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Not sure what to do with that extra room? Here are a few ideas for putting it to good use…

Game Room

An ideal way to get the whole family together. Add comfortable seating and your favorite games.

Library

Create the perfect spot to disappear into a good book and put your literary collection on display.

Childrens Playroom

Sometimes the kids need a little more space to hang out with friends and be active.

Home Theater

Home theaters are one of the most sought-after amenities among luxury homebuyers.

Meditation Room

Feel like you need to find your zen? A private space for meditation could be in order.

Published with permission from RISMedia.

If youre like most people, you have probably accumulated numerous sheet sets, blankets and towels over the years, causing your linen closet to be disorganized and cluttered. Here are some tips to help you simplify and create an organizational system that works.

Get Rid of Things You Dont Use

You may have old towels that you only keep because they were given to you as a gift or sheets that your adult children had when they were in elementary school. Cut through the clutter and donate items you no longer use.

Create an Organizational System That Works for Your Family
You may want to designate one section for each persons linens, or you may want to put all the queen-sized sheets on one shelf and all the twin-sized sheets on another. You may choose to sort towels by size and color, or you may have different sets for each bathroom and store them in different areas.

Dividers can keep linens separate and prevent stacks from falling over. You can also use boxes, storage bins or baskets to separate linens. When shopping for containers, think about the height and width of your closet shelves and what you want to store on each shelf so you can choose containers that will allow you to make the best use of the space available. Label containers so that you, other family members and guests can easily find what they need and assure that whoever puts away linens, puts them in the appropriate places.

If you struggle to find sheets and pillowcases that are part of a set, there is an easy way to organize them. Fold sheets and pillowcases that belong to one set and insert them into a pillowcase that is a member of the same set. When you need linens, you will be able to reach for a bundle and know that you have a complete, matching set.

Keep commonly used items front and center. Store less frequently used linens on higher shelves or toward the back of the closet.

Protect Your Linens
Some materials used to make closet shelves can damage linens or cause them to fade. Look for shelf liners to prevent damage. Clean the shelves with a damp sponge or cloth and let them dry completely before lining them. You may also want to use cedar to protect your belongings from moths and baking soda or a lavender sachet to prevent odors.

Look for Ways to Save Space
Folding linens is not always the best way to store them. If youre tight on space, rolling towels may be a good alternative.

For large, bulky items, such as comforters, invest in some space-saving bags. You can put large items in a bag, seal it and use a vacuum cleaner to remove the air and compress the bag into a flat unit.

Use space on the door to store items that dont fit on shelves. You can look for fixtures to hang your ironing board and iron, tablecloths or toiletries.

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If you need more living space and you dont want to move, you have two options: you can remodel or build an addition. Each may have advantages and disadvantages, depending on the circumstances.

Pros and Cons of Remodeling
Remodeling your homes interior can be a good choice in some cases. For example, you might be able to renovate the basement or attic to have a guest room or family room for a fraction of what it would cost to build an addition.

If the interior of your house is outdated, remodeling and updating it would make more sense than building an addition. If you had a house with one new section and another that was outdated, it would seem disjointed and could be hard to sell in the future.

If your house is currently divided into rooms that are too small, or if the layout doesnt work for your familys lifestyle, remodeling could help you make better use of the space without increasing your homes footprint. For instance, if you need more space in the kitchen, you might be able to work with a contractor to figure out a way to add more room for cooking, storage or seating. You might be able to change the layout of the room or take some space from an adjacent room or closet instead of increasing the overall size of the house.

Benefits and Downsides of Building an Addition
When you bought your home, you had to figure out how to use the houses existing design to suit your familys needs. If you built an addition, you and your family would be able to discuss how to design the space in a way that is perfectly suited to each of your needs.

Additions are expensive. Even adding one room could cost more than you might expect. If you built an addition and sold your house several years later, you may or may not recoup your investment.

Building an addition would increase other costs. You would have to pay for more electricity, heating, air conditioning and property taxes.

If you built an addition that increased your homes footprint, you would lose yard space. If you have a huge yard or you dont have young kids, that might not be a problem, although potential buyers might not be interested in a big house with a small yard. To increase the size of your house without giving up valuable yard space, you could add another story.

What Should You Do?
It can be difficult to figure out the best way to change the layout of your home and to have more usable space. There is no right or wrong answer since each house is different and your familys needs are unique. Talk to a contractor about design options and ask a real estate agent how changes might affect your property taxes and your homes value.

Published with permission from RISMedia.

