Giving Your Home A New Image Can Be Quick And Easy With
By: Caroline Smith
By fitting furniture slipcovers over your worn or outdated upholstery you can give your old sofas and chairs a stylish new look in minutes. Stretch slipcovers for furniture are designed to be really easy to fit and can be held in place with elastic or ties for a snug fitting finish. If you’re keen to add some vibrancy and style to your home, without too much expense or effort, the answer could be simply adding some ready made slipcovers. With chair and sofa covers you can give well used furniture a fresh lease of life, and transform the appearance of your whole room.
Furniture covers come in a huge range of sizes and designs for all types of seats. For your family room or den there are wing chair, recliner, loveseat and sectional couch slipcovers. Additionally, loads of attractive kitchen and dining chair slipcovers are available to protect your chairs from accidental food or drink spills, as well as adding a touch of elegance to mealtimes. Slipcovers are made from a variety of durable fabrics, many of which are fully machine washable for your convenience. Choices include cotton, brushed twill, chenille or faux leather. There’s sure to be a material that would look great with your decor and color scheme.
Chair and sofa slipcovers come in a wide selection of patterns and colors, from pastel floral prints to colorful country checks. You can change the mood and atmosphere of your room with your choice of slipcover. You can also alter the style of old fashioned furniture, by disguising ugly legs with a skirt for instance. If you’d like a fully coordinated look, you could spend a bit more to get some custom slipcovers made to the exact measurements of your seats. Slipcovers can be an affordable alternative to re-upholstery or buying brand new furniture. And there’s the added advantage of being able to remove and replace them whenever you fancy a change.
If your home is in need of a makeover, slipcovers could work wonders at improving the appearance of an entire room, without blowing your budget.
About The Author
Caroline Smith is a successful home furnishings writer and regular contributor to http://www.a1-slipcovers.com , the slipcover experts. Browse through their delightful collection of slipcovers for all furniture types. Transform your home in an instant!
Monday, March 24, 2008
Home Property Appraisal
Getting An Appraisal On Your Home Or Property
By: Richard Rigor
Getting an appraisal done on your home or property is one of the first things you want to take care of when you decide to sell. Just because you think you have some idea of what your home or property is worth, the dollar amount that you come up with is most likely drastically different from the dollar amount that a professional appraiser would come up with.
An appraisal on your home is basically a professional opinion of the worth of your home or property from someone who is trained to analyze such things. Small factors such as a sun room, porch or deck, number of bathrooms and whether they are whole or half bathrooms are all factors that play into the net worth of your home. Good appraisals also take neighborhood characteristics into consideration, such as proximity to local schools, hospitals, and grocery stores. Especially when families are concerned, convenience is something that people are willing to pay for, and the closer a property is to these things, and the better quality of the schools, markets, etc, the more value added to your home in that respect.
An appraisal is a professional opinion and is to be respected, but keep in mind that it is just that--an opinion. Opinions are not set in stone, no matter who they come from whether it be your disapproving mother, a circuit court judge, or a professional appraiser. If an appraisal is too high or low, a bank or mortgage company may reject the estimate, there by causing problems and delays for your prospective home buyers, yourself, and any body else that is involved in your real estate transaction.
Depending on the nature of the property, a professional appraiser may take one of several approaches to determining the value of your home. The cost or replacement approach is, in essence, a determination of what the home would cost to rebuild should it burn to the ground. This includes everything; your windows, porch, pool, and even any money you have invested into your landscaping, yard or garden are all taken into consideration. The comparison approach to the appraisal takes into consideration all of the houses that are similar to yours that have sold in your particular area in a given set of time, usually the last six months.
From there, the appraiser adds value and takes away value in accordance with the specifics to your home. If you have a basement and most of the other homes similar to yours that sold in the past few months didn't have basements, the appraiser would be able to estimate the value that having the basement adds to the property. If everyone on the block with homes similar to yours had basements, but theirs are finished and yours is not finished, or partially finished, then the appraiser should have some approximation of how much value to take away from the house in accordance with that. The last approach is the income appraisal approach, and it is used more commonly when commercial properties are in question.
