winter Archives - CENTURY 21 MarketLink Realty

5 Ways to Keep Winter Decor Bright

January 13, 2016 By Casey Danton

Traditionally, spring and summer corner the market on bold, bright colors, with fall and winter ushering in richer, more muted tones. However, this year’s popular colors, featured in Shutterfly’s Hottest Hues Guide, have a versatility that helps enhance decor year-round. Incorporate pops of modern color trends into everyday home accessories to warm up your house and your heart in the cool days ahead.

1. Set a Color-filled Table

’Tis the season for holiday dinners, and your dining room table is the perfect place to fill your room with color. Saturate your tablescape with chargers, plates, placemats and napkins in festive colors. Deep reds and burgundies are not only perfect for the holidays, but they add warmth to your tablescape throughout the winter season. But don’t limit yourself to the standard red and green—get creative with color palettes as you set your table, bringing in metallic and unexpected shades for a dose of fun!

2. Patch it Together

Invite color to visit by adding seasonally inspired throw pillows or a practical and colorful quilt to your couch or bed. Think outside of your regularly colored box, and experiment with contrast to create a cozy space without committing to a color scheme.

3. Bring the Outdoors In

Flowers lend a festive touch as well as a hint of brightness to any area. A bold spray of pink orchids or peonies can add a pleasantly surprising shock of color to a sleek neutral winter space. Just because it’s winter doesn’t mean you’re stuck with poinsettias. Pale pink is enjoying a comeback in the design world as a romantic neutral with a range of versatility—and rose quartz just happens to be one of Pantone’s colors of the year for 2016. As interior redesign specialist Wendy Wrzos says, “In fall, it can be paired with a rich brown and cream. In winter, a touch of pale pink will add a cozy warmth to a room, or be an unexpected addition to the more saturated colors.” Pick your palette from a favorite bouquet for a touch of color you already love.

4. Live a Little Large

Bring big color to a small space by painting your laundry room a bold color for brightness you can enjoy all year round. “The laundry room is a room that gets used all the time, and it is rare to see one that has been decorated. A painted wall and a colorful rug takes no effort at all, and will cheer it up in an instant.” —Wrzos advised. Use a small, out-of-the-way area to be brave with a shade that brings you joy when you see it.

5. Hang It Up

The artwork in a room is often a focal point and the perfect place to feature color. With a foundation of neutral furniture, flooring, and walls, art and decor accessories can take center stage. Create a canvas or three-panel piece of art from a nature-inspired vacation photo and select a matching color palette to complement your art work. If you’re looking for a more seasonal do-it-yourself option, wrap poster frame inserts in pretty wrapping paper for a temporary triptych to match your holiday decorating scheme.

Between bad weather and Daylight Savings Time, winter feels dark enough. Fill your life with brightness all year round by incorporating color in easy, unexpected ways and bring a little more boldness and brilliance into your everyday world.

About the Author

Ashley McCann shares home décor tips for Shutterfly.com. She is a mom of two and enjoys reading and karaoke. For more from Ashley, you can find her on Twitter.

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How to Up Your Winter Curb Appeal

January 7, 2016 By Casey Danton

Regardless of the season, your home should make a good first impression on potential home buyers. Here are some helpful tips for boosting your home’s curb appeal during the winter months.

Light It Up
With less sunshine and shorter days, adding outdoor lighting to your home will help illuminate it and could make it more inviting to buyers. Lighting the pathway to your front door and highlighting any features unique to your home may increase your home’s curb appeal.

Plan for Snow
Depending on where you live, you may get some (or quite a bit) of snow during winter. Your home’s aesthetic could benefit from having a neatly cleared driveway and walkway. It may also be helpful to avoid piling up shoveled snow into unsightly mounds while clearing it. Try using salt to melt snow and checking weather forecasts to prepare for heavy snowfall.

Add Winter Plants
Don’t let winter weather mean the end of your garden. Adding evergreen or winter-blooming plants can inject color into the white and gray winter landscape and make your home stand out. Flowers such as witch hazel, winter jasmine, and pansies can thrive and add color all winter.

Eliminate the Ice
Ice can be a problem in terms of both safety and curb appeal. Icy grounds can be a slipping hazard and hanging icicles can detach at any moment. Moreover, sharp and dangerous looking icicles attached to your home’s roof and gutters don’t make your home seem inviting to home buyers. Be sure to salt your walkway and safely clear ominous looking icicles.

Update Your Door
A front door that appears to be in need of a fresh coat of paint or refurbishing can deter home buyers. Your front door should be in pristine condition, and in the winter months it could benefit from a splash of vibrant color to juxtapose the sparsely colored winter season.

