Prepare Your Home for the Winter in Pandemic Year

The weather is already changing and the idea of living through cold weather during a pandemic is becoming a reality. Last year, we gave some simple tips to prepare your home for winter, but this year, things are different. We’re living through a time that has changed and will continue to change our behavior in order to ensure our safety. But don’t be discouraged! You can beat cabin fever with some creativity and at the same time, do some practical maintenance to protect your home from frigid temperatures. Let’s start with the practical action items to prepare your home for the winter this fall, and keep your home in top-selling condition.

Do a Fall Cleanup

While the weather is tolerable, let’s start winterizing the outside of the home with a fall cleanup.

When you prepare your single-family home or townhome for the winter, here are a few things you can do:

• Clean the Gutters: Clean gutters help snowmelt run smoothly. It prevents dangerous icicles from forming and moves water away from your home, preventing leaks and water damage.
• Trim Perennials: If your plants are coming back in the spring, trim them now to encourage new growth. If you’re not comfortable doing this yourself, there are many landscape companies that offer a winterizing package. They will mow your lawn for the final time and trim anything needed. The best part? They take clippings with them!
• Cover Outdoor Furniture: Protect your patio or balcony furniture by investing in good-quality covers. Windy, ice, and water can severely damage even the toughest materials.
• Sprinkler and Water Spigot Maintenance: Sprinkler systems should be drained and shut down for the season. Water in pipes can freeze and burst, causing a slew of issues. Garden hoses should be brought indoors, and water spigots should be covered. An insulating cover will reduce heat loss that is naturally transmitted through your home’s pipes.

For those in condos in neighborhoods like The Loop or New East Side, you don’t often have to worry about building and landscaping maintenance. However, there are some things you can do in your unit to make things more comfortable during the coldest winter months:

• Install Draft Stoppers: These foam or bean-filled rolls are placed at the bottom of your doors to keep cold drafts from entering your home. If you have any exterior doors, these are a must.
• Reverse the Rotation of Ceiling Fans: Changing the rotation of your fan will pull cool air up and displace the warm air near the ceiling.
• Get Insulated Curtains: Large windows bring lots of light in but they also cool your home. Heavy insulating curtains will keep your room much warmer.
• Buy a Humidifier: Humidifiers will put moisture into the air, relieving you of sinus congestion and dry skin so common during cold months. More moist air also means more efficient heating in your home.

Have Your HVAC System Checked & Ducts Cleaned

Comfort begins with temperature and humidity. So, one great thing you can do is to get your HVAC system serviced by a professional. They will make sure your filters are in good shape, check your home humidifier (or install one if you don’t have one), and let you know if there are any possible issues. You don’t want something to go wrong in the middle of a cold snap.

Have you noticed your allergies get worse when you turn on your heat for the season? You probably need to order a duct cleaning service. Duct cleaning is especially important if you have done any construction or remodeling in the home. The service is very affordable. Keep an eye out for deals or coupons in the mail from area companies. The deep cleaning will leave you breathing better.

Prepare Your Home for the Winter by Creating Cozy Spaces in Your Home

When you’re stuck inside, it’s important that you enjoy your surroundings. So, now’s the time to get some new throw pillows, lap blankets, and even an electric fireplace to create ambiance. The Danish people call this coziness “hygge,” and they understand how this feeling can lead to contentment.

Don’t just create one cozy space in your home, create several. That way, you can move around your home for a change of scenery. For instance, you can do your morning reading at the kitchen table with a lit candle that smells of your favorite things. Then, you can migrate to a window that faces the street to do some people watching. You can move a chair right in front of the window for the season (that means possibly rearranging your room). Embrace the change!

Make Plans for Being Inside

Movie nights, game nights, catching up on those books piled next to your bed — these are all things to do while you’re indoors. If you have kids, include them in your routine. Kids of all ages can help cook or clean, or at least they can watch you work. There are plenty of opportunities for teachable moments and quality time when you’re all together.

Make Plans for Being Outside

Cabin fever is a real thing. And cortisol levels will raise, along with your blood pressure. And the pandemic limits the indoor spaces we can visit. But in Chicago, we’re no strangers to cold weather, and we know what it feels like to bundle up and walk to the local drinking hole or grocery store. So, now’s the time to buy any outerwear you need to get outside even when it’s cold. With the right clothing, you can take walks, head to the dog park with your fur baby, or visit your favorite local shops without too much discomfort. Getting outside will revitalize you.

Planning to Sell your Home? Take Photos

While the leaves are changing and the snow is still a memory from last winter, take photos of your home if you’re planning to sell within the next six months. Not only will your home look flattering, but if you wait, snow can distort the look of your home. Pale gray skies can wash out colors and thus, the beauty of your home. Pick a sunny autumn day and have a photo shoot that shows off the best aspects of your property!

