Moving to San Francisco: Everything You Need to Know

Thinking about moving to San Francisco? It’s a unique city that has its good, bad and weird.

San Francisco is filled with contradictions and surprises, ranging from microclimate weather to the obvious unequal distribution of wealth. Even though San Francisco is home to tech giants (they call it Silicon Valley for a reason), the city still is still plagued by the lack of affordable housing and homelessness.

It’s easy to see how San Francisco can be misunderstood.

San Francisco overview

San Francisco is a lot smaller than you think — the city is only 46 square miles but has plenty to offer.

Technology is king in the Bay Area, with nearly 50 Fortune 500 companies located in San Francisco and further south in Silicon Valley. Between job opportunities and outdoor activities for the whole family, San Francisco is a great place to settle down.

• Population: 881,549
• Population density (people per square mile): 17,179
• Median income: $112,376
• Average studio rent: $3,205
• Average one-bedroom rent: $4,144
• Average two-bedroom rent: $4,930
• Cost of living index: 194

Popular neighborhoods in San Francisco

San Francisco has about 36 official neighborhoods to choose from, each with its unique characteristics and vibe. Here’s an overview of some of the most popular:

• Nob Hill: Sitting on top of one of San Francisco’s hillier areas, Nob Hill offers incredible views of the city. Lined with old mansions and the atmosphere of an elegant, deep historic background, Nob Hill offers Michelin-starred restaurants, art galleries, historic landmarks and home to Grace Cathedral and the Fairmont Hotel. The steep neighborhood is accessible by cable car, but if you’re familiar with the city’s trolley system, it’s expensive (at $7 a ride) and usually packed with tourists.
• Mission District: This neighborhood was named after the Mission Dolores and the locals know it mostly to be the spot in the city to grab a tasty burrito. With its hipster vibes and gritty atmosphere, the Mission is a great place to go for a stroll, order from an old-school taqueria or enjoy a scoop or two of gourmet ice-cream. On a beautiful day, venture out to Dolores Park and people watch — you’ll never be bored.
• North Beach: It’s close to the water, but doesn’t have an actual beach. North Beach is a hot spot for Italian restaurants, bars and neon-lit strip clubs. Back in the day, North Beach was filled with saloons and brothels, but today, you can go there for a delicious slice of pizza and craft beer. One thing to note about North Beach is that public transportation may be difficult to get to. BART, which is San Francisco’s equivalent of a subway, doesn’t go to North Beach. However, North Beach is close enough to the Financial District to walk or bike.
• Dogpatch: This area is located along the water and is known for its artsy design culture and industrial warehouse buildings. Dogpatch may be the place for you if you want to live in an artist’s loft or want to be close to an artist community. It’s also close to the Chase Center and adjacent to Potrero Hill. Dogpatch is also relatively flat, which makes it perfect for bikers.
• Mission Bay: A sprawling neighborhood in the northern part of San Francisco, Mission Bay is popular with young professionals and young families. From Mission Bay, you can catch CalTrain, which is a double-decker commuter train that connects residents from the Peninsula (i.e., Palo Alto, Redwood City, San Mateo) to the city. Mission Bay is known for its newer buildings and condo developments.

The pros of moving to San Francisco

Moving to San Francisco means you’ll be a part of the city’s transplants. If cultural diversity is important to you, San Francisco is the spot — the city welcomes people from all backgrounds and walks of life. From the endless variety of food and restaurant options, cultural events and outdoor activities, San Francisco is a true melting pot with tons to do.

The weather

This is a pro or a con, depending on your taste. If you enjoy crisp, sunny, and chillier climates, moving to San Francisco will be a pro for you. If hot weather or the four seasons is more your thing, you may be disappointed. San Francisco is full of micro-climates, so it might be cold and foggy in one part of town while the other is sunny and warm. Locals always bring an extra layer or two, and San Francisco doesn’t get too hot in the summer. Expect 70-degree weather during the summer months.

Gorgeous scenery and outdoor activities

Although walkability is high in San Francisco, there’s plenty to do that’s just a short car ride away, including breath-taking hikes, kayaking, surfing (or stand-up paddleboarding) and camping.

Cross the Golden Gate Bridge to plenty of hikes near Stinson Beach or drive south to Pacifica for scenic views of the ocean and peninsula. For the more adventurous types, Yosemite National Park is only a four-hour drive away, and Lake Tahoe is about three and a half hours.

Public transportation

This can also be a pro or a con, depending on your patience for public transportation. While it’s not perfect, it’s still an inexpensive and relatively quick way to get around town, if you don’t have a car.

