Your home's heating and cooling system consumes the most energy, accounting for over half of your total energy bills. During the summer and winter months, when temperature control is used the most, your utility bill will skyrocket. Winter is especially difficult because heating costs are unavoidable. Fortunately, there are a few simple ways to save money on your power bill while still feeling warm in the winter.
Topics: Loadshedding, saving tips, Home Tips, Eskom
No matter if you are an owner occupier or renting, we all have an instinctive desire to create an individual space we can call “home”.
Just as Rome wasn’t built in a day, neither is a house transformed into a home in 24 hours. Adding unique, personal touches and arranging furniture and possessions to suit your taste takes time, a commodity that is often a question mark for those who rent.
Topics: Property Management, Advice, Home Tips
Ready to paint? A little colour psychology may be just what you need to create soothing and productive moods. The colours of the rooms in your home are a direct reflection of your personality. While most of us may not spend a lot of time thinking about that, it affects us every day. Colour can influence our moods and our thoughts.
Topics: Advice, Home Maintenance, Home Tips, Harcourts Real Estate
A messy garage is overwhelming, to say the least. After years of accumulating “stuff” a good purge is necessary, especially if you plan to move.
The actual process of purging and organizing a garage is simple, yet time consuming. Allow yourself plenty of time – perhaps even an entire weekend to truly go through every item and determine its place.
Topics: Advice, Home Ownership, Home Maintenance, Home Tips
In my never-ending quest to find more time to relax, put my feet up and enjoy a glass of wine and a good book, I’m writing today about designing your home in a way that helps to minimize your cleaning time.
Whether you are contemplating a remodel or designing your dream home as a new construction, your choices in layout, finishes and furnishings will all impact the amount of time you spend cleaning. So sit down, put your feet up and pour yourself a glass of wine. But before you pick up that book, read the tips below and see if some of these will work for your home.
Topics: Advice, Home Maintenance, Home Decor & Furnishing, Home Tips
The decision to sell is made, but how do you ensure potential buyers know your house could be their dream home? Here are five top marketing tools to help you get the best possible result for your sale.
Topics: Selling, Marketing, Real Estate Agents, Home Tips
Moving house with kids can be stressful and upsetting for everyone, but particularly young children, especially if they’ve previously only known one home. But with a little foresight, planning and some good old distraction techniques moving to a new home need not be traumatic.
Topics: Buying, Moving House, Home Tips
The laundry often isn’t somewhere we spend much time on when it comes to renovations or updates, but it is a room where many of us spend a lot of time each day. The importance of the laundry in daily living means it could be a deal-maker for potential buyers, so consider these tips to help you ‘clean up’ at sale time.
Topics: Selling, Advice, Winter, property focus, Home Improvement, Home Tips