What to avoid while Decorating

All of us have our idea of the perfect home. The perfect colours, the perfect  furniture and the perfect interiors. It is important while planning your home to remember what to avoid doing.

1. Do not buy furnishings before deciding on the colour of your house. Only start with the interiors after the painting has been complete because the colour in a catalog and the actual colour might have a slight difference in shade. Avoid a disaster by waiting.

2. If you have already got furniture that does not match, invest in cushion covers to keep the aesthetic.

3. Under all circumstances, avoid clutter. If you are not a fan of the minimalistic way of decorating, make sure all your knick knacks are very well arranged and looked after.

4. Instead of putting too many photo frames on your mantel or cupboard, make a gallery wall. It looks more organized.
Do not leave unused cable lying around. You can fix tubing to hide cables while in use.

5.Decorate your rooms with the same theme. Avoid mixing and matching themes that do not go well together.

6.Avoid making rooms too formal. The goal is to be warm and inviting, yet classy and stylish.

7. Do not decorate bedrooms in the same colour throughout. Mix and match to create the perfect combinations.

8. Avoid furniture that is too large or too many pieces of furniture. You don’t want your house to look over crowded. Instead, find the right size and the right number.

9. Be careful with the patterns you get while furnishing. Too many patterns are an eyesore. 

NRI investing in India? Here’s how it works

To begin with, let’s list the people who can invest in India, aside from the obvious of resident Indians. NRIs (Non-Resident Indians) and their spouses as well as PIOs (Persons of Indian Origin) are allowed to possess both residential and commercial property on Indian soil. OCBs (Overseas Corporate Bodies) and trusts which have more than 50% NRI ownership/stake are also allowed to invest in Indian real estate. At the same time, foreigners or foreign owned organizations have certain processes and permissions to obtain from the Reserve Bank of India to obtain property in the country. In their case, leasing is a better option.

It is important to remember that while investing as an NRI or OCB, the property should be rented out or occupied immediately! You cannot invest in real estate and leave it empty. While you are allowed to invest in all types of residential and commercial property from townships and industrial factories to apartment complexes and showrooms, an NRI or OCB cannot invest or own agricultural land in India.

However, there are rules that the RBI imposes on income made from property owned by NRIs. All income generated from rentals is to be deposited in an NRO (Ordinary Non-Resident Rupees) account. At the same time, shares and debentures can be returned after a time period of three years.

Is a Pre-approved Home Loan What You Need?

The most important factor that comes into play while investing is the financial aspect. This is even more so for first time buyers. Getting your home loan pre-approved makes the process faster and easier. It lets you make your decision without having to worry about financing. It makes it easier for you to pick a home and make a deal with your pre-approved home loan. The whole affair is less worrisome and it makes things just a little easier. When it comes to the process of getting a home loan, any little factor that makes your life easier should be grabbed with both hands.

When a buyer applies for pre-approval of a home loan, the housing finance company/bank/developer will go through various stats, readings and general information of the applicant. After getting your CIBIL TransUnion number and confirming that your credit and financial health is good, then you will be given a certificate of pre-approval. This certificate is more useful than you realize. It gives you an accurate estimate of your budget. This estimation makes it easy for you to pick a developer and a home.

This letter is a statement from a financial institution that you are capable of providing financial backing for your promises. It gives you backing and is a certificate proving that you are financially capable of finishing the deal. With this letter, your journey to purchasing the house of your dreams is that much easier.

The Boost in Real Estate in Pune

In recent years, Pune has been a hub of real estate activity. It has become a favourite haunt for investors and sellers, alike. The city has been quickly developing and spreading out with more and more areas, considered to be out of Pune, coming under the same jurisdiction. The rise of the IT and manufacturing industry has also fuelled this growth. This quick development has resulted in an exodus of people into the city, which has increased the demand for real estate and housing. Owners and landlords can easily find takers for their flats in most parts of the city.

Pune has always been known for the excellence of its education institutions with the University of Pune being referred to as the ‘Oxford of the East’. The various institutions all over the city offer every course imaginable and have attracted students from all over the country. This influx of students has resulted in an increase in the need for rentals and housing, especially in the main parts of the city and around all major institutions.

