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Posts by Alicia

Declutter: Taking the First Steps

Jul16
2010
1 Comment Written by Alicia

first steps to declutter

You hear it time and time again. As a home seller, or just as a homeowner, you need to declutter your home. Get rid of your built-up storage, reorganize and make your house look spacious, empty and clean. As with most advice, the job is easier said than done.

So how do you begin the decluttering process? There are simple steps you can take in your daily life to prevent clutter in the first place. Starting now, say no to junk mail. As soon as you pick up a piece of mail that you know is junk mail, toss it in the recycle bin without wasting your time opening it. If you want coupons from an ad, make a list and cut out the coupons immediately before tossing the rest of the ad. Don’t save the junk mail for a later date. Better yet, register with the Mail Preference Service on the Direct Marketing Association website. According to an article from the The Daily Green, you pay $1 to have your name removed from mailing lists and your junk mail decreases by 75 percent in 90 days!

When it comes to decluttering your desk with old bills and paystubs, most people are afraid they’ll either need this information in the future or that someone will get hold of a private account number or personal information. The first fear, that you’ll need the information in the future, is a difficult issue to work though. Usually, after filing income taxes and receiving your tax return, you won’t need past paystubs. Medical bills are usually safe to throw away after a year or two of keeping them. If you’re afraid of people getting a hold of personal information, invest in a paper shredder and recycle.
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Posted in Home Improvement, Tips and Ideas - Tagged clean house, declutter your house, home decorating, home ownership, how to sell, selling a home
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Decorate Your Patio

Jul09
2010
Leave a Comment Written by Alicia

decorating the patioWhat are you still doing inside at this time of year? When the sun goes down and the light of the moon illuminates your backyard patio, that is the time to relax in the cool, fresh breeze instead of the indoor air conditioning. Whether you’re throwing a party or you’re paying bills, you can sit at your outdoor patio table. And whether you’re showing off your backyard to a friend or your showing off your backyard to a potential homebuyer, you want it to look as appealing and impressive as possible. To ensure that you spend as much time outside as your schedule allows, and to make sure your backyard looks as spiffy as it can, treat it like another room in the house. Decorate!

Decorating an outdoor patio (or deck, terrace, porch, etc.) goes beyond taking a hose and washing away tree branches and squished bugs. You want to add features that make the patio comfortable, attractive and homey. Here are some ideas to get your own decorating project going: READ MORE »

Posted in Home Improvement, Tips and Ideas - Tagged buy a home with a patio, buying a home, decorating ideas, hoem improvement
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Save Water without Replacing the Toilet

Jul08
2010
Leave a Comment Written by Alicia

toiletWe’ve talked in past Green Living blogs about how important it is to purchase an energy-efficient toilet in order to save water, energy and money. Older toilet models use more than three gallons of water per flush, whereas low-flow, energy-efficient models use less than 1.5 gallons per flush. But let’s face it. We’re dealing with a tough economic time right now and some of us can’t afford to purchase improvement projects for our homes right now. Fortunately, there are DIY ways to save water, energy and money with the toilet you already have!

Flushes

One old-fashioned toilet trick that still works to save money and energy is the old “brick-in-the-tank” trick. Though, instead of a brick, an updated tip that an article from the Mother Nature Network recommends is to fill an old one-liter plastic bottle partially with sand, marbles or pebbles, and then the rest of it with water. As long as the bottle remains weighed down, it doesn’t matter what material you fill it with. Remove the label and place the bottle in the toilet tank away from moving parts. This will displace water and save you water usage and money without replacing your toilet! READ MORE »

Posted in Green Living, Tips and Ideas - Tagged eco-friendly advice, green tips, owning a home, replacing a toilet, toilet
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Make Your Small Home Look Big

Jul05
2010
Leave a Comment Written by Alicia

make your small home look bigAn abundance of homebuyers are choosing to downsize right now. Whether it’s because they’re still trying to sell a house and can’t afford to buy a large house, they’re living more practical during this economic downturn, or they want to spend less time on housework, now is the time for owners of small houses to step up and show homebuyers why small homes are the way to go!

Because homebuyers tend to feel skeptical toward smaller homes, you’ll want to do everything in your power to make your small home look big. How do you do that? Professional home decorators have plenty of tips up their sleeves to help you out:

• Declutter. Even if you live in a castle, it won’t look large or appealing if it’s full of clutter. The most important step, always, when prepping your house to sell is to declutter. First declutter the main living areas visible to the eye, and then work on closets, cabinets and shelves. These storage areas are significant to homebuyers looking at small homes.

