My blogging goals over the next year PLUS a GIVEAWAY!

We are celebrating our Blogiversary here at The Juneau Home! 

Today, I am sharing my blogging goals for the next year and am concluding our Blogiversary with a giveaway!

Honesty, I can't quite believe it's been a whole year. I am so thankful for the blogging community. I have met so many wonderful bloggers and the support I have received is just incredible. After this last year, I can say that blogging takes a village and I am so glad to have found my tribe!

My blogging goals for the next year:

1. Write consistently. At least twice a week. This has been the part I have struggled with the most. When life gets busy or something else comes up, my writing and blog posts fall by the wayside. The way, waaaay side. My goal is to find and make the time to write regardless of what else may come up. I have so many great blog post ideas in my head, now I just need to transfigure them from my head to the blog!

2. I want to do more home and DIY/tutorial posts. Waaaaay back when I started The Juneau Home, the posts were centered on our new home that we had just purchased. I want to get back to our ‘blogging roots’ and share our decorated home, as well as, recipes, DIY’s and our fun, family projects.

3. I would LOVE to splurge on branding and a complete overhaul on website design. I already have all my ideas pinned (and decided upon!), now I just need the money to put towards the beautification of our online home!

4. I would really love to attend a blogging conference in the next year! If by next August, I haven't physically attended one, I would love to at least be signed up to attend one.

AND now……..drumroll……….It’s GIVEAWAY time!!! We are celebrating our blogiversary and our first year in our home (and being new homeowners!) with a contest!

There will be 3 winners! 1 winner will win a $25 gift card to Canadian Tire AND one farmyard tales MINI book (winners choice of current in-stock selections). 2 winners will win one farmyard tales MINI book (winners choice of current in-stock selections).

The Giveaway will run from Wednesday September 14, 2016 until Wednesday September 21, 2016. Giveaway is open to Canadians only. Free shipping. Winner will have 48 hours to respond via email.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Don't forget to like and share!

Confessions of a Home Owner: What I wish I would have known before buying a home

This last year has gone by crazy fast. A little over a year ago we had put in a pending offer on our home, the offer had been accepted AND 2 1/2 weeks later we took possession of our house! To celebrate our one-year anniversary of being home owners (and our Blogiversary!), I have teamed up with some fabulous bloggers to share some of the things we maybe had to learn the hard way or in retrospect, wish we would have known BEFORE we purchased our homes. 

Personally, the best piece of advice I received: "Wait six months to renovate or paint or change anything. Just live in your house and get to know it". Wait......whaaaat??!!! This sage adage actually came from our reputable home inspector.   He of course meant in regards to things like painting or expansions, certainly not necessary repairs like plumbing, electrical or anything necessary for the house to be liveable. In our home inspectors experience, often priorities change once settled in and in retrospect I am glad we listened. My decorating ideas for my entry way have easily changed at least 5 times! 

"We bought an old farmhouse which was a foreclosure. I wish I knew how stressful the actual home buying process would be and jut come in with my offer. Coming in 5k lower was not worth the back and forth hassle especially since they would not take it anyways. The foreclosure price was a 'sticker price' and not really up for negotiation." - Katrina from TOTS Family

"I wish I had known that home inspections weren't regulated, and usually the inspector cannot be held liable for anything that arises after the new owners have moved in." - Amber from Burlington Parents

"I didn't realize how important it is to know who did/worked on the electrical and plumbing. Often companies have a warranty you can claim under or at the very least, will want to stand by their work. Plumbing and electrical issues can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and if I were to buy again, I would insist on knowing the contractors." - Melva B

"We are now in our second home but I wish someone had told me how important it is to have your lawyer look over the offer to purchase with a new home build. We honestly thought we only needed the lawyer for the closing, not the offer. Seems so obvious now but we were young and incredibly excited to just sign the papers and pick out cabinet colours. We got so screwed at closing when we found out there was no cap on closing costs (something any lawyer would have added). Closing costs were double what we had been told by the bank to set aside and we had to scramble to get it all worked out in less than 24 hours! It was a nightmare." - Jennifer from That's What She Said

"Always pay extra on your mortgage payments. Round your payments up to the nearest hundred, or nearest 500. Also do the bi-weekly payments. If you start doing this from the beginning you will always be used to paying the higher amounts and you will see your mortgage disappear so quickly. This allowed us to be mortgage free by the time I was 30 years old and was the smartest home ownership thing we ever did." - Shelley from STEAM Powered Family

"I wish I would have known all the work it would take to upkeep a house once we owned it. Making smart decisions on appliances and other home repairs all while still trying to make sure we have enough money for the mortgage. I love being a homeowner and also love not having a land lord. When we bought our first home at the age of 26 it was when I officially felt like a grown up. That was a strange, scary and lovely feeling." - Jessica from featherandmane

What do you wish you would have known before buying a home? Any confessions to share or words of caution to a new buyer?

