Articles Tagged "Home Improvement"

You've probably asked yourself many times, are solar panels a good option for you? For more reasons than one, this year may be the right time to make a choice. Many factors make this a big decision, so our agents would like to point out some of the most significant.

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Are you looking for ways to boost design appeal in your home? You may be surprised to learn that painting unexpected places can quickly give your home that wow factor it's been missing. Our agents have some great tips to make your house stand out in today's real estate market.

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Whether working from home full time or a few days a week, you need a space that enhances your productivity. Your home office should separate your personal life from your work. It should have the necessary accessories to make working comfortable and more manageable. Besides our agents helping you find the best home for you among the Ridgewood homes for sale, they have also compiled these five upgrades for your home office.

1. Laptop Stand and External Monitor
   Laptops are great for portability, but if you're working from home, they can quickly become cramped. Increase your screen real estate with a second monitor and add a laptop stand to put your computer at eye level. Both of these options can go a long way in ensuring an ergonomic desk setup.

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You spend much of your day indoors, and it's crucial that the air you breathe is as clean as possible. Our agents recommend taking the following steps to ensure the air within your home is as clean and healthy as possible.

1. Change the Filters
   It takes just a few minutes to change the filters on your HVAC system, and it's well worth doing this every month or two. Further, be sure to invest in a high-quality HEPA filter. It will trap the smallest particles and is highly effective at keeping everything from pet dander to VOCs out of your indoor air stream. Changing the filters also helps improve HVAC system efficiency and reduces wear and tear, saving you money in the long run.

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As spring winds down and the weather warms up, it's the right time to put your summer maintenance list together to get your home and landscape in order. Creating a list will help you visualize the work that needs done and makes it easier to prioritize tasks. Our agents share tips to help you get started.

• Get Ready to Clean
  You should start your maintenance by getting rid of clutter and thoroughly washing the inside and outside of your home. This will make it easier to see any damage to the home and any issues that need repairing.

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If your home's interior is looking a little dated, perhaps it's time for a fresh coat of paint to boost design appeal. Our agents know that new paint is an easy, affordable way to transform a drab, outdated space into a space with updated style and appeal.

A fresh coat of interior paint will quickly create a clean updated look that appeals to buyers looking for Ridgewood homes for sale. If you're ready to tackle an interior paint project and give your home a new, stylish look, consider these interior painting tips that will ensure successful results.

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One of the first signs of spring in New Jersey is the appearance of brightly-colored crocuses peeking out of the last vestiges of snow. Soon to come are the daffodils and bluebells. Our agents will be busy showing off the many Ridgewood homes for sale, made even more attractive by their lovely gardens. You may be thinking that you don't have room for the garden of your dreams, but that is far from true. Once you have decided whether to plant flowers, vegetables, or both, you still have several options from which to choose. Here are a few of them:

• Container Gardens
  Probably the most versatile option, containers allow you to move them around for aesthetics or to follow the sun's path. They also mean that you can bring them inside to escape cold weather. Your home improvement store can share many options from large to small containers and wheeled platforms for easy relocation. They will also allow you to choose the type of soil required for each variety of plants.

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There are plenty of great Ridgewood homes for sale, including some dating back to the Victorian era! Sometimes older homes need a bit of work, but updating a period home can be a bit of a mixed bag. A remodel is necessary, but a complete overhaul could end up destroying the home's unique, historic beauty and rustic charm. This is especially true in the kitchen. How do you strike a balance between historic charm and modern convenience? Here are a few tips.

• Plan. Go through the entire kitchen and determine what you want to keep and what you want to replace or add. Do the rustic, hardwood floors still work, or would you rather have modern tile? Perhaps the ornate faucets above the sink are worth keeping, but the pipes below need to be replaced. Talk to a contractor who understands old homes and can help you make these decisions.

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With only a slight uptick in mortgage rates, 2022 is still expected to be a seller's market. If you're looking to sell your home, now's the best time to do so. A few things should top your to-do list before listing your property. Our agents can give you a firm idea of what to expect when selling your home and what you can do to help your home sell faster.

