Pillar To Post: EPA Renovators, Remodelers and Painters Rule

Post Tip:

Unlocked or improperly locked doors and windows are responsible for nearly half of all home break-ins, according to the Home Safety Council. You can upgrade your locking system by adding a surface-mount, rim-mount or vertical deadbolt lock. Better yet, choose a door with a multi-point locking system that engages the door frame at three points instead of just one.

 

 

In today’s real estate market, sellers need additional advice on how to cost-effectively prepare their homes in order to sell quickly. With an abundance of homes on the market, waiting several months to sell a home could leave many recession-plagued sellers in financial distress.

For example, in October 2008 the median existing home price was the lowest since March 2004 at $183,200. This means that a home owner who lived in his home for 4-1/2 years is seeing the value of the home as the same or less as when the home was bought (CNNMoney.com, November 2008).

The good news is that although some homes may need extensive upgrades or renovations, many may only require simple changes. For a limited cost, or no cost at all, home sellers can fix their homes to appear more appealing to prospective buyers.

Here are some quick, and inexpensive, fixes to sell a home more quickly:

· Focus on outdoor aesthetics. Cut back overgrown shrubs and plants. Hose down a dusty dirty house. Sweep the driveway, sidewalk and any stairs. Cost: $00.00

· Eliminate odors. Before showing the house, open windows to let fresh air in; use air fresheners or baking soda to rid odors; sprinkle baking soda on the carpet and leave it for at least 10 minutes to make carpets smell clean. Cost: approximately $15.

· Wash windows. Purchase a window cleaning product to avoid professional costs. Clean windows make a home look well-kept and outdoor views more crisp. Cost: approximately $25.

In addition, consider scheduling a prelisting home inspection, an inspection conducted prior to putting the home on the market. These early inspections aid homeowners in identifying problem areas that can be easily repaired. For example, existing electrical, heating, or plumbing systems may need to be upgraded, or mold growth in a basement may require professional advice on how to eliminate dampness.

The home inspector can also suggest additional work to be done and what could be postponed. And, remember, a home inspector is an objective third party consultant who does not stand to profit from work suggested. A good assessment of the current state of a home and its systems will allow for more accurate planning and estimating, as homeowners prepare a home to sell.

Pretty cool windows short cut keys:

CTRL and A Selects all the items in the active window.
CTRL and C Copies the item or items to the Clipboard and can be pasted using CTRL and V.
CTRL and F Displays the Find all files dialog box.
CTRL and G Displays the Go to folder dialog box.
CTRL and N Displays the New dialog box.
CTRL and O Displays the Open dialog box.
CTRL and P Displays the Print dialog box.
CTRL and S Displays the Save dialog box.
CTRL and V Pastes the copied item or items from the Clipboard.
CTRL and X Cuts the item or items selected to the Clipboard.
CTRL and Z Undoes the last action.
CTRL and F4 Closes the active document window.
CTRL while dragging an item Copy the selected item
CTRL+SHIFT with arrow keys Highlight a block of text
CTRL+F4 Close the active document
CTRL+ESC Display the Start menu
CTRL and F6 Opens the next document window in the active application.
ALT+ENTER View the properties for the selected item
ALT+F4 Close the active item, or quit the active program
ALT+SPACEBAR Open the shortcut menu for the active window
ALT+TAB Switch between the open items
ALT+ESC Cycle through items in the order that they had been opened
F1 key Gives help on the active window or selected item.
F2 key Rename the selected item
F3 key Search for a file or a folder
F4 key Display the Address bar list in My Computer or Windows Explorer
F5 key Update the active window
F6 key Cycle through the screen elements in a window or on the desktop
F10 key Activate the menu bar in the active program
Windows Logo Display or hide the Start menu
Windows Logo+PAUSE Display the System Properties dialog box
Windows Logo+D Display the desktop
Windows Logo+M Minimize all of the windows
Windows Logo+SHIFT+M Restore the minimized windows
Windows Logo+E Open My Computer
Windows Logo+F Search for a file or a folder
CTRL+Windows Logo+F Search for computers
Windows Logo+F1 Display Windows Help
Windows Logo+ L Lock the keyboard
Windows Logo+R Open the Run dialog box
Windows Logo+U Open Utility Manager
TAB Move forward through the options
SHIFT+TAB Move backward through the options
CTRL+TAB Move forward through the tabs
CTRL+SHIFT+TAB Move backward through the tabs
ALT+Underlined letter Perform the corresponding command or select the corresponding option
ENTER Perform the command for the active option or button
SPACEBAR Select or clear the check box if the active option is a check box
F1 key Display Help
F4 key Display the items in the active list
Arrow keys Select a button if the active option is a group of option buttons
BACKSPACE Open a folder one level up if a folder is selected in the Save As or Open dialog box
END Display the bottom of the active window
HOME Display the top of the active window
NUM LOCK+Asterisk sign (*) Display all of the subfolders that are under the selected folder
NUM LOCK+Plus sign (+) Display the contents of the selected folder
NUM LOCK+Minus sign (-) Collapse the selected folder
LEFT ARROW Collapse the current selection if it is expanded, or select the parent folder
RIGHT ARROW Display the current selection if it is collapsed, or select the first subfolder

