Santa Cruz Real Estate News & Information

There are signs out there that shelter in place restrictions are starting to ease.

But, the advice is still to stay home as much as possible to avoid the public and flatten the curve. But all that you know.

With all this free time at home, you have to come up with something to fill the hours. There are only so many 1000-piece jigsaw puzzles, true crime podcasts and Netflix series to binge watch. Eventually, you’ll find yourself in a productive mood.

With that in mind, here are a few ways you can make the most of your Santa Cruz home during quarantine.

Re-arrange Your Home

Shelter in place restrictions are in place, so even if you were to go out, you can accurately expect long, socially-distanced line ups to get into your favorite stores. Unless you’ve run out of the essentials, trips like these are seldom worth it.

Instead, why not work with what you have at home?

Start by taking this opportunity to simply re-arrange how the current items in your home are laid out. You can start by moving the furniture around your living room, to create a fresh look for your space. It’s amazing what simply moving the sectional to the opposite corner of the room can do re-invigorate your space.

Then, you can move onto decluttering. This is a way to make the best use of the space you have and make it all appear bigger. Plus, it’ll just feel tidier.

And, if you’ve scrounged up a few extra picture frames while decluttering, why not re-arrange your wall space as well. Take this opportunity to fill up any spare frames and display all those family photos you’ve been meaning to do something with.

Once you’re done, it’ll feel like a brand-new home!

Start A New Deep-Cleaning Project

It may take a little while to get here, but a deep clean can do incredible things for improving the look and feel of your space.

Now, we’re not talking about the things that get done on the regular, like vacuuming or sweeping the floors. These are the jobs that you’ve been meaning to get to for months, but never found the time. Well, guess what - you’ve got time now.

So, take a look at your vents and baseboards. They could probably use a good dust, right?

And what about those windows? The bottom of the window frame is tailor-made for collecting dust and other gunk. Go grab a rag and butter knife and clean out every nook and cranny.

Take a closer look in the kitchen too. Big appliances like the oven or refrigerator are the recipients of regular attention while smaller appliances tend to get neglected. Take a look in the toaster oven, wipe down the inside of the microwave and check the crumb trap in the toaster.

Before you know it, the afternoons all gone!

Take It Outdoors

Just because we're stuck at home, it doesn't mean we have to be confined indoors. It’s springtime after all, so why don’t you take care of the spring cleaning.

This could be great time to get your patio and outdoor space ready for summer. Give the patio furniture a good clean, sweep or power-wash the patio itself and declutter in general.

Once that’s done, turn your attention to the lawn. You can remove the last remnants of winter by collecting any lingering dead leaves or pines cones. Moving onto the garden, take this opportunity to remove the litany of weeds from the flower bed, and clean any useful pots. When you’re ready to go, these will be ready for planting.

If It’s Safe To Head Out

If you can get out safely, take a few moments to pick up a few revamping supplies.

While stuck at home, breathing new life into that old, tired furniture can be a great way to spend some time. All you’ll need is some sandpaper, rubbing alcohol and fresh paint.

Have a bit of paint lying around already, but not enough to paint a whole room? Create an accent wall. By painting one wall of a room in a contrasting shade, you can create a pretty cool effect. Even a bit of wallpaper can create a nice, new feature in the room of your choice.

Now, if you are able to make it out to a hardware store safely. There are number of big improvements you can make without spending a lot of money.

Take a look at lighting fixtures. Are they a bit dated or past their prime?

How about your cabinets? Aside from a fresh coat of paint, simply replacing the hardware with something newer and more contemporary can do wonders.

Things are bound to return to normalcy before you know it, but until then try to make the most of your time at home!

If you're interested in making a home in the Santa Cruz area, please contact Lauren Spencer online or call 1.800.226.4717 today!