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Staging Your Home to Close the Sale

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 At any given time of the year, there are over three million homes for sale in the United States. That's a lot of competition if you're trying to sell your house. Real estate experts know that staging can make the difference in a home that sells and one that languishes on the market. Here is how to stage your home the right way: 1.Repaint the Walls The first step in staging a home is to repaint the walls. If you're moving, pack before you paint. If you are living in your home while you try to sell it, store everything but the essentials. Paint the walls in each room in a neutral tone. You may like bold violets are subtle peaches, but they could be distracting to people looking at your house. Remember that people will mentally furnish and decorate your home as they walk through the open house; neutral walls help them imagine their own belongings in your home. 2.Purposeful Rooms Most of us have one room in our house that serves as the catch-all. We pile unused furnishings, ho

Keep Your Home Value By Changing Your Pool Liner

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 A swimming pool adds great value to your home. If you're looking to sell, a pool can be a major appeal to potential buyers— if it's in top shape. If you're looking to hire a seasoned professional to replace your pool liner, you should brush up on what you should know and ask, so you don't get taken in by fraudsters. Take the recent case in New Jersey, where a con artist swindled a homeowner out of nearly $600 after she gave it to him as a “deposit” for work that he never did. The man is still on the run, according to CBS Philly. But it’s not just scamming you should worry about when it comes to pool products and liners. Finding a seasoned professional with the tools and know-how to get the job done can be a frustrating experience in itself. And when you finally find a trusted professional, it’s important to look out for the upsell and many other tactics used to bump up the price of a simple pool liner installation. Why Hire a Professional? Although you can install your

Avoiding Mold, Sewage & Other Gross Home Fails

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 The U.S. Census reports that Americans spent an average of $272,900 for a new home in 2010. That's a pretty penny, and as a new homeowner, you want to protect your pretty investment. Therefore, watch out for three key home repairs that if left unfixed, can affect the safety and comfort of your new house. Mold It's more than a fungus that grows on forgotten leftovers in the back of the fridge. Mold can grow and multiply on almost any damp surface of your home. When left untreated, it can make you sick and destroy your home. Prevent mold by reducing moisture with some suggestions from the Environmental Protection Agency. Turn a fan on in the bathroom and kitchen to remove excess moisture. Run and regularly empty a dehumidifier if the humidity levels in your home are higher than 60 percent. Fix any leaking pipes immediately. If your preventative measures don't work and mold begins to grow, wipe the area off with a mixture of 1/2 cup bleach, 1 quart water and a small amount o

Unexpected Home Damage Happens, Now What?

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 Your home should be a reliable shelter, but time, accidents and natural occurrences can compromise its stability. Whether a storm damaged the roof or a plumbing malfunction flooded your flooring, dealing with home damage can be stressful, costly and time-consuming. You're not alone as you take on home repair. Helpful resources, convenient lenders and professional experts can all guide you through a home-repair crisis. Assess the Damage The first step in repairing home damage is diagnosing the problem. A hole in the wall may look like simple drywall patchwork on the surface, but underlying electrical and structural issues could pose a threat to your home's stability. Professional consultants can clearly identify comprehensive repair needs. Sites like homeadvisors.com, give you hundreds of consulting service providers to help you with damages. These trained professionals can guide you toward realistic do-it-yourself opportunities and more extensive professional repairs. Some eve

Growing Cantaloupe at Home

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Growing Cantaloupe at home are tastier compared to store-bought ones. The secret is a lot of sunlight, heat, and moisture. Melons require 2 to 3 months heat, which makes cultivating them in northern areas a bit hard, though not hopeless. Making use of black ground cover to make the soil warm and using floating row covers to lock in warm air around plants help gardeners anywhere in the country grow cantaloupes. These fruits contain a lot of vitamin C as well as antioxidants. Planting Planting cantaloupes can be effortlessly initiated by direct seeding. Plant seeds in your garden as deep as 1/2 – 1 inch. They are usually grown in hills around 4-6 feet spaced out from each other. These fruits can’t tolerate frost. Warm temperature is required so it is best to plant them 4 weeks after last frost day at least. Cantaloupes will mature in between 80 to 100 warm days to fully develop. Fertilizing You can apply slow release fertilizer once during planting period. You may fertilize it monthly af

Growing Cilantro Gardening Advice

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The seeds of this herb consist of two seeds. They are surrounded by a husk that is either a gray or a light brown. They must be prepared before they can be planted. This is done by crushing the husk to remove the seeds. They are soaked in water from 24 to 48 hours and then allowed to dry. Growing Cilantro from seeds Cilantro seeds should be planted and covered with about  ¼ inch of soil. Once it sprouts and starts growing, at about 2 inches tall you will need to thin it out somewhat. Do not thin it too much because cilantro does best when it is planted only 3 or 4 inches apart. Cilantro is not a hot weather plant and the leaves will shade the roots. This keeps it from prematurely producing seeds. The sun will cause the cilantro to flower and seeds will be produced too early. This is going to happen if the soil gets 75 degrees, so the best place to begin growing cilantro is in a shady area that receives sun in the morning or afternoon. This garden herb grows quickly so the best way to

Organic Home Gardening

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Learning how to grow an organic Home Garden is actually quite easy. The basic rule is to use 100% organic products that are chemical and pesticide free. Many of us have tried to grow a garden at one point or another, probably all with mixed success. You should first test the Soil to determine the health of your soil. You Can take a sample of the soil where you intend on planting your organic home garden. You want to find the best soil possible to Plant your garden, especially if you plan to plan vegetables. Growing a garden is something that people do for many reasons. Perhaps you want to supplement your family with food that you grow yourself because you don’t have the resources to buy all organic vegetables from the store. Or, perhaps you live in a place that is remote and it is easier for you to grow an organic garden. Or perhaps it’s just for fun! Also, you might just like the idea of being able to provide your family with food that you have grown yourself. Whatever the reason