Carpet and area rugs can influence more than the aesthetics of your home. Flooring materials can affect your familys lives in numerous ways. Here are some facts to consider when choosing the type of carpet for your home.

Carpet vs. Rug
Wall-to-wall carpet covers an entire floor. It is made of a thick woven fabric that is held to the floor with tacking strips or glue. Rugs are usually made of woven materials. They are designed to cover only a section of the floor.

Design Options
Using carpet of one color in multiple rooms can give a home a unified appearance. Rugs dont produce this same effect. They are better for giving individual spaces style and character and for providing structure in a home with an open floor plan.

Since carpet comes in a wide range of neutral colors, it can give you many choices when it comes to furniture and accessories. On the other hand, if you decide to buy new furniture or paint the walls a different color, replacing an area rug will be a lot easier and may cost a lot less than installing new wall-to-wall carpeting.

Carpets can get worn in high-traffic areas. If that happens, it may be necessary to replace some or all of the carpet, which can be expensive. Replacing area rugs is much more affordable.

Area rugs can be moved from room to room if you decide to change your dcor. If you move to a new house, you will be able to take area rugs with you. You wont be able to do that with wall-to-wall carpeting, since it was cut to match the dimensions of your current home.

Comfort
If you like to walk around barefoot, stepping from an area rug onto hardwood flooring can be jarring, especially on a cold winter morning. Since carpet covers the entire floor, you wont have to worry about having cold feet.

Health
Carpets can trap dirt, dust, pet dander and other allergens, as well as moisture, which can allow mold to form. In addition, new carpet releases chemicals in off-gassing, often for months after installation. Air can circulate through rug fibers, which makes rugs less likely than carpet to develop mold and mildew. Cleaning carpet can be difficult and expensive, while rugs are easy to clean.

These facts mean that area rugs are often a better choice than carpet for people with allergies. Rugs may also work better in a humid climate since they will trap less moisture and can be cleaned as needed.

Safety
Rugs can move, and people can trip on them, even if the rugs are slip resistant. That can make them dangerous for homes with senior citizens, young children, and people with limited mobility. Carpet has a pad underneath and is attached to the floor, which can prevent tripping. That can make carpet a safer option.

Which is Right for Your Family?
When choosing floor coverings, focus on more than how you want the rooms to look. Consider how you use your home and prioritize your familys health and safety, versatility and costs.

Published with permission from RISMedia.

A large percentage of recent college graduates have student loan debt, often totaling tens of thousands of dollars. While having significant balances might make it harder to become a homeowner, you may still be able to qualify for a mortgage.

Factors That are Important to Lenders
A lender will look at your overall financial picture to decide whether to approve your mortgage application. Each company has its own requirements, but all lenders look at several key criteria to make decisions.

An applicants payment history is one of the most important factors. If you have consistently paid your student loans and other bills on time, that demonstrates that you manage your finances responsibly and may increase your chance of qualifying for a mortgage with a competitive interest rate.

Mortgage lenders also consider an applicants debt-to-income ratio or the percentage of monthly income that goes toward paying down debts. Lenders dont want borrowers to have a DTI ratio above a specific percentage.

An applicants credit score is also important. A high score could help you get approved for a mortgage with a competitive interest rate.

Improve Your Finances
If your current student loan payments would make it difficult for you to qualify for a mortgage, you might be able to switch to an extended repayment plan or an income-driven repayment plan to reduce your monthly payments and DTI ratio. If you have multiple student loans, you might be able to consolidate them and reduce your monthly payment. Dont request a forbearance or deferment to lower your debt-to-income ratio. That could make a lender think youre in financial trouble and could hurt your chance of qualifying for a mortgage.

Pay all your bills on time. Focus on reducing your DTI ratio and your credit utilization ratio, or the percentage of your available credit you are using. Once you pay off a credit card, you should keep the account open since the length of your credit history affects your credit score. Avoid applying for new credit cards because hard credit inquiries could lower your score.

Look for Other Sources of Help
If you cant qualify for a mortgage on your own and someone close to you is also interested in buying a house, you might want to consider purchasing a home together. You could have a better chance of qualifying with a co-borrower since the lender would consider both your incomes and savings.

Another option is to ask someone to cosign a mortgage. That persons income and credit score could help you qualify, but the cosigner would not have an ownership stake in the house.

Large student loan payments can make it difficult to save for a down payment. You may qualify for assistance through a program offered by the federal government or by your state government. You may also be eligible for a mortgage for first-time homebuyers with a low down payment or none at all.

Published with permission from RISMedia.