Getting Your Home Ready For The Hosting Season

Some Might Call The Fall And Winter Months The Holiday Season, But It Could Just As Easily Be Known As The Hosting Season.

It’s the time of year when cooking for crowds and welcoming friends and family for celebrations is the name of the game. For those opening their homes to guests, it can be hectic, but there are plenty of ways to make the season as full of cheer as it should be.

Decorating your home for the holidays goes hand-in-hand with getting ready for guests – whether those visitors are planned or impromptu. So, as you start to consider your decor themes, think about updates that can be made around the house to make your guests feel even more at home. Read more

Buying And Selling A Home During The Off Season

While cold weather causes many people to stay snug and cozy indoors, it provides a great opportunity for home buyers to get out and find their dream home.

Fall and winter are typically considered the off season in the housing market, but actually buyers can potentially find better deals and sellers may find the most serious buyer. To take advantage of the benefits of off-season real estate, consider these important areas of advice.

Use Strategic Elements Of The Season

 The off season is a great time to buy because you’ll have less competition with other buyers and a reduced chance of getting in a bidding war that drives up a home’s price, something that still occurs frequently. When you’re not fighting with other bidders, you can make a sound decision and have a better chance of getting the seller to pitch in on concessions, such as closing costs or funds for improvements like appliance upgrades. Read more

Stay Warm This Winter: Home Heating Tips For Tricky Spaces

When cold winds blow, it can be tricky to keep different rooms throughout your home at the right temperature – especially if you have old and drafty windows, tight spaces or room additions to work around.

It can also be challenging to ensure economical comfort without having to do a major heating system overhaul. Yet there are easy and flexible ways to heat your home in areas where it needs it most and still stay comfortable all winter long.

Odd-shaped rooms in older homes, additions such as sunrooms and bonus rooms, and far-flung spaces like remodeled basements and attics can pose a heating challenge. In addition, some homes have no ductwork heating system, making it impractical or expensive to consider installing one to heat such spaces. If this sounds like your house, consider these tips to keep your home warm this winter. Read more

How To ‘Green’ Your Home In 48 Hours

Cost-Fffective And Sustainable Projects Anyone Can Do With Ease

Our lives are more hectic than ever. In addition to working more than eight hours a day and caring for others, the average person (ages 25 to 54) spends approximately one additional hour per day on household activities, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ American Time Use Survey. With everyday maintenance tasks depleting your free time, you may think it’s impossible to fit in bigger home improvement projects.

It’s time to change your mindset and re-evaluate your home improvement to-do list. While it may seem overwhelming, one weekend is the perfect amount of time to tackle a few cost-effective and eco-friendly home improvement projects that can add style and functionality … and even save a little ‘green’ as well. The following projects will help to ‘greenify’ your home in just 48 hours. Read more

Home Tech: Affordable And Uncomplicated Ideas To Add Enjoyment To Your Home

Did You Know It’s Almost The Year That Michael J. Fox Went ‘Back To The Future?’

While we don’t have hover boards or flying cars, our innovations have changed drastically since 1985, especially when it comes to technology in the home. Now there are many affordable innovations that are simple to use and can add unique benefits and enjoyment to routine activities.

High-Fashion, High-Function Faucets

Kitchen faucets continue to increase in functionality and style – but imagine the convenience of having a faucet that can sense what you’re trying to accomplish, and with a simple wave of your hand, immediately responds to your needs. New MotionSense technology from Moen offers you three ways to operate the faucet. In addition to the traditional handle, you can activate the kitchen faucet by using the Wave Sensor – by waving your hand over the faucet to turn on and off – or the Ready Sensor – by placing your hands or an object under the spout. Read more

Home Renovations Before The Holidays

Fall is a great time to tackle some of those home improvement projects. Now that the summer vacations are over and children are back in school, you’re ready to make your home all comfy and cozy before the deep freeze and holiday guests arrive.

Consider starting with your bathroom first, since this is a room frequently used both by your family and guests. If your bathroom is dated in decor, aged in function and behind the times in energy efficiency, you’ll be doing your home and your pocketbook a good service by upgrading some features. Read more

Concrete Challenges of Converting Basements or Garages To Living Space

For homeowners looking to improve the value of their homes – and cope with the needs of multiple generations living under one roof – basement and garage renovations make sense.

Both can enhance home value and add much-needed living space for less than one might spend on building an addition.

Basement and garage projects recoup 66.8 percent and 57.2 percent of their original costs, respectively, at the time of resale, according to Remodeling Magazine’s Cost vs. Value Report. And millions of American households now consist of multiple generations living under one roof, U.S. Census Bureau statistics show. Read more

Chimney Capped

Dallas/Fort Worth Home Inspector, Chris Goggans, found the chimney flue has been capped. If this young couple had not Read more

Dallas Home Inspector vs Leaf Filled Gutters

These leaves are beautiful yet when they fill the gutters around your home it can cause some problems.  DFW Home Inspectors Read more

Overheated Wiring in Panel Box

Fort Worth Home Inspector finds Overheated wiring in this Electrical Panel Box.  This is a possible fire hazard. Read more

Next Page »