About The Author
Richard Rigor sells residential real estate in Birmingham, Alabama. As a REALTOR and mortgage consultant, he can help you in the buying and selling process. http://HomeBuyersReview.com http://homesellersreview.com/
By: Richard Rigor
Getting an appraisal done on your home or property is one of the first things you want to take care of when you decide to sell. Just because you think you have some idea of what your home or property is worth, the dollar amount that you come up with is most likely drastically different from the dollar amount that a professional appraiser would come up with.
An appraisal on your home is basically a professional opinion of the worth of your home or property from someone who is trained to analyze such things. Small factors such as a sun room, porch or deck, number of bathrooms and whether they are whole or half bathrooms are all factors that play into the net worth of your home. Good appraisals also take neighborhood characteristics into consideration, such as proximity to local schools, hospitals, and grocery stores. Especially when families are concerned, convenience is something that people are willing to pay for, and the closer a property is to these things, and the better quality of the schools, markets, etc, the more value added to your home in that respect.
An appraisal is a professional opinion and is to be respected, but keep in mind that it is just that--an opinion. Opinions are not set in stone, no matter who they come from whether it be your disapproving mother, a circuit court judge, or a professional appraiser. If an appraisal is too high or low, a bank or mortgage company may reject the estimate, there by causing problems and delays for your prospective home buyers, yourself, and any body else that is involved in your real estate transaction.
Depending on the nature of the property, a professional appraiser may take one of several approaches to determining the value of your home. The cost or replacement approach is, in essence, a determination of what the home would cost to rebuild should it burn to the ground. This includes everything; your windows, porch, pool, and even any money you have invested into your landscaping, yard or garden are all taken into consideration. The comparison approach to the appraisal takes into consideration all of the houses that are similar to yours that have sold in your particular area in a given set of time, usually the last six months.
From there, the appraiser adds value and takes away value in accordance with the specifics to your home. If you have a basement and most of the other homes similar to yours that sold in the past few months didn't have basements, the appraiser would be able to estimate the value that having the basement adds to the property. If everyone on the block with homes similar to yours had basements, but theirs are finished and yours is not finished, or partially finished, then the appraiser should have some approximation of how much value to take away from the house in accordance with that. The last approach is the income appraisal approach, and it is used more commonly when commercial properties are in question.
About The Author
Richard Rigor sells residential real estate in Birmingham, Alabama. As a REALTOR and mortgage consultant, he can help you in the buying and selling process. http://HomeBuyersReview.com http://homesellersreview.com/
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Easy Ways to Save Energy
By: Aldene Fredenburg
With this fall's spike in oil and natural gas prices and the further impact Hurricane Katrina will have on this winter's heating oil supplies, it's become more important than ever to make sure our homes are as energy-efficient as possible.
Luckily, there are a number of easy, inexpensive ways to button up your home for winter. Numerous cost-efficient products on the market for your windows and doors will go a long way toward preserving the heat you generate with your heating system.
Make sure your windows and doors are tight. Self-stick foam weather-stripping at the tops and bottom of windows, as well as across the separation between the top and bottom halves of the window, will block out drafts. Additionally, clear plastic, secured to the window frame with double-sided sticky tape, will also block out drafts and create an air barrier between the window and you.
Additional weather-stripping around all four edges of doors will also help to block out the cold. Also, don't forget your water heater! You can buy inexpensive padding to wrap around the unit itself, and sturdy foam insulation for all the pipes.
The way you furnish your home can add to your level of comfort this winter. Thick, insulated drapes will cut back on drafts from windows; wall to wall carpeting will cut back on drafts from cold air coming in from gaps between walls and floors; both wall to wall carpeting and thick area rugs will retain heat and add to your comfort.
Believe it or not, you can lose heat through the switch plates and wall plugs in your outer walls. Another inexpensive product will solve that problem; for three or four dollars you can buy insulated pads to install behind the plates. Simply remove the switch plate, pop in the appropriate padding, and screw the switch plate back on. A single package contains insulated pads suitable for single and double on-off switch plates and two-plug outlets.
Experiment with the way you dress and see if you can turn the thermostat down and still be comfortable. Wear warm fleece; keep your feet warm with thick socks and shoes or fuzzy slippers; even consider wearing a hat indoors. You should be able to turn the thermostat down to at least 68 degrees and still be comfortable. If you have an alternate source of heat - a wood, corn or pellet buring stove - consider using it as a primary source of heat.
