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 want to thank Mike for helping me find some investment properties. Right from the start, he was passionate about finding me the best investment opportunities in the KW Area. He sent me lots of potential listings with notes. I like the follow-up and attention to detail—the entire experience has been stress-free and straightforward. I would recommend his real estate services to my family, friends, and network.”
Benny L.
“My partner and I used Mike Bolger to help us find a home when we moved to Waterloo from Windsor. Mike spent so much time listening to us about what we wanted in our home. We wanted a home that was a bit older that had an old time charm with a walk-out basement. Every time we looked at a Property, Mike picked out exactly the properties we were most interested in. Mike found us the perfect home, we are very grateful that our new beautiful home with lots of trees and a huge walk-out basement. We have so much room now compared to our other house that we can have our family and friends over more often. We could not be happier with our experience with Mike Bolger. He has the knowledge of the Waterloo community and plenty of experience in negotiating. Mike was very pleasant and has a great personality that made it such a wonderful experience for us. He is truly the BEST!”
Joyce Presley
“I found Mike on a Google search for agents in the KW area and liked what I read so thought I’d bring him in as our “third” appraisal in selling our home. After meeting him we were impressed with his knowledge, personable nature and professionalism, we decided he was the guy for the job and not just an appraisal! Mike sold our home in 2 days above asking with an early closing date! Would not hesitate to hire Mike again. Thanks Mike!”
Catherine Glass
“Just amazing service by Mike. He helped us get our beautiful first home. He helped us throughout everything as we were new in the housing market. He thought us alot. He was really friendly and kind that we were able to talk to him about all our questions and concerns. He had patients to deal with us after viewing and offering on so many houses. He even took care of half of the things for us. His recommendations are great and worked out really good for us.
I would definitely refer and suggest to get in touch with Mike for any of your real estate needs. The house we got I only had time to view at late night and Mike made it happen for us and we decided to buy it. So thank you very much for going above and beyond for us.”
Serenity M.
“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.”
Valerie Lowry
“I am a first time home buyer who was looking to buy a property in Waterloo. I met Mike Bolger at a charity event in Kitchener where I took his card. A month later, I decided to work with him to help me buy home. Mike met up with me quickly. At our meeting, he asked me many questions to help find out exactly what type of home that I was looking for. He was fast to send me detailed listing info on listings that were just listed and not published on realtor.ca. Mike continued to be extremely professional and knowledgeable about the Waterloo market. We got early showings which gave me the opportunity to find my house quickly and I was able to put in an offer first before anyone else did. His feedback/advice is precious and credible. I was very comfortable working with Mike. He is honest and an accommodating person to talk to. I would recommend anyone to him, especially those first time home buyers who are navigating the real estate market for the first time.”
Christy Andersen
“Mike has already helped us buy and sell twice. He is the only agent we would ever consider using. Swift, smart, and fun to work with. Mike’s sense of what it takes to promote a property has worked for us each time, plus his use of new promotional technology sure helped move our second property fast. Good going Mike.”
Kevin Stumpf
“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 Bolger is one of the best realtors in Waterloo. He sold my home for over the asking price. I like that he is a go-getter and I don’t have to chase him for the answers to my questions. He is an expert in real estate and his network saved me a lot of money and time. Mike marketed my home everywhere.”
