Smart Technology is Making it Easier to Sell Homes

When it comes to selling a property we all want to make it as easy as possible, as well as making sure that we sell for the most money possible. This means that homeowners, whether they have intentions to sell their home in the near future or not, want to know how to make sure that they maximise the value of their home.

One great way that you can try to up the price is with smart technology. Smart technology comes in a variety of shapes and types and each of them have their own benefits, as well as their own ability to influence how much your property sells for.

With so many different varieties out there for you to choose from, it can be hard to realise which is the right smart tech for you. So, to help you out, we have put together the main varieties that you can choose from and why they might just be the right choice for you.

Smart security

Security in your home is not a new thing, in fact, seeing that a property has security is often something that will entice people to buy. However, as times change, so does the expectations of people. This means that the old options of securing your property may not be as impressive as they used to be. Now, there are smarter options when it comes to securing your home. This includes, smart locks, smart alarm systems and of course CCTV that is then linked to your smartphone.

Smart lighting

There was once a time when being able to control your lights at the flick of the switch was impressive, however, this isn’t the case now. Smart lighting is all the rage and this often comes in the form of providing wireless controls for the lights throughout the house, as well as the ability to create a schedule for when you want your lights to be on and when you would like them to turn off, even if you are not home.

Smart smoke detectors

The main focus of a smoke detector is to ensure that you know if there is a fire in your home. Of all the smart tech in your home, this is the one that you are going to want to make sure does its job. Thankfully, smart smoke detectors are available to be installed in your home, not only will these devices alert you to a fire when you are home, but they will also give you an alert when you are out of the house. Thanks to the fact that they are linked to your smartphone.

Smart appliances

It is no secret that we love the idea of making our lives as easy as possible. Smart appliances are definitely a great way to do this. They come in a variety of different types with different features. You could opt for a smart washing machine or a smart microwave, however, one of the most popular is a smart fridge. These often come with an integrated computer system that will be linked to your phone. Allowing you to create a shopping list as you look in your fridge, as well as alerting you to when you are running out of things too.

Smart heating

Heating your home and the energy that it takes has become a huge focus for the makers of smart tech. There are a variety of options out there that you can choose from if you want to heat your home the smart way. You could install a smart thermometer, remotely controlled heating controls (which link to your smartphone) or underfloor heating, which is much more economical than other forms of heating.

So, could wet underfloor heating help you sell your home? Of course, there are a variety of factors to keep in mind when it comes to selling your home, however, there is a good chance that installing underfloor heating, or any of the tech that we have mentioned in this article is going to make your home more appealing to those who are looking to buy.

Not only this, but if you do decide to invest into this tech whilst you live in your home, then you are also going to feel the benefits too. Whether that is reducing your energy bills whilst you heat your home, keeping your home secure, particularly when you are not there or alerting your family to a fire, these are all things that are going to make your life that little bit easier. Which is something that we could all do with in our lives.

Written in collaboration with Underfloor Heating Trade Supplies

If you’re after more home life content, see what an amazing job Fantastic Services did with our shocking oven!

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Fantastic services saves the day

I’m sure I’m not the first to admit it on the internet, but being a mum is so damn time consuming! All the to-do lists I make at the start of a new week pretty much looks the same by the end of the week, that’s if I haven’t lost it under a pile of Alice’s washing. So you can understand, things start to fall down the priority list pretty quickly, especially household chores that involve a bit of hard work. This is where Fantastic Services saves the day, and boy did they deliver.

In case you’re in the dark about who Fantastic Services are and what they do, here’s a little info..

Fantastic Services (a domestic services provider) all began in 2009 with a meeting of two like-minded individuals, company founders Rune Sovndahl and Anton Skarlatov. They saw a gap in the market, combined their knowledge and expertise to create a marvellous business that now completes around 40,000 services each month! Serving London, South East and North West England, they really are a dream team that come to your rescue when you need it most- be it an oven clean or an end of tenancy blitz.

Now, try not to judge the oven in the ‘before’ pics… I know it was bad. But if you’re like me and just can’t stop watching those satisfying YouTube videos where random objects get cleaned up, you’re going to love this post!

So below you see a very dirty looking oven. This is a standard, conventional fan oven that clearly had seen better days, weeks and years!

The trays had become incredibly stained and we just couldn’t even begin to tackle cleaning it ourselves.

Our knight in shiny vehicle arrives!

The expert cleaners know how to do the best job without leaving a mess behind.

You aren’t ready for these results…

It was so shiny I had to take a selfie in my oven door! Clean and shining bright as if it were brand new again.

Fantastic Services kindly fitted us a brand new oven light too as ours didn’t work.

