Tag Archives: home

Homes of the Future

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It’s pretty obvious how much the internet and real estate have changed up the real estate industry and made it extremely easy to find the perfect home. Long gone are the days of having to look in the local flyer or drive around to find a rental; we now have the internet at our fingertips. Aside from changing up our access to the housing market, technology has also changed up homes in general. Little by little rental homes are being re-modeled and upgraded to fit the needs of the future, is yours one of them?

Technology has wiggled its’ way into most parts of modern life, so it’s no surprise that landlords and property managers are making it a point to upgrade their properties. So, what kinds of upgrades should you expect to be seeing next time you’re looking for a new place? For starters, ‘smart appliances’ (basically automatic or motion sensing appliances) are becoming way more common. These appliances are especially popular because they help conserve energy (i.e. automatic sinks that won’t stay on unless they sense motion). Not only do these kinds of appliances come off as more cool, but they also have a purpose beyond that. Wireless and bluetooth amenities in homes are also becoming really popular, too. Interestingly enough, a lot of new apartments are putting things like bluetooth speakers all around (even in showers!!) as a selling point.

Digital is also going to be a big trend as far as appliances you may soon find in your rental home. Seeing as we’re always on our smartphones, a lot of companies are making it a point to make appliances that can be controlled via our phones. LG has already designed a washer and dryer that can be tracked from your phone, making laundry day soooo much easier. Aside from smartphone linked appliances, things like refrigerators are also being ‘digitized’ in order to make your life simpler. LG has also designed a refrigerator that allows you to scan things as you put them in so that you can keep track of things you’re out of.

Next time you’re looking for a new place, keep your eyes open for any futuristic amenities!

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Downsizing – Size Doesn’t have to Matter

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When you’re looking for a new place, there may be a chance that you’re forced to compromise size for something else (like an awesome location). You shouldn’t be scared of downsizing! Embrace the situation and take it as a chance to change up your home, and life.

Since you’re going to have to reduce the amount of stuff you had from your previous home, make it a point to clean your life up. Get rid of clothes that you haven’t worn in over six months, because you most likely won’t end up wearing them. If you’re iffy about letting your stuff go, consider consigning it! This is an awesome way to earn some extra cash (that can be put towards your new home) and also a great incentive to get rid of even more. When you downsize, you really have choice but to get rid of things, so make the best of it that you can.

Take advantage of your newly acquired smaller space and make an awesome organization system. You know all those cool Ikea and Container Store closet systems? This is the perfect time to finally get one! A smaller space isn’t bad, it provides you with lots of room to be creative in your organizing. Think of it as a chance to finally make those Pinterest organizational DIY projects that you never really needed before.

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Summer Gardens

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Is your garden showing off the season?

Though we tend to associate spring with gardening, it’s important to see that summer is also a great time to make our gardens look good.

Take advantage of summer to add some berries to your day! Since you may not be able to grow berry bushes in the yard of your rental, you can plant dwarf versions in small pots instead. Given the right amount of sunlight and water, you can easily have yourself your own mini berry garden. As an added plus, you can freeze your summer berries to have them all year round!

Summer itropical flowerss also an awesome time to add flowers to your garden, but instead of your typical floral choices…spice it up. Tropical flowers are bright and beautiful, automatically livening up even the dullest gardens. Pick some colors that you like and go well together, maybe oranges and yellow, and make yourself a nice arrangement.

If you hadn’t already done this in spring….add some bird feeders and birdhouses! Once you have some flying friends visit, you’ll soon start to see a nice little habitat forming. With birds in your yard, you’ll also have more squirrels and insects, meaning more bees. Keep in mind that bees are a good addition to any garden because they help pollinate your flowers. Having a bit of variety allows an ecosystem to develop within all the inhabitants and visitors of your garden, making your garden even better.

Are your utility bills too high?

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We’ve all had that moment when we look at our utility bill and cannot believe that it’s that high proceeding to ask ourselves how it’s that high. The smallest of things could be making your bill ridiculously high, and we’re going to tell you how to change that.

  1. energyLights! Always turn lights off when you leave a room and when you leave your home. It may seem silly, but you’ll definitely see a drop in your bill if you start turning lights off instead of leaving them on all of the time. This same thing applies to ceiling fans! If no one is in the room, turn the fan off. For outdoor lights, you can get motion and light detecting lights that’ll only turn on at night time and when someone is there.
  2. Use timers! Timers are awesome because they take the hassle of turning things on and off away from you. At this day in age, just about anything can be set up with a timer. You can program your air conditioner to only be at lower temperatures when people are home, and rise up when no one is home. This prevents wasted electricity. You can also get timers for appliances that you use regularly, like coffee machines. Instead of making your coffee and forgetting to turn the machine off, program it to turn off when you’re leaving for work and have already had coffee.
  3. Don’t wash everyday! This applies to washing dishes, and laundry. Avoid washing loads of clothes and dishes everyday, or every other day. Not only do these appliances use water, but they also run for a pretty long time and use a lot of electricity in the process.

Your Perfect Space – finding the right area for you

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If you’re in the process of looking for a new place to live, a big thing you need to look at is what kind of home and community you want. Do you want an apartment in a tall building? Or a house in a gated community? Do you want to live in the city? Or the suburbs? So many questions!

Before you start browsing possible rentals, narrow down what kind of area you want to live in. Base your decision on your job, lifestyle, family, etc. Look at all of the different factors that will be affected by your place of living, and then figure out what kind of area is good for you. Once you’ve decided what kind of area you want to live in, it’s much easier to figure out what type of home you want to live in.

If you’ve chosen to live in a more urban area, you’ll have quite a few apartments and condos to choose from, but maybe not so many houses. In a suburban area you’ll have all kinds of houses and communities to choose from, as well as townhouses and apartment buildings (typically not as big as those in an urban community). Different kinds of places offer different kinds of benefits for you, so this should also be factored in.

In an apartment, you won’t need to worry about landscaping issues and things like that, but you’ll probably have to compromise on the amount of space you’ll get. In a house in a suburban neighborhood, you may pay more for rent (depends on the market) but you’ll have lots of space. In a gated community, you’ll have security, but you’ll also have to abide by strict community rules; you may not be allowed to park more than two cars in your front yard, rules along those lines. These are all pretty general things, but the specific building, neighborhood, and community rules will vary.

Before making the decision about where you’re going to live make sure the area is right for you, and the space is perfect for you.

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