66 All-Natural Cleaning Solutions By Nicole Sforza
Tackle countless chores with common household items (like toothpaste and salt)
Citric acid in lemon juice removes dirt and rust stains. It’s especially effective when mixed with salt, which makes “an excellent scouring paste,” says Karyn Siegel-Maier, author of The Naturally Clean Home ($13, amazon.com). Price: About 50 cents a lemon.
Use Them to Clean Your…
Countertops: Dip the cut side of a lemon half in baking soda to tackle countertops; wipe with a wet sponge and dry. Don’t use on delicate stone, like marble, or stainless steel (it may discolor).
Cutting boards: To remove tough food stains from light wood and plastic cutting boards, slice a lemon in half, squeeze onto the soiled surface, rub, and let sit for 20 minutes before rinsing.
Dishes: To increase the grease-cutting power of your dishwashing detergent, add a teaspoon of lemon juice.
Faucets: Combat lime scale by rubbing lemon juice onto the taps and letting it sit overnight. Wipe with a damp cloth.
Garbage disposal: Cut a lemon in half, then run both pieces through the disposal. “The lemon cleans it and makes it smell great,” says Linda Mason Hunter, a coauthor of Green Clean ($17, amazon.com).
Grout: Spilled morning coffee on your tile countertop or backsplash? Here’s how to tackle grout stains: Add lemon juice to 1 or 2 teaspoons cream of tartar (an acidic salt that acts as a natural bleaching agent) to make a paste. Apply with a toothbrush, then rinse.
Hands: When you touch raw fish, the smell can linger on your fingers. Rub your hands with lemon juice, which will neutralize the odor.
Laundry: To brighten whites, add 1/2 cup lemon juice to the rinse cycle for a normal-size load.
Plastic food-storage containers: To bleach stains from tomato soup and other acidic foods on dishwasher-safe items, rub lemon juice on the spots, let dry in a sunny place, then wash as usual.
Tackle countless chores with common household items (like toothpaste and salt)
Essential Oils
Extracted from plants, some essential oils can kill bacteria and mold. They’re very strong, so don’t go overboard: One drop of peppermint oil is as potent as 30 cups of peppermint tea. Price: $14 for 5 milliliters at health-food stores.
Use Them to Clean Your…
Combs and brushes: Fill a container with 1½ cups water, ½ cup distilled white vinegar, and 20 drops tea-tree, lavender, or eucalyptus oil. Soak combs and brushes for 20 minutes. Rinse and air-dry.
Scuffed floors: Apply two to four drops of tea-tree oil to the spots. Wipe excess oil with a cloth and rub in distilled white vinegar.
Gum-encrusted items: Orange oil is great at removing this sticky offender from various materials. (Don’t worry: It shouldn’t stain fabrics. But do launder immediately.) Apply with a cotton ball.
Shower doors: Wipe scum-covered glass doors with a few drops of lemon oil twice a month. It will protect them from grime buildup.
Toilets: Add 2 teaspoons tea-tree oil and 2 cups water to a spray bottle. Shake, then spritz along the toilet’s inside rim. Let sit for 30 minutes; scrub. You can also place a few drops of your favorite oil on the inside of the toilet-paper tube. “Every time the paper is used, the scent will be released,” says Siegel-Maier.
Windows: Mix 2 ounces water and 10 drops lavender or lemongrass oil to wipe grime off windows. Bonus: These oils may repel flies.
Liquid Castile Soap
Like other soaps, this plant-based version efficiently loosens grime and dirt from surfaces, says Siegel-Maier: “But it’s gentler, so it won’t dull them.” Price: About $8 for 8 ounces at supermarkets.
Use It to Clean Your…
Car: Mix ¼ cup liquid Castile soap with hot water in a bucket (fill almost to the top). Rub a generous amount of the solution on your car’s exterior, windshield, hubcaps, and tires with a large sponge, then thoroughly hose it off.
Floors: You can mop almost any type of floor with a solution of ¼ cup liquid Castile soap and 2 gallons warm water. If the floors are greasy, add ¼ cup distilled white vinegar to the bucket. leather upholstery: Add 2 drops liquid Castile soap to 1quart warm water. Apply to the leather with a barely moist sponge.
Marble countertops: Stir 1 tablespoon liquid Castile soap into 1 quart warm water. Dampen a cloth with the solution and wipe surface. Rinse, then dry with a clean cloth.
Sinks, showers, tubs, and ceramic tile: Create a homemade soft scrubber by combining 1 tablespoon liquid Castile soap and 1/3 cup baking soda.
Stovetop and vent hood: Add a few squirts of liquid Castile soap to 2 cups hot water. Apply to the stovetop, the burners, and the vent hood to cut through accumulated grease.
Cooking Oils
Vegetable- and plant-based oils, such as olive and sunflower, dislodge dirt, diminish scratches and imperfections, and “hydrate wood that has aged or dried out from exposure to the sun,” says Hunter. Price: About $7 a pint at supermarkets.