I’ve taken the liberty of merging the before and after side by side so you can really see the hard work and amazing service we received.

Someone was thrilled to take a peak inside our beautiful oven- and the best thing is you can use it straight away, no chemicals or smells left behind.

If you need to hire Fantastic Services for your oven cleaning, gardening or removal needs, head to their main website here.

Saharasplash x

Next up, how about a wardrobe refresh? Read my transitional style story blog post before you go!

Disclaimer: We received our cleaning service in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts my own. 

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My transitional style story

My transitional style story starts with a holiday. A little holiday for a very special wedding, which got me thinking, what the hell am I going to wear? This month the three of us took our first flight to Ireland, and for Alice it was her first ever flight outside the womb! We needed to pack light but also pack for two adults and a baby, so you know we needed that Ryanair Plus ticket which allows extra cabin baggage.

So, transitional style. For me, this is summed up by something you can take with you and like a chameleon, change your look at the drop of a hat from Mummy chic to Hollywood glam. I also have a theme to this particular transitional style, and that’s stripes!

This look is just perfect for jetsetting on a domestic or international flight. Comfy cropped pants and a button down shirt leaves plenty of room for you to breath in. Flats are essential, but that doesn’t mean you have to fly in Uggs or trainers. These are from Ted Baker, the pants are M&S and the shirt is Hollister.

So, now onto the wedding reception. A simple braided updo and hair pinned back to keep my accessories on show, and Alice’s hands off my hair!

Lujia North East earrings in gold by Sacet Jewellery to compliment my own wedding rings. I wanted this look to be elegant but refined.

The location for the wedding itself was at the Westport Woods hotel, and my stripey transitional style for the day was an asymetric number from Boohoo.com. Black and gold heels from Karen Millen paired with these beauties below made for one of my favourite outfits this year…

I’m in love with these Sacet earrings, just so different and really makes the look work. My pineapple clutch never fails me either- whatever your style or spirit, a stand out fruity bag will work every time. 

I switched to flats for the evening- my feet are not used to wearing heels and it felt so good to change this one detail and become 3 inches shorter again!

It really is all about switching up a few details to completely see a dress in a different eye. A pair of leggings and a fabulous hat creates the country loving girl you see below! These were taken a few days after we got back from Ireland just a couple of miles away from home.

Whether you are off on holidays and weddings this season or just planning a staycation, choose a dress you can play around with and create your very own transitional style story with some gorgeous accessories and footwear.

Here is my top transitional pick from Quiz Clothing, the things you can do with these styles of dresses is limitless. Get some transitional style into your wardrobe before the summer really hits.

Saharasplash x

Thanks for reading my transitional style story, why not head over to read Family Fun with Yellow Zebra Safaris next.

This post contains PR samples but no affiliate links, just pieces that I really do love!

Family Fun with Yellow Zebra Safaris

During this time of the year, places in East Africa like Kenya and Tanzania are receiving their heaviest amounts of rainfall. Although the U.K. is relatively pleasant at the moment, we are still ten degrees behind where Africa is temperature wise. Why am I sharing this information with you? Well, this is going to be a post all about Africa along with Europe’s leading Safari tour operators- Yellow Zebra Safaris. This award-winning luxury travel and adventure company specialises in African Safaris, as well as family safari holidays. Which brings us to our special day out and family fun with Yellow Zebra Safaris…

We (Paul, Alice and I) were kindly invited to a London location recently to help celebrate and learn more about what Yellow Zebra Safaris have to offer. The day was filled with surprises and thrills, and it all started out with this amazing setup for the children and parents.

Alice had great fun looking at all the animal-themed decorations around the room, and she was also pleased to find some new friends along the way too!

Having fun with Fleurdelondres and her daughter Sofia

After a grand welcome, the kids (and adults) were treated to a live animal show by the talented animal conservationist Safari Pete. All of the animals we met were rescued and have quite a back story, but you could see the special bond he had with each of his animals and could tell us all about them. Here are a few we met!

Alice was just loving it! 

When it was time to meet the meerkats, Alice had just woken up from a little power nap, so was a bit shocked! But honestly she was back to her happy self in no time

The food display was ready and waiting for the adults to pounce. The children had their own animal-themed buffet as well which looked like it came straight from the heart of Africa.

After some Safari-themed songs over lunch, it was time for some ceramic painting. The children just loved painting their own animals to take home, clearly Alice and I did something a little different, but it turned out amazing…

She sat wonderfully while having her hand painted bright blue, and here is the result:

We want to thank Yellow Zebra Safaris and all involved for having us, the day was simply perfect, and I know Alice had the best time. This guy below came home with us, and we now have a giraffe in our living room!

