Proper Painting Procedure

When you move into your new home, the first thing many people want to do is slap a fresh coat of paint on the walls. Not so fast! Take it nice and easy and get the job done right by following the steps outlined below.

1. Clean the walls you are painting thoroughly with a mixture of water and a little bit of dish soap.
2. Place blue painter's tape over any areas you don't want to get paint on, like doorknobs, window and door frames and trim. Make sure to line the tape up exactly to match the parts you want to keep clear of paint. Then, remove light socket covers.
3. Pour the primer into a paint tray, making sure not to cover the angled portion of the tray where the ridges are. Dip your roller into the primer and coat thoroughly, removing any excess paint by running the roller along the ridges a few times. When the roller is even coated, apply the paint to the walls until they are fully covered. Allow the primer to dry according to the directions on the paint can before continuing.
4. When the primer is dry, prepare a tray with the new paint color you've selected for your walls according to the instructions above. Using an angled two inch wide brush, apply paint to trim, window and door frames and any other taped areas.
5. Now, using the roller, apply paint to the walls in a W pattern. This will ensure the paint is applied as evenly as possible. Continue until all the walls are fully covered with the new paint color.
6. While paint is still wet, remove the painter's tape. This will ensure that the tape doesn't remove any dried paint with it.

Taking your time with painting will ensure you are left with no regrets. These tips guarantee a smooth, finished look to your walls.

Appraisals and Inspections

Before purchasing a home, you must complete both a property appraisal and a property inspection. You will also need to do this when refinancing. Not only should buyers complete an appraisal for their own benefit to make sure they are getting the best deal possible on their new home, it is the only valuation report most banks will consider when deciding whether or not to lend the money.

Appraisers are certified, state-licensed professionals who have no personal stake in the worth of a property. Real estate agents who put a house on the market will often complete a Comparative Market Analysis, or CMA, before pricing the home, but this is not the same as a full appraisal, although experienced professionals' value estimates may come close to the appraisal. The lender may use their own appraiser, or if they let you select the appraiser, the appraisal may be subject to review.

Appraisals typically include details about the subject property and side by side comparisons of a few similar properties; an evaluation of market in your area, notes on issues the appraiser believes may negatively affect the property value or are serious flaws, and an estimate of the average sales time for the property.

There are two types of appraisals: the sales comparison approach, in which the appraiser determines a property's value by comparing it to similar properties, and the cost approach, in which the appraiser estimates how much it would cost to replace the structure. The second is more common for newer homes, while the former is more frequently used for older homes.

It is important to note that an appraisal is not a home inspection. An inspection is designed to find any problems that may prove costly for the owner of the property and involves testing appliances, heating and air conditioning, making sure the plumbing and wiring are up to code and other tasks. The appraisal will not check for these and thus cannot tell you whether many parts of the home are in good condition.

Low-flow Showerheads: Help for Your Wallet and the Environment

Most showerheads use twice the water needed for a thorough, enjoyable shower. Every day, three billion gallons of water flow through showerheads in the United States - half of it unnecessarily. The toll this excess takes on one of our most precious resources, clean water, is a blow to both the environment and your pocketbook.

What can you do? Take this very easy step-convert your showerheads to low-flow models. This takes a few minutes and costs a few dollars. For an investment of $10 or less you can save $50 to $75 per year on water bills and $20 to $50 or more per year on energy bills (depending on your current showerhead and utility rates). Every new showerhead should pay for itself the first year.

Early low-flow showerheads simply blocked some of the water flow. This solution was okay for saving water but took the joy out of showering beneath a robust blast of water. Newer heads are different, able to both conserve and offer a satisfying shower by engineering the movement of water, sending it through special orifices that control droplet size, focus the stream, and - in some cases - increase the blast by mixing in air, creating turbulence or pulsing.

The amount of water that moves through a showerhead (the "flow rate:) is measured in gallons per minute (gpm). A standard showerhead uses approximately 4.5 gpm, look for low flow showerheads using 2.5 gpm or less.

Make Your Home More Inviting

Have you ever walked into a home and instantaneously felt a pleasant feeling of welcoming? Many would like to create that same ambience in their homes. The good news is that creating such atmosphere and ambience may not even impact your wallet. Here are some helpful tips that will make you fall in love with your home again, and give your guests that pleasant cozy feeling when they walk through your front door.

First, focus on the lighting. If you know you are expecting company, open all the curtains and turn on any lamps, and light fixtures even if it is daytime. Light not only opens up a room, but also creates a sensation that the room is actually larger than it is. Another way to establish character in a room is to create visual impact by adding a mirror, painting, or sculpture to an empty space. This is a great opportunity to bring the whole room together or highlight a particular aspect of your decor, so consider what you already have in place. One more way to make your guests feel comfortable in your home is with the use of scents. There are many ways to add wonderful smells to your home, but be careful not to go overboard with scents as a little can go a long way. Lighting a softly fragranced candle or perhaps just the smell of a brewing coffee pot is all you need to finish off the overall sense of welcoming.

Transform with Paint

Tips for the Ultimate Labor Day Barbecue

Happy Labor Day Weekend!

 

We would like to wish all of you a very happy and safe Labor Day Weekend!