How To Find Your Dream Home and Make It Your Own
Purchasing a home is one of the most important decision making processes you are likely to experience in life. Whether you are looking for your first property to buy, are relocating to a different area, moving into a bigger family home or for single-parents buying homes, the main focus is to find the property of your dreams.
So Where to Begin?
Well the first thing you can do is start making a checklist of the areas you are interested in, how much you can realistically afford and what type of property you are aiming to buy. You could list the ideal features you are hoping to find in your new property in order of importance and necessity.
Personal Finances
Then you will need to look at your financial situation to determine whether you need to arrange a mortgage or borrow money from the bank. Ideally you want to have a good credit rating so make sure you have paid any outstanding debts before you apply. This will help you determine how much money you need to gather for a downpayment to get things moving.
Finding a Realtor
Once you know all your finances are in place then you can start looking for a suitable realtor. You could arrange appointments with different real estate agents to see how you get on first before deciding which professional you would like to continue with. Ideally you want to establish a good working rapport and find a realtor that understands what you are looking for and appears to be knowledgeable in the real estate market.
Time to Get Packing
Now this is going to be the part where it gets hectic and you need to start packing up your belongings and arranging a removal van company once you know the exact date of moving day. By putting as much furniture and boxes into storage will reduce the amount that needs to be moved on the day, which will help speed up the process. Being as organized as possible before moving day will help ensure that things go according to plan and it is as stress free as possible.
Settling into Your New Home
Now this is the exciting part, it is like starting a new work of art with a blank canvas, enabling you to be as creative as you like. You have moved into the new place and want to start making it feel like it belongs to you. It might be worthwhile to try and settle in for a little bit first before you start redecorating so you can organize how you will tackle things.
Choosing The Wall Color
Depending on whether you want to gradually refurbish one room at a time or doing several at once, you can start choosing which shade of paint to use. Dark colors add a bit of personality into the space whilst neutral tones are great at opening up the room and allowing it to feel slightly bigger than it already is. Or you could paint one wall in a darker color, to create more of a focal point and then paint the remainder in a lighter shade, which gives you the best of both. This could be a good look to go for in your living room space.
The Type of Flooring That You Like
This could be the next thing to tackle, what sort of flooring to have. You might not like the options that the previous tenant had, so will want to change them. There are a variety of different floor types to choose from depending on how you want to personalize your home.
Ceramic Flooring. This could be a good option for your bathroom or kitchen as they are able to cope with water splashes and can be very practical whilst also looking stylish. They are also easy to clean which is great when you have children or pets running around your home.
Hardwood Flooring. A good quality wooden floor can look very stylish in your hallway or living room space. The addition of a nice cozy rug by the sofa will provide a nice contrast to the cold, hardwood.
Carpet- A lovely soft carpet will go well in a bedroom setting so that you have a nice cozy surface to walk on barefoot. It’s also very easy to clean which is certainly practical.
Change The Light Fixtures
The next things to change are going to be the light fixtures as you want them to compliment the furniture you have. For example a modern light fixture is not going to pair well with an antique set of furniture. Ideally it needs to fit in well with the rest of the theme. The addition of floor lamps and table lamps will also be a great addition to add as much light into the room as possible.
Hang Wall Art and Photos
This is certainly going to help personalize your new home by adding some lovely wall art and family photos. You could even combine the two and create your own personalized canvas using a photo from a special occasion. These little personal touches are going to transfer it from a house into a home.
Natural Light
Installing ventian blinds are a good way to create a nice modern look whilst also allowing a lot of natural light to fill the room. They also provide you with some privacy as well if you do not want them to be fully open. Blinds are a lot better than curtains that tend to block out all the natural light when closed.
Fresh Flowers and Plants
Fresh flowers are guaranteed to brighten up any room whilst also provisioning a nice floral scent. Flowers such as lilies, peonies, freesias, and jasmine are lovely varieties that also have a wonderful natural scent. You could also include indoor plants as well, which will last a lot longer than the freshly cut flowers. Plants such as geraniums, indoor citrus, orchids and plumeria are some great fragrant varieties to grow indoors.
Paint Your Front Door
The exterior of your home is just as important and will enable you to put your stamp on it. You could paint the front door, especially if it is looking a bit tired, but also just to change it from how the previous owner had it. You could also polish the door knocker and letterbox opener to truly make it sparkling new. The addition of a welcome home mat might also be a nice touch.
Spruce Up The Garden
If you have a lawn that has seen better days, a good trim and the addition of some lovely bright flower plants will smarten up your garden. As it is already spring, you could certainly get the garden furniture out in preparation for those warm summer days. If you do not have any garden furniture then it will be the perfect opportunity to buy some in case you want to invite any guests over for a nice garden party. Some outdoor lighting will also be useful when the nights draw in but it is still lovely and warm to sit outside and enjoy the peaceful surroundings.
It might take a bit of time to fully decorate each room how you like it but it will certainly be worth it in the end when it truly feels like your home and not just a house.