Hidden Costs When Purchasing a Home

It's been just over a year since we signed the deed to our home; it has truly been one of the biggest blessings in my life! Looking back it's interesting how much I learnt about buying home-buying in such a short amount of time. I owe a huge part of my knowledge to the Home Program Course but also, P and I knew we were about to make probably the biggest investment of our lives. And an expensive investment at that. So. We did tons of research; we did not want to have any regrets or doubts and during that time we learned that there is financially more to buying a home than just a down payment, mortgage. and mortgage interest. I want to share with you some of the lesser-known costs, that maybe not everyone thinks of when they start to consider purchasing a home.

Here are some costs you may not be aware of:

Purchase Costs:

Down payment-- the difference between a property's purchase price and the amount financed. Is paid initially and upfront.

Home Inspection-- although not always necessary, it is often highly recommended. Also, be sure to your research before choosing a home inspector/inspection company. A house is a big investment and a good inspection company will be able to review and inform you of any needed repairs and can be an important element in deciding if the house is right for you.

Renovations-- if the home inspector informs you about needed repairs or you just want to make your new house into your home, it is a good idea to plan for some initial reno costs, even if it is just paint!

Appliances/Furniture/Accessories-- appliances are not always included in the purchase of a home; you may also need to buy maintenance items such as ladders, tools garden hose, lawn mowers, etc.

Adjustment Costs-- As the buyer you will have to reimburse the seller for items he may have pre-paid for (example: mortgage interest, property taxes, garbage/city bills, utility bills such as gas, hydro, water, etc)

Closing Costs-- Expenses in addition to the purchase price: can cover property insurance, mortgage life insurance, registration of the property and property transfer; often includes Lawyer Fees-- the lawyer will complete the transaction on your behalf and pay any taxes or fees to be assessed.

Moving Costs including installation charges for utilities and other amenities (internet, cable, etc.)

Ongoing Costs:

Mortgage and Interest-- Monthly loan payments that essentially buys you a larger portion of an appreciating investment; there are different types of mortgages and they can be paid several different ways (monthly, bi-weekly, bi-weekly accelerated, weekly, etc. )

Taxes including property and school taxes. These taxes pay for municipal services. Property taxes can vary depending on region, and the current value of your home.

Insurance-- This insurance offers protection for your home and personal belongings. There are many different, comprehensive insurance plans out there, a specialist can help find the right package for you and your family.

Utilities-- The cost of usage of utilities such as lighting, water, and heat.
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Repair and Maintenance-- in order to keep your new home in pristine condition, regular repair and maintenance is in order. Budgeting will help you plan ahead for these repairs and any renos that may come up.

Did you have any surprise costs when you purchased your home? Do you think this is an accurate list of home ownership costs?

If you rent, were you aware of the fees involved with buying a home? Does this list make you more or less inclined to buy a home?

1st Blogiversary! + Top 5 Blog Posts

YAY!

1 year....31 blog posts, starting an Instagram account, finally figuring out twitter, all while being new homeowners. It's been a busy but WONDERFUL year! I seriously cannot believe it's been just over a year since I started blogging AND purchased our home.

I have learnt so much in this last year. Blogging has been a huge learning curve (and still is!);  blogging/web tech/design and anything related was very new to me but I just keep remembering the Carl Lewis quote "it's all in the journey". It's been an amazing 12 months and I am feeling so motivated and am so excited for where The Juneau Home is headed!

To celebrate our one year blogiversary and one year of home ownership, I have put together posts in celebration of our home & blog anniversary AND at the end I'm going to celebrate with a contest!

Today I want to share our Top 5 posts from this last year:

Introducing: The Juneau Book Nest PLUS a GIVEAWAY!

#letstalkRESPs Twitter Party

Our Summer To-Do List

Friday Favourites // Summer Favourites

Camrose Summer To-Do List

And I just have to share one more post. Just because!

photo every hour // home and reno show

I would love to know which was your favourite blog post?

Make sure you check back for our giveaway!