Decorating your home for the holidays when you’re trying to sell can cause an unnecessary amount of stress for homeowners. These simple, but stunning, options could be exactly what you’re looking for. 1. For an easy centerpiece, decorate a serving tray with ornaments. Add some greenery and you’ve got a festive but simple piece. 2. Use clear glass vases with evergreens or other seasonal greenery in them in various places in your home. 3. For this next DIY, grab a serving tray, a small sting of lights, egg cups and some clipped greens placed in floral foam. 4. Pick up some simple bottle brushes and color them with fabric dye. They make adorable mini Christmas trees to decorate your home. 5. Search through your cupboards for champagne flutes and other glassware. Add Christmas ornaments, pinecones and curled ribbon to the display to add some colour to your décor. 6. Cut and fold holiday theme scrapbooking paper to create trees of different sizes. These little additions can be added to any tabletop or mantel. 7. Grab your handy serving tray and a square glass vase. Add Christmas ornaments to the vase and wrap with a bow. Finish off with a sprinkle of faux snow. 8. If you have a large window in your home, choose a single colour and hang ornaments of different shapes using ribbon in front of it. 9. Carry your décor through every room in your home by wrapping wide ribbons around solid-colour pillows. Place them on chairs, couches or beds to add some holiday colour throughout. 10. In the kitchen, add a wreath above your stove or on a door leading to your outdoor patio. Copper coffee cups with candy canes in them on open shelves or on an island are a fun addition as well. 11. Secure a bunch of brown twigs with a rubber band, add a splash of greenery and tie with a bright coloured ribbon. This simple piece makes a great addition to add to a door or above a mantel. 12. Repurpose an old frame by forming a large triangle out of 16-gauge wire. Add horizontal pieces curled on the ends for branches. Hang small ornaments and add a bow or star to the top to finish of the homemade tree. 13. Fill clear glass mugs or cups with peppermint candies and candy canes to add to your decorative table. 14. Sprigs of pine and berries dress up framed photos that are already hanging on your walls. 15. Add fresh greenery, a large red ball, red-painted pinecones and a bright bow to add some colour to your snowy back or front yard. These 15 tips are all simple, effective and budget friendly ways to bring the holidays to your home. Giving your potential buyers a peek into what Christmas can look like in your home is a great way to make them feel right at home!
Downsizing? Here are 5 Tips to Make the Process Simple
Living in a large home is great until it’s just not. Large homes come with more space to clean. As well as, higher utility costs, higher maintenance costs, and can become more of a burden than something you enjoy. Many people choose to move into a small home but may feel overwhelmed when they start packing. After all, a larger home means many things you may not have room for at your new place. Here are five tips to help you effectively downsize your items minus the stress. Minimize your Duplicates We all have duplicates and once you get packing you may be surprised to see just how many duplicate items you have. Kitchens are one of the most common places you’ll find duplicates and are a great place to start when you’re looking to downsize. Think about this-do you really need 5 spatulas and 10 wooden spoons? Probably not. So keep your favourites and place the others in a giveaway box. Cups and silverware are another thing people tend to have a lot of. If you don’t regularly host multiple people for dinner parties chances are you don’t need 2+ sets of cups and silverware. Make a Profit One of the most important things you can remember when downsizing is that you may have items valuable to others. Sure, there are going to be items you put in a giveaway box or toss but chances are you have some items to get rid of that others would pay for. Consider having a yard sale or selling your items online through Kijiji, Facebook Marketplace, or Craigslist. Some of the best items to sell are furniture, toys, clothing, home decor items, movies, and more. Making a few extra dollars before your move can help to offset your moving costs, or bulk up your savings. Measure One of the biggest challenges we face is moving furniture into a space that is too small to accommodate it. When you’re downsizing, be sure to measure your living room, dining room, and bedrooms to ensure your current furniture will fit well in the space. If you find you have items that are just too big or bulky, you’ll be able to sell or donate them before the moving which saves you space in the moving truck and the headache of trying to rehome your furniture upon your arrival at your new place. Keep the Clutter Out It’s important to remember the size difference from your current home to your new space when you’re packing your belongings. With less square footage, you will clutter up a space faster with fewer items. Where you can, keep your space as clutter free as possible. Consider hanging your TV on the wall instead of using a bulky TV stand, and utilize floating shelves instead of a large bookcase just as a couple of examples. Think Multipurpose In your current home, you may have a couple of spare bedrooms, a home office or crafts room, and a master bedroom. When you downsize you’ll need to consider how to make your new space work with fewer rooms. You will still have your master bedroom, however, may be down to just one spare bedroom. When looking at the space, think multipurpose. There are some great ways you can have a spare bedroom double as a craft room or home office. Choose a space-saving desk, create a storage system in the closet, and utilize nightstands and under the bed storage too. If you’re looking to invest in new furniture, there are some amazing Murphy bed options now too! If you or a loved one is looking to downsize, Relocate Stress Free can help! We have extensive experience assisting with downsizing and would love to speak with you!