Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Life

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  • Mid-Century Modern Décor Ideas

    Mid-century modern décor is having another moment. You may have noticed the Danish sideboards and colorful sofas gaining popular. Arguably, the style may have never fully left the design sphere.

    Although the official movement has long passed, people are still obsessed with the clean lines, sleek structure and inspiring color palettes associated with mid-century modern décor.

    The aesthetic is by nature minimalistic, with the form being inherently functional. When done right, mid-century modern is organic, fluid and universal. Executed the wrong way, it can look like a Brady Bunchesque nightmare.

    The key to maintaining the proper mix of history and modern – to recreate a version of the perfect abode that incorporates comfort, beauty and ingenuity – is to understand the core tenants of mid-century modern. To realize that the style that grew out of early 20th-century modernism and spanned from roughly 1933 to 1965 is based on simplicity, creative use of materials and a strong (but artistic) connection to nature.

    The mid-century modern design movement encompasses architecture, interior design, industrial elements and graphic design. Made famous by designers such as Charles and Ray Eames, George Nelson, Richard Neutra and Harry Bertoia, mid-century modern focuses on small spaces, expansive use of glass, multi-purpose furnishings and other elements of design that are clean, contemporary and creative.

    Less is more

    You can incorporate mid-century design principles into your home by adhering to the “less is more” concept made popular by Mies van der Rohe, a German architect and leader in the movement. By adding thoughtfully and subtly crafted pieces, like marble-topped tables and molded Eames chairs to kitchens, dining rooms and living rooms, you’ll present a contemporary and classic vibe that is straight out of the 1950s.

     

    Clean lines and natural hues

    Mid-century modern furnishings have clean lines and neutral colors. Often, wood pieces made from teak are used to showcase natural beauty in a home. A mid-century modern dining table with teak legs or frame topped with a simple sheet of clear glass is a beautiful addition to a home.

  • Step 1. Goal Setting & Budgeting for Homebuyers

    The desire for homeownership connects people from all walks of life. It creates the feeling of security and permanence. It leads to wealth building. According to Eye on Housing, Americans focusing on financial security have 24% of their wealth located in their primary residence. This is more than any other asset, including stocks, bonds, 401ks and business interests.

    Buying a home will be one of the biggest decisions and largest purchases in your lifetime. Understanding the home buying process can assist you in purchasing a home that fits your needs, budget and life plans without the fear of financial loss. The first step in the homebuying process is prioritizing goals and budgeting for the ideal home in an attainable price bracket. Here are some of the starting points to consider when beginning the home buying process to improve personal wealth long-term.

    What Are My Goals?

    Homeownership can be a lucrative way to increase financial wealth, if it fits into your long-term goals. Owning a home is considered an investment that pays out over the years for most Americans that use these homes as a primary residence. Answering these questions about long-term personal goals can help clarify if buying a home is the right choice for wealth growth:

    • Job Status: Are you only planning to stay with your current job a few years? Is this a job you hope to keep long term? Is there opportunity for growth within the company within the department? Will a move be required for career advancement? These answers can help determine if buying a home will work in the long run for your wealth growth. Job stability is one of the most concerning factors for all Americans when purchasing, but is more prevalent with millennials, who as a group lag behind in homeownership compared to previous generations.
    • Home Occupancy Length: This is a concern for many millennials, who as mentioned above, may find job-hopping as a part of their early job career. Military members also must consider the longevity of duty stations when considering a home purchase. Currently 18% of military members purchase homes. This number is increasing and the military has some of the highest rates of homeownership among millennials.
    • Is This the Start of Your Portfolio? Have a long-term goal to start using homes as investments? There is no better time to start than now. Overall, home equity is on the rise and starting now can increase the chances of profit long-term.

    How Much Can I Afford?

    Many potential homeowners are confused and unsure of how much “home” they can afford on their income. Use these guidelines when considering a budget for a home.

    • Mortgage payments: Your mortgage should be 25% or less of gross income. Monthly payments consist of the mortgage cost, homeowner’s insurance, property taxes and mortgage insurance (if a conventional loan is used). Some buyers can qualify for as high as 32% of total gross income, but this often is not a safe bet for buyers who wish to purchase conservatively. Shopping homes with monthly payments that fall into the range of 25% of gross income monthly is the safest and more lucrative way to gain wealth.
    • Down Payments: When using a FHA or Conventional Loan, a down payment is required for purchase. The total percentage needed varies from 0% to 20% depending on the type of loan. What can you afford with your current savings?
    • Request Credit Reports: Not sure where your credit score stands? Request credit reports from the three most commonly used credit bureaus about six months prior to beginning your hard search from Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. This will assist in guiding your budget based on calculators to keep the search within the loan ballpark for buyers.

