7 Tips For a Pet-Friendly Home
AUSTIN, TX – Austin is known as one of the most pet-friendly cities in the nation. Local homeowners love their fur babies and are getting creative when it comes to making their pets feel cozy inside. Rather than keeping your pets outdoors, many owners are adjusting their living spaces with their pets’ needs in mind. These 7 tips for a pet-friendly home will help create a welcoming environment for your pets, preventing clutter, ware, and damage to your home. 1. CHOOSE HARD SURFACE FLOORING Ditch the carpet and opt for hardwood flooring. Carpet can be a pain to have when housing a pet, especially in their early training years. Dirty paws will have you constantly cleansing along with the occasional accident and vomit. Carpet also carries odors that can be hard to get rid of. 2. USE STAIN RESISTANT FABRIC Consider your fabric choice when picking out furniture. Materials like Crypton are nearly indestructible, synthetic fabrics that are resistant to stains, smells, bacteria and muddy paws. 3. SET UP A SPECIAL AREA Set up a comfortable space in the corner of your living room, complete with a bed, blanket, and toys. This gives your pup a place to relax while relieving your sofa of pet hair. 4. PUT WASHABLE FABRICS ON THE BED Protect your bedspread from pet hair and accidents. Use washable bedding such as duvet covers and cotton bedsheets for easy clean-up. Use colors that match your pet to hide any hairs. 5. ADD A DOGGY DOOR Installing a dog door in your home makes life easier for pets and owners. Instead of having to let your pet in and out, you can relax and while they show themselves outside. Many dog doors also come with lockable panels to prevent your pet from unnecessarily coming in and out. 6. PETSCAPE THE YARD If you let your pets out into the yard, make sure it’s secure and safe. Check the perimeter fencing to determine if you need to build or add structures to prevent escapes. Identify toxic plants in your landscape. Some such plants are azaleas, some ferns and ivies, daffodils, and daylilies. Consider organic gardening, insecticides and fertilizers were among the ASPCA’s top 10 pet poisons. 7. BUY STYLISH TOYS Say goodbye to constantly hiding your dog’s toys in the corner when company comes over. Prevent your home from looking cluttered by purchasing a mix of stylish toys and treats that match your home interior.
8 Staging Tips For a Faster Home Sale
Selling your Austin home can be an adventure as we continue to move through the pandemic and beyond. It can be a smart and painless adventure or one riddled with hiccups that can be avoided with 8 simple staging tips that don’t have to break your piggy bank. Like so many things in life, it comes down to fundamentals and preparation. Before selling your home (unless it is being sold as a “knock down builders special”), we will discuss how it will be staged for sale. My last client hadn’t sold a home in years and was so unhappy when I mapped out our staging plan because once the house was ready for the public showings “it didn’t feel like her”. No kidding! Chances are none of us are living with magazine finishes every day and your kids, husband or wife, left dishes in the sink and laundry somewhere close to but not exactly in the hamper. Our goal is to get your home sold quickly! Why? None of us want our lives disrupted and we want the least number of people aka strangers and their agents walking through when you’re trying to work from home, school/camp from home, workout from home or just plain live without interuption. And, you want to sell your home for top dollar! So, a good staging plan (and workback schedule) is one of the keys to a good selling experience! What if selling your home meant you you could net more money in your pocket and have quiet nights and relaxing weekends to barbeque and not worry about laundry being left out or beds being perfectly made every time you leave the house? If you’re considering listing your house this summer or in early fall here are 8 staging tips: 1. De-personalize your home. Buyers need to envision THEIR lives in that space. We set the stage for them. You mentally move out and get to start dreaming about your new life in YOUR new home. 2. Pack your personal things. See #1 3. Freshen up with light colors. The single biggest impact you can make without spending a fortune is paint! Darker colors make rooms feel smaller. Earth tones tend to be more inviting to buyers. While you may not love this idea update interior walls to lighter wall colors and paint that trim a bright white. 4. Take advantage of natural light. Let the sun shine in! Take advantage of the longer hours of sunlight and pull back your curtains! Many Buyers want to experience natural lighting. So, do not hesitate to leave those windows open. Nothing beats clean windows and natural light. 5. Less is More. More is just… clutter. Remove large or extra furniture. Buyers want more space (not less). It’s time to move contents out for the short-run. (You can move them back in once the house is sold). 6. Don’t forget light fixtures. Make sure every light fixture works and that every bulb is fresh. It may seem petty but it can irritate Buyers when lights don’t work. Bright houses sell. 7. Pets Peeve. I love animals. I live with animals. When I’m trying to sell your home, odors (like litter boxes or favorite dog blankets) are not a bonus and many people will leave without seeing the property if met at the front door with odors. Short-sighted on the Buyers part perhaps. For you, it is a real consideration if they won’t tour your home. If it’s not too hot, leave windows open to allow fresh air in. 8. Don’t forget curb appeal and the exterior spaces: Buyers care about that walk to the front door and the status of your yard. Pre-listing work includes touch-ups, painting your front door, mowing the lawn, planting flowers, weeding, power washing siding and decks, and a fresh coat of stain just to name a few. Hopefully, these 8 tips can help you get ready for the Austin real estate market and sell for top dollar! I have a Seller’s list that my clients love. If you have any questions about preparing your Austin home for sale, please don’t hesitate to connect!
