Scott Adamson
Exceptional Real Estate Service
447 Boston Post Rd, Sudbury, MA 01776
978-314-9009 | [email protected]
Exceptional Real Estate Service
447 Boston Post Rd, Sudbury, MA 01776
978-314-9009 | [email protected]
Picking out flowers to plant in your garden and around your home is no easy task. You’ll have to consider the hardiness of the plants, whether you want them to come back year after year, what colors complement your house, and so on.
Most people just simply buy flowers that look pretty. And while you can get lucky and have healthy flowers that way, a better method is to think about what you’re looking for in a flower.
In this article, we’re going to help you choose the right flowers for your home and lifestyle.
One of the first things you should consider is the lifecycle of the flowers. If you don’t want to go through the trouble of choosing and planting new flowers every year or two, perennials may be the best choice for you. Over the long run, you can save money by planting and caring for perennials. However, in the short term, annuals tend to be cheaper to buy.
If you do decide to go with perennials in your garden you’ll need to be careful about which ones you choose. Make sure to look up your plant hardiness zone and only buy flowers that can withstand the colder seasons in your region.
Furthermore, you’ll want to see if there is any special care required to keep your flowers coming back each year. Likely, you’ll have to spend a bit of time aerating and fertilizing your soil to maintain a supply of nutrients to your plants’ roots. Similarly, determine if there is any special care that you can provide in the winter to help the plants return to life next spring.
Annuals tend to be some of the brightest and most beautiful flowers. Some of them, called “volunteers,” can sow their own seeds easily and return the next year with minimum work on your part.
You might also notice that annuals bloom throughout the season. That means you and you family and house guests have more time to marvel at the beautiful flowers they produce.
Some common annuals to plant are begonias, geraniums, marigolds, sunflowers and petunias. If you like to keep a variety.
Like annuals, biennials will die after they bloom. The key difference is that they last for two years not one. During spring of the first year they will grow and stem but won’t bloom. The following spring is when biennials reach their peak.
Just like annuals, biennials can sow their own seeds. However, some are easier to grow than others and you’ll want to encourage them with rich, aerated soil and plenty of water in early spring.
Some common biennials include Black-eyed Susans, Sweet William, Forget-Me-Not, and some garden variety plants like fennel, carrot, and parsley.
There’s more to flowers than just their ability to look and smell nice. Some plants have the ability to repel certain pests.
Marigold can repel certain insects as well as rabbits, chives repel certain beetles and flies, petunias repel aphids (which can wreak havoc in your vegetable garden), and so on.
If you have a pest problem and want to dissuade them from coming back next year, planting pest-repelling plants may be the best option for you.
For many people, nothing beats condo living. As such, the demand for condos continues to grow, and many property buyers are relocating to condos across the nation.
Before you buy a condo, however, it is important to remember that condo living is different from living in a traditional house. Therefore, property buyers who plan accordingly can set realistic expectations for condo living.
How can a property buyer find out what it's like to live in a condo community? Here are three tips to help you prepare for condo living.
1. Learn About Condo Communities in Your Area
Condo communities come in all shapes and sizes, and you should take a close look at the condo communities in your city or town to find out what they're all about.
Even a quick drive through a condo community may prove to be exceedingly valuable. This will enable you to see the size and style of assorted condos, along with the distance between the properties themselves.
After you view a few condo communities, consider what you'd like to find in your ideal residence. This will enable you to compare and contrast your home must-haves versus what condos offer and map out your property search accordingly.
2. Meet with Current and Past Condo Owners
Do any family members or friends who currently live in a condo community? If so, schedule a meet-up with them so they can share their thoughts and views on condo living with you.
Nothing beats firsthand knowledge about condo communities. By meeting with current or past condo residents, you can better understand the pros and cons of condo living.
Be sure to come up with a list of questions before you meet with current or past condo residents as well. Remember, the more you prepare, the better off you'll be as you determine whether condo living is right for you.
3. Collaborate with a Real Estate Agent
A real estate agent has a simple goal: to help you find a residence that you'll be able to enjoy both now and in the future. As a result, this housing market professional can set up condo showings for you, allowing you to find out what it's like to live in a condo community.
In addition, a real estate agent can provide extensive details about what to expect if you decide to purchase a condo. This real estate professional can provide a copy of a condo community's homeowners' association (HOA) rules, inform you about any HOA fees and offer details about community pools and tennis courts that may be available to condo residents.
Perhaps best of all, a real estate agent is happy to offer honest, unbiased condo buying recommendations. He or she can provide you with plenty of information about a broad assortment of condos to help you make an informed purchase decision.
When it comes to browsing condos, don't leave anything to chance. Instead, collaborate with a real estate agent, and you can explore a variety of condos any time you choose.
If you’re buying a home for the first time, you have a lot to learn. There are so many decisions that need to be made and new terms to be understood. While you may have been saving up for a downpayment, you’re most likely going to need t finance the majority of the cost of your home. Knowing how to deal with lenders, real estate agents, and other professionals involved in the process of purchasing a home will make your life that much more straightforward. Read on for some mortgage tips that every first-time home buyer should understand.
