B4 • Friday, June 21, 2024
THE GARDEN ISLAND
thegardenisland.com
12 IDEAS FOR HOME IMPROVEMENT BRANDPOINT
Now is the perfect time to breathe new life into your living space, whether you’re looking to revamp your kitchen, upgrade your landscaping or tackle that long-overdue bathroom renovation. To get you started, here are some ideas from the pros at Neighborly’s trusted network of local home service brands, including Mr. Rooter, Mr. Electric, Aire Serv, Mr. Appliance, Mosquito Joe, Precision Garage Door Service and Molly Maid. Invest in sustainable features. Updating your bathroom? Investing in eco-friendly upgrades like a tankless water heater or water-conserving toilet is good for the environment. It can lead to a higher return on investment when you decide it’s time to move. Install ceiling fans. Ceiling fans get the air moving in your home, and are a decorative addition to any room. Look for styles that complement your decor, and even add a dramatic flair. Declutter. Take a look around your bedroom, living room or family room. Too much clutter? Decluttering your home can seem like a daunting task, but Molly Maid says it boils down to this: take note of what the room is supposed to be used for and remove anything that doesn’t pertain to that use. A pro tip to make it even easier: designate bins for items to keep, donate, sell or discard. Just toss the items in the appropriate bin and you’ll be halfway there. Inspect your dryer for aller-
Mortgage rates drop below 7 percent for first time since March Vince Golle BLOOMBERG NEWS U.S. mortgage rates declined below 7 percent last week for the first time since March, spurring back-to-back increases in financing applications for home purchases. The contract rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage decreased 8 basis points to 6.94 percent in the week ended June 14, according to Mortgage Bankers Association data released on Wednesday. The five-year adjustable-rate mortgage slid 18 basis points to 6.27 percent, matching the lowest level since February. The index of mortgage applications to buy a home increased 1.6 percent to the highest level since March after jumping 8.6 percent in the prior week. Mortgage rates move in tandem with Treasury yields, which also declined notably last week as government figures showed a broad cooling in inflationary pressures. That prompted traders to boost bets the Federal Reserve is in a better position to move ahead with interest-rate cuts, possibly as soon as September. The housing market early this year was showing signs of breaking free of a years-long slump until mortgage rates began to climb. Lower financing costs for home purchases have the potential to blunt some of the impact from elevated list prices and give housing demand greater traction. To help buyers cope with the affordability crisis, builders like Lennar Corp. and KB Home have deployed buyer incentives, such as discounted mortgage rates to help bolster orders. MBA’s overall index of applications, which includes those for home purchases and refinancing, advanced 0.9 percent last week to the highest since mid-January. The group’s refinancing gauge slipped 0.4 percent. The MBA survey, which has been conducted weekly since 1990, uses responses from mortgage bankers, commercial banks and thrifts. The data cover more than 75 percent of all retail residential mortgage applications in the U.S.
and property by using retaining walls to add terraces filled with flowers, herbs, vegetable gardens, or even small fruit trees. Keep pests at bay. Invest in an outdoor mosquito control service if you’re looking for a powerful solution to handle a mosquito problem for outdoor areas. A company like Mosquito Joe can clear your yard of biting bugs and allow you to enjoy your outdoor spaces again - itch-free! Paint your front door. This is one of the easiest, least expensive ways to give your home a dramatic pop in curb appeal. A company like Five Star Painting can give your front door and home a new, updated look with a new coat of paint, making it stand out. Install new windows. Windows can set the tone for your home’s aesthetic and enhance your living space’s comfort. Choosing the right window for your home COURTESY OF BRANDPOINT comes down to thinking about where you live, where the winGarage doors can affect a home’s value and curb appeal. dow would go, and your goals. gens. When you hear the word to help keep every nook and also draws the eye upward. This Glass Doctor offers homeowners full-service window repair, re“allergies,” it’s easy to think of cranny comfortable. Aire Serv will make the rooms in your the more common allergens like also helps reduce energy conhome seem bigger than they are. placement and installation. pollen and dust, but there are Replace your garage door. A Need help with any of these sumption by allowing you to adseveral hidden allergens in new garage door can signifiprojects? Neighborly’s trusted just temperatures in your home homes that can cause a host of network of local home service according to use. cantly increase your home’s health issues. Inspect your dryer Install kitchen ventilation. value and curb appeal. Choosing brands is dedicated to connectvents for mold, lint or animal Properly ventilating your cookan experienced, highly-rated ing you with reliable and skilled droppings, and call Dryer Vent professionals in your area. When top can help improve the overall company like Precision Garage Wizard to remove dangerous for- air quality in your home and add Door Service can save money in it comes to repairing, maintainthe long term and give you peace ing or enhancing your home, eign objects. And while you’re at a decorative, even dramatic, of mind that your garage door is Neighborly is here to give your touch to the space. it, organize your laundry room functioning optimally. Install crown molding. The with new shelving or a hanging home the makeover it deserves. Landscape with retaining best way to elevate your living rod. Visit neighborly.com or downSwitch to an HVAC zoning sys- space and make your ceiling ap- walls. Retaining walls help manload the Neighborly App today tem. This allows you to regulate pear higher is by installing crown age a sloping landscape and add to explore their services and connect with a local Neighborly the temperature levels throughmolding. Not only is crown mold- character and beauty to your pro. property. Transform your yard out different areas of your home ing classic and timeless, but it