  • Steps to Buying a Home Series: Introduction

    Buying a home is the quintessential American Dream for many and the reality isn’t too far off the mark. Purchasing a home is one of the easiest ways for a family to attain wealth with minimal risk when the home is chosen strategically. The key is to understand the entire buying process and how each step can affect your investment returns. An informed buyer is a prepared buyer.

    What are the steps to purchasing a home? There is more to purchasing a home than scrolling and dreaming of homes on a website. It is taking informative steps, researching, interviewing lenders, agents, title agencies and more. It is understanding the market, finding desirable neighborhoods and feeling out the market demand.

    Looking at buying your first home? This 10-part blog series will provide tips and guidelines. Helping you understand the buying process, enjoy the experience and improve profitability of this purchase. We want to help prepare you on your journey to purchase your first home.

    Identify Your Goals. Understand the long-term wants for you and your family.

    • What are your goals?
    • How much can you afford?
    • What is the ideal home for my budget?

    Find the Right Lender. It often surprises people to learn that pre-qualification can take less than 15 minutes. We can make it happen in person, by video or by email. Even if you’re on the fence about if homeownership is right for you, you should meet with a loan officer and discuss options. Often, the issue is that people are not sure about their credit. But generally, if you’ve been working for the last two years and have decent credit, you can get into a home.. –Jamie Tapia, Alterra LA Area

    • Find a lender you trust, providing excellent service.
    • Get pre-qualified in a matter of minutes.
    • Receive a Loan Estimate, outlining the costs associated with your purchase.

     

    Agents, Home Choice & Offers

    • Find an agent with recommendations from friends, family and your lender.
    • Shop for the ideal home, considering budget, amenities and neighborhoods.
    • Discuss an offer with your agent. Consider all offer details. Be prepared to counter offer.

     

    Complete Home Inspections and Appraisal

    • Always perform a home inspection prior to purchase. Be prepared to spend $500.
    • Receive the home appraisal. This is the market value of the home and required by all lenders.

     

    Find Home Insurance

    • Find an insurance agent with recommendations from friends and family.
    • Research policies, ask questions about coverage situations and work with the lender and agent to see if additional coverage is needed (like flood, personal property, jewelry)

     

    Closing

    • The closing is the process of transferring ownership to the buyer. You’ll receive a Closing Disclosure (CD) a few days prior to closing. Read it closely.
    • At closing, you’ll sign all of the documents, transfer necessary funds and receive your keys. CONGRATS!

  • A Few Ideas for an Entertaining Family Game Night

    Spending time with loved ones is a great way to unwind. The best part? Unlike other gatherings that can require a lot of planning, an evening at home is simple. Pull out a board game, whip up some easy snacks and you’ve got yourself a fun family game night. Below are a few of our favorite ideas for making the night a success.

    The games

    Make sure to check in advance how many players a game requires. If you only have three people and the game needs four, you’re in trouble. Also, consider the age of each member of your family and the decade the game was made. While some games are timeless—Scrabble, for example—others, like a Trivial Pursuit game from the 1980s, might not be much fun for younger players. Interactive games and those that inherently have a little healthy competition are always a hit. Gauge the needs of your family. Games with loud noises or buzzers may be fun for some people, but they may cause stress to family members with sensitivities to sound. Games that don’t require boards, bells or whistles are also fun. Charades, for example, has been a parlor game since the 19th century. Originally played by English aristocracy, this game requires only the imaginations of its players.

    Make your own games

    If your family enjoys being crafty, making your own board games can be a lot of fun. A do-it-yourself checkerboard, for example, requires only small, wooden disks that can be picked up from your local craft store, as well as a couple of cloth napkins, painters tape, and paint.

     

     

    The food

    Whereas most parties require a certain amount of food planning and preparation, a family game night can be as simple or as difficult as you make it. For an easy night, order pizza or your favorite take-out. Make sure to have your family’s favorite beverages on hand.

    It can be fun, however, to prepare some simple foods with your loved ones. A big pasta dish with an accompanying green salad is a simple meal to make. You can also concentrate on finger foods. Local grocery stores have a number of ready-made appetizers that you can pop into the oven for a few minutes. Another option is to cut a vegetable or cheese platter. Also, make a few of your favorites such as stuffed mushrooms or buffalo wings.

  • Ten Ideas for Fun Family Games

    Games are a fun way to connect with family. Playing games together creates memories that each family member can cherish forever. The following 10 family-friendly games are perfect for game nights or for any time you want to come together and share each other’s company.

