One of the perks of moving out of an apartment into a home is having your very own outdoor space. Depending on how close to the city you live, you may not get much of a yard with your home. If you’re looking for that perfect outdoor space to dwell in, read on for some tips on buying a house with a yard. If you check the yard out, you could save yourself from facing problems further down the road. 

Are The Trees In Good Condition?

While mature trees in a yard are a sure fire way to have privacy and shade, the trees must be safe. You want any trees in your yard to be healthy. Otherwise, during a storm, you may have an issue with falling trees. If you have a lot of trees in your yard, it may be a good idea to hire an arborist who can tell you if the trees are safe. Tree removal can be costly, so you’ll need to plan for this expense if your yard has many trees.

How Safe The Outdoor Living Areas?

You should check out any outdoor living areas the yard has. If the home comes with a patio, or gazebo the soundness of the structures should be checked. Any cement should be free of cracks or crumble.

The Layout Of The Lot

There is more to a yard than the size of a property. You should keep in mind where the home is situated on the lot. Is the front yard more prominent than the backyard? Is the home on a slope? Is there a chance water will pool near the foundation of the house? All of these questions are important for the long-term health of the property. 

How Much Yard Are You Willing To Care For?

You need to know how large of a yard you’re actually willing to care for. For many buyers, a small yard is just enough. Other buyers aim to care for a large lawn the many flowerbeds. The larger the yard, the more possibilities you have. If you are willing to take the extra time and incur the additional expense that a large yard will cost, it could be a good feature to look for. Yard size may also narrow down your home search considerably. 

Buying a home with a yard can be a great decision, all you need is to understand your own preferences and ability to care for properties of different sizes.        

Tweet

Planning to sell your house in the next few weeks or months? If so, you likely will want to declutter to improve your house's appearance and make it easy for potential homebuyers to envision what life might be like if they purchase your residence.

Ultimately, donating items may prove to be exceedingly valuable, particularly for those who want to declutter and move in the near future.

By donating items that you no longer need, you can quickly and easily remove clutter from your residence. Plus, you may be able to secure a tax credit for your charitable contributions.

Before you donate your items, however, you should take a close look at your personal belongings and decide which things to keep and which to give to charity.

Now, let's take a look at three items that you can donate to charity:

1. Clothing

If you intend to move from Florida to Alaska – or vice-versa – there may be a wide range of clothing that you can donate before you move.

Ensure that any clothing that you plan to donate is clean. If necessary, wash any dresses, t-shirts and other apparel that you intend to donate.

Also, it is always better to err on the side of caution when you donate clothing. And if you have clothes that are faded or torn, you should dispose of these items.

2. Electronics

For those who plan to downsize, donating electronics is ideal. That way, you can get rid of electronics that won't fit into your new home and do a good deed at the same time.

Evaluate your electronics and make sure they work correctly before you donate them. In addition, it often pays to tape any electronics cords, wires and accessories to the items themselves.

Check out a charity's electronics donations policies prior to scheduling a donation pick-up too. By doing so, you can guarantee that a charity can pick up and use your excess electronics.

3. Appliances

In many instances, an individual may move into a new address that comes equipped with a new refrigerator, washer, dryer and other appliances. If this happens, you may want to contact local charities to see if they can pick up your current appliances.

Reach out to a local charity to find out whether it can pick up your current appliances – you'll be glad you did. If the answer is "Yes," you may be able to avoid having to move big, heavy appliances on your own.

As the aforementioned list shows, there are lots of great items that you can donate to charity. Conduct an in-depth search of charities in your city or town, and you can work with a local charity that can use your excess items.

Lastly, if you ever have questions about which charities in your area will accept donations, don't hesitate to reach out to these organizations directly. And if you're looking for extra assistance as you declutter your residence and prepare to list your home, it certainly helps to contact an expert real estate agent as well.

Tweet

If you decide that moving on your own isn’t for you, you need to find and hire good movers to get you from place to place. You can start with a simple internet search, but you need to find the right movers to be able to get dependable service. Below, you’ll find some tips to help making the process of finding a moving company that much easier. 

Get Quotes From A Few Companies

Get quotes on prices from a few different moving companies. Don’t just go with the first company that you find. Do a bit of research and even see if you can get some type of a background check on each company that you get a quote from. This way, you’ll avoid any nightmare stories from your move.

Have A Mover Do An Assessment

Your movers should come and visit your home before you move. Will they be packing for you? Do They need a larger size truck? If the moving company comes to make an assessment of the home, they will know what needs to be done when moving day arrives. Make an inventory list of everything in your home so that you’ll know what you have to take with you. You’ll also know what you have in your new home once you get there. This can really help streamline the process.   

Price Isn’t Everything

The most expensive mover may not provide much more services over the least expensive moving company. Sometimes, it’s better to pay a bit more if you get additional services like boxes or packing. If a quote is much lower than you think it should be, then you probably should be a bit cautious of hiring the company.

Look For Reputation

You need to be aware of the reputation that a moving company carries with them. If you’re moving locally, you can usually go with a local company that has some good reviews. If you’re moving across states, try and find a larger company that has a lot of experience and a reputation built up for those types of long-distance moves. 

Ask Questions

You’re paying a lot of money to hire a moving company and have a right to know exactly what you’re paying for. Make a list of questions to ask each company. Find out their protocols and understand how your things will be treated. You want to know that your items will be in good hands. Some things you’ll want to know about each moving company:

• What kind of insurance do you have?
• What types of fees do you have?
• What’s the timeline for my move? 
• Have all your movers undergone background checks?

If the company tends to avoid certain questions, you should beware. With a little research, moving both near and far will be a breeze.

Tweet