There’s a reason the saying “You only get one chance” is such a cliché… because it’s TRUE!You only have one opportunity to live this life (at least as far as I know) so why not make it fantastic? Why not do something that you’ve never done before.Let me tell you a personal story that you might be able relate to…Annmarie’s (my partner in crime) Volkswagen was getting older. We could feel it in the steering and the breaks and the engine. It was a 2002 Jetta with over 92,000 miles. Talk about driving!About a week ago, we were walking around New Caanan, CT and passed the Ford dealership. Outside in the lot was a beautiful 2006 Mustang. Now, I’m not a car guy, but this thing can make anyone with a pulse get excited. This thing had it all… down to the chrome air vents and the “Mustang” tape along the side panel.I ran a finger along the spoiler, turned to Ann and said, “What’s stopping us from getting this car? Why don’t we have one of these things?”"The snow,” she said.”That’s it?”"Yeah, I guess.”Well, for someone like me, that wasn’t enough.I wasn’t going to let some unpredictable factor like the snow get in the way of my life. How many times did it really snow this winter… and the last… and the one before that. Not enough to stop me from getting a great looking car. Worrying about the snow is not the way to live if you know you only get one shot.We had a Mustang in less than 10 days.Hey, if the thing stinks in the snow, then we’ll work it out. But think about all the days there won’t be snow and we’ll be revving the engine at a stoplight, enjoying the ride!Have you been making your decisions based on the snow?How many miles do you feel like you have on YOUR odometer. Do you feel like Ann’s Jetta? Still young and overworked?You don’t have to feel this way… particularly since you really do only have once go at it. You can be a Mustang. You can use the momentum that you’ve already gotten from starting to take you to a new level of health and fitness.What you have to do is stop making silly excuses. Yes, I know you’re busy! I am too. What you need to understand is that you’ll be really pissed when you’re not busy and your body has deteriorated to a point where you can’t work anymore. Or when you’re kids or grandkids want to go out and play with you and you’re molded to the couch because you can’t muster the energy to get off your duff.Stop worrying about your employees, your kids, your business… the snow… and take care of yourself.If you do, then everyone else will be taken care of as well.
For potential property investors there is a huge amount to take on board before making their first or even subsequent property investments. This is why it is critical that they take on board all the factors needed to completing their property investment in order to ensure that they avoid the potential property investment pitfalls. I have prepared a property investor checklist for landlords and property investors to work through.1. Firstly a property investor needs to understand the risks that they are taking in investment property. Property investment has always been a great long-term investment but there are risks.2. Landlords should generally avoid investment clubs and certainly paying large membership fees3. A landlord should remember that buying an investment property is not like buying a home. Property investors should focus on the likely returns from the investment when deciding on which one to buy.4. A property investor should carry out a full investment appraisal before deciding and committing to a development.5. Landlords and property investors need to be clear about what type of tenants that they want to attract before even attempting to start their investment property search.6. To find an investment property, investors need to consider all the potential avenues to tracking down investments. Landlords should be pro-active and use the latest internet sites to obtain information and details about potential properties.7. Landlords looking for a potential investment bargain should consider buying a Below Market Value (BMV) property. BMV properties can be found at property auctions. Landlords need to be careful that they are not caught out by the provisions of the 1986 Insolvency Act when buying a Below Market Value (BMV) property from a distressed seller.8. Landlords buying off-plan should ensure that they are really getting a discount if they have been promised one by the developer. The best way to do this is to check out the local property information to find out if the investment property bargain that they have been made to believe.9. Property investors need to have decided on what type of property to buy. This is going to be one that appeals to the needs of the type of tenant they are targeting and also be able to achieve a landlords long-term investment returns.10. Once a landlord has found a potential investment property they need to negotiate hard to secure a good deal. Remember the adage that a property investor makes their profit when they buy not when they sell. Always view as many potential investment properties as possible and put in low offers for any that might meet a landlord’s investment criteria. That way one or two might be accepted and a landlord can then make their ultimate investment decisions based on these offers.11. A landlord should ensure that they obtain the best buy-to-let mortgage advice and products to ensure that they cut financing costs to the minimum for the duration of the investment. This generally means avoiding expensive one off charges and fees and ensuring that landlords source buy-to-let mortgages with the lowest APR (Average Percentage Rate).12. A landlord should ensure that they understand fully what they need to do to let out their investment property and also the responsibilities they have in letting out their property and the regulations that govern the letting of residential property.13. Landlords employ all the ways that they can to cut their costs in order to maximise their returns. These include managing their investment property themselves and also ensuring where possible that the investment property remains let thereby avoiding the curse of the void!14. One of the key ways a landlord can maximise their returns is to find techniques that minimise the amount of tax a landlord pays on their investment property.
