With many people around the country tightening their belts and looking for ways to save money, choosing an apartment that fits your budget can be a major financial decision. While most of us would love a huge space to call our own, it doesn’t always make sense financially. So, if you’re like most people, you probably find yourself trying to save a little by living a little more modestly. But, having limitations on space doesn’t mean you need to limit your imagination and usage of it! There are plenty of ways you can not only maximize the space you live in, but make it seem larger and make it useful!
It’s All About Flow
A lot of what makes a space look larger is all in the view. Try to keep your space as open as possible. Clutter not only creates obstacles when passing through, but visually it makes a room look smaller and more compact. Try to organize your furniture against walls, and keep your middle spaces open and clean. This creates a clear line of sight through the room and makes the space look larger. Beyond that, living in an area where you don’t have to dodge tables, chairs, couches, or other clutter, in odd places, makes traversing your apartment much less of a hassle!
Out of Site Storage Ideas
If your bedroom is more compact than you would like, find ways to maximize the space you have. A bed with storage underneath can save the need for a large dresser, creating more space for you to use within the room. Shelving which can be hung also saves floor space and can help to it from being cluttered with books or knick-knacks. Finding storage drawers to put in your closet can also save you from having to invest the money, and floor space, in a larger dresser. Any items that can double as storage are always helpful. Ottomans with removable tops that can be used as storage, and couches with compartments within them for storage can be life-savers when space is minimal.
Rack Up for Kitchen Space
In the kitchen, maximizing cabinet, counter, and shelf space is key. There are nifty things you can buy for your kitchen go help with this such as magnetic spice racks. These can be placed on the wall to keep your counters clean and cabinets used for dishes. If you regularly have more than one bottle of wine at a time, consider buying a space-saving wine rack to put your bottles in. This will help from them cluttering your counters, and adds a touch of class to the kitchen. Toasters and microwaves can be placed together side by side to maximize space and efficiency as well. Keeping the kitchen clean from clutter also helps not only with minimizing mess, but with maximizing counter space. If you can, store dinnerware and cutlery near the dishwasher so that it can be emptied quickly and easily.
Pick a Floor Plan that Fits Your Lifestyle
To really utilize the space you have effectively, you have to prioritize what is most important to you. If you don’t cook much, but prefer to have more sleeping and entertainment space, an apartment with a smaller kitchen but bigger rooms can be ideal. Once you find a space that’s important to you and utilize it according to what you most desire within that space, you may find that any extra room in your apartment would be unnecessary. This is key when not only choosing an apartment, but deciding how you want to use the rooms you have in a way that will truly make you feel at home
Living in Southern Louisiana can be a little taxing in the summer. For all the great festivals, wonderful food, and interesting nightlife, those blustery and humid days can be a little tough to deal with. It seems like everyone in the New Orleans area has a tip for how to stay cool when the summer heat comes, but there are some simple ways to both conserve energy and stay cool while living in an apartment home that may come in handy when the heat wave comes!
Flowing Filters
First of all, make sure that any and all air filters in your apartment are clean to allow cool, clean air to continue to flow through. Not only will this keep your apartment cooler, but it will keep electricity costs down and keep the air fresher within your apartment home. The suggested filter change period is generally around once or month depending on the amount of use within your home.
Don’t Bake; Nuke It
Another helpful tip you might not know is that microwave cooking not only uses much less energy than your full-sized oven, but it also emits much less heat into the room and surrounding areas. While oven cooking may be unavoidable for those big meals, if it’s at all possible to microwave your meal, this may help to keep your kitchen cool and your bills lower. Not only will the energy used be less, but using your microwave will ease the workload on your air conditioner, which could doubly help in terms of staying economical and cool. Beyond microwaving meals, eating cold meals can help to keep you refreshed and cool as well as keeping you from expending heat and energy with kitchen appliances. Bowls of fruit or a nice summer salad can do the trick quite nicely!
Keeping Control
Some people tend to lower their thermostat, then put on insulating clothes to deal with the chill that central air conditioners can create. Try simply raising the thermostat by a couple of degrees to neutralize the effect and still keep your apartment cool. The Consumer Energy Center recommends leaving it at 78 degrees while you’re home, and setting it to 85 degrees or turning it off when you leave the apartment. However, you can find the right level for your health and comfort as well as any pets who may live with you. The savings from this alone could really surprise you come bill time!
Pretty up with a Purpose
If you haven’t yet put curtains up in your apartment, they can be a real energy saver. When sun shines into your apartment, it heats up the space. Keeping your shades and curtains closed during daylight hours, especially if you’re out and about, can keep your apartment cooler and your air conditioner running at its optimum. For extra protection from the sun, there are options such as blackout curtains to protect your home from the harsh rays outside!
Whatever methods you may already have to stay cool during the sometimes harsh summers, try integrating some of these tips for maximum comfort and efficiency!
1st Lake Properties is opening a brand new apartment community on the Northshore this fall! Brewster Commons will be located in River Chase, which is a new and upcoming subdivision of Covington. Brewster Commons will feature all the comfort and luxury you’ve come to know and expect from 1st Lake Properties to the Northshore! There will be multiple floorplans available for reservation at Brewster Commons, including 1, 2, and 3 bedroom luxury apartment homes with garages that feature extra large doors and carports as well.
Brewster Commons will feature 240 apartment homes, with pre-leasing beginning on-site in July! Once you pre-lease your new apartment home, expect to make it your own in the Fall of 2011. Located in beautiful Covington at 16309 East Brewster Road, behind Target, off of I-12 at River Chase, Brewster Commons will feature many amenities that will make you feel right at home! Once you drive through the private gated entrance, the modern conveniences and stylish accompaniments will let you know you’ve come to the right place.
