There are so many places to choose from when deciding where to take your next vacation. Are you looking for something different from the typical destination spot? Maybe you should consider checking out the accommodations around Beavers Bend State Park in Oklahoma. The area has numerous activities on water and land, plus an array of beaver bend lodging choices. You can stay in a secluded cabin tucked away in the forest while still enjoying the comforts of home, including HD TV’s, hot tubs, fully equipped kitchens and more.

Activities in the Area

Taking in the breathtaking surroundings is entertainment enough, however, if you’re looking for some more activities there are plenty of things to do around Beavers Bend State Park. If you fancy spending a day with your favorite golf clubs, you can visit the highly-rated eighteen-hole, par seventy-two course. If you’re not interested in a serious game of golf, there is a mini-course you may enjoy instead. Tennis courts are also available for those who want a more intense activity to start the day. Of course, you may decide to take advantage of all three.

[Photo courtesy of Pixabay/pexels.com]

The Sights You’ll See

If you’ve got an explorer’s soul, there are extensive trails to traverse in the park for hikers of every skill level. Perhaps spending the day at Broken Bow Lake is the type of adventure that interests you. Boats, jet skis, paddle boats, kayaks and canoes are all available to rent. You can even take a ride through the area on horseback or by miniature train. Fly fishing for trout on the Lower Mountain Fork River may be your chosen method of relaxation. If you prefer bass or catfish, you can try fishing on the lake. All these experiences come with a wilderness view.

Lodging Options

[Photo courtesy of Pixabay/pexels.com]

Arranging lodging is sometimes the hardest part of any vacation, but it doesn’t have to be at Beavers Bend. There are several options for accommodations. From lodges and cabins to houseboats and campgrounds, you can find whatever works best for your needs. If you want a night off from kitchen duty, there are plenty of fabulous restaurants within 10 miles of the park.

Take in the sights. Connect with nature. Look into Beavers Bend. Experience a vacation you can enjoy with the whole family, your significant other, a group of girlfriends or hunting buddies or your co-workers. You can make new memories in Beaver’s Bend or even start a new tradition.

You spend a third of your life sleeping, and even more than that physically in your bedroom. While many of us keep a desk in our bedrooms for space-saving reasons, it’s still best to keep your bedroom as comfortable and tranquil as possible, so that it can help you get a healthy, rejuvenating night’s sleep.  Many people ignore the colours of their walls, perceiving them as permanent or hard to change, whilst some people aren’t allowed to because of their contracts with landlords.  However, the colours of your walls can play a vital role in the atmosphere your room provides and the resulting level of rest you can obtain in it.

Imagine if the walls of your room were painted bright red.  You would probably have a hard time falling asleep, knowing such a shocking colour was waiting to assault your opening eyes.  While neutral colours won’t have the same effect as bright red, they don’t help calm you like some other colour combinations can.  Read on to see how these different colour combinations can create a tranquil yet modern atmosphere, providing you with the best night’s sleep you can get.

Browns and Greens – Deep Forest Relaxation

Imagine chocolate brown walls, cream-coloured trim, and emerald-green accent furniture. Sounds bold, but people often feel most comfortable in nature, and using browns and greens to mimic nature’s most common colour combination is one way to bring the wild inside.  Line the windowsill with plants and put a ficus tree in the opposite corner, and voila, your bedroom has been transformed from a drab cube to a tranquil, natural sanctuary, where even the most unsettled mind can enjoy deep rest.

[Photo courtesy of bottlein/pixabay.com]

Light Blues and Pastel Greens – Ocean Breeze Tranquillity

Some people may not want bold colours like chocolate brown and emerald green, but that doesn’t mean nature doesn’t have a palette to fit.  While not everyone has a sea-facing, wall-sized window, you can appreciate the calming effect of sea can have on the mind and harness that effect in your own bedroom.  Light sea-green walls with white trim (imagine cresting waves), with light blue furniture and sheets can provide a calming, oceanic atmosphere.

20 Shades of Grey – The Colours of Night Itself

Really only two or three shades will do the trick – a light shade of grey around the entire room, with one accent wall deep and luxurious, opposite the bed, and a large black and white print of a calm empty street at night.  Grey can be very calming and accenting it with a light green can bring in a little more nature as well.  Such dark colours wouldn’t be recommended for a home office, for example, but in the room in which you sleep, muting sources of background light can help you rest and even be good for your health.