If you are thinking about booking a safari trip for you and the family, September is the best time of year for big game viewing. See more info via the YZS website here.

Thanks for reading Family Fun with Yellow Zebra Safaris, we hope you loved hearing about this experience,

Saharasplash x

Needing more cute baby content? Head straight over to my latest post all about a fab little product which can help with sleep and night terrors: https://saharasplash.com/2018/05/sleepy-feet-mummy-loves-organics/

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Celebrating the rose with Cyprus Tourism Organisation

I’m going to take you on a bit of a journey with this post. Don’t worry, it’s a really good journey! A few week’s back I was invited to a rather unique and special event in London to celebrate with the Cyprus Tourism Organisation. Sadly the event wasn’t actually in Cyprus, but they most definitely brought the party, feel and Cypriot style right to the venue.

The event was centred around celebrating the annual Festival of the Rose which is held each May in the rural Cyprus village of Agros. Famed for its bright and beautiful roses, Agros springs to life as visitors flock to learn all about the distillation of the roses, attend exhibitions and take part in workshops.

I turned up to the venue ready and set in my floral trousers (got to look the part) and instantly fell in love with the building…

The whole place was decked out head to toe with Alice in Wonderland tributes! Not for the event mind you, this building near Waterloo is like this all year round- my heart melted a bit as I missed Alice who stayed at home while I came into London for the event.

Roses in shades of red and pink could be found everywhere, it really was a perfect venue for an event dedicated to the power of the rose.

We had a warm welcome from the Cyprus Tourism Organisation who gave us some great background into the festival and the country itself:

  • Cyprus is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea
  • Cyprus is filled with vast areas of dense forest and valleys
  • Cyprus annually celebrates traditional festivals such as The Rose Festival
  • When rose water is distilled, its aromatic fragrance can be used in hundreds of different ways- in beauty products like perfumes and oils and also in sweets and liqueurs
  • The Rose of Damascus blossoms in between April and May, making right now the ideal environment for growth

Bloggers and press were then taken into the main area for the night, filled with treats and wonderful things inspired by The Rose Festival.

Mahalepi- a traditional dessert made from rose water, cornstarch and rose syrup 

As if this wasn’t enough, we were treated to a one to one tutorial in flower arranging from Rebel Rebel, a popular London florist- just look at what we created..

Finally, after all the hard work, guests were treated to luxury hand massages and manicures- I got some gorgeous rose details by @poppinpolishldn, go check her Instagram out before you leave!

Thanks to all involved for making this event happen, or rather, ευχαριστώ in Greek!

Fun fact- I did actually take a course of Greek lessons while at sixth form and I still  remember the whole alphabet ?

Saharasplash x

I hope you loved reading all about my adventures celebrating the rose with Cyprus Tourism Organisation. If you want to subscribe to my blog and get posts straight to your inbox the link is on the homepage,  just below my photo!

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Sleepy Feet by Mummy Loves Organics

I know I’ve been doing a lot of posts recently about Alice and parenting, but hey, that’s kind of where my life is right now. There are lots of fashion and beauty edits coming up so don’t think it’s all about Alice, but today I’m letting you guys know about a lovely little product:  Sleepy Feet by Mummy Loves Organics.

Mummy Loves Organics is a cruelty free company and all products are handmade with love and care. The Sleepy Feet oil is used to help babies and children sleep as well as combat night terrors.

Alice was curious about the Sleepy Feet product box and definitely gave me the ‘what’s this mummy?’ look.

Key ingredients are English Lavender, Roman Chamomile, Frankincense, Mandarin and Watermelon oil- such a magical combination. It’s a gentle scent that when used can be massaged into the soles of the feet, into the back of the neck and temples of your baby/child.

The Sleepy Feet oil by Mummy Loves Organics comes with a handy rollerball top so there’s no danger of your baby grabbing it and spilling it everywhere!

The scent is calming, soothing and the fragrance is subtle but long lasting. You can also get this wonderful oil as a reed diffiser for baby’s nursery if you prefer to have the scent in the room rather than putting straight onto your baby.

It costs £12 for a bottle (which lasts for months) and is recommended for use on babies 12 weeks and over.

Discover more to the range on the website (link below) where you can find innovative candles made from essential oils that when melted can be used as a body and massage oil!

Visit the Mummy Loves Organics website here

Let me know if your child suffers from night terrors or if you find it difficult to settle your baby at night, this might be just the product you need!

Saharasplash x

Thanks for reading Sleepy Feet by Mummy Loves Organics, if you’re after something different then head to Paul’s latest husband takeover here.

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