Housing 2015: The return of first-time home buyers

New Year has got people thinking about a "fresh start".  Some are thinking of diet, new outlook on life, spending more time with family, building memories, focusing on attaining a goal like a huge race or 5K.

And yes there are others planning to buy their first home or even re-entering the housing market after a short sale or foreclosure.  Starting this year there will be people re-entering the home buying dream as they have made it past a season in the lending guidelines to purchase again with Traditional financing.  This is great news for those starting again, but it's also great for Seller's to be at the "right time to list your home".

I'm not sure if you saw this article from CNN Money about Housing 2015: The return of first-time home buyers.  Please check this out as it's discussing the Millennials hopping into the home buying experience.  Of course the majority are saddled with college debt and are living the American Dream of paying off student loans, but with are anticipated in some markets to jump into the housing market.

Wishing you an incredible 2015 and if there is anything I can do to help build your dreams of becoming a homeowner in Phoenix, AZ area, I would love to help you choosing the Arizona Lifestyle to build your memories.

New Weekly Article - An Office Space for Everyone || Your Home and Lifestyle

Have you been noticing Garage Sales all over each weekend lately? We just did one. We are making every effort to ''Get On Track This Year.'' 

Here are 5 Strategies for Decluttering a Small Space. It can get overwhelming for me to attack such a lofty goal. I have a dear friend Jodi, she & her husband both are good at keeping things to minimum clutter, so these suggestions are directed at people maybe a little more like me. So, instead of giving us additional organizing and decluttering tips and strategies, maybe it would be most helpful to focus on what NOT to do when trying to harness chaos in our homes.

Some of this advice is hardly new or shocking. But these five missteps are the most common -- and most likely to derail even the best efforts to conquer clutter. Here goes:

1. Organize First; Buy Second. Do not go out and buy a ton of storage pieces and supplies before you sort through your home. All of those pretty bins, boxes and baskets at The Container Store are very enticing, but they won't do you any good unless they fit the space (on the shelf, under the bed, in the closet); hold what you need them to hold, and function properly for your particular space. I recommend cleaning out first, assessing what containers you REALLY need, and then buying a few bins to start. You can always add later, but you don't want a bunch of empty containers cluttering up your home while you figure out where you might use them.

2. Don't Bite Off More Than You Can Chew. Do not set aside an ENTIRE day to organize your WHOLE house. My family HATES it when I keep adding to the list and jumping around. Remember, very few people have the energy and/or focus to spend 8 hours organizing. You'll likely become frustrated and less efficient as the day progresses. It's much better to spend a few hours -- 2 or 3 -- on one project or space. This way you'll feel motivated to do more, not burned out by the process.

3. Complete Each Task -- Completely. Of course you will need to sort things into categories (e.g., toss, recycle, donate, give to friend, put in deep storage). But here's the crucial part: Once you have decided where something is going to go -- take it there. Never keep bags for charity or boxes for friends in your home to deliver later. Do it now. Finish the process. Take the bags and boxes out to the trash or recycling immediately. If you're donating something or giving something to a friend or family member, put the items in your car or make arrangements for dropping them off. You've done so much work getting this stuff ready to take out, complete the deal!

4. Rome Wasn't Built In A Day. Do not think that once you've organized your space, that you are done. You'll feel like a failure when you have to clean it up again in a month. Realize that while you have created a new, efficient, and logical system for processing and managing incoming and outgoing items, you are not done. There is no autopilot. You should expect regular upkeep, but just be glad that the new system is far more efficient than the old one.

5. Good Enough is Enough. Very few people have closets and drawers that resemble those in catalogs. Trust me. The Container Store. It looks great and works properly, but it is a space that is used by an actual human being, not one that has been carefully staged by a team of stylists and marketers for a non-existent person. You will ultimately be disappointed if perfection is your goal. The goal is to set up a space that works best for you and your family. That is success.

Well I am hoping this daunting project of getting organized and ''on track'' for 2014 is a goal we can accomplish this year. Wish us well:)



New Weekly Article - An Office Space for Everyone || Your Home and Lifestyle

New Year and Get Down to Magically Clean Grout

Get Grout Magically Clean — Stains and All

Every year we begin the year with lots of Resolutions and start fresh.  The thing that always catches me is a deep clean.  Stains that taint my best intentions drive me nuts.  Here is a way to get your grout clean and help you to start your year fresh.

Now that the decorations are put away, and life is ready to start anew.  Maybe you might want to check this out and help spruce up your home in a new way.  Happy New Year.

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