Real Estate|Wynne Real Estate Group|Cypress TexasRecently posted or modified blog posts in the category - Homeownershttps://www.wynnerealestategroup.com/blog/Copyright WynneRealEstateGroup.com2021-02-21T12:47:28-07:00tag:wynnerealestategroup.com,2012-09-20:8366GREAT WINE-STORAGE IDEASTIPS FOR STORING WINE AT HOME If you are a big wine connoisseur or just saving a few bottles to crack open on special occasions, it’s important to understand how best to store them safely until you’re ready to partake. Follow the guidelines below! Temperature To ensure each wine bottle maintains the proper flavor and aroma, storing it at the correct temperature is essential. Regardless if it is red, white, or sparkling, storing your bottles at 53°F to 57°F is most ideal. Keeping your bottles in a room where the temperature is much warmer than that may cause the flavor to become flat. Keep your wine in the dark and away from direct UV rays as much as you can to protect the wine’s flavor. Moisture Controlling the humidity in the room is important if you plan to store bottles for more than a couple of years. The ideal humidity for storage is between 50 to 75 percent and anything below that could cause the corks to dry out, letting air seep into the bottle. Positioning Generally, it is advised to store wine bottles on their sides. This allows the wine to stay up against the cork which should aid in keeping it from drying out. However, if you don’t plan to store the wine for long or if the bottle has a screw top or plastic cork, this is not required for safe storage. Timing Not all wine is designed to have a long shelf life or be aged. Make sure you know what the winemaker’s intention was for that particular bottle. It is always better to open it a little early and enjoy it!2021-02-21T12:41:00-07:002021-02-21T12:47:28-07:00Melissa Wynne Severatag:wynnerealestategroup.com,2012-09-20:8288TURNING A BEDROOM INTO A LUX BEDROOMFor most of us, our bedroom is little more than a place to sleep and relax. However, just because it’s always been that way doesn’t mean that we have to settle for drab and dreary.
One trend that’s gaining steam these days is converting your current bedroom into a luxury suite (or something comparable). If you want to live like you’re renting a room at the Ritz, then you want to follow these tips. Compartmentalize Your Activities Making your bedroom more functional is going to make it more luxurious. Add a gorgeous desk for working and a TV area for entertainment, and you’ll be living it up in no time.
Make it Chic Choose a color palette that is both luxurious and classy. Silver and gold can seem tacky, so choose muted shades that complement each other. Also, a brilliant and commanding headboard can instantly upgrade the look of your room without any other changes. Light it Properly Finally, make sure that you have the right light to show off your designs. If it’s too washed out or yellow, then it will look drab and run down.
Switch to brilliant LEDs and see the difference. Choose Your Accents Wisely We already mentioned a headboard, but some elegant drapes can also make your room feel more royal. Being strategic with your furniture accessories is going to both keep you under budget and avoid doing too much with space. Are you ready to lux your bedroom? You’ll be impressed by the results, and the feeling of decadence will make you more confident in your surroundings.2021-02-05T12:28:00-07:002021-02-05T12:30:44-07:00Melissa Wynne Severatag:wynnerealestategroup.com,2012-09-20:8256YOUR GUIDE TO HOME APPRAISALYou’ve found your dream home and now it’s time to cross all your T's and dot all your I's before it’s all your own. And one of the first items on your closing checklist the home appraisal. So, what exactly is that?
The home appraisal is essentially a value assessment of the home and property. It is conducted by a certified third party and is used to determine whether the home is priced appropriately. During a home appraisal, the appraiser conducts a complete visual inspection of the interior and exterior of the home. He or she factors in a variety of things, including the home’s floor plan functionality, condition, location, school district, fixtures, lot size, and more.
An upward adjustment is generally made if the home has a deck, a view, or a large yard. The appraiser will also compare the home to several similar homes that were sold within the last six months in the area. The final report must include a street map showing the property and the ones’ compared, photographs of the interior and exterior, an explanation of how the square footage was calculated, market sales data, public land records, and more. After it is complete, the lender uses the information found to ensure that the property is worth the amount they are investing.
