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Finding the Right Real Estate Agency When Buying Your Home

Working with a real estate agency to find a home is a common way for buyers to choose the best property for investment. Any agency will usually bend over backwards to make a sale. Finding a real estate agency more interested in selling you the ‘perfect property’ than ‘any property’ is difficult – there are a lot of things that separate a quality agency from the rest.

Don’t just pick whatever name you come across first: take time to choose a real estate agency that is going to work hard for you.

First ask around! Find out from people you know who they found their property through, who the agent was and their experience with them. Referrals are the best way of discerning differences between your local real estate agencies. Alternatively, if you don’t have a lot of people in your social circle with first-hand knowledge, you should take a look online to see if there are any reviews of the agencies you are looking at working with.

Ask to speak to the top selling agents for your area and take note of whose name appears on the local ‘For Sale’ signs in the places you are looking to buy. You want to work with an agency that brokers a lot of properties and a knowledgeable, well connected agent in the area you are looking to buy in.

Make a list of agent names from different agencies and arrange to meet them in person. It is good to have an idea of who you are going to be working with and what the agency they represent can provide that others don’t.

As a buyer, you need to look at as many investment opportunities as possible. Working with larger agencies that have a better reputation will give you access to the latest listings from larger number of sellers. Companies who advertise and market the best through real estate guides, local papers and the Internet attract more listings. Experience isn’t just important for sellers. One of the big differences between a new agent at a small agency and a veteran working at a larger company is contacts. A more experienced agent will know more people, give better advice and have a better understanding of the market you wish to buy in. With more listings that they can show you, you’re sure to get a better investment.

Compared to the small, local companies, a franchised agency can offer additional services beneficial to buyers. Along with Realtors, some agencies have mortgage brokers and investment specialists on staff who can give you direction and help you get better deals and a better return.

The agency you choose to work with has a huge influence on the property you find and the price you pay. It’s crucial you take the time to find the best realtor suited to you – property investments are substantial and any losses can be very damaging. Research your options and choose as best you can.

 

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Bedroom Sets for One of the Most Important Rooms in a Home

It’s not a surprise that a person would want to buy just the right bedroom set that expresses their personality and that sets the mood that they’d like to create in their bedrooms. The right set can help to accomplish this.

The right set does a lot to create atmosphere, and to express personality. However, the sets that will be bought for each bedroom will depend on whose room is getting the furniture set. Here’s a list of the bedrooms, and what type of bedroom sets they might get.

Master Bedroom: The master bedroom will probably be the most elaborate, because it is the largest bedroom, and it will have more space to play with. This is where a couple or the single owner of the home sleeps. They will want to have sets that express themselves such as grand dresser drawers, a queen to king sized bed, and possibly a chaise or a lounge chair.

Kids Bedroom: The kid’s furniture will complement the fun that the children like, and the age group of the child. Toddlers and young children will have smaller scale sets, in the newer toddler sized and twin sized beds. When you are choosing a child’s furniture set, you will pick one out according to the gender more than likely. There are many sets for children that are either frilly and feminine or that boys would like, such as cars and boats. Keep in mind that if you’d like to buy gender neutral bedroom sets, there are many on the market for those needs.

Guest Bedroom: The guest bedroom might not get used much, but it still deserves nice bedroom sets, and a nice overall treatment. When it comes to the furniture set, you’ll want to simply get a bed in the full to queen size at the most. If you know that you tend to get multiple guest staying at once, then you could even buy a couple of twin sized beds. All a guest bedroom needs in the way of sets, are the beds, a simple dresser drawer or two, and possibly a nightstand, or a small lamp table. There are so many tempting choices for bedroom sets. You could go with elegance, romantic and Victorian, or you could go with a very modern look.

 

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Turn Your New Apartment Into a New Home

How long has it been since you purchased your apartment off-the-plan? Slowly watch it rise into the sky. Excitedly taken family and friends along to the building site, as the construction takes form. Counted 6 floors up, and 3 balconies over, pretty sure that that space was going to be your future home.

And today, you’ve finally been given the keys to your new apartment, and when you step inside it feels like a hotel suite.

Now for some of you, that may be the exact look and feel you have been waiting for. A brand new, neutral palate, warm-in-winter, cool-in-summer, apartment that makes you feel like you are on holiday every day of the year.

For others, it is a blank canvas waiting to become your own. But where do you start?

Here are 5 simple ways for you to bring character and individuality to your new apartment and really make it your home.

1) First of all, every room needs a feature. Look at your current items, furniture, lamps, art work, mirrors. It needs to catch your eye. You may decide to freshen up an old piece of furniture, give it a paint job or new fabric. Allocate one feature item per room. And, if you don’t yet have a suitable item, see ideas 4 & 5 for an inexpensive solution.

2) Remove the generic, hotel room look in the kitchen by replacing the standard fittings such as drawer and cupboard handles. Fresh flowers always create a homely feel, but you can take it one step further with idea number 3.

3) Balcony kitchen gardens are becoming more and more popular as urban dwellers choose to produce fresh produce without the hassle of a full garden to upkeep. Depending on the space available for you, you can easily maintain a herb garden, and planter boxes that provide you with fresh greens and tomatoes.

4) Light fittings can be an easy way to also add character to your new home. Modern, art deco, antique looks can all be achieved by simply changing the light fittings. If however, your new apartment is kitted out with popular down lights, remember you can always add character by using a feature lamp (floor or table) instead.

5) Finally, the easiest and quickest way to achieve a dramatic impact and really stamp who you are on your new home is the application of paint and/or wallpaper. Wallpaper can add character without needing to change anything else in the room. Wallpaper all walls, or just one feature wall. You can do the same with paint. Not only are there are many color shades these days (you can color match to anything, just ask your paint supplier) but different effects and textures too.

I love moving in to a new home, especially something where I am the first inhabitant. It is exciting. My final bit of advice is to not play it safe, be experimental and infuse it with your own essence.

If you are still at the building stage, then begin to create a “look” board or collage. Home decor magazines are great for inspiration, but also remember to take inspiration from your current treasures and favorite furniture pieces.