With the increase in remote work, our homes are becoming multipurpose areas. Within these walls, we no longer only sleep, eat, and live; from our kitchen countertops or improvised offices, we are developing our jobs, exchanging ideas, and fostering relationships with coworkers. Naturally, in order to support productivity and tranquility in our everyday routines, this transition necessitates modifications to our living spaces.

You Should Have A Designated Workspace In Your Home

Make sure you have a designated workspace that is apart from your living rooms before anything else. This could be a nook under the stairs, a separate room, or even a corner of your bedroom. It is essential to keep work and play physically apart in order to keep attention and avoid burnout.

Appreciate Natural Light

Natural light transforms mood and productivity like no other. Arrange your desk so that it faces a window if at all possible to take use of natural light. Natural light has been demonstrated in studies to improve alertness, creativity, and general wellbeing. Consider purchasing full-spectrum bulbs that replicate the sun's beams if the natural light in your current setup is lacking.

Purchase Ergonomic Essentials 

Investing in a high-quality desk and chair for your office will pay you in spades. Select a chair with lumbar support and armrests that can be adjusted, and make sure your desk is raised enough to allow for good posture and comfortable typing. Keep in mind that comfort is essential to avoiding aches and pains during the working.

Get Things Organized Like a Pro

Distraction is inevitable with an untidy workstation. Put strategies for organization to keep documents hidden and your desktop clutter-free. Sort papers, office supplies, and personal belongings using shelves, organizers, and storage containers. A clean environment promotes clarity of thought and improved focus.

Customize Your Space

Make sure everything around you makes you happy and inspires you. Enhance your workstation with plants, photos, or art prints to make it unique and show off your style. A calm and welcoming ambiance can also be produced with the aid of soothing hues and textures.

Make Use of Vertical Space

When working in a small area, utilize the vertical walls as much as possible. Using void areas for storage and exhibition can be facilitated with hanging shelves, organizers, and even pegboards. This keeps your necessities close at hand and frees up crucial work space.

Reduce the Noise

Having background noise can seriously reduce productivity. To reduce distractions, think about installing acoustic panels or utilizing noise-canceling headphones if you live in a busy neighborhood or share a house with others. Another tool for canceling out background noise is a white noise machine.

Set Rules

There may be less distinction between business and personal life when working from home. By establishing regular working hours and doing your best to adhere to them, you may set clear boundaries. To reduce disruptions, don't check work-related emails or texts after hours and let family or roommates know when you're working. To lessen the temptation to rapidly check emails or voicemails during non-work hours, try turning off your computer and ringer.

Accept Multipurpose Use

Consider alternatives to the standard chair and workstation. Think about getting a standing desk or a piece of furniture that can be turned from a dining room table to a workstation. Seek for multifunctional storage options that blend design and utility. Because of its adaptability, you can change your room to suit your everyday requirements.

Establish a Specific Area for Relaxation

Finally, designate a space for leisure and relaxation. This might be a comfortable chair away from your desk, a quiet place to read, or a place for meditation. Having a place set aside for relaxation and rejuvenation is crucial to upholding a positive work-life equilibrium.

Making your house suitable for working remotely is a continuous task. Experiment with different layouts, incorporate personal touches and prioritize your comfort and well-being. Establishing a workspace that stimulates you, facilitates efficiency, and lets you relax can help you succeed in remote work.

Florida law requires you to Move Over a lane — when you can safely do so — for stopped law enforcement, emergency, sanitation, utility service vehicles, tow trucks or wreckers, maintenance or construction vehicles with displaying warning lights,  and any disabled vehicle on the side of the road. If you can’t move over — or when on a two-lane road — slow to a speed that is 20 mph less than the posted speed limit.

Read the full article here:

https://www.flhsmv.gov/safety-center/driving-safety/move-over/?fbclid=IwAR0II9OU57rqd2DQXu3NqjcH55sA6eYHNzdYEtanzHhlzPW66Y3v0WV3afE

You might be surprised to learn that some of the most amazing home improvements have little market worth. What one person views as a luxurious experience may seem like a waste of time, money, or space to another.

The most common mistake made by homeowners when renovating their homes is to include extra features. Some make unfavorable adjustments that discourage potential purchasers from submitting an offer. You should avoid making these 10 modifications to preserve the value of your house, regardless of whether you want to stay in it for a little longer or to put it up for sale.

1.Interconnecting Spaces

Even though you may have big dreams for your master bedroom, joining two rooms to create a larger one would drastically lower the value of your house. Even if they are smaller, prospective buyers with kids will want enough bedrooms for everyone to have their own.

Families today require additional bedrooms in order to house parents and grandparents. According to Generations United, 1 in 4 Americans reside in multigenerational households, a 25 percent increase from 7% in 2011 to 26% in 2021.

