The 4 Keys in Any Health and Fitness Program That Works

Unfortunately, you won’t be able to find a pill that can guarantee you healthy mind and a healthy body without requiring you to do a little effort from your end. If you are looking for a healthy and fit body and mind then the only thing that you should look for is a better health and fitness program that is usually based on four basic components. If you can adhere yourself with these four basic components, then every program would be the best program for you. Following are the four vital key components of any health and fitness program:1. CommitmentThe most important part of any health & fitness program; commitment. Without showing commitment, you won’t be able to stick to any program for a longer period of time. Commitment is the starting point of any fitness program; in fact, commitment is the first step towards any target that you have set. If you enter your health and fitness program with commitment, then it is very likely that you will succeed. If you don’t have commitment towards your health and fitness program, then it is very likely that you would end up in frustration and doubt about your fitness program.2. Physical ExercisesThere is no health and fitness program that doesn’t include proper physical exercises. Physical fitness can only be achieved through proper physical exercises that increase the vitality of our life and helps us in increasing our energy levels; makes us more active and lively. Physical exercises increase our stamina and make us ever-ready to face the challenges of life. That is why we should make physical exercises as a part of our daily life. Unfortunately most of the people make it as a part of their weekends only; which is not beneficial in any way. You should not think about moving fast; move slowly but steadily.What sort of physical exercises you should do? Well, it depends upon various factors like physical characteristics, age, medical circumstances etc. Basic physical exercises include cardiovascular exercises, running, jogging, walking, cycling etc. One must also note that health and fitness program exercises should also include those exercises that can help you in strengthening your muscles like weight lifting, knee bends, pushups etc.3. Mental ExerciseMental exercises are another vital component of any health and fitness program. Our actions reflect what is going inside our mind. That is the reason why mental exercises are as important as physical exercises in any health and fitness program. There are lots of mental exercises that one can practice in achieve better health and fitness like reading various successful testimonials of those people who have maintained their health and fitness, reading books and other articles that can help in increasing a person’s will power and self-esteem.4. Nutritional ExerciseOne of the most important parts of any diet plan or health & fitness plan is your diet plan or nutritional plan. You should always give appropriate attention towards your dieting habit. You should focus on what you eat; not on how much you eat. Consult a nutrition today that could tell you exactly what your needs are and the foods that can fulfill those needs. Carefully monitor your daily intake of salt, sugar, cholesterol, caffeine and other nutrition.To insure that these 4 basic components work properly together and maximize the benefits from each of them, they have to be put into a regimen or system that can leverage your efforts, which will enable a multiplying effect.

How to Analyse Financial Performance in Investment Property

When looking at a commercial property of any type you need to spend time on the financial aspects of the property before you form an opinion about the price that you think that you can achieve. The financial aspects of the property can have a major impact on the price and or the interest of purchasers. The financial aspects of a building or a property can impact the asset for many years and for this reason must be analysed and identified.We have detailed some of the major aspects of financial concern in a property purchase or sale scenario. Whilst these are not the only categories of activity and concern, they are the major ones in most circumstances.We recommend that you create a checklist from these items so that your property review and inspection process is suitably enhanced and professional.The Asset Schedules: The property will contain many fixed and moveable assets. These will normally be detailed on the asset register. A well maintained commercial property will have an up to date asset register for your review. Obtaining the asset register at the early stage of sale consideration is productive as it will tell you in detail what you are selling and later become part of the due diligence process.

Bank and Personal Guarantees: An investment property comprises leases and other documents which support tenant occupancy. A normal leasing process would involve and create some form of guarantee to be provided by the tenant to the landlord for the duration of the lease. It is important that this guarantee has both strength and substance to reimburse the landlord in situations where the tenant defaults under the terms of the lease. At the time of property sale, these guarantee documents should have some form of ability to be transferred or re-issued to the incoming purchaser. This process is called an assignment of the guarantees. You should consult with the landlord’s solicitor to identify the types of guarantees involved and the ease in which this can be achieved at time of sale.