BART, which is Bay Area Rapid Transit, can get you around the city and connects to the East Bay. MUNI is the city’s above and underground tram system, plus there are also buses, e-scooters and bikes throughout the city at your disposal.

The cons of moving to San Francisco

With any big city, there are disadvantages. The most obvious for San Francisco is the expensive price tag. Whether you rent or buy, the cost of living is high, especially compared to other large cities in America.

Just how expensive is it?

San Francisco is one of the most expensive cities in the nation. The high cost of rent, coupled with other cost-of-living expenses such as dining out, services and taxes — it can quickly add up and bust your budget.

The good thing is that Bay Area salaries are adjusted for the cost of living and there are also places within the Bay Area that are generally more affordable than San Francisco, such as the East Bay.

Traffic and parking

Even though San Francisco is a relatively easier place to have a car, compared to other cities such as Manhattan, you’ll still have to deal with constant stop and go traffic, pretty much everywhere you go.

Nothing is more energy-zapping than being stuck in a traffic jam of buses and commuters that need to get in or out of the city. The Bay Bridge, which connects San Francisco to the East Bay, eventually merges into one lane. The freeways around the city aren’t any better.

Parking is also expensive, with garages around the downtown area typically costing $35 a day or more and parking tickets costing around $76 to $110 or more.

Homelessness

While San Francisco is known for its extreme wealth due to the tech boom, the income disparity is real and the lack of affordable housing still plagues the city. San Francisco has one of the highest populations of unsheltered homeless residents in the country.

While most of San Francisco is generally clean and safe, you may turn a corner and find yourself surrounded by a homeless encampment or walk through a sidewalk lined with trash and discarded needles.

How to get started on your move to San Francisco

Moving to a new place is exciting, but can also be stressful and uncertain. Sure, San Francisco is expensive, but it also has tremendous perks that make it special and potentially worth checking out.

If you’re ready to get started on your move, visit the Rent.com Moving Center to get free quotes and more information about how to plan your move.

Rent prices are based on a rolling weighted average from Apartment Guide and Rent.com’s multifamily rental property inventory of one-bedroom apartments. Data was pulled in October 2020 and goes back for one year. We use a weighted average formula that more accurately represents price availability for each individual unit type and reduces the influence of seasonality on rent prices in specific markets.

Population and income numbers are from the U.S. Census Bureau. Cost of living data comes from the Council for Community and Economic Research.

The rent information included in this article is used for illustrative purposes only. The data contained herein do not constitute financial advice or a pricing guarantee for any apartment.

Published at Fri, 23 Oct 2020 13:00:49 +0000

Pros and Cons: Electric vs. Gas

In our Pros and Cons series, we weigh the advantages and disadvantages of important decisions that apartment dwellers are making every day.

When you’re looking to move into your first apartment, it’s common to see some apartment listings with gas heating and stoves. You might also see electric heating and stoves (and many gas appliances require electrical power to operate). That’s why you might wonder if one is better than the other. Find an in-depth comparison of electric vs. gas below.

Pros of electric over gas

Electric stoves are easier to clean

Coil electric burners and flat-top electric stoves are easier to clean than are stoves that run on gas. With a gas stove, it’s harder to clean food debris out of burners, whereas an electric flat-top stove has no such obstructions.

Lower maintenance for heat and hot water repairs

Electric heaters require less maintenance than gas heaters, so when you rent an apartment with electric heat, you can fairly assume you’ll have fewer maintenance concerns to address with your landlord. And you won’t make fewer calls to only your landlord or property manager – better heaters means fewer days spent waiting for the utility company representative or your repair person to show up.

Energy efficient

Electric heaters use almost all the energy they receive to heat water. A gas heater, on the other hand, must vent a portion of the gas, and with this gas goes some heating capacity. That means you’ll need less electricity – and thus less money – for your heat and hot water when you go electric.

Cons of electric over gas

Gas stoves are easier to use

Stoves that run on electricity take much longer to heat up, whereas gas stoves quickly respond when you turn the heat up or down. To warm up an electric stove faster, you can move your pan off the heating element, but that still won’t beat the heating speed of gas.

Gas provides affordable heat during the winter

Although natural gas heating is more expensive to install than are electric heaters, that’s your landlord’s problem. You only have to worry about your monthly utility bills, and gas usually costs less than electricity, so for you, gas furnaces are better.

