Wisconsin Real Estate & Wisconsin Living presented by First Weber Group

A home is a refuge where you can retreat, relax and enjoy a space that is your own. People typically feel safe at home and safety is one reason people buy homes in the first place. Here is an excellent article, excerpted below, that outlines nine tips for increasing home security without having to install an expensive security system:

Nine ways to increase safety at home

• Install peepholes to see who is outside your door before opening it.
• Install Security mailboxes. Once mail is dropped in, a key is needed to open it.
• Install a small safe for valuables and bolt it to the floor.
• Keep windows locked and think about installing wireless window and door alarms.
• Use motion lights around home entryways – perhaps consider solar powered versions.
• Add a second patio door lock at the floor level, or use a bar/board in the track to prevent it from being opened.
• Take a look at your deadbolt and reinforce it.
• Enforce your garage door if it is an inexpensive one. And don’t forget to keep that side garage door locked at night and when you are gone.
• Buy a shredder for sensitive document disposal.

Any or all of these steps are inexpensive options to make your home a safer place, providing peace of mind whether you are at home or away.  We hope you found the tips useful. You can read the entire article at  The Family Handyman.

Thanks for reading the First Weber Wisconsin real estate & Wisconsin living blog about nine steps to increase safety at home – your refuge.  For additional around the home tips including neat decorating ideas, please see First Weber’s Around the Home category.  For home related service providers, you can browse First Weber’s Concierge Desk and of course, for Wisconsin real estate, you can find all you need at firstweber.com.

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Bookcases: add interest, function and organization

When selling  a home, we often talk about decluttering, organizing and staging or creating a focal point in each room.  Bookcases can sometimes achieve all of the above.  Check out this post with pictures of thirty unusual bookcases, just for fun.

Garden season almost upon us: Raised garden beds

Raised gardens are attractive to many gardeners because the soil in them warms sooner than the ground. Also, they maybe be easier to weed and tend due to their height.  Raised beds can be  your typical wood frame or something more creative. They can be arranged artfully to enhance your backyard as well as provide home grown vegetables and flowers. Take a look at this post on raised bed gardens for some ideas for your home. Love the terraced garden bed!  Being able to add a garden and make it whatever you choose is one of the joys of homeownership for many. Do you have a garden?

Don’t have a green thumb but wish you did?

Maybe try planting succulents which need little care to thrive.  The many varieties of succulents can create stunning displays that even a brown thumb can maintain.  Check it out here for ideas.  So many different colors and textures and ways to plant them.

Thanks for reading the First Weber Wisconsin real estate & Wisconsin living blog for this week’s around the house tips from First Weber.  We sell houses all over Wisconsin and love to promote the joy of homeownership. If we can help you buy or sell real estate in Wisconsin, please contact First Weber.

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The Power of Greenery

Cleaning and preparing your homes for showing is very important. We realize it can be difficult to keep a home in show-ready condition, but it is an effort you must keep up.  In addition to clean and tidy, your home should be welcoming.  You may have heard of the baking cookies or bread smells, burning a candle or putting out fresh flowers.  Those all work and do make a home feel welcoming.  Another thing to consider is greenery and plants.  Well placed and well cared for plants can add a lot to a room.  Take a look at these gorgeous pictures of ferns in the home and see if you get any ideas.

Bathrooms on a budget

Little things can make a big difference. When looking into getting your home for sale, fresh paint is always a good bet.  See how some of the paint choices in this Houzz post make a big statement.  Also, you can create an updated look with simple things such as a new mirror, light fixture, faucet and draw pulls.  You can create a new look without a total makeover. These ideas may be useful to you when preparing your home for sale.  The same concept can be applied to kitchens, too.

Dream home wish list

This is an interesting article on what people wish they had in a home if they were designing one. “Most wanteds” include a covered outdoor room or screened area, a secret passage, motorized shades, a charging station and more. Read the article and let us know what you think?  Houzz always offers wonderful pictures.

Thanks for reading the First Weber Wisconsin real estate & Wisconsin living blog for this week’s around the house tips.  We hope you found them useful for either preparing your home for sale or just making your home a more enjoyable place to be.  If a new home in Wisconsin is in your future, please search Wisconsin real estate at firstweber.com

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Small space/vertical gardening enables those with little space (or a big empty fenceline) to grow plants vertically to both save space and add interest.

This type of  ”mini home improvement” can be as basic as containers of tomatoes, cucumbers and the like in pots trained up trellis’ rather than in a garden plot.  It can be using a whole bunch of hanging baskets and wall containers or be almost like a work of art, a living wall, with some special vertical gardening equipment.   You can go big or small, fancy or functional.  But it  is time to start thinking about gardening and planting around your Wisconsin yard.

Here are a variety of pictures to get you thinking.

All kinds of vegetables and flowers grow will in our Wisconsin climate. The safest time to plant is after Memorial Day, later in northern parts of Wisconsin. Starting seeds can be done indoors weeks earlier.

Gardening and planting is a popular hobby with many homeowners – one of the true joys of  owning a home is making your space beautiful.  If your space is small, we hope you enjoyed the photos.  If a bigger yard for gardening is on your list, you can search for a new Wisconsin home at firstweber.com.

Thanks for reading the First Weber Wisconsin real estate & Wisconsin living blog.

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Empty or Staged?

Empty, vacant houses can be hard for a buyer to imagine living in.  It is best to do some staging with furniture and accessories to add some life and make the place look livable. Unless of course, you have a really awesome architecture that may really shine empty. Check out this houzz collection for such architecture, just for fun.  For the  more average home, stage it.  First Weber’s Concierge Department may be able to help or ask your real estate agent.

Shelving

Shelves help store items and organize a home and can also be design elements. Just be sure not to overload shelves with “stuff” because remember, before selling, it is best to declutter. Here are some interesting shelving examples for the home.

Leftover building materials

What to do with leftover tiles, old doors, unused paint, boards or other things used or taken out during a remodel? Some items like tile and wood scraps can be used in crafting; some items like brick can even be sold.  Often, organizations will take them as donations – think the local school for art or shop class or even Habitat for Humanity may be able to recycle your leftovers. Habitat for Humanity does some great things and First Weber Group and the First Weber Foundation is happy to be involved with their cause.  You can read about a few of our projects with Habitat below:

http://blog.firstweber.com/2009/04/29/breaking-ground-for-wisconsin-rapids-habitat-house-first-weber-helps-out/

http://blog.firstweber.com/2010/07/13/first-weber-group-first-weber-foundation-building-habitat-home-in-milwaukee/

Here’s hoping you found some if these ideas for around the home useful today! Thank you for reading the First Weber Wisconsin real estate & Wisconsin living blog.  Here are more tips for your home. If you’d like to see Wisconsin real estate for sale, go ahead and start searching.

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