Use Them to Clean Your…
Cast-iron pans: Make a scrubbing paste with vegetable oil and a teaspoon of coarse salt to combat cooked-on debris, then- rinse with hot water.
Hands: To get paint off your skin, rub with vegetable oil, then wash thoroughly with soap.
Leather shoes: Wipe away dirt with a damp sponge, then apply a drop of vegetable oil to a soft cloth and rub the surface to remove scuff marks. Buff the shoes with a chamois to a shine.
Rattan and wicker furniture: To prevent rattan and wicker from drying or cracking, lightly brush them with vegetable or sunflower oil and gently rub in with a cloth. Warm the oil on the stove first to thin it and make it easier to apply.
Stainless-steel surfaces: For extra sparkle, pour olive oil onto a cloth and buff.
Wood furniture: Make your own polish by mixing 2 cups olive or vegetable oil with the juice of 1 lemon; work it in with a soft cloth. To smooth out scratches in light-colored wood, rub them with a solution of equal parts olive or vegetable oil and lemon juice.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
The Top 10 Pet-Owner Mistakes.
The Top 10 Pet-Owner Mistakes.
by Real Simple Magazine.
Avoid common errors, and keep your four-legged pal healthy and well-behaved.
•Mistake 1: Buying a Pet Spontaneously
Why this is a mistake: That doggie in the window may be darling, but he might not be the right fit for your family or lifestyle.
Related: How to Choose a Pet
How to avoid it: Fully inform yourself before you bring home a pet. Every dog or cat has its own needs, some of which are specific to the breed. Terriers tend to dig; Abyssinians explore and climb. If there’s a breed that interests you, read up on it (try the website of the American Kennel Club, at akc.org, or the Cat Fanciers Association, at cfainc.org), talk to owners, and get to know someone else’s Border collie or Persian. That said, not every dog or cat is typical of its breed, so “ask about the pet’s history, health, and temperament,” says Stephanie Shain, a director at the Humane Society of the United States. When dealing with a breeder, you should be shown where the pet was raised and meet his parents.
•Mistake 2: Skipping Obedience Training
Why this is a mistake: Bad habits can be difficult to train out of a pet. So unless you have the know-how to school an animal, you need the help of a pro.
Related: The Best Pet Brushes
How to avoid it: Even before a puppy starts formal training, teach him simple commands, such as sit and stay. A puppy can begin formal training at eight weeks (and ideally before 12 weeks), after he has had his shots. “Between the ages of 8 and 16 weeks, puppies readily absorb information about the world around them,” says Andrea Arden, author of Dog-Friendly Training ($19, amazon.com). To help a dog stick with good behaviors, every few years take him for a refresher course. (Find one in your area at the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, apdt.com.)
• Mistake 3: Being Inconsistent With the Rules
Why this is a mistake: If one child lets Fifi on the bed and another punishes her for it, the animal will be confused. Bad behavior is inevitable.
How to avoid it: Make sure everyone in your household knows―and follows―the rules, says Arden. “You want your dog to sit before eating a treat? You don’t want your kitten to pounce on your hands? Then figure out a system that will help your pet succeed.” Pets thrive with a sense of order, so discuss with your family when yours should be fed, exercised, and even given a treat.
•Mistake 4: Dispensing Too Many Free Treats
Why this is a mistake: Treats lose their training value if your pet gets them for no reason.
Related: 8 Things Your Pet Shouldn't Eat
How to avoid it: “Think of treats as currency given to a pet to reward good behavior,” says Marty Becker, a veterinarian and a coeditor of Petconnection.com. Assign each type of treat a value, and pay according to how well your pet behaves. Kibble is worth a dollar; a chicken strip, five; bologna, 10. “But it’s important to not pay off the good behavior all the time,” Becker says. “That way, your dog will always hope he might get that piece of bologna, and he’ll eventually perform without seeing a treat.”
•Mistake 5: Neglecting to Socialize Your Pet
Why this is a mistake: Pets that aren’t exposed to a variety of animals and people at a very young age can develop fears and aggressive behavior.
How to avoid it: Introduce your pet to adults, kids, animals, and environments so he’ll take every novelty in stride. It’s optimal for a pet to start the process before you bring him home, since the critical socialization period is early in life. “For a dog, it’s between the ages of 3 and 12 weeks. For cats, it’s between 2 and 8 weeks,” says Nicholas Dodman, director of the Animal Behavior Clinic at the Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, in North Grafton, Massachusetts. The breeder or the shelter’s adoption counselor can tell you how much socialization an animal has had.
• Mistake 6: Skimping on Exercise
Why this is a mistake: Pets have pent-up energy that needs to be unleashed through physical activity. Otherwise it will be channeled into barking, jumping, or even hostile behavior.
