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Guest Post by: Bob Shannon
As the pandemic continues, you may be looking for ways to optimize your home and give it a fresher, more revitalized vibe. Mental health can be seriously affected by the way our homes are decorated and kept. Check out these tips from Meghan Carroll for making your home a better place for your wellness.
- Declutter First
Decluttering is a fabulous first step in any home refresh as it gives you a better perspective on what needs to be done. The benefits of decluttering include improving wellness, as science shows that having too much stuff around you can cause mental stress while a clean and uncluttered house can improve your mood and decrease anxiety.
There are many ways to approach decluttering, including the minimalist KonMari method. Its creator, Marie Kondo, recommends you tackle your possessions by category and asks you to consider if objects bring you joy before deciding whether to keep them.
One way of decluttering in the digital age is to minimize paper records and other documents by digitizing them. Saving all of the files can get overwhelming, so to save on space without sacrificing the quality, you can use a PDF merging tool so that your documents can be contained in one file. This can help you later on, too, when you’re searching for documents since they all will be easily located in the same place. After you’ve combined your PDF files, you can arrange them so that your records are in the correct order.
- Brighten Your Palette
Painting your walls is an inexpensive but effective way of changing the look of your home. Opt for light, bright colors to help keep your spirits up. Psychology says that yellows, greens and blues can help improve your mood. You don’t even have to paint an entire room to benefit: Painting an accent wall can be a quick and easy project to complete that still packs a punch. Likewise, if painting sounds too daunting, or you’d like something more detailed and unique, custom wallpaper is a great way to go.
Don’t just stop with the walls, either. Little pops of color around the house can have a similar effect. Replacing old decorative pillows with bolder ones takes little effort but can really brighten up a room. Changing out your rugs for an attractive and colorful alternative can do the same. Replacing light-dampening curtains with ones that allow more natural light into the room can also help, as natural light is important for physical and mental health.
- Use What You Already Have
You may already have avenues of reviving your home that you aren’t taking advantage of. If you have a fireplace that you haven’t been using and would like to get it up and running, for instance, you can get it cleaned and your chimney swept and inspected. When professional cleaners do this, they usually remove soot and blockages, a service that typically costs between $100 and $300. Inspectors will need to ensure there are no structural issues or potential for smoke entering the home. Before hiring anyone, do a search for chimney services near you and start reading reviews to find a trustworthy professional.
While some changes can be made by using money at hand or dipping into savings, for significant updates, you may need to consider refinancing your home. Doing so can get you a lower interest rate so that you have less to spend on your mortgage each month. So if you decide to do a cash out refinance, make sure you search for the best cash out refinance rates before you make a decision. Your circumstances may allow you to benefit from special loans, such as the VA Interest Rate Reduction Refinance Loan that is available to veterans.
Don’t let your home’s decor and state of disrepair get you down. Make positive changes that will not only make your living space more attractive but also leave you happier and healthier.
Meghan Carroll is a full time real estate agent who is qualified to assist you in buying or selling your home. I have a keen sense of the local market and know property values, appreciation of the market, and how to gain the best exposure for your property. Call 732-508-7402.