2.DIY Projects & Repairs on a Large Scale

Even when you've done a little home remodeling yourself, it's best to leave anything more complicated than a simple touch-up of paint or caulk to the experts. Even little errors can have dangerous and expensive consequences. For instance, uneven weight distribution might arise from fasteners that are even a millimeter wrong. The parts may eventually break free and separate. At worst, it might result in harm.

While doing tasks yourself can save money compared to hiring a professional, poor quality work will be noticeable to potential buyers. These errors may result in costly repairs and a decline in the value of the house.

3.Carpeting from wall to wall

Although it may be cozy to walk on warm, plush carpeting in the winter, wood flooring is preferred by purchasers, especially in common spaces.

Over 91,000 colony-forming units have been found in carpets, which is roughly 30.2 times more germs than refrigerator handles and 5.7 times more germs than toilet seats.

Replacing carpet with more carpet can only yield a 25% to 40% return on investment (ROI). On the other hand, in the current market, hardwood flooring offer a 70% to 80% ROI.

4.Adding a Swimming Pool

Unless you live in an affluent neighborhood or in a warmer region, a swimming pool offers one of the worst return on investments. Prospective purchasers are not very excited about operating and maintenance expenses.

A filtration system without installation fees might cost between $725 and $1,525. Of course, maintenance and chemical treatments might run you anywhere from $230 to $1,600. You will have to pay someone to maintain it even if you choose not to do it yourself.

Buyers, particularly younger, more frugal ones, seek out properties that are well-maintained and require less ongoing expenses. It is less likely to deliver in a swimming pool.

5.Converting the Garage

It's possible that adding extra living space to your garage won't raise the value of your house. For some existing homeowners and prospective buyers, especially if someone else is moving in, the extra space is priceless.

Many concur, nevertheless, that a connected garage is worth more in cities. To avoid having to find street parking, people who live in cities park their automobiles in garages. Furthermore, 85% of homeowners believe that having a garage for storage is desirable or necessary.

6.Specialty Tiles

Playful ways to include your personal style preferences are with backsplashes and floor tiles with patterns. For example, you may install a charming farmhouse pattern on the floor of your bathroom or add some Mediterranean flair behind the stovetop. On the other hand, less customisation is preferable.

Not every potential buyer who views your house will agree with your style choices or point of view. They might only anticipate the expense of demoting and replacing the improvements you made, which would lower the value of your house.

For the backsplash, think about going with a classic white subway tile or something neutral for the bathroom. These simpler looks will never go out of style, no matter what the trends in the market.

6.Removing a Closet

A 2023 Neighbor.com study found that 25% of respondents felt they needed or desired additional room in their houses. More unexpectedly, 1 in 4 households find that their square footage increases over the course of two years.

Removing  storage from your house will lower its worth. Refrain from eliminating closet space for whatever purpose. The greatest options are to turn a closet into a pantry or maximize closet space for more storage.

7.Aquariums that are Built In

You may be a fish lover or consider built-in aquariums to be a luxury feature in your house. In either case, you shouldn't think about updating your house with a built-in aquarium.

Due to the expense of maintenance and upkeep, the majority of prospective purchasers are not interested in built-in aquariums. The cost of having it removed from the house is equally high. If you must keep fish, go for an independent fish tank that is simple to put together and take apart.

8.Adding a Sunroom

Though it may seem like a luxury that will increase the value of your house, adding a sunroom has a lower return on investment than you may imagine. Making the area into a four-season room is the only way to possibly recoup your investment.

The costliest type of sunroom is a four-season room, which can range from $25,000 to $85,000 based on size, insulation, heating, and cooling. Nevertheless, because it can be used all year round, this kind of sunroom increases square footage.

9.Technology Integration

By 2025, about 57% of homes will have smart home technologies. These days, most homes are equipped with smart TVs, thermostats, speakers, lights, security systems, and in-home personal assistants.

By 2025, a staggering 50 billion gadgets will be connected to the Internet of Things, according to a McKinsey study. This represents an additional 79.4 zettabytes of data every year.

The speed at which technology is developing may be too fast for home integration. Soon after you install home appliances, it's conceivable that they may become obsolete. As a result, it is advisable to forgo purchasing integrated home automation. To save money, put more of an emphasis on incorporating energy-efficient features and appliances.

Choose Your Renovation Project Wisely for the Best Returns

It's good to have some home upgrades. On the other hand, you should renovate your house with buyers in mind if you want to move soon. To determine if a project is worthwhile, compare its expenses to its possible return on investment.

Relocating to a smaller home might be a wise decision for retirees or even older adults who are still employed. Despite the Great Recession, most real estate appreciates over time. Residential sales can release funds that, if you can find a replacement property at a reasonable price and secure a favorable mortgage rate, can help ward off longevity risk—the most morbid of retirement fears.