What would you do with an extra $1,000 per day? This is not just some random number, but reflects actual earning potential from making money online (and is only the beginning in many cases). Also, try not to confuse this with “making money from home”. One of the most inspiring notions about making money on the internet is that you can do it from anywhere in the world with a laptop and even the faintest WiFi signal.Sounds pretty great, right?… Okay, now for some not-so-great stuff (depending on how you look at it).If you really want to make the kind of money discussed above, then you absolutely have to know what you’re getting into first. Because the path leading up to financial security through online endeavors is paved with some very cold, very hard facts. However, it all comes down to what you do with those facts that means the difference between enlightenment and surrender.Ready? Let’s go.Fact #1:Making money online is hard work. Don’t let anyone tell you differently. Otherwise it would be called “getting money online”. But this is a good thing–no, a great thing–because once you get to the point where you know how to make it, you just keep making it (and exponentially more and more of it). On the other hand, if someone just came along and handed you that money, you might just spend the rest of your life waiting for someone else to come along and give you some more. Makes sense, right?Also, this is not the same “hard work” that keeps you reaching for alarm clocks every day to go places you hate, performing tasks you dread. You make the hours, and you make the workload. Just remember that with making money online, your greatest ally is education, because the research never ends. But again, this is a great thing because you will eventually get to the point where you enjoy the learning. Regardless of how cliche it may seem, knowledge is power. Always.Fact #2:You will not make money online right away. This can be very discouraging for many, and is quite probably the number one killer of all would-be online ventures. The good news is, there are two great ways to deal with it:Stay focused on small goals first (and write them down). It’s these small goals that lead to slightly bigger goals, and then much bigger goals, and then… you get the point. In other words, don’t try to make goo-gobs of money right here and now (because you won’t). Instead, aim to land just one sale per month. And then one per week. And then, over time, you’ll be making money without even trying. You’ll be absolutely amazed at how inspiring–and empowering–this simple step can be.
Breathe and Believe. If you truly want to make money online, even by way of the scantiest ambition, you have to understand that every last person first starts off where you are. Period. Yes, there are mobs of idiots out there with flashy sales pitches preaching secrets to instant wealth. Ignore them. In fact, if you’d like to know an even better secret: a lot of those monkeys don’t make money, either. If they did, then what’s up with all the theatrics? That said, there are some fantastic resources for learning how to make money online.So, to recap: making money online takes hard, hard work, both in the beginning and in the long-haul. But anything worth-while does. However, once you get the great money-making flywheel’s momentum ramped, it’s only a matter of nudging here-and-there to keep it spinning hard.Just remember to start with small goals, ignore the idiots, and believe.Thank you.
Whether you’re in the market for a major interior overhaul or you’re simply looking to give your home a quick and easy update, chances are you’ve spent some time online hunting for ideas and inspiration. That said, it can be pretty deflating to stumble upon a look you love only to discover the price to achieve it is well above your budget.
Fortunately, there are some killer home decorating blogs that show you how to refresh, revive, and fall in love with your home anew without breaking the bank. For a home that looks far more expensive than it costs to create, check out the following blogs for all of the interior inspiration and DIY tutorials you’ll ever need.
Welcome back to the week 5 update for the One Room Challenge. Check out the blog posts and updates for week 1, week 2, week 3, and week 4 if you missed them. It’s crunch time now and I’ll be honest… I don’t know that this project will be completely wrapped up for the reveal date. The great thing is the reveal and hitting a deadline is not the only goal of reason for this challenge. Ultimately having a fully functional and hopefully beautiful bathroom is where we want to end up even it things are a bit delayed.
Disclosure: this post contains affiliate links.
When we left off last time the countertops had been templated, the trim was freshly painted and the hardware had been ordered. The hardware took about 1 week to arrive. We chose the Menlo Park 4″ pull from Schlub in chrome because I think the pull has the perfect mix of square and some rounded elements that make it a great transitional hardware option. We went with all pulls for the drawers and doors since the knob option in that line weren’t our favorite.
Guest Bathroom Reno: Quartz Countertops and Grout – One Room Challenge Week 5
The quartz countertops are now installed and things can be put back together. Rectangle, undercount sinks were also purchased through the fabricator. The Marble look quartz from Pental and it is gorgeous with the warm gray veins running throughout. For the edge went for a flat polish eased edge for a clean, simple look.
