Well, the COVID-19 virus has continued to wreak havoc on the masses around the U.S., especially those that have not been reading or watching T.V. and listening and adhering to the crucial directives of the expertise of Dr. Fauci, the U.S. director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, as well as other doctors who have been expressing and pushing social distancing, washing your hands regularly and wearing some kind of a mask. Preferably using the N95 NOSH protective, which is next to impossible to find unless you’re in the medical field when venturing outside your home as an abundance of caution to slow the spread of the disease.
As of this column, some states, like New York, New Jersey, California, Louisiana,, Michigan and other areas have spiked up dramatically over the last few days. It is extremely important that people continue to shelter in place, secluded from people and only going out when absolutely necessary to the pharmacy, supermarket or doctor appointment.
Are you getting a bit antsy and bored the last week or two and are running out of ideas to keep you and your children busy?
Well, I have some thoughts and ideas to minimize those issues by explaining and providing some solutions to that problem. We are in the spring season and you have probably been planning some repairs and/or renovations to your home, condo or coop.
Maybe there were times you were contemplating trying to do some of these projects yourself but decided to put them off whether because of procrastination, lack of time ruling your mindset, getting a bit lackadaisical, lack of money (especially at the moment with the loss of income).
Well, assuming you have some extra disposable income now is the time to pull your bootstraps up and get motivated and begin to get going and make use of all the time that you have on hand, being hunkered down at home.
There are so many chores and projects you can learn how to do only if you are willing to take that first step. I suggest that you can either Google the project that you are interested in performing or go to YouTube.com to find a video to walk you through the process from start to finish.
There is nothing that you cannot find on YouTube.Com to teach you how to perform the specific project that you need and want to learn, or as I say do it yourself. You can really get into it and it will actually begin to motivate you to do the job and at the same time, save a boatload of money.
The improvements and/or repairs while saving you money will make you proactive in maintaining your home to be in excellent shape. Some projects will actually increase the value of your primary residence, especially if and when you will be planning to place your home on the market for sale.
The simplest and most basic thing you could start with is painting, which anyone can do, with a small amount of knowledge and preparation. Decide what paint (make sure you ask your significant other or other people’s opinions if you want some suggestions).
Light neutral colors tend to be the most preferred by buyers as opposed to personal colors. However, in some homes, I have personally seen one wall painted red, blue or green to offset the rest of the room, especially the dining or living room. It really makes the room pop and attracts positive attention.
Make sure you anticipate how much paint (and primer) you will need by taking photos of each room or you can measure the walls and ceilings, which will take some time to complete.
You can purchase your materials and consider shopping locally to support your merchants or big box paint store. Water-based paint would be preferred for walls and ceilings for easy cleanup, but buy semi-gloss for your wood trim as well as turpentine for spills or mishaps. Most important is to purchase floor and furniture coverings, wide, medium and narrow paintbrushes for the trim, paint rollers, and pans for your paint.
Turpentine for cleaning dripped paint.
I would suggest that If your floors need improvement and sanding will be necessary, then you should know how to do this and what equipment and materials you will need. Again, just go on YouTube.Com and find a video and tutorial to teach you how to do it. Don’t forget to do two coats of polyurethane to complete the job.
As far as plumbing and electrical, I would recommend a licensed and bonded contractor to perform these tasks, unless you are an expert at these things. The last thing you want is a flood in your home by not having the knowledge and expertise or getting electrocuted, so stay safe and alive and hire someone to do these projects; it’ll be money well worth spent.
As far as renovating your kitchen and bathrooms, unless you have completed several renovations by your own labor, again, leave these projects to the professionals and don’t be pennywise and pound foolish. Just make sure you ask for several names of homeowners within your town or local area that they did work for several years ago and recently, to see if they were satisfied. Lastly, replacing your windows, roof or any type of cement work should also be left to the licensed and bonded expert to make sure it gets completed correctly.
The large jobs when upgraded eg. kitchens, bathrooms, roof, windows, utilities, will add excellent value to your home or at least be much less costly when the purchaser subtracts two the three times what it would cost you or a contractor to do it. It’s your choice to either be a do-it-yourselfer or hire a professional.
Philip A. Raices is the owner/Broker of Turn Key Real Estate at 3 Grace Ave Suite 180 in Great Neck. He has earned designations as a graduate of the Realtor Institute and also as a Certified International Property Specialist . For a consultation, he can be reached by cell: (516) 647-4289 or by email: [email protected].