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David and Stephen St. Russell of the Renovation Husbands on Instagram share their first and second-time homebuying experiences and how they got started transforming fixer-upper homes.
The post Our Fixer-Upper Homebuying Journey with the Renovation Husbands appeared first on Homes.com.
Source: homes.com
With so many dining rooms being converted into part of the living room or kitchen these days, dining room design has kind of fallen by the wayside. But if youâre one of the lucky homeowners to have hung on to a formal dining space, youâve got an opportunity to make some amazing modern updates. Here are 7 affordable ways to breathe new life into an old dining room:
#1 Perk things up with paint.
Are your dining room walls still the same color they were when you moved into your house 10 years ago? If so, thereâs a good chance the colorâs a little past its prime. In fact, it may also be doing an injustice to your furniture and the updates youâve made in adjoining rooms as well. Refresh the walls with a paint shade that makes you feel comfortable and cozy. The room will reflect that feeling.
#2 Modernize the lighting.
Are outdated chandeliers and lamps gathering dust in your dining room? Consider sending them packing and installing some recessed lighting and pendants in their place. Pendant lights, in particular, come in a wide variety of styles and colors sure to add some new pizzazz to your space.
#3 Repurpose another room.
If your dining room is located in an undesirable space — a cramped corner of the house away from the kitchen, for example — pick a new place for your table and chairs. Put them in the kitchen, if you have the the space. Or, place the dining table somewhere right in your living room, where thereâs easy access to the TV and stereo. You should always feel comfortable during a meal, and being confined to an area you donât enjoy doesnât contribute to that feeling.
#4 Add some visual appeal.
Visual appeal doesnât stop at paint and lighting. Itâs also important to consider how wall decor may increase the interest and comfort of the room. Blank walls may make it easy to zone out and focus on your meals, but your guests will surely enjoy looking at something a little more interesting. Depending on your budget and the size of your dining room, consider hanging potted plants and colorful pieces of art. Just be sure to balance wall decor with other elements in the room so your space doesnât feel like itâs cluttered with stuff.
#5 Throw in a rug.
One of the worst sounds to hear is a chair scratching against the floor as you go to get up from the dining table. So fix the issue. Add a rug underneath the table and chairs to make things soft and cozy. Choose a rug that isnât too thick with fibers. Otherwise, your chairs can get stuck and twisted. Of course, youâll also want to make sure that the style and color of your rug complement the rest of the room.
#6 Use dividers.
Many newer homes combine kitchen and dining spaces. If you want to create a dedicated dining space, think about incorporating a room divider. Itâs much cheaper than installing a wall â and you can add shelves, plants or a sliding door to further divide the two spaces. Plus, the flexibility of the divider allows to revert back to the bigger space any time you like.
#7 Build in.
Howâs your dining room designed? Do you have a table that sits in the middle with four chairs around it? If you want to make the room more functional â and create more storage in the process â think about ditching the clunky furniture and opting instead for built-ins like bench seating, china cabinets and buffets. A professional can create custom built-ins to suit any style.
The post 7 Creative and Quick Dining Room Updates first appeared on Century 21®.
Source: century21.com
Every time thereâs a large credit card breach, youâll hear some expert say risks for consumers are low, because itâs easy to cancel a credit or debit card and get a new one. Not so fast. If fraud appears on your bill, but you donât notice it, youâll pay for it. More important, changing account numbers is a hassle. Youâll have to update all your automatic payment accounts, for example. Screw up one of those, and you could get hit with late fees from a merchant when your payment is denied.
Despite the liability limits, youâre better off avoiding all this in the first place. Below are suggestions on how to do that. Most involve limiting the number of times you have to share your plastic with someone, decreasing your âattack surface.â Some might be familiar. Others might seem extreme. Either way, thereâs no way to make yourself 100% fraud proof. Thatâs why we’ve also provided tips on the earliest possible detection and reporting of fraud, which is the main way to protect yourself. For example, regularly checking your credit scores can help you spot fraudulent activities on your credit cards. (You can check two of your scores free on Credit.com.) Here’s how to keep yourself as safe as possible.
