Buying a house can affect the quality of your life in the long run. Aside from the money it costs you, the functionality of the house you choose to buy can also influence your and your family’s comfort. It can be challenging for anyone to enjoy their house if it’s too small for the family or has built-in features that are too expensive to maintain. 

With the number of residential properties available worldwide today, you need to be careful when choosing a home to buy. All of the money you spend on this kind of purchase can possibly go down the drain if you end up buying a property that doesn’t suit your needs or budget.  

To make the home-buying process easier, take note of this expert guide: 

Pay Off All Debt and Establish an Emergency Fund

To avoid financial stress when you’re buying a home, take the time to pay off any and all debts you may have and then build an emergency fund first. Aside from the price of the home itself, keep in mind that you’ll have to pay for regular maintenance and choose from one of the top 10 home warranties. Having any existing debts but no emergency funds will make it very challenging for you to afford any of these.  

Paying off debts is an achievable goal that requires you to create a budget, halt your credit card spending, and prioritize paying off your most expensive debt first. Creating an emergency fund, on the other hand, requires commitment because you have to drastically change your spending habits in order to save more money. You should also set a monthly savings goal to determine your progress.  

Determine How Much You Can Afford 

You may be overwhelmed the moment you decide to scout for residential properties by the many options available to you. Homes come in a wide variety of options today, which means that you can surely find one that suits your preferred theme, lifestyle, and budget. 

Before you head out and look for homes for sale, it’s always best to determine how much you can afford first. Looking at homes without having a set budget will likely cause you to overspend and experience financial stress for years.  

Ideally, the house you’ll buy should have mortgage payments of no more than 25% of your take-home pay every month. For example, if your take-home pay is $5,000 every month, look for homes with mortgage payments that cost $1,250 or less. Moreover, you also have to consider the interest rates of your mortgage, taxes, and insurance when calculating your budget.  

Choose a Lender 

Just as there are many homes available in the real estate market today, do you know that there are also many lenders to choose from? As a homeowner, you should exert time and effort to scout for at least three lenders and compare their services before you decide where to apply for a mortgage.  

One of the first things you should consider when choosing a lender or Cincinnati mortgage broker is the interest rates. A lender that requires a low down payment but has high-interest rates isn’t the best option because you’ll end up spending more in the long run than what you’ve initially expected. Remember, paying for a mortgage is a long-term commitment, which is why you should work with a lender who offers low-interest rates.  

You can easily determine which lender suits your budget by asking for a loan estimate. This document contains information on your loan terms, projected payments, and closing costs, making it easier for you to compare different lenders.  

Additionally, don’t forget to consider the customer service provided by the lender. Applying for a mortgage and making payments every month isn’t always easy, which is why you should choose a lender that makes the process easy and makes you feel comfortable to ask questions. 

Work with a Real Estate Agent 

Buying a home is a long process because aside from choosing the right residential property, you also have to compile several documents before, during, and after the sale. You might also have to negotiate with several homebuyers before you can come up with amenable terms.  

If you want to make the entire process smooth and easy, hire a real estate agent when buying a home. Paying for their services is a cost-effective investment because they can help you find the right home, ask essential questions of home sellers, and prepare all of the necessary documents. Real estate agents also have connections to countless individuals and businesses in the real estate market, and they can give you access to properties that aren’t marketed to the public yet. 

Similar to when you’re choosing a lender, you should also be careful in choosing which real estate agent to hire. Ideally, you should work with a real estate agent with years of experience in helping people find their dream homes and who is knowledgeable regarding the trends of the real estate market of your chosen location. They should also be able to provide a list of references so you can get feedback from their previous clients.  

Start House Hunting 

Once you’ve settled your finances and chose a real estate agent to work with, it’s now time to roll up your sleeves and start house hunting. This is one of the most important and time-consuming phases of the home-buying process, as you’ll have to browse through the listings that your real estate agent sends you. 

For you to easily narrow down your options, it’s best if you list down several factors first before you start looking at homes. It’ll be easier for you to find the perfect home if you know what amenities to look for when choosing.  

