Spring Colors

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Spring Colors To Decorate With All Year Long

DIY Or Professional?

Redfin

 Freedigitalphotos.net 

DIY

• Interior paint jobs: A room can get a makeover just by changing the color of the walls. Make sure you prep the room: Lay drop cloths on the floor and use painter's tape to tape around baseboards and crown molding. 
• Replace broken tiles: If you have a tile break in the kitchen, bathroom, etc you can hire someone to replace it, however, if you have extra tiles around you can do it yourself. 
• Power washing your home's exterior: The siding on your home can get dirty and start to look worn and dingy after being exposed to the elements. You can easily power wash the exterior of your home by either purchasing a power washer or renting one at your local home improvement store.

Hire A Professional

• Removing trees: Hiring a local tree service to take down a tree on your property is best. Although it may seem like a good idea to take out a tree on your own, it's not a simple process. The branches need to be culled and the stump should be removed as well. Also, the tree can harm you or someone else and can also unintentionally come down on homes, power lines, etc.
• Roof repair: Getting up on a roof is dangerous and there can be many different roof issues present that a homeowner may not know how to deal with such as ice dams, insect damage, or leaks. It's best to leave roof issues for a professional.
• Siding installation: Siding is crucial as it is the first line of defense for your home against the elements and pests. While it's not a bad idea to research which siding to invest in, it's best to leave the installation portion of the project up to the pros.

Easter Bunny Bait

Plainfield Patch

 Freedigitalphotos.net 

Are you looking for a fun and kid-friendly Easter activity? Here's a tasty recipe for bunny bait that kids will both enjoy helping with and eating:

Ingredients:

• 1 bag popped microwave popcorn
• 11 ounce bag of white chocolate chips
• 1 bag of Easter M&M's (any variety)
• Pretzel sticks (broken into 1/2 inch pieces)
• Sprinkles
• Food coloring (optional)

Directions:

1. Spread the popcorn and pretzels pieces out on a jelly roll pan or parchment paper
2. Melt the chocolate chips according to the package directions (You may need to add a small amount of milk to get the chocolate to pouring consistency)
3. Add food coloring to the melted chocolate if desired
4. Pour the melted chocolate over the popcorn and pretzel pieces. Add sprinkles but don't stir.
5. After the chocolate hardens, break the mix into small pieces and then add in the M&M's and stir together.
6. Enjoy!

Think Spring-5 Garden Tools To Save You Time

msn

 Freedigitalphotos.net 

1. Hori-Hori Knife: Originally from Japan and used for digging Bonsai trees, this knife features a sharp, straight blade and is great for everything from weeding to planting. 
2. Ho-Mi: This tool from South Korea features a curved, sharp blade with three different options for the blade and handle. The Ho-Mi can be used for different tasks such as weeding and loosening the soil around plants.
3. Compost and Mulch Fork: This tool has 10 tines that are close together, making it perfect for flipping and turning both compost and mulch. It can also be used for moving leaves, stones, wood chips, etc.
4. Woodman's Pal: Do you need to clear an area of your yard for a garden? The Woodman's Pal, originating from the Army, is the perfect tool to do just that. Similar to both an ax and a machete, the Woodman's Pal has a long cutting blade with a hooked blade on the end. It can be used to cut through overgrown vegetation, trees, etc.
5. Lee Valley Power Rake: Needing to rake soil or have a big mulching job ahead of you? The Lee Valley Power Rake features 25 curved tines and a 5 foot handle, making yard work much easier on both you and your back.

Happy Friday

Real Estate Ad Terms And Lingo

realtor.com

Freerangestock.com

4B/2B: 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms

Assum.fin.: assumable financing

Closing costs: The entire package of expenses paid by the buyer and the seller when the real estate deal closes. These costs include the brokerage commission, mortgage-related fees, escrow or attorney's settlement charges, transfer taxes, recording fees, title insurance, etc. Closing costs are usually paid through escrow.

CMA: Comparative market analysis. A CMA is a report that shows prices of homes that are comparable to a subject home and that were recently sold, are currently on the market or were on the market, but not sold within the listing period.

Contingency: A provision of an agreement that keeps the agreement from being fully legally binding until a certain condition is met.

Dk: deck

Expansion pot'l: Expansion potential means that there is extra space on the lot or the possibility of adding a room or an upper level, subject to local zoning restrictions.

Fab pentrm: Fabulous pentroom, a room on top, but under the roof, that has great views.

FDR: Formal dining room

Fixture: Anything of value that is permanently attached to or a part of real property. Examples include light fixtures, window coverings, landscape, etc.

Frplc, fplc, FP: Fireplace

Gar: Garage

Grmet kit: Gourmet kitchen

HDW, HWF, Hdwd: Hardwood floors

Hi cells: High ceilings

In-law potential: Potential for a separate apartment, subject to local zoning restrictions.

Listing: An agreement between a Real Estate broker and a homeowner that allows the broker to market and arrange for the sale of the owner's home. Listing is also used to refer to the home for sale itself.

Lo dues: Low homeowner association's dues.

Lock box: Locked key-holding device placed on a home for sale so real estate professionals can gain access to the home after obtaining permission from the listing agent.

Lsd pkg: Leased parking area; may come with an additional cost.

MLS: Muliple listing service. This is a site which collects, compiles, and distributes information about homes listed for sale by its members, who are real estate brokers. Membership is not open to the general public, although selected MLS data may be sold to real estate sites.

nr bst schls: Near the best schools

pot'l: Potential

pvt: Private

Pwdr rm: Half bathroom or powder room

REALTOR: A real estate broker or sales associate who is a member of the National Association of Realtors. Not all real estate agents are realtors.

Title insurance: An insurance policy that protects a lender's or owner's interest in real property from assorted types of unexpected or fraudulent claims of ownership. Usually the buyer pays for the lender's title insurance policy.

upr: Upper floor

vw, vu, vws, vus: View

Spring Cleaning Hacks

Herald News-Home Life

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Posted By: Dawn Dause

• Go with the 80/20 rule: The 80/20 philosophy suggests that people really only use 20% of the things they own. When deciding what to keep and what to get rid of, think about what items you would replace right away  if they were ever lost or stolen; this will help you determine what your 20% to keep should be.
• Donate and schedule a pickup: Part of going through your belongings should involve donating some of your items, but often times people don't ever get these items out of their homes. Go online and schedule a pickup so that you ensure this gets done.
• Use vinegar: Vinegar is an amazing natural cleaning agent that has many uses. One use for vinegar is to tie a bag of vinegar around your showerhead and let it sit over night. This clears away gunk from the head and will also improve water pressure too. 
• Coffee filters and Coke clean too: You can use coffee filters to clean dust off of TV screens and Coke can be used to clean toilets. Pour Coke in the bowl, let it sit for an hour, and then flush.
• Consider doing a digital purge: Clear away any files on your computer or phone that you don't need such as duplicate pictures and then empty the recycle bin. 
• Update your passwords: Make your accounts more secure by updating your passwords with new ones that include both uppercase and lowercase letters as well as numbers. Have a lot of passwords to remember and keep track of? Consider using an encrypted database to store them for you.