Electric heat doesn’t work during power outages

Electric heaters don’t work during power outages, so you won’t have access to heat and hot water if your power goes out. Gas heaters continue to provide heat and hot water even during a power outage, assuming there’s no disruption in the gas line either.

The landlord probably won’t pay the bill

Often, gas and electric costs are your responsibility. However, some landlords will cover the portion of your gas used toward heat or hot water. You’re far less likely to find a landlord willing to cover your electricity costs, though some apartment prices include all utilities.

Price

While gas and electric prices vary throughout the country, gas appliances are usually more affordable than their electric counterparts. If you cook every night, your monthly cooking gas might not be more than $15 per month. The average monthly apartment gas heating cost is affordable too, at approximately $40. That’s far less than electric heating, which can cost $160 per month in some areas. 

What are your thoughts on electric versus gas? Sound off in the comments!

Published at Wed, 21 Oct 2020 18:00:37 +0000

Home Tour: A Perfectly Autumnal Oasis in CT

I know many espouse shopping vintage as the only way to inject “authentic personality” into your home. I wouldn’t say I disagree. I enjoy the vintage scavenger hunt as much as anyone, but sometimes you need more expedient options. And if those options look as good as these fall pieces from Anthropologie do, I’m totally ok with that.

I posted about Anthro’s latest collaboration last month and their hits just keep on coming. I’m the first to admit I’ve often thought of Anthro pieces as overly whimsical, feminine and a touch too cottage chic, but this new editorial shows that it all depends on your context. A beautiful home designed by famed architect Richard Neutra certainly helps. This one is for sale FYI!

But what this home tour really illustrates is that a piece can take on a totally different personality in a different environment – so really you shouldn’t rule an option out at first glance. Really think about how something will look and feel in your space regardless if it’s modern or bohemian-inspired.

I could not be more obsessed with this wood cabinet. It has a really unique a mesh overlay, a travertine top an gorgeous rounded corners.

Also I have to mention that this mix of wood tones is giving me all kinds of inspiration for our new cottage. And since I only have about 10 weeks to renovate and furnish the entire house, I’m fully ok with unearthing some gems – big box store or not.

This entire home is a beautiful study in mixing soothing neutrals, a variety of texture and a feeling of pieces being collected over time. But you didn’t have to wait years to stumble across the perfect treasure. And there’s no shame in that!

As we shift into the new season and really think about making our homes our sanctuary from both the colder temperatures and from Covid, you can think out of the box while still shopping within one.

I spy the gorgeous foraged branch work of Colin King.

photography by Nicole Franzen, styling by Colin King for Anthropologie.

Published at Tue, 06 Oct 2020 05:52:17 +0000

How to make the most of your apartment’s fitness center

Drinking in fresh air while you workout may be a good motivator, but when the weather doesn’t cooperate, it’s not a practical option. You could spend a chunk of your hard-earned paycheck on a membership at a gym, but it’s going to be easy to find an excuse to skip your workout when you have a commute to the treadmill. Since your building boasts its own in-house fitness center, there’s no need to spend any extra money or travel further than a few hundred feet for a workout. Here are a few ways that you can make the most out of a fitness routine in your apartment’s own fitness center.

1. Begin with just your bodyweight.
   Apartment fitness centers tend to vary in terms of the equipment they offer, but all of them tend to have one thing in common: limited space. So you might not see the wide variety of cardio and strength-training equipment you’d find at your typical gym. This just gives you the opportunity to simplify your workout. When you first embark on a fitness routine at the apartment gym, try skipping the equipment altogether and just using your own bodyweight. Moves like squats, lunges, and burpees torch calories and strengthen muscles, even in a small space.
2. Strengthen your core.
   One muscle group that’s easy to shred with zero equipment and a small amount of space? Your abs. As long as your apartment fitness center has a mat, you can power through crunches, bicycle kicks, and grueling planks to really take your six-pack to the next level. If one is available, throw a medicine ball into the mix to add an extra challenge to your ab routine.
3. Get creative with minimal equipment.
   If you do want to incorporate some of the available equipment into your workout, try creating a circuit that hits every part of the body from head to toe. Start with a round of bicep curls and tricep rows using the hand weights. Sink into a dolphin plank for intervals of 30 or 60 seconds. Then start squatting with a medicine ball or kettlebell in hand to strengthen those glutes and legs. Hop on the treadmill or elliptical for a minute in between each strength-training move to keep the heart rate high and the body burning calories.
4. Try some supersets.
   Have you ever heard of a superset? If not, now’s the time to learn. When you’re working out in a small space, the superset is your best friend. It’s a pairing of two moves performed back-to-back, typically working two antagonistic muscle groups. For instance, you could do a set of deadlifts and then transition swiftly into a round of pushups. So, what’s the benefit of a superset? When you do this, the movement keeps your heart rate elevated, which means your body will continue to burn calories all throughout the workout.