     

    1. Pictionary

    This classic game requires a great deal of drawing, but you don’t need to be an artist. It’s more fun if participants can’t draw. Laughter is sure to ensue when each family member takes a turn sketching an object while others try to guess what it is.

     

     

     

     

    2. Charades

    Charades is another classic that is always fun. Split your family into two teams. One person from each team takes a turn acting out a book, movie or TV show. The actor’s team members must guess what the title is. You can play Charades by timing each team as they perform and guess individually, or by having a timed contest with both teams taking the challenge at the same time.

     

     

     

    3. Telephone

    Many people played Telephone as a kid. To play, have one person whisper a sentence into the ear of someone sitting nearby. In turn, that person will whisper what they heard into the ear of another person. Often, it’s hard to hear anything concrete. However, that doesn’t mean the game stops! Players must simply make up what they can’t hear, and that’s when the real fun begins.

     

     

     

    4. Egyptian War

    Egyptian War has long been a popular card game. This game is similar to the classic War, in which taking possession of the deck is the goal. With Egyptian War, however, there is a lot of card slapping going on, and players must pay attention and strategize.

     

     

     

  • Ask a Pro Q&A: Head Over Hills

    Navigating your outdoor space can bring many challenges, some not always easy to navigate. Dream Team member and Outdoor pro Carson Arthur explains how to solve for some of nature’s problems with ease.

     

    What can I do to a hill with a tree and no grass? It’s too expensive to cut the tree and the dirt is eroding away.

    -Janice K.

     

     

    Sounds like you will need to get a good ground cover in place that will survive living under a tree, as well as help hold the soil in place. I recommend looking into a Sweet Woodruff ground cover or maybe a periwinkle. Both do well in dry shade and will solve your erosion problem with their roots. Hope this helps, and good luck.

    -Carson Arthur

     

  • Create Your Own Retreat with These Backyard Water Features

    Backyard water features serve any lifestyle and budget. From fountains to gardens, flowing water instills a sense of harmony and balance to any outdoor space. Explore your options to craft the backyard of your dreams!

    Small garden fountain

    If you don’t have room for a large water feature or don’t want to build one due to lack of resources, you can go small and still have something lovely. Create a pot fountain or a tabletop water garden that offers a bit of a splash.

    You can even make a portable water feature that can be moved around depending on where people gather in your yard. Small garden fountains are ideal for balconies and compact decks. They provide a bit of nature in areas that don’t see a lot of foliage or other earthy elements.

     

     

    Spherical water fountain

    Flowing water in the garden takes on an ethereal look when it curves magically around an already mystical object. Consider a spherical water garden for your backyard whether you have a traditional or modern space. This water feature can be made with inexpensive materials and doesn’t take much time to put it together.

    With a terracotta bowl and sphere, along with a small submersible pump and a few other supplies, you can have a water feature that will provide hours of enjoyment and wow guests. We love the idea of placing rocks or pebbles in the bowl for added dimension.

    Backyard pond

    A backyard pond is a water feature that’s obviously most suitable for a home or condominium with a substantial yard. It is not that hard to make yourself if you have the time and motivation.

    Many a unique pond (even with a waterfall!) has been created in only a weekend with tools purchased from the local home improvement store. Backyard ponds look amazing bordered by regional flora and fauna, some of which may even be able to grow up from under the water.

     

  • Ten Tasty Finger Foods for Party People on the Move

    Get the party started with delicious nibbles that will make entertaining fun for every host. Finger foods are easy to grab, reducing the stress of guests who may not have room to sit down for a traditional meal and giving guests a tasty way to start conversations. Explore 10 finger foods that will have loved ones already saving the date for your next event.

    1. Stuffed mushrooms

    Stuffed mushrooms are easy to make and gobble up, making them the ideal choice to serve at a party. They can be made for vegans or meat lovers/carnivores. Combine a black rice, vegetable stock, vegan cheese and crushed walnuts for your veggie-lover friends. For carnivores, add sausage.  This incredibly rich blue cheese and Parmesan option for friends who fall somewhere in the middle will be a hit.

     

     

    2. Pigs in a blanket

    For many decades, pigs in a blanket have been popular. Kids love them just as much as adults, and they are easy to make. Just pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees, wrap mini hotdogs in crescent roll squares and bake for about 10-15 until golden brown.

     

     

     

    3. Avocado and pesto tomatoes

    You can thank us for this one later: avocados, tomatoes, and some lemony, cheesy sauce, all secured on the same toothpick. This is one of the easiest finger foods for a party, and all you need is a food processor.