When I asked Gartner fraud analyst Avivah Litan about her fraud-fighting tips, this is the first thing she said:
âNever use PIN debit, except for bank ATM machines attached to bank branches.â
PIN debit is the technical term for using a debit card as âcreditâ at a merchant. From a fraud perspective, the âdebit or creditâ question is meaningless. Either way, you are putting your debit card account information into databases criminals can hack. And recovering from a debit card fraud is much more of a hassle than recovering from a credit card fraud. With credit card fraud, consumers call their bank, dispute a fraudulent charge and donât pay for that part of their bill. With debit card fraud, money is taken from the victimâs checking account, and the consumer has to argue with the bank to get it back. That usually happens quickly, but in the meantime, the consumerâs balance can dip below zero, leading to overdrafts and other potential problems, like bounced rent checks.
Itâs a bad idea to buy things with a debit card. Use a debit card to withdraw cash at a bank ATM. Otherwise, use credit.
Some people use debit card purchasing as a personal finance tool to limit spending. Thatâs a rational reason to do so. If you must, donât use PIN debit, so at least a criminal canât gain access to your PIN at that merchant.
The latest trend in money is âdigitized stored value.â You probably familiar with it if you buy coffee with your Starbucks app. Many merchants are now imitating Starbucks with their own digitized stored value apps. But app makers and merchants are not banks. They have less experience keeping money safe. The consequences have been obvious: Starbucks consumers have complained for nearly two years about criminals raiding their app-linked credit cards. Worst of all, consumers with auto-fill have seen criminals conduct rapid-fire conduct transactions through the apps. Starbucks says this impacts a tiny fraction of consumers, and they are quickly refunded. If you are using âdigitized stored value,â manually reloading value is safer than loading your credit card and especially your debit card.
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Splitting your transactions among cards can limit the âspilloverâ if fraud occurs. This tip isnât for everyone. Some consumers like racking up points on one card. Others are afraid theyâll miss a payment if they have more than one credit card bill each month. But separating out transactions can have fraud-fighting benefits. If you are the type to buy items from less popular websites that might not have the security protections of a larger site, consider having a card you use just for those higher-risk purchases. That way, if the small site is compromised, the impact on your life will be contained.
Speaking of second-tier sites, you should always Google them before making a purchase. Search âBobsWidgetSite.com and complaints,â then âBobsWidgetSite and fraud,â before making a purchase the first time. Scroll through a page or two of results, in case the site has done search engine optimization work to beat back complaints. I talk often to victims who do that search only after they are victims of fraud, and then kick themselves.
Hereâs a novel idea from computer security expert Harri Hursti. Most credit and debit card credentials are useless without the security code numbers on the back of the card. To limit the risk of physical theft, place a sticker over the numbers and memorize them. They are usually only three or four digits. That way someone else who holds your card for a few moments canât get enough information to steal from your account. Such physical theft is less common than it once was, but the sticker idea is a simple fraud-fighting tool.
About five years ago, a credit card fraud fighting firm named BillGuard.com coined the term âgray charges.â These arenât traditional fraud, but they arenât transactions you approved, either. It might be a magazine you didnât realize you purchased as a bundle at a checkout. It might be a subscription travel service that âaccidentallyâ ended up in your shopping cart when you booked a trip. Or it might be a free trial you forgot about that has now converted to a $20-a-month charge. Either way, gray charges are a hassle, and the easiest way to avoid them is to never sign up for a âfreeâ anything that requires your credit card. Check your shopping carts diligently, and uncheck all the âsign me up for XXâ boxes along the way.
Phishing emails have been around for a while â so long you might forget the risk they pose. Big mistake. A study by the University of Texas last year found that phishers âthriveâ on consumersâ overconfidence. There was a 500% increase in personalized, social-media-based phishes in 2016. A common, credit-card stealing email might be an alert claiming your credit card on file with iTunes has been rejected, and asking for an immediate update. If you think you canât be phished, youâre wrong. Never enter your credit card number into a website unless you have manually visited the site by typing the address into your web browserâs address bar. Never click on a link in an email â even one you are certain is real â and enter payment credentials.
