Perhaps we’re not slaves to fashion, but homes tend to have some “fads”, like the 1980s and 1990s with wallpaper.  I’ve had my fair share of installing and later removing wallpaper like many of you.  If you’re preparing your house for sale, updating your walls can mean more money in your pocket at the closing table.

But how do you properly remove it?  Click here to check out this video for some quick tips on how it can be done!

Read the rest…

I understand you haven’t been having wild parties at your house, as it happens to all of us from time to time:  the dreaded hole in the wall.  A rambunctious child and a broken door stop can quickly make a hole in the drywall the size of your doorknob.  The house settling can also crack it as well.  But how do you repair these issues?  Check out this video, which tells us how – from the smallest crack to a doorknob sized hole, it can be done!

Click here to see the video!
Read the rest…

It is universally accepted that the master suite and kitchen in any property are where sellers can get the most “bang for the buck” when making improvements.  These two areas are where buyers focus when making a purchase decision.  It is often said that for every $10 spent, you can get $8 or $9 of it back at the time of sale in these two rooms of the house.

Read the rest…

Since I was one of the few that stayed up until 1:30 am last night waiting to see the Space Shuttle take off but did not because of the rain, I thought I would do a blog post on roof shingles.  When it rains heavily, I know we’re happy to know there’s a good roof over our heads to keep us dry.  But what goes into a roof?  How do they know how long it will last?  Check out this video which explains a lot about roofing:

Click here to see the video!  Read the rest…

Yesterday we had a little bit of excitement here around my house. A city water main pipe had burst in our front yard. Within minutes, we had a few thousand gallons of water everywhere. I had ankle-deep water in one section of driveway and could not believe the deluge!

So, with that being said, today’s topic will be an homage to French Drains. While they are not designed to handle such loads as what mine were asked to do yesterday, they still provide help to those homeowners with too much water surrounding the structure. Luckily, I had the system in place, as it took enough water away from the low-lying areas to keep water from entering the house. It could very easily have happened, and would have in a blink of an eye. Read the rest…

With all the talk of saving money and our environment, how many of us have actually completed an energy audit?  Local electric companies will provide on monthly bills a chart showing usage trends.  While that information is nice to know, where can you save on electric usage and cut your bills?  Read the rest…

When preparing your home for the market, don’t overlook “wowing” buyers with the great features your property has to offer.  This great video shows how just a few changes (and a few hundred dollars in materials) with a little effort can take a home from blah to impressive.  When crafting your “to do” list, be sure to take a moment to reflect on your property’s key features that attracted you to purchase it originally.  Those are the elements to show off to impress buyers today.  Make sure that clutter, too much furniture, too much decoration do not compete for the buyer’s attention with the key elements that will sell your home. Read the rest…

2009 has unfortunately ushered in a new buzz phrase:  “Loan Modification”.  But how does one get a modification? What are the qualifiers? Finally, Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has announced guidelines. Check out this press release on what it all entails.

Click here to utilize an interactive online eligibility qualifier:  http://www.makinghomeaffordable.gov/modification_eligibility.html Read the rest…

What is National Night Out?

It’s America’s Night Out Against Crime!

The “26th Annual National Night Out” (NNO), a unique crime/drug prevention event sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch (NATW), has been scheduled for Tuesday, August 4, 2009.

Last year’s National Night Out campaign involved citizens, law enforcement agencies, civic groups, businesses, neighborhood organizations and local officials from over 15,000 communities from all 50 states, U.S. territories, Canadian cities and military bases worldwide. In all, over 37 million people participated in National Night Out 2008. Read the rest…

With all of the talk of homeowners losing their homes to foreclosure, it’s no wonder so many con artists have now figured out how to use this angle to prey upon those who are vulnerable.  Don’t become a victim to one of these “Foreclosure Rescue” scams.  If any organization finds you to help, it’s a scam.  Only those who need help will seek out assistance.  Federal agencies who assist homeowners NEVER seek them out. Read the rest…