As we head into the cooler seasons, I want you to know that I’m here for you. These last months have been unusual to say the least, but rest assured, the housing market continues to operate with remarkable success. As you prepare your home for the winter, I’m here to guide you and help you sell your home no matter what the circumstances.

THIS ARTICLE WAS PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED AT: https://www.terribuseman.com/prepare-your-home-for-the-winter-pandemic-year/

5 Design Tips for a Multifunctional Home

When it comes to city life, finding the space in your home to do all things you love can be challenging. And these days, we’re home more than ever. As we adjust to our new normal, we need to adapt the way we live and the way we work. Many of us are using our kitchen counters as offices and our coffee tables as desks for remote learning. Therefore, our homes need to be more versatile than ever. So, here are some clever interior design tips to make your home a masterpiece of multifunction.

Where do you start in Designing a Multifunctional Home?

The first thing to remember when designing a multifunctional home is to consider your personal needs. Do you need a quiet place to work? Are you comfortable working where you sleep? Are your kids comfortable virtual learning in their bedroom? Those things matter because your productivity matters. Here are 5 interior design tips for a multifunctional home that will make your space more workable for you as well as more desirable for prospective buyers.

1. Elevate Beds to Create More Space

Especially when it comes to kid’s rooms, space to play and space to sleep is crucial. Many city homes don’t have space for a dedicated play area. Bunk beds and loft beds elevate the sleeping space, making more room for play or study. Beneath loft beds, you can place a desk, book nook, or a pretend play area. These spaces grow with your child too. This extra space can be whatever it needs to be as your child ages. Bunk beds are ideal for children sharing a room and gives them communal space to play.

Adults benefit from loft beds too. These days, there are many small space solutions for sleeping. The space beneath the loft bed may be used for work or even as a petite wardrobe. Again, this bonus space is the key to creating a multifunctional room.

2. Eat-in Kitchens Can Be Formal, Too

In small homes, eat-in kitchens are often your only dining option, and that’s okay! These days, everyone congregates in the kitchen, and that’s because it’s where all the action is happening: drinks are being poured and appetizers being prepared! You can capitalize on all that magnetic energy to which your guests are called. While you might not be hosting much these days, that doesn’t mean you can’t make a space that’s attractive for prospective buyers. Help them envision dinner parties and get-togethers around your kitchen island. Even a two-seater eat-in kitchen can be made more exciting by adding cloth napkins and place settings. Mood lighting may be added with small lamps or a set of lovely candles, and fresh flowers are always a welcome sight.

3. Bring Back the Murphy Bed

The Murphy Bed was born of necessity – the inventor had a driving desire to hide his bed, so he could entertain his friends.  Murphy beds have come a long way from their beginnings in small New York apartments. These days, there are murphy beds set into wardrobes, secret wall compartments, or can be mounted horizontally! Murphy beds are a unique way to hide away a sleeping area to reclaim floor space. Now a room can be used for study, crafting, playtime, and so much more. The only limit is our imagination!

4.  Integrate Your Home Office… Anywhere!

Most of us living in the city are not lucky enough to have a dedicated office space. Thankfully, there are so many ways to integrate your home office anywhere you want to work in your home. It’s really about your comfort and ability to focus while you work. So, if you are happy to stand at your kitchen counter sipping coffee while catching up on your emails, that’s totally an option. If you prefer a dedicated area to sit and work, take a look around your home. There are plenty of murphy desks or tiny desks available to help you get your work done. A lamp will add extra lighting to work by, and a small area rug under the desk will define the space. Just like that, your workplace vignette will be complete.

5. Clutter Has No Place in a Multifunctional Home

Multifunctional spaces don’t work well if they take too long to transition. A multifunctional home should have integrated spaces, like the home office we discussed above, or it should take one or two steps to transition to another space. You can limit the effort needed by keeping things simple. In small spaces, home decor needs to be minimalist. Everything should have its place and utilize baskets and bins where necessary. Baskets and bins are easy to pick up and move to another area to make room for the desired activity. A clutter-free home also makes your rooms feel larger, and that’s attractive to home buyers.

If all these ideas and interior design tips are not enough to help you reclaim some space in your home, up-sizing is always an option. Today, many buyers are taking advantage of the low-interest rates to buy larger homes. As always, I’m here to offer guidance on today’s real estate market and to guide you in selling your home. While the pandemic is a challenge for us all, we’re learning so much about how to cope in order to continue living our lives, working, and educating our children.

THIS ARTICLE WAS PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED AT: https://www.terribuseman.com/chicago-real-estate-resources/