Lend a Giving Hand
The holidays are a time of gifting, and people search for meaningful ways to give each year. While most people…
With the Holidays just around the corner, the time to decorate and create your own winter wonderland is fast approaching. From greenery and fragrances to lights and outdoor displays, decorating as a renter can be challenging. This Holiday Décor Guide will help you navigate through decorating for the holidays to create a renter friendly and festive home.
The first step to creating the perfect winter interior décor is to arrange your greenery. These options offer a way for you to bring the festivities to life in a simple and easy to install way.
If you are tired of relying on the typical and generic wax melts to fill your home with classic holiday fragrances such as Pine, Cinnamon, and Peppermint, here are several alternatives for you. Local nurseries stock up on scented pinecones all holiday season long. These include sweet smells, like cinnamon and vanilla, classic holiday scents like pine and clove. Arranging these in a shallow, holiday vase will give you a chic, simple design with beautiful fragrances throughout your home and the holidays. Fresh pine garlands and wreaths are a simple solution to filling your home with greenery décor and fresh scents.
PRO TIP: When searching for a fresh wreath or garland, be sure to purchase long-pine needled décor. Short pines, such as hemlock and spruce, tend to lose their moisture and pine leaves quickly. Long needled pines, like Cedar, stay fresh and full of fragrance longer.
The most difficult task of putting up lights for the holiday season is finding a simple way to have all the lights plugged in and shining bright. Large retailers, such as Target and Home Depot, offer a wide variety of pre-lit artificial trees , wreaths, and garlands to fit your style. Pre-lit trees are easy to put together, and the design of these trees is becoming more realistic each year. Essential oils offer a quick and easy way to add fragrance to your Christmas tree. Local nurseries are a great place to go for real, natural Christmas trees with no essential oils needed.
If you’re style is looking for a little added pizzaz, you can ask the local tree farms for a flocked tree or flock a tree yourself by adding artificial white snow to the branches and pines. While real trees are not pre-lit, retailers such as Hobby Lobby are filled with light and ornament arrangements to bring your holiday décor all together.
SAVINGS TIP: Keep your electricity usage at an all-time holiday low by setting your Christmas tree lights on an automatic timer. Gone are the days of manually plugging and unplugging your indoor and outdoor lights every day. Bluetooth timers connect to applications like Google Home and Alexa to make scheduling your home a breeze. These extensions plug right into your string lights and into the closest outlet to connect to your Google Home or Alexa.
Adding little changes to fit your style throughout the season is a must. Holiday pillow covers and throws are an easy way to add some holiday cheer without breaking the budget. Create your own winter wonderland by updating your comforter to a holiday set. Add some fragrances into your space to bring it all together. These options are perfect for renters because they can be easily changed for every season and returned to normal.
While outdoor lights are important, other easy outdoor décor can really make your home feel festive. Add a customized doormat to your entryway. Amazon offers cost efficient and trendy customizable doormats for every style. A Pre-lit wreath and some stick-on window or door Gel clings invites the holidays right in. Holiday outdoor projection lights are a wonderful way to illuminate your home with falling snowflakes or a rotating Santa projection. These can be found at retailers such as Lowes or Home Depot.
The holidays are an important time in everyone’s lives, and decorating for the season doesn’t have to be exhausting. Holiday décor can be simple, chic, and easy. Happy Holidays!
While this year has certainly flown by, we’d be lying if we said we weren’t looking forward to the cooler weather, fresh hot cider, relaxing evenings spent with friends ’round a campfire, and afternoons devoted to cleaning out the gutters. Okay… so maybe we’re not too excited about the “cleaning out the gutters” part, but it’s still an important part of autumnal responsibilities when it comes to preparing your home for the new season.
That being said, in preparation for the exciting change in season, we’ve put together some great tips and tricks (and even a fall maintenance checklist) to help you better prepare your home for fall.
Check to make sure your heating system is working and prepared to be heavily utilized throughout the long winter season. Don’t push off testing your heating season before it’s too late! A proper heating system is a necessity for your home this fall and winter. Give your system a quick test run to make sure it’s operating properly. If it isn’t working, go ahead and put in a maintenance request on your tenant portal.
Clear your gutters of debris to ensure that the fall leaves don’t block the flow of water drainage. A buildup of debris and old, dead leaves can cause potential water damage to the foundation of the home, so be proactive and clear out your gutters at least twice throughout the autumn season.