Guest Bathroom Reno: Quartz Countertops and Grout – One Room Challenge Week 5
Two days after the quartz countertops were installed the tile installer came back to finish up tiling the niches, installing the tile base and grout everything.
Guest Bathroom Reno: Quartz Countertops and Grout – One Room Challenge Week 5
The electoral is being relocated for the new lights. There are some drywall and painting touch ups to do and plumbing fixtures to be hooked up. Plus adding all the finishing touches ???? All those little things like towel hooks, curtain rod, and accessories will bring this whole thing together.
It’s been too long since I’ve updated and even longer since this work has been started. This is me sharing remodel updates, mostly for myself (but also for my nagging family members). I’m sharing photos of the progress that has been made while also document the craziness that has gone on. This is just the beginning of the remodel.
Prior to moving in I had 3-4 weeks where my apartment lease overlapped with the possession of my townhome. This allowed me, with the amazing help of my family, to paint, tear-out carpet and somewhat put back together the upstairs portion of my place so that I could have a clean room to put a bed. At least one that wasn’t completely torn apart. One area that felt more livable that the rest. If you haven’t seen or don’t remember these are the before photos from when I took possession. To list it out here are the main things that I was tacking during those week prior to me moving in.
Phase 1 Remodel Projects
ripping out baseboard, carpet and tack strips upstairs and preparing for new hard surface flooring. (this flooring will go throughout minus the stairs and bathrooms/laundry)
installing flooring upstairs (one of my installers did this)
mostly gutting the master bathroom
installing a new tub and rough in plumbing for the master and powder bath
ordering and installing a rift white oak vanity for the master
Painting (and priming where needed) the ceilings and walls of the bedrooms. Caulking and painting the crown molding in the master
replacing and upgrading the baseboard heater in the master and patch the drywall
painting the hallway and down through the stairwell
adding skirt board to the stairs
installing new carpet and pad on the stairs (my carpet installer from work did this)
removing upper cabinets on the fridge side in the kitchen
partially demoing the wall diving the kitchen (prepare to move switches, outlets, heater and thermostat)
removing drywall on wall next to bar in dining area
painting the downstairs powder bath and removing vanity to prepare for a new floating vanity
Those were the main projects that took place and then I moved in the day after Thanksgiving. Getting rid of the original, nasty cat carpet and new flooring made a huge difference to the upstairs. Also neutralizing and lightening the paint made things feel so much more fresh. I still have no baseboards but I’ll get on that one day! For now here are some photos that I snapped along the way.
It’s been a while since been posting on here but I have some new updates and projects that I have been working on. Last summer into fall I was house hunting while knowing the lease on my apartment would be expiring end of the 2019. It felt a little crazy but was a fun process for me. After a bunch of searching I found and closed on a new home!
I was lucky enough to have a few weeks of overlap with my apartment (I ended up moving out 1 month early) so I was able to get started on projects and updates prior to moving in. I’ll share more about those in the coming weeks (there are still so many unfinished things!) but for now I think it’s best to start with some before photos. Also, follow along on Instagram where I post current project updates more often. The pictures show it in the state I bought it in. It’s a great first place to me and was functional as-is but as you might expect I’m here to make things my own by doing updates that I will enjoy while living here and that will also add value and functionality to the space down the line when I sell… or maybe even keep it as a rental. My dog, Nova, has been enjoying the space as well ???? There are a couple of things to miss about my Bothell apartment but I am very ready to have my own place and space.
In 2017 the guest bathroom was remodeled. You can see more photos and read about that here. Almost everything came out and all new things went back in. From emails and comments people have been asking for sources so I have rounded up what I could in this post to share paint colors, products and links that I could find for the bathroom.
Bathroom Sources and Details:
Wall color: BM Balboa Mist
Trim and door color: BM Chantilly Lace
Floor Tile: Pental Mark Chrome 12×24 matte
Shower tile: Jeffrey Court Weather Gray 4×12 gloss subway
Niche tile: Daltile clio mosaic
Bathtub: Maax Rubix tub
Cabinet: Spencer Cabinets – painted BM Cape May Cobblestone
Countertop: Pental Quartz Misterio polished 3cm
Cabinet hardware: Schaub Menlo Park Pull in chrome
Faucets: Hansgrohe Metris single handle in chrome
Shower trims: Kohler slide bar kit, wall mount supply and Hansgrohe tub spout in chrome
Mirrors: Homegoods
Towel Hooks: Delta Tolva robe hook in chrome