• Rearrange furniture. The best placement for furniture is along the walls in a room or on a diagonal. The more floor space you can see in the middle of the room, the larger the room will look, so even consider taking out rugs and just showing off the natural flooring. Opt for shorter furniture in the middle of the room, such as a coffee table or an ottoman, and place the tall objects along the walls, such as bookcases and entertainment centers. Go for fewer large pieces of furniture rather than numerous smaller pieces, which cause a room to look cluttered. READ MORE »

Posted in Selling Tips, Tips and Ideas - Tagged buying a small house, home ownership, small house decorating
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Red, White & Blue!

Jul02
2010
Leave a Comment Written by Alicia

usa flagThe beauty of Independence Day, or more commonly referred to as the Fourth of July, is that it’s a holiday that every single American can celebrate. It brings all groups together to celebrate one country. It celebrates the Declaration of Independence, declaring our independence from Great Britain in 1776. It celebrates the freedom we enjoy each day that we live in this country, freedom to worship, to work, to own our own homes.

To remind us and to celebrate this milestone of our country, we shoot off fireworks, attend parades, host barbecues, take boat rides and altogether enjoy a long weekend of good food and good company. While participating in all of this festive fun, we need to remember what we’re celebrating by showing our pride for America. America needs our pride and support.

READ MORE »

Posted in Home Improvement, Tips and Ideas - Tagged 4th of july, backyard barbecue, holiday, home ownership, independence day, july 4
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Old-Fashioned Advice

Jun28
2010
Leave a Comment Written by Alicia

house for sale

Having a hard time selling your house? Even though all you hear about these days is new ways of marketing, in a competitive market like this one, sometimes good old-fashioned advice will take you the furthest. This involves you stepping out of your comfort zone.

Hopefully you already completed the first step, which is advertising with Buy Owner. Once your advertisement is set up, you have the support of the nation’s leading for-sale-by-owner (FSBO) company at your disposal. Buy Owner will promote your listing nationwide 24/7 through BuyOwner.com, its 1-800 number and its magazine.

You should do everything you can, too. Take the initiative to “sell” your house everywhere you go.

Use techniques like these:

• Talk to strangers. Though we’re taught not to as children, networking with those around you in grocery stores, churches, libraries, coffee shops and on public transportation might score you a home buyer. You never know, these seeming strangers may be the future homeowner of your house, or they might know someone who is looking. You might as well share your story!

• Hand out flyers or business cards when those you talk to seem interested. Unless you give them a reminder, they’ll forget. On the flyer or card, include the web link to your Buy Owner advertisement and the phone number on your For Sale sign. These sources give all the information the people need. You just need people to go check them out.

• Advertise on Craigslist. Make the most of your Buy Owner advertising by copying the HTML from your Seller Tools that will reproduce your professional listing on Craigslist! Include a catchy title so that people will check it out.

What will sharing your Buy Owner web link and phone number do? It’ll show potential buyers that you’re serious about selling. You set up an advertisement with a credible company and now you’re going the extra mile to make sure that people see the ad.

What happens if you don’t go the extra mile? Buy Owner will advertise your house on social networking sites and on our website. We’ll advertise to people driving past your house when they see the bright yellow sign in your yard. We’ll go the extra mile so you don’t have to. But if your house still isn’t selling in this tough, competitive market, we’re just saying there is more you could do.

Remember, it’s U that makes the difference®!

Posted in Selling Tips, Tips and Ideas - Tagged buy owner advice, for sale by owner, selling a house, selling fsbo, using buy owner
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DIY Repairs

Jun24
2010
Leave a Comment Written by Alicia

diy repairs

When you Google search, notice that a lot more DIY websites are popping up? DIY, or do-it-yourself, sites provide you with directions on how to build, install, remodel, landscape and fix without hiring professionals. If you have the skills, DIY work could save you loads of money. Especially if you’re fixing something that you already have instead of replacing it.

Fixing items around the house could save you ample amounts of money while also saving the environment from access waste and toxins. Fixing items around the house used to be second nature, and now that people are pocket pinching, the method is coming back in style. According to The Daily Green, a rule of thumb to help you decide whether you should fix or replace something is to fix it if the repair costs are less than 50 percent of the original price.

