www.almanac.com

Use this month to check your houseplants: divide and re-pot any pot-bound plants. Prune judiciously to create a compact, attractive specimen.

Keep holiday poinsettias in a sunny, cool location with high humidity.

If you have succulents such as jade, hoya, and sansevieria, they may be reluctant to bloom in the house. Grow them in a small pot and hold back the water. This may persuade them to flower.

Remove aphids from houseplants with a mixture of equal parts rubbing alcohol and water and add a drop of dishwashing detergent. Apply this to troubled plants with a soft brush.

Open the doors and windows when temperatures permit to give your house a change of air. This will benefit you and your houseplants.

Provide extra protection to houseplants on window sills if it is very cold. Place cardboard between the plants and the glass. Be sure the plants don’t touch the windowpanes.

Sponge off your plants or give them a good shower to remove the dust.

Force a winter bouquet from cut branches of forsythia, pussy willow, deutzia, wisteria, lilac, apple, peach, or pear. Bruise the cut ends and set them in water. Spray the branches frequently. Keep them in a cool place until they bloom, then move to a warmer area for display.

Check any bulbs and tubers you may have stored to determine if moisture is okay. Repack bulbs that seem too damp, discarding any moldy ones. If bulbs seem too dry, try moving them to another location.

Start a garden record book now, allowing space to record the dates of first and last frosts, sowing seeds, planting, transplanting, time of bloom, first fruits, fertilizing, problems with pests, and other information. Over a period of years, this will be an invaluable record.

Make a careful study this month of three important garden subjects: fertilizers, spraying, and best seed varieties.

Check with your county extension agent to find out whether your particular area really fits into the temperature range suggested by its garden zone. Though seed companies provide information about which zones are best for growing different varieties of plants, keep in mind that considerable variation may take place within each zone.

Plan your garden and make a diagram drawn to scale before placing your spring order.

Remember this rule of thumb for planning perennial gardens: The width of the garden should be about twice the height of the tallest plant growing in it.

Review your gardening chemicals and check for deteriorating containers. Consult local authorities for acceptable ways of disposing of chemicals you no longer use.

Organize, clean, oil, and sharpen garden tools. A splash of bright paint on tool handles will make them easier to spot out in the yard.

Examine your land in the stark winter days, looking for places where an evergreen might go nicely.

Visit a greenhouse or nursery near you and talk with the experts about your growing problems. Ask them about shrub varieties best for your conditions.

Remember to supply fresh water for the birds. Nuthatches, chickadees, cardinals, and juncos will enjoy any bread scraps you may have.

Gently shake or brush off snow-weighted branches that have no support. Heavy snow cover protects evergreen foliage from windburn, but too much weight will break branches.

Prune fruit trees now. The prunes can be gathered up into bundles to be used for kindling after they’ve dried.

Neatly trim any shrubs and hedges broken by snow. Finish all pruning of trees before the sap starts.

Examine willow and poplar trees for borers. Prune out any infested branches.

Repair all fences, arbors, and garden furniture before the real work of spring begins. In the south, prune early-flowering shrubs when they finish blooming.

Check roof edges for ice buildup, especially those areas you don’t see on a daily basis. Remember that shingles will be brittle now, so be careful if chipping is necessary.

Avoid walking over the same areas of your frozen lawn or you may find bald spots in the spring.

Plant lettuce in flats this month and harvest before it’s time to start some of the later seedlings. Artificial light may be required, but the air should not be too hot.

Start some annual flowers this month. Good picks include marigolds, sweet peas, stattice, impatiens, petunias, and snapdragons.

Choose some perennials to start now from seed. Delphinium, Shasta daisy, carnation, digitalis, and armeria are good choices.

Start geranium, begonia, vinca, and viola seeds now for spring and summer bloom. Begonia and vinca seeds are among the hardest to germinate, so don’t be discouraged if your success rate is low or irregular.

Avoid heavy traffic on your dormant lawn; dry grass is easily broken and damaged.

Remember to prune your houseplants regularly. Pinch back new growth to encourage bushier plants.

Group houseplants to increase humidity. Keep away from frosty windowsills.

Order seed catalogs early in the month. Research plants. Consider edible varieties that are drought-tolerant or disease-resistant.

Brush off heavy snow from your plants and trees.

Don’t forget winter birds! Put out water, seeds, and suet.

Remove any branches that have been damaged by ice or snow.

Check your fruit trees for any evidence of rodents; use traps where necessary.

If you use salt on your walkways or driveways, spread it carefully to avoid damaging any of your plants. Sand or sawdust is also a good alternative to salt.

Check your garden equipment. Repair and sharpen tools. Service equipment.

Start ordering seeds. Do not wait until late in the winter, as varieties may sell out early.

Start preparing your garden soil for spring planting. You can also prepare new soil for flower, rose, or shrub beds. Mix in organic material to give plants a healthy start.

