Trends help put things in perspective as today’s house price is high or low compared to last yer or 10 years ago. The data isn’t as easy to find as one might expect so I’ll try adding it to this article as I find it online or elsewhere. It’s not clear how to account for inflation as a dollar today is worth far less than 10 years ago, or even less than 1950. The People History illustrates inflation nicely explaining that if you had $100 in 1950, and converted it to equivalent dollars in 2005, you would need $835.41.

So what exactly am I looking for? Data to explore how the size and features of our homes are changing, i.e. from a house with no garage to today’s expectation that a house should have a 2-car garage (3-car in many locations where there is no basement). READ MORE

Customers are used to home contractors advertising FREE estimates, but how often is something of value FREE? The reality is everyone’s time is valuable, and the time to provide an estimate isn’t free as someone has to spend time doing the following:

• Driving to and from a customer’s home.
• Discussing the requirements, reviewing the job site, taking measurements and considering choices like materials, i.e. replacing damaged deck boards (30%) or the entire deck with a composite material.
• Writing up the estimate including labor, materials, rental equipment and disposal. READ MORE

When our children are small, they grow through several clothing sizes each year so it’s challenging to stay one size ahead with the right clothes and toys. I remember fondly driving around my neighborhood on Saturday mornings searching for treasures to keep my 2 boys busy with new, gently used toys.

You can save money by buying your infant and toddler clothes at yard sales, unless you’ve got friends and family passing down their gently used clothes and toys. The selection is nicer as you’re not limited to what’s currently in the stores — you’re getting to pick through clothes that were sold over the last 10 or 20 years.

Recently I found an entire neighborhood advertising their yard sales (about 6 to 8 houses) on Facebook. It was pretty amazing!  READ MORE

Getting organized takes work and most of the time, getting organized falls to the bottom of our to do list … and doesn’t happen. What many of us fail to realize is that getting organized would free up some time that we’re losing today because we’re not organized.

Fortunately there are professional organizers who are worth their weight in gold, really. They start with the advantage of not being emotionally tied to all of our clutter. They have lots more experience organizing things based on working with many people who have similar challenges. Maybe it’s time for you to get more organized? READ MORE

Painting involves many decisions, ones that most homeowners aren’t aware of. We tend to focus on picking the right paint color. What’s right has more to do with the colors you like or coordinating wall colors with other furnishings.

We rarely think about the paint’s sheen or understand how it affects the way we see the color. Even more important is picking the right sheen or gloss level to make sure the paint continues looking good for years to come. The sheen you pick will change depending on the room(s) being painted and the amount of activity that occurs in each room. READ MORE