#ApartmentHacks: Trick or Treating Tips for Apartment Living!

Living in an apartment has so many perks! Apartment buildings aren't only beneficial for adults but also for children. If you think about it- apartment buildings are the perfect places to go trick-or-treating: You get all the candy without having to brace the cold! Here's why you should be convincing the other parents to join in on the fun!

Dress up your door: Trick-or-treaters might not stop to knock on your door if they don't think you're home- so be inviting and festive! You can go the traditional route and get a jack-o-lantern outside. Or add cobwebs on the door frame! To get extra spooky add some flickering lights or a hanging ghost from the door!

Get in the spirit yourself:  Picture this- you knock on someone's door and yell "Trick or treat!" and receive candy from someone dressed in a t-shirt and jeans. What a letdown! Don't be boring on this exciting day. Plan to dress up in a creative costume that they won't expect.

Don't neglect the inside: In addition to your outdoor decorations, you have to spice up the inside as well! While trick-or-treaters might catch a glimpse of inside- they should be wowed by what they see! Add a nice spooky touch that they won't sure to forget.

Spread the word: Trick or treating in your apartment building won't be half the fun if you still have leftover candy sitting in your bowls! Reach out to your leasing office and see what they have planned for the holiday. Make sure you get involved to spread the spirit of fun to everyone in your building. Let your neighbors know you'll be passing out candy so they can stop by with their children!

Remember to have fun! Spooky season is here. 

Apartment Resident #LifeHacks was created in 2018 by Grady Management, Inc.  Grady Management was founded in 1965 and continues to provide a full service residential, commercial, and consulting real estate firm in the greater Washington and Baltimore metropolitan area.  Learn more from our website or Facebook page.

Three Ways to Make the Most of a Studio Apartment

Simple Tips To Maximize The Space In a Studio

A studio apartment, sometimes called an "efficiency", is an apartment in which the bedroom, living room, and kitchen area fits into one central room/ space.  For a renter that may have many belongings, it is necessary to make the most of the space available in a studio to maintain a pleasant living environment.  

Several ways to make the most of a studio apartment include:

1) Utilize storage wherever possible: Creating storage space in a studio or smaller apartment is a necessary step to tuck away belongings that are not often used.  Create an organized storage system under the bed and in the closet to pack seasonal wear, boots, shoes, and more.  Consider adding storage to the decor as well.  Utilize hanging shelves to display knickknacks on the walls.  Use hollowed out ottomans to create accent pieces that can also store additional items.  

2) Create distinct spaces using furniture: Even though a studio is one room, renters can transform the space and create distinct living areas using furniture pieces.  Utilize furniture like book cases, desks, and tables to form distinctions between the bedroom, living space, and kitchen.  In addition to furniture, lighting can really transform a space, so invest in multiple lamps for the studio.

3) Clean and organize often: It is necessary to organize the studio space often to avoid clutter.  Invest in a trash can that can fit in a drawer to tuck away dirt and debris and throw away garbage and deposit recycling frequently. 

How do you organize your studio?  Let us know in the comments!

Apartment Resident #LifeHacks was created in 2018 by Grady Management, Inc.  Grady Management was founded in 1965 and continues to provide a full service residential, commercial, and consulting real estate firm in the greater Washington and Baltimore metropolitan area.  Learn more from our website or Facebook page.

Three Easy Tips to Personalize Your Apartment Without Making a Permanent Change

No matter which Grady Management community you choose, it’s important to make your new apartment feel like home.  Whether you have rented a studio, one, two, or three-bedroom apartment, you will want to make your space functional and stylish.  It may not be your house, but there are a few easy steps you can take to immediately personalize your apartment without permanent changes.

Painting the Walls Without Actually Painting the Walls

Temporary wallpaper is becoming more and more available, which is amazing if you’re looking for a chic patterned wall or if you want to add a bit of cool texture with a brick look.

But what if you just want a solid color? Did you know they make PAINTABLE temporary wallpaper? That’s right - you can go to the hardware store and pick any one of those thousands of paint colors!
Bold paint colors can go a long way to transform any rental space, but if you’re looking for a more dramatic change, it’s more possible than you think!  Grady Management will let you paint IF you paint it back before you leave, so pick out some new wall colors! 

Area Rugs

Area rugs are the perfect way to enhance your space with minimal effort and instant visual impact.  You can use area rugs to soften the touch of hard flooring, and as a bonus, area rugs will also help absorb sound so there’s less echo and noise all around.  Your neighbors will appreciate your efforts as well!  Already have carpet throughout your apartment?  Try adding an area rug on top of the carpet.  This will give you a customized look to match your style and make the room feel more intimate.  By adding a rug to your living room that matches your sofa or pillows, this visually pulls the room together and makes your pieces look more cohesive.

DIY Hack: Three Tips for a More Organized Closet

Making the Most of Apartment Closet Space

Closets are not just a place to store clothes: closets can become a place to organize accessories, hang bags and backpacks, and keep housekeeping items such as vacuums, dusters, and cleaning products.  When living in an apartment, it is best to make the most of closet space to keep all belongings neat and organized and to create more space in apartment living areas for furniture and decor.  Below are three closet organization hacks specifically for apartment residents:

1) Create specific containers and sections with labels: The first step to organize a closet is to create specific sections so that it is possible to easily arrange closet space to contain, in addition to clothes, cleaning supplies, seasonal accessories, pet food and carriers, and/ or luggage.  To do this, try out color coded bins and/ or dividers so that everything has a specific section.  For example: the blue section contains batteries, tools, and light bulbs, the red section contains wrapping paper, gift bags, and leftover holiday decorations, etc.  In addition to creating sections, try labeling the different areas of the closet so roommates and guests can easily determine where specific items are stored.  This process can be completed for any apartment closet space: bedroom closets, hallways closets, and linen closets.  By doing this, clutter in apartments will become practically non-existent. 

Welcome to Apartment Resident #LifeHacks

#LifeHacks for Apartment Residents

Welcome to our #LifeHacks, a blog maintained by the Grady Management team!

Grady Management, Inc. is excited to write apartment living tips specifically for current and prospective apartment residents.

What will this blog be about?

This blog, which will be posted twice a month (on alternating Tuesdays), will detail topics such as:

• Furniture and decor ideas to make the most of apartment living spaces
• Apartment maintenance tips and #LifeHacks
• Time saving tips for apartment residents
• Seasonal apartment living ideas

Who should read this blog?

Anyone who resides in an apartment community should find these tips, ideas, and posts informative and interesting!  In addition, anyone interested in decor ideas, seasonal tips and recipes, and easy to perform home maintenance suggestions will also enjoy the features of this blog.

How can this blog be read and accessed?

This blog can easily be read on this blog platform, Blogger, via this URL: https://apartmentlifehacks.blogspot.com/.  This blog will also be posted regularly on the Grady Management Facebook page and Google+ profile.  In addition, blog users can follow Apartment Resident #LifeHacks via email address.  The "follow" icon is located on the main page of this blog.

Any additional questions?  Comment below!

Don't forget to read Grady Management, Inc.'s other blog project: Grady's GreenLiving Tips!

Apartment Resident #LifeHacks was created in 2018 by Grady Management, Inc.  Grady Management was founded in 1965 and continues to provide a full service residential, commercial, and consulting real estate firm in the greater Washington and Baltimore metropolitan area.  Learn more from our website or Facebook page.