It’s vital that you consider the following when house hunting: 

• Location: The location of the house is always an important factor to consider because it affects the day-to-day living of the entire household. Buying a cheap home that requires the family to travel for hours to arrive in their workplaces or schools can eventually result in expenses and stress. When house hunting, choose a home that is located near your place of work or your children’s school. The location should also be accessible to public transportation and has essential establishments, such as hospitals, pharmacies, and groceries nearby.  
• Neighborhood: Because you’ll be spending a lot of time in your home, the kind of neighbors you have will affect your mood for the day. It’ll be tough for you to work from home if your neighbors are noisy and nosy. Don’t forget to inspect the neighborhood of the home you’re eyeing to buy whenever you go house hunting. If you’re going to buy a home for your family, the neighborhood should be family-friendly. To assess the neighborhood, make sure to visit the area at different times of the day and get to know that people who have been living there for years. These will allow you to know the neighborhood better and help you determine whether a specific neighborhood meets your expectations.  
• Crime rates: Buying a house in a location where the crime rate is at an all-time high will prevent you from sleeping soundly at night. Instead of enjoying your new investment, you’ll likely end up being stressed all the time. One of the most important things to consider when house hunting is the criminal activities in the area. You can acquire this information by checking websites online or asking your real estate agent. Checking the prevalence of criminal activities in a specific area should be your priority because buying a house located in a crime-filled neighborhood isn’t worth the investment.  

Make a Competitive Offer 

After finding a home that suits your needs and budget, you’re now ready to make an offer. If this is your first time buying a house, it’s best if you ask help from the real estate agent you’ve hired as they can determine how much you should offer and how you can negotiate terms with the seller. 

During this process, make sure to discuss with the real estate agent that you’re only accepting offers that are within your budget and never beyond. Never accept any compulsive offers made by the seller, as this can only result in buyer’s remorse and lifelong debts.  

Get a Home Inspection 

When you choose to buy a home, expect that you’ll come across sellers who are very good at marketing their properties in an attempt to get buyers. Some sellers have been in the real estate market for years, making it very easy for them to persuade any homebuyers.  

For you to get the best bang for your buck, get a home inspection and avoid merely relying on the statements of the sellers about the condition of the property. This is especially true if you’re planning to buy a residential property that has been in the market for years. A home inspection will help you determine the condition of the property and assess if it needs major repairs or renovations.  

Home inspections should be done by third-party contractors. Any repairs and renovations should also be completed by the seller before closing the deal. If the seller won’t agree to fix any structural problems, consider withdrawing your offer and look for better options. You’ll end up spending more money if you’re going to shoulder any repairs for the home.  

Don’t Rush 

Buying a home will require a lot of your resources—money, time, and effort—which is why you should take time and make careful decisions. Once you’ve decided that you’re going to buy a house, take things slow, search for options, and weigh the pros and cons of different properties. The more careful you are, the easier it’ll be for you to come up with educated decisions.  

Chris Muller

Chris Muller is a professional personal finance writer who has written for some of the largest financial publications in the world. Chris brings a BBA and MBA in Finance, along with a decade of experience in the field, to help break down complex financial topics into easily digestible pieces through his written content in an effort to assist others in better managing their finances. Chris is currently in pursuit of FI/RE, is an aspiring minimalist, loves craft beer, and is a dad two to kids.

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What’s worse than a cold garage? A hot, humid, smelly garage that you can’t bear to stand in. 

Your garage is often neglected when it comes to being heated or cooled, but the more time you spend the more likely you’re going to want to take action. 

1. Paint Your Garage Door White

If your garage door is painted a dark color, the heat is going to be absorbed into your garage more easily. Painting your garage door is one of the cheapest options to instantly cool down your garage during the hottest of summers.

Make sure you paint your garage door properly with high-quality latex exterior house paint. You’re going to want that paint job to last through the years.

2. Insulate Your Garage

Insulating your garage will be your best bet when it comes to heating AND cooling your garage. Before you install any heating or cooling devices, make sure that you get your garage insulated. Insulation will keep the heat in and the cold out.

Insulating your entire garage by yourself isn’t that much of a hassle, you can buy pre-measured fiberglass batts making installation a breeze. I would highly recommend that if you want to heat or cool your garage, you invest in insulation first.