How to avoid it: “Walk your dog at least twice a day for a minimum of 30 minutes each time,” says Cesar Millan, host of The Dog Whisperer, on the National Geographic Channel. “To your dog, that’s a primal activity―birds fly, fish swim, and dogs walk.” Pamela Reid, vice president of the ASPCA’s Animal-Behavior Center in Urbana, Illinois, recommends that dogs get at least 40 minutes of aerobic exercise daily. “Dogs need more exercise than people do,” says Reid. Try running or biking with your dog or playing fetch or Frisbee. With a cat, “you can’t take her jogging, but before and after work, give her 10 to 20 minutes of playtime,” says Reid.
•Mistake 7: Neglecting to Keep Your Pet Mentally Active
Why this is a mistake: Bored pets are more likely to get into trouble.
Related: The Best New Pet Gear
How to avoid it: Give your pets something to do. For a dog, that can mean having him hunt for food. Place a meal or treats in spots around the house for him to sniff out, or “feed him out of a food-dispensing puzzle toy instead of his bowl,” says Andrea Arden. Keep a cat engaged with simple amusements, like a toy mouse dangling from a string. “You can stimulate your cat visually by placing a bird feeder outside a window, or setting a lava lamp on a shelf,” says Arden Moore, author of The Cat Behavior Answer Book ($15, amazon.com).
•Mistake 8: Leaving a Pet Alone for Too Long
Why this is a mistake: A lack of proper companionship can lead to separation anxiety and destructive behaviors.
How to avoid it: “Don’t leave a puppy alone for eight hours,” says Reid. Hire someone to watch him or drop him off at a doggie day-care center. Your puppy will need to learn how to be alone for a few hours each day, however, so “teach him to self-pacify almost immediately,” says Andrea Arden. Put him in a crate (or leash him to a stable object) a foot or two away from you, then gradually increase the distance over the course of a week. Then make sure that he spends escalating amounts of time alone in his crate or confined to a room. Break up the day for dogs of any age with a visit from a dog walker or a neighbor, and give your pet access to toys and visual stimuli. Unlike puppies, kittens can be left alone, but they should have access to toys and visual stimuli.
•Mistake 9: Failing to Make Your Home Pet-Friendly
Why this is a mistake: A cat without a proper litter box will just use the carpet. A dog without a cozy bed will end up on the couch.
Related: Pet-Themed New Uses for Old Things
How to avoid it: Location is key with a litter box. “A cat doesn’t want to travel a long way to go to the bathroom any more than you do,” says Mieshelle Nagelschneider, a feline behaviorist and a consultant at the Cat Behavior Clinic, near Portland, Oregon. Place litter boxes (one per cat, if you own a few, plus one box they can share, says Moore) in quiet areas throughout your home. Plug in a night-light beside each one so your cat can find it in the dark. Cats dislike strong odors (even air freshener), so use uncovered boxes and unscented litter and scoop out each box every day. Dogs are far less persnickety about where they relieve themselves, but do them the favor of regularly picking up the poop in the backyard. Cats and dogs also need spots where they can cuddle up and feel safe. “A dog needs a crate like a teenager needs a room,” says Dodman. Provide a crate or a cozy bed, and make it taboo for your family to pester the dog while he’s in it. Cats naturally want to climb to an optimal vantage point, so set up a place where yours can look out a window.
•Mistake 10: Punishing Your Pet
Why this is a mistake: You might think Chewie knows you’re screaming at him because he ate the loaf of bread on the counter, but he won’t connect your behavior with his action.
How to avoid it: Never physically punish your pet; he’ll just learn to fear you. It’s OK to startle a pet out of a behavior, but only if you catch him in the act. Command him with a firm “No!” or “Down!” and he’ll connect the reaction with what he’s doing and learn that it’s not OK. Otherwise, the punishment should come from the environment. Teach a cat or a dog to stay off the counter, say, by arranging sheet pans in a pile that will clatter to the floor if he jumps up. The counter, not you, will become the thing to fear.
by Real Simple Magazine.
Avoid common errors, and keep your four-legged pal healthy and well-behaved.
•Mistake 1: Buying a Pet Spontaneously
Why this is a mistake: That doggie in the window may be darling, but he might not be the right fit for your family or lifestyle.
Related: How to Choose a Pet
How to avoid it: Fully inform yourself before you bring home a pet. Every dog or cat has its own needs, some of which are specific to the breed. Terriers tend to dig; Abyssinians explore and climb. If there’s a breed that interests you, read up on it (try the website of the American Kennel Club, at akc.org, or the Cat Fanciers Association, at cfainc.org), talk to owners, and get to know someone else’s Border collie or Persian. That said, not every dog or cat is typical of its breed, so “ask about the pet’s history, health, and temperament,” says Stephanie Shain, a director at the Humane Society of the United States. When dealing with a breeder, you should be shown where the pet was raised and meet his parents.
•Mistake 2: Skipping Obedience Training
Why this is a mistake: Bad habits can be difficult to train out of a pet. So unless you have the know-how to school an animal, you need the help of a pro.
