8 Reasons To Buy Your Home in the Summer

Buying a home doesn’t have to be a nerve-wracking experience. Here are eight reasons why the lazy days of summer are the best time to contact your realtor Marina del Rey and kickstart the home-buying process.

1. Summer’s the best time to sell your old home.

If you’re moving from a rental property, all you have to do is navigate your lease agreement. If you own your soon-to-be-former home, however, you may need to coordinate its sale with the purchase of your new home. Summer’s the best time to do that.

2. You’ll have more properties to choose from.

Since summer is an ideal time to sell, you’ll have more options as a buyer. Year in and year out, the number of homes on the market rises along with the temperatures. This means you can be flexible and avoid having to settle for a property that offers less than what you were looking for or that isn’t right for your budget.

3. The weather is better for moving.

This is particularly important if you’re moving to or from a part of the country that experiences brutal winters. Lugging furniture and boxes through the snow is no fun. Neither is paying professional movers to endure the elements in your place.

4. Mortgage rates are usually lower.

While markets certainly fluctuate, generally speaking, mortgage rates are lower in the summer. Locking in a lower interest rate and cheaper home loan has the potential to deliver considerable savings in the long run, no matter if you’re interested in single-family homes, condos, or townhomes for sale.

5. Your kids are out of school.

Moving is a big adjustment for kids, no matter their age. You can ease the transition, especially if they’ll be changing schools, by making your move during the summer.

6. It’s a good time for DIY projects.

If you’ve got your eye on a fixer upper, summer can be the best time to buy. The weather is more cooperative for DIY projects, and it’s often easier to take time off of work as well. If your children are out of school or home from college, you can stick a rake or a screwdriver in their hands, too.

7. You can get a better feel for the neighborhood.

What do you do when the weather turns cold? You stay inside with a good book or a Netflix binge as frequently as possible. Your potential neighbors likely do too. That’s why summer presents the best time to get a real idea of what the neighborhood is like. In the warm weather, your future neighbors will be out and about, allowing you to get a feel for things such as how many kids are on your block and who needs to break out the lawnmower more often.

8. You could snag a spring price drop.

Spring is also a popular time for sellers to list their homes. Come summertime, however, if a house hasn’t sold, some sellers are motivated to lower their prices in order to get things moving and avoid spending another season with their homes on the market.

Buying a home during the summer can alleviate many of the stresses that moving brings. If you’ve been thinking about a change of address, contact your Los Angeles real estate agent today to start the search for your dream home.

Continue Reading

Bathroom Cabinet Buying Guide

bathroom
Image Credit

Cabinets provide a stylish and easy way for individuals to store all their bathroom necessities; from razors to towels to moisturisers, and much more! Believe it or not, but there are actually several things that individuals should consider before they actually decide what bathroom cabinets to buy. This article will enlighten you to what those points are in order to give you a helping hand on your shopping spree!

The first thing that you should consider when searching for a bathroom cabinet or vanity is the size of it. There are several components which come together in order to create an overall general idea of the size you should be going for. First and foremost you obviously need to make sure that the cabinet is substantial enough in order to fit all of your toiletries and necessities inside. However, you also need to make sure that the cabinet is not too big in the sense that it doesn’t fit or looks out of place. After all, a big cabinet may look appearing online or in store, but if you have a small bathroom then it will merely make it look cluttered and untidy. All in all, it is highly recommended that you determine the space in your bathroom which you wish to accommodate a cabinet before you actually go shopping. Measure this space and make sure that the product in question fits inside it perfectly before you commit to buying.

Aside from the size of the product you also need to think about the quality and the durability of the bathroom cabinet. Buying from the likes of Foxden Decor can assure quality. This is something which goes hand in hand with the aspect of price. It may be tempting to go for the cheapest option that you see; however this is highly ill advised as it usually signifies a lack in quality. This is not to say that you shouldn’t search around for cheap deals – you most certainly should. However, you should remember to have quality and a long life span in your mind at all times. After all, this is something which is likely to get used a lot and thus you do not want to be replacing it every five minutes with a new cabinet.

Style is another factor which is very important when it comes to buying bathroom cabinets. This is something which is largely determined by personal preference. Nevertheless, it is also important to make sure that the cabinet you pick fits into the style of the bathroom and the style of your home. After all, no matter how nice the cabinet looks alone; if it contrasts with the current styles then it will simply look odd.