Take Advantage of Your Building’s Fitness Center with These Workouts [DNAInfo]

Apartment Gym Workout [The Optimal You]

How to Create a Workout Program for a Small Apartment Gym [The Nest]

Published at Sat, 01 Dec 2018 20:50:41 +0000

Five Common Security Deposit Deductions Your Landlord Can Take

Security deposits are among the more significant finances involved with renting your first apartment. These deposits cover any damage you cause to your apartment, and even the most careful tenants can easily cause minor damage to their first apartments. After you move out, your landlord will subtract the monetary equivalent of any damage you cause from your deposit.

That said, if you’re clean and careful with your apartment, If you know the below five common security deposit deductions your landlord can take, you’ll be in especially good shape.

1. General cleaning

Leaving your apartment dirty will result in your landlord deducting from your security deposit to cover cleaning costs. Even basic apartment-wide cleaning tasks can run a deduction into the double-digits. So to avoid being charged for excessive cleaning costs, keep up with your cleaning routine, and leave your apartment “broom clean.”

It’s essential to leave your apartment in the same condition as when you moved in so you can receive your full deposit when you move out. After removing your belongings, use a broom, vacuum, mop, and other cleaning supplies of choice to achieve that squeaky-clean initial condition (or at least get your apartment as clean as it was when you first moved in).

2. General repairs

Surface-level repairs and maintenance, such as repainting or sealing holes in the wall, can cause a significant reduction in how much you receive from your security deposit. It’s best practice to fill any large holes you’ve created before you leave as well as smaller holes from nails, screws, and the like. Many people use spackling paste for this purpose. 

More in-depth repairs, such as plumbing and electric, can be costly to fix, causing your landlord to deduct a large fee from your deposit. Inform your landlord of any electric and plumbing issues as they arise during your residency to prevent yourself from being charged after you move out. Given the high costs of repair, it’s better to have these issues repaired before you leave instead of being blamed and charged for the damage after moving out.

3. Interior fixtures

Make sure to replace batteries for carbon monoxide and smoke detectors before you move out. Additionally, defective appliances should be fixed before moving out, whether you can do it yourself or you need to have your landlord bring in an expert. If damage occurs to a fixture or appliance in your apartment, ask your landlord to take care of it when the problem first appears instead of waiting – you’ll save more money this way.

4. Doors and windows

It’s important to replace faulty doorknobs, doors, and window panes. Perhaps you can’t do some of these replacements by yourself, but some door and window repairs may be easier than you think. Either you do it yourself or get your landlord to hire someone to repair the damage — again, don’t wait until you’ve moved out. 

5. Items left behind

Packing and moving everything you own may be a daunting task, but you shouldn’t leave anything behind. Leaving things in your apartment after you move out can be costly for your landlord because of the labor it takes to remove it. 

Some tenants leave mattresses and box springs behind, but doing so is ill-advised even if these objects are tough to move – your landlord can charge you high sums for these left-behind items in particular. If you need to get rid of large items, look into donating them to charity, hiring a junk hauling company, or selling them online.

The key takeaway: Fix faults as they happen

In general, if you want to receive your full deposit amount after you move out, you should always strive to repair damages right after they occur. Many people recommend taking a picture before you move in to keep track of any damages the apartment has when you first move in. Your landlord can fix issues while you’re living there instead of withholding money from your security deposit after you move out.

Do you have any advice to ensure that people receive their full security deposit after moving out of apartments? Sound off in the comments!

Published at Tue, 29 Sep 2020 22:42:32 +0000

Idea to Steal: Wall-to-Wall Headboards

Oh hi friend, just popping up for air between homeschooling and well, I guess I’m not getting air because the entire west coast is on fire and the air quality is some of the worst in the world. Did you hear that the presidential election is now less than 50 days away. Have you registered to vote? Ensured you’ll receive your mail-in ballot? Have a voting plan? CLICK HERE if not.

But I digress. As you might have seen last week, I have new project that is distracting me from impending doom – the Hood Canal Coastal Cottage and I have been diving deeeeep in design this past week as our timeline to get this baby done is mega short. Like six weeks short. But I’ll dig into all those details once we actually close and I can walk you through everything.