3. Install Proper Ventilation

If you don’t have proper ventilation in your garage, you’re going to run into some problems. Even if you decide on a dirt-cheap option like a floor fan, it’s going to only circulate hot air if the hot air has no way to escape. 

Ventilation is also necessary if you plan to utilize any gas or propane heaters. You’re going to want to ensure that the carbon monoxide has somewhere to go, otherwise you run the risk of a health hazard.

4. The Cheapest Heat is Natural Gas

If you have a natural gas line, look into natural gas heaters. When it comes to heating your garage, the cheapest method is going to be natural gas. The worst choice when it comes to heating your garage would be using a 120v space heater. 

Not all homes have access to natural gas lines, and you can still use a propane heater. Propane is a tad bit pricier than natural gas but still gets the job done well. Make sure you have proper ventilation in your garage if you are using any fuel to heat.

5. Park Your Car Outside 

It sounds silly, but if you’re bringing a hot car into a garage you’re letting all of those hot fumes stew in the garage with no place to go. This will increase the temperature in your garage by quite a bit especially if it’s a one-car garage.

You can park outside for an hour or two while the car cools down outside. You’ll also be able to breathe a bit easier, too!

6. Have a Window? Look into Window AC Units

Window AC units are the best bang for your buck option when it comes to cooling your garage. A fan can only cool you down so much, but window AC units have become great during the last few years of innovation.

The best part is they’re extremely cheap and you won’t need to break the bank to cool down your garage. One drawback is that you may have to cut out a hole to make room for the AC unit, so take that into account before you make any decisions.

7. Avoid Portable ACs

Portable ACs are expensive, big, and clunky. Not to mention if you don’t have a window or any way for the heat to escape, it’ll be nothing more than a piece of junk! You’re better off not wasting your money as they are one of the least efficient ways to heat your garage.

Humidifiers are also not a good idea unless your garage has proper ventilation. A humidifier needs electricity to operate, so while it can reduce the humidity in the garage, it will also expend heat as well. 

8. Install a Ceiling Fan

Did you know that a ceiling fan run in reverse can heat your garage? You’ll enjoy the aesthetic a ceiling fan provides while at the same time getting heating and cooling in your garage. It’s dirt cheap to run as ceiling fans don’t use that much electricity.

Make sure to keep the speed on low if it’s in reverse so it doesn’t create a wind chill effect. 

9. Double-Check Before Installing Wood or Pellet Stoves

Wood and pellet stoves are some of the cheapest options to heat a garage. The issue is that in many parts of the USA, it’s illegal to do so. The fact of the matter is that you run a dual risk of smoke buildup and improper ventilation resulting in a hazard.

To make sure if it’s legal to install a wood or pellet stove in your city, call your local municipality and insurance to get the go-ahead to warm up your garage in style.

10. Invest in a Mini-Split System

Mini-Splits are by far the best option to heat AND cool down your garage. The biggest drawback though is the price, you’re looking to spend quite a pretty penny to buy the unit itself and then getting the professional installation done. 

It’s an investment, though. By adding a mini-split unit, you’re increasing the livable square feet of your house, which in turn, increases the cost of your house. It’s going to be the best option if you spend a ton of time in the house and from an investment point of view, it’s hard to beat.

Conclusion

You’ve learned a lot about how to heat a garage and cool one down. The rest is up to you. For some, a simple floor fan will do. For others, you’re going to want to spend the extra cash and pick up a mini-split system since you spend a ton of time in the garage.

If you only take away one thing from this entire article, make sure to get your garage insulated before spending any money on heating or cooling devices. It’ll pay itself back in dividends. 

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If you have noticed water leaks in your basement, the worst thing you can do is just ignore the issue and let it get resolved on its own. I’ve got some news for you here. It will most definitely not get resolved all on its own, so don’t even dream about that. What’s more, this is certainly not an issue that should be ignored, because it might cause some issues to your whole house.

So, since you cannot ignore it, what is it that you should actually do when you notice basement water leaks? Well, that’s exactly what we are here to find out. But, before we get to the solutions, we will need to take a look at what it is that might be causing those leaks. After all, it’s not like you can solve a problem without knowing what it is caused by.