If you have thermostats in each room, you may want to consider shutting off the heat in unused rooms, or at least lowering the thermostat in those rooms to 55 degrees. If this is an option, be sure to put weather-stripping around the doors to the unheated rooms.
If you're really strapped for funds, don't hesitate to call your local human services agencies to find out if you can qualify for home heating assistance. As a taxpayer, you've undoubtedly been supporting all kinds of social programs for years, or even decades; don't let embarrassment prevent you from getting help when you need it. Adequate heating isn't a luxury, it's a necessity.
If you take careful stock of the heating problems in your home and take a few simple measures to solve those problems, you should be able to minimize the impact rising fuel prices will have on your winter heating budget. Keep warm!
About The Author
Aldene Fredenburg is a freelance writer living in southwestern New Hampshire and frequently contributes to Tips and Topics. She has published numerous articles in local and regional publications on a wide range of topics, including business, education, the arts, and local events. Her feature articles include an interview with independent documentary filmmaker Ken Burns and a feature on prisoners at the New Hampshire State Prison in Concord. She may be reached at amfredenburg@yahoo.com .
With this fall's spike in oil and natural gas prices and the further impact Hurricane Katrina will have on this winter's heating oil supplies, it's become more important than ever to make sure our homes are as energy-efficient as possible.
Luckily, there are a number of easy, inexpensive ways to button up your home for winter. Numerous cost-efficient products on the market for your windows and doors will go a long way toward preserving the heat you generate with your heating system.
Make sure your windows and doors are tight. Self-stick foam weather-stripping at the tops and bottom of windows, as well as across the separation between the top and bottom halves of the window, will block out drafts. Additionally, clear plastic, secured to the window frame with double-sided sticky tape, will also block out drafts and create an air barrier between the window and you.
Additional weather-stripping around all four edges of doors will also help to block out the cold. Also, don't forget your water heater! You can buy inexpensive padding to wrap around the unit itself, and sturdy foam insulation for all the pipes.
The way you furnish your home can add to your level of comfort this winter. Thick, insulated drapes will cut back on drafts from windows; wall to wall carpeting will cut back on drafts from cold air coming in from gaps between walls and floors; both wall to wall carpeting and thick area rugs will retain heat and add to your comfort.
Believe it or not, you can lose heat through the switch plates and wall plugs in your outer walls. Another inexpensive product will solve that problem; for three or four dollars you can buy insulated pads to install behind the plates. Simply remove the switch plate, pop in the appropriate padding, and screw the switch plate back on. A single package contains insulated pads suitable for single and double on-off switch plates and two-plug outlets.
Experiment with the way you dress and see if you can turn the thermostat down and still be comfortable. Wear warm fleece; keep your feet warm with thick socks and shoes or fuzzy slippers; even consider wearing a hat indoors. You should be able to turn the thermostat down to at least 68 degrees and still be comfortable. If you have an alternate source of heat - a wood, corn or pellet buring stove - consider using it as a primary source of heat.
If you have thermostats in each room, you may want to consider shutting off the heat in unused rooms, or at least lowering the thermostat in those rooms to 55 degrees. If this is an option, be sure to put weather-stripping around the doors to the unheated rooms.
If you're really strapped for funds, don't hesitate to call your local human services agencies to find out if you can qualify for home heating assistance. As a taxpayer, you've undoubtedly been supporting all kinds of social programs for years, or even decades; don't let embarrassment prevent you from getting help when you need it. Adequate heating isn't a luxury, it's a necessity.
If you take careful stock of the heating problems in your home and take a few simple measures to solve those problems, you should be able to minimize the impact rising fuel prices will have on your winter heating budget. Keep warm!
About The Author
Aldene Fredenburg is a freelance writer living in southwestern New Hampshire and frequently contributes to Tips and Topics. She has published numerous articles in local and regional publications on a wide range of topics, including business, education, the arts, and local events. Her feature articles include an interview with independent documentary filmmaker Ken Burns and a feature on prisoners at the New Hampshire State Prison in Concord. She may be reached at amfredenburg@yahoo.com .
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