Spoken Gently's Blog: Household Tips

I was reading Sellsius the other day. A great blog, btw. Actually, so good it's a time suck! Anyway, I came across a blog entry I thought repeating. The story as quoted by Sellsius goes,

Someone had their car broken into while they were attending a football game. Items stolen from the car included a garage door remote control and a GPS which had been prominently mounted on the dashboard.

When the victims got home, they found that their house had been ransacked and just about everything worth anything had been stolen.

The thieves had used the GPS to guide them to the house (go home feature) . They then used the garage remote control to open the garage door and gain entry to the house. The thieves knew the owners were at the football game, they…

The Washington Post recently reported that the emotional and financial strain of the housing market has become so rough, it’s on par with divorce, and even death. TODAY’s Barbara Corcoran and psychologist Jeff Gardere explains how to lessen the burden and turn your house into a source of revenue:

My wife and I have had rental properties for 20 years and have yet to go to small claims court, and/or go through the eviction process. We currently have several rental properties and will have a vacancy in October. Since we are in the process of finding a qualified tenant, I thought I would pass along our tips we employ in finding a qualified renter.

First, you need a bunch of folks interested. It is a numbers game. The more prospects you have to pick from, the better your chances are in finding a great tenant. We do this by renting our properties for slightly below market value (creating a demand), and second, by being the first ad in the section we are advertising in. All classified sections have their own criteria, and in our local classified…

Little ones can be a source of joy; and a source of concern when their curiosity gets the better of them. Child safety around the home is a critical issue in the 21st century. Many household cleaning products are poisonous if ingested, and some are corrosive if they make contact with skin or mucus membranes. And with rapid advances in technology, there tends to be an abundance of potential electrical hotspots throughout the home.

Child-proofing your home can be a simple process of common sense, and attention to detail. Take the time to instruct your child on home safety, especially upon moving into your new home. This is a preventative measure and helps children to understand cause and effect of their behavior.

Be sure that all poisonous items are out of…

For some reason, landscaping is one of the last things people think about when they pursue a new home. Perhaps because people view it as a kind of beautification project for the property, landscaping is often pushed to the back burner and placed in more as an afterthought to fit in with the new home, rather than becoming a part of the design process. There are a number of ways moving the landscaping discussion up to the beginning of the design phase can benefit new homes both in fitting in perfectly with the property and offering savings along the way.

The relationship between new homes and landscaping is one that is increasingly paid attention to as consumers begin to understand the effect trees can have on things like the heating and cooling bill each…

Entering a home for a showing and being confronted by a set of barking dogs is enough to make some potential buyers not enter the home at all, Washington Real Estate News reports. Similarly, the sight of a clump of cat hair on the sofa can sour some potential buyers as they try to envision themselves in your property. Washington Real Estate News states they won’t think you are a bad person or a bad pet owner, but they will come away from a real estate showing with a bad taste in their mouth due in large part to your pet’s effect.

Your job, Washington Real Estate News suggests, is to remove any trace of your pet’s stay in the home, starting with the clutter that can sometimes come from pet toys and food dishes. A cage is fine and a tidy area where a pet…

If something happens to cause a build up of carbon monoxide in your home, you will likely feel the effects. The symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning range from flu-like symptoms at the start to more severe symptoms like a shortness of breath. If you constantly fill a little bit ill when you come home, look into the possibility that you have a carbon monoxide poisoning.

Purchasing a detector is the best way to monitor your house whether you feel ill or not, but if you are feeling some effects, investing in one is a necessity to at least eliminate carbon monoxide as a potential cause of your constant sickness, Kennewick Wa Real Estate News reports.

When purchasing a carbon monoxide monitor, make sure that you buy one that has the ability to fall back on…