Staging Ideas to Increase Your Home’s Value

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Prior to entering into an agreement to sell your house, it is in your best interest to maximize the value of your home through staging. The following inexpensive tips will help you sell your home faster and for a higher amount. If you intend to sell your house in the next 12 months, your first step should be to contact a respected real estate agent and ask them to tour your house. They can give you advice on what staging ideas you can employ to increase the value of your house. The advice you receive from the real estate agent will help you decide, which projects you want to complete before selling your house. Below is a list of the staging ideas, which will normally increase a home’s value. Although, each house and neighborhood is different, the realtor’s advice on home improvements is critical to maximizing your home’s value.

• Inviting and Appealing – Focus on the entry area of the house. Make sure it’s clean, uncluttered, and freshly painted. You may only have one chance at a first impression for potential homebuyers.

• Bathroom(s) – The number of bathrooms in a house is one of the most important factors homebuyers consider before even looking at a house. A basic update of the bathroom, such as: new paint, new hardware (toilet paper holder and towel rack), new shower curtain and towels, and new flooring will likely add considerable value.

• Paint – Depending on the condition and color of the paint inside and outside of the house, a new coat of paint may increase the appeal of your house to potential buyers. Some homebuyers cannot see potential; they may eliminate your property from consideration simply based on the condition and color of the paint in the house. Neutral colors are more acceptable to a larger audience of homebuyers.

• Minor Changes – Thoroughly inspect your house for glaring issues. These may be as minor as: electrical outlet covers, lighting fixtures, register covers, and floor coverings. Adding an alarm system should also be considered. These updates may be very minor, but may change the appearance and allure of your house to potential buyers.

• Outside Maintenance – Increasing the curb appeal of your house will attract more homebuyers. Look at the siding, gutters, and down-spouts. Address any glaring issues.

• Remove Personal Items – Make your home personal for potential buyers. Let them imagine themselves in your home. The easiest way to do this is to remove your personal photos and keepsakes. Pack up as much as you can in each room. This will make each room seem larger. If you need to, consider renting a storage unit to remove clutter from your house.

• Professional Cleaning – Just before you officially list your property, it would be in your best interest to have your house professionally and thoroughly cleaned.

• Carpeting and Flooring – Depending on the condition of the carpeting and flooring of your house, you may consider purchasing moderately priced floor coverings. Avoid spending top dollar to replace these items, if their new and of average quality they should pass the eye test for homebuyers.

• Brighten Up Each Room – Open the drapes and add higher wattage light bulbs. This will make the rooms look bigger and brighter. Thoroughly clean all fixtures including the lights and ceiling fans.

• Remove Unpleasant Smells – If you have pets, such as: dogs and cats, sometimes odors are hard to cover up. You can use pet cleaning products or baking soda to try to mask smells in your carpeting and furniture. Be careful what you cook, because some odors, such as fish may linger in the house for days.

It is helpful to potential buyers to provide information regarding restaurants, attractions, shopping, and local school. Documenting how convenient the location of your property is to what they deem as important may sway their opinion on your house. The above mentioned improvements coupled with the advice from an experienced real estate agent should help you maximize the value of your house. Increasing the appearance and value of your house will not only result in a higher sales price, but most likely a quicker sale. After you make your home improvements and list your house with an experienced real estate agent, always make sure before accepting any offer that the buyer is pre-approved. The last thing you will want to do after fixing up your house is to take it off the market for a potential buyer who may not qualify for a loan. Always ask to see a copy of their pre-approval letter to verify their ability to obtain a mortgage.

Home Improvement – Ventilation and Kitchen Fan

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Some people tend to consider a kitchen fan as one of those minor kitchen appliances. The fact is that it is very important in the maintenance of the household. Without good ventilation, the entirety of the house can smell of whatever it is the homeowner is preparing. It would not pose much problem if people rarely fry foods or use the oven for baking and roasting. However, these are the most usual ways cooking is done in an average kitchen. The smells can leak into other rooms of the house. The problem worsens when the nearby rooms have items that tend to absorb smells. If the material of the upholstery the couch has or any other piece of furniture is absorptive, it would definitely be a problem. It is likely that without proper airing, it would smell like meat and spices in no time.

The selection of exhausts for the kitchen is not limited to stove hoods. There are also kitchen wall exhaust fans that are more convenient. With basic duct work and easy installation, this is what homeowners can try. Choosing one would depend on the size of the kitchen. It would be best to choose a unit that is not too difficult to clean. For instance, there are units that have a removable cover so that homeowners can see to it that there is no dust and grime stuck in the blades of the fan. Not doing this often would lead to the exhaust fan being overworked. The covers come in variety of colors so there is no need for the fan to look out of place in the kitchen décor.