The risk that you'll outlive your money is measured by longevity. Usually, the best defense against this is to apply the well-known 4 percent rule, which states that a retiree should take out no more than 4 percent of their savings in any given year. You can find out if the rule applies to you by using a basic life expectancy calculator. However, inflation and market swings are not taken into account by the calculation.

Private retirement income is not guaranteed to increase in line with inflation each year, in contrast to Social Security benefits. Growth in stock prices is erratic but can be beneficial. Additionally, selling some of your real estate and investing the revenues could be the perfect solution if your portfolio now appears like it might run out of money in the future.

Consult an agent beforehand.

Locating a trustworthy real estate agent is the first step. You should be able to find out from that agent how much your existing house is worth. That agent can also assist you in determining whether downsizing makes sense if you're looking to purchase a new property in the same market. If you intend to move to a different state or municipality, they might also be able to put you in touch with recommended agents.

Then, Optimize Sale Price

Maintaining your house will increase its worth. It is your goal to take action in order to maximize the value of your existing property. This might be as simple as clearing out clutter or tidying up your garden beds, or it can involve more costly upgrades to update your home's aesthetics or bring it up to code. Curb appeal, interior design, and roof type are all significant considerations when getting your house ready for a buyer. These aspects affect how the buyer perceives your house and how marketable it is.

Invest the Earnings

Reducing monthly expenses and/or allocating funds towards augmenting retirement income are the primary rationales behind downsizing for financial motives alone. It's excellent news that most residential sales' capital gains are tax-free for the first $250,000 for single filers or the first $500,000 for joint filers

Depending on your circumstances, you may want to invest a larger portion of money in investments rather than a new location to live. It can make sense to get a new mortgage or rent a place that doesn't require all of your money. But the math is up to you. And if you happen to be one of the fortunate individuals who earns more from a sale than what is tax-exempt, you might want to look into sheltering the money by buying a new house.  

Examine Your Finances

Various investment advisors will offer suggestions regarding the financial goods you ought to purchase with your funds. A salesperson for annuities may promote single premium annuities (SPIA) or deferred annuities. Government bonds with inflation protection may appeal to other advisors. Instead than investing in individual assets, I use mutual funds with my own money. But no two funds are the same.

In summary

In many respects, your home is a treasure. Prudent investing can transform this treasure into a long-lasting asset for a more comfortable retirement when you downsize. Reach out to Realty Executives to learn the best downsizing and investing tactics to safeguard your future when you're prepared to make an educated real estate selection for your retirement.

 PALM COAST, FL – (December 19, 2023) The Realty Executives Oceanside Team was thrilled to present a check in the amount of $12,000 to Jacklyn Barnett, Northeast Regional Vice President and Alyssa Huey, Development & Community Engagement Coordinator from The Make-A- Wish Foundation of Central and Northern Florida at our Annual Holiday Gala & Awards Event held on December 5th at Channelside, Palm Coast.

On October 21st of this year The Realty Executives Oceanside Team hosted ”Booling for Wishes” a fundraiser to benefit The Make- A- Wish Foundation of Central and Northern Florida. The goal was to raise enough money to fulfill a “Wish” for a critically ill child. The support of businesses and individuals in Flagler County has been incredible and we were fortunate enough to sell out all 24 lanes at Palm Coast Lanes!

“We were so grateful for the support of local businesses which helped us to exceed our goal this year!” We were so fortunate to have over 34 Sponsors and 24 Teams. Local Businesses donated items for the Silent Auction & Raffle. Sheriff Staly generously donated a “Ride Along” with the Sheriff for our Silent Auction. Please see the attached list of businesses, which came together to support this amazing event. In addition, we would like to thank Palm Coast Lanes for hosting us!

“Our talented team of Executives came together to make this event a huge success, exceeding our expectations for a first-time event in Palm Coast. Our Executive Council Team includes REALTORS Iwona Baj, Danielle Carrahar, Monique DiFusco, and Ann Marie Olah. In addition, Chris Freda, Marketing Manager with Professional Closing is a valued member of our Executive Council. The event is chaired by Shannon Vinnick, REALTOR and Josephine L’Heureux, Administrative Executive.

We will be hosting this event on October 26th, 2024 and we look forward to the community joining us in raising money to fulfill a “Wish” or two for a critically ill child. Save the Date,” said Bruce Vinnick, Broker Realty Executives Oceanside in Palm Coast.

READ THE ARTICLE HERE: https://www.flaglernewsweekly.com/?p=19144&fbclid=IwAR0Odpbyf3WwT7Avx-e3Z-B2ww4_sH3elCoQCATEgT8oN218y0Bh68K7UBc