Helping Your Parents Downsize Their Home Can Takes Years of Planning
It took 4 years to get my mother to agree to move from her 3-storey Toronto townhouse with laundry in the basement to a 2 bedroom apartment with everything on one floor (no ensuite laundry) and a view of downtown that reminds her of New York. The day she moved in she was both happy and annoyed. “Now I have to go all the way to the basement to do my laundry” she lamented to my brother who had flown in from China to help with the transition. Always practical he replied matter of factly, “Mom, you carried your laundry basket up and down 3 flights of stairs for 20+ years. Now you have your own elevator” and smiled. That one little change of perspective made her smile when she realized that she really would have a much easier time with laundry. Many seniors are not interested in downsizing their homes and they’re certainly not interested in moving to a senior living opportunity no matter how great they are or what kind of improved lifestyle they will have because they don’t see it that way. How do you move them from resisting changed to engaged, interested or curious about new “opportunities” when they’re just not ready? Frankly, it’s impossible in the moment. It will take time (read “years”) and a focused “team” to overcome a challenging moving situation. As an adult child of a senior parent you can take time to explore the many Toronto 1) independent living, 2) assisted living and, 3) long-term care options years in advance while you’re arranging help for your parents to stay in their home over the next few years ie. home health care, tub bars, snow removal, lawn care, etc. It will also help you avoid negative feelings and emotions that come when a needless crisis occurs because you will have discussed “future” plans in advance. Waiting for a crisis to occur puts everyone at a disadvantage. Most of us do not operate at our best at these highly emotional, highly anxious times. Senior parents are still parents and they’re afraid of losing their life-long independence. The reality is that we all strive to be independent and often do not want assistance in OUR homes at any age. Maybe they hiding physical problems that limit everyday tasks or requirements like getting into the bathtub or they do not realize how serious their memory problems are until there is one too many issues or a crisis arises. Unfortunately, for those who do not see their parents in their own homes on a regular basis find out. We don’t see the lack of upkeep or the daily struggle or frustrations. If you think there are senior medical issues get a physician’s assessment early and create the space to solve potential issues before dealing with the drama surrounding a specific need. Be proactive. Take action and explore options as needed. Include siblings or anyone else who needs to be involved. You may not always agree on everything but at least everyone who needs to be aware of and involved is part of the equation. The key is focusing on your senior family member’s needs for living safely in their home. You can then collectively reach outward to any professionals required ie lawn care, snow removal, plumbing, roofing, bathtub safety installments, cleaning services, etc. Everyone wins when you have time to educate yourself on options. Who doesn’t love having options? The roles we play as children change as our parents start to shift from autonomous and independent 70’s (and maybe 80-somethings) will require practice, patience (oh, so much patience) and a pure commitment to becoming their trusted advisor on an as-needed basis. It doesn’t come with a handbook just like raising children doesn’t come with a handbook. And, sometimes it will feel like you’re pushing water up hill. As 1 of 30 Master Accredited Seniors Agent specifically trained to help seniors with staying in their home and eventually downsizing I can help. Check out this video for more. If you need help building your exceptional network of trusted advisors to help you through each stage along the way let me know.
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