Don’t let winter freeze up your home’s curb appeal. Follow these helpful tips and you may make your home as appealing now as it is the rest of the year.

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Let it Snow: Winter Home Maintenance Tips

December 29, 2015 By Casey Danton

Winter can be tough on your home, from the snow and ice forming on the exterior, to heater failures or pipes freezing. Here are some tips for each aspect of your home’s protection so you can keep your family warm all winter long.

Heating System

Heaters and fireplaces are the most important tools to warming your home. Have a professional come and check yours if you think there might be a problem.

Some tips for using your heater effectively: Maintain a minimum of 55 degrees in your home, even if you love the cold. In addition, instead of closing off unused rooms to the house like attics or pantries, open the doors to allow heat to flow easily around the entire home.

Insulation

Insulation is the last line of attack standing between your family and the blustering winds of winter. If your insulation isn’t doing the job, it’s time to inspect and install a more successful layer. If your insulation is in good shape, but you’re still feeling the winter breeze inside, take a caulk gun to the edges on your windows and doors to prevent cold air from getting in.

The attic is an important place often overlooked. Aside from leaving the top layer of your house unprotected, heat escaping can easily form ice dams, which can cause leaks. Make sure to protect the attic, even if no one in your family spends time there.

Pipes

Any exposed pipes located in unheated areas of the home — such as garages — should be wrapped with heat tape or insulated before the temperature drops. If your pipes run through walls on the exterior of your home, make sure to double and triple check your insulation. Always be prepared and take precautions to learn how to shut off your pipes just in case freezing occurs.

And it’s not just your indoor pipes you need to take care of. Undrained water in your exterior faucets can freeze and cause pipes to burst. Turn off the valve before it gets too cold.

Landscape

Trees in your yard with dead branches can become safety hazards in the winter months. Be sure to cut down any branches that hang over your home, or hire someone to remove them for you.

It is also important to clear out your gutters before snow falls or ice forms to make sure that melting water drains and doesn’t cause leaks in your siding.

Supplies

Equip your home with all of the supplies you need before it gets too cold and snowy. Make sure that you have easy access to snow shovels, or a snow blower, and that your generator is running smoothly. You’ll also want to keep extra fuel for your snow blower on hand in case you run out during the winter months.

To ensure an easy (and warm) winter, take the time to prepare your home for the coming months. Winter can be tough, but you don’t have to let the weather ruin your season. Follow these tips to stay cozy from now until spring.

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5 Way to Warm Up Your Open House

December 14, 2015 By Casey Danton

The winter weather is sure to have potential home buyers shivering before they even get to your open house, so it’s crucial to keep your home as warm and as welcoming as possible. Turning up the heat may help, but we have five other ways to create warmth without touching the thermostat.

1. Serve hot drinks
Provide potential home buyers with a hot beverage when they arrive. Coffee, tea, or hot
chocolate can warm their whole body and may make them forget about the harsh
temperatures outside. The sweet surprise could make your spot a bit more memorable,
too.

2. Add warm colored accents
Reds, oranges, and yellows are all on the warm end of the color spectrum. We don’t
recommend going out and painting the walls any of these colors, but adding a touch of them as accents instead. Think: throw pillows, candles, or decorative vases.

3. Open up the drapes
Though it’s getting darker earlier, it’s best to soak up all the natural light you can. Keep
the drapes open to let in outdoor light, supplementing with indoor lamps so your place doesn’t appear too dark.

4. Lay down throws
Add some comfy, textured throws to your couch, such as knits or quilts. Though
potential buyers might not actually cozy up on your couch with a good book, an enticing blanket hints at the idea.

5. Incorporate warm scents
We all know that scent is the strongest sense tied to memory. Play on this by
infusing fragrances such as vanilla, cinnamon, and maple into your home. Try lighting a candle near the entranceway… but always remember to use any open flames safely.

Keep your open house cozy with these tips and potential buyers may never want to leave!

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4 Secrets to Going Green This Winter

November 30, 2015 By Casey Danton

As cool autumn days are quickly replaced by much colder nights, is your home prepared for the seasonal changes? Heat up your home (and your family) this winter while still saving two types of green—your money and the environment—with these four tips.

Plug up drafts. Invest in cost-effective insulation. Block small gaps and cracks with rope caulk or spray foam to prevent drafts, and close up the flue damper whenever you’re not canoodling next to a roaring fireplace. Also, remember to create a tight seal around vulnerable doors and windows with self-adhesive backing. Keeping heat sealed in your home prevents additional adjustments to the thermostat, so you may save an average of $200 in heating costs a year.