Causes

The first thing you should understand is that there are quite a few different methods through which water can find its way to your basement. Unsurprisingly, you have to get to the root of the problem in order to figure out how to actually solve it. This means that you first need to check how the leaks occurred before trying to get rid of them and prevent them from appearing in the future.

As I said, there can be numerous different reasons why those leaks appeared. For example, if your basement has windows, you should check the seal around the frame to see if there are any holes, cracks, or rotten wood sections. If you find some of those issues, you can rest assured that they will cause leaking problems, which is why you might want to think about replacing the whole window frame.

In addition to that, you should inspect this area for any holes and cracks in the walls, as well as the floors. Keep in mind, though, that if the foundation is severely cracked, you should contact a professional and let them solve the problem because you might not have the right skills or the right equipment to do what it takes. That would probably be it for the interior of your basement.

Here are some more causes you might want to know about https://www.thespruce.com/easy-outside-repairs-for-wet-basement-1824711

Yet, the interior is just part of the picture. Your basement also has an exterior and it can definitely be the cause of your problems. So, before going any further and before concluding that you have found the root of the problem on the inside of this area of your home, you should go outside and check the exterior of your home.

While doing this, make sure to check for all the water sources that might be causing the leaks. For example, the downspouts might be pointing towards the foundation and that’s definitely something that you should change. Additionally, you should check if the gutters are properly cleaned, because debris might be the cause of improper water runoff.

Those are pretty much all of the causes that you might be able to detect on your own, but this doesn’t mean that professionals might not find some different issues as well. This basically means that you should talk to experts the moment you notice basement water leaks because then you’ll have the highest chances of actually resolving the problem. Speaking of that, let us check out a few of the solutions.

Solutions

As I have already explained, different causes require different solutions. So, after determining the cause, you should proceed to doing what it takes in order to fix that particular problem. For example, if the windows are to blame, you should replace the frames. If cracks in the walls are the issue, then you need to patch them up and the same goes for cracks in the floors. Go here to learn about some more solutions.

Yet, have you ever wondered if there might be a more permanent, long-term solution that will not only get rid of those leaks that you are currently seeing in your basement, but that will also prevent new ones from appearing? I’m thinking of a one-time solution for all the problems that might lead to water leaks in your basement. Have you ever wondered if such a thing exists?

While I cannot know your answer to that question, here’s what I definitely do know. Such a thing definitely exists and it is called basement waterproofing. So, if you are tired of trying to determine the source of the leaks every now and then and if you can no longer stand the idea of fixing one issue only to wait for another to appear, this is what you should do. Contact waterproofing professionals in your area and let them solve all the problems once and for all.

These experts have their own methods of ensuring that you don’t have any more leakage issues in the future. All you have to do is make sure that you are choosing the right professional since there are probably a lot of companies in your area offering these services.

My advice is not to rush into this decision until you have done your research properly and figured out how qualified and experienced certain experts are. In addition to that, you should also check how reputable they are in your area because you certainly don’t want to end up working with unreliable companies.

Keep reading:-

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• 5 Tips for Transforming Your Basement into the Ultimate Living Space
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Turning your backyard into a relaxing space using outdoor furniture is a worthwhile investment. Having this space in your property will increase your living area and boost the value of your home. Spending time in your backyard is also a great way to relieve stress and relax.

Pieces of outdoor furniture are being sold in countless stores today, allowing you to enjoy a vast variety of choices. But, aside from investing in high-quality outdoor furniture, you should also pay attention to how these pieces are styled in your backyard. Even the most stylish and expensive outdoor furniture will look like an eyesore when not utilized properly.

For you to fully utilize your backyard, follow these tips when styling the area with outdoor furniture:

Invest In A Statement Piece

Seeing seats and tables is common in backyards. Regardless of how homeowners use their backyards, these pieces are always essential. Instead of following the same trend, it’s best if you invest in a statement piece that can become the focal point of your backyard.