Capital Expenditure: Major items of plant and equipment which are replaced in a commercial property are usually regarded as capital expenditure and are separately itemised for the purposes of taxation and depreciation over a period of time. Taxation laws in your location will stipulate the depreciation terms as they apply to different types of capital expenditure. For example, a computer that is purchased for the building control system will depreciate far quicker than the air handling unit which was purchased for the air conditioning plant. Well maintained property records will include a detailed capital expenditure register and the date at which the capital item was purchased. Purchasers to the property will be interested in the depreciation that this register provides against the cash flow in coming years.

Taxation and GST: Every country and property location has its own unique taxation laws and requirements relating to property and particularly investment property. In the sale process, it is important to understand that these matters have been correctly handled and are up to date. It is sometimes necessary to view the net returns for the property for the last few years that were applied to the taxation statements and lodgement process. You can also seek written confirmation from the owner of the property that all taxation matters are up to date.

Income and Rent Analysis: The income for the property is a reflection of the leases and occupancy licences therein. It is essential to understand that the rent has been collected in accordance with the leases or licences and that all rental matters are up to date. Part of this process will also involve the checking of the rent review profile and the expiry profile of all leases. A property with a volatile leases or leases that are soon to expire is likely to impact the price or the buyer interest. When reviewing tenant occupancy against leases, you should review the original documents and cross reference this to the tenancy schedule and any discussions or information provided by the landlord.

Independent Valuation: Many property owners will obtain a valuation regularly in support of their property financing package. It is not unusual for such valuations to occur annually. Importantly they are done by a qualified and registered valuer. If you view this documentation and take it into account in the pricing process for the property, it is wise to consider the true independence of the valuation when it was done and its relevance to the current market. Some valuations for financing purposes may not be in parity with the existing market conditions. It pays to sometimes seek a true independent valuation at the time of sale or in preparation for sale.

Land tax issues: Property land tax has a direct impact on the investment aspects of commercial real estate. In different locations, the recovery and payment of land tax is impacted uniquely by local legislation. In some circumstances the land tax can or cannot be recovered from the tenants within the property. This will have immediate impact on the bottom line and net return from the property; this then impacts the price. Consulting with the financial adviser for the owner of the property, or the taxation office, will achieve clarity in this taxation impact. Given that most agents and brokers are not taxation experts, you should involve other professional taxation people as appropriate.

Lease disputes: Rarely is there a property that does not have an existing lease dispute or has been impacted by a previous lease dispute. For this reason it pays to question the matters of lease dispute and resolution. If in doubt, seek a copy of correspondence and any subsequent agreement between the appropriate parties. Unresolved lease disputes can jeopardise or slow the process of property sale.

Mortgaged interests: Most commercial real estate properties will have a mortgage of some type to a financier. When a mortgage exists, it is necessary to understand how it will be handled or discharged in the process of sale. The client should consult with the mortgagee to clarify these matters for you. In a situation of distressed properties, the sale of the property may need to realise a particular price before clear title can be achieved.

Operational expenditure: The running of a commercial property will involve the operational expenditure attributed to running costs. Most of properties of particular types in the same location will have similar operational expenditure. If however a property has excessive operational expenditure which is above the averages in the area, then the property is likely to be difficult to sell. Most purchasers of properties understand the averages of property expenditure deemed to be realistic for each property. This also says that real estate agents and brokers should be well aware of the expenditure averages and analysis process that should apply in this situation. Operational expenditure is analysed on the basis of $’s per m2 or $’s per ft2 (depending on your location, monetary base, and country)

Statutory charges: These are commonly referred to as rates and taxes. These will involve matters such as water rates, land tax, council rates, and any other form of charge which is raised by the statutory bodies. Importantly the charges so raised must be analysed for parity to similar properties in the same region. Part of the rating process involves a statutory valuation of the land on which the building and property is located. Whilst some property owners like to think that their valuation is high and justifiable (and therefore gives substance to the sale price of the property), it is this valuation that is the foundation for the charging and payment of statutory charges. The astute property investor will always question this statutory valuation undertaken by rating bodies in an endeavour to restrict or lessen the amount of statutory rates and charges paid each year.

