When you don’t have a lot of space or open ground around your home, planting a garden might seem impossible. After all, plants need room to grow and soil to grow in, don’t they? While this is true, there is more than one way to get a garden growing. If you have limited outdoor space or don’t have room for a large garden plot, one option is to set up a vertical garden instead.

While not every garden plant is feasible for a vertical garden, you might be surprised at all of the things that you can grow vertically. Of course, you’ll first have to get your vertical garden set up and ready for spring planting. You have a lot of options with how you do this, so let’s take a moment to cover the essentials of what your vertical garden should have.

Moving before your old home sells can cause some anxiety for the property’s safety. Criminals can be savvy these days, and you do not want your home compromised, especially when potential buyers are there for a showing. Besides having interior lights set on timers, window coverings, and motion-sensor outdoor lighting, there are a few more things you can do to add an extra layer of security: 

• The first step is the most obvious: lock all doors and windows. If someone is looking for easy access, they will check every entryway, and if they are locked, they may decide to walk away. 
• Before the move, check in with your insurance agent and make sure your homeowners policy covers a vacant house. 
• Ask someone you know and trust to keep an eye on things, especially if your move is long-distance. If you must pay someone, check their references. 
• Find a neighbor who is willing to park their vehicle in your driveway as another safety measure. 
• Continue to maintain the landscaping, preferably by a reputable landscaper, neighbor, friend, or family member. 
• As unlikely as it may seem, the HVAC unit should be secured. Installing a lock on the circuit box will discourage theft and adding a security cage is a plus. 
• Home security systems are more affordable than ever, and you do not necessarily have to pay a monthly service fee to a company. Do some online research and find a system that connects wirelessly and has a coordinating smartphone app.  You can keep an eye on things yourself, and if there’s anything suspicious, call your local contact and ask them to check your house for you. 
• Your RealtorⓇ normally provides a lockbox to be placed in an out-of-sight place on the outside of the house. Advancements in technology have made these tools even more secure, including types that record who shows your house and when. 

Think of the expense of taking additional precautions as an investment. There is no price tag on peace of mind and protecting your property when you are not present.  Another bonus is that the added security could be more incentive to potential buyers, making your home sell sooner! 

Access Teri’s one-stop Orlando FL home search website.

Teri Isner is the team leader of Orlando Avenue Top Team and has been a Realtor for over 24 years. Teri has distinguished herself as a leader in the Orlando FL real estate market. Teri assists buyers looking for Orlando FL real estate for sale and aggressively markets Orlando FL homes for sale.

You deserve professional real estate service! You obtain the best results with Teri Isner plus you benefit from her marketing skills, experience and ability to network with other REALTORS®. Your job gets done pleasantly and efficiently.  You are able to make important decisions easily with fast, accurate information from Teri. The Orlando Avenue Top Team handles the details and follow-up that are important to the success of your transaction.

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Photo credit: sushi house

Additions can be a good way to get more functionality out of your home. Your addition might be an extra bedroom for your expanding family, a home office to provide you with a space to work from home, or even a sunroom or hobby area. Your add-on might even be a way to add more space to existing rooms, removing or extending walls to let your current kitchen, bedroom, or other area flow seamlessly into your new addition. There are just so many possibilities.

Regardless of what you plan to use the room for, though, adding on to your house is a big undertaking and may be kind of a big investment as well. Even relatively small additions can be a big project, so it’s important that you know exactly what your plans will entail before you start work on expanding your home. To help with this, here are a few things to consider when making plans to add on to your home.

Having pets can enrich your life in a number of ways and can even improve your overall mental health and wellbeing. Unfortunately, not every home is really set up for pets. By making some improvements to your home and its layout, you can make it much more pet friendly, and help keep your furry (or scaly or feathery) friends safe and happy as you spend your time together.

Exactly how do you go about making your home more pet friendly, though? There are a few things you’ll need to consider, including the type of pet you have, its indoor/outdoor habits, and its size. While many of these things are specific to your individual pet, there are some more general changes that you can make to help make your home more pet friendly as well.

There are a number of trends in home decoration that you’ve likely seen come and go over the years. Some of them look pretty nice and create something of a timeless look, while others… well, it’s pretty easy to understand why they’re only temporary trends. Like them or hate them, though, following home trends can sometimes have a positive impact on the value of your home if you’re looking to sell. That is, of course, if you strike while the iron is hot.

But what if you’re not actually looking to sell at the moment and just like the way that a trend looks? Will going all-in on some big trend hurt your home’s value down the line if you do decide to sell later? This could be a legitimate concern depending on the trend. After all, even if you’re on the market and don’t manage to sell right away, you could find that going too far with certain trends will bite you before you find a buyer.

