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12 DIY Christmas Tree and Wreath Projects to Try This Year
’Tis the season to attempt a new DIY tradition
From homemade cookies to handcrafted ornaments, there’s something special about the holidays that calls for an oh-so-good DIY project. So why not give a DIY Christmas tree or wreath a whirl? Sure, you can go out and purchase an evergreen bough ready-made in the shape of a holiday wreath, or you can spruce up your living room with a pre-decorated Christmas tree. No judgement (many of us do the same)! But there’s something to be said about wreaths and Christmas trees made and adorned at home: They just seem a bit more meaningful.
Thus, we’ve assembled a list of festive DIY Christmas tree and wreath projects that are fun to make and easy on the eyes. In fact, many of these can even be displayed throughout the season, offering up a touch of color and cheer to every wintertime abode. The best part? You can start a new holiday tradition by making these projects with your friends and family.
Get creative
The inspiration behind this inventive Christmas tree is the family cat. Try a hanging tree display, which won’t be ruined by feline mischief on Christmas morning.
Keep it geometric
Sometimes less is more. For those who prefer a minimalist vibe, this gold-tone wire frame wreath with a simple sprig of greenery will do the trick. The project takes only 30 minutes to complete, but packs quite the design punch.
Think tinsel
A tinsel wreath shaped like a star works as a brilliant statement piece. Plus, you can personalize your project with Polaroids of friends and family for a modern take on the classic Christmas motif.
Go for gold
What better tribute to your exotic houseplant collection than a gold paper fern wreath? Besides complementing your plants, this piece makes a nice addition to your decor with timeless colors like silver and gold.
Play with paper
Turns out you can origami just about anything. Choose colors that fit your holiday palette, add a string for a unique Christmas tree ornament, or pop these petite beauties along your mantel for a fresh holiday look that will last into the new year and beyond.
Remember the classics
What could be more endearing than tiny Christmas villages? Modernize the idea of holiday miniatures with a terrarium filled with mini-bottle brush trees and small deer figurines.
Choose color
These colorful Christmas trees feel like something out of Whoville. Select wood boards with interesting graining (and cover them with a single coat of paint) to give your trees a feeling of texture as well as color.
Freshen up with felt
Is a rustic woodland more your jam? With this DIY you can get the wintery woods of your dreams with a combination of materials like felt and real wood trimmings.
Bring on the snow
Snow-kissed wreaths are a great accent in holiday decor, especially if you’re going for a cozy lodge or cabin look. The velvet ribbon offers some visual interest when combined with the evergreen’s fusion of textures.
Channel Alpine traditions
The merry bells in this wreath recall an old-world charm and sensibility. Opt for silver bells, like the classic Christmas tune, if you want to go all the way in evoking retro-inspired holiday nostalgia.
Think outside the box
This plywood DIY can be as sentimental as you want it to be. Select a few holiday cards (perhaps those from loved ones no longer with us) and your favorite color yarn to make this creative and sweet display.
Attach some character
Step aside, Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer. There’s a new Claymation-inspired cutie in town. These small trees offer a delightful kitsch twist on yuletide traditions.
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How Long Does It Take to Build a House?
How long does it take to build a house? It’s a question often posed by people looking to buy an idyllic piece of land so they can construct their dream home from the ground up. If this describes your current housing situation, you’ve come to the right place.
So before you invest in that spacious lot with stunning views and mature trees, it’s wise to consider the time it’ll actually take to build the place you’ll be living in—especially considering supply chain issues and overall construction delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which are expected to last through 2022.
How long does it take to build a house?
In a perfect world, depending on the site and zoning classification, it typically takes from three to six months to build a house. However, given the current state of supply chain slow-downs, labor shortages, and increased building demand, it’s more realistic to factor in a few months of delay.
The U.S. Census Bureau’s most recent 2020 data from the Survey of Construction estimates approximately 6.8 months as the average length of time from start to completion of new privately owned residential buildings. That number rises to nearly 12 months for owner-built houses, and falls to just under 6 months for build-for-sale homes.
Depending on U.S. location, the average build times increase and decrease. For instance, houses in the northeast are averaging 10.7 months, while construction in the south is at about 5.9 months.
No matter your location, the key to any successful new home building project is having approved house building permits, a process that can take a long time in some areas. So plan ahead. The biggest obstacles to obtaining a new home permit are poor due diligence, neighbors who oppose construction, and a backlog at the building department.
Main factors that affect how long to build a house
“Location and what I call environmental conditions can slow down or speed up a build greatly,” says Bill Green, president of W.R. Green Construction, a custom builder in Connecticut and Colorado.