Related: The Best Pet Brushes
How to avoid it: Even before a puppy starts formal training, teach him simple commands, such as sit and stay. A puppy can begin formal training at eight weeks (and ideally before 12 weeks), after he has had his shots. “Between the ages of 8 and 16 weeks, puppies readily absorb information about the world around them,” says Andrea Arden, author of Dog-Friendly Training ($19, amazon.com). To help a dog stick with good behaviors, every few years take him for a refresher course. (Find one in your area at the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, apdt.com.)
• Mistake 3: Being Inconsistent With the Rules
Why this is a mistake: If one child lets Fifi on the bed and another punishes her for it, the animal will be confused. Bad behavior is inevitable.
How to avoid it: Make sure everyone in your household knows―and follows―the rules, says Arden. “You want your dog to sit before eating a treat? You don’t want your kitten to pounce on your hands? Then figure out a system that will help your pet succeed.” Pets thrive with a sense of order, so discuss with your family when yours should be fed, exercised, and even given a treat.
•Mistake 4: Dispensing Too Many Free Treats
Why this is a mistake: Treats lose their training value if your pet gets them for no reason.
Related: 8 Things Your Pet Shouldn't Eat
How to avoid it: “Think of treats as currency given to a pet to reward good behavior,” says Marty Becker, a veterinarian and a coeditor of Petconnection.com. Assign each type of treat a value, and pay according to how well your pet behaves. Kibble is worth a dollar; a chicken strip, five; bologna, 10. “But it’s important to not pay off the good behavior all the time,” Becker says. “That way, your dog will always hope he might get that piece of bologna, and he’ll eventually perform without seeing a treat.”
•Mistake 5: Neglecting to Socialize Your Pet
Why this is a mistake: Pets that aren’t exposed to a variety of animals and people at a very young age can develop fears and aggressive behavior.
How to avoid it: Introduce your pet to adults, kids, animals, and environments so he’ll take every novelty in stride. It’s optimal for a pet to start the process before you bring him home, since the critical socialization period is early in life. “For a dog, it’s between the ages of 3 and 12 weeks. For cats, it’s between 2 and 8 weeks,” says Nicholas Dodman, director of the Animal Behavior Clinic at the Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, in North Grafton, Massachusetts. The breeder or the shelter’s adoption counselor can tell you how much socialization an animal has had.
• Mistake 6: Skimping on Exercise
Why this is a mistake: Pets have pent-up energy that needs to be unleashed through physical activity. Otherwise it will be channeled into barking, jumping, or even hostile behavior.
How to avoid it: “Walk your dog at least twice a day for a minimum of 30 minutes each time,” says Cesar Millan, host of The Dog Whisperer, on the National Geographic Channel. “To your dog, that’s a primal activity―birds fly, fish swim, and dogs walk.” Pamela Reid, vice president of the ASPCA’s Animal-Behavior Center in Urbana, Illinois, recommends that dogs get at least 40 minutes of aerobic exercise daily. “Dogs need more exercise than people do,” says Reid. Try running or biking with your dog or playing fetch or Frisbee. With a cat, “you can’t take her jogging, but before and after work, give her 10 to 20 minutes of playtime,” says Reid.
•Mistake 7: Neglecting to Keep Your Pet Mentally Active
Why this is a mistake: Bored pets are more likely to get into trouble.
Related: The Best New Pet Gear
How to avoid it: Give your pets something to do. For a dog, that can mean having him hunt for food. Place a meal or treats in spots around the house for him to sniff out, or “feed him out of a food-dispensing puzzle toy instead of his bowl,” says Andrea Arden. Keep a cat engaged with simple amusements, like a toy mouse dangling from a string. “You can stimulate your cat visually by placing a bird feeder outside a window, or setting a lava lamp on a shelf,” says Arden Moore, author of The Cat Behavior Answer Book ($15, amazon.com).
•Mistake 8: Leaving a Pet Alone for Too Long
Why this is a mistake: A lack of proper companionship can lead to separation anxiety and destructive behaviors.
How to avoid it: “Don’t leave a puppy alone for eight hours,” says Reid. Hire someone to watch him or drop him off at a doggie day-care center. Your puppy will need to learn how to be alone for a few hours each day, however, so “teach him to self-pacify almost immediately,” says Andrea Arden. Put him in a crate (or leash him to a stable object) a foot or two away from you, then gradually increase the distance over the course of a week. Then make sure that he spends escalating amounts of time alone in his crate or confined to a room. Break up the day for dogs of any age with a visit from a dog walker or a neighbor, and give your pet access to toys and visual stimuli. Unlike puppies, kittens can be left alone, but they should have access to toys and visual stimuli.
•Mistake 9: Failing to Make Your Home Pet-Friendly
Why this is a mistake: A cat without a proper litter box will just use the carpet. A dog without a cozy bed will end up on the couch.
