So you’ve made your New Year’s resolutions for 2017, but have you set goals for your Santa Barbara home? Here are 5 things your house wants you to consider:
1) Streamline your stuff
Get organized in 2017 by streamlining your stuff. Homeowners acquire mountains of stuff each year. Without some regular purging, cabinets and drawers get jam-packed and it becomes hard to find anything in all that clutter. Get rid of anything that you don’t use, wear or love and donate it to charity. After that, think twice about what you bring in.
2) Make it safe and sound
Your home may be beautiful, but is it safe? There are a few things that every Santa Barbara homeowner should do to ensure that they’re not living with a potential health hazard or fire risk. First, check your house for radon. This colorless, odorless gas causes about 21,000 lung cancer deaths each year from the radioactive particles it traps in your lungs as you breathe, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Other important safety resolutions include installing a carbon monoxide detector on every bedroom floor in addition to fire detectors, cleaning the vents and ducts behind your dryer, and making sure your bathrooms and attics are well ventilated.
3) Shrink your carbon footprints
Make 2017 the year you shrink your carbon footprints. It’s easy: just adopt these simple measures:
- Switch off the lights when you leave a room.
- Turn off your air conditioner when you leave the house and dial your heater down to 65 degrees at night.
- Install compact fluorescent bulbs and low-flow showerheads.
- Water your yard less. Or better yet, plant drought-tolerant landscaping.
- Give composting a try. Your garden will thank you.
4) Keep it clean!
Come up with a daily and weekly schedule that works for you and your family. Dishes go in the dishwasher every night, dirty clothes go in the hamper and jackets or clean clothes are hung in the closet. Put everything back to its assigned place in your house and divide weekly cleaning chores among family members and staff.
5) Get ready to entertain in 2017
Most of us vow to spend more time with family and friends when a new year rolls around. Make that happen in 2017. Start by giving the areas you entertain in a little update. All it takes to get a fresh new look is a bit of rearranging and a few updates. One easy addition that makes your home seem more “finished” is plants. Or you can pull out a new accent color from your existing decor to make the whole room look fresh. Finally, rearrange your furniture so it is oriented in conversation groups and not just facing the television.
For more details on these 5 New Year’s resolutions for Santa Barbara homeowners, check out this article in HGTV. If your primary resolution for 2017 is selling your home or buying a new one in Montecito, Hope Ranch or any of Santa Barbara’s upscale communities, check out my comprehensive website. I’m here to help you find your dream home or sell your estate in this part of the world. Just call me at 805.886.9378 or email me at Cristal@montecito-estate.com. There are some amazing properties available right now.