Know Your Budget
You may find when you apply for a mortgage that you’re able to finance more than you thought you could. Being able to borrow such a significant amount is where many home buyers get caught in a numbers trap. Although the bank may be willing to loan you a certain amount, you might not actually be able to afford it. While the bank looks at many of your financial numbers, the bank doesn’t know your entire budget. How much you spend on groceries each month or the cost of your monthly phone bill are out of the picture when the mortgage company approves you for a loan. Whatever amount of money you borrow to buy your house will result in a monthly payment amount. If you’re only paying $800 per month in rent but your mortgage payment will be $1400, that will result in a significant budget adjustment. Will you be able to come up with the additional $600 each month to pay the mortgage? You need to look at your entire budget seriously to be safe in your mortgage transaction.
Plan For Out Of Pocket Expenses
You know that you need to save for a downpayment on the home of your dreams. What you may not know is that there are many other out of pocket expenses that you need to foot the bill for when you buy a home. These costs include:
Inspection
Legal fees
Insurance
Pizza for the people who help you move
Repairs to the home
Utility costs
There are so many expenses that you need to come up with when you buy a home. Don’t merely save enough for your down payment and stop. Make sure you have a financial cushion for emergencies, money to help furnish the house, and more.
Mind Your Credit
When you buy a new home, it may be tempting to buy new furniture, decor, or other items for your property. Hold off on opening any new credit or making large purchases. While a new car will look great in your new driveway, it won’t look so good on your credit score. Be very mindful of your credit score when you are getting ready to buy a home.
Photo by AVANTECTURE on Unsplash
Buying a luxury home is about more than just finding the right mortgage. Whether you are buying or selling, you should know that there are some key differences in the way that high end luxury homes are sold. Discovering the differences in the way that the luxury home market operates can ensure that you get the best possible outcome from your purchase. If you want to enjoy the lasting comfort and benefits of living in an amazing high end home and still get the best possible deal, here's what you need to know:
Seasons don't matter: Conventional home sales follow specific seasonal trends, but according to Realtor.com, the high end market is not as impacted by the time of year that a home is listed. This is often because home buyers who are tied to a more conventional price range are also tied to trends -- they want to buy and move in summer, while school is out, need to work around regular jobs and don't have another home to retreat to for the holidays or vacations so that deals can be worked out. Luxury home sellers can afford to list a home and wait for the right buyer, so there is often no influx of homes at specific times or seasons.
More staging, more perks: Luxury homes simply show better than their conventional counterparts, thanks in large part to the staging and design included in the listing process. For buyers, this means a chance to see the home fully furnished and in immaculate shape. For sellers, this means better selling prices and in many cases a faster turnaround time. Expect to spend more time per home, for more personalized experiences when you shop around -- looking at 10 conventional homes in a weekend is likely possible, but you may only get to 2-3 luxury homes, since you'll spend more time touring and more time checking out all the home has to offer.
Fewer contingencies: In some markets, contingencies are not always acceptable anyway, but no matter where a luxury home is located, offers that are tied to contingencies may not be as appealing as those that come without strings attached. Sellers can usually afford to wait for the right offer, and have no reason to compromise or put a deal at risk, while buyers may be prepared to purchase or finance the home without having to add contingencies to offers.
Discovering how luxury home sales differ from conventional ones can help you make the most of the process and come away with the results you truly want. You'll know what to expect, set aside the right amount of time and avoid common errors as you explore this rapidly growing but still exclusive marketplace.
Image by Chris Goodwin from Pexels
Your luxury home is a major investment, so it’s important to make sure that you’re approaching the selling process the right way. Selling a luxury home comes with certain challenges that you’re less likely to encounter with a non-luxury home. Luxury homes aren’t as numerous overall, so you’ll have to work harder to attract more buyers. According to the National Association of Realtors, only 13 percent of first-time and repeat home buyers purchased homes costing $500,000 or more, and only 9 percent purchased homes measuring 3,501 square feet or more. Keep the following tips on selling luxury homes in mind before putting yours on the market.
Determining the right price for a luxury home can be a challenge. You might not have other comparable homes nearby to help you figure out your listing price, or your home might have special features that could make it worth more. Asking for too much for your luxury home could mean that it ends up staying on the market longer than you expected, especially since the number of buyers for these homes overall tends to be smaller. Asking too little means you’re missing out on getting what your luxury home is worth.
Open houses are a common part of the marketing process for non-luxury homes. However, you might not want to have them for you luxury home. Anyone can attend open houses, which means you’re likely to have people stop by who have no intention of making an offer on your home. In addition to wasting your time, these open houses could also make it easy for criminals to target your home. Instead of open houses, consider arranging private showings for buyers who have a genuine interest in purchasing your home and the financial ability to do so.
When marketing your luxury home, make sure you use high-end cameras for photos and videos. The quality of these can have a huge impact on how successful your online and offline marketing efforts are. High-quality photos and videos are an important part of attracting buyers and making an initial favorable impression on them.
When you work with a real estate agent to sell your home, make sure that you find one who has experience in the luxury market. Selling luxury homes involves taking different factors into consideration compared to selling non-luxury homes. A real estate agent without this experience might have a more difficult time selling your home or overlook important ways to attract the right buyer. Real estate agents with in-depth knowledge of how to sell luxury homes provide you with valuable help when your home is on the market, including helping you determine the right price for it.