Casino Royale-The Round Up Review

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“Casino Royale” – 2006. Written by Neil Purvis, Robert Wade & Paul Haggis. Based on Ian Fleming’s original book. Directed by Martin Campbell.Daniel Craig is the new blonde Bond, back in this stripped down reinvention of the Great British franchise. In a surprisingly faithful adaptation of Ian Flemings original Casino Royale (yes, they left the torture bit in), the new movie bursts out of the gates with a stunning opening chase sequence. From there it happily ticks off the typical Bond staples; fast cars, beautiful women, luscious locations and cracking action.While a few have been dismissing Craig as the right look for Bond, anyone that’s seen Layer Cake will know he’s got the ability in spades. He exudes a don’t mess / arrogance from the off, that leaves you feeling he could do some serious damage if and when the times comes.Some minor timing problems let the film down slightly and 20 mins could have been chopped completely. Yet, and it’s a big one, the director and producers should be commended for taking such a risk with this franchise, because the end result is fantastic.It’s better than the Brosnan films (even Goldeneye) and even gives Sir Sean a run for his money. While it may be more Bourne Identity than usual Bond fodder, it’s a fantastic new direction to go in. Craig is hard as nails as the newly promoted double O and the limited use of gadgets only help to drive the solid narrative forward in a far more realistic and convincing way. This is a Bond that makes mistakes, that isn’t always sure of the right thing to do and the result is a great film bringing a breath of fresh air to what had become a tried formulaic series. “Bond will return” and if it’s more of this, then we can’t wait!The Round Up 2007 – [http://www.theroundup.co.uk]

Las Vegas Freebies – Free Things to Do on Your Las Vegas Vacation

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Las Vegas is always loaded with cash and opulence everywhere. But there are plenty of freebies in Vegas, and you can find plenty of things to do that will not cost you a dime.Free ShowsMany Las Vegas shows will easily cost you over $100 for concert or show seats that are not very good. Fortunately, several of the casinos offer shows and concerts that are comparable to those expensive ones. There is the erupting volcano that lights up after dark at the Mirage. Stand along the lagoon at Bellagio and enjoy the graceful Fountains of Bellagio. And Treasure Island has a fun, over-the-top show called Sirens of TI.Fremont Street ExperienceThis is the downtown Las Vegas answer to the Vegas Strip. It is a 90-foot-high arched canopy of lights that covers the whole street. Every hour between sunset and midnight, a show of integrated video, graphics, and music lights up Fremont Street. The whole show has a festive atmosphere that is enjoyed by everyone on the street, as witnessed by the number of heats looking up every hour.Old Downtown SitesIn order to compete with the Las Vegas Strip casinos, the old downtown casinos have created different places to visit and enjoy Las Vegas the way it used to be. View the Neon Museum, where signs from Vegas’ past adorn Fremont Street. The Downtown Arts District offers free gallery tours and special events. And take advantage of the many free slot machine pulls offered by the casinos.Casino-hopping On The StripBecause nearly all the Vegas resorts are close together, many people like to walk the Strip, stopping at each resort and stopping in to view what each property has to offer. Just remember to wear comfortable shoes, as these properties are huge, and you will doing lots of walking.Animal ShowsWalk through the tunnel at the MGM Grand, and see majestic lions roam the area. Or see the beautiful white tigers at the Mirage.People ShowsThis might be the best of all free Las Vegas shows. Different kinds of people from all over the world visit this city, so people-watching should provide you with free entertainment throughout your Las Vegas vacation.

Casino Strategy For Your Gambling Vacation

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So you are going to a Casino? Do you have a Casino Strategy? If not, you had better get one quick. Casinos are wonderful places to entertain yourself and your friends. They offer great food, entertainment and never, ever close. The employees are helpful and friendly and can handle almost any situation. However, without a casino strategy you can leave a lot more in the casino then you had planned on. Like all your money, your saving’s account, your retirement fund and more.To have a great time, really enjoy yourself, and want to go back again, a plan is necessary. First, realize that you want to make a killing and come home rich enough to quit your job, travel around the world, and never have to worry about money again. This is why all of us go. Second, realize that the fact is, the casinos are in business and stay in business because this does not happen. The reality is the casinos get your money and you get to have a good time. Third, to have a good time, you need to limit how much of your money the casinos get. If you do win, great! It was a fantastic vacation. If you did not win, Okay, you still had fun.Now for the plan:A. It is a vacation, a trip, an adventure. It has a value to you. How much money are you willing to spend for this adventure? How much money do you have to spend for this adventure?B. After you consider the costs of the trip, the room and the meals, how much is left to gamble with. Yes, gamble. We will cover that next.C. You take your gambling money, also known as entertainment funds, and divide it by the number of days you plan to be in the Casino. This is the maximum amount you should spend (Lose) per day. Once you reach this limit, go do something else. If you do not reach this limit because the Gods are smiling, great. When you get tired, go do something else or sleep, or dine, or see a show.D. Leave, repeat, leave your debit card and credit cards at home, with a friend, locked in the hotel safe. Anywhere but in your pocket. Remember drinks are cheap and do affect your reasoning.E. Decide how you are going to gamble. Do you have a favorite game or slot machine? Is there a way to practice?If so practice. Learn all you can about the game. The odds are stacked in the casino’s favor. Give yourself all the advantages you can. Do you play 21? Get a card deck and play or go online and find a free site to play. Learn, relearn and learn again the “rules” of the game. Do you play poker? Again, practice, practice, practice. Have your friends come over and play for fun. Play online at sites that allow US casino players. Just play, play, play. Use your casino strategy to go, to have fun, and come home able to go back again.