Recently, researchers discovered that the lighting in your home can have a much greater impact on your health and well-being than originally thought. Better lighting can boost your energy, help you sleep better, and even enhance healing.
So, it pays to make sure the lighting in your home has a positive impact on the health of your family.
Start by enhancing sources of natural light, such as windows and skylights. Study each room of your home and replace as much of the artificial light as possible with sunlight. For example, reposition a favourite reading chair next to a window.
Consider dimming the lighting in your home during the evenings. If your home is very bright when it’s dark outside, it can affect your body’s natural rhythms, resulting in disturbed sleep.
Avoid over-lighting, which is common in rooms where there are few windows. Over time, excessive light can cause headaches and even mood changes. Lighting that is sufficient to see everything clearly is all you need.
Estimating Your Selling Costs
When the time comes to sell your house, you’ll want to determine roughly how much you can expect to net after the sale. To figure that out, you’ll not only need to know how much your house will likely sell for, but also the selling costs you are likely to incur in the process.
The costs of selling vary depending on a number of factors. Here’s a general rundown of what to consider:
Repairs. You will want your house to look its best to buyers. That may require you to get any needed repairs done before listing. You don’t want a buyer to see a dent in the wall or a dripping faucet.
Renovations. It might make sense to get a few improvements done to make the house more attractive. For example, you may want to replace old and worn kitchen countertops.
Legal fees. Selling a house requires a lot of legal work. You’ll need a good real estate lawyer to take care of that for you.
Commissions. This is usually calculated as a percentage of the sale price.
Moving costs. Once you sell, you’ll obviously need to move! So, factoring in this expense is a smart idea.
Although this may seem like a long list, selling costs are fairly easy to estimate. Once you have that number, it’s easy to calculate how much money you’ll have available to put towards your next home.
How to Quickly Improve Indoor Air Quality
There are many reasons why the air quality in your home may not be at its best. A faulty furnace or an aged carpet are just two potential culprits. Until you get those issues addressed, how can you make your indoor air healthier – today?
Here are some ideas:
Check the furnace filter. This is one of the most overlooked maintenance items in the home. Any furnace repair person can tell you stories about filters they’ve seen caked in dust. Make sure those aren’t yours. Air passes through those filters before circulating throughout your home. Replacing a filter takes less than five minutes.
Clean the drains. Drains are a surprisingly common source of odour in the home. Most people only clean them when they’re clogged, but they should be flushed thoroughly with a good-quality cleaner at least once a season.
Turn on the bathroom fan. Not only do bathroom fans remove odour, they also reduce moisture build-up. About 50% of air pollutants originate from some type of moisture. Mould is the worst of these pollutants. Professionals recommend you keep your bathroom fan on for at least 30 minutes after a shower.
Clean your doormat. Even if your doormat doesn’t smell, it can be a source of air pollutants. When people wipe their shoes, they transfer outside ground pollutants from their shoes to your mat.
Of course, you can always open a window. That’s the most popular and easiest way to freshen the air, and it works.
WHAT CLIENTS ARE SAYING!
“I was referred to Mike Bolger by a friend who said he was amazing to work with. My wife and I are looking for an investment property. We are very happy with his service offering. Mike has communicated with us frequently about prime investment opportunities and arranged several showings. Mike is great at negotiation too and he helped us make an offer. Our investment property needs a bit of maintenance and Mike referred us to a couple of trusted professionals that can help us. We are excited about our first investment property. Thanks again for everything that you do!”
Brian W.
“I can’t say enough about the expertise, attentiveness and professionalism Mike brings to his process. I’m very glad I get to work with Mike and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend him to anyone I know!”
T.J. F.
“Mike made the purchase of our first home an amazing and stress free experience. His knowledge of the kw area and thorough understanding of our needs led us to quickly find the home we really wanted. Mike customer service and follow up was always available with fast, sound advice throughout the entire home buying process. I would highly recommend Mike!”
Zoey Barrett
“Had a great experience searching for a new home with Mike. I must say he’s smart and great and what he does. Thanks for all your help.”
Ben Ross
“Mike is one of the best real estate agents I have had the pleasure of working with. He’s always networking in the community and growing his network. He’s very ambitious and I like that about him. He found my family a hidden gem in Waterloo and we got it before a bidding war.”
Flint P
“Great experience from start to finish with Mike Bolger. I would highly recommend his services to anyone that is thinking of buying or selling their home. Mikes communication skills are excellent and he is very responsive. He helped us find the perfect home in Waterloo and also negotiated a great deal. Many thanks to Mikes hard work throughout the whole process!”
Gerry S.
“Style, panache, exuberance, and friendliness in taking you from sale to sold. Highly recommended, especially if you want to understand today’s market and your best place in it.”
Peter Gugeler
“I got a recommendation from a friend to work with Mike Bolger. I must say this guy is on the ball. I was looking for a condo and he did all the work to set up all the showings for each of them. He also helped me connect with a great mortgage broker and a lawyer. Mike knows a lot of people and that made my life a lot easier. I will use him again when it’s time to move into a house. Thanks Mike, you are the best!”
Todd Z
“Mike has just sold our home in under 2 weeks in Waterloo. This result was attributed by his perseverance and dedication to our listing. We have no reservation recommending Mike to become your Real Estate Pro as professionalism will be the outcome in any situation.”
