Do you wonder what it would be like to live in a house for more than a few months at a time? Or do you wish you could settle in for more than a couple of years before having to move to another city or state? While it can often feel like you’re the only one, there are thousands of other families in your exact situation. These include military families, individuals climbing the corporate ladder, athletes, and regular blue-collar folks who have to move around to make a living.
If you talk with other people who frequently move, you’ll find that the happiest people are the ones who know how to turn temporary housing into a home. Want to know how they do it? Stick around and we’ll fill you in on their secrets.
The trouble most people have with “temporary” housing is that it’s usually a rental property. And with a rental property come restrictions on what you can do. For those lucky enough to purchase a home and live there for a year or two, there’s the fear of pouring a bunch of money and effort into customizing and remodeling something that will be sold in a few months.
Whether it’s an apartment or house that you own for a short period of time, the following tips and tricks will help you transform it from temporary to homey with minimal effort and maximum enjoyment.
When you’re so used to moving from place to place, you eventually reach a point where you don’t even bother unpacking completely. You just get out the basic necessities and leave everything else boxed up for easier packing. And while this makes sense for certain situations, unpacking will do you a lot of good.
Think about how much better you feel when you’re on an extended business trip or vacation and you unpack your bags. The simple act of hanging your clothes and putting it in drawers makes you feel a lot more “at home” than yanking things out of a suitcase. The same could be said for household items when moving. Instead of picking items out of boxes, actually unpacking and putting things away will put you at ease.
Nothing says dreary like boring white or beige walls in an apartment or temporary housing. It makes you feel like you’re in a doctor’s office, not your house. Thankfully, most landlords are okay with tenants painting the walls. Some will ask you to repaint with the original color upon move-out, while others will be happy for the complimentary update. Just make sure you run it by your landlord if you are renting.
Want to make a big aesthetic change without a ton of effort? Swapping out dated hardware and light fixtures is a sure-fire way to breathe new life into a stale apartment or house.
Like the paint, you’ll probably be asked to revert changes back to the original if you’re renting. Make sure you hold on to all of the original hardware and take pictures to remind you how everything was styled.
One of the reasons people have a hard time feeling at home in temporary housing is that they decorate with generic artwork and décor. While there’s nothing wrong with some trendy décor here and there, you can make your living spaces feel a lot cozier by including friends and family. Not literally – but in pictures and keepsakes. A gallery wall of your friends and family will instantly make any space feel comfortable.
Your bedroom is your little sanctuary in a world of uncertainty. It’s where you wake up in the mornings and lay your head down at night. It’s where you nap, relax, and unwind. It’s where you watch a late-night movie and enjoy lazy Sunday mornings drinking coffee. If you want your house to feel like a home, it starts with the bedroom. Make this room feel like “yours” and the feeling will slowly spread to the rest of the house.
It’s amazing the power and influence a simple smell can have. In fact, you can probably think back to your childhood home and still recall what it smelled like. And if you were transported back in time to that same house, you’d experience a flashback of memories that you didn’t know were buried in your mind.
Memories, emotions, and feelings are all directly tied to smell. By manipulating the scent of your temporary housing, you can make yourself feel at home. This can be done through a variety of methods, including candles, essential oils, and plants.
There’s something to be said for having a clean house. It certainly takes time and effort to maintain a certain level of tidiness and cleanliness, but you’ll actually begin to enjoy the process if you make it a priority. As you clean, you’ll start to feel ownership over the place you’re living. Instead of just surviving, you begin to feel like a caretaker with a vested interest in the condition and quality of the property.
When it comes to temporary housing, half of the battle is wrapping your mind around the situation and being okay with it. If you’re constantly thinking about the negatives, you’ll never feel at home. However, if you’re willing to focus on the positives and view the apartment, rental, or house as your own, everything will change for the better.
At Green Residential, we know the Houston real estate market. Whether you’re relocating to Houston as part of a job transfer or for personal reasons, we would love to help you get settled in a home that fits your style and needs.
For additional information, please don’t hesitate to contact us today!
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