joycethomas: How Many Bathrooms Does Your Family Need?
- 02/11/19 02:36 PM
For some families, sharing a bathroom is a normal part of everyday life that rarely causes problems, but for others, sharing a bathroom is a source of endless conflict. When shopping for a new home, think carefully about the number of bathrooms you need.
Full Bathrooms
It’s generally a good idea to have at least one full bathroom (including a tub or shower) for every two people. That can help you avoid lines and frustration, particularly when people are getting ready for work and school.
If you have children, personalities and genders will influence your homebuying decision. If your kids frequently fight over sharing … (3 comments)
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joycethomas: How to Get Your Kids to Help With Chores
- 02/11/19 01:29 PM
Raising a family means dealing with laundry, cooking, cleaning and other chores. Parents often feel overwhelmed and struggle to get their kids to help out, but it doesn’t need to be that way.
Start Early
Young kids have a natural desire to spend time with their family members and to participate in activities. If your children want to help, find things they can do to contribute in a meaningful way. Letting kids dry dishes or put clothes in the washer can make them feel important, provide a sense of accomplishment and promote teamwork. Allowing a toddler to help might require more time or … (2 comments)
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joycethomas: 6 Ways to Efficiently Declutter Your Home
- 02/11/19 12:00 PM
Does your home look like a storage locker or a pack rat’s dream? If so, it’s time to purge, declutter, and refresh. As your local real estate professional, I want to share with you this insightful infographic on how to efficiently and easily declutter your home. All without feeling overwhelmed, of course.
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joycethomas: 5 Common Urban Myths in Real Estate
- 02/08/19 02:39 PM
There are many urban myths when it comes to real estate, and as your local real estate professional I thought I should help debunk some of these. This compact infographic will detail the reality behind five common myths in real estate.
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joycethomas: A Garden To-Do List You Can Start Right Now
- 02/08/19 01:55 PM
Now that February has arrived, homeowners are anticipating the upcoming spring season and everything that comes along with it.
Warmer temperatures are on their way. By mid-February, colder zones throughout the country will be approaching the last frost of the season, making it the perfect time for homeowners in frost-free zones to begin taking care of the lawn and garden chores that mark the beginning of the growing season.
Since February is known for unpredictable weather, be sure to watch the forecasts for late frosts. But for most of us, says Today’s Homeowner host Danny Lipford, most plants are beginning to stir from … (0 comments)
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joycethomas: What’s the Best Asking Price for Your Home?
- 02/08/19 12:11 PM
In determining your asking price, you need to consider why you have chosen to put your home on the market. In most cases, the higher the asking price, the longer it takes for the home to sell. As your local real estate professional, I thought you’d benefit from this infographic illustrating how to make sure you don’t overprice your home, since these homes tend to not be as competitive in the market.
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joycethomas: What to Do If You’ve Received a Foreclosure Notice
- 02/07/19 02:25 PM
When you bought your home, you expected to be able to pay your mortgage on time, but a job loss, pay cut, divorce, illness, injury or death in the family might have left you unable to cover all your expenses. If you’ve received a dreaded foreclosure notice, you might not want to talk to your lender, but that is exactly what you should do—immediately. Your lender would rather continue to receive payments from you, even smaller ones, than take your house in foreclosure, sell it and possibly lose money.
Have an Honest Discussion
Call your lender and explain your financial situation and what … (4 comments)
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joycethomas: Tips on How to Organize Your Garage
- 02/07/19 01:29 PM
A garage is an excellent place for storage, but things are often put there and forgotten. This can result in a disorganized mess that makes it difficult to find room for vehicles and other important items. If your garage could use some organization, you need a strategy.
Get Help and Make a Plan
First, realize that organizing a garage is a task that will take a lot of time and effort. Set aside at least two consecutive days and find people to help you. Dividing the work among several people and multiple days will make it more manageable and less stressful, which means … (3 comments)
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joycethomas: Ways to Keep Your Utility Bills in Check
- 02/07/19 11:56 AM
Utility bills are often much higher than they should be. By making some simple changes, you can keep your house comfortable and significantly reduce your monthly energy bills.
Lower Heating Costs
Heating and cooling are responsible for a large chunk of utility bills. In the winter, you can save money by lowering the temperature on your thermostat. Even a change of two or three degrees can result in substantial savings over the course of a year. You can install a programmable thermostat to automatically lower the temperature when the house is unoccupied and raise it to the temperature your family prefers shortly before … (0 comments)
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joycethomas: Using the Light Approach to Sell Your Home
- 02/06/19 02:26 PM
You want house hunters to see the beauty of your home, and that can’t be done if your rooms are dark or poor lighting make them appear gloomy.