Whatever colour combination you choose, be sure it is one that fits you. Searching online can help you get the right furniture, accents, and accessories to make your tranquil natural bedroom come to life.

Every single day we hear how appearances aren’t important and it’s what is on the inside that counts. The thing is, when it comes to selling your home, it’s really all about the appearance! Selling a house is no easy job, and while there was a lot of work that you put into your efforts to buy a house and do it up, the same level of effort has to be given when you want to sell it, as well. First impressions could make the deal, or it could break it into smithereens, and if you’re not paying attention to your exteriors, you could lose an entire deal.

The interior of the home is the most concentrated on part of a house sale. You know that people are going to be wandering from room to room, making judgements and imagining their own furniture and decoration in the place that you’ve spent years working hard to make look beautiful. It doesn’t work for books – you would never judge one by its cover – but when it comes to your house, how much attention have you really paid to the outside? Taking yourself across the street to just take a moment and look at your home is important. Are the garage doors looking tired and chipped? Are the light fittings outside dirty? Do the windows need to be cleaned? Are there any bright flowers looking nice outside? All of these questions need answering, and it could make the difference between whether your home is ready for viewing. The last thing that you want to do is to put your home on the market looking less than presentable, and while you may not have cared whether you have a garage door that’s a little stiff and doesn’t work, and you may not have cared what colour flowers are planted outside, other people will. Think about it; the most beautiful box of chocolates will be the first off the shelf, because it looks appealing and people can imagine biting into a luxuriously smooth sweet. You need to make your home the chocolate box that appeals to the people who look at it. You can’t imagine the house to look good, you have to make it happen so that your home sale can go through quickly.

[Photo courtesy of Caliber Roofs/wikimedia.com]

A potential buyer can take eight seconds to decide whether they could buy a home. Even if they could make changes to the exterior to suit them, they shouldn’t have to, and they’ll be thinking just that when they view your house. If you booked to view two houses and one had a beautifully laid out front lawn, a tidy driveway and daisies dotted around the grassy area, and the other was overgrown with weeds, had debris all over the drive and the only flowers were wild ones strangling the daisies, which would you pick? We know, we’d go for the tidy one, too. The moral here is that while someone could make changes and tidy a house up, they’d rather move into one where the owner has shown that they care about the house itself. If your house doesn’t have the right curb appeal, the only message that you will be sending is that you really couldn’t care less whether your house sells or not.

For most people, improving their curb appeal won’t add value to the house, but that’s not what you are aiming for here. The whole point of curb appeal is to attract buyers, and while that won’t necessarily add value, it will get you that sale that you so desperately want. Getting potential buyers excited and in the right, positive frame of mind before they even step into your house is important, as that could be all you need to entice them around the house and get them to make an offer. You need to set up your property on the outside as carefully as you would on the inside. So, if you’ve already added flowers to vases across the house, washed and pressed the curtains so that they hang in neat pleats, and shampooed all the carpets so that they look as good as new, you need to read these ways you can improve your curb appeal.

[Photo courtesy of Justin Henry/flickr.com]

Paint The Front Door

Your front entrance hall has already been repainted and decorated to look fresh and beautiful, but what about your actual door? The rust across the letterbox and the door handle are not appealing to buyers. They want to see some care, so getting the front door sanded down and repainted to match the tone of the house is important. Peeling paint that has been weather-beaten does not invite a buyer to want to buy, it tells someone that you haven’t shown your home due care and attention. The best thing you could do for your front door is to go bold with the colour. You could go for an electric blue or yellow like these doors here and really make people give your house a second glance. It also shows a little of your personality off, compared to the more neutral interior that you are trying to sell.

Door Furniture Matters

If you have a modern build, then heavy Victorian letterbox features and door knockers are not going to match and will look ridiculously out of place. Try and avoid a doorbell that plays a jingling tune other than the standard: it looks tacky and that’s something that you definitely want to avoid.

