The Best Way To Add Statues To Your Yard

 

Placing a beautiful statue in your yard can enhance your home's curb appeal and give it a truly unique sense of style. However, you can't just plop a statue down in any old place and expect it to look great. A statue is a piece of art that can create a focal point in your yard or garden — as long as you do it right. Follow these tips, and you're sure to love the results.

1. Find the Right Location
   When choosing a location for your statue, make sure the spot you're thinking about looks good from all sides. Corner spaces are often perfect for outdoor statues because the human eye is naturally drawn to corners. You may also consider placing your statue prominently in the center of your garden, making it the focal point for the entire space.

2. Choose Your Statue Carefully
   While the right statue for you will depend on your personal preferences, unless it's hidden in your backyard, it's also important to make sure it's in good taste. To avoid trouble, stay away from anything too large or brightly colored. Also, it goes without saying that you'll want to avoid anything offensive.
   
   Also, make sure that the statue you choose is the right size for the location. If it's too large, it will overwhelm the space. If it's too small, it won't create an impact. Finally, ensure your statue is made for the outdoors. Otherwise, it won't hold up to the elements and will quickly become an eyesore.

3. Don't Forget About Safety
   When installing a statue in your backyard, safety is always concern, especially if it's large and heavy. It's important to place your statue on level ground and follow any mounting instructions that come with it. The ultimate goal here is to make sure the sculpture is secure and won't lean to one side or topple over. Not only will this likely ruin your statue, but it could also hurt someone.

4. Keep Up With Maintenance
   Your statue shouldn't require much maintenance. However, if you want to clean it, make sure you use a gentle cleaner that won't scratch or damage it. To keep your statue looking great, you'll also want to regularly prune back any nearby plants so they don't create a distraction.

5. Add Some Lighting
   Strategically placed landscape lighting can go a long way towards completing the look of your backyard statue. Not only will this help draw attention to it, but it will also add dimension and create some cool shadow effects.
   
   Adding string lighting above your statue will give it a nice glow and create a peaceful, romantic feel. For a more dramatic effect, illuminate your outdoor statue from the ground. It's also a good idea to make sure any lighting you choose is LED, as this will greatly improve your energy efficiency.

6. Enhance it With Landscaping
   While you don't want to add anything that will take attention away from your statue, you can definitely use landscaping to enhance the area. For example, planting the right types of flowers in the ground below your statue can create a beautiful accent that will actually draw attention to the area.
   
   Be sure to think about the colors you use and whether they add to or detract from the overall look and feel of your statue. And, don't be afraid to experiment. If you don't like the way it looks, you can always plant something different next season.

If the thought of adding a statue to your yard feels intimidating, don't worry! As long as you follow these tips, you'll love the way it looks and will enjoy it for years. Adding art to your yard is fun and exciting, so embrace the experience. Don't be afraid to experiment and have some fun with it.

6 Important Steps to Take When Moving Into Your New Home

By Brentnie Daggett

Moving usually brings up a whole mix of emotions–from excitement and stress to fatigue and fear. Once the moving process is over and you’re officially in your new home, the more optimistic feelings should start to take precedence over the negative ones, but your job isn’t done just yet. Here are a few essential steps you should take in your new home to ensure your safety and start to fully settle in:

Locate the Fuse Box

Finding your home’s circuit breaker box right away means you’ll be able to act quickly in case of a power outage or in an emergency situation, such as an electrical fire. Overloaded outlets, short circuits or even large appliances can blow a fuse or trip a breaker, which are common reasons for you to have to access the fuse box. Usually fuse boxes are located in places like the basement or garage, but sometimes they can be tucked away on the exterior of the home or in a closet. It’s a good idea to store a flashlight nearby in case you need to access the fuse box in the dark.

Find Your Shut-Off Valves

Few things can cause more damage to your home than a water or gas leak. Locate both your water and gas shut-off valves right away and consider showing them to everyone who lives with you as a safety measure. Accidental water damage is one of the most common insurance claims in the United States, plus it's also very expensive. If you’re dealing with something like a burst pipe, you won’t want to waste time looking for the shut-off valve.

Most homes will have a water shut-off valve in the kitchen and near each toilet, while gas shut-off valves are typically located closer to the gas meter. It can also be beneficial to know where the master water shut-off is located for the entire property in case a leak isn’t stopped by the local valve. Don’t hesitate to contact your municipal water or gas provider if you need help locating these shut-off valves.

Test Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarms

Smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors are vital to the safety of you and your family. Not only is it important to locate these tools in your new home, but it is equally important to test out each device to make sure they are functioning properly. If they aren’t working, do what you need to do to get them in working order as soon as possible or purchase new ones.

Create Emergency Plans

It’s not the most exciting part of moving into a new home, but take a moment to identify emergency escape routes and create an emergency plan with your family. Add a lockout plan into the mix–what will you do if you end up locked out of your new house? Consider installing a lockbox or asking a friend or family member who lives close by to hold on to a spare key.

