Decorating Advice and Paint Colors

It’s the American dream to own your own home, well it surpasses America, I think it is something everyone wants. I see a lot of people, (like everyone on HGTV), who thinks that they need granite countertops & hardwood floors, even if it’s just their first house. Then they go out & fill all the rooms with brand new furniture to match the granite countertops & hardwood floors. Our parents & grandparents use to have to save their whole lives to get their dream houses, but we just seem to get in trouble with credit.

There’s a term in real estate called house rich & cash poor. So many homeowners end up in this situation because they go for their dream house right off the bat, or they underestimate how much all the expenses that come along with owning a home will be. It’s ironic because if you don’t explore your options you may end up losing the house & furniture that you have worked so hard for & dreamed of for so long.

One thing that a lot of home buyers forget about is, to look at the view. They are so busy looking at the inside of the house, that they don’t take the time to really look out the window & see what they will be looking at for years to come. This is a big mistake because the inside of a house can easily be changed, but good luck changing the view out the windows. Location really is everything in real estate. If you have a view you love, you will always feel like you are on vacation & lucky to be living where you do.

For instance, if you go with Blue Ridge real estate they can help you find a cabin or home in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains that will probably have breath taking views. A lot of the area belongs to the U.S. Forest Service, so you’re almost guaranteed a good view. Jason Towe has lived in the area his entire life, so he can get you the view that you are looking for.

I’m chronically ill, & very busy. However, my garden doesn’t understand this & still wants to be taken care of. However, there are just little things that overwhelm me & prevent me from getting the work done, like trying to roll up the garden hose, to me that is a lot of work & not much fun. That’s why I was so excited to see this no crank hose reel. It doesn’t use batteries, electricity, or springs, just the power of water. Plus there are a lot of different styles that will completely hide the unsightly garden hose. It’s a little thing that will save my back from aching & hopefully get me outside more.

I’m looking for a new place to live which means that I spend way too much time circling properties in the newspaper. I’m not in a position to buy a house right now, although I am saving up money so that someday I can afford something like the beautiful homes at Atlanta Georgia Real Estate. As I look for all the listings to rent in the newspaper, & compare them with the cost of buying a house, I wonder why does anyone rent a house? It seems almost as expensive, if not more so than buying. Living in an apartment is usually cheaper, but there are so many homes for rent that are asking as much money as a mortgage, most of the time more.

I think one of the reasons why people fall into this trap is because they aren’t aware of the housing market, they don’t think that they can afford to be a homeowner. I think a lot of this has to do with research. We have a lot of people who move into this state from a much more expensive state. They might see the cost of the rentals & think, “Wow, that’s a great deal”. However, they probably don’t realize that our home prices are also much less expensive. They could actually be saving money by moving a few columns over in the paper to the homes for sale section. So, when you are making the decision to rent, or buy, do your research & know what you can afford, it might surprise you.

I recently saw a segment on Oprah that one of the easiest ways that you can personalize a room is by adding in souvenirs from travels. I was a little discouraged when I heard this because the only place that I’ve ever been is to Canada, & all I brought back is a deck of playing cards. I always thought that I would have time to travel when I got older, but I didn’t know about all the “grown up” stuff, like car insurance, & a job that would get in my way. I wish that I would’ve gone on the trips that were sponsored by my school.

I think anyone who has kids, or is a teacher, should seriously consider encouraging their kids to travel while they are young & have the time. I was just reading about a company called Hemisphere Educational Travel which specializes in affordable student travel. They’ve been in business since 1970. It’s a rare person that can make education fun, but I think a tour to the White House or a New York City musical would definitely fit the bill. They even offer international tours. Their tour package includes everything from taxes, to a keepsake video, to hotel security guards & much more so all you have to do is remember to bring back the souvenirs.