Owning your own home is one of the largest investments you will make in your life, as well as being a comfortable and relaxing space to live. The value of our homes, when the time comes to sell, will often have a large impact on our retirement plans, as a lot of our financial future is tied to the value of our property. The profit you make from selling a home can often be the difference between a comfortable and early retirement, or having to downsize later in life and continuing to work in your retirement years. Making some smart improvements to your home can even return double their cost, making them a smarter place to invest your money than some savings accounts and investment schemes. Refinancing your mortgage to get a better rate and pay less each month is a possible way to save enough to make these improvements on your own over the course of a year. Here we have compiled the top three ways to improve your property’s curb appeal, so not only are you investing in your home for the future, but also making your property more attractive to potential buyers and giving you a more welcoming sight to come home to at the end of the day. Landscape Your Front Yard – Why Not Add a Theme? Any garden or yard is a great asset for a house to have, and is a feature that most house buyers will look for when they are searching for their next home. Having a well landscaped front yard or garden is a great way to invest in your property. It can be very cost effective to do, and you will likely see a marked improvement in your home’s resale value if you make some tasteful changes to your front yard’s landscape. You can even add a theme if you like, maybe one that shows off your property’s design to the fullest and makes your home stand out from the crowd in your neighborhood. Give Your Driveways and Paths a New Look Your home’s driveway and the path leading to your front door will often be the first thing people see of your property, so make the right first impression. Re-covering or re-paving your driveway is another cost-effective choice that can give your home some extra value and some visual impact to visitors. At Richfield Blacktop, you can enhance your driveway with some high-quality asphalt, giving your home a sleek and hard-wearing driveway that is also good for families who want to play sports like basketball in the front yard. This makes your driveway a feature for your home, and more attractive to families looking to move home. Take Some of the Inside Outside Many new and renovated homes are using their outside spaces to bring a little of their inside, outside, by adding an outdoor cooking or eating space. Having a functional kitchen in your garden or yard has become very popular and adds a lot of value and desirability to a home. Another popular choice is adding a dedicated living space in the yard that can be used for relaxing, sunbathing, or to pursue hobbies like art or pottery. The costs of these investments are easily returned in your home’s resale value. A home is more than just a place to live; it is an investment. If you want to retire comfortably and on your own terms, then you should consider making investments and improvements to your property to maximize its resale value.

Indoor allergies can be nothing short of miserable to deal with. Your symptoms can range from mildly bothersome to downright awful, affecting your ability to relax and enjoy your own home. And just like with outdoor allergies, your indoor ones can go through phases where they range from bad to really bad. So, what can you do about it? Is the solution to take allergy medicine around the clock just to cope with your symptoms? While allergy medicine can certainly offer relief, ideally, you want to try to identify your triggers and limit or even eliminate them from the home. Here’s a look at some of the best ways to keep your indoor allergies in check and keeping your symptoms more manageable. Change Your Furnace Filter Regularly One of the best tips for those who suffer from allergies is to make sure you change your furnace filter on a regular basis. Your furnace filter is busy capturing all that pollen, dust, and even mold from the house, so you want to be sure it is able to operate efficiently. If you wait too long between replacements, it will end up getting so dirty and clogged that it can no longer do a good job. It’s best to check the filter every 30 days to see how it looks, and then most likely change it out every three months. Discount Filter Store makes it easy for you to order furnace and air purifier filters online at a discounted price, so you’ve always got one on-hand and ready to go. Wash Bedding in Hot Water Today, you’ll find plenty of laundry soaps that make it possible to wash your clothing in cold water, which is great for energy savings. The problem is that they are not able to get rid of allergens such as dust mites. Washing your bedding once a week in water that is at least 130 F will ensure you kill off all the allergens. It’s also a good idea to use dust mite-proof pillowcases and mattress covers to help protect them. These covers can also be laundered weekly. Hard Surface Flooring is Easier on Allergy Sufferers If you have a lot of carpeting in your home, and the budget allows, tearing it out and replacing it with a hard surface such as hardwood, tile, or laminate will be much easier on your allergies. These hard surfaces won’t trap the allergens in them, so you can get a better clean when you vacuum. Get Rid of Excess Clutter in the Home Excess clutter is prone to being dust collectors in the home. The more clutter you have, the harder it is to clean, and the more dust is going to build on all the surfaces. Try to keep things simple and basic without clutter. Hang Washable Window Coverings Window coverings such as drapes and blinds can also be dust collectors and aren’t so easy to clean. The best tip is usually to hang drapes that can easily be laundered, again in hot water, allowing you to get rid of the buildup of allergens. Each of these tips will help you to create a space that won’t be as tough on your indoor allergies and make you a whole lot more comfortable.