[Photo courtesy of Outdoor Lighting Perspectives of San Antonio & the Hill Country, LLC Follow
/flickr.com]

Light It UP

Outdoor lighting is going to change the overall look of your house, making it look beautiful in the evenings and stylish in the daylight. Most houses come with outdoor light fixtures near the front door, which add symmetry to the overall look. Update these if they are looking tired or out of touch with the neighbourhood. These little expenses will make a difference to the attractiveness of the home, and you want that to happen so that you can bring in the right buyers. If you really want to impress, make most of your lighting hidden and motion sensitive, so that when people walk up your front path their way is lit for them. Good lighting is mostly hidden and impressive when it switches on.

Tidy Up

The pathway that leads up to the front door should be clear of debris and look smart. If the path is uneven, invest in getting it levelled and tidied. You should be able to make an entrance from the beginning of the drive to the front door, which means tidying the flower borders and making sure bushes are trimmed back. Cars and kids’ bicycles should be parked out of the way and if they have to be out, not left halfway across the drive. Newly painted railings and a tidy porch are a must, as they have a reputation for being a bit of a dumping ground for coats and rain boots. Porches have the ability to give an air of distinction, but if yours isn’t looked after properly, the only air it’ll give off will be stinky!

Windows!

These are the eyes of the home. The light comes in through them to make everything inside look beautiful, but if your windows aren’t beautiful on the outside then all you’re likely to achieve is a nice house with dirty windows. Bring in professional window cleaners for the upstairs if you must but get the windows as sparkly clean as possible before you have any viewings. You want people to want to come into the house, not feel disgusted by the outside. Rotten window frames are also not a good look, and you should be ensuring your frames are sanded back and painted before you put your home on the market. They don’t have to be white, though, you can choose to colour match the front door so that you give your home a unique look.

[Photo courtesy of /pxhere.com]

Greenery

Flowers aren’t just something to see. They’re brilliant to give people a chance to smell their way into your home! Lilies are an example of a flower that is very strong-smelling, and planting these in the borders along your path can give your home a gorgeous scent, drawing people in and turning heads from the pavement. It doesn’t matter how small the space is in front of your home, you can do a lot with a little greenery. Making window boxes that are uniform in colour and even having hanging baskets outside the front door can really give your house a makeover. Try and avoid creeping ivy up the walls of the house, though. They make people imagine bugs and spider webs, which isn’t what you want people thinking about when they come to the outside of your home.

Curb appeal isn’t something that you should take for granted. You want to make a good impression, and the way that you can do that is with a beautiful exterior that matches the interior. Go big and go to your new home – because now you can afford it!

Now that the winter is finally leaving us, many people are starting to think about projects they can do in the home. You may fancy getting your hands dirty in the garden, ripping out the bathroom or simply painting the walls a fresh new colour.

With it being the first few months of the year it can be difficult for us to afford larger home projects without having to take out signature loans or dip into the holiday fund. However you can still make some fresh changes to your home without having to spend the earth.

Reshuffle

Rather than going out to the furniture store and buying a ton of new items for your home, why not have think of what you already have? Take a look at the way your living room is currently set out. Is there any way that you can move things around to create more space and light? Sometimes, simply moving the TV to the other side of the room can have a massive impact on the way your living space feels.

Lighting Is Key

The right lighting can instantly make a dull room feel so much brighter and modern. If you have an old fashioned light fitting with yellow light beaming into the space, your home will look dull and old. However simply by changing to a modern fitting such as a spotlight and using a cool toned light bulb, you will add a sense of light and space into the room.

Soft Furnishings

If you can’t afford to buy a whole new sofa for your space, don’t fret. You can update your living room easily by covering up your sofa cleverly with soft furnishings. By investing in a soft fleece throw and some brightly coloured cushions you will immediately be able to make the space feel put together.

Mirrors

Mirrors are your absolute best friend when it comes to decorating your home. A mirror can make a huge impact on the look and feel of your living space. No matter how small your living room is, a well placed mirror can add length and depth to your living space. It won’t cost you the earth and can add that missing element to your living room.

Paint Everything

Sometimes all you need to make your room feel brand new is a lick of paint. This weekend try buying a tin of white or pastel coloured paint and using this to revamp your walls and the ceiling. You can even paint wooden floors to add a new design feature to the room. If you have an old or tired bookshelf in your living room, a great way to change things up would be to paint the bookshelf white and then add colour to the back of the shelves. This will make the room feel instantly bigger but also give you a new design features that you will love.