For one, you'll need to have a good understanding of the housing market. Typically, spring is the best time to put your home up for sale. However, the pandemic has usurped the real estate market a bit. For instance, real estate sales generally cool off when the weather starts to cool, but this hasn't been the case these last two years.

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Contrary to popular belief, winter can be a prime time for completing certain home improvement projects. Without outdoor activities, vacations, and other warm-weather distractions, you can get more accomplished in a shorter time. This time frame is also an end-of-the-year slowdown for many businesses and contractors, which means you can negotiate on labor costs and get materials at a discounted price. Winter home improvement projects are less focused on curb appeal and more on making your interior more comfortable, liveable, and energy-efficient. So, whether you've just moved in or are planning to add your home to the list of Ridgewood homes for sale in the spring, here are a few home improvement projects to complete in the winter.

• Apply New Paint
  Winter is a great time to give your home a burst of life with fresh paint or a change of color. That dry air that affects your skin in winter can help your paint to dry more quickly. You may find better deals at your local hardware store, and if you're hiring a professional painter, chances are you won't deal with scheduling delays. You can choose to focus on one area or repaint all the rooms in your house.

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Looking to sell your home? When selling, you need a certain level of familiarity with the local real estate market. Our agents can help you navigate the sales process without stress and provide tips to ensure you get the best possible price for your property.

So, how can you increase property value? Some age-old practices include upgrading to high-demand finishes, increasing square footage, and sprucing up your landscaping. But perhaps one of the best things you can do is to upgrade your home's appliances.

Most buyers start by looking at the kitchen. Here are the appliances that will make your house more appealing.

• Refrigerators
  Before choosing the sleekest fridge on the market, there are several factors you should consider – energy savings being the most important. Homebuyers nowadays are tech-savvy and are aware that old refrigerators are the biggest electricity hogs in the average home. Be sure to leave the "Energy Star" tag on the appliance to entice your buyers.
  
  Consider getting smart refrigerators with French doors and built-in water and ice dispensers, which will undoubtedly add to the appeal.
  
  
• Built-In Stoves
  Stoves are typically the longest-lasting kitchen appliance. The kitchen is the heart of the home, so you want the hearth to be as inviting as possible.
  
  Get a stove with a built-in feel that has flat tops or a self-cleaning function. The return on investment will be worth it. How about an induction cooktop that heats pots and pans directly with electromagnetic fields? Induction cooktops ensure burners aren't hot to the touch, which is a safety feature that could appeal to buyers with small kids.
  
  
• Ventilation
  Ventilation hoods are one of the most overlooked appliances in the kitchen, which is surprising considering all the steam and smoke that cooking generates. A contemporary range hood will provide good ventilation keeping the kitchen safe and comfortable.
  
  
• Non-Conventional Ovens
  Today, there are so many types of ovens in the market that it can be challenging to choose. You might consider getting a steam or a speed oven. Steam ovens can be used to reheat meals, and since they use hot steam to cook food, they minimize the need for baking with oil.
  
  Now speed ovens are where it gets interesting. Gone are the days when it took over an hour to roast a chicken. Speed ovens combine convection cooking and microwaving to create a versatile, faster cooking experience.
  
  
• Microwave Drawer
  While not an appliance upgrade in itself, switching up the microwave drawer is a minor kitchen update that carries a great impact, especially if you have a small kitchen. A microwave drawer conceals the appliance within your lower cabinets, keeping it out of view yet within reach.
  
  
• High-Efficiency Washers
  You'll be hard-pressed to find a buyer who'll overlook the washer and dryer. It's always best to invest in a high-efficiency washer and matching dryer that runs quietly and can handle an entire family's laundry.
  
  
• Bonus Tip: No one wants white appliances anymore. Stainless steel is all the rage nowadays. It's durable, shiny, and gives your kitchen a clean, fresh look. Plus, it creates uniformity in your kitchen, which adds to the appeal.

Kitchens Sell Homes!

Families spend a lot of their time in the kitchen. Upgrading your appliances is a cost-effective way to increase the appeal of your home and raise its market value.

