds has also vanished. Don’t just sit there and complain, do something else. Fall in love with your current home again.

Think back to when you first walked through your home and the ideas you had on how to make this house the perfect home. Perhaps that the bay window would be the perfect place to build a window seat or how great the kitchen would look with upgraded countertops. Well, did you do any of that? In many cases, the answer is no. You moved your stuff in and got busy with life and the house stayed the same. No wonder you are bored with it.

The best place to start is with your budget. Unless you know how much you are willing to spend, you can’t even make a list.

Here are some ideas to get you started without incurring a large remodeling expenditure.

1. Paint the inside a new and fresh color, especially if you are living with the original white walls. Select a neutral basic color and add complementary colors for accent walls. Select a color scheme that you can use throughout your home.

2. Get new window treatments and banish those outdated mini-blinds from your home. Make sure the windows are squeaky clean to let in the natural light.

3. Rearrange your furniture. Most living rooms have furniture that rarely gets used and is much better looking than what’s in the family room. Swap the furniture and put stylish slipcovers on the older items for a fresh look to coordinate with the new color scheme.

4. Add some new brightly colored pillows and throw rugs.

5. In the kitchen, consider resurfacing the cabinets. Replace the hardware or if your cabinets don’t have any, add some. The impact for such a small change is amazing.

6. Replace the light fixtures, especially if you still have florescent lights. Coordinate the light fixture with the new hardware.

7. Think about changing the countertops to granite slab or a man-made solid surface like Corian. This could eat up a large chunk of your budget so consider granite tiles for a dramatic but less costly option.

8. For the bathroom, update the lights, coordinate with some new hardware and establish a fresh new color scheme for rugs, soap dish, towels, etc.

9. Select a different color for the master bedroom to set it apart from the rest of the house. Replace the drapes and bedding for a fresh new look.

10. Replace the house plants. Yes, it is okay to get rid of droopy looking plants; they are not animals, just vegetation.

That’s enough to get the ideas flowing. Soon you will be back in love with your home and when the market does improve, you’ll be ready for that first “open house” in practically no time, assuming you still want to move.

By: Richard Telrunya

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Samuel Classing lives in a small housing community in the Stevenson Ranch CA market. He and his wife enjoy hiking in the great outdoors and recently started making trips to Pine Mountain Club after hearing the winding mountain trails and scenic vistas. They now look Frazier Park real estate.