Related: Pet-Themed New Uses for Old Things
How to avoid it: Location is key with a litter box. “A cat doesn’t want to travel a long way to go to the bathroom any more than you do,” says Mieshelle Nagelschneider, a feline behaviorist and a consultant at the Cat Behavior Clinic, near Portland, Oregon. Place litter boxes (one per cat, if you own a few, plus one box they can share, says Moore) in quiet areas throughout your home. Plug in a night-light beside each one so your cat can find it in the dark. Cats dislike strong odors (even air freshener), so use uncovered boxes and unscented litter and scoop out each box every day. Dogs are far less persnickety about where they relieve themselves, but do them the favor of regularly picking up the poop in the backyard. Cats and dogs also need spots where they can cuddle up and feel safe. “A dog needs a crate like a teenager needs a room,” says Dodman. Provide a crate or a cozy bed, and make it taboo for your family to pester the dog while he’s in it. Cats naturally want to climb to an optimal vantage point, so set up a place where yours can look out a window.
•Mistake 10: Punishing Your Pet
Why this is a mistake: You might think Chewie knows you’re screaming at him because he ate the loaf of bread on the counter, but he won’t connect your behavior with his action.
How to avoid it: Never physically punish your pet; he’ll just learn to fear you. It’s OK to startle a pet out of a behavior, but only if you catch him in the act. Command him with a firm “No!” or “Down!” and he’ll connect the reaction with what he’s doing and learn that it’s not OK. Otherwise, the punishment should come from the environment. Teach a cat or a dog to stay off the counter, say, by arranging sheet pans in a pile that will clatter to the floor if he jumps up. The counter, not you, will become the thing to fear.
The facts about removing odor from the fridge
The facts about removing odor from the fridge
By Brian Clark Howard
Related topics: How-To, Cleaning More from The Daily Green News blog.
The nontoxic, natural cleaning powers of baking soda have been known for generations, and many people leave a box of the stuff in their refrigerator to try to fight odors. But many of us aren't using it correctly. There are some things you should know about how baking soda works to get real results and the best value for your money.
Baking soda, which is really 100% sodium bicarbonate, eliminates odors by neutralizing strong acids and stabilizing strong bases – the root causes of most bad odors.
According to Leslie Stein of the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, there aren't any real-world studies that prove the odor-eating effectiveness of baking soda, but there are reams of anecdotal evidence and lessons from the lab.
To get the most out of baking soda, follow these three guidelines.
1. Replace it often
Most of us leave an open box of baking soda in the fridge for months, if not years. But experts recommend changing out a fresh box every one to three months.
Baking soda neutralizes odors by turning them into inert crystalline salts, according to Ray Brown, a research and development scientist with Church & Dwight, the company that makes Arm & Hammer. Over time, the salts build up (that's the crust that develops on the top) and baking soda loses its effectiveness. Brown says the odors work their way through the box, and stirring it up doesn't really help.
After its odor-fighting ability is exhausted, the used baking soda will still have enough power to use for cleaning counters, trash cans, or drains, Brown says, but don't use it for baking or personal care.
[ Related: DIY Green Cleaning Recipes Using Baking Soda and Other Simple Ingredients ]
2. Open the box in the right location
It's critical that the baking soda powder actually come in contact with the odors. Tear off the box top, and make sure that airflow around the baking soda isn't restricted by a shelf or other items in the refrigerator.
The best bet is to place an open box as close as possible to the refrigerator's fan.
"Baking soda is not like a fragrance, which goes into the air to cover up odors," says Brown. "Baking soda reacts with the bad odors. When the fridge door is closed, air is circulating past the baking soda, and odors are continually removed."
[ Related: Six Surprising Sources of Indoor Air Pollution ]
3. Use the right tool for the job
If baking soda isn't working on a tough odor, or if you want to get rid of all odors, including chemically neutral ones like fruity or floral scents, try activated carbon (sometimes called activated charcoal). This material is treated to make it extremely porous, like a sponge for the air, so it can absorb a large amount of odor – but it still must be replaced.
Activated carbon is used in water filters, shoe inserts, cat litter, and fish tanks, and can be purchased at pet stores or ordered online. The downside? It's not as widely available as baking soda, and it costs more (about five times as much, per pound.) So most of the time, you'll be better off sticking with baking soda
By Brian Clark Howard
Related topics: How-To, Cleaning More from The Daily Green News blog.
The nontoxic, natural cleaning powers of baking soda have been known for generations, and many people leave a box of the stuff in their refrigerator to try to fight odors. But many of us aren't using it correctly. There are some things you should know about how baking soda works to get real results and the best value for your money.
Baking soda, which is really 100% sodium bicarbonate, eliminates odors by neutralizing strong acids and stabilizing strong bases – the root causes of most bad odors.
According to Leslie Stein of the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, there aren't any real-world studies that prove the odor-eating effectiveness of baking soda, but there are reams of anecdotal evidence and lessons from the lab.
To get the most out of baking soda, follow these three guidelines.
1. Replace it often
Most of us leave an open box of baking soda in the fridge for months, if not years. But experts recommend changing out a fresh box every one to three months.
