Selling Up? These Tips Will Wow Potential Buyers When They View Your House

So you’re trying to sell your house? If you want a quick and easy sale, there are some tricks you should try out when potential buyers are viewing your home. Ready for that signature on the dotted line? Then these are all the stops you need to pull out during viewings.

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Increase Curb Appeal

How does your home look from the outside? This will be the first thing viewers notice, and it will be what they base their first impression on. Make sure your front garden is neat and tidy. If it is summer, there should be plenty of flowers out on display. The building’s exterior also needs to be well maintained. If it is in need of some repointing, you should think about getting someone in to do it as soon as possible. If the outside of your property doesn’t look perfect, potential buyers could drive right by without even looking at the inside.

No Clutter

When viewers are looking around your home, they will try and imagine themselves living in the property. One thing that makes that very difficult to do is a lot of clutter. As the saying goes, ‘less is more.’ So keep ornaments down to a minimum on surfaces. It’s not just physical clutter that should be removed. You also need to change a cluttered decor. So, for instance, any decorative features that could be distracting or are very bold should be removed as well.

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Add Homely Touches

It’s important to keep your home clutter-free, but it should also have plenty of homely touches. This will help it feel welcoming and inviting to viewers. There are a few items that potential buyers love to see in properties. Things like a fitted kitchen and wood burning stove always go down well. If possible, try and get these installed before your house goes on the market. If you already have a stove, make sure it is on during a viewing. That way, viewers know that it is in working order. If you need to fix yours, shop online for parts for your pellet stove.

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Be Positive

When you are showing people around your home, it is important to be positive about the property. Even if you are moving out for negative reasons. After all, your home is now a product that you have to sell! And no one will want it if they only hear bad things about it. If the viewers ask you any questions about the house, always answer them. Don’t try and shy away from questions. Otherwise, they may think you have something to hide!

De-Odorize

If you have pets in your home or are a smoker, it is a good idea to deodorize your home before anyone comes to look around. Even though you may not be able to smell anything, other people will instantly notice any bad odors as soon as they walk through the door. Go through your rooms with an air freshener to mask any bad smells and freshen the place up.

Double Cash Back on Swagbucks Doing #HalloweenShopping

 

Get in the Halloween spirit with Swagbucks! 

Stock up on Halloween candy and decorations, and get those costumes ready for the big day!

Swagbucks, an online rewards program that gives you cash back for completing online activities such a shopping online, is running a great Halloween on their site now through the end of the month. Earn Double Cash Back or more when you shop the Halloween Sale at your favorite stores including: 

Walmart 

 Target 

 Kmart 

 Home Depot 

 Cost Plus 

World Market 

 Pier1 Imports 

 Michael's 

 Wholesale Party Supplies 

 Amazon 

 and many  more!

Get a $4 bonus when you join Swagbucks this month!

 

 You've probably seen me write about Swagbucks a lot on here. It's a site where you earn points (called SB) for things you're probably doing online already, like searching, watching videos, discovering deals, and taking surveys. Then you take those points (1 SB is worth a penny) and exchange them for gift cards to places like Amazon, Starbucks, Walmart, Target, or PayPal cash.

Unlike a lot of other rewards site, you can cash out at any time, and they have gift cards for as little as 300 SB (The $3 Amazon gift card - every little bit helps)!
This month, you can get a 400 SB bonus through my site. How? It's really easy:
1. Sign up through this link
2. Earn 300 SB before November 1st - that'll get you a 300 SB bonus applied at the beginning of November.
3. Complete just ONE survey before November 4th and you'll get an additional bonus of 100 SB.

So let's recap - if you do all of those things, you'll have at least 700 SB to spend. Plus, there are all sorts of great deals and other earning opportunities all October long, so why stop at 300 SB? You could earn a LOT more. [TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU'VE EARNED AND USED IT FOR]. Sign up now!

Winter Is Coming: Prepare Your Home Sooner Rather Than Later

It might only be the start of October, but soon enough the cold - freezing cold - weather will be here. By preparing your home for winter sooner rather than later, you can ensure that when the snow starts to fall, your home is properly protected. If you fail to protect your home from the oncoming winter weather, it could end up being severely damaged to the point where it’s no longer livable. That’s a scary thought, isn’t it - not having a home to live in?

To prevent your home from being damaged by the winter weather, here are some things to consider doing:

Get your pipes freeze-proofed

Photo from Flickr

One of the most common home emergencies in the winter months is burst water pipes due to freezing. A burst water pipe can cause a small amount of water to leak out, or it can cause your entire home to become flooded. That’s why it’s so important that before winter, your have your water pipes freeze-proofed. You can opt to do this yourself, or you can hire a professional to do it for you, depending on how confident you feel about doing it yourself. There are various methods for doing this, the most successful, however, tend to be heat tracing and the use of insulation.

Check your home for damp and mold

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The sight of damp or mold is enough to send most homeowners into a frenzy. A lot of homeowners believe that once your home has damp and mold, it can never be got rid of. However, that’s far from true - it can be hard to alleviate, but it’s not impossible. However, the sooner you notice it, the better. The reason it’s important to check your home for damp and mold before winter sets in is because the presence of it indicates a problem in your home. Normally, the cause of damp and mold is one of two things: a lack of ventilation or a leak. If it’s the latter, it will only get worse throughout the winter. So it’s best to find the source and get it dealt with as soon as possible.