Rent reviews: A significant concern in the sale of a property is the size and stability of future rent reviews. It is the rent reviews which will underpin the cash flow and hence the attractiveness of the property to purchasers. It is essential that the real estate broker or agent read all of the leases, before any assessment of price or method of sale is given. It is quite possible that the rent reviews projected and detailed in the leases can either hinder or attract purchasers to the property.

Rent arrears: Existing rent arrears should be identified with the owner of a property. Any matters of associated legal pursuit should also be identified. It is possible that the property has had a history of rent arrears and instability. Look for these matters and question the cash flow stability. A history of financial performance from the property over the last few years is the best way to achieve this.

Current building budget: This will involve a budget of income and expenditure as it applies to the building currently in the existing financial year. A good building budget will be written and supported by sound property strategy, projections, and controls. At the time of any potential property sale, it is important to understand that the current financial performance is in line with the expected building budget. If there are any shortcomings or overflows, it is necessary to clarify the reasons for such. If you do not do this, the purchaser of the property will.

The side agreements or deeds: Property occupancy and usage can involve supplementary side agreements and deeds. This can be with tenants or neighbouring properties. Documents of this nature will have impact in the sale even though they may not be registered on the title of the property that you are to sell. Documents of this nature will usually be supported by aspects of common law. If in any such arrangements exist, you must seek further detail and clarity as to how they will be handled at the time of sale. One of the common events here is the existence of rental incentives provided to tenants at the commencement of the lease. When these situations exist, the most common method of resolve is the discharging of the arrangement by the landlord prior to settlement. This can become a term of the contract.

Sinking funds: It is not uncommon for sinking funds to exist on larger properties. The fund is essentially established to set aside money to cover the cost of major items of repairs and maintenance. This would not normally include items of a capital nature. As an example, sinking funds may be used to cover the cost of painting the exterior of a large building such as a shopping centre every five years. If a sinking fund exists, it is important to understand how it will be handled at the time of sale. Consultation with the client’s solicitor and accountant is essential to the process.

Taxation depreciation schedules: The property will have a taxation depreciation schedule. When correctly maintained, these schedules have the ability to lessen the net property income in forthcoming years. This is an immediate taxation benefit to the purchaser of the property who will assume the depreciation schedule as part of the sale and settlement. As the broker or agent in the sale you should check the existence of such documentation and identify what benefits it brings to the sale process. A well constructed and detailed depreciation schedule will make the property sale more attractive.

Short term leases: Many properties have short term leases or casual occupancy active at any point in time. It is vital to know the mechanism under which this occupancy occurs and how it will be terminated. You do not want a short-term occupancy to jeopardise the stability and processes of the sale.

Un-documented lease occupancy: Some may call this a casual lease; however a casual lease can create concern and uncertainty in the process of sale. Some tenants may claim a long-term occupancy from the existence of a previous casual lease arrangement with the landlord. Claims of this type must naturally satisfy the requirements of law to be sustained or upheld by the courts; however you should be cautious in such circumstances given that it can slow down or even jeopardise the sale process.

Warranties and guarantees: When properties are constructed, the normal process of warranties and performance guarantees apply from the construction process. At the time of sale, you need to know if any such matters apply or exist. Copy of the documentation is essential. Further to this, in an existing building where recent fit out activity has created newly constructed premises, it is likely that warranties and guarantees exist for the tenancy construction. These will transfer to the new owner of the property in most circumstances however the documentation to allow this to occur must be suitably constructed. This is a matter for the solicitor acting for the client.

Utilities costs and supply: Every commercial property will be supported by the supply of water, gas, electricity, and communication systems. The process of supply needs to be understood together with the cost of the process. Obtaining copies of recent accounts for those services will help you here. It is possible that some utilities will be supplied direct to the tenants and some others will be supplied direct to the building owner. Any differences in supply should be identified and documented. The costs of supply should be compared to the averages of other properties in the area.This brings to an end the matters relating to financial due diligence. These are the major issues that apply in the sale of commercial real estate; however you should look for any other items given that each property is unique in its performance and financial structure.Your review of these items should include the gathering of all original documentation as part of the checking process. Your notes taken of any comments and findings should be well maintained to protect you in the event of any disagreement or dispute. Given that commercial real estate involves large cash flows and extensive legal documentation, the frequency of disputes is reasonably high. The only way to protect you here is in your quality notes, a questioning mind, and good documentation.