  • Little items around the house can easily be fixed with a little tape or glue. Snap a broken piece of picture frame back into place with a drop or two of Super Glue. If the glued spot looks shinier than the rest, camouflage it by applying a glossy finish to your frame. Glue is also helpful with dishes, clocks, laundry baskets and more.
  • Larger items, like electronics, get a bit trickier. If the electronic seems broken, try switching the batteries in the remote or replacing the power cord. Oftentimes, the gadget itself isn’t broken, just a smaller part of the whole is. If you’re not sure how to repair your gadget, call the manufacturer or look up guidebooks to help you figure out how. The time you spend learning the tricks of this trade is well worth it if it comes in handy again in the future. Also, oftentimes the electronic or appliance isn’t broken, it’s just temporarily impaired. Taking apart an object to clean out the dust inside, changing a filter or replacing one small part can often fix the problem.
  • You can fix outdoor items instead of replacing them too. First off, plant perennials instead of annuals. You can pull weeds, fertilize and fix up perennial gardens year after year instead of constantly replacing the flowers. If a potted plant seems to have died, try moving it to a new location, watering it more or less, and adding organic nutrients before you entirely give up on it. When it comes to surfaces, you can easily fix up holes and cracks. Fill cracks in cement with small amounts of fresh cement. If one piece of your wooden deck has rotting, replace just that piece. Sand, stain and paint surfaces to make them last as long as possible.
  • Furniture is simple to fix. First off, if a piece of your furniture looks worn, simply cover it with a slipcover and it’s as good as new! Slipcovers can easily be taken off and washed too. Upholstery shops allow you to change the fabric and add cushioning so an old piece of furniture seems as good as new.
  • Sealing and caulking are jobs that you should become familiar with. They can be used to your advantage all over your house. If you have a window that air gets through, seal the edges with weather-stripping. Caulk and seal your attic and basement before replacing an air-conditioning unit to see if that does the trick. Seal and caulk pipes to prevent or fix leaky faucets or toilets.

For more tips on what to repair instead of replace, read The Daily Green article here.

Posted in Green Living, Tips and Ideas - Tagged DIY, diy repair, do-it-yourself, home renovations, home repair
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Stand Out at Your Open House

Jun21
2010
Leave a Comment Written by Alicia

open house

In the past, we’ve supplied you with articles on how to prosper at an open house. We provided you with safety tips in Have You Held an Open House?, offered you 12 Steps to Prepare for a Summer Open House, warned you with Preparing for Surprise Showings and told you how to Prepare for a Spring Open House.

Now, with the market fierce and buyers in control, sellers really need to find ways to stand out in the overly zealous crowd. Open houses are a great place to do just that. The first step is getting people to your open houses by advertising with Buy Owner. The second step is making people remember your open house after visiting numerous open houses in one day.

How do you make your open house stand out? Use seasonal attributes to your advantage. They get people in the mindset of now while they personalize the open house and give the buyers a reason to remember your house. This doesn’t mean you should set up a kiddy pool in the middle of your backyard while answering the door in your bathing suit. Here are some ideas for making your open house stand out:

  1. Instead of baking cookies or serving coffee, switch it up with some refreshing summery treats. Serve little cups of freshly squeezed juice using a juicer. Create a non-alcoholic punch over ice. Serve sample sizes of smoothies. The point isn’t to break the bank but to stand out to potential buyers.
  2. Wear bright colors. Nothing overboard, but just friendly, attractive clothing in bright floral or the color of the year, turquoise. This can lift people’s spirits, make you seem more approachable and make them more comfortable around you.
  3. Decorate in neutral colors that will appeal to everyone, but accessorize with bright, summer colors. Add some turquoise pillows to your couch or some pastel green dishware to your dining room table. Make the house exciting and fun to look at. Since most houses are decorated with neutral décor, this adds a punch to yours.
  4. Print out a list of local activities for people to partake in. Right now, create a list of summer activities, such as upcoming festivals, farmer’s markets, water parks, free movies in the park, summer camps and clubs, bike trails and more. When the season changes, change the list. Show potential buyers what they can do with their spare time.
  5. Outside, display colorful flowers near the front door and back door and in plain sight of the open house guests. Make sure your lawn is mowed and your bushes are trimmed. Make your landscaping look flawless and lush. If you really want to go all out, offer potential buyers a flower from a perennial garden, like a day lily. Every time they see the flower, they’ll remember your house.

These are just ideas to get your own creative juices flowing. Think of a way to stand out from the crowd and run with it. Don’t think of open houses as another chore for you to complete. Think of them as you and your house’s time to shine!

Posted in Selling Tips - Tagged how to sell, open house, selling a home, Selling Tips, summer open house tips
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The Lowdown on Mowing

Jun19
2010
Leave a Comment Written by Alicia

mowing the lawn

We supply you with a plethora of articles with landscaping tips. For most of us, however, a grassy lawn takes up the majority of our yard space. So today, instead of focusing on the gardens in the corner of the yard or the trees scattered throughout the yard, we’re going to focus on the facts about how you can mow your way to a nearly flawless lawn.

