Category Home Tips

Thanks to Aim4Order for this month’s Tips from the Pros about organizing your household bills. It will help you stay current and maintain your credit rating.

Household bills – we’ve all got them

Whether you are tech savvy or not, organizing the household bills is a chore that can be simplified and streamlined. We all have payments that need to be made on a monthly, semi-annual or annual basis.

Online banking and bill paying

Most banks have online bill paying. It’s a fairly simple process to set up regular monthly bills to be automatically paid by the bank. An option to pay them as they arrive each month is also available through the bank.

BGE, cable, phone, mortgage companies, doctor’s offices and other businesses will allow you to pay bills through their websites if you do not ...

Thanks to Aim4Order for this month’s Tips from the Pros about making the most of small quarters, making a home with less square footage more livable.

There’s no room!

No matter what size home you have, there never seems to be enough room. People who own expansive estates still have trouble keeping clutter at bay. It’s all about your perspective.

Baltimore households these days often include a grandparent or other extended family member. With the added people, homes feel like they are shrinking. However, living in small quarters is no excuse for a cluttered house.

Small homes have small storage, and being thrifty with space becomes a way of life. Get rid of what you don’t need. If you don’t love something, find someone who does or toss it...

In order to buy a house, you need to make a bid on one. While there are no set rules on how you figure out a price when you’re bidding on a home, here are some guidelines that will help you along the way.

Your real estate agent is one of the most important assets in the bidding process. Even if you have purchased a home in the past, your realtor has been in this situation many times and has a better understanding of how it works.

Do your homework

Get your finances in order before you start. Know how much you can spend. Don’t even look at homes outside of your price range. Dreaming is great, but be realistic while home shopping.

A mathematical equation that will tell you how to bid on a home does not exist. Using comps to see the value of other similar properties can be a big help...

The right contractor gives you piece of mind

Thanks to Infinite Home Services, a general contractor,  for sharing their blog.

Infinite Home Services has a history of being the level headed managers to deal with multiple subcontractors for any service you need in and around your home. Fully insured and licensed by MHIC, we are the link between you and the people doing the work. We take away the pain of home improvements.

When you want to have anything done – fixing little problems with handyman services to an entire home remodel or an addition – we want to be your go-to guys. We listen to our customers and don’t try to offer things you don’t want or can’t afford.

It is important to think beyond the price and consider us for our experience, expertise and ability...

Do your research and don’t listen to your office mates

Baltimore is famous for its neighborhoods. Go into a nice area and it can border a neighborhood with wood-covered windows and empty buildings. For people new to the area, finding a good neighborhood can be a scary process.

By doing your homework, you will become a better informed home buyer. Of course, your realtor is a big help. Realtors have a great knowledge of the areas where they sell the most homes. They also know if an area is rising or falling in value.

Kid friendly playgrounds and schools

If you have school age kids, or are planning a family in the future, the neighborhood schools are extremely important when shopping for a home. You can’t afford to leave these things to chance.

Knowing if there are no kids or lots of kids c...

Organize pet supplies

Pets are an important part of the family, but they also can accumulate stuff  like people do. Spring is the perfect time to organize your pet supplies.

Food and dishes

Instead of having a bag of food, try using plastic bins for food and treats. Bins with secure lids are difficult for any pet to get into and steal food and it keeps rodents and bugs away. Label the bins so it is always easy to find the one you need. This is especially important if you have a lot of animals.

Travel often? A piece of tape or a label with feeding instructions on it will help your petsitter know which animal gets each type of food.

Pet foods have expiration dates. If it’s been around a long time and your pet never ate the food or didn’t like a brand of treats, let them go.

Supplies

Get...

The outside of your home makes people either want to see more or run the other way.

As the saying goes, you only have one chance to make a first impression. the same goes for your home. Cracked sidewalks, hanging gutters and sports equipment littering the yard are things that will take away from your home’s curb appeal.

Step back and look at your house objectively, including all the way to the roof. When house photos are taken for website, make sure the yard is clean with no kids’ gear on the porch. Put everything away. Instead of bikes, consider adding a colorful Adirondack chair or a rocker for the front porch.

What can you do to increase curb appeal?

People need to be able to find you. Clean and easy to read numbers on your house is a good start...

Thanks to Infinite Home Services for sharing this kitchen remodeling blog.

Whether you are grabbing a midnight snack, cooking breakfast or making a huge holiday meal, the kitchen is an important place in every American home. Kitchen bring families together in a meaningful way. Making yours the focal point of your home can be done with renovations.

Putting a lot of cash toward a full remodel is not always possible. However, updating some of the more important parts of your kitchen can be done as a small renovation.

Take a look around the kitchen and consider where the room is in most need of improvement...

The luxury of a spare room is something few of us enjoy. But many Baltimore area homes have three or more bedrooms, offering homeowners the chance to create a multipurpose room. Making the best of the space can be a challenge. Be careful to use it without having this room become a major source of clutter.

Using the spare room as a junked up closet, or only the four days out of the year your in-laws come to visit, is a waste. With a spare room that has more than one use, you are making the most of it instead of ignoring this valuable area.

You could covert the room into a spare bedroom/office/changing room that can be used on a daily basis. Furnishings may be several pieces that do not match and don’t fit anywhere else in the house.

Give the furniture a makeover by refinishing or repainti...