While the very symbol of the autumn season, fall leaves can quickly become a hassle if not adequately tended to. Plus, an accumulation of old, dead leaves can be the perfect place for creepy crawlies to nestle (ew, no thanks!), so we encourage you to rake your leaves on a weekly basis in order to maintain a tidy lawn. Though you may assume raking to be a pretty straightforward task, you’d be surprised by how many people overlook this simple autumnal task.
Weatherstrip/caulk any cracks or leaks in the sealant surrounding exterior-facing doors and windows. By doing this, caulking helps keep the home well insulated and fights off any cold drafts that may come through any nooks and crannies.
There’s never a bad time to switch out your air filters for new, clean ones to maximize airflow throughout your home. Old air filters mean that dust, mold, pet dander, etc. may be floating through the air and are not as readily blocked, which is why it’s crucial to change your air filters with the start of each new season. This ensures that all particulate pollution in your home is more likely to be filtered out of the air that you breathe on a daily basis. Click HERE to purchase a new air filter.
While the autumn season is eagerly anticipated by most, it’s important to take the time to prepare your home for the change in season. By doing so, you can cut unexpected costs and have more time to actually enjoy the change in weather. For additional details, please watch the video below!
Want a detailed list of fall resident responsibilities? We’ve got you covered! Click HERE to review some basic responsibilities that will help you prepare your home for fall.
The holidays are a time of gifting, and people search for meaningful ways to give each year. While most people…
With the Holidays just around the corner, the time to decorate and create your own winter wonderland is fast approaching.…
ResiHome has once again been recognized by propertymanagement.com as one of the best property management companies in Atlanta!
Rent easily and live comfortably with ResiHome!
Now that warm weather is here to stay, it’s almost time for the vacation season to start! But, before you head out for vacation, it’s important to prepare your rental home for the few days that you’ll be away. Listed below are four effective tips on how to best prepare your rental home for summer vacation so that coming home is something you look forward to and not something that you dread!
While not always a fun task, it’s an important one, nonetheless. Before you head out for a trip (especially if you’ll be gone longer than 3 days), it’s always a good idea to get rid of perishable food items in your fridge, wipe down your kitchen, and empty out the trash. There’s nothing worse than coming home to dirty dishes in the sink and stinky trash in your trashcan, so take the time before you leave to prepare your home for your return.
Scheduling a grocery delivery for around the time you’re scheduled to arrive home is an easy task that makes your return home from an amazing vacation so much more bearable. It’s as easy as 1-2-3 online and it saves you that dreaded just-got-back-from-vacation grocery trip where you’re hangry because there’s no food in your fridge at home and exhausted by a week spent away.
Kinda nervous about leaving your home for a long trip? Buy an indoor lighting timer to add an extra layer to your home security. With your indoor lights on a sequence, you can schedule when your lights go off and on, giving the allusion that someone is home. While this traditional method of home security isn’t guaranteed, it can definitely bring some comfort in knowing that it at least looks like someone is home. Need a light timer but don’t know where to get one? Click below for a digital timer for only $25!
To save money on your electric bills while you’re away, unplug unnecessary electrical items before you leave on vacation, such as your TV, toaster oven, phone chargers, and more. Unplugging your unused electrical devices also protects your electronics and appliances from unexpected power surges that may occur while you’re away on vacation.
There’s nothing more frustrating than coming home from vacation to a dripping kitchen ceiling or a flooded basement, so it is always helpful to have a friend or family member check in on your rental home while you’re away to make sure that nothing is out of the ordinary. This is especially helpful when an unexpected storm comes through. Plus, having a friend look in while you’re away can be comforting, and provides an added sense of home security.
Did you know we provide a Smart Home option for your rental home? Imagine seeing who’s at the front door when you’re not even home, or turning down the thermostat before you get back from vacation! Your home’s thermostat, lights, security systems, locks, and so much more are all connected into a “hub” conveniently controlled through your smartphone! Click the link below to learn more about our affordable SmartHome Bundle options!
Preparing for a vacation is always exciting, but don’t let the dread of a dirty house prohibit you from enjoying a relaxing return home. Find comfort knowing you’re well prepared so that you can fully enjoy your vacation.