 

Pillar to Post Aurora is proud to offer the local real estate community EIFS (Exterior Insulation and Finish System) and traditional stucco inspections.  Our inspections adhere to the very stringent EDI (Exterior Design Institute http://www.exterior-design-inst.com/) and MoistureFree Warranty Corporation (http://www.moisturewarranty.com/homeowners/homeowners.htm) Inspection Protocol. 

EIFS (aka synthetic stucco) can be an outstanding exterior cladding system IF it is installed correctly and the manufacture's specifications are followed exactly.  Many problems with EIFS begin when general contractors and installers aren't familiar with the system, its components, or the methods used to properly apply the exterior cladding. When installed properly, home owners typically report a 25%-40% reduction in their energy bills due to the higher insulation value of their walls. The method by which synthetic stucco reduces heat loss/gain is 2 fold. Primarily, it's insulation prevents heat penetration through walls, and secondarily, acts as an air barrier -- preventing air flow and therefore heat transfer. This means that less heat is lost during the cold season, and less heat penetrates into your home during the warm season -- a double benefit for those living in Colorado! Looking at a typical annual heating/cooling bill of around $2,500.00 and a minimum of 25% reduction, the average home owner can expect to get back $625.00 every year.

1. Insulation board.

2. An adhesive and/or mechanical attachment of the insulation board to a substrate.

3. Glass fiber reinforcing mesh.

4. Basecoat on the face of the insulation board.

5. A textured protective finish coat.

Within the EIFS community there are two primary synthetic stucco systems:

1) A drainage system is an exterior insulation and finish system with the above elements combined with a means by which water, that has entered the assembly, is allowed to exit the wall cavity.

2) The typical barrier type EIFS installation includes the substrate, polystyrene foam board fastened or glued to the substrate, fiberglass reinforcement mesh, base coat (usually 1/16 to 1/4 inches thick and then a finish coast.

I would love to work with you and your clients - if you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact me through this site or email at thomas.recke@pillartopost.com

Thank you for your time!

 

THINGS YOU NEVER KNEW YOUR CELL PHONE COULD DO
 

There are a few things that can be done in times of grave emergencies. Your mobile phone can actually be a life saver or an emergency tool for survival. Check out the things that you can do with it:

1. Emergency

The Emergency Number worldwide for Mobile is 112. If you find yourself out of the coverage area of your mobile; network and there is an emergency, dial 112, and the mobile will search any existing network to establish the emergency number for you. Interestingly, this number, 112, can be dialed even if the keypad is locked. Try it out.

2. Have you locked your keys in the car?

Does your car have remote keyless entry? This may come in handy someday. If you lock your keys in the car, and the spare keys are at home, call someone at home on their cell phone from your cell phone. Hold your cell phone about a foot from your car door and have the person at your home press the unlock button, holding it near the mobile phone on their end. Your car will unlock. Saves someone from having to drive your keys to you. Distance is no object. You could be hundreds of miles away, but if you can reach someone who has the other "remote" for your car, you can unlock the doors (or the trunk).

Editor's Note: It works fine! We tried it out, and it unlocked our car over a cell phone!"

3. Hidden Battery Power

Imagine your cell battery is very low. To activate, press the keys *3370#

Your cell will restart with this reserve, and the instrument will show a 50% increase in battery. This reserve will get charged when you charge your cell the next time.

4. How to disable a STOLEN mobile phone?

To check your Mobile phone's serial number, key in the following digits on your phone: *#06#

A 15 digit code will appear on the screen. This number is unique to your handset. Write it down and keep it somewhere safe. If your phone gets stolen, you can phone your service provider and give them this code. They will then be able to block your handset so even if the thief changes the SIM card, your phone will be totally useless.

You probably won't get your phone back, but at least you know that whoever stole it can't use/sell it either. If everybody does this, there would be no point in people stealing mobile phones.

5. Free Information Calls

Cell phone companies are charging us $1.00 to $1.75 or more for 411 information calls when they don't have to.

Most of us do not carry a telephone directory in our vehicle, which makes this situation even more of a problem. When you need to use the 411 information option, simply dial: (800) FREE 411, or (800) 373-3411 without incurring any charge at all. Program this into your cell phone now.