The 7 Best Ways to Legally Make Money Online

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There is plenty of advice available for people who want to legally make money online. However most of it, unfortunately, is offered by people selling ridiculous get rich quick schemes, so called instant money makers or, even worse, scams. If anybody tells you that making money online is “effortless” or “quick” then alarm bells should be sounding for you. If you seriously want to legally make money online then you need to be prepared to put in the necessary work.Nonetheless the rewards for getting it right are massive. Not just in terms of your income but, perhaps more importantly, in terms of the improvement in lifestyle that comes if you can work from home. Initially you may have to work harder to start your business but, once it has, you could work as little as 4 hours a day in return for a fantastic improvement in your quality of life.So what are the 7 best ways to legally make money online. Each of the 7 steps outlined offer a basic introduction to the most effective ways generate an income for yourself and your family working with your PC from your own home. Each has the potential to provide anything from a little extra cash to a very healthy full time income. They are not presented in any order of preference and it should be noted that most successful internetpreneurs use most, if not all of these, techniques to legally make money online.1. Affiliate Programs: – Fundamentally, if you act as an affiliate it means that you advertise others products in return for a commissions on any sales made by a customer who has arrived at the product via a link from your advertisement. This way to legally make money online is best achieved by a placing advertisements in the form of banners or contextual links on your website or blog. You will need to learn a little about web design or blogging. Once your site or blog is designed you can place your affiliate links on them and, if done correctly, will soon start earning some commission. You don’t even need a website as you can use “landing pages” such as Hubpages or Squidoo lenses to advertise your affiliate products. Furthermore some products don’t even require that you make a sale. They ‘convert’ (meaning pay commission) for you sending them possible customers which they can then promote to (often known as ‘leads’). However the best commissions are invariably earned for referrals that result in direct sales.You can find affiliate programs for products in many ways. Search engines, directories, forums and social networks are but a few of the places you could find affiliate programs but perhaps the best places to start are the affiliate networks such as ClickBank, Commission Junction or Linkshare. Affiliate payouts can be extremely high and it is not unusual for successful internetpreneurs to earn substantial incomes this way.Sounds easy to legally make money online with affiliate programs then? But of course it is not that simple. It’s totally useless having a great site or blog with high quality affiliate links if no one is looking for or visiting your links. No traffic equals no sales and wasted effort.In order to succeed with affiliate programs you have to understand the marketing process. From ‘keyword analysis’ through ‘product selection’ to ‘link building’ a clear affective and powerful marketing strategy is essential if you are really going to legally make money online. It will take some time and effort to master marketing techniques but, with the help of some of the excellent affiliate training products that exist, there is no reason why you can’t earn a fantastic online income with affiliate programs.2.Information Products: – Information products are digital and therefore have minimal storage and delivery costs. Once designed and produced you overheads thereafter are extremely low and sales prices represent high percentage profits. Information products can be Ebooks, software, training videos or anything else you can download. There are many ways to sell and to market digital products from placing them on your own sites or blogs to marketing them on via your own affiliate program via affiliate networks such as ClickBank.Many people think it’s impossible for them to produce a product that anyone else would be interested in let alone want to buy. However everybody possesses knowledge that others want. For example I don’t know how wire my house and am terrified to even try because I lack the knowledge required to do so. So whats my solution? I need to have the right information in order to learn how to wire my house. Needless to say I would be willing to pay to have that information. So if you are an electrician I would be willing to buy that information from you. If you then consider the massive scope of the Internet market place you can start to see how you can legally make money online selling information products based upon the knowledge you already have. No matter if your an electrician, a cook, a successful mum or even a bus driver you know something other would pay to find out.You don’t even need to be a writer, you can commission a ghost writer, or you can develop your own software or even produce your own instructional video. Do your research, read product reviews and look at other top selling products. Get this way to legally make money online right and the rewards can be very high.3. Google Advertisement: – In the same way that you can place banners or contextual links for affiliate programs on your site, blog or landing page (well some of them anyway) you can also place ‘Google AdWords’ advertisements. Signing up for AdWords is very simple and is entirely free. Once you have set up your site or blog etc, and it has been accepted by Google, you can go ahead and design your AdWords ads. The advantage of these ads is that they will be automatically targeted to your sites content by Google. Each ad will offer a link to related products offered by people who use Pay Per Click advertising (PPC) on Google. In the same way that affiliate programs will pay out for successful conversions, Google will also split it’s commission with you for the same. Whilst this is unlikely to be as lucrative a way to legally make money online as pure affiliate programs it is a valuable addition to any internetpreneurs income.4.Online Store: – Ask most people what they think will be a good way to legally make money online and they invariably suggest some sort of shop or Internet trading site. Whilst selling physical products can earn you a fantastic income initial set up costs can be high and the chances are that you will be competing against some well established competitors. There are a number of automated store building solutions and “turn key” websites that mean you need to know little about web design or hosting etc in order to set your store up (though you will probably be far more likely to succeed if you do). Furthermore there are some excellent free order processing and inventory solutions such as PayPal that you can use for processing orders on your site once it is set up.Unlike selling digital products you have to consider how you are going to store your stock, deliver to