1. Home
  2. Blog
  3. category

Blog

<<< back to article list

LIFESTYLE SERIES: Home Resolutions for the New Year

Blog by Doriana Zohil-Morton, Broker of Record/Owner | January 6th, 2020

Ever made personal New Year Resolutions? Well how about resolutions for your home? Read on to see how you can improve your home’s flow while also adding value to your property for the Toronto real estate market.

Declutter
You don’t need to go full Marie Kondo here. But as it is quite likely you acquired new items over the holiday season, now is the ideal time to remove some old items. A good rule of thumb to follow is as one new item enters, and old item must go. Take a good look at your closet and if you find you haven’t worn the item in a year, it might be time to consider donating it. Clean out that junk drawer (we all have at least one). If you have children, have them go through their toys and find some to donate. Tackle one room at a time. Making more room and organizing what you have will help your home feel more calm and relaxing.

Refresh
Sometimes all your home needs is a quick refresh to give the home a new look. Change out some artwork or throw pillows, or perhaps roll on a fresh coat of paint to bring new life to your home. Rearrange some furniture to change the look in a room and improve flow. With a little bit of effort and a small amount of money, you can achieve a whole new look.

Improve System Efficiencies
Home systems really are vital to your home’s value. Toronto real estate buyers want efficient central air and central heating. Keeping a home’s overall temperature controlled is critical to not only being comfortable, but also ensuring monthly expenses stay low. Spending money on comfort generally brings return on your investment. A big bonus is that it also helps reduce your carbon footprint while saving you money on your monthly expenses.

Perform Safety Checks
We often hear reminders around daylight savings to check the batteries in your smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors. If you didn’t get around to it before, do that now. Change the filter in your furnace. Dryers are also an area to check out, as there is more than one lint collector. While you clean out the one inside your dryer with each load, there is a long path the exhaust takes, where lint can accumulate. Most condos and homes have a secondary filter that needs cleaning. Really, this should be done on a regular basis as it’s a real safety issue (lint is highly combustible). Even go outside and check the exhaust pipe to ensure it’s not covered in lint or blocked by snow. Keeping control of lint buildups not only prevents fires, but it also makes your dryer more efficient, which saves you money on your hydro bill. Bonus!

Repairs
The New Year brings renewed energy. Use that energy to dive right into fixing areas of the home you have put off until now. The winter months are ideal for making repairs indoors, especially if you are handy and able to do them on your own. Bottom line – it will give you a sense of satisfaction to complete, while also increasing the value of your home.


Interested in buying real estate in Toronto & the GTA, or perhaps investing in Toronto real estate? First time home buyer? Moving to Toronto? Are you part of a Toronto relocation with your employer? We can help you with all relocation services in Toronto, from finding a new home, temporary accommodations in the meantime, destination services, settling in services, move management, and so much more. So many steps of the move can be handled in advance, so when you arrive we can get you settled much faster. When moving to Toronto, we can help with all aspects of the relocation.

We’d love to hear from you, so call us today to book your complimentary private consultation.


Once you are all settled into your new home, let us help you with a relaxing Caribbean get-away with a private luxury villa rental in St Martin/ St Maarten, St Barth’s or Anguilla. Caribbean villa rentals are a cost-effective way to travel. Ask us how!