To conclude, the four main aspects mentioned in this article are the chief areas which need to be considered when searching for a bathroom cabinet for your home. These areas are of course the cost of the cabinet, the style of it, the size of it and the quality is possesses. If you remember these key attributes then you can ensure that your money will be well spent.

Continue Reading

Moving Tips To Stay Sane

Moving house is exciting, but stressful. You’ve been saving hard to afford your dream place, and now the hard work begins.

Your first step, of course, is finding the one. An apartment hunt can be fun if you approach it with a positive mindset. Set your budget, and look around for an area you can afford. You can get ideas by using studies like this example to understand market trends for apartments. Once you’ve found the place, passed the credit check and got the keys in your hands, it’s moving day. One of the most chaotic experiences you can have.

moving
Image Credit

Trying to empty the freezer before moving day could mean eating some pretty odd combinations for dinner. Instead of finding yourself into fish fingers and curry, plan out some quick and easy meals that you can make to use up whatever needs to go before you move. For after the move, stock up on some fast meals, either by prepping and freezing some, or stocking up on microwave meals. Nobody wants to cook while you’re surrounded by boxes.

Use packing as an excuse to declutter. It’s amazing what junk can accumulate and a good clear out can be refreshing. Go through everything as you pack and get rid of things you no longer want or need. Donate it, or have a yard sale to make back some of the cost of moving. Anything you throw out doesn’t need to be packed. Double win.

Buy a tape gun to make making up and sealing up boxes much easier. Label each box clearly with what’s inside it and which room it goes into. This will save the movers from having to ask where you want everything and will help you find everything at the other end.

Moving will go much smoother if you can find the things you need quickly and not have to search every box for the cutlery come dinner time.

What will you need right away in the new house? Pack these into a box that doesn’t go into the moving van. Keep this with you, and you’ll have immediate access to the essentials. This box could include things like phone chargers, a box cutter or scissors to get in other boxes, toilet paper, something to make a drink and any essential medication. Pack similar boxes for pets or children with anything they’ll need immediately too.

Unpack in a sensible order. What will you want first? If you drink tea or coffee, getting the coffee machine or the kettle set up and plugged in quickly will make the rest far less painful. Assemble and make any beds early too. Even if you get no further the first day, you’ll have somewhere to sleep comfortably.

Start early with updating your contact details everywhere. It’s a slow, boring process, so get some of it out of the way as soon as you can. Some companies can be informed in advance of a move. Find out which and get it done.

Continue Reading

Better Than A Selfie! Why You Need To Take A Drone On Your Next Family Vacation

Drone
Image Source

They seem to be everywhere these days, the almighty drone! If you’re spending time with the family, while you may be partial to a selfie or two, perhaps it’s time to take it to the next level? A family vacation could very well benefit from having a drone, but why is this, and what can you do to get some inspiration from this little flying contraption?

The Panoramic Views

Let’s start here! You could get different angles, perspectives, and an amazing family picture without having an extended arm in the frame. And yes, even if you go for one of those selfie sticks, you can still tell that it’s a selfie. You may not feel that you can trust a passerby to take a picture for you, but, if you’ve got a drone, you can truly capture the surroundings of where you are. If you want to provide pictures that last a lifetime, but also have an artistic quality to them, think about getting a drone, because you’ll be able to get all sorts of images.

It Will Spark Your Creativity

Living and working at home can sap your creativity, and as such, when you have the opportunity to go on vacation, it’s time to unleash your inner creative beast. Taking a drone doesn’t just mean it is a little toy for the kids to play with, but the different perspectives, options, not to mention never-ending fun you can have with a drone, will prove to be revitalizing. And if you don’t think that a drone can be that integral to someone’s life, check out the Off-road Lights blog and see just how many things a drone can do. It’s not just a way to get a few extra shots; it’s even something you can do to instigate a wedding proposal! Let your mind wander, and take the drone with you!

Let It Pique Your Interest

Let’s face it; using a drone is the perfect way to satisfy your curiosity. If there is something over a hill that you just not able to see, attach a GoPro, and get the drone over there! Of course, be careful not to cross restricted boundaries. When you are in certain areas, there needs to be some sort of common courtesy. But if you want to see what’s in a cave, and you don’t have the guts to venture in by yourself, let the drone do the work for you!