That’s why it’s a good idea to invest in some lighting when putting your home on the market in order to create a home with as much natural light coming in as possible. The right combo of natural night, lamps and other sources of light can really make a home stand out.
Start by looking at how much natural light you can get inside a room. Many people have drapes, shades and heavy curtains up, … (0 comments)
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joycethomas: Moving Checklist
- 02/06/19 01:14 PM
Moving can be a hassle, especially when we fear we’re forgetting something. This moving checklist infographic will help keep you on track as well as informing you of deductibles that could apply to you.
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joycethomas: How to Help Your Child Adjust to a New School
- 02/06/19 11:31 AM
Changing schools is a major adjustment for kids. When a child and their classmates graduate and move to a new school together, everyone is in the same boat. When a family moves to a new area and a child must adjust to a new school and group of peers, the transition can be more challenging.
Help Your Child Prepare
Visit the school in advance so your child can find their classroom, the bathrooms and the cafeteria. If there’s an orientation before the beginning of the school year, be sure to attend. If your child is transferring after the academic year has started, ask … (2 comments)
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joycethomas: When Should You Start Saving for Your Children’s College Education?
- 02/05/19 03:08 PM
If you have or plan to have children, you want them to have a bright future and to be successful and financially secure. That may mean that you hope (or expect) that they will obtain a college degree. With tuition and other costs steadily climbing every year, many parents worry that they won’t be able to afford to pay for their children’s college education.
Set Clear Priorities
Before you start saving for college, you need to get your finances in order in other areas. Make sure you have an emergency fund with enough money to cover at least three months’ worth of expenses … (1 comments)
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joycethomas: 4 Steps to Creating a Memorable First Impression
- 02/05/19 02:16 PM
When it comes to getting your home sold, a positive first impression can make all the difference. Take a look at these four tips to help your home stand out from the competition.
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joycethomas: Eco-Friendly Tips to Transform Your Home
- 02/05/19 12:55 PM
As more people become aware of their carbon footprint, many are looking for home interior alternatives that allow them to live consciously while still creating a beautiful home. You’ll feel better about your home knowing it’s environmentally friendly. This infographic breaks down the different ways in which you can turn your eco-friendly on in the comfort of your own home.
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joycethomas: 3 Common Problems to Avoid When Sharing a Credit Card With Your Spouse
- 02/04/19 02:52 PM
While some couples opt to keep things separate, sharing a credit card can help when it comes to streamlining household money management. But it isn’t always easy. Whether you add someone to your credit card as an authorized user or open a joint account, problems can pop up if you’re not careful. Here are three common ones to look out for:
Maxing out your credit limit. You’ve just doubled the chance of reaching your credit limit by adding another person to the account. Even if you don’t come close to maxing a card out, a spouse’s spending could hurt your credit score. Remember … (1 comments)
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joycethomas: Package Thieves Hitting Your Neighborhood? How to Stop Them
- 02/04/19 01:21 PM
The problem with buying something online and having it delivered to your home is that even though the package gets to your doorstep, it still may not get into your hands.
Millions of packages are stolen from front porches or doorsteps each year, so if porch thieves are hitting your neighborhood, here are some things you can do to stop them:
Don’t do home delivery. Instead of allowing a delivery service to leave a package in front of your home, have it delivered to your workplace so that you can receive it in person. If your employer doesn’t allow this, check if the retailer … (0 comments)
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joycethomas: What Homebuyers Really Want
- 02/04/19 12:16 PM
When looking for a home, buyers often narrow their choices by determining wants vs. needs. As your local real estate professional, I thought you’d be interested in this breakdown of what homebuyers really want. The infographic shows some of the features that matter most to homebuyers, according to research from the National Association of REALTORS®-and the ones they’re willing to pay more for.
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joycethomas: How Much Is My Home Worth?
- 02/01/19 02:37 PM
As a real estate professional, one of the things I get asked the most is how much a person’s home is worth. This infographic illustrates some aspects that could alter the value of your home and will assess the differences between the homeowner’s perception and the appraiser reality.
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joycethomas: Taking the Stress Out of a Home Sale
- 02/01/19 01:54 PM
Selling a home can be stressful, but there are many measures you can take to regain composure. As your local real estate professional, I thought it important to share this helpful infographic that illustrates four ways to take the stress out of your home sale. This will help keep the process running smoothly for everyone involved.
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For some families, sharing a bathroom is a normal part of everyday life that rarely causes problems, but for others, sharing a bathroom is a source of endless conflict. When shopping for a new home, think carefully about the number of bathrooms you need.
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