As mentioned, outdoor furniture comes in a wide variety today, so you won’t have any problems buying a statement piece that suits your property’s unique style and theme. Some of the best outdoor furniture you can use as a statement piece for your backyard is the Adirondack glider chairs or porch swings withstand. Colorful PVC cord chairs and modern outdoor sofas are also great options.

Optimize Your Available Space

For you to effectively style your backyard with outdoor furniture, you need to choose pieces that are suitable to your available set. For instance, buying an expensive outdoor sofa will be useless if it doesn’t fit your backyard or if it makes the area too cramped.

No matter how big or small your backyard is, you should strive to make optimal use of the area. If you have a small backyard, you can invest in a modular outdoor sofa as this bends at an angle and gives the illusion of having more outdoor space. You can also use stackable chairs if you have a small backyard so you can easily stack and store them when not in use.

Conversely, if you have a spacious backyard, you can choose to make an outdoor living room in your backyard, complete with sitting areas, a fireplace, a dining room, and an outdoor kitchen.

Consider The Appearance Of The Furniture

How your outdoor furniture looks can significantly affect the appearance and ambiance of your home. Sure, every outdoor furniture you can buy today is functional, but you should also think about how these pieces will look once placed in your backyard.

When styling your backyard with outdoor furniture, choose pieces that blend well with your home’s interior design. This will make your backyard feel ‘connected’ to your interiors and allow your entire property to look cohesive.

If you use nude shades, such as cream and off-white, on your home’s interiors, consider investing in outdoor furniture that also comes in the same colors. If your home follows a Scandinavian theme, look for outdoor furniture that has minimalistic designs, like seating furniture made from wood, coupled with charcoal cushions. For retro-themed homes, try adding colorful pieces of metal chairs to your backyard.

Mix And Match Outdoor Furniture

Outdoor furniture sold in sets is very common today. These sets are usually composed of seats and a table made from the same material and color. And, while buying these sets is an easy solution to make your backyard functional again, these can create monotony in your outdoor space. This is especially true if you choose outdoor furniture made with the same materials as your outdoor décor.

If you want to style your backyard in the most unique way, mix and match different pieces of outdoor furniture. Instead of buying furniture sets, choose pieces that are made from different fabrics and materials. You can start by investing in brightly colored chairs with printed umbrellas or fill your backyard with chairs made from hardwood, metal, and rattan.

Prioritize Comfort

All of the efforts you’ll put into styling your backyard with outdoor furniture will be useless if the pieces aren’t comfortable. How can you enjoy your backyard if the seats feel too painful when used for long periods?  Do you think you’ll have the interest to invite friends over if your outdoor furniture doesn’t provide comfort?

Aside from making sure that the outdoor furniture you’ll buy for your backyard matches your interiors, don’t forget about comfort as well. In fact, you should prioritize comfort whenever you’re shopping for outdoor furniture.

Making sure that your outdoor furniture provides comfort will allow you and all of your friends to enjoy the space better. A comfortable outdoor sofa with fluffy throw pillows will surely entice anyone to spend more time in the backyard!

Don’t Neglect Material and Quality

When choosing outdoor furniture, make sure not to miss checking the quality. Remember that your outdoor furniture tables and chairs have a higher risk of damage because of ultraviolet (UV) rays, cold, and extreme weather changes. But what makes a piece of outdoor furniture high quality?

An excellent-quality furniture piece can withstand harsh climates and weather conditions, such as rattan furniture. Rattan furniture has superior durability. It can sit under the sun without damage and handle the cold in a sunroom during winter. Rattan furniture pieces are hand-woven by local master artisans, and some rattan furniture makers use nails to secure the material (dried fibrous climbing vine) in place.

Metal is also a strong and durable material for outdoor furniture. This material has exceptional strength, and the metallic frames can be shaped to create more complex designs, which gives furniture makers greater style flexibility.

If you’re on a tight budget, then opt for outdoor furniture tables and chairs made of synthetic resin like high-quality PVC plastic. Synthetic resin wicker is lightweight and easy to clean. Plastic furniture pieces are all-weather. You can leave them out in the sun, rain, and snow, unlike wood which needs to be kept inside the home during winter.