Check Out Your HVAC System

Most heating and cooling systems use a replaceable filter to ensure good airflow and prevent wear and tear. Even if the HVAC system was examined during the home inspection process, it’s a good idea to take a look at the HVAC filter, check for dirt and debris, and see if it's time to swap it out for a new one. Changing the filter will keep the air in your new home healthy and can even keep your electric bill in check since the system won’t be overcompensating due to poor airflow.

Experts recommend changing HVAC filters at least seasonally, or monthly, if you have pets in the home. While you’re inspecting the filter, run both the heating and cooling systems to ensure they operate as intended to avoid a situation where you can’t keep your home at the proper temperature during all seasons.

Get Homeowners Insurance

Homeowners insurance is typically required before you can close on a home, but if you haven’t already secured a policy, do so immediately. Your home is likely the largest investment you'll make in your lifetime,and homeowners insurance adds another layer of protection to your home, your personal property and your liability.

Moving isn’t always easy, but with a little research and planning ahead you can take some of the stress out of the situation. Once you complete these important first steps in your new home, it’s time to move on to the fun part of moving: enjoy your new house and explore your new neighborhood!

Brentnie Daggett is a writer and infographic master for the rental and property management industry. She loves to share tips and tricks to assist landlords and renters alike. To learn more about Daggett, and to discover more great tips for renters, visit www.rentecdirect.com.

11 Reasons Why Your Home Isn't Selling

Editor's Note: This post was originally published on June 1, 2017. It has been updated to reflect current conditions related to the coronavirus. Housecall continues to share this piece due to ongoing requests and reader interest.

By Charles Muotoh

When you first put your house on the market, you might be hopeful for a quick sale—especially if you've put a lot of money into improving the house over the years and if the neighborhood is one that has historically attracted a lot of buyers. While you shouldn't panic if the house doesn't sell the moment you list it, you should begin to worry if the months start flying by without any real offers. If this is the case, here are 11 reasons why your house may not be selling.

1. You overvalued your property. If your house is overpriced, it's simply not going to sell. Compare your property to similar properties that recently sold within your area to get a better idea of its true value. An experienced real estate agent can give you an accurate value of your home. Additionally, don't make the mistake of tacking on the cost of any renovations you made. You can't just assume that the cost of a renovation translates to added value.

2. Your listing is poor. If the listing of your home includes a poorly written description without any images, a lot of buyers are going to skip over it. Make sure you and your REALTOR® put an effort into creating a listing that attracts the attention of buyers. Make sure to add high quality photographs of both the interior and exterior of your home. Don't forget to highlight unique features as well.

3. You're always present at showings.* Let your agent handle your showings. Buyers don't want to have the seller lurking over their shoulder during showings, especially during an open house. This puts unwanted pressure on the buyer, which will make them uncomfortable and likely chase them away.

4. You're too attached. If you refuse to negotiate even a penny off your price, then there's a good chance that you've become too attached to your home. If a part of you doesn't want to sell it, or you think your house is the best house in the world, odds are you're going to have a lot of difficulties coming to an agreement with a potential buyer.

5. You haven't had your home professionally cleaned. A dirty house is going to leave a bad impression on buyers. Make sure you have a professional clean your carpeting and windows before you begin showing your house.

6. You haven't staged your home. If you've already moved out, then don't show an empty house. This makes it difficult for buyers to imagine living in it. Stage your house with furniture and decor to give buyers a better idea of how big every room is and how it can be used. You want the buyer to feel at home when they are taking the tour.

7. You kept up all of your personal décor. Buyers are going to feel uncomfortable touring your house if you keep all of your family portraits up. Take down your personal décor so that buyers can have an easier time imagining themselves living there.

8. Your home improvements are too personalized. You might think that the comic book mural you painted for your child's room is absolutely incredible, but that doesn't mean potential buyers will agree. If your home improvements are too personalized, it can scare off buyers who don't want to pay for features they don't want.

9. Your home is too cluttered. Even if your home is clean, clutter can still be an issue. For example, maybe you simply have too much furniture in one of your rooms. This can make the house feel smaller than it is.

10. Your home is in need of too many repairs. The more repairs that are needed, the less likely a buyer will want your house. Many buyers simply don't want to deal with the cost or effort of doing repair work, even if it's just a bunch of small repairs, such as tightening a handrail or replacing a broken tile.

11. You chose the wrong real estate agent. In my opinion, choosing the right real estate is simply the most important decision you make in selling your home.  A good REALTOR® makes all the difference in selling your home within a reasonable time.

All these things can be fixed once you realize your mistake; however, the longer your property stays on the market, the less likely it will sell at listing price. One of the best ways to avoid making these common mistakes is by working with a professional real estate agent.

Charles Muotoh is the owner of dcrealestateguru.com, a full service real estate firm focused on leveraging digital marketing strategies to serve buyers and sellers of real estate in the Washington D.C. area.

*Due to the current conditions related to the coronavirus, showings may be conducted virtually in your area. Your agent will be able to keep you apprised of local market conditions and policies.