It Could Help You In Times Of Trouble

Going on a family vacation is one of those occasions where it’s relaxing and stressful in equal measure. If you’ve lost something, or you need to check the weather conditions after a storm, or you’ve taken your pet on holiday and they’ve disappeared, a drone can cover a lot more ground.

A family vacation is one of those exciting times, but if you think that your budget doesn’t stretch to getting a drone, it could add that extra edge to the vacation that you need. More than it being something you can fly around for a little bit, a drone can help capture additional images, but it can also be quite a lifesaver!

Continue Reading

5 Must-Have Apple TV Apps: Best Picks for Your Home Theater Experience

The latest enhancements in the live streaming and application-based TV and movie viewing facilities in the Apple TV nowadays make users happy beyond doubt. If you wish to get a good improvement in the entertainment time, then you can explore the overall specifications of your Apple TV at first. Individuals who explore the applications associated with the Apple TV can make a good decision and enhance various aspects of the amusement further. They may get confused with these apps in different categories like the shopping and games. They can focus on every feature in the app accessible via Apple TV and start their step to improve the overall leisure time.

Movies & TV

Fans of movie and TV show related entertainment these days wish to explore, compare and narrow down Apple TV apps. They can focus on every element of the PlayStation Vue right now. As the first live TV streaming service to get integrated with the application of the Apple TV in October 2018, PlayStation Vue lets users to see their favorite shows as convenient as possible. Users of this app on their Apple TV get 100% entertainment as expected. They get the complete access to the sports games airing through the Vue from their TV application. They feel satisfied because they view the best-in-class programs in the entertainment category. They are confident to recommend this Apple TV app because the ideal live TV streaming service.

Movies anywhere is a service which lets you to successfully link multiple accounts for buying digital movies and watch movies with TV headphones online from any location at any time. ITunes of Apple supports this service and makes all users happier than ever. All users of this app can conveniently watch a movie and get 100% satisfaction from regular updates of this app. They buy movies in their favorite categories and watch such movies one after another. They access and watch a personal film collection in the cloud based on their interests to spend the leisure time.

Sports

Sport enthusiasts all through the world wish to focus on the complete details about the Apple TV apps in the sports category. They can take note of the honest reviews of the ESPN app formerly known as WatchESPN. As a no-brainer for sports fans with a subscription to the streaming, satellite or cable service featuring the network. The MultiCast in this app is one of the most outstanding elements to make this app popular and satisfy all users. Every user of the multicast app can stream up to four live events at once as expected. They are happy to keep an eye on various games devoid of heading to the sports bar. They can get sports center fix when they pay for an additional ESPN + account.

News and weather

Reuters TV is the best news app and known by its successful records in recent times. Every user of this app gets the highest possible convenience to access many minutes of news. If you have five to thirty minutes of time to listen to the current news on your Apple TV, then you can make use of this app. You will be happy because an instant access to the news before morning commutes.

The complete details about the news and weather apps associated with the Apple TV on online these days assist all beginners to immediately choose and use one of these apps without any doubt. Do not forget to clarify your doubt about anything related to this genre of apps before accessing one of these apps.

Music and radio

Music related Apple TV apps in recent times get the maximum recognition and make users happier than ever. Though individuals subscribe the music related services like Spotify and Apple Music, they can get different benefits from using the Apple TV music app Pandora. Users of this app are willing to make a custom radio station and listen to music in their favorite genre. They feel comfortable as ads-free service and tired paid subscriptions.

Health and fitness

Users of the Apple TV of every age group these days explore how to improve their health and fitness further. They use and recommend the Sworkit: Workouts & Plans at this time. Unique elements of this Apple TV make it popular and satisfy every user. This app assists its users to plan a workout night for the whole family. Members of the family can add some exercises and exercise as a group day after day. They can choose and customize the exercise programs range from the beginners to the exercises to seasoned workout veterans. Though this Apple TV app is free, it requires subscription for entire access to its content. A 30-day free trial at this time encourages many users of the Apple TV to appraise the real worth of using it and start a step to be fit further.