This tip is similar: Never give your credit or debit card number to anyone who calls your house. Even if you are certain the call is legit. Always hang up and manually dial the companyâs phone number, then give your payment details. That might sound like a hassle, but any reputable company will appreciate your efforts at security. If the person on the other end of the phone gets annoyed, thatâs a good indication you are being hustled.
Mail theft is still a cause of identity theft. The simplest way to avoid it is to stop mail from coming to your house. Small P.O. boxes can cost around $100 per year and can offer peace of mind.
You know to make sure no one is watching while you enter your PIN code at an ATM. But how? Itâs getting harder and harder to be sure, as hackers are inventing smarter skimmer devices that let them âwatchâ you remotely. The latest devices are designed to fit snugly over the slot where cards are inserted or even to be snuck inside that slot, invisible to the untrained eye. Thatâs one reason Litan only uses ATMs attached to a bank branch. ATMs outside grocery stores or gas stations can be easier to attack and often have higher fees. The risk isnât only at ATMs. So-called âoverlaysâ that fit on top of a merchant point of sale terminal have been spotted at major retailers across the country. Whenever inserting your credit or debit card into any machine, itâs a good idea to look for signs of tampering. You can take a moment to rub your fingers around the edges of a machine to see if an overlay of skimmer has been snapped on top.
Itâs easy to forget your card at a restaurant after a meal. Develop a personal checklist so you avoid that. Each time you get up to leave a store, or before you go to bed at night, do a card count. If you canât find your card but you are hopeful it will turn up, you might have better options than you realize. Many times, people are loathe to call and report lost cards because of the ensuing hassle. Some banks let you temporarily âfreezeâ your card while you look for it, then turn the card back on if itâs found safe. Discover has a feature called Freeze It. Visa and MasterCard also gives their banks similar options. Donât be afraid to protect yourself while you are looking.
Mobile banking is a great fraud fighting tool. If you arenât using your bankâs app, youâre missing out. More people used mobile than used a bank branch for the first time in 2015, according to Javelin Strategy & Research.
Mobile banking lets you check your account every day for unusual activity. Use of mobile banking can reduce your attack surface, too, since mobile check deposits mean fewer trips to the ATM.
Banking apps make it easier to use another trick that helps with fraud detection: text alerts. Most banks allow you to set up texts about transactions. Options include: A text with every purchase, a text for every purchase more than $100 or a daily text with the account balance. I prefer the last choice. Anything more frequent and the messages start to feel like spam, and can be ignored. The tool also helps with spending habits, as youâll have a daily reminder of how much youâve spent. Most banks can send the alerts via email, too.
If you are hit by fraud, time isnât on your side. You will likely be hit repeatedly until the card is canceled. Most importantly, if you donât report the fraud in a timely manner, you can be held liable for some or all of it. Most of the time, financial institutions are responsive to fraud, and make reporting concerns and getting replacement cards easy, but early detection is critical.
Image: seb_ra
The post 14 Ways to Prevent Fraud on Your Debit & Credit Cards appeared first on Credit.com.
Source: credit.com
Gabe Ginsberg / Contributor / Getty Images
After almost a year of quarantine, it seems like everyone’s itching for a house partyâwhich may explain the “Property Brothers” stars’ latest renovation on their show “Celebrity IOU.”
In the episode âAllison Janneyâs Showstopper,â Drew and Jonathan Scott help the actress renovate the house of her assistant of 20 years, Ilana. The “West Wing” star says that Ilana loves throwing partiesâespecially in Janneyâs honor! So itâs important that Ilana have a great space to entertain.
These upgrades for a party house will get you looking forward to a more social 2021. Read on to find out what youâll need to get ready to host friends and family in the not-too-distant future.
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The brothers start off by switching the kitchen and dining room spaces, creating a new, beautiful kitchen with a large island that will be a perfect place for guests to gather. But to make it even better, Drew and Jonathan decide to give the kitchen two sinksâone on the island and one by the window.
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âWe know Ilana likes to entertain, so this could be her sink for entertaining on this side, and then that sink over there is dirty dishes,â Drew says.