Plant cool-weather vegetable seeds such as beets, carrots, chard, lettuce, leeks, peas, potatoes, radishes, spinach, and turnips.

Plant transplants such as artichokes, asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, chard, and lettuce.

Water lawns and gardens deeply once to twice a week, depending on the amount of rain. Don’t overwater!

Prune roses and fruit trees to allow more room for healthier growth.

Transplant bare root roses.

Fertilize winter lawns and your plants. Be sure not to over-fertilize as this could lead to rapid plant growth, which makes plants vulnerable to fungal diseases.

Fertilize your houseplants with a water-soluble fertilizer, and remember to water them. Be sure not to over-water as that can lead to plant diseases.

Control the weeds in your garden while they are young and tender, or before they sprout. Remove weeds before they seed, so you can avoid them in your garden.

If there is a possibility that the temperature will drop to the 20s, you should protect your plants from frost damage.

Test your lawn and garden soil for its pH levels. If your soil is too acidic, you have time to fix it before the growing season arrives.

Mark your favorite properties and get instant updates price changes,  new pictures and status changes.

As a Reno/Sparks Nevada real estate professional and property manager, I encourage all questions and comments on the Reno/Sparks real estate market or any of the articles posted in this blog. Please feel free to use my back door to the MLS and search the houses available in the Reno/Sparks and most Northwest Nevada neighborhoods. I can be reached by email @ chance@ballard-company.com http://www.myspace.com/chancegates .  You can also follow me at http://www.twitter.com/chancegates .  To checkout some of  my property manager services goto http://chancegates.com/property-management-services/

If you are behind on your house payment and looking for a loan modification, go to making homes affordable

If the modification fails, contact your local real estate professional to help short sale your home.  To make sure there is no deficiency judgment a homeowner might find it necessary to hire an attorney.

Caramel Pillows

These cookies aim to surprise. A delicious, simple shortbread wraps around a caramel candy.

Yield: About 3-1/2 dozen.

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 large egg white
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 21 chewy caramel candies, unwrapped and cut in half

Adjust rack to lower third of oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Using an electric mixer on medium-low speed, cream butter in a large bowl until smooth. Increase mixer speed to medium, add sugar, and mix until well combined and slightly fluffy. Lower mixer speed and add egg white and vanilla, then the flour in two additions, scraping down the sides and mixing until thoroughly combined.

Using 2 level teaspoonfuls of dough, form a flat disk in the palm of your hand. Center a caramel half on the dough and bring the dough up to cover it completely. Roll gently in hands to form a ball. Place balls 1 inch apart onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until cookies are set and no longer shiny but dull, and the bottoms are browned. Place baking sheets onto a wire rack and allow to cool completely before lifting cookies from parchment paper.

Chocolate Banana Bars

Yield: 24 bars

• cooking spray
• 1-1/3 cups sugar
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup margarine, at room temperature
• 2 containers of Eggbeaters (4 ounces each) or 4 whole eggs
• 4 medium ripe bananas, mashed
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup chocolate chips

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a 9×11-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray. Beat sugar, sour cream, margarine, and eggs in large bowl on low speed for 1 minute. Beat in bananas and vanilla on low speed for 30 seconds. Beat in flour, salt, and baking soda on medium speed for 1 minute. Stir in chocolate chips. Spread in the pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until light brown on top. Cool in pan. Cut 24 2-inch bars and dust with confectioners’ sugar before serving.

Old Farmer’s Almanac

Mark your favorite properties and get instant updates price changes,  new pictures and status changes.

As a Reno/Sparks Nevada real estate professional and property manager, I encourage all questions and comments on the Reno/Sparks real estate market or any of the articles posted in this blog. Please feel free to use my back door to the MLS and search the houses available in the Reno/Sparks and most Northwest Nevada neighborhoods. I can be reached by email @ chance@ballard-company.com http://www.myspace.com/chancegates .  You can also follow me at http://www.twitter.com/chancegates .  To checkout some of  my property manager services goto http://chancegates.com/property-management-services/

If you are behind on your house payment and looking for a loan modification, go to making homes affordable

If the modification fails, contact your local real estate professional to help short sale your home.  To make sure there is no deficiency judgment a homeowner might find it necessary to hire an attorney.

By: Laura Fisher Kaiser http://members.houselogic.com

Published: January 28, 2011

Carefully plan and plot your garden to add value to your home and make the most of your time and money.

So don’t impulsively drive to your garden center. Walk your land, consult an almanac, test the soil, and make a budget. You’ll save your back, your budget, and your home’s curb appeal.

Tip #1: Get to know your land

Before shelling out money for new plants, consider what’s thrived and died in past gardens. Ask, “Is this plant doing its job? Adding beauty? Providing shade? Creating borders?” Give a pink slip to landscaping that’s not pulling its weight.

If you’re a newcomer to gardening or to the area, scout the neighborhood to see which plants look happy and which wither on the vine.