your customers etc. If you are intending to sell a broad range of products you need to secure a supplier. Buying wholesale may improve your profit margins but you need to be aware that the percentage markup is usually quite low on most products. Therefore you need a considerable volume of sales in order to make a good return on your investment.Perhaps a better approach is to identify a ‘niche market’ and sell exclusively to that. Commercially speaking a niche can be said to be any smaller segment of a broader market. For example if the broader market is ‘Car Products’ then a niche market could be ‘classic car parts’. However, you may find that this is too broad a market to compete in and so may consider an even more specific niche such as ‘classic car tires’ or ‘classic car electrical components’. By identifying ‘niche’ markets in this way you will reduce the competition but your market will be smaller. The trick is to find a niche that is small enough to compete in but has sufficient demand for you to legally make money online.There are plenty of wholesale directories on the Internet that offer access to products at cheap wholesale prices. Unfortunately this is a sector of the market that attracts some real scam artists so you need to be very careful about “paying for information” as many so called wholesale directories are simply lists of links to wholesalers (many of which turn out to be dead). Nonetheless, if you are careful, read plenty of reviews and ask others who they’ve found to be effective suppliers in your chosen “niche”, you can find some excellent wholesale directories, find some good suppliers and legally make money online by reselling the products to the customer via your online shop.However, it’s little use finding a great niche product line and building your website store unless you can attract customers. In order to do so you will need to successfully market your store and products just as you would with affiliate or digital products. Once again an effective marketing strategy is central to your success.5. Auction Sites: – Chances are that most of us have either sold or bought something off an auction site, such as eBay, at some time or another. If you do want to legally make money online then selling your own product or reselling for others through an auction site can be highly rewarding. Many of the top eBay traders (the ‘powersellers’) are full time and , if you want to know how to make money this way, then simply check out some of their eBay stores and products in order to get an idea of what is achievable.However selling through an auction site introduces further set up costs which need to be carefully considered as part of your business plan. It’s important to carefully read their fee structure and listing policies before attempting to sell your products through them. Remember your profit margin per item may be reduced but the volume of sales you can expect could be greatly increased due to the customer base and brand loyalty that sites like eBay already have.Many of the more successful sellers combine their Auction site stores and trade with their other online stores. By combining you efforts in this way you gain an increased exposure for your products by ‘cross promoting’. Again it will be important to to identify a niche market for your goods on the auction sites and the same marketing methods need to be used in order to gain custom.6. Membership Sites: – As we’ve already discussed if you have specialist knowledge or expertise, or if you offer a unique niche product or service then you can probably legally make money online selling that information or expertise. A membership site charges a recurring ‘subscription fee’ to those members who wish to join. The successful ones offer their members access to specialist niche products and information that is difficult to find elsewhere and has continued value.For example let’s assume that you you are an expert (or know someone who is) on dog training and breeding. You could create a subscription site that offers member access to all the latest dog training products and breeder lists. You could create an exclusive community with access to forums; offer dog training videos; breeding lists and instructional products. For those people who are avid dog trainers and breeders such a site would have great value and the chances are that they would be happy to pay a modest monthly subscription to be a member.Marketed correctly (there we go again) membership sites can be an extremely profitable way to legally make money online. Of course whilst you are building you list of members you are also developing a valuable list of people who are interested in your chosen niche market. These people may well be interested in other niche related products you have to offer.7. Newsletters and Ezines: – If you seriously want to legally make money online then there is an idiom of marketing you should always bear in mind. The saying the ‘money is in the list’ is central to marketing. If you build a large list of subscribers, that you can regularly send offers and promotions to, your business will soon grow. The people on the list represent your best and most valued customers because they have already shown a predisposition towards what you have to offer by opting in to your list in the first place . Once they have given you their email detail you can begin to circulate your Ezine or newsletter. Your Ezine needs to continually bring your customers high quality content and offers or they will soon lose interest. However, providing that you do, you will also be able to market your own products and affiliate products to your list members.Conclusion: – Each of the 7 methods introduced here offer the opportunity for you to legally make money online and each has the potential to provide you a substantial income. These approaches are by no means intended to represent an exhaustive list of methods. The Internet is a dynamic and rapidly developing market place and the best online businesses are able to rapidly adapt to these changes.Inevitable all of us are better at some things than others and most successful internetpreneurs specialise in certain aspects of online business. For example some are practically full time affiliate marketers whilst others predominantly operate online stores and auction trade. Generally speaking most are successful because they combine many, if not all the, the methods outlined here as part of their business plan.However all have one thing in common, they understand how to market. Building stores and excellent web sites with valuable content is part of the way to earn online but without customers (traffic) you can not succeed. Therefore it’s essential that you spend some time researching Internet marketing techniques and strategies. The best plan is to find someone that’s successful and learn as much from them as possible. Keep learning until you feel confident that you understand the basic marketing principles. Test your theories and look for profitable markets and niche products that offer you high profit potential.Thoroughly research and plan you marketing strategy and, whatever method you favour, you will be able to legally make money online.