All interiors of Brewster Commons will include the very latest in energy saving appliances to keep your bills low and efficiency at its peak. These appliances include full size washers and dryers, self cleaning ovens, microwaves, and refrigerators with ice makers! Beyond the functionality and energy savings you can expect in your kitchen, the beauty that accompanies it will be quite impressive. You and your guests will dine on granite countertops and wood finish flooring, with stainless appliances. Outside of the kitchen, the apartment homes at Brewster Commons will have coordinated color schemes and wood faux blinds to accentuate your new living space. Personal Intrusion Alarm systems will also be in your apartment home at Brewster Commons.
Beyond the comfort of your new home, you will find many ways to unwind available to you on-site at Brewster Commons. Relax after a hard day’s work at the pool, which is equipped with a bubbling hot tub and a tanning deck for your convenience. If you’d rather unwind with a nice workout, the Brewster Commons fitness center will include the latest in gym equipment, complete with treadmills, ellipticals, excersise bikes, and a Catalina gym! Outside of the rental center’s work-out facility, there will also be a fully functional Wii and yoga room as well as a mail room. As with all 1st Lake Properties, you will also have the ease of on-site management and maintenance.
The Northshore just got a little cozier! Brewster Commons, opening this fall, will be a great place to live, work, and play. Lush landscaping, a relaxing pool, fitness and entertainment centers, modern design and appliances! You can follow the development of this exciting new community and pre-reserve your new Brewster Commons apartment home by contacting the property toll free at: 1-855-257-BREW. Give Brewster Commons a call today, and find your new home on the beautiful Northshore!
Figures from the US’s largest cities indicate that rental property vacancies across the nation are on the decline. According to real estate analysis firm Reis Inc., the vacancy rate in the US fell nearly two percent from the first quarter of 2010.
“Rental activity during the winter season is typically slow because consumers prefer to avoid apartment hunting and moving in chilly weather. But landlords filled 44,000 more units than were vacant in the first quarter, the strongest first quarter in a decade,” reported Dawn Wotapka of The Wall Street Journal.
This decline can be attributed to a number of factors such as:
Another explanation may relate to an increasing number of foreclosures. The Wall Street Journal reported in April 2011 last month that major lenders such as Fannie Mae have been facing growing foreclosure numbers for the last several years, noting that the lender acquired 232 properties due to foreclosures in 2010.
“Unemployment of close to 9 percent and a surge in home foreclosures have pushed many people to rent, driving a rebound in multifamily properties during the past year. Construction of apartments has climbed from a 50-year low on expectations that rents will increase and more people will seek to lease,” wrote Hui-yong Yu for Bloomberg.
Certainly this market activity has had a weighty impact on renters. As the demand for apartments climbs, renters will see a corresponding increase in monthly rates and a decrease renter perks such as decreased fees and price incentives.
According to an April 6th Reuters news report, the apartment rental vacancy rate in New York City is the lowest in the US at less than three percent. Not surprisingly, the city also boasts the highest average rental rate at just under $2,800 a month. The highest vacancy rate in the nation, according to the same report, is in Memphis, Tennessee, where there is an 11 percent vacancy rate and tenants can expect to pay an average rent of roughly $600 a month.
Household utility bills are amongst the costliest monthly expenses for any renter or homeowner but luckily, there are more than a few simple tricks anyone can use to cut an energy bill.
Light Up Your Life – for Less!
If your parents ever told you to “Turn off all these dang lights!” or “Close the door, we’re not paying to air-condition the whole neighborhood!” as a child, then you’re already familiar with surefire cost-cutting measure number one – conserve. While old-fashioned, this is truly the most time-honored way to save cents. Along these lines, you should also make an effort to utilize your home’s natural light to the fullest.
As citizens of the 21st century, we can also save energy through additional means not available to our parents’ generation. One such way to cut lighting costs in a home is to replace traditional incandescent bulbs with Compact Fluorescent, or CFL, bulbs which expend a fraction of the energy of a traditional light bulb.
In fact, a non-profit group called Green Light New Orleans has made a mission of this very task. Green Light New Orleans offers to replace your existing bulbs with CFL bulbs (9-, 14-, 20-, or 23-watt) free of charge.
H20 Woes
According to the US Department of Energy, renters and homeowners can save on energy bills by keeping household water heaters set at a temperature of 120 degrees. According to the DOE’s Energy Saver tips, “For each 10 degree Fahrenheit reduction in water temperature, you can save between 3 and 5 percent in energy costs.”
Hot Times in the City
Summer energy bills in New Orleans are high; as summer without air-conditioning here is like winter in Antarctica without heat, running the AC 24-7 is almost a necessity. This, of course, becomes costly quite quickly but there are a few ways to keep your bill from becoming too outrageous.
Depending on how much sun your home gets, you may want to consider purchasing specialized window treatments designed to block sun. You’ll be surprised at how much easier it is to maintain a cool temperature in your home without the natural solar energy of the sun seeping in. Just be sure to consult your community manager (if you are renting) prior.
Cooking, too, can be an arduous task in the too-hot summer months. Anyone who’s roasted a turkey can tell you that using an oven will heat up more than your meal. To combat this, it may be a great idea to invest in some type of outdoor grilling apparatus. If you don’t have a yard, a toaster, microwave, or even a countertop grill machine will emit less heat than a standard oven.
1st Lake Properties | P. O. Box 73709 | Metairie, LA 70033 | info@1stlake.com