Keep in mind that even plants appropriate for your growing zone might not work in your personal patch. Your particular soil conditions, sunlight patterns, pest populations, and available water will determine what will grow. Your local cooperative extension service can analyze your soil and recommend amendments and suitable plantings.

Tip #2: Become sun savvy

Even experienced gardeners make mistakes. They plant shade-loving plants in full sun or sun-loving plants in partial shade. Before planting anything in your garden, compare the amount of sunlight your landscaping needs for the amount you have.

Evaluating garden sunlight is tricky because daylight is a moving target: Seasons change and plants mature and cast different shadows.

So before plotting plant beds and tree locations, study the movement of the sun throughout the day and, if you have time, throughout the year. Calculate how many hours of sun each garden section receives. Then check planting directions to make sure your greenery will get what it needs.

Tip #3: Become water wise

Over-watering plants can kill your landscaping and budget. To avoid death by water, know how much and when your greens need to drink: Sales tags should have watering directions.

Drip hoses are thrifty ways to water plants, because the water goes directly to roots, drop by drop. Wind drip hoses around tree bases and bottoms of shrubs. Put hoses on automatic timers to avoid over-watering.

If you have an in-ground sprinkler system, install an ET (evapotranspiraton) controller. These systems, which use real-time weather data sent by satellite to control when sprinklers turn on and off, can cut water use by as much as 30%. The controller costs between $300 and $400, depending on system size, but many municipal water agencies offer rebates, particularly in the arid Southwest.

Tip # 4: Mulch much

Spreading a few inches of mulch in landscaping beds protects your plants and shrubs from drying out, and makes beds look tidy and uniform. Mulch also keeps down weeds and moderates soil temperature.

Organic mulches–grass clippings, wood chips, pine needles–eventually decompose and add vital nutrients to your soil and landscaping. Organics also encourage worm growth, nature’s own soil tillers and fertilizers.

Shredded bark mulch from the garden center provides a rich look for your beds, adding curb appeal. It also prevents dirt from splashing on leaves.

Tip #5: Color your garden

Stick to a simple color scheme for flowers and blooming shrubs in your garden. Your landscaping will look more cohesive and professional.

Massing plants of coordinated colors creates a sense of luxury and order. If you like pinks, add lavenders and blue-hued plants. If hot red is your color, mix with yellows and oranges.

Keeping to a single color family in your garden also narrows your focus when roaming plant center aisles. If you are a gardening newbie and can’t tell a tea rose from a trumpet vine, ask the store’s plant expert for help. Most will be glad to exchange their knowledge for a sale.

Also, gardening catalogs and websites often group complementary colors together. Some even provide a complete landscape plan, which you can faithfully recreate.

Tip #6: Avoid invaders

Ivies, grasses, and vines will fill in your garden quickly, and just as quickly take over your landscaping. Once these “invasives” take root, unearthing them is difficult, and in some cases, impossible.

Your garden center doesn’t call these spreaders “invasives.” They are billed as “fast growers” or “aggressives,” but often that’s code for non-native plants that take over the landscape and crowd out locals by stealing nutrients, light, and water.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture maintains a list of invasives that includes various ivies, grasses, weeds, vines, self-seeding varieties of bushes and shrubs, and even seemingly innocuous herbs, like mint. Your county extension service can steer you toward the species best suited to your garden. Warning: If you love growing mint, grow it in a pot on your deck or patio.

Tip #7: Beware of neighbors bearing green gifts

You should love thy neighbor, but don’t ever take cuttings from their gardens unless you know exactly what they are and how they grow. Self-seeding perennials, such as Black-Eyed Susans and coneflowers, will quickly fill bare spots with splashes of color. If you tire of them, just grab a spade and dig them out.

But if a neighbor extends a slender stalk of Rose of Sharon, or other invasive tree species, run away screaming. These trees will spread throughout your yard and grow roots so deep that only a professional–or the better part of your weekend–can dig and pull them out.

Tip #8: Plant shade trees for natural A/C

Shade trees planted on the south and west sides of a house reduce cooling bills–up to 25%–and lower net carbon emissions. So include shade trees in your landscaping plan.

Choose shade trees according to their size at maturity, which could be 20 years away. Dense deciduous trees–maples, poplars, cottonwoods–are good selections because their leaves cool your house in summer, and their bare branches let light in during winter. Plant them close enough to shade your house, but not so close that they will overwhelm the space.

If you want a faster growing shade tree, about 2 feet per year, select a northern red oak, Freeman maple, or tulip tree.

Tip #9: Power down your lawn mower

The Environmental Protection Agency says gas-powered lawn mowers contribute as much as 5% of the nation’s air pollution. Switching to new generation electric and push-reel mowers—which are lighter, quieter, and kinder to your lawn than power mowers—reduces emissions and cuts fuel consumption.