Baking soda neutralizes odors by turning them into inert crystalline salts, according to Ray Brown, a research and development scientist with Church & Dwight, the company that makes Arm & Hammer. Over time, the salts build up (that's the crust that develops on the top) and baking soda loses its effectiveness. Brown says the odors work their way through the box, and stirring it up doesn't really help.
After its odor-fighting ability is exhausted, the used baking soda will still have enough power to use for cleaning counters, trash cans, or drains, Brown says, but don't use it for baking or personal care.
[ Related: DIY Green Cleaning Recipes Using Baking Soda and Other Simple Ingredients ]
2. Open the box in the right location
It's critical that the baking soda powder actually come in contact with the odors. Tear off the box top, and make sure that airflow around the baking soda isn't restricted by a shelf or other items in the refrigerator.
The best bet is to place an open box as close as possible to the refrigerator's fan.
"Baking soda is not like a fragrance, which goes into the air to cover up odors," says Brown. "Baking soda reacts with the bad odors. When the fridge door is closed, air is circulating past the baking soda, and odors are continually removed."
[ Related: Six Surprising Sources of Indoor Air Pollution ]
3. Use the right tool for the job
If baking soda isn't working on a tough odor, or if you want to get rid of all odors, including chemically neutral ones like fruity or floral scents, try activated carbon (sometimes called activated charcoal). This material is treated to make it extremely porous, like a sponge for the air, so it can absorb a large amount of odor – but it still must be replaced.
Activated carbon is used in water filters, shoe inserts, cat litter, and fish tanks, and can be purchased at pet stores or ordered online. The downside? It's not as widely available as baking soda, and it costs more (about five times as much, per pound.) So most of the time, you'll be better off sticking with baking soda
Top 6 Mortgage Mistakes
Top 6 Mortgage Mistakes
by Mark Riddix
During the 2007-2009 financial crisis, the United States economy crumbled because of a problem with mortgage foreclosures. Borrowers all over the nation had trouble paying their mortgages. At the time, eight out of 10 borrowers were trying to refinance their mortgages. Even high end homeowners were having trouble with foreclosures. Why were so many citizens having trouble with their mortgages?
More from Investopedia:
• 5 Steps to Attaining a Mortgage
• Top 8 House-Hunting Mistakes
• Financing For First-Time Homebuyers
Let's take a look at the biggest mortgage mistakes that homeowners make.
1. Adjustable Rate Mortgages
Adjustable rate mortgages seem like a homeowners dream. An adjustable rate mortgage starts you off with a low interest rate for the first two to five years. They allow you to buy a larger house than you can normally qualify for and have lower payments that you can afford. After two to five years the interest rate resets to a higher market rate. That's no problem because borrowers can just take the equity out of their homes and refinance to a lower rate once it resets.
[Click here to check home loan rates in your area.]
Well, it doesn't always work out that way. When housing prices drop, borrowers tend to find that they are unable to refinance their existing loans. This leaves many borrowers facing high mortgage payments that are two to three times their original payments. The dream of home ownership quickly becomes a nightmare.
2. No Down Payment
During the subprime crisis, many companies were offering borrowers no down payment loans to borrowers. The purpose of a down payment is twofold. First, it increases the amount of equity that you have in your home and reduces the amount of money that you owe on a home. Second, a down payment makes sure that you have some skin in the game. Borrowers that place down a large down payment are much more likely to try everything possible to make their mortgage payments since they do not want to lose their investment. Many borrowers who put little to nothing down on their homes find themselves upside down on their mortgage and end up just walking away. They owe more money than the home is worth. The more a borrower owes, the more likely they are to walk away.
3. Liar Loans
The phrase "liar loans" leaves a bad taste in your mouth. Liar loans were incredibly popular during the real estate boom prior to the subprime meltdown begining in 2007.
Mortgage lenders were quick to hand them out and borrowers were quick to accept them. A liar loan is a loan that requires little to no documentation. Liar loans do not require verification. The loan is based on the borrower's stated income, stated assets and stated expenses.
They are called liar loans because borrowers have a tendency to lie and inflate their income so that they can buy a larger house. Some individuals that received a liar loan did not even have a job! The trouble starts once the buyer gets in the home. Since the mortgage payments have to be paid with actual income and not stated income, the borrower is unable to consistently make their mortgage payments. They fall behind on the payments and find themselves facing bankruptcy and foreclosure.
4. Reverse Mortgages
If you watch television, you have probably seen a reverse mortgage advertised as the solution to all of your income problems. Are reverse mortgages the godsend that people claim that they are? A reverse mortgage is a loan available to senior citizens age 62 and up that uses the equity out of your home to provide you with an income stream. The available equity is paid out to you in a steady stream of payments or in a lump sum like an annuity.