What kind of environmental conditions? Factors such as soil type and site topography. For example, to construct a house with a slab on a level site with stable draining soil conditions is likely to take half the time it would take to construct the same house on a hilly lot. Building in a coastal earthquake or mudslide zone, or in a fire hazard zone, will also prolong the construction process.
Another major factor to consider in estimating the length of the process is how skilled the contractor is. An experienced new home builder will typically take less time to complete your new home.
Choose a contractor with a good reputation among the local municipality and real estate community. When issues arise, they’ll get taken care of quickly, says John Kuroda, manager at Sleight Farm, a subdivision of new-construction houses in LaGrange, NY.
What can increase the average time to build a house?
The overall time of a build usually depends on labor, supply chain issues, and weather conditions. Construction can easily be delayed by labor shortages, construction supply and building material hold-ups, and shifts in temperature or too much precipitation.
Other factors that can cause a delay? “The owners,” says Todd Whalen, owner and CEO of Eclipse Building Corp. Yes, that’s you!
If you delay in selecting finishes or decide to add change orders to your new home during construction, you can significantly prolong your construction time. As much as possible, stick with your home design—don’t tell your builder after the drywall is installed that you want the kitchen on the other side of the house, or a different floor plan altogether.
Real estate markets experiencing a building boom may also face a shortage of laborers and subcontractors—another thing that can lengthen the overall building time.
How to shorten the average time to build a house
Planning is far and away the most important way to shorten the building time frame, according to Green.
All the components of building a new house are interrelated, so if you plan the build, you can reduce the chance of delays and mistakes.
For instance, the thickness of the tile you select for a bathroom will determine the exact location of pipes that your builder must have in place before building your foundation.
Make sure you understand the lead time on products such as windows and doors in order to have them on the building site when they are needed.
During construction, an extra few weeks waiting for something can delay your timeline. Having all the different work crews—electricians, plumbers, HVAC specialists, etc.—working as promptly as possible in the building process helps speed everything up, too.
You should hold the builder accountable, by including a penalty in your contract if the builder misses the agreed-upon completion date, says Jesse Fowler, president of Tellus Build.
Being active and staying on top of things throughout the building process—such as scheduling weekly site walks to check on progress—can help keep everything on track.
Read more Realtor.com
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Can an LLC Buy a House? What to Know About Buying a House Under an LLC
If you own your own business, chances are you have a limited liability company (LLC) or, at the very least, you know what that is.
Business owners may choose to buy a home using an LLC or under their own name. Buying a home under an LLC is beneficial for two main reasons:
Reason No. 1: Homeowners can maintain some privacy because the LLC is listed as the property owner
For buyers who don’t want nosy people to be able to locate their addresses in public records, buying a home under an LLC is the preferred way to acquire property.
Many buyers of high-end properties prefer using an LLC, because all property transfers are recorded and available to anyone who wants to look up information on an address. An LLC prevents a buyer’s name from entering the public record.
Reason No. 2: Owners have more protection in the event of a lawsuit
If you own your residence in your name (as most people do), someone who’s injured on your property can sue you directly.
While homeowner’s insurance (and umbrella insurance if you have it) will cover the payments on a successful lawsuit up to a certain point, your other assets––including your savings, investments, and home equity––could be garnished to pay the rest of the damages.
However, if you own your home in an LLC, then the lawsuit can only name the LLC, and the only assets that can be used to pay off the suit are those assets held in the LLC (which usually would just be your home.)
In addition, investors commonly use an LLC to purchase properties they intend to rent to tenants because of the liability protection offered by the structure. When you own your property as an LLC you pay your property taxes through the LLC and can even funnel other costs of homeownership through the LLC.
Keep in mind that establishing an LLC will impact your property taxes and future capital gains taxes. The impact varies from state to state, but in most states you’ll need to pay an annual-report filing fee in addition to your property taxes. You’ll also need to pay legal fees to set up an LLC, which can be expensive depending on the structure of your LLC.
If you’re considering buying a home with an LLC, it’s important to consult an attorney and a tax advisor with experience in your state. You need expert advice to understand the implications of buying property under this type of ownership.
Potential cons of buying a house under an LLC
If you’re sold on the idea of buying a house under an LLC, it’s important to first examine some of the potential downfalls of this strategy. One of the biggest surrounds the difficulty of securing financing. Not to mention, you likely won’t be eligible for most types of residential loans, including FHA or conventional loans sold to Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac.