The Best Budget Decorating Blogs for All Your Interior Needs

Whether you’re in the market for a major interior overhaul or you’re simply looking to give your home a quick and easy update, chances are you’ve spent some time online hunting for ideas and inspiration. That said, it can be pretty deflating to stumble upon a look you love only to discover the price to achieve it is well above your budget.

Fortunately, there are some killer home decorating blogs that show you how to refresh, revive, and fall in love with your home anew without breaking the bank. For a home that looks far more expensive than it costs to create, check out the following blogs for all of the interior inspiration and DIY tutorials you’ll ever need.

Quartz Countertops and Grout – One Room Challenge Week 5

Welcome back to the week 5 update for the One Room Challenge. Check out the blog posts and updates for week 1, week 2, week 3, and week 4 if you missed them. It’s crunch time now and I’ll be honest… I don’t know that this project will be completely wrapped up for the reveal date. The great thing is the reveal and hitting a deadline is not the only goal of reason for this challenge. Ultimately having a fully functional and hopefully beautiful bathroom is where we want to end up even it things are a bit delayed.

Disclosure: this post contains affiliate links.

When we left off last time the countertops had been templated, the trim was freshly painted and the hardware had been ordered. The hardware took about 1 week to arrive. We chose the Menlo Park 4″ pull from Schlub in chrome because I think the pull has the perfect mix of square and some rounded elements that make it a great transitional hardware option. We went with all pulls for the drawers and doors since the knob option in that line weren’t our favorite.

Guest Bathroom Reno: Quartz Countertops and Grout – One Room Challenge Week 5

The quartz countertops are now installed and things can be put back together. Rectangle, undercount sinks were also purchased through the fabricator. The Marble look quartz from Pental and it is gorgeous with the warm gray veins running throughout. For the edge went for a flat polish eased edge for a clean, simple look.

Guest Bathroom Reno: Quartz Countertops and Grout – One Room Challenge Week 5

Two days after the quartz countertops were installed the tile installer came back to finish up tiling the niches, installing the tile base and grout everything.

Guest Bathroom Reno: Quartz Countertops and Grout – One Room Challenge Week 5

The electoral is being relocated for the new lights. There are some drywall and painting touch ups to do and plumbing fixtures to be hooked up. Plus adding all the finishing touches ???? All those little things like towel hooks, curtain rod, and accessories will bring this whole thing together.