Think about water. Even juggernauts like water heaters need to keep warm. Energy loss through the heater’s walls rapidly add up, so throw an insulating jacket over it. You may cut heat loss by half! If you don’t need scalding hot showers, change the water temperature to a setting of 120°F during weekdays to keep your bills and energy waste down all season.

Touch that dial. Outdated thermostats don’t have the personalized capabilities of today’s models. Install a modern version, and with the tap of a few buttons, you can program your thermostat to turn off while you’re not home. WiFi-enabled thermostats even allow you to schedule times to crank the heat up with a few swipes. Thoughtful adjustments like this could help you save around 12% on your energy bill each month.

Let the sun shine. Snowy grounds may make you shiver, but that doesn’t stop the sun. Adhere reflective window film and the sun’s rays may bounce heat back into your homes, reducing the need to crank up the thermostat. Need an extra cover to keep your family warm? Pick up some cellular shades to insulate windows from the brisk cold.

Don’t wait until you’re too cold to make these changes! Start with these simple changes today to plan for a green winter ahead.

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Winter is Coming: How to Prep Your Home for Winter

December 3, 2014 By CENTURY 21

Can you feel that chill in the air? When the low temperatures roll in, it’s time to prep your home for winter, ensuring that everything is safe and ready for the cold.

Follow these to help keep a warm, winterized home:

1. Tune up heating systems: Hire a professional to inspect your furnace and heater, making sure it’s clean and in its best condition. This will help make sure that your home is properly heated and that the system isn’t working overtime to keep the house warm. (Boston.com)

2. Caulk windows and doors: To keep your home well insulated, make sure there are no gaps between windows and doors. If there is, use a silicone based caulk to seal it because the material won’t shrink when exposed to harsh weather conditions. (Kiplinger)

3. Turn off exterior faucets: If you have a sprinkler system or outdoor hoses, it’s best to turn those off during the cold weather. If you leave the faucets on and the pipes undrained, they can freeze and eventually burst, causing even more problems and damage to your home exterior. (Womans Day)

4. Check the roof: Santa’s sleigh needs a smooth surface to land on. Reindeer falling off the roof is unacceptable. Get on a ladder, or inspect from the ground, to make sure no shingles are falling off. Also make sure there are no cracks in the roof. If it needs fixing, hire a professional to do the job. (Kiplinger)

5. Prevent ice dams: If your home is prone to icicles and ice dams, you may want to take all precautions to prevent them. An ice dam not only causes meltwater to back up into your home, but can also rip shingles and gutters. To prevent this, seal air leaks, add insulation, and make sure your roof is vented properly. (Kiplinger)

6. Block dormant fireplaces: If your house has a fireplace that you don’t plan on using this winter, make sure to block it off. This will help keep warm air from escaping up the chimney. You don’t need to make a huge project from this; just put a decorative fireplace screen in front of it. (Womans Day)

7. Clean your chimney: If you’re roasting chestnuts on an open fire, make sure the smoke has somewhere to travel. Hire a chimney sweep to get rid of soot before using the fireplace. This precaution prevents carbon monoxide from seeping into your home. No one likes a dirty chimney! (Boston.com)[1]

Preparing your home for the winter cold is essential in keeping your home heated, flood free, and safe. It can even help decrease your energy bills during this high energy time. Take a day to do these projects, and your home will thank you.

Money Matters: How to Decrease Your Energy Bill this Winter

November 24, 2014 By CENTURY 21

Keeping your home warm during the winter months is essential, but your heating bills can add up quickly. You may think there is no hope when it comes to decreasing heating bills—you have to stay warm, so what are the alternatives? Think again and use these tips for helping to decrease your energy bill during the cold, winter months.

1. Change furnace filter: Furnace filters only cost a few dollars and can be installed easily. Over time, furnace filters can become clogged, making your furnace run less efficiently. Unclog the filter to save money. (Investopedia.com)

2. Replace light bulbs: Changing out your halogen or incandescent bulbs for compact fluorescent bulbs is a great way to decrease costs. Fluorescent bulbs use 75% less energy than others, which won’t make you feel guilty about turning those lights on for the 5 pm sunset.

3. Attic insulation: Make sure that your insulation doesn’t just cover attic walls, but the floors as well. Uninsulated floors can cause heat to escape through the roof and make your home feel colder than it actually is. (Investopedia.com)

4. Adjust thermostat: You can save 10% on your yearly bill if you lower your thermostat 10-15 degrees for 8 hours. It’s best to do this during the day when it’s not as cold.

5. Humidifier: Investing in a humidifier can do wonders for your home. When your thermostat is turned down, a humidifier will keep the air moist and make the temperature feel warmer. (Daily Finance)

6. Use LED holiday lights: Keeping holiday lights running for a significant amount of time can really add up. Switch out regular lights for LED ones since they use 80-90% less energy. If you want to deck your halls for the holiday season, don’t rack up your energy bill in the process.

