For 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 compliment 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 the 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.

Ever 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 simple with 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!

When you own your home, things are going to break and, unless you want to spend your money

on visits from a neighborhood handyman, you’re going to need to fix them yourself. Luckily, you

don’t need an arsenal of tools to handle most home maintenance fixes. These five tools will cover

most of your basic projects.

1. Cordless drill. A cordless drill is a must-have for installing cabinets, drawer pulls, hinges,
2. picture frames, shelves and hooks, and more. Whether it’s for do-it-yourself projects or repairs,
3. you’ll use your cordless drill just about every month.
4. Drain cleaners. Shower and bathroom sink drains are susceptible to clogs because of the daily
5. buildup of hair and whisker clippings. You can use chemical clog removers like Drano, but
6. they’re expensive and the lingering chemical scent is unpleasant. Instead, buy some plastic
7. drain cleaners that can reach into the drain to pull out the clog of hair and gunk. You can
8. purchase them on Amazon or at a local hardware store for a low price.
9. Shop-vac. No matter how careful you are, spills and accidents will happen and there are some
10. tasks that just can’t be handled with paper towels or a standard vacuum, like pet messes or
11. broken glass.
12. Loppers. Even the minimum amount of care for your landscaping will require some loppers
13. to remove damaged branches, vines, thick weeds, and any other unruly plants in your yard.
14. Flashlight. You’re going to want something a little more powerful than your iPhone flashlight
15. when you’re in the crawlspace!

Unfortunately, our homes don’t always grow with us. What may have initially worked fine for a single

person, a young couple’s starter home, or a family with a newborn can quickly become too small as

families expand and multiple generations live under one roof.

Remodeling and adding to your home is one option for creating more space, but it can be costly, and the

size of your property may be prohibitive. That’s when moving to a bigger home becomes the best

solution.

WHERE DO YOU NEED MORE SPACE?

The first thought when up sizing your home is to simply consider square footage, bedrooms, and

bathrooms. But it’s important to take a more critical approach to how your space will actually be

used. If you have younger children (or possibly more on the way), then focusing on bedrooms and

bathrooms makes sense. But if your children are closer to heading off to college or starting their own

families, it may be better to prioritize group spaces like the kitchen, dining room, living room, and

outdoor space—it’ll pay off during the holidays or summer vacations, when everyone is coming to

visit for big gatherings.

MOVING OUTWARD

If you need more space, but don’t necessarily want a more expensive home, you can probably get

a lot more house for your money if you move a little further from a city center. While the walk ability

and short commutes of a dense neighborhood or condo are hard to leave beyond, your lifestyle—and

preferences for hosting Thanksgiving, barbecues, and birthdays—might mean that a spacious home

in the suburbs makes the most sense. It’s your best option for up sizing while avoiding a heftier price tag.

When you’re getting ready to list your home, it’s of the upmost importance to ensure you are showing it

in the best light. Taking time to highlight its strengths and fix up some of its possible weaknesses can

make a big difference in how fast it sells. Here are our top four recommended repairs to make before

selling your home.

Repaint walls.

Giving your home a fresh coat of paint is one of the most cost-effective ways to spruce it up, and

generally, it can be a do-it-yourself project. Make sure cover any walls with scratches and chips and

consider updating any accent walls with a more neutral coat.

Repair floors.

Hardwood floors are a very desirable feature in a home, so you want to ensure they look their best

by fixing scratches or dull areas. If your carpet is worn or stained, consider replacing them. And don’t

forget the tile in your kitchen or bathrooms. Re-grouting can go a long way in making dingy tile work

look brand new!

Refresh the landscaping.

Show buyers your home is the full package by dressing up the outside as well as the in. Clean walkways

and driveways, plant seasonal flowers and plants, trim hedges and trees, install outdoor décor pieces

and fill in mulch and gravel.

Fix your fixtures.

Leaky faucet? Rusted drains? Loose drawer handle? Making these small fixes can make a big difference

to potential buyers with detailed-orientated minds. Improve your kitchen. An outdated kitchen can be a

real eyesore in a home. Updating cabinetry, repairing or replacing counter tops, and installing new

faucets and sinks may be worth the investment

COMING SOON TO SURPRISE, AZ!

With an upgraded stone elevation and landscaped front and backyards there is nothing you need to do! Warm maple cabinets with a soft cherry stain and black appliances in the kitchen that is open to the family room. Huge master bedroom with large walk in closet plus an extra built in closet, large master bath with garden tub, double sinks and a vanity. Gorgeous carpet in perfect condition throughout, very nice security screen door on front door, 2'' wood blinds, ceiling fans, washer and dryer, and an extended patio with extra poured concrete. Garage has epoxy floors. Home is located right around the corner from new shopping and top rated charter schools.

Finding a home in Arizona can be quite challenging when the inventory is so low. With interest rates at historically low levels many Buyers are ready to make a move. At this point in time many Sellers are receiving 10 offers within days of putting their home on the market. There are some things a Buyer can do to improve the chance of being the winning offer.

• Get Pre-qualified, a Seller will not even look at an offer from someone that does not have Lender Approval.
• Plan on offering more than the list price.
• Ask your agent to put in an escalation clause up to your comfort level.
• Submit a letter with your offer explaining why you love the Seller's home and a little about yourself/family.
• Make sure you have a Realtor that is well respected in the community of Realtors. (Yes this makes a difference.)
• Don't ask for closing costs.
• Don't send in a contingent offer - sell your home before making a purchase if you need the money from the sale to make a solid offer.
• Ask your Realtor about new home builds. Most Realtors know of spec homes that the Builder has.

Some of the suggestions above are just not possible for some Buyers. If you are one of those Buyers, strategize with your Realtor on the best way to make your offer stand out in spite of some of the above concerns. 

Whatever you do, make sure your Realtor has you set up on a search so you can see the homes as soon as they become listed on the market and rush to see the homes as quickly as possible.  Also remember, this kind of market will not last forever so don't get discouraged. At some point it will be a Buyer's market again and much easier to get your Dream Home.

The number of homes that went under contract the week ending July 18th, 2020 surpassed the numbers for the previous week, and pending sales increased almost 11% week over week, according to Zillow's Weekly Market Report. However, pending sales are still 2.4 percent down from the previous month. 

Properties are leaving the market quickly (many within just 15 days), and new listings remain scarce. New listings are down about 15% year over year. As a result of all this, there are 25.5 percent fewer homes on the market now than the same time last year. 

Sources for this information are Zillow and Inman News.