For now, let’s have a convo about bedrooms, shall we? We spend a lot of time in them right? I tend to work from mine late into the wee hours. One of the biggest trouble spots I’m running into with the Coastal Cottage are the bedrooms. I think bedrooms are my achilles heel (as was evidenced by our guest room in This Old Victorian. And the main bedroom. But who’s counting.) It just feels impossible to come up with something that seems interesting (without resorting to majorly expensive finishes or design elements and we are on a budget here people! More on that discussion to come as well).

Living spaces are my jam. I can walk into any type of living space and visualize what it needs almost instantly. Maybe it’s because bedrooms are usually just a box, and often a pretty small one that limits my thinking. I just have the hardest time coming up with innovative solutions for bedroom design. But one idea has been catching my eye in all my late-night scrolling – so much so that I just had to whip up this post for you.

My latest Idea to Steal (and the one I’m trying to convince the husband to let me do in the Coastal Cottage) is wall-to-wall headboards.

You might also call this look a bed ledge. The utility of wall-to-wall headboards are endless. It’s an easy way to inject another color, wood tone or texture to your bedroom. You can also use the wall-to-wall headboard to house bedside tables and lighting, saving floor space and keeping things minimal.

But I also love that the bed ledge offers the perfect spot to display pieces you love. From artwork to plants, vases or ceramics – you have a spot to add life and personality to your space without adding additional furniture to your room.

The challenge is with the wall-to-wall headboard is actually creating one. This isn’t an off the shelf solution. You’ll likely need to employ a carpenter or be very industrious with your DIYs to create something that works. I’ve seen very simple pine and even particle board versions that don’t seem too intimidating. But slatted wall-to-wall headboards or versions with more design detail could require a pro. I would argue the investment is worth it.

How about you? Maybe if this post gets enough comments, my husband will be convinced!

For our entire Idea to Steal archive CLICK HERE.

images the local project / leibal / studiomk27 / barnabylane, cultiver

Published at Tue, 15 Sep 2020 17:03:07 +0000

10 Things to Know About Living in Dallas

Nicknamed “The Big D,” Dallas is the largest inland metropolitan area in the U.S. It’s also among the most diverse with a large-scale downtown area and laid-back living in the surrounding suburban neighborhoods.

Whether you enjoy finding new restaurant hot spots, going out to swanky bars or exploring the city’s culture, living in Dallas lends itself to an array of adventure. Here are the top 10 things to know about living in this big, beautiful city.

1. Dallas can be pricey, but worth it

Living in Dallas can cost you a pretty penny — 7.6 percent more than the national average when you factor in costs, such as groceries, housing, utilities, transportation and health care. Still, Dallas apartments alone can cost slightly less than elsewhere in the nation, averaging $1,544 for a one-bedroom apartment.

Keep in mind, that figure can vary considerably depending on where you decide to plant your roots.

• The average rent in upscale Uptown is about $2,020. But with its walkability to boutique shops, plentiful restaurants, retail salons and the Katy Trail, this picturesque and well-kept neighborhood can be well worth the price.
• If you’re looking for somewhere a little more affordable, there’s trendy and hip Deep Ellum. This neighborhood is made up of large-scale street murals, artwork from local artists, live music venues and different breweries on almost every street corner. The average cost of rent for a one-bedroom is right around the national average at $1,686.
• Meanwhile, Lakewood is a well-priced, highly desirable neighborhood due to bordering White Rock Lake and its accessibility to the Lower Greenville entertainment district. One of the best elementary schools in Dallas is in Lakewood, making this neighborhood attractive if you have kids. The average cost of rent for a one-bedroom is $1,534.

2. Getting around is easy peasy

No matter where you live in Dallas, it’s easy to get around and explore different parts of the city. The highways are fairly clear of bumper-to-bumper traffic, besides rush hour. There also are toll roads, rideshares and the DART (Dallas Area Rapid Transit) system that runs from 5 a.m. to midnight to help get you from point A to point B, as needed.

3. We’re more outdoorsy than you might expect

When you think of Dallas, you might not think of outdoor activities or recreation. But, there are many beautiful lakes, parks and trails throughout the city. You can rent kayaks or a stand-up paddleboard on White Rock Lake, bike around Katy Trail and spend a day hiking at one of the many nature preserves.

4. It’s a foodie’s paradise

Everything is bigger in Texas and that includes the appetites in Dallas. This city is a foodie’s dream place to live. There are always different restaurant concepts and cool food trucks popping up. The drinking and dining scene buzzes with newness. Trinity Groves is a favorite place to head for diverse options within walking distance, not to mention views of the downtown Dallas skyline.

