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If youve ever felt like a room in your home needs a little extra energy, an accent wall just might be the perfect solution. By having one wall stand out from the rest of the room, it provides exciting visual appeal that draws the eye and leaves a lasting impression while breaking the monotony. Here are a few exciting ways you can create an accent wall in your home.

Fabric Wall Covering
By introducing a plush fabric, like silk or mohair, to one wall, you can instantly give any room a unique aesthetic while creating a luxurious look. Even a more traditional option, such as a neutral-toned linen wall covering, can provide a distinguished feel without being too flashy. Using a textured surface like fabric can help to warm a room up or add depth, depending on what you hope to achieve.

Exposed Brick
Whether youre in the city or the countryside, an exposed brick wall evokes a sense of character in practically any setting. While it might be more commonly associated with industrial chic- and bohemian-style lofts, theres no reason why you cant mix it up in a traditional residence with a red brick wall. If you feel like that might be too much, another option is to paint the brick white and let it blend in a little bit.

Wallpaper
There are tons of great choices for high-end wallpaper that can easily transform a room into an entirely new space. From mesmerizing floral patterns to classic prints, the right wallpaper will bring a room to life while supplementing the existing color scheme. And if you find the perfect one, you might just want to go ahead and cover the entire room with it.

Bold Paint
Of course, the most common way to create an accent wall is simply by painting one wall an exciting color that complements the rest of the room. It doesnt necessarily have to be a vibrant shade of yellow or orange, however. A dark, moody blue, for example, can make an equally powerful design statement that everyone is sure to take note of.

Published with permission from RISMedia.

Getting pre-approved for a mortgage can be complicated and time-consuming. If youre planning to buy a house, you might not want to go through that process again and again with numerous lenders, but you should. It could pay off in the form of significant savings over the life of your loan.

Reasons to Request Several Quotes
Lenders offer mortgages with a variety of terms. Mortgage points, also known as discount points, are fees that you can pay upfront to lower your interest rate and save money each month. The mortgage points, as well as interest rates and fees, all vary by lender, often substantially. Borrowers who shop around typically save thousands of dollars. The more quotes you get, the more information youll have to help you make a decision.

Getting multiple quotes can also give you leverage to help you negotiate. If one lender makes an attractive offer, but with a higher interest rate and/or fees than a competitor, your preferred lender may be willing to match the other companys offer.

When and How to Apply for Mortgage Quotes
To complete the pre-approval process, each lender will take a careful look at your employment, income, debts and credit history to decide whether it would be willing to loan you money and, if so, how much and under what terms. Mortgage interest rates change frequently, so its important to conduct your research within a relatively short period of time, choose a lender and act quickly.

A mortgage broker can make it easy to apply for mortgage pre-approval from several lenders. You can give a broker your information once so he or she can submit a series of applications on your behalf. Another option is to contact lenders yourself, either online or by phone, and request quotes.

Would Shopping Around Hurt Your Credit Score?
A hard inquiry, or a credit check that a company makes to decide whether to loan you money, can have a small negative effect on your credit score. If you shop around for a mortgage or auto loan and get quotes from several lenders, however, those will be treated as one event and will only impact your score once.

The two largest companies that design credit-scoring systems are FICO and VantageScore. FICO treats multiple hard inquiries for a mortgage as one event if they occur in a 45-day period, and VantageScore treats them as one event in a two-week period.

Compare Lenders to Save Money on Your New Home
Many home shoppers dont request multiple mortgage quotes, either because they dont realize how much money they could save or because they feel overwhelmed by the thought of contacting several lenders and comparing numerous sets of facts and figures. Its an important step that can yield substantial savings and is worth the relatively small amount of time that would be required. Request quotes from several types of lenders, including banks, credit unions and online institutions, so you can get the best deal possible.

Published with permission from RISMedia.

It never seems to fail that kids acquire more toys than parents can keep up with. While it can be good to cull through toys once-in-a-while to prevent against excess that causes clutter, there is a lot to be said for good toy storage practices. Great toy storage solutions can ensure that your children can access their favorite toys without creating a mess too big for them to handle. These savvy solutions may be just what your home–and your children–need to keep toys and books cared for and contained.

Pegboard Organizer
Keeping toys out of the way but still easy to access is always a challenge. Pegboards are the perfect solution to this issue. Toys can be in view at all times but hung up utilizing vertical space. This is an excellent solution for kids of any age, since its so easy to put items back after use. Hang up nerf guns and swords, badminton rackets, art supplies and more!

Picture Ledges
Not just for pictures, these slim shelves serve as the perfect option to display illustrated childrens books. Lean books against the wall on the shelf to make them accessible for the youngest members of your household while adding a whimsical and artistic display to any bedroom or toy room.