Contact us if you have any questions or concerns about the home buying process. We'd love to help you out. In the meantime, check out these Ridgewood homes for sale since you might be looking for a new place to call home soon.

It's the 21st century. Why don't our homes look and function like the Jetsons yet? Where are the appliances designed to meet your needs automatically and cater to your every whim at the touch of a button? Well, we may not have robot maids yet, but there's plenty of smart technology you can incorporate into your new home to make your life easier. If you're looking for Ridgewood homes for sale, here are a few new technologies you can outfit yours with.

• Smart Lighting. Smart LED bulbs can adjust their brightness and even their color to your exact specifications. Controlled through an app on your smartphone, you can program different lighting levels for different situations: make the living room a little brighter for family game night or a little dimmer for date night. Or program the lights to cycle through hues of red, blue, green, etc., to create party ambiance. Plus, LED lights use far less energy than either halogen and CFL bulbs.

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The trend for adding outdoor "rooms" to increase our living space just keeps getting more popular. The pandemic contributed to this trend, as homeowners sought extra space by building patios or enhancing existing patios. If you're like other homeowners among Ridgewood homes for sale and are thinking of building a patio, how can you make sure it suits your needs? Our agents have some great advice that can make a difference as to whether your patio accomplishes what you want it to do.

• How Big?
  Before you get immersed in how your patio will look, it's crucial to decide just how big it will be. Experts recommend 90-150 square feet for a 6-ft. table and chairs. A minimum of 550 square feet is a good rule of thumb, as is 25 square feet for each person. Try to locate your patio away from the foundation of the home. Most homeowners complain that the traffic flow of the patio, even when the square footage is adequate, is unsatisfactory, with people forced to squeeze around chairs, and access points requiring foot traffic to cut through the entertainment space.

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As people stayed home last year due to the pandemic, families found themselves using their outdoor areas more than ever. During the warm months families were cooking out and dining outdoors, upgrading a patio space into an outdoor kitchen with all the conveniences, or just adding some extra outdoor furniture for social distancing and sharing drinks with friends and family. 

But over the winter, you may have started thinking about adding extra buildings on your property. Maybe it's gotten a little too crowded in the house with so many people home and one or more of you feel the need for a little place a bit removed from the main house. Or, you're thinking about a space you could use during the colder months.

Before you decide on an outbuilding, think about when you want to list your house among Ridgewood homes for sale. Which outbuilding will help sell your home? Let's consider whether the structures described below will enhance your property's value.

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Ah, mulch. If some kind of wonder material in the landscape exists, it's mulch – that course jumble of ground-up stuff that not only gives your yard a finished look but also helps it prosper season after season. Looking to make your dream home from Ridgewood homes for sale a standout? Our agents recommend mulch as the finishing touch.

But not all mulch is equal. If you're wondering how to choose the right kind of mulch, here's some advice.

Mulch Basics

There are two types of mulch: organic and inorganic. Organic mulches are made of natural materials such as leaves, grass clippings, compost mix, cardboard and newspaper, bark, and softwood and hardwood chips – all of which decompose. When layered on top of the bedding areas, they break down and boost soil fertility, as well as provide drainage and aeration. They must be replenished regularly.

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For the better part of 2020, we logged way more time than ever before in the kitchen. This room has stepped up to be a makeshift office, schooling room, family room, and more. Now, we know what we're tired of looking at, what works and what doesn't, and what we'd want to change. In fact, there's been a boom in renovations with homeowners looking for stylish, yet functional ways to bring their kitchen to life. Investing in a minor or major kitchen reno can prove invaluable, while you live in the home and when you add it to the list of Ridgewood homes for sale. Here are the luxury kitchen trends that are bound to be huge in 2021 and beyond.

• Increased Storage
  Storage ideas are at the forefront for 2021 kitchen trends. Kitchens are working harder to accommodate higher volumes of groceries, utensils, and small appliances such as instant pots, air fryers, and bread makers. You'll see a lot of dedicated pantries, stand-alone freezers, enhanced cabinetry solutions, and kitchen organizers.

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