This is a safe-guard for the lender as the home acts as collateral for the mortgage. If the buyer defaults on the mortgage and goes into foreclosure, the lender generally sells the home to recover the money borrowed.2021-01-30T12:54:00-07:002021-01-30T12:58:42-07:00Melissa Wynne Severatag:wynnerealestategroup.com,2012-09-20:8233EASY LANDSCAPING DIY PROJECTSEver get the itch to do a DIY project? Whenever we do, our favorites involve getting outdoors and mixing up our landscaping features.
Whether it's as simple as installing some lighting or a little more time-consuming like re-plotting plants, a fresh look for the lawn always gives your home a fresh look as well. Here are our top five easy landscaping projects!
Create a pathway. To guide you and visitors throughout your yard and link different areas together, install a pathway. You can use materials from a variety of materials, including reclaimed pallet wood, flagstones, gravel, and more to add texture and color.
Add a wall or border. Installing a flagstone, rock, or brick wall around flower beds or trees adds a sleek, clean look to your landscaping and helps separate different sections of your yard. Install a water feature. Nothing says zen quite like the sound of trickling water as you relax in your backyard.
You can start simply by purchasing and installing a small feature powered by a solar panel or create a larger focal point in your yard by installing a waterfall wall or small pond. Light your way. An easy way to transform your yard is to strategically use lighting.
Place cool-colored lights high in trees to recreate a moonlight feel, use pathway lights to naturally guide the eye, or highlight objects or plants. Plant upwards. Expand your yard space by drawing the eye to the sky with a trellis fence or screen made of wood or metal. Once you install your trellis, select your climbing plants and vines and get to planting!2021-01-26T08:46:00-07:002021-01-26T08:50:29-07:00Melissa Wynne Severatag:wynnerealestategroup.com,2012-09-20:8232DISPELLING REFINANCING MYTHS“Refinancing” is a scary word for many people, but that shouldn’t be the case for you. For many homeowners, refinancing can not only lower your monthly payments and help with your monthly budget, but it can save you thousands of dollars in the long run.
YOU’RE NOT TOO LATE. For years now, we’ve been hearing that interest rates will be on the rise, and although there have been some small increases, you’re still in a great position to drastically lower your interest rate. The general rule is if your mortgage interest rate is more than one percent above the current market rate, you should consider refinancing. IT’S NOT TOO TIME CONSUMING. Don’t brush off refinancing just because it seems like a long and daunting process. An informational call with a lender to see how rates compare will only take a few minutes. There are also some programs for streamlining the application process. And besides, isn’t the amount of money you could save worth the time and effort? ARMS CAN BE REFINANCED, TOO. Seeing your Adjustable Rate Mortgage (ARM) increase after the introductory period can be incredibly stressful and place a squeeze on your budget. Many people assume they’re stuck, but ARMs can be refinanced, just like fixed-rate mortgages. You can even switch to a shorter term fixed-rate mortgage, such as 15 or 23 years. The longer you’re planning to stay in the home, the more sense it makes to look into refinancing.2021-01-26T08:42:00-07:002021-01-26T08:46:14-07:00Melissa Wynne Severatag:wynnerealestategroup.com,2012-09-20:7858Working From Home - 3 Headphones to Keep You Focused While many positions have turned to remote work temporarily, it is becoming more and more common for employers and businesses to move their employees to a more permanent remote status. Whether this is full-time remote work or limiting days in the office, what many thought would end up being a temporary situation, are now scrambling to try and find ways to make working remotely easier and more productive. The biggest way to stay focused on remote work is to limit the amount of sound and distraction throughout the day, and thus, having quality headphones is key.<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1253/image/technology-office-smiling-headphones-working-from-home-home-office-freelance-workspace_t20_N0XBkE.jpg" width="400" height="267" alt="Working From Home - 3 Headphones to Keep You Focused " title="Working From Home - 3 Headphones to Keep You Focused " style="float: right; margin: 11px;" />
Related: <a href="https://www.wynnerealestategroup.com/blog/4-tips-to-keep-a-new-home-clean/">4 Tips to Keep a New Home Clean</a>
Budget-Friendly-Mpow X3
We all know budgets are important, and luckily even on a budget, you can find good headphones for remote work. These earbuds provide fairly decent noise-canceling as well as great volume control and sound/bass. If there is a negative to mention, it is that the battery life only lasts for 7 hours, so you may need to charge them on your lunch break to ensure they last through your workday.