Plants

Every room looks better with a plant in it. If you have some space in the living room which feels as if it is missing something, a great idea would be to add a houseplant. It will make your home feel much more lively and add some texture to your design.

The choice between selling and renovating the home is a decision that stops many homeowners in their tracks. An injury, disability, or progressive mobility-related condition can change the way you view you view your two story property – the once tolerable flight of stairs can stand in the way when all factors are considered.

Whether your mobility concerns are simple or complex, this guide will cover a few of the most popular accessibility modifications and their ideal applications so you can gauge the complexity of your own renovation goals. It’s always nice to know (in general terms) how well your home is suited to the necessary adaptations.

Adaptations to Address the Stairs

A two story home might be ideal if it were not for the staircase. There are definitely a few workable options available for homeowners who are looking to cut down on necessary trips up and down the stairs and homeowners who want to eliminate the need to use the stairs altogether.

[Image from Pinterest.com]

Stair lifts, for example, are a common stairway accessory that can transport one person up the stairs at a time. Cost does increase as the complexity of the staircase increases, but perch-style lifts might work for situations where tight spaces are limiting.

Stair lifts are not the ideal choice for people who use wheelchairs but those who don’t mind frequent transfers can make this option work as well. Otherwise, a platform style lift might suit your needs a little better. Platform lifts do take up a lot of space, and if the staircase is particularly complex you might even be able to save money by going with a vertical model instead.

Vertical lifts have a much smaller footprint but do require a strong and dependable structure for installation. The price is reasonable and the ease of use is incredible. The problem is that standing riders will need to upgrade to a full residential elevator and the same goes for people who use wheelchairs and want to ride with a caregiver.

Dealing With the Question of Cargo

Cargo is a whole different matter. Carrying heavy loads of laundry and supplies upstairs is not safe for anybody, regardless of age or physical ability. Stair lifts often come with optional cargo attachments, but the weight limits can be prohibitive.

We suggest installing a dumbwaiter as the ultimate catch-all solution – if your home is arranged in such a way that can accommodate a longer shaft, you can even connect it from the garage up through the main level and then to the second floor. Look for easy to install dumbwaiters to cut down on setup costs.

Is your two-level home worth the modifications that will make it accessible? For those who love where they live, and have built strong memories there, the sentimental loss would be insurmountable. In some cases, the modifications are worth all of the effort in the world. Is your home accessibility makeover material? Consult with a local contractor to see the bottom line and work your way up from there, you might be surprised at the affordability of modern accessibility aids.

Give your bedroom that long overdue makeover that you have putting off for months. With just a few subtle changes and additions, you can add flair and vibrancy to your bedroom that you are sure to love. Upgrading your current bedding to a sleek beautiful bed that is draped in stylish Laura Ashley bedding is a great place to start your bedroom makeover. This designer collection helps bring your bedroom a fun and colorful ambiance to your bedroom.

[Photo courtesy of Pixabay/pexels.com]

Changing the look of your bed can significantly alter the aesthetics of your room, as it is the centerpiece. One great way to enhance your bedroom aesthetics is by adding a platform bed. The countless options of this type of bed include faux leather, tapered and king. Designer collections offer many accessories to suit your bedding needs, including sheets, blankets, comforters, bed skirts, shams and pillows. Find the bedding that best suits your room’s decor, such as floral print beddings or goose down pillows with European shams in the color of your choice. You can find full, queen and king-sized bedding available to spruce up the look of any bedroom in your home.

Whether you are doing a complete redesign or simply want to change things up for a new beginning, a new faux leather platform bed draped in your favorite designer bedding and accessories is certain to do the trick. Browse the broad selection of beds and bedding to find the ideal home solution to enhancing your bedroom.

With the colder weather setting in, now is the perfect time to switch up your sleeping area to suit the season. Chilly evenings and mornings can feel so much easier to cope with if you have a warm and peaceful haven to hibernate in during your daily downtime. By adding just a few simple touches, you can transform your bedroom into a warm and snug spot to relax in until the warmer weather comes around again. If you’re looking for some inspiration, here are our top five ways to make your bedroom a cosy retreat this winter.