The extra sink makes for an elegant addition. It gives the house the feel of a cool wet bar area but keeps the entertaining space compact.
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Jonathan and Drew want to make sure Janney is involved with the design for Ilanaâs house because, after 20 years of working together, she knows her assistant’s tastes well.
She helps to pick out some gorgeous styles for the kitchen, but explains that the most important thing for Ilana is durability. Ilana loves entertaining, plus she has two kids, so sheâs got to have a kitchen that will stand up to anything.
Jonathan shows Janney counter samples made of neolith, a durable material that he knows Ilana will love.
âAnytime I have somebody who entertains a lot, or who has kids in the house, you’ve got to have something thatâs going to stand up to family life,â he says.
Janney selects a white neolith style with elegant veiningâand Jonathan gets to work installing it. In the end, these counters look like marble but theyâre extra durable, perfect for both big parties and messy evenings cooking with kids at home.
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When Janney shows the brotherâs Ilanaâs house, they agree that the old fireplace needs an update. This two-sided fireplace is covered with beige stone, making it blend into the background when it should be a standout feature. Luckily, the brothers know how to fix it. First, they take off the old stone, exposing the brick underneath. Now, they’re free to give the fireplace a new look.
Jonathan suggests matching the fireplace with the same beautiful and durable material they chose for the kitchen counter. Then, they use sintered stone for the fireplace surround, finishing the style with a clean, white look.
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When the fireplace is finished, Janney and Ilana are impressed. The new, lighter color brings a fresh feel to the living room, and the matching material helps smooth the transition between the living room and kitchen.
“Itâs so awesome that you donât have to completely rip out an original feature,” Drew says of the fireplace update. “Just clean it up a little bit, make it look new.â
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When the brothers first see this home, they find a wall that closes off the space between what will be the dining room and the rest of the house. They decide to open up the wall and replace it with a refrigerated wine room.
While it may seem like this wine room is just taking up the space where the wall used to stand, closing the place up again, the modern glass design allows for sightlines through the wine room, making the home feel more open.
âThereâs nothing bulkyâitâs all open, itâs all glass, and itâs beautiful,â Jonathan says.
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When the wine room is finished, it looks amazing.
âItâs stylish, functional, and itâs going to be the centerpiece of every party at this house,â Drew says.
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When Drew and Jonathan switch the kitchen and the dining spaces, they realize that the new dining space is cramped and dark. They have to close up the one window, so they worry that the space will feel like a dungeon.
So the brothers use solar tubes, or holes in the ceiling designed to bring in sunlight.
âThey are a great way to bring natural light into any room without the hassle and expense of a traditional skylight,” Jonathan says of the tubes.
While this natural light doesnât replace electrical lighting, it does help a lot. At least during the day, this dining space looks bright and beautiful!
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When the renovation is finished, Janney is impressed, and so is Ilana! Now, this house is ready for some great parties and some wonderful new memories.
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The post The Property Brothers Reveal the Best Post-COVID-19 Upgrades appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.
Source: realtor.com
Bathrooms can be one of the best rooms to bring in a big ROI, so updating it is important â but it doesn’t have to be expensive.
The post How to Remodel your Bathroom for Under $1000 appeared first on Homes.com.
Source: homes.com
You hear the term all the time. After all, itâs an essential concept for apartment investors because it not only reflects the viability of your investment but also its value.
But what really is cash flow? How do you compute it, and more importantly, how can you increase the cash flow of your multifamily property?
Cash flow is simply the money that moves in and out of your business. For apartments, the cash coming in is in the form of rent, and the cash flowing out is in the form of expenditures like property taxes and utilities.
Cash flow â or lack of it — is one of the primary reasons businesses, or real estate investments, fail. Without sufficient cash flow, youâll run out of money. Thatâs why itâs essential that you have sufficient capital to not only purchase an apartment property but also sustain it in the event that cash flow fails to be what you projected â for example, if units turn over more often than you expect or rents decline.
Here are some ways you can improve the cash flow of your apartment investment:
The post The ABCs of Multifamily Cash Flow first appeared on Century 21®.
Source: century21.com