To mow three-quarters of an acre of grass with a power mower requires 1 gallon of gas. As gas prices head to $4 per gallon, you could save $100 a year by switching to a muscle-powered or electric machine. An electric or good push-reel mower costs $150 to $250, so it will quickly pay for itself.

Tip #10: Grade your landscaping

Once a year, walk your property, cast a hard eye on your garden beds and ask, “Is that plant doing its job? Is it growing into its space, or wandering wherever it likes? Are leaves healthy or spotted with mold and pests? Are these greens improving curb appeal or just making my house look overrun?”

If a plant or shrub isn’t working out, it’s compost. If shrubs are growing too close to your foundation–1 foot away is good–transplant or prune them.

Make sure trees are growing no closer to your house than the width of their mature canopies. Otherwise roots can burrow into foundations, and overhanging branches can trap moisture against the roof or siding, leading to rot and insect damage.

Check your flowering plants and shrubs to see if they are indeed flowering. Too few or dull blossoms should rally after a dose of fertilizer or layer of compost. An inexpensive alterative to commercial fertilizers is manure tea. Fill the foot of old pantyhose with a clump of cow or horse dung, tie the hose to the watering can handle, and let the manure steep in water. You can get weeks of nutrition from a little bit of dung.

Logging in allows you to save your favorite properties and get instant updates price changes,  new pictures and open houses on the property.

As a Reno/Sparks real estate professional, I encourage all questions and comments on the Reno/Sparks real estate market or any of the articles posted in this blog. Please feel free to use my back door to the MLS and search the houses available in the Reno/Sparks and most Northwest Nevada neighborhoods. I can be reached by email @ chance@ballard-company.comhttp://www.myspace.com/chancegates .  You can also follow me at http://www.twitter.com/chancegates .  If you are behind on your house payment and looking for a loan modification, go to making homes affordable For a free copy of my report   “5 Steps For Reno/Sparks Homeowners To Prevent Foreclosures” go to my about page http://chancegates.com/about and ask for more information on preventing foreclosures. or   to request a modification.  If the modification fails, contact your local real estate professional to help short sale your home.  To make sure there is no deficiency judgment a homeowner might find it necessary to hire an attorney.

By: Oliver Marks http://members.houselogic.com/articles/7-gardening-mistakes-to-avoid/preview/

Published: February 10, 2011

Even veteran gardeners make rookie mistakes, like giving plants too much water and too little space. Here are common garden blunders. Consider yourself warned.

It’s easy to misjudge and make a mess out of your landscaping. Here are seven common garden blunders, and how to avoid them.

Mistake #1: Too many changes, too soon

The excitement of buying a new home, plus a stretch of warm spring weather, often creates a passion for yard work. But don’t just do something, stand there! What looks like a spring weed might be a fall-blooming vine; that bare spot in March might reveal tulips in April.

Try this instead: Live with your land for a year. Observe how many hours of sunlight each part of your garden gets. Test the pH of your soil to determine if acid-loving or alkaline-loving plants will be happy in that particular patch of heaven. Observe when your lawn greens up in spring and becomes dormant in late summer.

The money and time you save by watching and waiting will be your own.

Mistake #2: Too much togetherness

Trees and shrubs that look properly spaced when you plant them will crowd each other and compete for water, sun, and nutrients in a few years. If you’re lucky, you can transplant some bushes; if you’re not, you’ll have to throw away starved shrubs.

Try this instead: Before digging, read spacing instructions. Give trees plenty of space–you can always fill in later. Stagger bushes and plants and create two rows, which will create more breathing room. The results will look absurdly sparse at first. But live with it. In a few years, your shrubs will fill empty spaces without suffocating each other.

Mistake #3: Planting without a plan

Planting new garden beds without a long-term landscape plan is like pouring a house foundation without blueprints. Your haste results in a waste of time, money, and muscles.

Try this instead: Draw a simple sketch of your yard–what’s there now and what you might add later, such as patios, outbuildings, and pools. Bone up on the trees and shrubs that grow best in your soil and climate. Go online and click around landscaping sites that help you pick plants and design beds.

Visit your local nursery or home improvement center where design staff can answer questions and make suggestions. Or hire a professional landscape designer to create a starter plan for as little as $250 to $500. Find a professional at the Association of Professional Landscape Designers or the American Society of Landscape Architects.

Mistake #4: Neglecting the root of it all

Even the hardiest plants need a little help putting down roots in new locations. Sprinkling the foliage doesn’t nourish the roots, the plant’s nerve center. You must deliver water to the root ball below the ground, or your plants will be stunted and short-lived.

Try this instead: Place the hose at the base of new bushes, trees, and plants and let the water trickle out for 20 to 30 minutes, twice a week (more during hot spells), for 4 to 12 weeks. Or snake a soaker hose ($20 for 50 feet) through your beds, which will deliver slow and steady water to roots.

Mistake #5: Forgetting the sun

Too many gardeners pick plants based only on looks, not the growing conditions plants require and the conditions that exist. Rookies will plant sun-loving perennials under an old oak tree or sun-shy hostas in the open. They look great for about a week, and then die.