1. Get Your Glow On. Your bedroom should always be filled with really good lighting, even if the lights are off. Whether you’re bedding down for the night, or waking up gently in the morning, soft, natural light adds a natural cosy feel to any room. Place small lamps on either side of your bed and replace your existing pendant lights with low watt bulbs to create an ambient and inviting glow throughout the room. If you really want to create a winter wonderland, drape string lights from your bedstead, around a mirror, or across your windows to add a magical touch to your bedroom this winter.

2. Go With The Throw. Throw cushions and blankets always add extra depth and interest to any room. The winter months are perfect for creating a super soft sanctuary using faux fur throw cushions, velvet bedspreads, and sumptuous brushed cotton sheets. Not only will your extra cushions, bedspreads, and blankets come in useful as the mercury plummets, they will also make your bed feel extra inviting.

3. Choose Your Winter Hues

The colors we use in our rooms help to set the mood in our homes. Warmer tones like reds, golds, and oranges are a surefire way to generate a bit of heat. If you don’t fancy a complete redecoration, simply look for accessories in rich deep hues to help fuel the warm feeling in your bedroom this winter.

4. Sleep Comfortably. Investing a lot of time and effort into dressing your bed becomes irrelevant if you are sleeping on a worn out mattress. A good night’s sleep feels better than ever when it is cold out, so make sure you have a high quality mattress that is not only comfortable, but also made from natural materials. LA based sleep and mattress specialists Brentwood Home offer finely crafted natural latex mattresses, made from 100% fully natural materials.  Comfortable and eco-friendly, the all natural latex layers are computer-designed to cut into zones of pressure relieving comfort. Their natural latex mattresses are perfect all year round, but feel doubly delicious when it’s cold out.

• Tread Softly On Sumptuous Floor Coverings. Rugs are an awesome way to keep the drafts at bay. Used for many centuries as a way of insulating houses, they still do a great job of keeping us cozy even in modern times. If you have natural wooden floors, exposed boards, tiled or laminate floors, rugs add softness and help to keep you feeling toasty.

Moving into a brand-new home can be exciting. You and your family will be the first ones to live there, which means you’ll get to be part of the decision-making process. From the design and sizes of the rooms to the bathroom fixtures, having a new build home is a chance to really put your stamp on a house. But, just because the house is a new build, it doesn’t mean there isn’t the potential for problems down the line. So, what do you need to do to make the transition as smooth as possible?

[Photo courtesy of paulbr75/pixabay.com]

Final Walk Through

Before your builder packs up and leaves, it’s important to visit the property and make sure the job has actually been completed. Test all the lights and plumbing, look for any accidental damages that may have occurred while your builder was working and inspect the exterior of the property too. At this point, it may be wise to hire a professional building inspector that could spot things an untrained eye wouldn’t notice. It’s better to be safe than sorry.

Flooring

Don’t try and move in without having your flooring fitted first. It’s a real pain to have to switch all your furniture from room to room while flooring is laid down if you’ve already moved in. Two of the main things to do before moving in is to replace your flooring and curtains for a nice look. It won’t just look nice when you do eventually move in, but it will also mean your furniture can stay where it is, and you’ll have the privacy you need after a long day’s work. The hardest decision will be choosing between carpet and wood flooring.

[Photo courtesy of 4Me2Design/pixabay.com]

Choose What to Take

Many people find that their current furniture doesn’t fit in well in a new build house, or they want new things to go with their new property. If you know there’s furniture that you won’t need or use in your new house, it’s better to get rid of it beforehand, instead of taking it with you. If you’re trying to save money, an old dining room table could make all the difference to your moving costs. The less furniture your movers have to take, the cheaper the cost. Once you know what you’re taking with you, clearly label things for each room so unpacking is easier once you’ve arrived.

Moving Day

It’s easier to move the big house items first, like beds, sofas, tables and chairs. However, if there are rooms in the house with new carpet, you may want to stay out of them while moving things in and out, especially if the carpet is a light color. It’s inevitable that some dust and dirt will enter the house while you’re moving, so you may want to wipe furniture down before moving it into carpeted rooms.

