Realty Executives Midwest
1310 Plainfield Rd. Ste 2 | Darien, IL 60561
Office: 630-969-8880
E-Mail: experts@realtyexecutives.com

With the holidays approaching, it’s important to ensure that your decorations don’t end up in a complete mess after the holiday season ends. Maybe you’re dreading decorating because you remember the stress of storing all of your decorations last year. Or maybe you just don’t know where to start. Whatever stage you’re at in the decorating process, here are some of our best tips for organizing your holiday decor this season and beyond.

Start going through your decorations early

If you know you want to decorate on a particular date, start gradually going through your decorations ahead of time. When you go through the decorations, donate everything that is not associated with a happy memory. Decluttering will help with further organization and it will keep only positive memories associated with decorating. Sometimes, decorating and organizing can be stressful, so starting early and in small doses can help alleviate the stress so that you feel more joyful and prepared when it comes time to actually begin decorating.

Protect your decorations

You should prioritize protecting all of your holiday decorations so they last year after year. No matter the value of each item, each piece of holiday decor should be stored and organized so that it is protected for years to come. Some ways you can consider keeping your decorations safe include:

• Protect your glassware by ensuring each glass item is wrapped carefully.
• Reuse egg cartons as storage for smaller ornaments and trinkets.
• Store all of your decorations in a dry environment to protect against mold and mildew damage.
• Use small bins for heavy items so that they are easier to life and you are less likely to drop them.
• Don’t pack too many decorations in one box: packing too much in one area will cause some items to become crushed or damaged under the weight of others.

Keep track of what you own

It is important to keep up to date and organized with the decorations that you already own so you do not lose track and repurchase items that you may not need to. This will save you money and time when you do your annual holiday decorating. To keep your decorations organized, you should store everything in one area of your home, such as a storage closet, an attic or basement, or even in an organized manner under your bed. Don’t mix your holiday decorations together: keep Christmas, Thanksgiving, Halloween, and all other holidays separated in different boxes. Additionally, you should be able to tell what is inside each storage box without having to open it. Use clear plastic storage bins so you can see inside, label each box clearly, and even take pictures of your decorations while they are up and use those photos as labels for each storage box. If all of your decorations are intentionally organized and stored in specific places, you are more likely to keep them that way when it comes time to pack them away at the end of the season.

Article Taken from Realty Executives International

Realty Executives Midwest
1310 Plainfield Rd. Ste 2 | Darien, IL 60561
Office: 630-969-8880
E-Mail: experts@realtyexecutives.com

Realty Executives Midwest
1310 Plainfield Rd. Ste 2 | Darien, IL 60561
Office: 630-969-8880
E-Mail: experts@realtyexecutives.com

How many times do you plan to buy a home during your entire lifetime?

For most of us, the number is somewhere between 3 and 5. It certainly doesn’t happen often enough to make us experts on the process.

Real estate agents, on the other hand, may handle 3-5 purchases per month. This experience makes them an invaluable resource to homebuyers.

Before you think about handling your purchase on your own, consider these 3 serious dangers of buying without a real estate agent.

Risk #1.) Overpaying for your Home

Many buyers make the mistake of thinking that the listing price always reflects the real value of a home.

Real estate agents know better. They know how to value real estate. They’ve had extensive practice in finding and analyzing comparable properties to determine the fair market value of any home.

Your buyer’s agent can tell you what a home is really worth before you make an offer on it. This can save you from accidentally overpaying for your home.

Good agents also know that fair market value isn’t a single number. It’s a range, with room to negotiate. Armed with their local market knowledge, they can negotiate on your behalf for the best possible price.

Risk 2.) Being Overwhelmed by the inspections

Home inspections can be scary, especially for first-time buyers. Which inspections do you even need?

Inspectors note everything they can find wrong with the property. And it’s usually a sizable list, even on the best home. Your buyer’s agent can help you prioritize the issues on the inspectors’ reports. They can help you determine which items must be addressed immediately, which items should be addressed at some point in the future, and which items are listed simply documented for your information.

They can also help you renegotiate the original offer if the inspections find that immediate repairs are necessary. Perhaps you should ask the sellers to cover the cost of the roof repairs or the HVAC replacement? Your agent can help you decide.

Risk 3.) Buying the wrong home

It’s the scariest question in the home-buying process: What if I buy the wrong home?

Agents are elbow-deep in local market data all day every day. They know why some neighborhoods have high turnover. They know about upcoming development projects that can make a neighborhood more desirable. And they know about homes coming on the market days before the listings are available online.

Having an agent with all this information in your corner can prevent you from buying the wrong home. Or buying in the wrong neighborhood altogether!

Remember: the seller customarily pays all real estate commissions. It literally doesn’t cost you a penny to protect yourself against these dangers. Why risk it?

Source: Realty Executives International , Written by: Michelle Clardie

Realty Executives Midwest
1310 Plainfield Rd. Ste 2 | Darien, IL 60561
Office: 630-969-8880
E-Mail: experts@realtyexecutives.com