Try this instead: Observing the spot where you’re going to put the plant and estimating the amount of sun it gets over the course of a day during the growing season. To translate that into the language on plant labels, use this key:

Mistake #6: Over-watering

An automatic irrigation system is a luxury that keeps your landscape hydrated throughout the growing season with almost no effort. Unfortunately, auto-watering can bring disease, root rot, and a premature death to plants; it also wastes water.

Many gardeners set watering timers for 15 to 20 minutes each morning, which wets the surface but doesn’t soak deeply to nourish roots of large trees and shrubs.

Try this instead: Water for 40 to 60 minutes only two to three times a week. Check with the company that maintains your irrigation system for local recommendations. A deeper soak also helps lawns develop deeper root systems.

Mistake #7: Budget blunders

Your landscaping can fall victim to construction bulldozers that park on lawns and dig too closely to trees and shrubs. New construction also demands rethinking your landscape plan to accommodate additions.

Unfortunately, many home owners don’t include landscaping in their construction budget. They end up with a beautiful new family room, screened porch, or solarium, and a few lonely azaleas planted around the foundation as an afterthought.

Try this instead: Allocate 10% to 20% of your construction budget to the landscape—both hardscaping and plants. If your construction spreadsheet can’t stand another line item, make a plan to landscape–in stages, if necessary–as soon as possible after construction is completed.

Logging in allows you to save your favorite properties and get instant updates price changes,  new pictures and open houses on the property.

As a Reno/Sparks real estate professional, I encourage all questions and comments on the Reno/Sparks real estate market or any of the articles posted in this blog. Please feel free to use my back door to the MLS and search the houses available in the Reno/Sparks and most Northwest Nevada neighborhoods. I can be reached by email @ chance@ballard-company.comhttp://www.myspace.com/chancegates .  You can also follow me at http://www.twitter.com/chancegates .  If you are behind on your house payment and looking for a loan modification, go to making homes affordable For a free copy of my report   “5 Steps For Reno/Sparks Homeowners To Prevent Foreclosures” go to my about page http://chancegates.com/about and ask for more information on preventing foreclosures. or   to request a modification.  If the modification fails, contact your local real estate professional to help short sale your home.  To make sure there is no deficiency judgment a homeowner might find it necessary to hire an attorney.

http://rismedia.com/lowes/8355/12119

RISMEDIA, January 13, 2011—Every New Year, millions of Americans resolve to improve their lives. Unfortunately, many of these New Year’s resolutions will fall by the wayside and by mid-month, they will have been forgotten. For those vowing to get their finances in order, Eleanor Blayney, CFP, consumer advocate for Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc., has a solution for making sure financial to-do lists get done in 2011: start over and keep it simple.

“The key to keeping financial New Year’s resolutions is to apply the principle of ‘little and often,’” said Blayney. “Grandiose goals need to be whittled down into goals with specific, actionable steps, and there must be a commitment to updating these new goals frequently.”

According to Blayney, the usual financial resolutions can be given new life as smaller and more attainable “Re-Solutions” for 2011. For example:

• Live within your means: Turn this goal into a reachable action by committing to avoid all overdraft and late fees in 2011. Keeping monthly tabs on current account balances and credit card payment dates is an easy, simple way to avoid these fees.

• Get out of debt: Breaking this goal into baby steps can change this resolution into a big financial stride forward. Start by paying off more than required on credit cards, auto loans and mortgage – even if it is only a few dollars. Use auto-pay systems to make regular extra payments, and increase the amount of the payments at regular intervals. Once the auto-transfers are set up, the goal will begin to take care of itself.

• Save more: Here is another resolution that is best accomplished a bit at a time. For working Americans, there is no excuse for not having money to save this year, thanks to a recent tax change. Starting with the first paychecks in 2011, the amount of employee contribution to Social Security will go down by 2%, giving most individuals a slight increase in their take-home pay (at $50,000 annual gross wages, paid every two weeks, it will amount to about $38 per paycheck). Have this money automatically put into a money market account. After a year, the account will have accumulated around $1,000, which can be invested or used as an emergency fund.

• Prepare a will: This is a perennial “must-do” for many New Year’s resolvers, but one that is rarely kept. There seem to be so many “what ifs” that people often feel overwhelmed. By applying the “little and often” rule, this important task can be broken down and completed. First, understand that estate planning is a not a one-time event, but a lifelong process. Wills, trusts and beneficiary designations will need to be reviewed and adjusted to changing life circumstances every few years. Second, when creating an estate plan, forget about the “what ifs,” and keep the focus narrow. The only question that needs to be answered is: “If I died today, how should my affairs be handled?”