Once you’ve settled into your home, you may start to notice minor things that need to be changed. Get in touch with your builder sooner rather than later if they were already in your agreement.

Your home is your fortress. Make sure no one can break into your house while you’re at work or on vacation. Don’t take your home security for granted. When you buy a new house or an apartment don’t forget about security check. This information will help you in eliminating your weaknesses, thus increasing your home security level. Over time, many people forget to re-evaluate their homes for security flaws. Some people forget to fix their window locks and replace the broken bulb. These little things can compromise your safety when you least expect it.

Re-examine your home security with the following steps:

Secure your entrances

Replace your entrance door with a durable solid core metal or wooden door. Avoid having a front door with a large window, otherwise burglars would break it  in order to get inside. Prefer installing thick bolt locks on all your entrances. Many burglars kick front doors to enter houses. That’s why you need to have a reliable lock to defend your home against any burglar.

[Photo courtesy of pixabay/pexels.com]

Don’t forget to change the locks when you move to a new apartment. You never know who has a set of spare keys to your new home. This minor investment would help you avoid any major loss.

Windows and glass doors

Deadbolt locks would secure all your windows and sliding glass doors. Sliding doors provide an easy access to burglars; don’t forget to lock them every night and before you leave the house. Burglars love broken window locks. Examine all your windows and change loose or broken locks.

Spare key

Hiding your front door key under the doormat is a cliché. Every burglar would search for the key under the doormat, flower pot or on top of your door frame. These most common hiding spots caused a lot of troubles in the past.

Give your spare key to a trustworthy neighbor or a close friend who would help you when you lock yourself out and water your flowers when you’re away. Even if you think your key is hidden in a secure place, a creative burglar would always find it.

[Photo courtesy of Tookapic/pexels.com]

Take care of your garden

Trim the bushes in front of your windows. Burglars can hide behind overgrown trees and bushes; make sure that your garden plants are not blocking your windows. Avoid planting a tree in close proximity to your house. A burglar can climb the tree and enter your house through unlocked sliding door on the upper floor.

If you have a big garden, consider installing motion detectors around your house. Burglars don’t like well-lit places; they prefer hiding in the dark.

Home insurance plan

Home insurance policy would add an extra layer of security for you. Homeowners should get several homeowners insurance quotes before choosing the best option. Comparing the rates and quotes would help you evaluate your options and understand what’s best for you and your family. Keeping aware of security plans makes sense. If you have a home insurance plan you would feel more comfortable leaving your house for several weeks when you travel.

For most young people, buying a house is synonymous with freedom. Finally, you can do whatever you want in your home without worrying about what the landlord might say or about getting your deposit back. It is yours, and to put things clearly; you can put as many holes in the walls as you want to. Except, naturally, that buying a house brings a lot more than just a new sense of freedom. There are responsibilities — on the financial and on the practical sides for instance —, compromises and the discovery of new skills too. Buying a house together is truly the beginning of a new adventure. Unfortunately, for a lot of couples, it can also bring serious disagreements and difficulties to their relationship. In the end, the best way for yourself to prepare for this exciting journey into an unknown universe — the land of home ownership — is probably to hear about it first hand from those who made the journey and survived it!

Moving into your first home

#1. First things first: How much can you afford?

Does it need saying? Buying a home is naturally an important investment, and it’s likely to be the first of its kind for you. Most couples choose a combined mortgage option when they buy their first home, as it is one of the easiest options. But it doesn’t mean that you can’t look for other mortgage offers. To keep things basic, the more you borrow, the more you will have to repay. So it’s always a good idea to work with a housing loan calculator to determine first how much you can afford to pay back over a period of time. Sometimes, you might find that it’s easier to save or borrow from your friends or relatives to pay a large deposit on the house and be able to take a loan on a smaller amount.

[Photo courtesy of AlexanderStein/pixabay.com]

 How much can you afford?

#2.It’s all about money and planning

Don’t fall into the common trap of thinking that the cost of your home is the cost of your loan. It is far from it, especially if you hadn’t taken any renovation project into account when you agreed on a price. Affording home improvements can be especially stressful if you’re not used to it. But do you know that you don’t need to rely on an FHA loan to finance your home improvements? Indeed, first-time buyers can also focus on eco-friendly transformations that can be funded by governmental bodies, for example. For extensive renovation works, you can apply for a construction loan or borrow from your 401(k).