Highest-Rated-Sony WH-1000XM4
These headphones are highly rated for many different categories from comfortability, calling capabilities, noise-canceling, and Bluetooth pairings. A few things to highlight is that even with being one of the highest-rated headphones, you can find them anywhere from $278-350, making them more budget-friendly than many other “highly rated” noise-canceling headphones.
Best for Making/Receiving Calls -Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700
20 hours of battery life have sent these headphones high up on the wish list of many remote workers. With more than enough battery to last through your workday, the combination of noise-canceling and high-quality audio for voice calls makes these headphones a must for those who make multiple calls in a workday. You can find these headphones as low as $299.
Related: <a href="https://www.wynnerealestategroup.com/blog/easy-ways-spruce-home-holidays/">6 Easy Ways to Spruce up Your Home for the Holidays</a>
Regardless of whether you are working from home permanently or temporarily, having good headphones will help you excel. Whether you have a home office and you simply need a set of headphones to assist in making voice calls, or if you are working from the couch and need high noise-canceling capabilities, there are great headphones currently on the market.
If you’re currently searching for a home in the <a href="https://www.wynnerealestategroup.com/communities/">Houston or Cypress areas</a>, are in need of a qualified seller’s agent, or have any questions regarding the real estate in the Greater Houston area, please feel free to <a href="https://www.wynnerealestategroup.com/contact/">contact our office</a> at any time.2020-11-10T08:50:00-07:002020-11-10T11:05:51-07:00Melissa Wynne Severatag:wynnerealestategroup.com,2012-09-20:77466 Easy Ways to Spruce up Your Home for the Holidays Somehow the Holiday Season is already upon us, and with people still staying home more than normal, the decorating has started early for many. While there is the traditional decorating such as putting up a tree or hanging lights, there are a few more simple ways to spruce up your house with the extra time you have at home and bring a little extra holiday cheer this season. Take a look at these few ideas to help you have a great and cheery Holiday season.
<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1253/image/holiday-run_t20_VKAwO6.jpg" width="972" height="731" alt="6 Easy Ways to Spruce up Your Home for the Holidays " title="6 Easy Ways to Spruce up Your Home for the Holidays " style="margin: 11px;" />
#1 - Add a new festive welcome mat to your front door, bright colors are sure to add some extra cheer!
<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1253/image/wreath_t20_jXJ3nN.jpg" width="1067" height="1067" alt="6 Easy Ways to Spruce up Your Home for the Holidays " title="6 Easy Ways to Spruce up Your Home for the Holidays " style="margin: 11px;" />
#2 - Hang a wreath on your front door, try finding one with added color such as red berries, or ornaments and garland.
Related: <a href="https://www.wynnerealestategroup.com/blog/4-tips-to-keep-a-new-home-clean/">4 Tips to Keep a new Home Clean</a>
<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1253/image/background-image-desktop-tabletop-outside-outdoors-ghosts-dancing-around-tree-fun-decorations_t20_Oxbo6g.jpg" width="991" height="706" alt="6 Easy Ways to Spruce up Your Home for the Holidays " title="6 Easy Ways to Spruce up Your Home for the Holidays " style="margin: 11px;" />
#3 - Use batting to stuff old white socks and tie them into three sections, draw little faces and add a scrap piece of fabric for a scarf and use your homemade sock snowmen to decorate windowsills or shelves.
#4 – Use the end chunks of old 2x4s or other boxy chunks of wood you may have laying around and paint them orange. You can either add a painted Jack-o-lantern face or keep them simple. Next use a small stick or wooden dowel for the stem, paint it green or brown and attach the “stem” to the top of the faux pumpkin with hot glue or wood glue. Viola! Homemade pumpkin that can be used for Halloween and Thanksgiving festivities.
<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1253/image/santa-is-coming_t20_P1Z3oB.jpg" width="1034" height="689" alt="6 Easy Ways to Spruce up Your Home for the Holidays " title="6 Easy Ways to Spruce up Your Home for the Holidays " style="margin: 11px;" />
#5 – Use white window paint to create the illusion of frost or snow on the edges of your windows, you can also cut out snowflakes from white paper to add an extra pop, guaranteed to bring a smile to your neighbor's faces as they walk by.
#6 – Paint your hand, the palm and thumb brown, and each finger a bright color, put your painted hand on blank paper and then color a face within the thumb and you’ve created a handprint turkey! You can put them on the fridge or post them on your neighbors’ doors for a little pick me up and smile.
