home tips tagged posts

Thanks to Rachel Wiederhold, ASP of 5 Star Staging, LLC for being our guest blogger!

Images courtesy of 5 Star Staging, LLC.

So you’re selling your home. It’s a great house, perfect location, wonderful neighborhood, highly rated school district, there’s no reason to do anything more to do to place it on the real estate market, right? WRONG!!

Factors to consider

Does your home look like it could be in a magazine? If you said yes, then I’ll take back my WRONG.

Take a picture of your living, dining, kitchen, and bedrooms. Do they look picture perfect? Do they look spacious? Does the furniture arrangement look open and inviting? Is there any clutter? Are there too many pieces of furniture? Is your wall color and décor neutral? Are there any personal pictures, awards or religious symbols?

Depe...

Image courtesy toolboxtomgirl.com

Thanks to the Toolbox Tomgirl for this issue of Tips from the Pros, about how long appliances typically last.

This time of year we find out about leaking roofs, HVAC systems that don’t want to cool, and if luck has it and we had a great tax refund, we buy new appliances. I remind you to buy quality products from a reputable company. Remember to check licenses and warranties.

If you do your homework you can expect your money to be wisely invested. Below is the list of common “major” expenditures around your home and how long you can expect them to last.

Heating (let’s hope you don’t this now that spring is in the air)

• Forced air furnace – 10 to 25 years
• Water boiler (welded steel) 15 to 30 years
• Water boiler (cast iron) 30 to 50 years

Ai...

Thanks to the Toolbox Tomgirl for this episode of Tips from the Pros, about painting a room.

Have you ever walked into a room and saw, black…if not a very deep burgundy wall color….what was your first reaction!?!? Maybe, scream…run away…thinking – “How will I ever be able to cover this up!?!?”

First, let me start off by saying that if you are going over a dark color you will need to use a primer to cover the old color, or you will get a blend of the two colors (old + new) and it may not look like what you were expecting. (And yes, I know this from experience – the wall turned out like baby throw up….yuck.) Also, spackle and fill any nail holes or imperfections. Be sure to sand smooth your areas and use a tack cloth to remove the drywall dust)...

Thanks to the Toolbox Tomgirl for this episode of Tips from the Pros, about buying products made in the USA.

As a handywoman I am always reading various magazines on new products and trends in building and construction. Recently I was surprised to read in my Green Builder magazine about how rare it is to find a green building material made in America.

Green Builder magazine sent out an invitation to over 2,000 companies encouraging them to share information about their American-made green products, receiving only a few dozen submissions. The conclusion is that U.S. made green products are a rare and special breed, even though they are making use of the triple advantage of creating domestic jobs, reducing the impact of overseas shipping and making use of locally sourced raw materials...

Thanks to Toolbox Tomgirl for this episode of Tips from the Pros staying safe while keeping warm this winter.

Although I personally have converted my wood burning fireplace to a pellet stove to supplement my electric heat, I want to offer some safety tips to those of you that are still using wood stoves and fireplaces. Because more than one-third of us are using wood burning stoves, fireplaces and other fuel burning appliances as a primary heat source, I feel it important to know some basic rules. Also, statistics show that heating fires account for 36 percent of residential home fires in rural areas every year.

With that said, please consider the following:

1. Have your chimney, wood stove (and pellet stove) heating flues inspected and cleaned annually by a certified and licensed chimn...

Thanks to Aim4Order for this month’s Tips from the Pros about organizing your household bills. It will help you stay current and maintain your credit rating.

Household bills – we’ve all got them

Whether you are tech savvy or not, organizing the household bills is a chore that can be simplified and streamlined. We all have payments that need to be made on a monthly, semi-annual or annual basis.

Online banking and bill paying

Most banks have online bill paying. It’s a fairly simple process to set up regular monthly bills to be automatically paid by the bank. An option to pay them as they arrive each month is also available through the bank.

BGE, cable, phone, mortgage companies, doctor’s offices and other businesses will allow you to pay bills through their websites if you do not ...

Monthly Item of Value: Saving for Big Events

Big events pop up in life when you least expect them. Whether you own your home or not, we all get unexpected bumps in the road where a large sum of money is needed.

This Monthly Item of Value addresses these needs like a down payment on a home, your child’s educational fund and retirement. They all rely on a rather large nest egg. Learning the most effective ways to build your assets can be the difference in being able to retire or having to work longer.

Please read my report through this link to get details on how to save for your future. The report is in an easy to read format that will only take a few minutes, but could make a big difference in how you approach your savings.

Before starting a home search, you need to do some homework. The more you do, the easier it will be when you make that commitment to begin looking for a home in the Baltimore area. Baltimore is well known for its wonderful areas and neighborhoods, each with its own flavor.

Before you start your home search

By building a solid credit history, you can increase your chances of getting a higher loan amount and a better rate on your mortgage. A lower rate can make a huge difference in the amount you ultimately pay for your home.

Saving for a down payment will help you better afford a home. The larger the down payment, the less you need to finance.

The more money in your savings account, the better. Having money in the bank makes you look like you are better able to pay back money you borrow.

Here is my monthly item of value: Why you should hire a pro to sell your home.

While you may save a little money selling a home on your own, there is so much the average person does not understand about the process. Hiring a professional real estate agent allows to you tap into the knowledge base of your agent. They know what has to be done, in what order and how to do it most efficiently. You were surely sell your home faster and with a lot less hassle.

Click here to read full text on why you should hire a professional.