#3. Budget as a couple

In fact, the decision to buy a home together marks for couples the first struggle to keep a budget that cares for their individual and common financial needs. You may be used to keeping your own budget, but a couple budget is a whole new kettle of fish. For a start, you need to define your household needs in terms of mortgage repayment, bills, groceries, etc. These, while they are common, will be different to the kind of budget you had BEFORE you bought a house. Additionally, it’s essential that you and your partner agree on the long-term saving goals. There’s no point working towards separate goals.

#4. Combining furniture or buying new?

For some couples, buying a house is the first time they will be properly moving in together — it’s not uncommon for couples to spend time together but keep their separate apartments until they are ready to move in together properly. You might think that the hardest part about this is to share private details through the cohabitation. But believe it or not, most couples report that the hardest part of moving in together is combining their styles and furniture. Indeed, you need to be prepared to get rid of as much of your stuff as you expect your partner to. It’s only fair to keep the best of your common belongings, and it’ll avoid arguments in future. Besides you can also focus on buying new pieces of furniture together.

#5. You’re emotionally ready for the life together

Buying a house together might sound like a good idea. But you need to ask yourself first if you’re ready for this kind of commitment. Cohabitation becomes real when it’s in your own home. In a tenancy agreement, you can leave whenever you want. If it’s your home, you can’t leave. That’s why you need to be sure that you’re ready to move in together for real. Living with the person you love requires accepting levels of intimacy that you may not be prepared to deal with just now. For instance, as silly as it might sound, being able to talk openly about your choices, aspirations and desires for your relationship is a crystal-clear giveaway that you are ready for the move. The best test, though, is to observe how you interact with each other when you’re dealing with stress or financial issues, as these tend to be relationship killers.  

#6. You need to establish some basic rules

Buying your first home also means being ready to accept and share the responsibilities that come with it. You’ve guessed it right: Household chores are a big area of disagreement for couples. Indeed, as both partners often work in modern relationships, household chores need to be shared fairly between both of you. If you prefer doing the laundry while your partner enjoys washing up, then you can simply stick with your eras of expertise or preferences. Admittedly, nobody really enjoys doing chores, but you can work on the basis of things you don’t hate doing instead, as it’s a healthy way of sharing tasks.

#7. Create your decor together

Ah decorating. Who doesn’t love decorating? However, when you buy your first home together, you need to establish a fair approach to your interior decor. It’s not only a personal matter; it’s a matter of shared personal tastes. If you’ve got two different styles, it can be fun to blend both approaches to create an in-between style that will keep your decor eclectic and exciting. You will find the decorating exercise can get a lot easier if you can agree on a common palette of colors that can bring everything together. As a rule of the thumb, though, a good palette consists of five color schemes — by color scheme, we mean blues and grays, for instance, that offer many variations without one theme.

#8. Discover the joys of DIY

You can’t move happily in a house without knowing anything about the most basic home repairs. In fact, you will soon find yourself checking online tutorials to find out how to unblock the toilet or how to clean your grout. While nobody expects you to become a plumbing expert or a qualified electrician, your home maintenance requires some basic DIY skills. Tiling, painting, repairing wood or metal surfaces with filler compounds, or fixing the tap on the sink are essential requirements that every handy(wo)man needs to learn. And don’t leave it to the man in the house simply because he is a man! There’s no room for sexism in home maintenance!

[Photo courtesy of Free-Photos/pixabay.com]

Get your DIY tools with your first home

#9. Give your home a  housewarming party

You might be considering throwing a big housewarming party for your friends and neighbors. If you can; don’t skip on the party as it’s a great way to introduce yourself to a new neighborhood. But remember that once the party is over, you’re the one left to clean. So keep it civilized, friendly and alcohol-light!

In the end, there is a lot to consider when you decide to buy a home together. Your finances; of course; are a priority. But your relationship, your personal preferences and your ability to work together will transform your house into a home. Don’t be fooled: It won’t be perfect every day. But that’s okay because with time and goodwill great things happen.