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Take these essential steps to stage a luxurious bathroom…

Fresh Towels & Mats

Keep an assortment of neatly folded towels on display, along with a clean bath mat.

Aromatic Appeal

Candles or essential oils will be sure to greet buyers with a pleasant fragrance. Choose something fresh, like eucalyptus or lavender.

Update the Fixtures

Making a few updates goes a long way. If the hardware feels dated, it might be time for a stylish new faucet or heavenly rain shower to impress buyers.

Depersonalize

Put away all of the personal items, like grooming items, makeup, and brushes. Instead, create a curated selection of brand new items that havent been used.

Published with permission from RISMedia.

If you want to have a private space for an elderly family member, a place for guests to stay or an additional source of income, an in-law apartment might be the solution. It could give you flexibility and possibly a way to earn some extra money, but it could also create challenges.

What is an In-Law Apartment?
An in-law apartment is a private space that usually serves as a home for an elderly individual or couple. It can be an area within a house, a converted garage or a separate building on the same property as the main house. It may be a full apartment or may simply consist of a bedroom and bathroom.

Possible Benefits of an In-Law Apartment
If you have an elderly relative who needs help with household tasks, or if you dont feel comfortable having them live alone because of safety concerns, an in-law apartment could allow your loved one to live close to the rest of the family. You and other relatives could provide assistance as necessary and you all could still have some privacy. Many families consider that a better option than having an elderly relative move into a nursing home.

If you have young kids and you work full-time, your parents could help take care of them. That could allow grandparents and grandchildren to bond and could help you avoid the high cost of childcare. If you wanted to hire a live-in nanny, a separate apartment could provide privacy, but the caregiver would still be nearby to help when needed.

If you have a child who is in college, an in-law apartment could give him or her a private space to stay during breaks. At other times, it could be a place to house guests. Having a separate space for adult children or guests to stay could make things less stressful for everyone, especially during extended visits.

You could find a tenant and rent out an in-law apartment. That could be a way to generate a consistent stream of extra income to help your family manage bills.

Building an in-law apartment could raise your property value. It might help you attract a buyer if you decided to sell your home in the future.

Potential Problems
Think about how an in-law apartment could affect your family dynamics. Being so close might seem ideal in theory, but it could be irritating or could lead to frequent conflicts if relatives had different expectations about privacy and boundaries.

Before you decide to rent out an in-law apartment, ask yourself if you would be up to the challenge of being a landlord. Screening potential tenants, collecting rent, handling maintenance and repairs, and resolving disputes could be difficult.

Seek Help From a Qualified Professional
If you decide to create an in-law apartment, find a local contractor who has experience with those types of renovations. Adhere to local zoning laws and obtain all necessary permits so you wont have to halt work or pay a fine.

Published with permission from RISMedia.

Your home should be a place where you can relax and unwind, but noise coming from outside and inside the house can make it difficult to get peace and quiet when you need it most. Here are some tips to reduce the level of noise in your home.

How Sound Travels
Sound is produced when an object vibrates. Sound waves can travel by bouncing off hard, flat, uniform surfaces. Blocking outdoor noise, reducing the number of hard surfaces in your house and increasing the number of soft surfaces can make your home more peaceful.

How to Block Outdoor Noise
If noise from cars, people and dogs outside your home is a problem, inspect your windows and doors. If there are gaps around them, you can seal them with caulk and weather stripping to keep noise out.

You can use drapes, curtains or blinds to cut down on noise. They can also keep your home cooler in the summer, lower your utility bills and give you additional privacy. Another option is to install soundproof window inserts.

Building materials with a lot of mass can block outside noise. If you are planning to renovate your home, installing thick walls with plenty of insulation, as well as thick windows and doors, can block outside noise.

How to Reduce the Spread of Noise Within Your House
Soft materials such as carpet, rugs and furniture can absorb sound. If you have wood or tile floors, you can reduce the noise level by installing carpet or by using rugs in high-traffic areas. That can be particularly helpful if footsteps upstairs bother people who are trying to relax below. A large couch and chairs can provide insulation and reduce interior noise levels.

Wall coverings can provide insulation and spruce up your homes dcor. If a member of your family likes to play loud music, installing acoustic tiles and foam in that persons room can absorb the sound so it wont be heard throughout the house.

If your home has an open floor plan, the lack of dividing walls can allow sound to travel throughout the house. Using furniture, bookcases and tall plants to separate the space can deflect noise and limit its ability to spread.

If the floors squeak, there may be gaps between the layers of flooring, or the subfloor may not be level. You can hire a contractor to inspect and repair squeaky floors.

If your appliances are a source of annoying background noise, you may be able to get some peace and quiet by installing new, more energy-efficient ones. They will be quieter and will also help you protect the environment and lower your utility bills.

Make Your Home More Peaceful
If unwanted noise is a problem, you may be able to block or absorb it by making some simple changes. If you plan to remodel your home, structural changes can provide permanent solutions.

Published with permission from RISMedia.

Published with permission from RISMedia.

Before you buy a house, you should request quotes from several lenders to get the best interest rate you can. You may have heard that having a lot of credit inquiries can hurt your credit score, but getting several mortgage quotes shouldnt have much of an effect on your score if you request them within a short window of time.

How Can Hard Inquiries Affect Your Credit Scores?
A hard inquiry is a formal review of an individuals credit report. It happens when a consumer applies for a loan or credit card. When you apply for a mortgage, lenders will make hard inquiries that will be reported to the three major credit reporting bureaus: TransUnion, Equifax and Experian.

If you applied for several credit cards in a short period of time, numerous hard inquiries would hurt your credit score. Applying for multiple lines of credit could create the impression that you were in financial trouble. Things will work differently if you request several mortgage quotes.

Credit bureaus understand that people who are interested in buying a house shop around for competitive loan terms. If numerous mortgage lenders pull your credit reports in a short period of time, the credit bureaus will treat all those hard inquiries as if they were only a single review of your credit report. That means that you can request mortgage quotes from as many lenders as you would like without worrying that it would cause major damage to your credit score.

When to Request Mortgage Quotes
There are several FICO scoring models and lenders can decide which to use. If lenders use the new model, all credit pulls related to mortgage inquiries that are done within 45 days count as one inquiry. If lenders use the older scoring model, the window is shorter. In that case, all inquiries within 14 days count as one inquiry.

To be on the safe side, request all your mortgage quotes within a 14-day period. Applying for several mortgage quotes in two weeks is not as difficult as you may think. All the lenders will ask for the same information. You might even be able to get all the applications done within a few days.

How Much Will Your Credit Score be Affected?
Although hard inquiries can lower your credit score, requesting mortgage quotes will likely have a small effect on your score. The exact amount of the decline will depend on your individual circumstances. If you have a lengthy credit history and pay your bills on time, your score wont be affected as much as it would be for someone with a shorter credit history.

Check Your Credit Reports
Before you apply for mortgage quotes, request copies of your credit reports. If you find any errors, dispute them so that when you apply for a mortgage, lenders will have accurate data and you wont be penalized for outdated or erroneous information.

Published with permission from RISMedia.