After the year we’ve all just experienced I’m sure you’ll agree it’s time to say “goodbye” and perhaps even “good riddance” to 2020! While this year has provided us with a wonderful reminder about the importance of time spent with family, you might also feel like being “safe at home” has given you plenty of time to see some of the flaws. We’re talking about the flaws in your home of course – not your family – they’re perfect right? All joking aside, if you’ve noticed either your home, or your family, could use a little help, I’ve got some new year’s resolutions for both you AND your home that will help ensure a great start to 2021. Happy New Year – both you and your home deserve it!
Tips For Your Home: Say “Good Riddance” to…
- Stuff! “Stuff” is an all-encompassing word for the clutter and chaos that sometimes surrounds us. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, particularly in the post-holiday season of giving, it might be a good time to declutter your home. Start the New Year with a new rule that will help alleviate the accumulation of “stuff.” Don’t allow anything new in your home without getting rid of something old! It’s time to edit. Here’s how:
- Devote a day (maybe even a weekend) to this activity and make sure you’re both physically and mentally prepared. This is no time for a trip down memory lane lingering over old family photos instead you need to be ruthless! As you edit your home ask yourself these questions: “Do I love it? Do I use it? Do I need it?” You might even want to consider if there is someone else that might need it more? Donating what you used to love is an opportunity for someone else to love something “new.”
- Devote some space to the task. You’ll need to sort as you go so make sure you’ve got the tools you need. Boxes for donations, garbage bags for the discards and maybe one or two storage containers for the items you’re not quite sure you are ready to part with. If you do choose storage, here is a handy tip; outside of seasonal items, if you haven’t thought about the item for 90 days or more, chances are it too can be donated or discarded! For larger items like furniture, do some research ahead of time to see which organizations are accepting donations? I’ve provided some links at the end of this blog for places to consider. A little pre-planning will help the process go smoothly.
- Get the Family Involved. Children can use this time as a learning opportunity about the importance of both charitable giving and sharing. Ask them to sort clothing without rips, stains or tears and have them choose toys, books and treasures they are ready to part with and that are in good condition.
Tips For Your Home And Your Family – You’ve Decluttered, Now What?
- Complete a Home Inspection: Now that you have a little breathing room, take a walk around your space and determine what needs to be done to address those “flaws” you spent all of 2020 looking at! What can you do yourself?
- Fix the grout in the bathroom.
- Plaster over then paint that small crack in the bedroom wall.
- Replace light fixtures with energy saving LED bulbs.
- Consider timers so your lights are on the same schedule as you.
- Make sure all of your fire and carbon monoxide detectors are in good working order. If in doubt, invest in new. Both are affordable especially when considered against the cost of losing your home.
- What will you need a contractor for? If 2020 has shown us anything, it’s that contractors are busy people helping families with home improvement projects so book early to avoid staring at those flaws throughout 2021.
- Get the Family Involved – Again! What is a New Year without some New Year’s Resolutions? Now is the time to encourage some new behaviours that are good for you and good for the environment too.
- Encourage everyone to turn the lights off when you exit a room.
- Make a schedule for the laundry that will help reduce excess water and energy use and maybe save you some money too!
- Stop fiddling with the thermostat! Find a temperature that everyone can agree on whether that means some members of the family wear a sweater and others don’t! This is true for both heating in the winter months and air-conditioning in the summer.
- A New Year, A New You! If indeed the year 2020 has taught us anything, as I said at the start of this blog, it’s about the importance of family and those closest to us. My family, friends and clients that have become like family to me are the things I treasure most. It’s one of the reasons I transitioned from a 25-year career serving the real estate industry in property management, to serving homebuyers and home sellers as a real estate agent. I love helping families buy with confidence and sell with success in the community I love and have called home for my entire life. We might spend the end of 2020 and the beginning of the New Year making resolutions about health and fitness or changing a habit or two but the reality is – do what’s right for you without any pressure from the outside world. The pandemic has proven that family and health are what matter most. If you want to try and eat a little healthier, go for a long walk every day or quit something that is no longer serving you, do it because you want to and because it’s a good thing for both you and the ones you love!
Happy New Year and “good riddance” to 2020! I’m John Burdi and it would be my honour to serve you in 2021. If your New Year’s resolutions have resulted in the decision to sell your home, I can help. If you’re looking to buy or invest with confidence, trust the person who has lived and worked in Vaughan, Woodbridge and Kleinberg his entire life. I’m John Burdi – The Evolution of Realty. Buy with Confidence, Sell With Success!
https://habitatgta.ca/ Habitat for Humanity
https://www.reddoorshelter.ca/ Red Door Shelter
https://thriftstore.ca/ Salvation Army
*Call ahead to be sure who is accepting donations during the Covid-19 Pandemic
