Purchasing a home?

Consider the condition of the home's electrical system...

here are some things you should know

Here is an interesting infographic from the website 'One Block Off the Grid' (1bog.org).

With energy prices rising every year, what's a homeowner to do? Many green improvements can pay for themselves and more...

Here are some items to consider to better winterize your home in this video from Lou Manfredini and Marvin.com

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In today's highly competitive real estate market, the key to selling your home is being able to attract buyers to your listing. When you're selling your home, it's important to remember that you're in competition with every other similarly priced listing in your area. To win buyers, you need your home to stand out from all the rest.

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Here is an interesting article from HouseLogic.com on the value of maintaining your home:

If you think home maintenance is an unavoidable series of weekend-eating chores, remember the age-old advice of Benjamin Franklin: "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." The fact is, proactive maintenance is essential to preserving the value of your home-without it, your home could lose 10% of its value. Regular, routine maintenance enhances curb appeal, ensures safety, and prevents neglected upkeep from turning into costly major repairs.

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Here's an article from shine.yahoo.com with 16 Budget-Friendly Home Upgrades for your home.

For the kitchen: the kitchen sink, a new countertop, new light fixtures or a "Splash of Color"

For the bathroom, their suggestions include: refinishing the cabinets, hooks, or a new tile floor

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Sometime soon most of us will see our utility company changing our electricity bill to "time of use" billing. It will cost more to use electricity during peak hours (for example a summer afternoon) than it will cost for non-peak times.

If you are considering the purchase of a new clothes dryer, you may want to take this into consideration while deciding upon your purchase.

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Getting your home ready for sale can take anywhere from one to six months, depending on the condition, age of the house and how long you've lived there.

So before you list your house, go over the property to determine what needs to be repaired or possibly replaced. Make a list of both major and minor jobs. Tackle big projects first.

It's tempting to wait until the home inspection and offer to adjust the price in lieu of repairs, but doing so may put the entire sale in jeopardy and may ultimately cost more. Buyers generally tack on extra dollars to any estimate. Most importantly, a major repair left undone creates the impression that the house has not been maintained.

So here is a timeline to help you prepare your home for sale:

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If you having been thinking about listing your property for sale recently, you have probably heard about home staging. It can be amazing what a difference a home stager can make. It is usually money well spent!

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Old House Web has information on many aspects of renovating and owning an old home (or a not so old home).

Some of the topics that are included on the site are: Product Reviews, How to Advice, a Green Guide, an "In the Garden" section and an Architecture and Design .

Featured articles include:

• Knob and Tube Wiring

• When to Turn to a Contractor

• Old Windows

Visit the Old House Web site.