Stay Creative

Contrary to popular belief, styling your backyard with outdoor furniture doesn’t require years of experience or thousands of dollars. Along with your creativity, following the tips in this article will ensure that you’ll end up with one of the most stylish backyards in your neighborhood!

Discover more:-

• How to Transform Your Backyard
• 5 Ways to Revamp Your Backyard: A Simple Guide

Various areas of your home play different roles in your comfort and lifestyle. Your living room is the shared space where you can spend precious time with your family, pets, and guests. The cleanliness, maintenance, and interior design of your living space can say a lot about you. Since your common area will be of frequent use, investing your time, effort, and money in enhancing it can be worthwhile.

You don’t have to spend on a large-scale home improvement project to beautify your living room. Whether your living room is lifeless or inconvenient, you can redefine your space with the addition of these items:

1. Bean Bags

Keeping elegant, well-furnished chairs and couches in your living room can be a great idea to provide seating to your family members. But if you’re looking for a seating option other than sofas and chairs, you can consider using bean bags for numerous reasons. Bean bags are versatile and practical seating options that will work well in any room, including your living space.

Bean bags come in various shapes and sizes. Aside from the donut-shaped classic bean bag, other bean bag chairs can be square, round, body-shaped, and reclining. There are even gaming bean bags. To ensure utmost comfort while sitting on a bean bag, find a suitable size for those who regularly use it.

However, take note that it’s difficult to get up from sitting on a bean bag, so pregnant women and people with mobility issues will find them inconvenient. They’re also less durable with constant use as they flatten and wear over time. If you’re planning to use them frequently, make sure to prepare for replacements.

2. Wall-Mounted Shelves

Shelves are a timeless furniture staple that almost every house has. While they’re a tried-and-tested feature that contributes to your home’s design and functionality, it’s tricky to get wall-mounted shelves right. With the wrong choice of material and styling approach, your shelves will highly affect the entire appeal of the living space.

Instead of adding built-in shelves that will take up floor space, wall-mounted and hanging shelves are better alternatives that serve a similar purpose. They’re also customizable and can complement your interior design.

Here are some ideas when incorporating wall-mounted shelves into your common space:

• Store your books and succulents
• Display novelty item collections, but be careful not to place them too low
• Don’t limit yourself by adding pops of color
• Showcase your family memorabilia and children’s artwork

3. Succulents 

Have you always wanted to nurture your own plants but don’t have the time and energy to take care of them regularly? This is what succulents are for, and you can readily find them everywhere.

Essentially, succulents are plants that possess fleshy leaves and stems for water storage. Since they can hold large amounts of water themselves, they can manage independently, thus requiring minimal care and maintenance from their owners.

Because of succulents’ intriguing sizes, shapes, textures, colors, and overall striking appeal, they’re trendy home decorations that the young and old both enjoy. You can be creative in using your succulents as accents to your living space in the following ways:

• Place them on your wall-mounted shelves
• Use them as your coffee table centerpiece
• Decorate your window sill
• Hang them on hanging planters

4. Area Rug

Hardwood floors can be challenging to work with, especially if you have children, pets, and relatives with mobility issues in the house. In terms of your living room’s interior design, you can boost your flooring’s appeal by adding another modern designer’s favorite known as area rugs.

An apparent reason why many homeowners use area rugs is for their exquisite appeal, but did you know that you can reap other benefits from having one in your living space? It’s significantly quieter to walk and move around spaces dressed with an area rug instead of bare hardwood flooring.

Moreover, the delicate fabric in area rugs provides the utmost comfort to walk and sit on. However, keep in mind that you should choose a high-quality area rug made of the right material that doesn’t feel cheap. The area rug’s size and placement are the two most important factors to consider when adding one to your living room.

5. Scented Candles 

Your living space is typically the first room to welcome occupants upon entering the home. Lighting up a few scented candles during your stay in the living room can freshen up the air quality and ambiance of the space. Your scent of choice also heavily impacts your mood and focus.

