Real Homes

Quality Tips for Home Improvement

7 tips to prepare your entrance for a sale

Create a great first impression

You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression and this is even more important when you are selling. By spending a few hours improving the entrance you can create the right energy the moment buyers see your home for the first time – after all you want them to imagine themselves walking through your front door everyday, you want them to be passionate about your property.

Neat clean and cared for

The first thing to do is to make sure that everything looks clean and well cared for, so make sure roofing, gutters, windows, balustrades, driveways, footpaths, walls and garden areas are clean and in good repair and free of dirt and things like spider webs.

If you have a front gate it will be the first thing that people come into contact with so it needs to be clean, in good condition and quiet.

If possible keep the garbage bins out of sight and clear out your letter box each day and ensure no flyers or newspapers are left lying around.

Place a door mat outside your front door as this shows you care about keeping your property clean.

Enhance the doorway

If you have sufficient space, place a range of matching terracotta pots with plants against the wall near your entrance. For the average sized doorway use the pots up to a metre high. If your home is an older style, aged classic cone shaped pots with a rolled rim containing colourful flowers, like geraniums, will give a traditional welcome feeling. For more modern homes tall angular pots that taper downwards are very popular – add architectural plants like succulents for a dramatic effect. Sell my house in Temple

Add some pots

Try and keep everything symmetrical. If you are using pots and plants to add interest, put one either side of the entrance or you might like to hang two matching lanterns for a warm glow. The trick is to keep it simple and not clutter the space.

Make the most of available light

Often hallways are narrow and dark. If your house suffers from this problem, try painting the walls white to lighten things up, or add a sky light. A broad runner will make a hallway seem wider.

Spruce up the front door

Your front door is the first thing your buyers see, so if it needs a lick of paint get out the brushes! You might also consider a new handle or knocker – this is an inexpensive way to update your door.

Pave the path to the front door

Guide buyers to your door with a paved pathway. Plain white pavers look terrific against a green lawn. If the steps to your front door look at a little shabby a great trick is to the tile the step rises, rather than ripping everything out and starting from scratch.

Maintain your privacy

In many areas, especially the inner city, security and privacy are selling points, so low to medium wall at the front of your house can appeal to buyers. Don’t forget to check with your local council to ensure all building regulations are met.

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Renting with roommates and how to split the rent

Benefits of renting with roommates

Before you start living in a property, provided the landlord is satisfied with your application, you and your room-mates will sign a co-tenancy agreement.

This will effectively ensure that each flat mate has equal legal rights and responsibilities, with no co-tenant allowed to influence authority over others. This works especially well if you’re living with a mix of people that you know and can trust.

Having a roommate or two can help you manage the financial burdens of renting because you don’t need to shoulder the total cost of your living expenses. Splitting rent with roommates also can help you choose a better location that you may not be able to afford on your own plus it will help reduce the amount you pay in utilities and shared household supplies.

Part of the fun of living in a house with roommates is the amount of time you get to spend with friends and relatives that float in and out of your housemates’ lives. You will almost always have someone around to share a drink, to carpool, to order takeaway with and not to mention a saviour who can let you in when you’re locked out!

Negatives of renting with roommates

The benefits that come with a co-tenancy agreement can also become negatives, given the right (or wrong) circumstances. The most important factor that you must take note of is that co-tenants share joint liability. This means that as soon as your pen hits the paper, you’re bound to the agreement both as an individual and a group.

For example, if your roommate had been missing rent payments for a few weeks and their debt had compounded, all the other co-tenants, including you, could be held responsible.

To help ensure your renting experience with roommates goes without a hitch, here are a few tips to take on board with payments:

Paying the landlord

In order to avoid the situation where you could find yourself having to fund your roommate’s rent, you should be vigilant when it comes to the weekly payments. If you request it, your landlord or property manager will provide you with a receipt of your payment.

Keeping on top of this will allow you to ensure that the necessary payment is being met, and if not, enables you to act quickly.

Splitting the rent

Figuring out how to split the rent can be challenging but when living with roommates it is an important process to go through before your sign the lease. Here are 2 solutions to make this process as fair as possible and to help reduce any arguments.

Divide the square mete-rage

This is an easy and fair way to split to rent. To get an accurate breakdown, take the square meterage of each bedroom and divide by the total square meterage of the property. This gives you the percentage of space that each room occupies. Then take each individual percentage and apply it to the total cost of rent. This therefore breaks down the cost according to percentage of total space occupied.

Who has the most perks

Consider what each person gets for the rent – is it fair? For instance, if someone has an ensuite, built in cupboards, balconies, windows, then they should pay extra. You can assign a cost to each amenity and add that to an evenly divided room price.

Paying the bills

One of the main points of conflict when sharing a house with roommates is rationing the utility bills, because really, no one wants a slice. It is recommended to assign the responsibility to one of the co-tenants as soon as you move in. This doesn’t mean they pay the entire bill, but rather are responsible for paying the bill on time

Generally, you should divide the expenses such as gas, electricity, internet and water equally among yourselves, before paying your allocated member the required amount when necessary. Sell my home in Harker Heights

It can get difficult when usage is uneven, for instance one roommate has an electric blanket they never turn off or another who steadfastly streams re-runs of Star Wars each and every day. If that is the case, it is worth coming to an agreement to ensure they pay extra for thier habits.

Good luck with your roommate experience – if you plan it right and sort out the rent and bills up front you’ll no doubt have loads of fun.

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