5. You’ll need a four-season wardrobe

Living in Dallas, you’ll experience scorching summers and mild, but tolerable, winters. During the summer, warm, dry winds will lend to an almost desert-like feel — there are days where it will feel hotter than a dry sauna. Temperatures rarely drop below freezing during the winter, but when they do, you’ll want to have at least one thick coat, a scarf and gloves in your closet.

6. Ever heard of “America’s Favorite Team?”

Dallas offers sports fanatics plenty of entertainment options, including the Dallas Cowboys. Dallas’s national football team may be the most iconic, but there’s also the Texas Rangers for baseball, Dallas Stars for hockey and Dallas Mavericks for basketball, to name a few. The games are enjoyable to attend whether you’re into sports or not. You can go to be entertained, enjoy a few overpriced stadium beers and feed off the overly energetic vibe of the fans.

7. No lack of shopping options

From shopping malls to antique stores, Dallas does not lack in the retail department. One of the best spots to shop like a local is Northpark Center, which is a 2-million-square-foot mall offering high-end designer stores to fast fashion. There are many open-air shopping centers around Dallas, too. Highland Park Village is in a ritzy part of town, so plan to spend some big bucks. On the flip side, you can score designer dupes and bargain items for less at Allen Premium Outlets about 25 minutes north of Dallas in Allen.

8. Markets happen all-year ’round

Shopping local is easy in Dallas, where you can find a multitude of handcrafted and fresh-picked products at the city’s popular markets. The Boho Market is one of Texas’s largest makers markets, popping up on weekends in different areas of the city. There’s also the Dallas Farmer’s Market, which offers fresh produce from regional farmers in an open-air shed downtown.

9. There are endless free things to do

If you like freebies (and who doesn’t?), Dallas offers plenty for the picking. Downtown‘s Klyde Warren Park features 5.2 acres with free outdoor movie screenings and fitness classes like Zumba and yoga. You can also explore Uptown by way of the free hop-on-and-off McKinney Avenue Trolley. Or, head to the Arts District where you’ll find free entry at the Dallas Museum of Art, one of the largest art museums in America. There, you can spend a day admiring more than 22,000 works of art without reaching for your wallet.

10. Parties and parades are always going on

Living in Dallas can be very eventful. There are always parties, festivals, parades and even the Texas State Fair to look forward to. The Dallas St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Festival is the largest in the Southwest with close to 125,000 people gathering to experience food trucks, exhibitor booths, family-friendly activities and live entertainment.

Living in Dallas

Come join the excitement of living in Dallas! Explore great apartment options here and trust that you’re making the right decision to move to Dallas because it’s a beautiful, unique and ever-changing city.

Rent prices are based on a rolling weighted average from Apartment Guide and Rent.com’s multifamily rental property inventory of one-bedroom apartments. Data was pulled in September 2020 and goes back for one year. We use a weighted average formula that more accurately represents price availability for each individual unit type and reduces the influence of seasonality on rent prices in specific markets.

The rent information included in this article is used for illustrative purposes only. The data contained herein do not constitute financial advice or a pricing guarantee for any apartment.

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Published at Tue, 22 Sep 2020 13:00:32 +0000

How to Keep Your Las Vegas Home Organized: 10 Creative Decluttering Ideas

Right now, many of us are spending a lot of time at home working remotely or simply limiting social contact. With all this time spent inside, your Las Vegas home could probably use a once-over. Between mail, books and other household items, clutter is quick to pile up. Your busy living room and kitchen may send you into a frenzy to restore order and organization in your home.

Decluttering might seem intimidating at first, but there are a few steps you can follow to help you take control of your home:

1. Start with a Decluttering Action Plan

Any efficient project starts with a plan, so why not apply the same principle to decluttering your home? It is up to you to determine the time commitment and the pace of your plan, but having one in place will help you track your progress. The first step is to create a checklist of all the home areas you need to work on. If you’re using the Becker Method – which follows a room-by-room decluttering system – you’re probably better off beginning with the room that gets the most traffic and then proceeding with the rest. Your goal is to purge your home of the misplaced and redundant items, so make sure to stick to the organization scheme you put in place as you declutter.

2. Get the Right Supplies

Every room you declutter requires organizers, storage bins and other supplies. Once you get started, you will have a better idea of what sort of supplies you need. Some common supplies include trash bags, brown bags for recycling paper, hanging sweater bags for closets, or drawer dividers. Before you run out to the store, make sure you truly need the supplies you intend to buy.