There are many drawbacks to getting a reverse mortgage. There are high upfront costs. Origination fees, mortgage insurance, title insurance, appraisal fees, attorney fees and miscellaneous fees can quickly eat up your equity. The borrower loses full ownership of their home. Since all of the equity will be gone from your home, the bank now owns the home. The family is only entitled to any equity that is left after all of the cash from the deceased's estate has been used to pay off the mortgage, fees, and interest. The family will have to try to work out an agreement with the bank and make mortgage payments to keep the family home.
5. Longer Amortization
You may have thought that 30 years was the longest time frame that you could get on a mortgage. Are you aware that some mortgage companies are offering loans that run 40 years now? Thirty five and forty year mortgages are slowly rising in popularity. They allow individuals to buy a larger house for much lower payments. A 40-year mortgage may make sense for a young 20-year-old who plans to stay in their home for the next 20 years but it doesn't make sense for a lot of people. The interest rate on a 40-year mortgage will be slightly higher than a 30 year. This amounts to a whole lot more interest over a 40-year time period, because banks aren't going to give borrowers 10 extra years to pay off their mortgage without making it up on the back end.
Borrowers will also have less equity in their homes. The bulk of payments for the first 10 to 20 years will primarily pay down interest making it nearly impossible for the borrower to move. Besides, do you really want to be making mortgage payments in your 70's?
[What It Takes to Get a Loan]
6. Exotic Mortgage Products
Some homeowners simply did not understand what they were getting themselves into. Lenders came up with all sorts of exotic products that made the dream of home ownership a reality. Products like interest only loans which can lower payments 20-30%. These loans let borrowers live in a home for a few years and only make interest payments. Name your payment loans let borrowers decide exactly how much they want to pay on their mortgage each month.
The catch is that a big balloon principal payment would come due after a certain time period. All of these products are known as negative amortization products. Instead of building up equity, borrowers are building negative equity. They are increasing the amount that they owe every month until their debt comes crashing down on them like a pile of bricks. Exotic mortgage products have led to many borrowers being underwater on their loans.
The Bottom Line
As you can clearly see, the road to home ownership is riddled with many traps. If you can avoid the traps that many borrowers fell into then you can keep yourself from financial ruin.
by Mark Riddix
During the 2007-2009 financial crisis, the United States economy crumbled because of a problem with mortgage foreclosures. Borrowers all over the nation had trouble paying their mortgages. At the time, eight out of 10 borrowers were trying to refinance their mortgages. Even high end homeowners were having trouble with foreclosures. Why were so many citizens having trouble with their mortgages?
More from Investopedia:
• 5 Steps to Attaining a Mortgage
• Top 8 House-Hunting Mistakes
• Financing For First-Time Homebuyers
Let's take a look at the biggest mortgage mistakes that homeowners make.
1. Adjustable Rate Mortgages
Adjustable rate mortgages seem like a homeowners dream. An adjustable rate mortgage starts you off with a low interest rate for the first two to five years. They allow you to buy a larger house than you can normally qualify for and have lower payments that you can afford. After two to five years the interest rate resets to a higher market rate. That's no problem because borrowers can just take the equity out of their homes and refinance to a lower rate once it resets.
[Click here to check home loan rates in your area.]
Well, it doesn't always work out that way. When housing prices drop, borrowers tend to find that they are unable to refinance their existing loans. This leaves many borrowers facing high mortgage payments that are two to three times their original payments. The dream of home ownership quickly becomes a nightmare.
2. No Down Payment
During the subprime crisis, many companies were offering borrowers no down payment loans to borrowers. The purpose of a down payment is twofold. First, it increases the amount of equity that you have in your home and reduces the amount of money that you owe on a home. Second, a down payment makes sure that you have some skin in the game. Borrowers that place down a large down payment are much more likely to try everything possible to make their mortgage payments since they do not want to lose their investment. Many borrowers who put little to nothing down on their homes find themselves upside down on their mortgage and end up just walking away. They owe more money than the home is worth. The more a borrower owes, the more likely they are to walk away.
3. Liar Loans
The phrase "liar loans" leaves a bad taste in your mouth. Liar loans were incredibly popular during the real estate boom prior to the subprime meltdown begining in 2007.
Mortgage lenders were quick to hand them out and borrowers were quick to accept them. A liar loan is a loan that requires little to no documentation. Liar loans do not require verification. The loan is based on the borrower's stated income, stated assets and stated expenses.
They are called liar loans because borrowers have a tendency to lie and inflate their income so that they can buy a larger house. Some individuals that received a liar loan did not even have a job! The trouble starts once the buyer gets in the home. Since the mortgage payments have to be paid with actual income and not stated income, the borrower is unable to consistently make their mortgage payments. They fall behind on the payments and find themselves facing bankruptcy and foreclosure.
4. Reverse Mortgages
If you watch television, you have probably seen a reverse mortgage advertised as the solution to all of your income problems. Are reverse mortgages the godsend that people claim that they are? A reverse mortgage is a loan available to senior citizens age 62 and up that uses the equity out of your home to provide you with an income stream. The available equity is paid out to you in a steady stream of payments or in a lump sum like an annuity.