Continue Reading

Moving House For First Timers

Your family just have another addition and you suddenly realized it is time to leave the starter home your family have enjoyed for some time now. Aside from having kids grow up, you also added new pets to complete the whole picture. There is just no more room for everyone in the house. It is time to move to a bigger place. And your dream of owning a place near that fabulous winery like the one here might just come to a reality. You and your wife have saved enough so that the kids and fur babies can enjoy a bigger place to play and grow up to. So you scouted for a bigger house in a nice neighbourhood and community. You found the one that checks all the boxes you have set, including the special inspection you have asked a plumber friend to see if the pipes are all intact (and you can learn more today about pipes, HVAC, home maintenance, etc). You closed a deal with the realtor and all systems go. Then you realized one thing, how do you start the moving process? This is your first time to move so it is a good idea to have these simple pointers in mind to help you get by with your initial move.

Check out recommended movers in your current area

Scout for reliable and professional movers in your area. You can ask your friends, family, neighbours for any recommendations and start from there. Contact a few, request for their quote and inclusions for the rate and compare with other movers. Select the one that fits your preference and meets your requirements. This website is a good example of a professional mover you have to consider and may want to book for your moving requirement.

Contact the mover and sign a contract.

Start packing

One thing to consider packing is pack per room and label boxes as per room. While sorting through your possessions, remove unwanted items you can donate or sell or give to your family and friends. Aim to bring only the necessary and essentials to your new home. Start fresh.

Leave a carry-all bag for your basic needs until you move

Keep at least one carry-all bag for you and your family containing basic items such as toothbrushes, undergarments, few shirts, gadget chargers, etc. This is for your everyday use until you settle to your new home and opened some of the essential boxes for your family.

Unpack per boxes per room

To keep things organized and not have your things all over the place, unbox your boxes per room so it is easier to set them up and keep them on their proper places once you have unboxed all the remaining movers’ boxes.

And, when you’re all done arranging your stuff, relax and appreciate all the work you put into making your move as efficient as you can. Now, you can visualize yourself being here and sipping the best wine with your partner creating memories.

Continue Reading

Hiring Professionals To Do The Drainage Repairs At Home While Observing Safety Precautions

Many homeowners cut corners when doing their own home repairs or renovations. The mentality towards saving money than spending extra to hire the professionals to do the service is often being thrown out the window. They think that calling the nearby plumber and other handyman who does digging and patching of other homes can do the trick. A lot can be said about how saving so much in that process can actually hurt the repair of one’s home. One cannot just go online too and press “click now” and hire a contractor without knowing more about the company, the price, and what other customers have said about the company and their service.

When it is time to do major drainage repairs at home, it is wise to call the professionals and have them do the dirty work for us. Yes, this will cost money but imagine the long term benefits of having a professional do the work for you to ensure your home is repaired at the highest level of standards and materials used are of high quality and will last many years.

Having the professional team handle the repairs can actually be more beneficial than what other homeowners dispute because of the cost of the service provided. These professionals have been doing this for a living and they have been licensed to do as such. They know the ins and outs of drainage repair. They also have the proper tools to use to carry out the repairs. And on top of that, safety is given a high priority when conducting repairs and maintenance.

A good professional drainage repair company must be able to provide:

A price quote of the service

Professional service provider of house repairs and renovations must be able to provide a price quote or estimates of the drainage repair. This can either be sent through the mail or printed off and handed to the respective homeowner. The quote must have the cost of materials, service/labor, permits, extra miscellaneous expenses, methods of payment, etc. This quote will become finalized after the agreement of the homeowner to pay the amount stated on the quote.

Contract of the repair

An established contractor must be able to write up a contract of the cost, conditions, clauses, timelines or the drainage repair for the homeowner to agree and sign. The contract must be clear with all the conditions and timelines to be met and this document must be treated officially and homeowners must have a copy on hand for their record.

Repair timeline

Timeline of the repair must clearly discussed and observed in a written contract. It is very crucial for professional contractors who will provide the drainage repair service to honour the outline to avoid any inconvenience and extra cost for both the homeowner and service provider.

Install safety fixtures around the perimeter

A good professional drainage company must have fixtures and other safety equipment and tools to use to cover your perimeter and ensure that workers, homeowners, and the public are safe. Proper gears such as hard hats, overalls, gloves, safety shoes must be worn at all times during the repairs. Surrounding perimeter must be barricaded and dug holes must be covered with steel plates to prevent someone from falling or slipping. Click here now to see a sample of a steel plate or rug used for constructions.

Continue Reading