Staying optimistic, occupied and engaged during the pandemic

With schools, offices, and other businesses closed, most of us are spending more time at home with our families. If you’ve been looking for ways to keep busy, look no further. These boredom busters are a great way to bring the family together while keeping the mind and body busy.

For Kids

• Have a costume party.
• Put on a fashion show.
• Learn a TikTok dance.
• Learn calligraphy or cursive writing.
• Teach your pet a new trick (with adult supervision).
• Customize your toys with model paint.
• Call or video chat friends and family.
• Cover the fridge with art.
• Make your own ice cream.
• Learn how to do a cartwheel or handstand.
• Build a blanket fort.

For Adults

• Learn a new craft: macramé, knitting, drawing
• Find a new podcast.
• Tidy up the yard.
• Learn a new card game.
• Create a photo album or scrapbook.
• Wash the bedding and curtains.
• Bake some cookies.
• Try a new cocktail.
• Learn latte art.
• Try gardening.
• Clean out your inbox.
• Invent a board game.
• Grill out.

For Everyone

• Play charades.
• Organize the shed or garage.
• Learn a foreign language.
• Turn a chore into a game.
• Binge-watch a movie series.
• Turn a meal into DIY charcuterie boards or a picnic.
• Create a scavenger hunt.
• Go on a nature walk.
• Write a story.
• Go camping in the backyard.

Selling a home is always stressful, even more so with everything else going on in the world today. Many are choosing to wait until things return to normal to sell their homes, but other people don’t have a choice. If you need to access your home’s equity to get you through these times, if you recently inherited a home you don’t plan to keep, or if you need to downsize or upsize, you may find these tips for selling during the coronavirus crisis helpful.

Price to sell.

The coronavirus crisis is impacting home values across the country, but the effect is temporary. List your home to sell, but don’t set the asking price too far below what you would have listed it for before the crisis began.

Add a coronavirus contingency.

Buyers may have trouble coming out to view your home or finding inspectors and appraisers to assess the current condition of the house. Adding a coronavirus contingency clause to your contract that allows buyers to postpone the closing if coronavirus derails the process can make your listing more attractive.

Make the most of the listing photos.

Make sure your home puts its best foot forward by making basic repairs and taking time to do some basic staging. Simple repairs and upgrades like replacing torn window screens and adding a fresh coat of paint can make your listing more appealing. Likewise, tidying and decluttering your home before the listing photos are taken can make your home seem more spacious.

Are you running out of productive things to do at home? These five spring cleaning projects go beyond cleaning out the junk drawer!

Change up your living space.

Tired of the same wall color? Paint it! Want to look at something new? Try switching your wall decorations from a different room and use them in your main living space. Got a lot of unused wall space? Create a gallery of photos, drawings, images, and things that make you happy. Rearranging the furniture in your living space will also create a new atmosphere you can enjoy.

Deep clean the kitchen.

If you haven’t had the chance to deep clean the kitchen, now’s a good time to start. Take everything out of the cabinets so you can wipe them down inside and out. While everything is out, give your seldom-used dishes and appliances a good cleaning. Don’t forget to sanitize your knife block and clean out the microwave and oven!

Clean the baseboards.

Take some time to clean the baseboards in your home. Some soap and water or a magic eraser will do wonders. Once they’re clean, you can also freshen them up with a fresh coat of paint. You’ll be surprised at what a difference it will make.

As we make our way through these challenging times, know that I’m sending my best wishes to you and yours. Stay safe and feel free to reach out if there’s anything I can help with.