I love that each year New Year’s Day and the month of January bring transformation, renewal, and possibility. As everyone returns to work after the holiday bustle and the weather in Seattle remains chilly and gray, the world feels quiet and peaceful.
While we tend to focus on New Year resolutions that have to do with career, health, happiness, etc, we often overlook resolutions for one of the most important spaces in our lives–our homes. Setting and achieving goals for your home can significantly improve your finances and your general wellbeing (for more about the connections between architectural spaces and mood, check out this fascinating article). Here are a few of our favorite New Year’s resolutions for your home in 2018.
1. Create a budget for home improvements.
Because it’s easy to rack up credit card charges when working on home improvement projects, this is the best place to start. Create a list of projects in order of priority. Be sure to devise a home improvement budget each year–HouseLogic suggests that the owner of a $250,000 home set aside $2,500 to $7,500 per year for maintenance and repairs.
2. Cut your energy use.
Energy Star has an informative guide to home improvement projects that increase your space’s energy efficiency and save money. You might get started by changing your HVAC system air filter every three months and installing caulk and weatherstripping around your home’s doors and windows. Don’t forget to add the money you save on energy bills to your yearly home improvement budget as a reward for yourself.
3. Declutter.
Published in 2014, Marie Kondo’s The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing has over 12,000 reviews on Amazon, which, perhaps, means that we are itching to declutter our spaces. Kondo’s KonMari Method consists of organizing one’s possessions into categories and keeping only those things that “spark joy.” While letting go of things may seem scary at first (please tell me I’m not the only one who still has high school sweatshirts shoved in a box under my bed), this project is an affordable way to significantly renew your living space.
4. Purify your air.
According to the EPA, indoor air quality is one of the top environmental health hazards. The simplest way to do purify your interior’s air is to buy house plants. Some of the best plants for purifying air are spider plants, peace lilies, Boston ferns, bamboo, red-edged dracaena, and snake plants. For more information about air-purifying greenery, check out NASA’s convenient guide.
Other than investing in a few houseplants, be sure to regularly maintain your HVAC system, burn real firewood in wood stoves and fireplaces, use localized ventilation in kitchens and bathrooms to eliminate cooking fumes and excess humidity, and use a portable air cleaner.
5. Educate yourself.
Luckily, Pickett Street has some amazing resources to help you with this resolution. To get started learning more about buying or selling a home, contact the team at (425) 502-5397 or info@pickettstreet.com. Additionally, here’s how to get started investing in real estate, why you should buy a home now, and why selling your home is a smart move.