Multi-Use Cubby Shelves
Cubby shelves are go-to options for toy storage for many households. Far superior to the traditional toy box, they allow toys to be grouped with like items. This means your child wont take out every toy they own to get to the last piece of their favorite set that happens to be sitting at the bottom of the toy bin. Cubby shelves with multiple uses are even more ideal than their predecessors. Cubby shelf benches are perfect for walkways, toy rooms and bedrooms, and desk options are ideal for school-aged children.

Lidded Rope Or Jute Baskets
Lidded baskets are an excellent way to keep your childs favorite toys in living areas without losing an adult aesthetic. Rope or jute baskets have a modern and minimalist style that heightens any room (even if the baskets are secretly housing your childrens collection of stuffed animals).

Toy storage is a challenge that most parents must navigate in some way. These toy storage options can help you maximize your space and keep your home organized, all without sacrificing fun in the process.

Published with permission from RISMedia.

Closing costs are typically 2 to 5 percent of the sale price of a house. If you struggled to come up with money for a down payment, having to find thousands of dollars more may seem impossible. With some types of mortgages, the buyer must pay the closing costs, or at least a percentage. In many cases, however, the lender doesnt care who pays those fees. Sometimes a seller is willing to pay some or all of the closing costs.

Why Would a Seller Agree to Pay Closing Costs?
A seller and real estate agent set an asking price anticipating that a buyer will want to negotiate a lower sale price. If you offered to pay the full list price and asked the seller to cover the closing costs, the seller could still come out ahead financially in the end.

Sometimes sellers are in no rush to move, but in other cases they have a strict deadline; for example, if they need to start a new job. A seller may have already bought a new house and may be eager to sell the old one to avoid having to pay two mortgages at once. A homeowner who is motivated to sell quickly may be willing to negotiate to speed the process along. If you have been pre-approved for a mortgage and you offered to close quickly, the seller might agree to pay your closing costs.

An inspection is a routine part of a home sale. When an inspector notices a number of problems, a buyer often demands that the seller have them fixed before proceeding with a purchase. A seller may be willing to cover your closing costs if you dont require a lot of repairs. Just dont let problems that pose a safety hazard slide. Require the seller to fix those before you agree to buy the house.

Will the Seller Cover All Your Closing Costs?
Your mortgage lender may limit how much the seller gives you as a closing cost credit. The lender wont allow the seller to give you a credit greater than the actual amount of the closing costs.

If the seller cant or wont pay all your closing costs, you might be able to work out a split or a reduction in the down payment or earnest money. Another option is to ask the seller to lower the sales price, which would in turn lower the closing costs.

Explore Your Options
Many people, especially first-time homebuyers, struggle to find money for closing costs and are unaware that having the seller cover some or all of those costs is even a possibility. Not all sellers are willing or able to pay closing costs, but many are. You wont know unless you ask. Discuss the issue with your real estate agent.

Published with permission from RISMedia.

We all want our homes to be as healthy a living environment as possible, and for todays luxury homeowners, wellness features continue to be among the most sought-after. Home gyms and amenities that rival a 5-star spa are certainly on the rise in an effort to promote physical and mental wellbeing, but one characteristic that cant be overlooked is indoor air quality, especially for urban dwellers. These days, you can purchase freestanding air purifiers that come in sleek designs or integrate a whole-house purifier into your HVAC system. If you dont currently have one in your home, here are four reasons you may want to consider adding an air purifier.

Air Pollution
Air purifiers can significantly reduce airborne pollutants that find their way into your living space and are unsafe to breathe in. Whether you have a new carpet that may be emitting toxic chemicals, or you live in a city and are worried about harmful emissions affecting your indoor air quality, youre better off playing it safe by filtering your air.

Pets
As much as we love our furry friends, they can wreak havoc on the air in our homes. For starters, they leave fur and dander throughout the house that gets stirred up and can lead to itchy eyes and a runny nose for anyone who suffers from allergies. Additionally, nobody wants their house to smell like pets and a purifier will help to remove any dander and unwanted odors to keep your living environment fresh.

Pollen and Dust
If you suffer from hay fever each allergy season or feel like theres always dust floating around your home no matter how often it gets cleaned, then an air purifier could be a lifesaver. Todays state-of-the-art systems are an effective solution for eliminating pollen and dust particles throughout your dwelling.

Viruses and Bacteria
With flu season right around the corner, an air purifier is the perfect way to combat germs that cause colds and viruses. Its especially important to circulate fresh air in the winter months, when we tend to keep the windows shut and the air in our homes becomes stagnant. If you want to keep feeling your best all year long, purifying the air in your home is essential.

Published with permission from RISMedia.