As a Reno/Sparks real estate professional, I encourage all questions and comments on the Reno/Sparks real estate market or any of the articles posted in this blog. Please feel free to use my back door to the MLS and search the houses available in the Reno/Sparks and most Northwest Nevada neighborhoods. I can be reached by email @ chance@ballard-company.com or  http://www.myspace.com/chancegates .  You can also follow me at http://www.twitter.com/chancegates .  If you are behind on your house payment and looking for a loan modification, go to making homes affordable to request a modification.  If the modification fails, contact your local real estate professional to help short sale your home.  To make sure there is no deficiency judgment a homeowner might find it necessary to hire an attorney. For a free copy of my blog titled  “5 Steps For Reno/Sparks Homeowners To Prevent Foreclosures” go to my about page

By Stephanie Andre
RISMEDIA, October 30, 2010—This year has certainly flown by, and now, with the fall in full swing, it’s a great time to start prepping your home before winter strikes. From water leaks to the chimney, it’s better to be ready for the cold season…before it hits.Here, State Farm offers up some fall maintenance tips for your home:Check all window and door locks for proper operation* Windows that can be opened by breaking the glass and unlocking them, are less effective deterrents to criminals. Check with the hardware store for window lock alternatives.* All exterior doors should have deadbolt locks.Make sure there are working nightlights at the top and bottom of all stairs
Other safety ideas for stairs:* Tile and painted wood or concrete stairs can be slippery when wet or when a person’s shoes are wet. Resurface the treads with slip-resistant strips near the stair nosing.* All stairs of at least three risers should have a handrail.* Do not store items on the stairs.Have a heating professional check your heating system every year
Woodburning stove connector pipes and chimneys should be inspected by a certified chimney sweep at least annually.Replace your furnace filter
Furnace filters need to be replaced frequently to allow your heating and cooling systems to operate properly.Run all gas-powered lawn equipment until the fuel tank is empty
By doing this, you are removing flammable liquid storage from your garage. At the same time, make sure you aren’t storing dirty, oily rags in a pile. They can ignite spontaneously.Have a certified chimney sweep inspect and clean the flues and check your fireplace damper
Soot and creosote, which build up inside the chimney, can ignite when a fire is lit in the fireplace.Remove bird nests from chimney flues and outdoor electrical fixtures
Bird nests on top of light fixtures are a fire hazard. Bird nests in chimney flues can prevent a proper venting of combustion gases and can catch fire from sparks. You should exercise great caution when working on your roof or consider hiring a qualified professional to take care of any work that needs to be done.Make sure the caulking around doors and windows is adequate to reduce heat/cooling loss
Check glazing for loose or missing putty or glazing compound. This will also help reduce water damage to the windows and door frames.Make sure that the caulking around your bathroom fixtures is adequate to prevent water from seeping into the sub-flooringCheck for cracked or missing caulk around the base of your toilet, bath tub, and bathroom cabinets. Properly sealing gaps between your bathroom fixtures and flooring material can prevent damage

As a Reno/Sparks real estate professional, I encourage all questions and comments on the Reno/Sparks real estate market or any of the articles posted in this blog. Please feel free to use my back door to the MLS and search the houses available in the Reno/Sparks and most Northwest Nevada neighborhoods. I can be reached by email @ chance@ballard-company.com or  http://www.myspace.com/chancegates .  You can also follow me at http://www.twitter.com/chancegates .  If you are behind on your house payment and looking for a loan modification, go to making homes affordable to request a modification.  If the modification fails, contact your local real estate professional to help short sale your home.  To make sure there is no deficiency judgment a homeowner might find it necessary to hire an attorney. For a free copy of my blog titled  “5 Steps For Reno/Sparks Homeowners To Prevent Foreclosures” go to my about page http://chancegates.com/about and ask for more information on preventing foreclosures.

Image via Wikipedia

By Stephanie Andre

RISMEDIA, October 1, 2010–While the “green” movement may have slowed down slightly, similar to the economy, it is still alive and well.

More homeowners are opting to stay in their current homes, and many of them are turning to eco-friendly products and contractors for a variety of reasons: some are environmentally conscious while others have allergies or are chemically sensitive.

Whatever the reason for remodeling, almost everyone agrees that lowering their energy consumption and their electricity and water bills is important.

KitchenRemodeling.net offers six ways people can make their homes greener when kitchen remodeling.

1. Choose energy-efficient appliances. When purchasing a new refrigerator, dishwasher or other appliances, choose ones that are certified energy efficient. Use the water and energy-saving settings as often as possible. Plus, some states offer rebates for homeowners who use energy-efficient models.

2. Install energy-efficient lighting. When working on the kitchen remodel design in their new space, homeowners can increase their natural light to cut down on the need for electricity. But some bulbs will be needed. Choose fixtures that are compatible with compact fluorescents (CFLs), which save 75% of the electricity that incandescent bulbs use. These are slightly higher in initial price but last eight times as long and will significantly cut down on energy bills.