But do take note that scenting your room is more than lighting up scented candles. Check out the following tips when using scented candles in your living room or any other areas of your home:

• Light a 180- to 220-gram candle for every 10 square meters of space. If your living room has vast space, three to four candles are ideal for keeping the smell consistent.
• Trim the wick to 0.5 to 0.6 centimeters before lighting them. If you light a candle with a long wick, it will generate heavy smoke and an unpleasant burning smell.
• As much as possible, use a candle snuffer to put out the candle. The snuffer inhibits oxygen supply to the flame, preventing the burning smell and smoke.

If you have pets at home, make sure to buy candles made from natural ingredients like blue corn, beeswax, and soy, without any artificial fragrances. You can also use flameless candles to prevent smoke that may irritate your furry friend’s respiratory system.

6. Pillows and Throw Blankets

Movie nights are excellent ways to spend time with your family in the living room. It’s even more exciting and relaxing to have pillows and throw blankets that can make your movie-viewing experience even better.

Adding pillows and throw blankets can accentuate your common space by incorporating color, texture, and warmth into your furnishings. Pillows and throws make a good pair, especially if you have various sizes and designs to play with. You’re not limited to using these items as decoration for your sofa, as they also work well with chairs, stools, and baskets.

7. Robot Vacuum Cleaner

When looking for items to include in your living space, you don’t need to splurge too much on accents and decorations. Instead, you can look for devices that can make your life more convenient and functional—like robot vacuums.

Much like traditional vacuum cleaners, robot vacuums aid in hardwood, carpet, and tile floor cleaning. However, these are autonomous devices, meaning they work on their own and require very little assistance.

Since robot vacuums cleaner possess more complex technology than ordinary vacuum cleaners, purchasing the best ones in the market can be too expensive for some homeowners. Before looking for any robot vacuums in the market, weigh the pros and cons of using one according to your lifestyle and living room setup.

8. Air Purifier

Investing in meaningful items for your health should also be your priority. As reported by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), your indoor air quality can be five times worse than the air quality outside your home. A large contributor to indoor air pollution can be attributed to lower air circulation and indoor pollutants.

Regardless of your health or condition or that of your housemates’, everyone can benefit from an air purifier. An air purifier is essentially an appliance created to filter pollutants and impurities from your indoor air and freshen up the stale air.

Since your common space will regularly house your family members, pets, and guests, you’ll need a strategic location to place your air purifier. Take a look at these science-backed advantages of using an air purifier in your living space:

• Relieves symptoms of asthma.
• Neutralize unpleasant odors from aerosol sprays, air fresheners, paints, and upholstery.
• Enhance sleep quality if one of your family members likes to nap and sleep in the living room.
• Eliminate harmful chemicals like carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide, especially if your residence is surrounded by high vehicle traffic.

9. Smart Electrical Plugs

Nothing gives homeowners peace of mind better than having a safe home. Since you can’t predict potential disasters and accidents inside your home, your best bet is to eliminate safety hazards. While electrical safety is deemed crucial in every household, you’ll never realize its utmost importance until you’re exposed to safety threats and inconvenience.

To manage your electrical appliances and devices better, it’s worth considering investing in smart plugs that bridge the gap between your electrical sockets and devices. Before directly plugging your appliances and devices in, you can attach them first to a smart plug.

Using a smart plug enables users to have more control, wherein you can set on and off schedules, manage plugged-in devices from anywhere, and control them with voice commands. To drive the point home, here are more reasons why you should add smart plugs into your daily life:

• You can regulate your children’s TV and gaming console time.
• Prevent the overcharging of your mobile devices.
• Deter burglars from entering your home by controlling your devices to show signs of activity, like turning your lights or TV on.
• Control devices in other rooms if you’re busy spending time with your family in the living room.

Key Takeaways

There’s no limit to adding new items to your living space as long as these purchases play an essential role in your daily life. Nevertheless, watch out for any unnecessary additions to your home that’ll only be worn and torn through time without contributing anything significant to your life.

With that in mind, the items discussed in this article are only some of the great things you can incorporate in your common room. Make sure to decide carefully before making any of these purchases and, most importantly, conduct regular cleaning and maintenance of these items for their optimal performance and longer life.

Find out more:

• Home Improvement Ideas You Must Try
• Farmhouse Living Room Ideas: 20 Modern Designs for Your Home