Baird & Warner Naperville
bill@billwhitehomes.com

Monthly Archives: March 2019

Mar
16

Springtime Repairs: How to Make DIY Home Maintenance Less Stressful

Springtime repairs around the house can be pretty big chores, eating up your spare time and cutting into your household budget, but they are an important part of keeping your home in great shape. Taking care of little maintenance issues now can help prevent big problems down the road, which can save you quite a bit of money and a lot of stress. However, the key with DIY projects is to ensure that you are prepared to call a professional if you need help with a big job so that it will be done safely and correctly.

 

It’s also crucial to have the right tools and a plan for the task at hand. Taking care of repairs around the home can include anything from plugging up holes in the drywall to replacing shingles or tiles on the roof, and these jobs vary greatly in cost and the amount of time it will take to complete them. Having a good idea of how you’ll get started will allow you to get the job done right the first time without any issues.

 

Here are a few things to consider when it’s time to do some maintenance around the house.

 

Start with the Right Tools

 

As with any task, it’s imperative to start with the right tools. After all, you wouldn’t start drawing a picture without a sharpened pencil and a good eraser, so it just makes sense that you would have specific tools at the ready when you’re tackling a home repair job. In general, most homeowners will want a hammer, wrenches, screwdrivers, a drill, and a sharp utility knife to handle common repair jobs around the house. If you don’t have these, look online for tool buying guides, and read the reviews before making purchases.

 

Find the Right Help

 

No matter what tasks you need to complete, it’s important to make sure they can be done as a DIY job before you get started. Many big projects — such as roofing, plumbing, and electrical work — will require a professional’s touch, if for no other reason than the potential safety issues. Look online for contractors near you to get an idea of your choices and to compare prices, and make sure you read the reviews before making a final decision.

 

Think of the Cost of Winter

 

The thing about spring repairs is that they need to be focused on the things that took the most hit during a hard winter. Cold weather, excess water, and high winds can all do quite a bit of damage to various parts of the home, from the gutters to the pipes, so make a checklist of all the things you want to take a look at. Getting organized will help greatly when it comes to starting any repair project, and it will also help you stay motivated if you have a physical list in front of you.

 

Prioritize

 

If you have a tight budget and there aren’t any repairs that require your immediate attention, you can start with the smaller things first, such as cleaning out the gutters or investing in an insulation cover for the hot water heater. These little tasks won’t cost much, but they will allow you to take care of the small things first and get them out of the way. Just make sure there are no pressing jobs, such as leaky pipes or broken roof shingles.

 

Springtime repairs around the house don’t have to break your budget or your patience. With a little planning and some research online, you can figure out the best ways to tackle projects around the house when the weather warms up a bit and save money throughout the year.

Mar
11

How to Make Good Money Selling Your Unwanted Stuff in the Second-Hand Economy

There are always people with too much stuff looking to make some extra money by getting rid of it, and there are always people looking to save a little money by avoiding buying new products. This is the general principle that keeps the second-hand economy booming. If you’re looking to sell, here are some essential tips for turning your unwanted household items into cash (and doing a little healthy decluttering in the process).

 

Get the Things You Can’t Sell Out of the Way

 

This step will save you some time and some sanity — get rid of the stuff that you simply can’t sell. Whether it’s something that is broken, ugly, or in noticeably poor condition, you’ll do yourself a great service to just throw away the items on which you have no chance of turning a profit (or that even a donation center wouldn’t want).

 

Clearing this “junk” out of your house will make it easier for you to sell what you can. It may be smart to use a dumpster rental service or all-in-one junk removal service. Both are helpful, but dumpster rental allows you to fill up a dumpster over time (better for longer, larger removal projects), whereas a junk removal service will do everything for you.

 

Don’t Just Put It All on eBay or Craigslist

 

Yes, eBay and Craigslist are the two easiest online options for selling you stuff. That’s because they both have millions of users and you can sell basically anything on there. However, sometimes you need to value specificity of the second-hand marketplace, as well as understand which items are the most desired by shoppers. There are dozens upon dozens of other marketplaces that may allow you to fetch better prices for certain items. These include, but are not limited to, Swappa for cellphones and tablets, Poshmark for clothing, and Glyde for video games. The massive, well-known online marketplaces are awesome, of course, but don’t be afraid to experiment with where you list your items.

 

Don’t Assume That Online Is Always Better

 

No, you will not always get more for your stuff online. This is a common myth (especially among the younger crowd). It’s worth your time to try to sell your stuff in actual, physical, brick-and-mortar stores as well. Just make sure you know the right stores to hit for specific items. Second-hand electronics and clothing stores are always good bets for good cash.

 

Be Wary of Pawn Shops

 

The good thing about pawn shops is that they take a wide range of items and you get the money then and there — it’s instant gratification. The pros pretty much end there, however. You can almost always get more money on an online marketplace or a specialty second-hand store than you can at a pawn shop, and many pawn shops are skilled at paying low-dollar for top-dollar items. If you do plan to go this route, make sure to have a plan in place.

 

Embrace the Grind

 

While it’s nice to sell a big-ticket item for a few hundred dollars, the real key to successfully selling your old items and making a nice profit is to prepare for and then embrace the grind — selling many smaller items over time for less money a pop. You may not get excited about that $10 sale here and that $15 sale there, but soon enough you’ll have amassed hundreds.

 

The second-hand economy presents an amazing opportunity to people of all backgrounds with all different sorts of things to sell. Not only will you make good money if you follow these tips, but you’ll also get rid of clutter and make your living space more, well, livable. The former benefit is great, but the latter is priceless.

 

Photo via Unsplash