3. Purchase green kitchen cupboards and cabinets. There are more eco-friendly kitchen cupboards and cabinets available today than ever before. These are constructed of rapidly renewable resources or recycled materials. People remodeling their kitchen should ask their contractor about wheatboard, bamboo and other green cabinet products. Additionally, they should inquire about water-based adhesives and finishes.

4. Choose green products when kitchen remodeling. For flooring, cork is highly durable, comfortable and an excellent insulator of sound and heat. Cork is also hypoallergenic and environmentally friendly. Concrete is excellent for flooring, countertops and other areas because it does not have harmful fumes, glues or laminates. For countertops and backsplashes, homeowners can choose from a variety of durable and attractive eco-friendly options, such as vertrazzo and recycled glass tiles.

5. Remodel with hypoallergenic materials. These materials are not toxic, like some building materials, and will not lead to harmful indoor air quality. Homeowners should look for low-toxicity finishes and surfaces, and water-based adhesives and finishes without synthetic formaldehyde resins. Paints should have low-VOC or no-VOC (volatile organic compounds).

6. Choose green kitchen remodeling contractors. When a homeowner is getting quotes from contractors, they should inquire about their products and building methods to ensure they are eco-friendly. Increasingly, contractors are becoming more conscious of their materials and methods and will be able to meet a homeowner’s needs.

As a Reno/Sparks real estate professional, I encourage all questions and comments on the Reno/Sparks real estate market or any of the articles posted in this blog. Please feel free to use my back door to the MLS and search the houses available in the Reno/Sparks and most Northwest Nevada neighborhoods. I can be reached by email @ chance@ballard-company.com or  http://www.myspace.com/chancegates .  You can also follow me at http://www.twitter.com/chancegates .  If you are behind on your house payment and looking for a loan modification, go to making homes affordable to request a modification.  If the modification fails, contact your local real estate professional to help short sale your home.  To make sure there is no deficiency judgment a homeowner might find it necessary to hire an attorney.

Image by bill barber via Flickr

By Stephanie Andre

RISMEDIA, September 10, 2010–Now that fall is fast approaching, it’s time to start thinking about preparing your lawn for the winter months and even the spring.

According to TruGreen, it’s important that homeowners understand how to care for their lawns, trees and shrubs in fall before the end of the growing season. The experts at TruGreen offer five fall green space tips to homeowners to better prepare their outdoor living rooms for spring’s vigorous growth.

ASSESS
Thoroughly walk your property and inspect lawn, trees and shrubs as these plants prepare for dormancy in late fall and early winter. Identify problem areas in need of treatment, pruning or replacement. Note patchy areas, where grass has thinned out or is in need of valuable nutrients and appears as light green. Also look for weed and pest infestations and overgrown shrubs and trees, especially those with the potential for interfering with roof and power lines. Consider a qualified expert, such as TruGreen, to properly gauge your lawn and landscape needs.

AERATE & PRUNE
Help your lawn breathe through fall core aeration to strengthen roots and to prepare for a hardy spring workout. Conduct corrective pruning of trees and shrubs in fall to enhance plant appearance and vigor, and thin rather than top-shear and overgrown shrubs and flowering trees to preserve their overall shape.

REPLACE
Fall’s favorable weather conditions, as well as moist and warm soil temperatures, create the ideal opportunity for successful seeding of bare lawn areas and overseeding of healthy grass to improve your lawn thickness and density. Replace dead or floundering plants in fall for a healthier landscape and improved curb appeal in spring.

MOW & MULCH
Mow your lawn into the fall and avoid removing more than one-third of the leaf blades with each cut. Return grass clippings and back to the soil for added lawn nutrients and use tree leaf compost to nourish plants.

FEED
A good fall feeding gives roots of lawns, trees and shrubs the energy needed to prepare for a healthy spring green revival. Keep fertilizer on target to prevent run-off and sweep fertilizer granules that may reach pavement back onto your lawn. Use a trained specialist, such as TruGreen, for insect and disease control measures customized to your region to help trees and shrubs thrive.

As a Reno/Sparks real estate professional, I encourage all questions and comments on the Reno/Sparks real estate market or any of the articles posted in this blog.  Please feel free to use my back door to the MLS and search the houses available in the Reno/Sparks and most of Northwest Nevada neighborhoods.  I can be reached by email @  chance at ballard-company.com or http://www.myspace.com/chancegates

RISMEDIA, August 28, 2010–Got a hundred bucks and a free weekend? Then you’ve got what it takes to invest in some yard care improvements.

“Some of the best upgrades to your yard can be done with a few dollars and a few hours,” says Trey Rogers, Ph.D., the Briggs & Stratton Yard Doctor. “When budgets are tight, get creative and do it yourself.”

For those who’d like one-on-one advice from Rogers, enter the Yard Smarts Boot Camp. Attendees will learn how to easily take care of their yard, tour amazing green spaces and win a new lawn mower and more. Visit www.yardsmarts.com to enter.

What can you do for $100 right now?

