Stress-Free Holidays? Yes, please. Here are your hacks.

Forget being Scrooge, here are some holiday hacks that will make decorating simple and get you enjoying the holidays faster.

1.   Protect your ornaments with recyclables. Decorating the tree should be fun. But not if all your ornaments are broken. Protect them in leftover party cups, hot-glued on a piece of foam board and cut to fit into your storage bin. Or pack them using bubble wrap from you holiday packages. Egg cartons will also work. These all make shock-absorbent padding that is a lot more durable than paper towels or tissue paper.

2.   Create a focal point for all year. Hosting for the holidays can get hectic so instead of running around decorating, pick one iconic focal point to decorate each year that you can easily change to match holidays or seasons. You could even put up some signs of sentiment that are useable all year like “LOVE” or “JOY”.

3.   Make a decorating toolbox. Grab a cheap tackle box or toolbox and fill it full of items to help you with decorating. Tape, ornament hangers, zip ties, extension cords and floral wire. That puts all those accessories in one place for easy grabbing.

4.   Leave your light hooks and nails in place for next year. If possible, set up your outside hangers as a permanent fixture. Use hooks that match your siding or paint them to match so they don’t stick out before you mount them. Leave them up when you take down the lights.

5.   Wrap lights around cardboard. No one likes knotted lights. They take extra time to detangle. So, this year save some of that cardboard you got gifts with and wrap your lights around them. Putting small notches in the cardboard will help keep them snug.

6.   Hang your wreaths on rods or in your rafters. Instead of tossing your wreath in a trash bag to wait out the year, mount some rods in your attic or from your garage walls and string them there.

7.   Store your tree with the decoration on it. You can wrap your decorated artificial tree with some heavy-duty stretch plastic wrap like professional movers use. Then next year you just unwrap it and reshape it.

8.   Or buy a tree bag. This year spend the $50 to be a tree bag or box. It will seal out dirt, dust, and bugs. No smashed branches or broken bits. What a stress reducer!

9.   Trim your trimmings. This may be the year to donate some of those decorations to Goodwill. If it is sentimental, take a picture and file it. No wasted storage and you can buy new decorations at the after Christmas sales.

10.Organize by room. Get organized by sorting your decorations by room. Then maybe store that box in a closet in each room. Make sure to label the boxes so you will know what is in them.

Real Estate News

Five Tips for home buyers who want to make a competitive offer.

·     Listen to your real estate agent

·     Understand your finances

·     Be ready to move quickly

·     Make a fair offer

·     Be a flexible negotiator

Today’s competitive market makes it more important now than ever before to make a strong offer on a home. I can help you make the best offer available with my years of experience and knowledge of the local market.

Local Greenville SC News

Monday a proposed large-scale development located at the former Poe Mill cleared a key hurdle to bring a mix of residential and commercial uses to Greenville County. The five panel members of the Greenville County Council voted unanimously to approve the rezoning request that would allow The Village at Poe Mill to be built. The full council will consider the rezoning early next year. The 11-acre development will feature 428 residential units and 30,000 sf of commercial space and a spur extension of the Swamp Rabbit Trail.

Across the railroad tracks from Poe Mill, Contour Companies is converting the 117-year-old American Spinning Mill into a mixed-use development with 260 apartments and a new food hall. Another developer is looking at transforming a nearby vacant warehouse into a community gathering place featuring a restaurant, event space, offices, and outdoor arena.

People are on the move and I am ready to help you buy or sell in the Greenville area. Please contact Victoria Cottle by email [email protected] or call (864) 275-3953 for your real estate needs in the Upstate of South Carolina!

Victoria Cottle is a Realtor? in the Greenville South Carolina area and if you, a friend, or a family member need assistance with selling or buying a home I can help. Referrals and people needing relocation assistance are welcome! Search Single Family homes in Greenville. Search Condos and Townhomes in Greenville.