3. Reorganize the Entryway Purposefully

As the busiest area of the home, the entry area usually collects shoes, sports equipment and different bags which make it difficult to find your keys when you’re in a hurry to leave the house in the morning. Adding a bench with storage to hold keys and other items might just be the solution to that pesky morning chaos! For bags, jackets and backpacks, a coat rack or a couple of hooks are helpful to keep these items organized. A mail organizer is not a bad idea if you’re constantly battling strewn envelopes as you make your way out of the house. As a general rule, make sure that each item has its dedicated space.

4. Decluttered Living Room: Use Drawers, Shelves and Baskets

If your goal is to keep clutter at bay, then the living room is the trickiest room to do so. With fewer traditional possibilities for storage, your remotes and blankets are more than likely migrating from one spot to another. To make this room inviting and pleasing to the eye, use baskets to store extra throws, magazines or even children’s toys that make their way to the living room. Go for decorative boxes that best complement your home décor for a more personalized touch. Additionally, make sure to keep the coffee table free of the usual items like candles, books or flowers. If you do enjoy a few decorative items in this spot, why not incorporate a tray that can accommodate them? You can easily remove it in case you have guests and decide to use the coffee table to entertain.

5. Give Your Closets the Organization Treatment

Your bedroom closet is where most of your wardrobe resides. Start decluttering this spot by getting rid of everything you haven’t worn in the past year. If you’re not sure which clothes you still wear, hang your clothes on backward hangers in your closet. As you wear the items, rehang them facing forward. The hangers that stay backward are probably not your favorite items. It’s time to relocate them to the donation box. If your home is not large enough to make room for all your seasonal clothing and other seasonal items, self-storage can come to the rescue. Financially speaking, you’re better off renting a storage unit in Las Vegas than moving to a larger home with more space. Apartments in Sin City have an average of 884 square feet, ranking 40th among the top 100 cities with the largest apartments in the U.S, well below the national average, which is 941 square feet.

6. Make Use of Underbed Space

If your closet is too small to house all your clothing, under-the-bed storage can be a lifesaver. Bulky items and accessories can be placed in vacuum storage bags safely under your bed. Make sure that any items you decide to store in this way is in good condition.

7. Home Office Desk: Stick to Bare Necessities

The top of your desk is home to pens, highlighters, staples and more. Besides your computer and a landline phone, try to keep only three or four items on the desk. Other knickknacks can be placed on a nearby shelf. Store most of your office supplies inside drawers using various bins and caddies to keep things organized.

8. Keep Cords Tidy

Your desk can feel like a jungle of lamp cords, laptop wires and other cords. You can secure them in a cable box to keep them all tidy, or you can opt for a shelf equipped with ports. If, on the other hand, your desk has fewer cables, a decorative container might easily do the trick.

9. Less is More with Kitchen Counters

Kitchen counters tend to become overcrowded with many kitchen gadgets and utensils that may or may not see frequent use. Instead, keep most of them in pull-out trays inside the cabinets. This trick allows you to easily access items all the way in the back of the cabinet and makes the most of this storage space. For the essential small appliances that have to stay on the countertop, you can use baskets and boxes to hold them. As you reorganize your countertop items, add some of them to the donation box if they see very rare or no use at all.

10. Say Goodbye to the Junk Drawer

The catch-all junk drawer feels good to have around, but it only causes more clutter – unopened mail, scissors, rubber bands and other little odds and ends that don’t seem to find their spot wind up here. The easiest way to a clutter-free drawer is to simply move everything into their designated spots in the kitchen. If, on the other hand, you can’t give up that easily on your junk drawer, using a drawer organizer might be the answer.

11. Bathroom: Toss Expired Cosmetics and Medicine

You might have tried a wide slew of cosmetics over the years, but not all of them turn out to be favorites. Now is the time to sift through your collection and dispose of old lotions and shower gels that never see the light of day. Apply the same principle to your medicine cabinet. It’s time to look at the expiration dates on medications and safely get rid of them.

12. Use Under-the-Sink Storage

Being short on closet space isn’t a new problem. We could all use a little extra space to store household items. Why not use your under-the-sink space to bring your everyday bathroom linens on-hand? Use wicker baskets to store bath towels – it’s practical, and stylish too.