Maximizing space in a small kitchen can take a little creativity, and it may be especially difficult for someone who is downsizing or buying a home that was built when kitchen size was not a priority. It is important to use the space you have and being practical with storage and placement. Check out these tips for ways to make the most out of your small kitchen: 

• Create a pot rack with a sturdy stylish towel rack and S-hooks. 
• If drawer space is at a minimum, keep cooking utensils nearby in an unused cookie jar on the counter, or hang them from small nails on the inside of the cabinet doors. 

• Spice racks can also be mounted to the insides of cabinet doors to free up storage space. 
• Domestically Speaking has a simple how-to for adding tip-out storage onto false drawer fronts for smaller items like sponges and scrub pads. 
• If pegboard storage is good enough for Julia Child, it’s good enough for our kitchens! It can be cut to fit any wall space, painted to match any decor, making it a stylish and convenient place to hang cookware. 
• Use magnetic strips to store cutlery or small jars with metal lids on the side of the fridge. 
• If the cabinets do not have soffits, utilize that space for lesser-used items. Think out-of- the-box storage, too: keep extra paper towels, disposable plates, or other items that will take up room in more important areas. 

• Very small kitchens leave little space for a table or an island, so mounting a folding table or shelf to the wall can help you during prep or mealtimes and fold out of the way when you don’t need it. 
• A butcher block stove cover will add useful counter space where space is lacking. It will also keep from having to find a place to stash a cutting board, as it will already be on display! 
• Departments and home stores have many different varieties of moveable kitchen carts. A cart will offer a prep area as well as storage that can be tucked away when not in use. 

The average size kitchen is 70 square feet, according to the building industry, and many homes have an even smaller space. Take a few extra steps to make the space in your kitchen work best, and you will see a difference in meal prep time and clean up, making mealtime more enjoyable! 

Access Teri’s one-stop Orlando FL home search website.

Teri Isner is the team leader of Orlando Avenue Top Team and has been a Realtor for over 24 years. Teri has distinguished herself as a leader in the Orlando FL real estate market. Teri assists buyers looking for Orlando FL real estate for sale and aggressively markets Orlando FL homes for sale.

You deserve professional real estate service! You obtain the best results with Teri Isner plus you benefit from her marketing skills, experience and ability to network with other REALTORS®. Your job gets done pleasantly and efficiently.  You are able to make important decisions easily with fast, accurate information from Teri. The Orlando Avenue Top Team handles the details and follow-up that are important to the success of your transaction.

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Photo credit: The Kitchn

When it comes to remodeling, some changes that you make to your home are going to net you a big return on your investment. Sometimes this return comes in the form of an increase to the overall value of your property, while sometimes the return is more in the form of your enjoyment and the overall usefulness that your home has for you. Either way, there’s a definite positive side to your remodeling project that you’ll reap the rewards from for years to come. With some other projects, though… well, let’s just say that they seemed like a good idea at the time.

If you’re considering remodeling your home, it’s important that you think about what you want to do before you start. This will help you avoid projects that just waste money or leave things worse off than they started. So how do you know if a project is going to be worthwhile? Here are a few suggestions that might help.

Access Teri’s one-stop Orlando FL home search website.

Teri Isner is the team leader of Orlando Avenue Top Team and has been a Realtor for over 24 years. Teri has distinguished herself as a leader in the Orlando FL real estate market. Teri assists buyers looking for Orlando FL real estate for sale and aggressively markets Orlando FL homes for sale.

You deserve professional real estate service! You obtain the best results with Teri Isner plus you benefit from her marketing skills, experience and ability to network with other REALTORS®. Your job gets done pleasantly and efficiently.  You are able to make important decisions easily with fast, accurate information from Teri. The Orlando Avenue Top Team handles the details and follow-up that are important to the success of your transaction.

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According to homeadvisor.com, the average bathroom remodel costs about $10,000! When yours is crying out for help but the money for a complete overhaul is not in the budget, there are plenty of options that are easy on the wallet. Find some inexpensive inspiration in the following tips: 

• Something as simple as updating your light fixture can be a huge improvement. Whether you buy brand new at your local home store or a good-as-new used piece, this is an easy DIY. Call a reputable electrician if you choose to add lighting or move the current connection. 
• Add style to a plain mounted mirror with a frame! Framing kits come with everything you need for this quick update and are available at home centers and online for less than $100. 

