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 called Mike to help us find a new home and he recommended that we join his VIP home buyers program. We joined and are very happy with everything. Mike found us lots of properties and we visited lots of open houses. What we liked best about Mike is that he is knowledgeable about the area that we wanted to live in. I would recommend Mike because he is always working hard to find us listings and open houses. Overall Mike, treated us really good and we will be using him again.”
Norah G.
“I worked with Mike in the past. Recently we experienced some roof damage as a result of bad weather. We reached out to Mike to see if he knew anyone. He went straight to his network and referred us to a roofer who was able to help. Not only is he a great realtor, but he’s got lots of connections and referrals for homeowners. Thanks Mike!”
Holly Morgan
“One of the best realtors in Waterloo. Mike made buying our condo easy. He did all the work and found us the perfect condo.”
Karen Turnbull
“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
“Mike was so amazing helping us navigate the sale and purchase of our home for sale that required extensive renovations to brought to market which Mike took care of the whole process making it so easy. Mike also staged our home very nicely and sold our home very quickly. Mike also connected us with great professionals to help us close our new dream home and complete the sale of of family home. I would highly recommend Mike Bolger for buying and selling real estate to my family and friends!”
Petru Machidon
“Working with Mike has been a wonderful experience. His knowledge of the market compliments the needs of the buyer. He is well informed and well connected and is not afraid to tell it as it is. He took a stressful situation and helped diffuse all concerns and alleviate my worries — something that just came naturally to this genuinely nice guy. I would most definitely recommend him to buy or sell in the KW Region.”
Jo S.
“Working with Mike Bolger has been a great experience. I really like his drive to succeed. He also goes over and beyond! I highly recommend him to anyone who wants service.”
Stephen M
“We have been fortunate to come across the best Real estate Agent we have ever dealt with. Active, friendly and professional.”
Zafar & Mahnaz Iravan
“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.”