Height

First off, mowing height and frequency mostly determine the health of your lawn. Hopefully you already know that the height of your blade can be altered on your mower. Although many homeowners opt to cut the grass as short as possible in order to cut down on how often they must do the chore, the truth is, the grass is much healthier when you keep it longer. This is especially true for grass in hot climate or during a drought period. The height of a blade of grass should never be cut more than one-third of its total height in one mowing. The ideal height depends on the type of grass your yard contains, but typical height averages range between half to two inches long.

Extra perk: By only cutting one-third of the lawn length at a time, you can usually leave the grass clippings on the yard without it looking bad. These grass clippings provide natural organic matter to the lawn, such as nitrogen, when they break down. That means less fertilizer needed and more natural nutrients for your lawn! If you have an open house or a gathering occurring at your house soon, collect the grass clippings in bags and distribute them on the lawn at a later date.

Frequency

How often you mow your lawn depends on the type of grass that your yard contains. If you live up north or in the Midwest, you most likely have a cool-season grass, such as bluegrass or fescue. These types of grasses should be cut to about two inches high, so when the grass is three inches long or more, cut it. If you live down south, you most likely have zoysia, buffalo grass or other types of warm-season grasses. These grasses can be cut to one-inch tall. On average, lawns should be mowed once a week, but obviously the actual frequency will depend on the weather and the health of your grass. When you mow, you should switch up the direction of your lines. This prevents the same grass from getting run over by the mower’s wheels during each mow.

Side note: Be careful around trees and gardens. Constantly nicking a tree trunk can cause damage to the trunk and prevent it from properly maturing. Instead, leave the grass closest to the trunk uncut and go back later with a trimmer. Better yet, surround tree trunks with mulch to prevent the problem in the first place. Also trim around gardens, fire pits, patios and other hard objects that could nick the mower blade and cause damage to the mower and injury to yourself.

Watering

How often should you water your lawn? Currently, numerous locations are dealing with water conservation issues that limit the amount of watering a homeowner can do. Consider installing an irrigation system that allows you to decide exactly how much water your lawn receives, when it receives it and where the water goes to. For more affordable options, purchase a lawn sprinkler, specifically for a lawn. Rotor heads will uniformly water your entire yard at the same time, spray sprinklers are good for when you have one patchy area of brown grass, and drip sprinklers deliver the water directly to the ground without wilting the grass. Watering and/or mowing early in the morning or in the evening is ideal, when the temperature is not at its hottest.

Hopefully this information was helpful. Next time you host an open house or a party gathering, instead of spending hours sprucing up your gardens, spend time bragging about your healthy lawn! This is, after all, what takes up the majority of most yards.

Posted in Home Improvement, Tips and Ideas - Tagged grass, landscaping, maintenace, mowing the lawn, yard
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Economic Interior Design

Jun11
2010
Leave a Comment Written by Alicia

decorating

When it comes to the costs of improving your home, most would assume that interior design is not an area worth considering right now. Interior designers are expensive to hire and they choose uppity items that are way out of your economic means, right? Not necessarily. Most interior designers understand that people are pocket-pinching right now, and they know the best techniques and places to shop to help you find the most affordable items. Hiring an interior designer might even save you money in the long run.

If however you’re looking to update your home without professional help, here are some tips that were gathered right from the mouths of interior designers. The goal of decorating right now, according to one designer quoted in the 2010 issue of Home & Design Magazine, is to “go into what we call the soul of the home.” This means updating the items in the house that you find most important or sentimental, while also saving money and being more environmentally conscious.

Repurposing and reupholstering items that you already have is the most popular method of design right now. This allows you to keep pieces that hold meaning and memories, to reuse a worn piece rather than throw it out, and to update the look of your piece at a low cost.

Another popular designing tip right now is to decorate with neutral colors. Some interior designers consider this the number one tip for home designing, because neutral colors never go out of style. Ten years from now, your neutral décor will still look fresh and chic. So when you go to paint, use no or low VOC pain in tans, chocolates, grays or eggplant shades, including dark purples, plums and mauves. If you are updating your countertops or floors, you should use neutral colors and renewable materials, such as bamboo or cork. When you reupholster your furniture, use neutral colors as well.

When do you embrace current trends? Since trends are always changing, a popular rule of thumb that interior designers recommend is that you paint and update permanent items in neutral colors, and then you accessorize with trendy colors. For example, turquoise is the current color for spring and summer of 2010, so home designers should accessorize with turquoise artwork, curtains, dishware, throw pillows and any item that you can easily switch out and replace with a new trendy color down the road. Also, metal art and animal prints are both popular accents right now, which also both coincide with neutral décor.

There is always a way to update your interior design and keep up with current trends while still saving money in the process!

Posted in Home Improvement, Tips and Ideas - Tagged cost cutting, Home Improvement, interior design, saving money
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