Townhome Remodel Phase 1

It’s been too long since I’ve updated and even longer since this work has been started. This is me sharing remodel updates, mostly for myself (but also for my nagging family members). I’m sharing photos of the progress that has been made while also document the craziness that has gone on. This is just the beginning of the remodel.

Prior to moving in I had 3-4 weeks where my apartment lease overlapped with the possession of my townhome. This allowed me, with the amazing help of my family, to paint, tear-out carpet and somewhat put back together the upstairs portion of my place so that I could have a clean room to put a bed. At least one that wasn’t completely torn apart. One area that felt more livable that the rest. If you haven’t seen or don’t remember these are the before photos from when I took possession. To list it out here are the main things that I was tacking during those week prior to me moving in.

Phase 1 Remodel Projects
ripping out baseboard, carpet and tack strips upstairs and preparing for new hard surface flooring. (this flooring will go throughout minus the stairs and bathrooms/laundry)
installing flooring upstairs (one of my installers did this)
mostly gutting the master bathroom
installing a new tub and rough in plumbing for the master and powder bath
ordering and installing a rift white oak vanity for the master
Painting (and priming where needed) the ceilings and walls of the bedrooms. Caulking and painting the crown molding in the master
replacing and upgrading the baseboard heater in the master and patch the drywall
painting the hallway and down through the stairwell
adding skirt board to the stairs
installing new carpet and pad on the stairs (my carpet installer from work did this)
removing upper cabinets on the fridge side in the kitchen
partially demoing the wall diving the kitchen (prepare to move switches, outlets, heater and thermostat)
removing drywall on wall next to bar in dining area
painting the downstairs powder bath and removing vanity to prepare for a new floating vanity
Those were the main projects that took place and then I moved in the day after Thanksgiving. Getting rid of the original, nasty cat carpet and new flooring made a huge difference to the upstairs. Also neutralizing and lightening the paint made things feel so much more fresh. I still have no baseboards but I’ll get on that one day! For now here are some photos that I snapped along the way.

I bought a townhouse: The before

It’s been a while since been posting on here but I have some new updates and projects that I have been working on. Last summer into fall I was house hunting while knowing the lease on my apartment would be expiring end of the 2019. It felt a little crazy but was a fun process for me. After a bunch of searching I found and closed on a new home!

I was lucky enough to have a few weeks of overlap with my apartment (I ended up moving out 1 month early) so I was able to get started on projects and updates prior to moving in. I’ll share more about those in the coming weeks (there are still so many unfinished things!) but for now I think it’s best to start with some before photos. Also, follow along on Instagram where I post current project updates more often. The pictures show it in the state I bought it in. It’s a great first place to me and was functional as-is but as you might expect I’m here to make things my own by doing updates that I will enjoy while living here and that will also add value and functionality to the space down the line when I sell… or maybe even keep it as a rental. My dog, Nova, has been enjoying the space as well ???? There are a couple of things to miss about my Bothell apartment but I am very ready to have my own place and space.

Guest Bathroom Remodel Sources

In 2017 the guest bathroom was remodeled. You can see more photos and read about that here. Almost everything came out and all new things went back in. From emails and comments people have been asking for sources so I have rounded up what I could in this post to share paint colors, products and links that I could find for the bathroom.

Bathroom Sources and Details:
Wall color: BM Balboa Mist
Trim and door color: BM Chantilly Lace
Floor Tile: Pental Mark Chrome 12×24 matte
Shower tile: Jeffrey Court Weather Gray 4×12 gloss subway
Niche tile: Daltile clio mosaic
Bathtub: Maax Rubix tub
Cabinet: Spencer Cabinets – painted BM Cape May Cobblestone
Countertop: Pental Quartz Misterio polished 3cm
Cabinet hardware: Schaub Menlo Park Pull in chrome
Faucets: Hansgrohe Metris single handle in chrome
Shower trims: Kohler slide bar kit, wall mount supply and Hansgrohe tub spout in chrome
Mirrors: Homegoods
Towel Hooks: Delta Tolva robe hook in chrome