2020 has been a year to remember. Many spent more time at home than usual bringing light to projects we may not have noticed before. Our Realtors at Lewith & Freeman help connect buyers and sellers every day. With Northeastern Pennsylvania's real estate market being strong, many are considering a move in 2021 and using their New Year's Resolutions as an opportunity to tackle home projects. Our Realtors compiled a list of the top Home Related New Year's Resolutions for 2021:

Clear the clutter

Set a day each week or maybe just a few hours to go room by room throughout your home. Take this opportunity to clean out drawers, closets, or just what is laying around on countertops to get rid of items that are unnecessary to keep, broken, or have not been of use. A chance to purge creates a feeling of satisfaction and cleanliness. You may also come across items you could have forgotten about! Always remember to donate any items when possible.

It's time to deep clean

These Chilly NEPA days are perfect time to clean. While you move furniture, clean out closets and drawers, bring out your cleaning supplies and wipe down whatever you can. Some rooms may be longer to conquer then others therefore choosing smaller sections as a time won't be as time consuming. To keep up with the clean, set a cleaning schedule and routine to get into and continue. By giving your kids weekly chores, they can help keep up the clean (with incentives of course). Our Realtors find that Instagram has "cleaning accounts" that can be used as inspiration for projects @gocleango is a favorite at the Lewith & Freeman Back Mountain Office. 

Switch things up a bit

Looking for a chance and something to make a change in the house, switch up the layout of furniture. Consider rearranging or swapping out furniture from other rooms to create a fresh, new environment. By drawing quick sketches of floor plans it can help you decide your new placement and help to take full advantage of your home's floor plan and available space. Overall it will help to optimize your layout for a better use of space.

Minimize the bills

In 2021, make it a point to turn of lights when not in the room, unplug items that do not need to be, and swap out lightbulbs to LED or maintenance free fixtures. When you lease the house, turn down the air conditioning in the summer or heat down in the winter. Try to close doors or open doors, depending on your homes layout or close curtains to maximize heat or air flow. These gestures will not only minimize utility bills, but also cut back your home's Carbon Footprint. 

Make a list of projects to tackle

Like many of us, there are many house projects we have been wanted to take on but haven't had the motivation or time. It could be something as little as fixing chipped paint or scuffs on the walls. It could be a larger project such as finally finishing the basement. Have you been wanting to remodel a bathroom? Or is it time for the hardwood floors to be refinished? It could be all of the above, so even just pick one, start slowly and tackle little portions of the project at a time.