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Whether you just moved into a new place or are looking to freshen up for important company, getting rid of musty odors can be difficult. Below are five helpful ways to freshen up the smell of your spot.

Include house plants. Even the subtlest-smelling house plant will help clean the air through natural filtration. In addition to potted varieties, add cut flowers in vases for a sweet floral scent.

Wash walls. Odors can often become trapped on your actual walls. Once a year, remove pictures and art and give the walls a good scrub down with a natural solution, like diluted vinegar. Be sure to test the solution in an unseen corner first to make sure no discoloring will occur.

Air out drapes. Heavy window hangings are a prime culprit of trapped smells. Drag them outside to hang on a breezy line for a day to return them to their natural smelling state.

Clean rugs. If you have area rugs or wall-to-wall carpeting, it’s important to give them annual washings to keep them smelling fresh, especially if you’re a pet owner. You can air out area rugs outside, and steam clean installed carpeting.

Throw open windows. Opening all the windows in your home can do wonders for the smell state of your space. This is especially helpful in winter, when windows tend to stay closed for months on end as heat pumps inside. On a clear day where rain is not on the forecast, throw on a sweater and open your windows to refresh the air inside.

Interested in more housing tips? Feel free to contact me directly.

Published with permission from RISMedia.

Use these tips to achieve an eclectic setting that maintains a sense of balance…

Look to the Pros

This will help identify what really speaks to you and form the foundation of your aesthetic.

Pick a Color Scheme

Eclectic rooms tend to have dramatic color schemes, but make sure its a palette you can add details to.

Dramatic Textures

Juxtaposing multiple textures is at the heart of this style”and can often be a way of creating contrast.

Introduce Layers

Throw pillows, area rugs and window treatments are the perfect way to accent the look with layers.

Curate the Objects

Filling the room with a careful selection of objects will help bring it all together.

Published with permission from RISMedia.

If you’re redesigning your living space, you know that your options are endless. From color schematics to feng shui, there are myriad ways to set up your home. Below are five pro design tips to keep in mind.

Eye-level art. Do you want your walls to look like a gallery? Hangthings gallery-style, at around 57 inches”the average eye level of most people.

Don’t crowd. From art to furniture to collectibles, people tend to overcrowd their spaces. Choose a centerpiece for your room (a bright couch or snazzy light fixture), and then build around it selectively. Invest more money in a few great pieces and give them breathing room.

Rug it right. Area rugs can be a great tool for tying your design scheme together; however, where you place the furniture in relation to the rug matters. The three best ways to do this are: all off, with your furniture bordering your rug (best for smaller area rugs); all on, with all legs and arms of your furniture on the rug; and front on, with the front legs of your furniture on the rug and the back legs off for a fluid look that can open up your space. Choose one of these options and stick to it.

Customize for your needs. Have an open corner of the kitchen? Don’t feel pressured to fill it up with kitchen kitsch. Add a cozy love seat for a reading nook, transform it into a mini at-home office, or set up a small play space for your kids. Feel free to think past typical room designations and create a space that best fits your needs.

Layer the light. Don’t stop at overhead lights. Adding many light options such as floor lamps, accent lights or recessed lighting can give you different options depending on mood, time of day and function.

Published with permission from RISMedia.

Published with permission from RISMedia.

Taking out a mortgage to buy a house is a huge step. The amount and terms of the loan will have a major impact on your financial picture for decades. That’s why you should choose a lender carefully.

What to Do Before You Apply

In order to qualify for an attractive interest rate, you need to prove to lenders that you are a good risk. That means you need to get your financial house in order before you start applying for a mortgage. The first step is to get copies of your credit reports and have any errors corrected. If you have a lot of credit card debt, work to pay down the balances and lower your debt-to-income ratio.

Take a hard look at your budget and figure out how much you can afford in monthly mortgage payments. A lender may approve you for a bigger loan than you can realistically handle. Write down all of your monthly expenses, look at your monthly income after taxes and figure out how much you can afford for a mortgage without stretching yourself too thin.

Applying for a Mortgage

Gather all of the information you’ll for lenders to process your application. This will include pay stubs, tax returns, bank statements, a list of all financial accounts, a list of all your monthly debt payments, proof of employment and income, and information on any accounts in collection, lawsuits or bankruptcies. Lenders may have different requirements on how far back they want the records to go.

Lenders offer a wide range of interest rates, fees, points and other terms based on each applicants specific circumstances. Some people get the best deal from a traditional mortgage lender, while others are offered better terms by a credit union, retail lender, correspondent lender or wholesale lender. The lender that offered your friend a great rate might not offer the same rate to you, but you could get a good deal somewhere else.

If you dont shop around, you could spend thousands of dollars more than you have to over the life of the loan. If you don’t have the time to contact multiple lenders yourself, a mortgage broker can get quotes from several lenders in exchange for a fee. Then you can compare them to make a decision.

Getting preapproved for a mortgage can help in the home-buying process because it demonstrates that you’re in good shape financially and able to move forward quickly. Once you get preapproved, you still need to carefully manage your finances. The lender may review your income, assets and debts again before finalizing the mortgage.

Choose Carefully

Obtaining a mortgage is a significant step that will impact your finances for many years to come. You should not rush it or take it lightly. Do what you can to improve your current financial situation, be realistic about what you can afford and shop around to find the most favorable terms.

Published with permission from RISMedia.