Photo by Lauren Fleischmann on Unsplash

Whether you need to hang bath towels in the bathroom or hand towels in the kitchen, a towel rack is an awesome thing to have around. And it is even better if made custom to suit your tastes and elevate the look of your home. For even more brownie points, you can make the towel rack yourself — and all it takes is some old picture frames and a little bit of elbow grease. Ready to start this fun project? Follow these seven easy steps.

1. Gather Your Tools & Materials

To create your custom towel rack, you will need:

2. Mock Up Your Design

Working on the ground, mock up the design for your picture frame towel rack. Start with the largest frame in the center, as that will be used to secure the completed towel rack to the wall. You should have the frames overlap enough that you can secure each one together using two screws.

3. Screw the Frames Together

After finalizing your custom design, use your drill to create pilot holes for your screws. Then, screw the frames together, one by one, being careful to avoid cracking the wood. Cover the tops of the screws with wood filler, creating a seamless surface.

4. Sand & Paint the Frames

With the frames assembled, sand down the exterior surfaces to scuff up the finish. This will help the paint stick to the surface. Then, put down newspaper and place your frames on top. Use your paintbrushes to apply a new coat of paint in your desired color. Allow the initial coat to dry for four hours, then repeat. Allow the second coat to fully dry overnight, though 24 hours is better.

5. Add a Hanger to the Back

Unless your central picture frame already has a hanger, you will need to add one to the back to create a solid mounting point. If your towel rack is a bit on the large side, consider using two mounting points to give it enough strength when the extra weight of the towels are added.  

6. Mount the Rack on the Wall

Put the towel rack against the wall to find your preferred installation point. Remember to account for the length of the towels when they are folded over the bottom edges of the frames. Then, drill a hole, or two if you have dual hangers, in the wall, big enough for the plastic anchor.

Use the handle of your screwdriver to tap the plastic anchor into the holes you just made. Then, add a screw to each plastic anchor and secure them almost all the way down with your screwdriver. With those in place, you can then hang the towel rack from the screws in the wall.

7. Add Towels & Enjoy

After securing your towel rack to the wall, you just hang your towels to complete this project. You can then go about your business, secure in the knowledge that you always have a towel close at hand when you need one.

If you plan to buy or sell a home in the near future, it is important to find the right real estate agent. By doing so, you should have no trouble getting the optimal results from the homebuying or home selling journey.

Ultimately, you'll want to conduct extensive research before you hire a real estate agent to help you buy or sell a home. This will require you to look at a variety of factors, including:

1. Communication Skills

A real estate agent should serve as a friendly, knowledgeable source of housing market insights. This individual should be able to provide you with the information you need to make homebuying or home selling informed decisions. That way, you can seamlessly navigate the homebuying or home selling process.

Hiring a real estate agent who is a great communicator is essential. This housing market professional will allocate the necessary time and resources to listen to your concerns and questions and respond accordingly.

The right real estate agent will stay in touch with you via email, phone and text. This will ensure you can stay up to date as the homebuying or home selling journey moves forward.

Plus, a real estate agent who understands the importance of communication is unafraid to be honest with you. He or she will provide honest, unbiased suggestions as you buy or sell a home and guarantee you can get the support you need at all times.

2. Industry Expertise

How long has an individual served as a real estate agent? Spend some time learning about a real estate agent's expertise, and you may be better equipped than others to determine whether this person can help you accomplish your homebuying or home selling goals.

A quick online search offers a great starting point as you assess a real estate agent's expertise. In fact, this will allow you to learn about a real estate agent from any location, at any time.

If you want to go a step further, set up a face-to-face meeting with a real estate agent. This will enable you to ask questions and gain deep insights into a real estate agent's background.

3. Client Referrals

How would past clients rate their experiences with a particular real estate agent? Thanks to client referrals, you can find out how a real estate agent has supported his or her previous clients.

A real estate agent should be able to provide you with client referrals without delay. Then, you can reach out to these client referrals and gain unparalleled insights into how a real estate works with homebuyers and home sellers.

Client referrals allow you to find out what it's like to work with a real estate agent at each stage of the homebuying or home selling journey. They also can provide you with insights into a real estate agent that you might struggle to obtain elsewhere.

Evaluate the aforementioned factors as you search for the right real estate agent, and you can employ a top-notch housing market professional to help you buy or sell a house.

Image by wavebreakmedia from Shutterstock

If you've owned your house for a long time and are putting it on the market, take time to consider how the buying and selling process has changed. Today’s buyers are both smart and cautious. They have access to more information than was possible a decade ago. Research shows that buyers begin shopping twelve to eighteen months before they're ready to buy. Your real estate professional has inside information on the local market, they can help you navigate the new selling terrain.

Take advice to heart in these essential areas:

• Choose a reasonable price. Setting the wrong price gets your market plan off on the wrong track. When it’s too high, it will sit on the market for days or weeks derailing your plans to move. You want to get the most that you can from a home sale, but the market will bear only so much. Smart shoppers already know the comparable homes recently sold and come armed with a wealth of information before making their offer. Setting the price too low can backfire too. If a buyer is not interested in rehabilitation or renovation work, they may pass over a property that is not priced competitively.

• Take great photos. Most serious buyers begin their search online. If your agent suggests hiring a professional real estate photographer, it’s often worth the investment. Internet shoppers quickly pass over blurry, out-of-focus, dark, or cluttered shots. Clean the windows and take pictures with the shades and curtains wide open. Bright and inviting photos encourage the buyer to visit in person.

• Staging is more than décor. Take the time to remove personal objects, family photos, and collections. Organize your furnishings to make the best use of your space. Downplay dated areas that need updating and focus on the “bones” of the home and curb appeal if the entire house requires a makeover.

• Test drive the online experience. Go online yourself to see how the photos look. Upload new ones until you're satisfied. Also, check out the street view on Google or Safari Maps. If they post outdated images where curb appeal is lacking, take a similar shot, and post it instead.

Make sure you know how the buyer sees your house when you put it on the market. Modern buyers are cautious. They come armed with information. Let your agent help you address issues relating to how your house appears online.