Buying a home under an LLC also means you’ll forego capital gains exemptions. Typically, home sellers pay no capital gains tax on the first $250,000 of profit as a single individual or $500,000 as a married couple. But when you own a property as an LLC, you’ll ultimately be responsible for the tax bill, no matter how small or large your gain is.
Learn more on Realtor.com
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If there is a home that you would like more information about, if you are considering selling a property, or if you have questions about the housing market in your neighborhood, please reach out. We’re here to help.
5 Pieces of Outdated Homebuying Advice That Your Parents Might Give You
When I was preparing to put an offer in on my first home, my mom, over the phone, was nudging me to come in under the list price.
My real estate agent — who I knew was tenacious because she told me from the onset her favorite color was leopard — was blunt: That would be a horrible strategy and I’d likely lose the bid. Plus, it wasn’t worth haggling over the $5,000 to $10,000 that would be spread out over a 30-year mortgage, especially since my heart was set on the home.
In this case, mom — who is very financially savvy but last bought real estate before dial-up internet was around — didn’t know best.
As it turns out, the well-intentioned real estate advice parents relay is sometimes outdated or misinformed. Here, real estate experts share some of the worst (and most persistent) pieces of advice that family members share regarding homebuying.
The Bad Advice: Don’t pay the full price in your initial offer.
In a buyer’s market, you may be able to gamble and come in under the list price. But, in general, underbidding (as my own mom advised me to do) is an outdated strategy, especially in this ultra-competitive market.
“Paying the full price in your initial offer can help you score the home of your dreams, so don’t be afraid to go all in,” says. Beatrice de Jong, Opendoor broker associate and consumer trends expert. In fact, if there are multiple offers on a home and properties are flying off the market quickly, you may need to go a smidge over the asking price, typically 1 to 3 percent, according to The Mortgage Reports.
The Bad Advice: When checking out a property, don’t let the Realtors see that you like it.
Your family members may tell you to wear your best poker face to a showing or open house. The idea is if you show neutrality or disinterest, you’ll be able to negotiate a better price, de Jong says.
“However, in today’s hot housing market, this tactic may deter folks who would rather sell to someone who is clearly passionate about that particular home,” she says. “After all, sellers want certainty that a buyer is motivated to close on the home.” She suggests being honest about how you feel about the space. “Acknowledge what you love about it while being forthright about its shortcomings,” de Jong says.
The Bad Advice: Buy something you can see yourself living in for years.
Your first home doesn’t have to be your forever home, says Liz Coughlin, who co-owns HD Properties LA in Palm Springs and Los Angeles. In fact, in many markets where homes are expensive, this isn’t realistic advice, she says. But if you’re in an area where homes tend to appreciate over time, it’s a good idea to start small in a starter home that you can comfortably afford, she says. “Update over time, gather equity, then move up to your next property that suits your next life stage,” she says.
The Bad Advice: You need a 20 percent down payment or else you won’t be able to afford a home.
Larger down payments have some advantages. They can help you avoid paying private mortgage insurance (or PMI) and they can translate to lower monthly mortgage payments. But did you know that, according to the National Association of Realtors, the overall average down payment is 12 percent, and that the average first-time buyer puts down 6 percent?
If you can’t wait to get into the home of your dreams, but don’t yet have 20 percent down, consider looking into an FHA (Federal Housing Administration) loan, which is backed by the government, suggests Andy Taylor, GM of Credit Karma Home. FHA loans allow borrowers with down payments as low as 3.5 percent to qualify for home loans, if their credit scores are 580 or higher. Borrowers with scores between 500 and 579 will be on the hook for a minimum 10 percent down payment, he says.
The Bad Advice: “You should use the same lender we used.”
Mortgages aren’t one size fits all, so it’s always smart to shop around for your mortgage, Taylor says. “Anyone shopping for a mortgage should compare rates and terms from different lenders,” he says. Spending the extra time shopping around could save you tens of thousands of dollars over the course of a loan. Taylor suggests getting quotes from a handful of lenders before you commit to a new loan.
If you’re worried about multiple requests or inquiries dinging your credit score, understand that any impact to your score will be small, and you can minimize any negative impact by shopping in a short period of time, Taylor says.
“Complete your mortgage shopping in 14 days, and when multiple lenders request your credit score within that time, it will only count as a single inquiry,” he says. That window could be as much as 45 days but the rules can vary depending on what scoring model lenders use, so 14 days is the recommended safe bet, according to Taylor.
Read the full story on Apartment Therapy.
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If there is a home that you would like more information about, if you are considering selling a property, or if you have questions about the housing market in your neighborhood, please reach out. We’re here to help.