Related: <a href="https://www.wynnerealestategroup.com/blog/buying-or-selling-this-one-thing-can-make-or-break-the-deal/">Buying or Selling? This One Thing Can Make or Break the Deal</a>
Regardless of if you have annual decorating traditions or are just looking for a few easy ways to bring some holiday cheer to your home, this Holiday season can bring just as much joy and cheer as years before. Even though this year may be different, a huge part of keeping the Holidays festive is by choosing to make them special.
If you’re interested in learning more about the real estate within the <a href="https://www.wynnerealestategroup.com/communities/">Cypress and Northern Houston</a> area, are seeking an agent to assist you in buying or selling a home, or have general questions, please feel free to <a href="https://www.wynnerealestategroup.com/contact/">contact our office</a> at any time.2020-10-26T11:25:00-07:002020-10-26T13:33:00-07:00Melissa Wynne Severatag:wynnerealestategroup.com,2012-09-20:75004 Tips to Keep a New Home Clean <img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1253/image/home_interior_living_room.jpg" width="420" height="357" alt="4 Tips to Keep a New Home Clean " title="4 Tips to Keep a New Home Clean " style="float: right; margin: 11px;" />There is no better feeling than that of being handed the keys to your new home. The empty space is a canvas just waiting to be filled with memories and decor. Unfortunately, it is easy to become overwhelmed with the upkeep of a new home, and that “new” feeling can fade quite quickly. So, how do you keep your new home feeling new and clean? Deep cleaning is important, however, there are a few things you can do daily and even weekly to help keep up on the household chores so that you don’t become overwhelmed with dust, dirt or clutter.
Related: <a href="https://www.wynnerealestategroup.com/blog/pros-cons-buying-existing-house-building-one/">Pros and Cons of Buying an Existing House or Building One</a>
Make the Bed
This seems quite tedious and unnecessary to some; however, you’d be surprise at how quickly making your bed can pull a room together and how cluttered and messy it can look with an unmade bed. Try making the bed a daily habit to keep bedrooms looking tidy at all times.
Set the Timer
Ever heard of a speed clean? This is the most effective way to clean as much as possible with only a little bit of time. Get the whole family involved and set a quick 15-minute timer before bed. During the 15 minutes have everyone speed clean until the timer goes off. You will be amazed at how much can be accomplished in such a short period of time, this also allows you to wake up to a freshly cleaned and straightened house.
Related: <a href="https://allkleencarpets.com/how-often-you-should-be-cleaning-things-in-your-kitchen/" target="_blank">How Often You Should be Cleaning Things in Your Kitchen</a>
High Traffic Areas
High traffic areas will be the number one culprit for tracking in extra dust, dirt, or mud. As you grow into your new home, identify the areas that are being used the most and then make sure to do a quick sweep or vacuum of only that area daily. This will eliminate the spread of dirt to areas of the home that are of lower traffic and thus won’t need the daily cleaning.
Related: <a href="https://www.wynnerealestategroup.com/blog/the-cost-of-new-construction-upgrades-is-it-worth-it/">The Cost of new Construction Upgrades, is it Worth It?</a>
Convenient Storage
While we all have dreams of having a storage space for all of our household cleaners, unfortunately this isn’t efficient for quick cleaning. Try storing the cleaners in the areas where they are used the most. For example, kitchen cleaners should be stored in the kitchen, bathroom cleaners in the bathroom, etc. This will allow for a faster speed clean or spill clean-up.
By taking just a little bit of time out of each day you will be able to keep your home looking it’s best. Enjoy your new home, make memories, and make sure your home feels new for years to come.
If you are currently <a href="https://www.wynnerealestategroup.com/property-search/search-form/">searching for a new home</a> in the <a href="https://www.wynnerealestategroup.com/bridgeland-cypress-homes-for-sale/">Bridgeland</a> and<a href="https://www.wynnerealestategroup.com/cypress-texas-homes-for-sale/"> Cypress</a> areas, are in need of a qualified buyer’s or seller’s agent or have any questions regarding the real estate in the greater Houston area, please feel free to <a href="https://www.wynnerealestategroup.com/contact/">contact our office</a> at any time.2020-09-09T16:46:00-07:002020-09-09T18:51:01-07:00Melissa Wynne Severa