The holidays are a time of gifting, and people search for meaningful ways to give each year. While most people…
With the Holidays just around the corner, the time to decorate and create your own winter wonderland is fast approaching.…
In preparation for the exciting change in season, we’ve put together some great tips and tricks to help you prepare…
Continue Reading → 5 Simple Ways To Prepare Your Home for Fall
With the start of summer almost upon us, it’s time to prepare your rental home so that you can fully enjoy the sunny season without the stress and inconvenience of last-minute upkeep! Here are six things that you can do to get your rental home ready for the warm summer months so that you can sit back, relax, and enjoy the start of summer.
Instead of waiting for the first sweltering day of summer to turn on your AC, check to make sure your AC unit is working properly as early as April or May. When the weather is in that ideal in-between of late spring and early summer, turn on your air conditioning unit to see if there’s any maintenance that needs to be done. This is a great opportunity to make sure that everything is running smoothly in your AC unit, allowing you to enjoy a nice, air-conditioned home that keeps you cool all summer long.
Now that you’ve checked your AC unit to make sure that it’s working properly, it’s time to check your doors and windows to make sure they are properly sealed. Go through your rental home and inspect all exterior facing doors and windows so that they are suitably sealed to take on the summer storms and unrelenting heat.
Switching out your air filter on a regular quarterly basis helps you avoid dirty air filters that block the flow of clean, cool air, which is especially important during the height of the summer. Replacing your air filter is a simple but crucial task in home upkeep.
Need more ideas on how you can prepare the interior of your home for the warm, summer months? Click the button below to view your list of resident responsibilities.
You know all those little I’ll-use-it-one-day tidbits that have been slowly taking over your kitchen drawers? Well, now’s the time to refresh your space – say sayonara to your unused items and be prepared to be amazed at all the space you forgot you had.
Pro Tip: Have a bunch of gently used winter items that you haven’t gotten around to packing away in the attic? Donate bags of gently worn garments to your local charity shop or thrift store. Have a lot of clothing, furniture, and odd-and-ends to get rid of? Host a garage sale! A garage sale is a great way to clear out all of your clutter all at once while also allowing others to re-use and enjoy your gently used items.
It’s almost time for summer evenings spent out on the lawn grilling, gardening, and enjoying the beautiful weather. However, it’s easy to forget those little pestering bugs that always seem to show up uninvited. Before summer settles in, take preventative steps to get rid of pests by spraying your lawn down with insect spray, setting out citronella candles, and making sure all windows and doors are properly sealed.
Click the button below for a link to natural and kid-and-pet-friendly lawn spray.
With everyone wanting to spend time out of doors, late spring is the perfect time of year to get a headstart on lawn maintenance! Whether trimming walkways, re-mulching your flower beds, or mowing/watering the lawn, these tasks are all simple ways to make your lawn look healthy and ready for summer. To protect your lawn against the unrelenting summer sun, if you have an irrigation system, be sure to adjust your sprinkler settings in line with your county or municipality usage regulations or to your preferred setting (recommended twice per week, 15 mins each time). For more information on irrigation recommendations, please click the button below.
It’s easy to overlook all the important steps it takes to ensure that your rental home is prepped and ready for the start of the new season. Stay on top of your rental home upkeep and enjoy a relaxing summer!
The holidays are a time of gifting, and people search for meaningful ways to give each year. While most people…
With the Holidays just around the corner, the time to decorate and create your own winter wonderland is fast approaching.…
In preparation for the exciting change in season, we’ve put together some great tips and tricks to help you prepare…
Continue Reading → 5 Simple Ways To Prepare Your Home for Fall
While the holiday season isn’t too far off, a whole lot has to happen between now and Christmas. From settling in and unpacking to decorating and painting, there’s so much to do in your new rental home. While the craziness of moving in can be overwhelming, now is the perfect time to finish off your guest room before the holiday season gets too hectic! Don’t let your unfinished guest room hinder you from hosting beloved friends and family this Holiday season. Instead, find the inspiration you need to prepare the guest room so that you and your friends and family can enjoy the holidays to the very fullest!
Need some guest room inspiration? We’ve got you covered! Read below for some tips and tricks on how to make your guest room feel extra welcoming this Holiday season!
Keep it simple //
A guest room doesn’t need too much in order to be comfortable. Keep your guest room simple, and don’t overcrowd the room with unused furniture from throughout the house. Instead, minimize the number of large pieces of furniture in the room to maximize the space. An excellent tip to keep in mind regarding furniture is to stick with the basics. Nightstands and a matching dresser with tasteful table lamps can create a consistent and cozy feel throughout the room without feeling too overcrowded. Alternative lighting sources always add a more homey and comfortable touch to the room. Keeping the tabletops clear of small items also makes the room seem tidier while allowing your guests to utilize the space to better suit their needs.