Even though working from home sounds like a dream come true, the fact is that it can sometimes be a real struggle. The fact of the matter is that, unless you have impeccable self-control, you can easily find yourself procrastinating and doing anything but the work that needs to be done. There are a few reasons why this tends to happen often. Aside from the fact that you don’t have anybody monitoring your progress and micromanaging you, you can easily get distracted if you don’t have a designated working space. That is why creating a home office is of the utmost importance for anyone working from their abode. Here are some interesting tips on how to create a working space that will get your creative juices flowing and make you want to work all day. Find the right area First of all, you will need to locate the best area of your home to set up a home office. This doesn’t have to be an entirely separate room if you don’t have that much space at your disposal. Rather, you can find a quiet little nook in your house and choose to use it for this purpose. On the other hand, if possible, choose a room that’s somewhat isolated from the hustle and bustle that’s going on in the rest of the house. Decide on the color scheme The next thing you should do is decide on the color scheme you want to implement in your home office. Light and neutral tones are always welcome, but if you want some pop of color, consider going for the ones that are known to boost productivity. Red, blue, yellow and green are the most common choices but if you personally don’t like these shades, you can opt for whichever hue motivates you personally. Choose the right style Deciding on the style you want to implement in your home office is another thing you need to pay attention to. Simply filling your office with random furniture pieces to serve a purpose they’re not quite meant to serve will create an environment that will more likely hinder your efforts than boost them. That’s why you need to pay attention to the style of the pieces you choose to make a part of your design, as well as their practicality. So, try to get your hands on an Eames chair that not only looks sleek and blends seamlessly into any design but also offers the right type of support. On the same note, browse office desks that look stylish are made of high-quality materials and offer great functionality and customizable options. Make it bright Moreover, the area you choose for your home office needs to be bright as poorly illuminated areas won’t benefit your productivity. Not only that but the areas that don’t have opulent lighting will contribute to eye-strain which will make doing your job significantly more difficult. That’s why, aside from making sure you have plenty of natural light and that it can penetrate into your home – choose light curtains instead of dark, heavy ones – you’ll also need to install additional artificial lighting sources. An overhead fixture, although necessary, won’t be enough to support all of your needs. Create a break area All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. This is something you definitely don’t want happening to you. As much as staying concentrated on the work at hand is important, it’s also important that you implement a nice little break area in your home office design. Once again, depending on the amount of space you’re working in, you can either go big or small. If your home office is a separate room, add a sofa and a nice little coffee table so that you can take 5 whenever you feel like you need it. On the other hand, if there’s simply not enough room in your home office for an entire sofa, consider adding a nice armchair or a bean bag and a small coffee table that will provide you with the same level of comfort. The fact that you’re working from home doesn’t mean that you can simply turn your dining room table into an office desk. Having a beautiful home office will encourage your productivity and motivate you to dedicate the necessary attention to the job at hand.

Working from home is not only more practical and time-effective, but it also allows you to set up your office according to your needs and desires. If you have a comfortable, well-equipped and personalized office, your work will be more efficient and you’ll experience better work satisfaction. However, working from home doesn’t come without cons! Homes are distracting environments and getting back on track after an interruption can be very hard. So, in order to minimize distractions, boost efficiency and ensure comfort, here are a few essential design tips for your home office. Start with lighting Plenty of light, both natural and artificial, is crucial for your office productivity. First, make sure to place your desk in a way that will make the best use of your sunlight (yet avoid glare). The wrong placement can cause eye strain, screen glare and boiling temperatures, so be strategic. For some artificial light, make sure to ensure the same intensity as daylight. This will be most comfortable for your eyes and ensure a good circadian rhythm. Separate your work life from your private life When you can work in your pajamas, go grab a snack and chat with your kids whenever you want, it can be hard to keep your professional and private life separated. So, make sure to place your office in an area that’s a little isolated to ensure better focus and uninterrupted workflow. If you can’t find a secluded spot, ensure good sound insulation, place Do Not Enter signs and even invest in noise-canceling headphones. Additionally, make sure to use your home office only for work. Set up a speedy connection If you want to have a productive workday and a home office that runs smoothly, you need speedy internet connection. In case you often lose connection or suffer from slow internet, consider changing your provider or investing in a more powerful line. Having fast and reliable internet will ensure you always stay in contact with your clients, get things done quickly and spare yourself a lot of headaches and nervous breakdowns. There’s nothing as annoying as a broken internet connection just when you need to send an email or check something online ASAP. Get essentials When it comes to setting up, start with essentials—the things you can’t do your job without. You can always rely on quality Winc stationery and find everything from desks to post-it notes, all in one place. Make sure to pay attention to things like storage, filing cabinets, practical furniture, electronics and a cozy client meeting areas (if you regularly see people). These essentials will be enough for the start or until you assess your needs are realize what else could make your work faster, better and easier. Splurge on your chair When it comes to getting your chair, make sure to be careful. Invest in a sturdy, ergonomic chair that will reduce the negative effects of sitting and provide you with a no-distraction workday. If you can, hit a showroom and try out a few chairs—this is much better than getting a random one online. You can also accompany your chair with a practical footrest and even grab a standing desk extension for your laptop of you spend a lot of time on your computer. Personalize your space What most people hate about modern offices are minimalism, grayness and that uncomfortable, overly-corporate feel. But, if you work from home, you can take over the creative control when it comes to the look of your home office and personalize your space. Filling your office with decoration is a great idea, especially if you do something that requires alertness and creativity. Think plants, motivational posters, art you like—these can all work towards achieving a totally chic, unique yet efficient office. Treat yourself to a coffee machine This is as much of a luxury as it is a necessity. For many of us, coffee is the main source of fuel for a successful workday, so make sure to grab a good coffee maker and enjoy a fresh cup whenever you need a little hand. This handy guide from the unclutterer will help you to find the right coffee maker for your needs.​ Keep it at arm’s reach and you’ll see your productivity grow with each new sip. Start designing your home office today, and you’ll soon enjoy a comfortable, private and completely personalized workspace that will allow you to reach your maximum potential and show everyone who’s boss.