– Mow the right way. Don’t scalp your lawn. Instead, let it grow a little longer, which is healthy for the lawn. When you mow, cut only one-third the length of the grass blade. Cost: About $3.00 for a month of mowing.
– Apply bark mulch. Few things dress up a yard more than mulch around flowerbeds and trees. Cost: About $3.00 per bag.
– Fertilize naturally. When you mow, leave a light layer of grass clippings on the lawn as a natural fertilizer. Cost: $0.
– Maintain your mower. Once a year, change the oil, replace the spark plug and change the filter. Tune-up kits are available and make it\ easy. Cost: $10-14 for a walk-behind mower.
– Let nature water your lawn. If water is costly where you live, let nature handle irrigation. If too little rain falls, your lawn may go dormant, but unless you are in a drought situation, it will green up
again when the rain falls. Cost: $0.

With the rest of your $100 bill, splurge on some annual flowers to dress up your front doorway, patio or deck.As a Reno/Sparks real estate professional, I encourage all questions and comments on the Reno/Sparks real estate market or any of the articles posted in this blog.  Please feel free to use my back door to the MLS and search house available in the Reno/Sparks and all Northwest Nevada neighborhoods.  I can be reached by email @  chance at ballard-company.com or http://www.myspace.com/chancegates

Image via Wikipedia

RISMEDIA, August 25, 2010–Consumers with strong financial knowledge begin saving earlier and are more confident in their everyday financial tasks, according to the TD Bank Financial Literacy Poll released by TD Bank.

Education at an early age is key to achieving financial confidence. Many consumers doubt their financial skills and believe they were not taught enough at a young age and feel saving money is difficult. TD Bank surveyed 2,160 consumers to better understand the financial literacy and attitudes of consumers in the Northeast, Florida and Mid-Atlantic.

“The poll reveals that it is imperative for parents to act as the primary role model to their children if they want financially successful children,” says Suzanne Poole, executive vice president, retail sales strategy and distribution, TD Bank. “Starting financial literacy lessons early results in adults who are more confident in their money decisions, are more financially literate and are more skilled at saving money.”

Who is Your Financial Role Model?
Although this is not an easy question to answer, more than one-quarter of consumers struggled to identify any financial role models. The poll also revealed the primary sources for financial information and help in managing finances. Forty percent of consumers in the Northeast and 38% in the Washington, D.C. region turn to family members for financial advice; while Warren Buffet and famous financiers often edge ahead of financial advisors. In fact, only about one-quarter of the consumers surveyed have a financial advisor or financial planner.

Consumers with “good” financial literacy started learning about money slightly earlier than the average consumer, but only one-half of consumers started learning or having conversations about money under the age of 18. From those who did start learning about savings at a young age, 77% of New Englanders, 80% of Mid-Atlantic residents and 78% of Floridians say they learned from their parents.

Financial firsts are important to financial literacy confidence and education. Although most polled, about 70%, can remember opening their first bank account, only half can remember their first deposit or investment. However, those with “good” financial literacy, about 57%, could recall their first deposit amount.

“TD Bank believes it is important to not only start having financial conversations at a young age, but to also make those first financial experiences memorable,” said Poole. “More than 22 years ago, we created the WOW!Zone, a free, financial literacy program to help children ages 5-18 develop strong financial skills, in school and online. It is a great tool for parents to use to make learning about money fun!”

Responsibility and budgeting are taking a more prominent place at the dinner table today than when parents were younger. Sixty-two percent of parents versus 77% of children today learned about the importance of money. About 75% of parents are teaching their children about financial responsibility as well as saving, budgeting, the value of money, credit cards, etc., while only about 15% of parents were taught about investments and only about 20% learned how to use a credit card.

Poole added, “Today’s children are not learning about money that differently than their parents did. Parents today are taking primary responsibility in financial education. Parents should ask themselves if they are the financial role model they need to be. Starting young is not the only key to success. We found that the topics parents talk about and creating memorable financial moments matter, too.”

Other key findings from the survey include:

• About 94% of those polled with “poor” financial literacy skills wished saving money wasn’t so hard versus 65% with “good” skills.
• About 40% of consumers in New England, the Mid-Atlantic and Florida with “poor” financial literacy skills are confident in making financial decisions versus 93% with “good” skills.
• About 81% of those surveyed wished they would have started saving earlier, and about 55% of them were definitely not taught when young.
• 71% of consumers in the New England, Mid-Atlantic and Florida regions are confident in their understanding of everyday financial tasks such as paying bills on time, followed by balancing their checkbook.

The majority of consumers in the New England, Mid-Atlantic and Florida regions are either extremely confident or very confident in financially preparing their children; consumers responded that responsibility, saving money and budgeting money are the most important topics to teach children today.

As a Reno/Sparks real estate professional, I encourage all questions and comments on the Reno/Sparks real estate market or any of the articles posted in this blog. I have free access to the MLS and you can email me @  chance at ballard-company.com or http://www.myspace.com/chancegates