Adding a new furry friend into your life can be fun and exciting until you notice that your favorite shoes have bite marks in them. If you've recently added a new puppy into your life or getting ready to, it's essential to protect your belongings to enjoy this excellent adventure fully.

Puppy-proof your home. 

Objects such as shoes, wires, and pillows can be a puppy's playground. Before committing to this addition to your family, it's essential to prepare your home to protect your things. It may require getting out of the habit of taking off your shoes at the door and start putting them inside a closet where the puppy can't access them. You may also want to consider hiding any exposed wires to reduce the risk of chewed up wires and broken electronics. Another area to be concerned about is curtains and pillows. During the youthful stage of your puppy, make it a point to keep curtains off the ground and pillows off of furniture. They can be expensive to replace, so for the time being consider putting them out of reach.

Start training.

As soon as your furry friend comes home, start the training process. Start with potty training, crate training, and simple commands. If you plan to enroll your dog to school to get professionally trained, he or she should already know how to sit, stay, and come. If you plan on fully training your pet yourself, then be sure to educate yourself on effective methods and fully commit to the process. It can be a long process, but it is definitely worth the overall investment.

Set boundaries.

The earlier you start setting boundaries, the sooner your puppy will practice them. If you do not want the puppy in certain parts of the house, put up a fence or start the habit of closing the doors. Be sure to enforce these boundaries as soon as possible and don’t let up on them no matter how adorable those puppy eyes are. 

Let your dog be a dog. 

Having a new dog in the home can take up a lot of time. In order to give your puppy an appropriate outlet for its energy, take it on regular walks, trips to the dog park, and set aside time to play. When you don't make time for your furry pal, it will find another way to let its energy out, and that usually results in something being chewed up. If you're away from your home for a large portion of the day, hire a dog walker or sitter to play with your puppy while you're gone.

Adding a new pup to your home can be exhausting in the beginning, but with the right tools and commitment, you’ll start enjoying its company. If you’re having problems training your puppy, contact a local dog training school and enroll them as soon as possible.

Preparing to list a house can be a stressful time for any home seller. Fortunately, we're here to help you alleviate stress as you get ready to add your home to the real estate market.

Now, let's take a look at three tips to help you minimize stress as you prepare to list your residence.

1. Reach Out to Family Members and Friends for Help

Family members and friends generally are ready to lend a helping hand whenever they can. As such, you should reach out to loved ones to help you reduce stress as you get ready to sell your house.

Remember, family members and friends have your best interests in mind. These loved ones will do whatever they can to assist you, even tough jobs like helping you clean your residence or remove clutter. Thus, you can work with family members and friends to ensure you can prepare your residence for the real estate market in no time at all.

2. Don't Hesitate to Contact Professionals

Perhaps one of the best ways for a home seller to minimize stress is to hire professional assistance. Because if you have professionals at your disposal, you can get the help you need to instantly enhance your house.

Whether it's home cleaners, landscapers or other professionals, you can quickly and effortlessly find plenty of top-notch professionals in your area to help you complete various home upgrades. If you hire any of these professionals today, you can accelerate the process of prepping your house for the real estate market.

3. Collaborate with a Real Estate Agent

If you intend to sell your house and want to get the best-possible results, you should hire a real estate agent. With a real estate agent at your side, you can receive expert support to help you manage stress at each stage of the home selling journey.

Typically, a real estate agent will meet with you to learn about you and your home selling goals. He or she then will craft a personalized home selling strategy designed to help you accomplish your desired results as quickly as possible. Plus, a real estate agent can offer plenty of tips to help you upgrade your residence prior to adding it to the housing market.

A real estate agent will go above and beyond the call of duty throughout the home selling cycle too. He or she will set up open houses and home showings, promote your residence to the right groups of buyers and help you review offers to purchase your residence. Furthermore, if you ever have concerns or questions during the home selling journey, a real estate agent is happy to respond to them.

Stress can be problematic, particularly for a home seller who is unsure about how to prep his or her residence for the real estate market. Thanks to the aforementioned tips, you should have no trouble improving your residence and ensuring it stands out to potential buyers.