Have your roofing and gutters checked

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As soon as the trees are bare, it’s time to check your gutters for any blockages. This is important as come winter, rainfall increases. Should there be, a particularly heavy bout of rain and the water fails to drain properly it could damage your home’s walls and foundations. This could lead to all sorts of expensive problems. But by taking the time to clear out your gutters, this can be prevented. While you’re up on the roof checking your gutters, you may as well also take the time to check your roof itself. What you want to look out for are any tiles that are missing, cracked or damaged in any way, as these may allow water or pests to enter your home.

To ensure that come winter your home is properly protected from the elements, take note of the advice above. Your home is yours’ and your family’s sanctuary, and so, the last thing you want is a lack of preparation causing it to be damaged.

Happy Birthday Daddy! Thoughtful Gift Ideas From The Kids For Your Husband

It can be a challenge enough buying gifts for your other half from you. But when it comes to finding gifts from the kids, it can be even more difficult. You want to get him something memorable which shows him how much the kids love him. But it’s also good to go for something that he can use on a daily basis. Of course, you should firstly talk to your kids about ideas they may have for their father. If they are stuck for ideas, here are some thoughtful gift ideas from the kids for your husband.

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Bake him a cake

A lot of guys have a sweet tooth, but don’t often get to enjoy treats in the home. After all, if there are cakes or chocolate in the house, it’s typically consumed by one of the kids before they get a chance to take a bite! Therefore, for a birthday present, he will love, you and the kids should make him a cake! It will be a lot of fun for the kids, and it’s something they can get involved in making. You should think of the perfect flavor which will tickle his taste buds. For example, your partner might love triple chocolate or might prefer a simple jam cake. Once you have decided what you want to make, you can buy the ingredients to create the cake. Then you can give the kids individual jobs to help make the delicious cake. To save some time, you could buy a plain cake and then just let the kids decorate it. That way, they can make it personal without having to get stressed with the baking!. Remember to put ‘daddy’ on the top to make it special for your partner!

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Get him a bottle of alcohol

You should also look at getting him a bottle of his favorite tipple. After all, he probably doesn’t get to enjoy a drink very often when he’s busy with the kids. Your partner will enjoy a glass of the drink in the evening. Of course, it can make a boring gift for your kids to give their dad. Therefore, to make it more personal, you could consider getting a fun label to add to the bottle. You can look online to find something similar to these Crushtag customized wine labels. That way, your kids can write a special message, and it can go around the bottle to make it extra special.

Make him a photo book

It’s time to get old photos out and work with the kids to make him a photo book. It’s fun to reminisce with the kids as you look through old pics. Remember to select pictures of him since being a daddy to look back on. It will definitely bring a smile to his face on his birthday. Once you have stuck down all the photos, you can let the kids decorate around the cute photographs. Add some funny captions which will make him laugh. If you and the kids don’t feel like being creative, you could always order one online. You can still personalize the book, but it saves all the sticking and cutting for the experts.

Let the kids draw him picture

Dads secretly love receiving drawings from their kids. They often put it up at work, so when they are having a bad day, they lift their spirits by looking at the drawing. Therefore, as a thoughtful gift that your husband will love, get the kids to draw him a picture he can keep forever. You might want to suggest they draw a picture of them with their daddy or even him tucking into his birthday cake. It’s something original that he won’t get from anyone else.

Make a list of promises

If your hubby is always moaning at the kids, you might want to let them create a list of promises for their dad for his birthday. It might be things such as promising to clean their room or doing their homework before playing on the computer. After all, they might always have to be asked twice to do it! Or it might be things they can do for their dad such as promising to get him a drink at night time or making breakfast in bed. It will make a funny list that your husband will love.  

Buy him a new phone case

A phone case would be an ideal gift for your other half from the kids. For one thing, it’s practical as it will stop your other half from breaking their phone. After all, it’s so easy for it to slip out of their hands and end up smashed on the floor. But also, you can make it personal by making the cover a photo of the kids. That way, he will always have a picture close by of his loved ones!

Help them make a goodie basket

You could always make your other half a wonderful goodie basket full of his favorite things. Choose treats he doesn't get to enjoy very often such as crisps, chocolate, and biscuits. You could always add a bottle of something for him to enjoy when he’s tucking into these treats. The kids could help you make the basket so that they get involved in making the present too!

Have a day doing something he loves

Poor parents are dragged along to countless things they don’t want to do. So for a special birthday treat, you should do something that he loves for a change. It might be that your family goes to see a film of his choice. Or if he’s a fan of a particular sport, you could all go along and take part in the activity. As this feature says, by spending time with him doing what he loves, it will create a great memory for your family!

Image from flickr

Create a thank you note

You should also create a thank you note for your hubby from the kids. After all, those times he went the extra mile as a dad need to be rewarded. Get the kids to write down what they love about their dad and times they were thankful for his help. It’s a lovely thoughtful gift that will remind him he’s a great daddy!

Of course, these can also apply to Father’s Day and Christmas!