Create an Atmosphere //
Whether the walls are white and the room is light and airy, or the walls are dark and moody in contrast to fun and eclectic furniture, make sure to create a consistent atmosphere throughout the room. If you’re aiming for a light and airy look, stay away from large, dark pieces of furniture that take up a lot of space and demand attention. Instead, opt for natural-wood pieces, light curtains (like cream linen), and alternative lighting sources (like table lamps or wall sconces) versus a bright, harsh fluorescent overhead light. If the room is dark, balance out the dark walls with simple furnishings, larger mirrors (which naturally brighten up a space and make it look larger than it actually is), and tasteful lighting. Overall, you want to create a welcoming and calming atmosphere from the moment the guest walks in until they leave.
Pro Tip: Lighting can transform any room! Providing gentle and soothing light can help set the tone in the room and create a cozy environment.
Keep It Fresh //
There’s nothing quite like settling in for a good night’s sleep in a comfortable and calming guest room with fresh linens, blankets, and a soothing scent hanging in the air. A comfortable mattress, some new linens, and extra blankets (in case they get chilled) can make a guest’s stay so much more enjoyable. Providing your guest with fresh bed linens, cozy blankets, and a guest room that is properly cleaned and free from dust and dirt can mean a lot to your guest. While it’s always a temptation, avoid using your guest room as a storage area full of a motley collection of furniture and decor. Instead, keep the guest room clear of junk and storage boxes and instead create a warm and inviting atmosphere by keeping the room tidy with minimal furniture.
Pro Tip: Spray an all-natural room scent in your guest room right before your guests arrive to deodorize the space and make the room smell fresh. That being said, try to avoid polarizing scents like super sweet fruity scents or strong, musky scents, in case your guest is sensitive to certain scents. Stick to the basics, and play it safe with a fresh linen or airy lavender scent.
Go the Extra Mile //
When your guests arrive, surprise them with a tray on their bedside table or bed, featuring a small vase of fresh flowers, brand new soap for them to use, or even extra travel-sized hygiene products (like three oz. shampoo, conditioner, & toothpaste for them to use during their stay), as well as some fresh towels neatly folded on their bed. To make their stay even more special, add their favorite chocolate bar to the tray and set out a comfortable bathrobe for your guest’s use throughout their stay at your home. This kind gesture goes a long way, making your friends and family feel cared for while simultaneously ensuring they have what they need to better enjoy their visit. Plus, we all have that one friend or family member who always forgets something while traveling for the holidays, so it’s always convenient to be prepared and have extra items (like toothbrushes, soaps, razors, lotions, etc.) on hand, just in case.
Instead of feeling intimidated by hosting for the Holidays, this Christmas, we hope that, by using a few of our tips and tricks, you and your guests can enjoy the wonderful holiday season to the fullest.
Install fresh batteries in smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Don’t forget to test them! Also, check your fire extinguishers.
Basements are notoriously overlooked, especially if they’re primarily used as storage areas. Dust, clean windows, and dry out areas prone to moisture.
Re-caulking showers and tubs can prevent leaks and make it more attractive. You may also want to remove shower heads and clean any built-up sediment. This can prolong its life and help with water pressure.
If any locks or deadbolts do not work properly, perform a quick diagnostic. In most cases, a light lubrication of WD40 or a slight adjustment will do the trick. If there is a more severe issue, please contact us.
Always, always be extra careful when working with electricity. Check that all outlets work, including testing GFCI outlets. If you have any reason for concern, please contact us.
When the temperature plunges below zero, be sure to de-ice all cables sitting at the front of your roof and any other ice dams you see. Do not let icicles grow, as much as the kids may want you to. They’re not only a danger to people standing beneath them, but they’re incredibly heavy and can cause damage to your home.
Have a good supply of sidewalk salt, strong shovels, and ice scrapers as winter approaches. You never know when that first snow will come. Snow removal is the resident’s responsibility.
Licensed real estate broker in AL, AZ, CA, DC, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, MN, MD, MI, MN, MO, NV, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OH, OK, OR, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, WA, & WI.
Powered by Classic City Consulting