7. Raise the shades: The cheapest way to warm up your home? Pull open your blinds and curtains! Letting sunlight into a room is a good way to keep your house warm and energy bills low. (SF Gate)

Making your home more energy efficient can not only save you money and keep your home warm, but it can also reduce your home’s carbon footprint. Why not save money while making your home a better place to live?

Recommended Reading:

-Keep Your Home Cool Without Touching the Thermostat

-Summer Savings: 5 Ways to Decrease Your Energy Bill

-How To Decorate Your Home on a Budget

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Worldwide Wanderlust: CENTURY 21® Homes from Around the Globe

March 5, 2014 By CENTURY 21

One word, ten letters: wanderlust. This seemingly never ending winter has left us with a major case of wanderlust. Do you feel the same?

Get your daily dose of wanderlust by looking at these homes around the world. Looking to make a commitment? The houses are all on sale at CENTURY 21® Global.

Australia:

This incredible home is an architectural triumph of unrivalled quality wrapped in spectacular harbor panoramas. The postcard style views create a sense of seamless extension of this substantial home’s multi-level layout. The exceptionally private home has an open vista to the world’s most beautiful harbor, cutting edge security, and a no-expense-spared approach to luxury and personal comfort. The streamlined residence captures the essence of flowing indoor/outdoor open plan living, with the main living and dining areas flowing onto the fabulous sundrenched terrace-garden. All principal rooms have balconies or terraces and views of Australia’s most prestigious peninsula. Framed by clipped hedges and low maintenance garden areas, the generously proportioned home includes secure garage with space for twelve cars and a private elevator to all levels of accommodation. This exquisite home is dressed to impress!

This incredible seven bedroom, six bathroom home is a surfer’s paradise. The modern home includes: a helipad, a guest house, five garages and four car parks, a tennis court, Miele kitchen appliances, a home movie theater and more.

London

This bright 2,888 sq ft penthouse apartment features spectacular views over communal gardens, London’s skyline, and Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens. The stunning home has five bedrooms, five bathrooms, three receptions, a kitchen, an entrance hall, a utility room and a guest cloakroom. The apartment boasts opulent grandeur throughout, which is of particular prominence in the principal receptions and in the dining room. Kingston House North is a desirable purpose built apartment block on Hyde Park with 24 hour porters, a lift, visitors parking, and beautiful communal gardens. With the park a stone’s throw away, the amenities of Knightsbridge and South Kensington on your doorstep, including fashionably restaurants and cafes, world class shopping such as Harrods and excellent transport links, this most desirable location is second to none.

Canada

This custom built luxury home sits on 1.3 ac backing onto Blue Springs Golf Club near Acton. The 13,000 sq ft home has: five bedrooms, five bathrooms, a balcony, a separate guest suite, custom walnut millwork, two laundry rooms, a main level master suite with large walk-in closets, a fitness room, an office nook, a heated flooring system, above grade windows, a walkout, custom wine cellar, walk-in fridge and freezer, den and outstanding games and entertainment room with billiard and ping pong rooms as well as a custom bar ideal for entertaining. The grounds have been impeccably landscaped with concrete and stone walls, a large gunite pool with waterfall feature and wading area, a huge concrete deck and a patio with stone privacy walls, outdoor kitchen with built-in grills, wood burning pizza oven, sink and more.

We hope that you enjoyed this dose of wunderlust. If it has inspired you to go away, bon voyage!

Which home is your favorite? If you could move anywhere in the world where would you move?

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USA Bobsled/Skeleton: Meet Emily Azevedo

February 4, 2014 By Molly

CENTURY 21® is proud to sponsor the USA Bobsled and Skeleton teams. Today we’d like you to meet another member of the Women’s Bobsled Team, Emily Azevedo.

Emily hails from Chico, CA. It was her sister who encouraged her to pursue Bobsled. In fact, she handed her a five dollar bill and offered to be her very first sponsor if she could be brave and try out.

Emily’s parents are also a driving force behind her commitment to the sport. She says, “My parents are my biggest inspiration. My mother is a breast cancer survivor and my father has Type 1 Diabetes. Seeing how tough they are makes me want to push forward.”

When people get discouraged, Emily pumps them up and shouts, “I’m living proof that you can do whatever you want in life. I’m a California girl who bobsleds!”

Watch this video to hear more from Emily:

Cheer for Emily and the USA Bobsled and Skeleton teams by following live updates from CENTURY 21 on Facebook and Twitter.

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