• Old linoleum that is in good condition can be covered with adhesive-backed vinyl tile or painted with porch paint. Create a custom look by using a stencil. Supplies may cost a bit more than other paint jobs, but it beats the expense of replacing the flooring. 
• Are the walls covered in thirty-year-old wallpaper? The easiest fix for that is to paint over it! Benjamin MooreⓇ suggests you start by sealing any peeling spots with adhesive and applying clear caulking where wallpaper meets the ceiling or the floor. Save time by using paint with built-in primer, and paint as you would any other wall surface. 
• A new faucet is a quick way to update the sink. Confident do-it-yourselfers can switch the old with the new with help from this step-by-step video how-to for faucet installation from Home Depot. 
• The most inexpensive update for the cabinet would be paint and new hardware. Even laminate countertops can be painted or tiled for a fresh look. 
• If your budget is tight, just the purchase of a new shower curtain, window treatment, inexpensive framed prints, and one nice coordinating towel set can make a huge improvement to a dated bathroom. 

Having several remodeling jobs on the to-do list usually means beginning with the most affordable projects. Making budget-friendly bathroom updates will help ease the urgency of needing a full renovation. Save yourself stress and money by holding out just a little longer, and when it’s time, you’ll have the perfect bathroom! 

Access Teri’s one-stop Orlando FL home search website.

Teri Isner is the team leader of Orlando Avenue Top Team and has been a Realtor for over 24 years. Teri has distinguished herself as a leader in the Orlando FL real estate market. Teri assists buyers looking for Orlando FL real estate for sale and aggressively markets Orlando FL homes for sale.

You deserve professional real estate service! You obtain the best results with Teri Isner plus you benefit from her marketing skills, experience and ability to network with other REALTORS®. Your job gets done pleasantly and efficiently.  You are able to make important decisions easily with fast, accurate information from Teri. The Orlando Avenue Top Team handles the details and follow-up that are important to the success of your transaction.

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Photo credit: The House That Lars Built 

When the time comes to relocate, the thought of selling your home while purchasing another seems too much, so renting your current place sounds like a win-win for you. The extra income sounds great, knowing your house is still there in case you need it is another nice thought.  There are pros and cons to this decision, however, so look through these tips to help you finalize your decision: 

• One major factor to consider is when you know the move is not permanent.  If you know you will be returning in a few years, and it may be a good idea to lease while you are away so you will not have to house hunt upon your return. 
• Take a close look at the financial aspects of renting your house: 

• Landlord’s insurance premiums may cost more than a homeowner’s policy. Talk to your insurance agent about the differences in cost. 

• If you have equity in your house, or the money a sale will generate will allow for a nice deposit on another, you really should consider a sale. 
• Do the math–if you have a loss after all your expenses (insurance, repairs, property taxes, etc.) are deducted from the rental payments, it would be a better idea to sell. 

• Take into consideration that in larger areas, there may be times of a vacancy.  Can you handle your current mortgage and rent or mortgage payment in the new place?  If not, put the house on the market. 
• Renting may be a good choice if the house needs repairs or improvements to bring a good sale price, and the cost of those fixes all at once is out of your budget. 
• Consider the occasional tenant that will not care for the property as you do. Landlord insurance will not cover normal wear-and-tear, nor intentional damage. 

• Things can happen, and even good tenants are suddenly unable to pay rent on time–or worse, stop paying rent–and you will be stuck with the mortgage payment, not to mention the possibility of the costs of going through the eviction process.  
• If you live in an area that attracts visitors or tourists, consider short-term leasing with an online booking company. Be sure you are within your city’s regulations for short-term rentals and consider the frequent cleaning costs and other risks taken when renting to tenants that you have little means to check into before they enter your house. 

The stress of renting just might be greater than the house-hunting in the case of a temporary move.  Talk to other property managers in your area and look at your financial information before you make the final choice. When you decide to sell, call a trusted RealtorⓇ.

Access Teri’s one-stop Orlando FL home search website.

Teri Isner is the team leader of Orlando Avenue Top Team and has been a Realtor for over 24 years. Teri has distinguished herself as a leader in the Orlando FL real estate market. Teri assists buyers looking for Orlando FL real estate for sale and aggressively markets Orlando FL homes for sale.

You deserve professional real estate service! You obtain the best results with Teri Isner plus you benefit from her marketing skills, experience and ability to network with other REALTORS®. Your job gets done pleasantly and efficiently.  You are able to make important decisions easily with fast, accurate information from Teri. The Orlando Avenue Top Team handles the details and follow-up that are important to the success of your transaction.

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Photo credit: The Real Deal