The rates in the city are also more reasonable compared to other cities like Mumbai and Bangalore. Investing in real estate in Pune is a very good idea because the rates are good and the area is developing. The returns are bound to be good because the value of real estate in the city is only going to go up. Even while buying a second home, Pune is where you should be looking because it is very easy to rent out as there are many students and employees from the IT and Manufacturing industries.

How to have an Eco-friendly Ganesh Utsav

Ganesh Chaturthi is a favourite festival of many Indians. The 10-day long celebration includes decorating Ganesha idols at home, the preparation of various delicacies, dancing and immersion of the idol on the last day. Most people don’t realize the harm that many activities during the festivities cause the environment. It is our duty and responsibility to maintain and preserve nature and the environment. There are many ways that we can celebrate a green, eco-friendly Ganesh Utsav:

1. Use eco-friendly idols: Most people use Ganesha idols made of chemicals, plaster of Paris, plastic, thermocol and other such harmful materials. Instead, get idols made of natural biodegradable materials like clay, paper mache (paper pulp of recycled paper), natural gum, chalk powder and painted with natural paints. The entire idol dissolves and is not toxic to the environment.

2. Conserve energy: Use CFLs instead of incandescent bulbs in all your lighting arrangements. In a country where many don’t have the luxury of electricity, it is our duty to conserve energy as much as possible.

3. Use natural materials for rangoli decorations. Avoid the use of chemicals.

4. Use the smallest idol possible. The bigger the idol, the more difficult will it be for it to dissolve, especially if it is not made of biodegradable materials.

4. Make use of natural decorations. Avoid plastic and non-biodegradable materials.

5. Avoid noise pollution by playing music at moderate levels and avoiding crackers which cause air pollution as well.

6.  Use paper plates and cups. Avoid the use of plastic in all festivities.

7.  Instead of harming natural water bodies, use artificial immersion tanks.

With these simple steps, one can protect the environment during the festive season!

Investment properties – hold or sell?

Real estate is said to be the best market to invest in because of its stability and good returns. While investing, it is important to be sure of the surrounding areas, the builder and other such factors. Once you have bought a property, the decision to be taken is that of holding or selling, especially when the market fluctuates. In this context, there are usually two types of investors – those who are in it for the long haul and those who are looking for quick capital gains.

For people looking for quick gains, a well timed resale is important. Such a resale should happen only when the property has had a good appreciation. In the real estate market, there usually has to be holding time during which the property value rises and gives good returns. The ideal period is 3-5 years or longer. Depending on what kind of returns you are looking for, you can decide whether to hold or sell. In most cases, the longer you wait, the higher the returns.

The best idea for people looking for a quick gain is to invest in a project during construction and during the launch. The resale should be timed at completion of project or one year after completion for the best and quickest returns. While making any real estate decision, be sure to study the local market thoroughly. 

Organize Your kitchen!

In every home, the kitchen is the one room that has to store many commodities from a fridge and microwave oven to utensils and most importantly food items. If not managed properly, it is very easy for a kitchen to become messy and disorganized. This post lists various ideas and methods by which you can make your kitchen more spacious:

1.     Store all your baking items inside your oven. It reduces the space required for these items and also makes things easy to find.

2.     Get cupboards fixed above your counters as well as below. Fill up the wall space with double door cupboards. This increases your storage space by a large amount.

3.     If you don’t want too many cupboards, then make up for it with shelves. You can even make shelves within the shelves and cupboards to better organize your kitchen.

4.     Get hooks installed by the sink for all your towels and by the racks for your spoons, strainers and other such utensils.

5.     Organize the spices in your kitchen by your style of cooking. It makes things easier to find and keeps things uncluttered.

6.     Store large pots and pans on top of cupboards, especially when you use them rarely. This will give you more cupboard space for your other utensils and kitchenware.

7.     Clean as soon as you can and as you go. If you wash up as soon as you use a utensil, it makes things a whole lot easier.

8.     Organize items by purpose and frequency of us. This makes cooking and cleaning up that much easier.