     

     

     

    4. Bacon water chestnut wraps

    Because it’s impossible to eat just one these hors d’oeuvres, you can expect they’ll disappear quickly. Cut some bacon strips in half, heat until almost crispy and wrap each strip around a water chestnut. Secure with a toothpick and glaze with brown sugar and a little mayonnaise. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. Serve hot.

    5. Potato salad bites

    Potato salad is a favorite dish at a sit-down BBQ. However, at a party where guests are mingling, it’s not exactly convenient. Thankfully, you can halve small red potatoes, bake them at 450 degrees for about 20 minutes with a little olive oil and then, once soft, scoop out the inside, mash it with some sour cream, chives, salt and pepper. Voila, potato salad bites!

  • Moving Tips and Tricks to Save Time and Your Sanity

    No one enjoys packing for a big move, but that doesn’t mean moving needs to make you lose your sanity. With a little preparation before moving day, the actual move will go smoothly and you’ll feel a lot less stressed. To get started, take a deep breath, read the following packing tips and then get to work.

    Don’t procrastinate

    The time to start packing isn’t a week before you move, or even a month. You’ll want to start packing many months before your move so you can be as thoughtful as possible about what to unload, what to take with you and how to make it all happen.

    To begin, start packing areas of your home and yard that don’t get a lot of traffic. Clean out your garage and storage spaces. Empty the shed of everything except the essentials. If you tackle at least one room or yard space per week, you’ll be in good shape.

    Create a to-do list

    Moving takes a lot of coordination and it’s easy to forget something. Therefore, make a list and write down everything you need to do that is associated with your move. Do you need to repaint your home before moving out? Write it down. Also write down things such as forwarding your mail at the post office and giving out your new address.

     

     

    Contact movers many weeks in advance

    Once you have an idea of when you’d like to move, the next thing to do is call movers three or four weeks in advance. You’ll want to read reviews of movers on Yelp and Google to ensure plenty of other people have had a good moving experience.

    If you decide to forego hiring professionals, make sure to schedule a rental truck and make sure you have people to help on the day of the move.

    Purchase packing tape, bubble wrap and other packing materials

    A common moving mistake is to use boxes from the liquor store or whatever other packing materials you have sitting around. A big professional packing tip to remember is that moving companies will only move well-constructed boxes and furniture, not bags or other items. If possible, use the original boxes that came with your electronics and other delicate items.

    More than anything, it’s important to pack things in an orderly fashion using boxes can easily be stacked into the moving van or truck. Make sure to add enough tape to the bottom of your boxes to ensure they won’t break open during your move.

    Also, while you may be tempted to simply wrap precious items in newspaper, an affordable packing material to use is bubble wrap, which can be purchased by the roll.

    Purge, donate, and sell

    Look around your kitchen. You’ll probably notice that you have more pots and pans than you need, an extra cheese grater, or a basting pan that you haven’t used for many years. Now look around your living room, bedrooms and bathroom. Chances are there are things in each room that you can and should unload. Have a large library? Donate some of it to your nearest public library or look online to find out which nonprofits in your area accept books. The more you purge and donate, the less you have to move.

    You’ll also want to sell some of your gently used things- that wedding gift that’s been sitting for ten years in a closet, for example, and furniture that might not fit the style of your new home.

    Although moving often feels stressful, you can take a load off by carefully following the packing tips listed above. Make sure to relax. If things start to feel overwhelming, take a break, sit back with a cool drink and remember that because you’ve planned so far in advance, your sanity will be kept intact.

  • Fun Outdoor Yard Games for Summer Family Entertainment and Parties

    Whether you want to entertain your family or host a party this summer, outdoor yard games can be just what you need. There are many fun games for the backyard that you can buy at a store, shop for on the Internet or even make yourself. Consider these classics and favorites to delight every age. Get creative and infuse fun themes into your games.

    Piñata

    Piñatas are beloved at parties. All the work that goes into busting them to break out the hidden treasure is well worth it. For a summertime party, hang a piñata filled with candy, little trinkets or money. Have a bunch of bored little ones on summer break? Make every weekend piñata weekend!

     

     

    Twister

    Twister is a cherished game from many of our childhoods and some of us have probably played it in college. Chances are good that you have Twister game somewhere in your closet or in the attic. Get it out and put it on the grass. Play as a family, invite the neighbors to join in or break the ice at a party.

     

     

     

    Horseshoes

    You might not be able to find real steel horseshoes for this favorite backyard game, but there’s probably a few plastic sets to choose from online. Horseshoes is a great way to pass the time and engage in a little competition between family and friends.