13. Enlist the Help of a Professional Organizer

If decluttering becomes overwhelming, don’t lose heart. It’s time to call in the professionals to lend a helping hand. It’s easier than ever to hire a certified organizer in Las Vegas. HateClutter, White Tie Organizing and Organized by Ginger are some of the professionals that can help bring back the Zen to your Las Vegas home.

Did we help you declutter your home? Let us know in the comment section below.

Published at Thu, 03 Sep 2020 16:14:19 +0000

Philly’s Old City is Immersed in American History & Local Culture

Tucked into the tiny cobblestone streets of Old City lies Philadelphia’s most historic neighborhood. A part of the original city of Philadelphia, Old City is where some of the nation’s earliest and most important artifacts are stored. Tourist draws like the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, the birthplace of the Declaration of Independence and the nation, bring visitors from all over the country, while locals delight in the area’s charming rowhomes, shops and restaurants.

Where is Old City?

Old City is a small collection of blocks on the Eastern border of the city, wedged up against the Delaware River, Chinatown and Center City to the West, and Society Hill to the South. The Northern border is on I-676, which divides Old City from the now trendy neighborhood of Northern Liberties. The Delaware River waterfront has undergone a slow transformation over the years, now including small markets, pop-up seasonal festivals and stretches of green space with a bike path. On the western border of the neighborhood, Independence Hall, part of the U.S. National Park Service and Independence National Historical Park, houses much of the city’s and nation’s rich history.

History

Old City is seething with history. Not just for the city of Philadelphia, but for the country overall. Independence National Historic Park is home to Independence Hall, a UNESCO world heritage site and part of the U.S. National Park Service and Independence National Historical Park. This is the birthplace of the U.S.A. Both the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution were written and signed here, and it’s where the Liberty Bell, U.S. Mint and countless other historical sites are kept.

Lifestyle

What to do

History buffs have all the fun in Old City. Aside from the Liberty Bell and the rest of Independence Hall, there are also countless museums and sites to visit. American Philosophical Society Museum, National Museum of American Jewish History and Museum of the American Revolution (which has become increasingly popular since the launch of the Hamilton musical) are just a few of the cultural centers worth a visit in Old City.

Being at the center of many of Philadelphia’s most popular tourist attractions, Old City offers quite a few options for hotels including branches of Kimpton, Marriott and Aloft hotels. However, Old City offers a great quality of life even if you’ve never cracked open a history book.

Where to eat & drink

The food scene is varied and fun to explore, ranging from old, dark pubs to sophisticated fine dining dinners at restaurants like Fork. Arguably one of Philly’s best-known restaurants, Zahav, has won numerous regional and national awards for its delicious Israeli food served up in a cozy interior.

Locals and visitors in their early 20s often head to the bars in Old City on the weekends, spending their nights drinking and dancing into the early hours of the morning. Yet there are also quiet, completely residential streets in the neighborhood, offering a respite for young families and professionals as well.

Moving to Old City

Real Estate Snapshot

Old City is on the higher end of renting in Philadelphia. At $2,243, it’s about 36% above the city’s average. Over the years, Old City has become increasingly desirable. With mostly small townhouses and rowhomes, apartments are harder to come by, and when they are available, they tend to go quickly. If you’re decided to make the move, better start browsing through apartments in Old City now and choose your next home.

All to say that Old City costs a bit to live in, but for good reason. In spite of the numerous attractions that make tourists flock from all over the world to visit, the neighborhood retains a charming and local feel. Although it also has less of the necessities, like grocery stores, Old City is the perfect mix of quiet and vibrant streets.

Transportation

Bordered by I-95 and I-676, Old City is easily accessible by car from the rest of Philadelphia, NJ, and beyond. Due to its location and bustling tourist attractions, there are frequent and well-maintained public transportation options here as well, including more than a dozen bus lines and two stops on the Market-Frankford public transit line. Old City is also a very walkable neighborhood, with a short stroll of around 20 minutes bringing you easily into Center City.

Schools & Employment

Old City has plenty of options for schools, from Olde City Day School and Amigos Spanish Immersion Preschool for early education all the way up to high schools. Constitution High School is a local public school that takes advantage of its idyllic location, integrating trips to local museums and sites for an immersive experience into American history, for children between the 9th and 12th grades.

Perhaps not surprisingly, lots of the Old City jobs are involved in local tourism. From work at the sites and museums to jobs for the surrounding parks and green space, in addition to hotel, transportation and restaurant jobs, there are plenty of employment opportunities for hospitality and tourism careers in Old City.

Published at Tue, 01 Sep 2020 10:25:51 +0000