Home Trends from Ciaran O'Neill

CIARAN O’NEILL

780.445.8109 ciaran.oneill@century21.ca www.ciaranoneill.com

Ciaran O’Neill

CREATE AND STYLE A WALL NICHE A niche, or a recessed area of a wall, can be a great way to add something different to your room's decor. Many homes have niches built around or above fireplaces, but you can add your own to a hallway, bedroom, living room or dining room. You'll want to be aware of any electrical or plumbing that might run inside the wall as well as if the wall is load bearing or not before constructing one though. Once you have your niche made, or if your home has one already, decorating it can be as simple as adding framed photos and art, various decor pieces like vases, mirrors, candles, books, etc. If you want the niche to be the focal point of the room, you can install lighting in it to showcase a piece of art or particularly important piece of memorabilia. You can also use tile, wall paper or paint to make the niche a different colour from the rest of the wall so it really draws your eye. If your niche is above the fireplace, you can use the space to house a small television or use an extending wall mount for a larger television that will cover the niche entirely. If a television above the fireplace isn’t an option for you, consider plants (real ones if they’ll get sunlight or artificial ones if they won’t), vases with branches, sculptures or even use it as a place to stack wood for the fireplace below.

780.445.8109 • ciaran.oneill@century21.ca

Ciaran O’Neill

THE MANY USES OF BEESWAX

For centuries, people have been using beeswax for a number of things aside from making candles. Because it's a natural, organic substance, it's safe to use throughout your home. It's also easy to melt and manipulate so it can be used in a number of unique ways. Here are seven ways you can use beeswax in your home: 1. In the kitchen: Use beeswax to condition cutting boards, wooden spoons and season cast iron pans. 2. In the garden: coat garden tools with beeswax to create a water-resistant coating that will prevent rust buildup. 3. In the bathroom: use it to soften cracked skin, tame staticky hair, reduce acne or add to DIY lip balms and body butter. 4. In your lunch bag: use beeswax pellets to coat square pieces of fabric that you can use to wrap your lunch instead of parchment or waxed paper. 5. In the closet: waterproof leather with a thin layer of beeswax on boots and shoes. 6. In the air: melt beeswax and add essential oils to create a natural air freshener. 7 .In the living room: use a mixture of olive oil and beeswax (4 to 1 ratio of oil to wax) to create a furniture polish you can buff onto wooden furniture. There are numerous other uses for beeswax so head online or to your local craft store for more inspiration.

780.445.8109 • ciaran.oneill@century21.ca

Ciaran O’Neill

BUILDING AN EMERGENCY FUND It's a good idea to have an emergency fund on hand for those unexpected expenses that pop up from time to time. Aside from peace of mind, having an emergency fund will help you avoid getting into debt and avoiding a loan should you need to pay for an emergency expense. With costs on the rise everywhere setting up an emergency fund sounds daunting, but it is possible. Start gradually, but start now. Put a specific amount of money aside each week - even if it's $10, it's a start. Utilize a savings account that is separate from your typical bank account to help you keep the money segregated and growing. Choose an account that pays interest, allows free withdrawals (or transfers) and has no/low transaction fees. Eventually, you'll want to set aside anywhere from three to six months of your typical monthly expenses, so take a look at how long that will take and what you’ll need to do to make it happen. Set up a re-occurring transfer so you don't forget to put money into your emergency fund. Other ways to save include depositing any money you receive as gifts, tax refunds, work bonuses or garage sale proceeds into your fund. Following a budget, cutting expenses and taking on a part-time job are all ways you can add a bit more to your emergency fund over time.

780.445.8109 • ciaran.oneill@century21.ca

Ciaran O’Neill

LEAVING YOUR HOME FOR THE NEXT OWNER An added stress for some home sellers is what to do to prepare their home for the new owners. First, anything that was stated in the purchase contract needs to be followed. And the home should be generally clean and in the same state it was when the buyer viewed it, but anything beyond that is up to the seller. Here are a few ideas if you want to go above and beyond. - a note pointing to where the community mailbox is - your neighbourhood favourites like walking trails, restaurants, exercise facilities, etc. - how to use the settings on the appliances (or provide the owner's manuals if you still have them) - information on any smart home-controlled devices that they may need to learn - labels on left over renovation supplies like paint, tile, trim, etc. - dates of when renovations were completed so they can get an idea of upcoming repairs - list of house "quirks" like the light switch to the right of the fireplace controls the plug-in in the corner of the living room Of course, these are just ideas and go above what is expected. However, you have probably loved your home and want the new owners to love it just as much so setting them off on the right foot can make you feel good. 780.445.8109 • ciaran.oneill@century21.ca