We all know a house is more than a house, it is a home. A home is a place where memories are created, families are brought together for holidays, there is warmth and love and joy. What makes a house a home? Making your space comfortable is a good place to start.  Create an environment that assists you with your needs. For example, make a bench seat a space for storage, create a pantry from an unused broom closet, perhaps hide a television screen as a painting hanging on your wall. This article will give you some ideas on how to make your four walls and a ceiling a place you call home, a place where you find not only shelter but peace and ease of living.

The exceptional home is:

Affordable – You are able to make your payments and so there is no financial stress. This means, when you plan to purchase or refinance, perhaps take a second mortgage to remodel, you are conscious of your budget and prioritize what you can afford. This will save you headaches in the future.

Is Peaceful – Peace is subjective and so your idea of peace may be quiet and solitude so you would focus on insulation of the exterior. Your idea of peace may be feeling that you and your family are secure and so an alarm might be the answer.

Has Adequate Sunlight – The sun is a natural source of light and will brighten your home. The sunlight filtering in through windows and doors cheers up any room, giving it life and energy.

Is Safe – The exceptional home is a place where you have safety from unnecessary injuries or accidents. There are no wires lying around, there are no spaces so cluttered that there is a risk of injury maneuvering through the space, there are no unhealthy substances in the walls or lying around. The exceptional home is a place where you and your guests can come to and know they are safe.

Is Organized – There is no substitute for organization. Knowing where everything is makes the difference between running around in the morning looking for your keys or having to shut off your cell phone because you cannot find your charger and having peace as you calmly disconnect your fully charged phone from where it always is and picking up your keys from exactly where you left them.

Make a list of what matters most to you and then implement that into your Home Plan. Your Home Plan is a compilation of the things you need to create a haven you call home, where you find all the comforts you need to relax and enjoy your life. It is about living life to its fullest with the least possible anxiety, stress or worry. There is enough of that in your daily life, why bring it home?

By Christina Leon, Staff Writer