Make your home better with simple monthly tasks you can stick to.
Hey there! Sandy with Sandy and Company. Happy New Year!
What a gorgeous day in the Northwest. I recently visited Civic Playfield in Edmonds, and the snow-capped Olympics are in the distance. Kids are playing on the playground, and in the other corner, we’ve got the older skateboarders and the mature Pétanque players, and everybody out here is enjoying themselves.
I had a great time soaking up the sunshine and vitamin D, and it’s in part because it’s the beginning of a new year, and we’re like, “Let’s grab it right now.” Well, let’s do that for our homes, too.
So I’ve got three ideas for you: three resolutions, if you will, to gradually make your home better without so much effort that you’ll abandon it in the second week.
Let’s see what we can do to keep this going year-round.
Okay, here’s my thought: every month, can we do three things to make our house just a little bit better? One in each category. Anything that we do along the way is going to make life good for us. At the end of the year, we’ll look back and think, “That really worked, and at least I am this much further along on what I wanted to do with my home.”
Remember, owning a home is a marathon, not a sprint, and we all have a different pace. Whatever we can do along the way will make our home better—to live in, play in, and love where you are. So, let’s get right to it.
First, if it’s fixed, I want it broken. So what can I fix? I’m going to say solidify because you’ll see we’ll have a trend of that. What can you solidify this month? Do you need to change the furnace filter? Is there a little spot behind the recliner that, if you just brought the touch-up paint, would blend right in with the rest of the wall?
“Owning a home is a marathon, not a sprint—let’s make it enjoyable.”
Again, could you get out in the yard and do just half an hour of weeding? That’s actually one of my thoughts right now. If I could do that right now, we could get a jumpstart on it before spring, before it really starts to grow. So the first one is, what can you fix?
Second, what can you beautify? What will bring you joy? What can you put into your space that will make you say, “That’s nice”? Can you bring some flowers in? Can you put some fresh curtains up? Can you hang a picture you’ve been hoping to use to brighten up a corner? What can you do to bring beauty into your space so that you say, “I really like that”?
Do you want to just use some magic markers and create a drawing to put into a frame? Most of us have a few extras, and even just a simple little drawing of flowers, faces, or animals can be uplifting. You can put it on the table so that you can smile and say, “Yeah, there’s my touch of beauty for right now.”
Third, what project can you take steps on and make progress on this month? So what can you satisfy? I’ve got several big projects. One of them is that yard, which is going to take me a little longer, but I’m thinking I can take some steps.
I also have a really big pile of pictures and things that need to be scrapbooked from the last almost ten years. That pile is overwhelming, but what did I do to start this month? I just printed pictures from this Christmas and Thanksgiving, and I’m going to put them on my scrapbook page and have them ready to go.
As I continue to work backward, eventually, I’m going to have enough that I feel like I can go ahead and put them into a book. Scrapbooking has given me great joy over the years, and something I do want to get back into. But it’s going to be one step at a time.
So those are my three categories for you. Every month, what can you do in your home to make it the best home for you? Solidify, beautify, satisfy. I think if we take these steps most months over the year, we’ll look back at the end and say, “You know what? This was good progress.”
Of course, if there’s anything else you need from us in real estate, if that marathon of years has picked up its pace because maybe you have a sale date coming along, talk with us. Ask us what you need to do to benefit the most—whether it’s the most money, the most ease, or whatever is important to you.
Let’s talk because that’s what we’re here for: to make life better for you. That is unique to each person and each story.
How can we help you with your real estate needs? We are here for you. Message, email, or call us at (425) 422-7372 or Sandy@SandyAndCompany.com. Sarah and I are on our feet and ready to go, and it’s going to be a great year in 2025. Let’s join up together.