There are many drawbacks to getting a reverse mortgage. There are high upfront costs. Origination fees, mortgage insurance, title insurance, appraisal fees, attorney fees and miscellaneous fees can quickly eat up your equity. The borrower loses full ownership of their home. Since all of the equity will be gone from your home, the bank now owns the home. The family is only entitled to any equity that is left after all of the cash from the deceased's estate has been used to pay off the mortgage, fees, and interest. The family will have to try to work out an agreement with the bank and make mortgage payments to keep the family home.
5. Longer Amortization
You may have thought that 30 years was the longest time frame that you could get on a mortgage. Are you aware that some mortgage companies are offering loans that run 40 years now? Thirty five and forty year mortgages are slowly rising in popularity. They allow individuals to buy a larger house for much lower payments. A 40-year mortgage may make sense for a young 20-year-old who plans to stay in their home for the next 20 years but it doesn't make sense for a lot of people. The interest rate on a 40-year mortgage will be slightly higher than a 30 year. This amounts to a whole lot more interest over a 40-year time period, because banks aren't going to give borrowers 10 extra years to pay off their mortgage without making it up on the back end.
Borrowers will also have less equity in their homes. The bulk of payments for the first 10 to 20 years will primarily pay down interest making it nearly impossible for the borrower to move. Besides, do you really want to be making mortgage payments in your 70's?
[What It Takes to Get a Loan]
6. Exotic Mortgage Products
Some homeowners simply did not understand what they were getting themselves into. Lenders came up with all sorts of exotic products that made the dream of home ownership a reality. Products like interest only loans which can lower payments 20-30%. These loans let borrowers live in a home for a few years and only make interest payments. Name your payment loans let borrowers decide exactly how much they want to pay on their mortgage each month.
The catch is that a big balloon principal payment would come due after a certain time period. All of these products are known as negative amortization products. Instead of building up equity, borrowers are building negative equity. They are increasing the amount that they owe every month until their debt comes crashing down on them like a pile of bricks. Exotic mortgage products have led to many borrowers being underwater on their loans.
The Bottom Line
As you can clearly see, the road to home ownership is riddled with many traps. If you can avoid the traps that many borrowers fell into then you can keep yourself from financial ruin.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
"Mirror Image", Puzzle of Life- Poems by Debbie Camp
"Mirror Image"
I stand before you mirror
And begin to reach inside
My hand ventures through
So fast it glides
Into a world that reflects
The wishes,dreams and hopes
And artistic intellect
I dive right in
And kiss this world goodbye
As I take off the blindfold to reveal my eyes
That sparkle and shine
With delight
A world of acceptance
Comforting as the wind
Holds and caresses
My bare shoulders
As it whispers in my ear
"Debbie there's nothing to fear"
I'll always be here
For I am your soul
I was always in you
Only you got the power to choose what to do
Cast off that negative view of that earth
On the other side
Let your thoughts and mine collide
In your heart and mind
For we got the power to do anything
It's always within your grasp
I live in your dreams, visions and past
I was always here
And will always be near
Come to the future with me
It's shining so bright
Come, Come Debbie
There's the white light!
Just take my hand.....
Puzzle of Life
The shards of your dreams
Merge in a clouded vision
Slowly at the seams
With an exact precision
Twinkling orbs filled with hope
Begin their journey softly closed
For it is within the self aspirations form
In the deep, dark crevices of the mind
Conjoined with the heart's desires they are born
Within a heartbeat's time
What is it that you want?
What do you desire?
Close your eyes to see
And then aim even higher
The pieces float together slowly
Sometimes misaligned
But it's within the journey
That makes the collisions sublime
Slowly the big picture begins to surface
Take a step back, what do you notice?
A few missing pieces
From this perplexing work of art
Did they dissipate into the abyss?
You would never let them part
You feel incomplete without those dreams
The struggle surmounts
Frantically you dig between the seams
Only to discover
The tiny gaps let the light of mystery shine in
All along your life's portrait was a work in progress
Forever we work at it, getting our hands gritty
The reflection in the end is as majestic as what we see
Desire greatness and it shall be achieved
Give up easily then prepare to grieve
Open your eyes once more
Awaken from your sweet slumber
With a renewed energy and drive
To achieve anything, desire loud as thunder
Pounding from within
Lightning charges your veins
Bathing in an aura of light beaming
Sparkling, gleaming
Blinding others who get in your way
This is your time to shine and soar beyond the heavens
I believe in you, I believe in me
Dreams can become a reality just wait and see!
I stand before you mirror
And begin to reach inside
My hand ventures through
So fast it glides
Into a world that reflects
The wishes,dreams and hopes
And artistic intellect
I dive right in
And kiss this world goodbye
As I take off the blindfold to reveal my eyes
That sparkle and shine
With delight
A world of acceptance
Comforting as the wind
Holds and caresses
My bare shoulders
As it whispers in my ear
"Debbie there's nothing to fear"
I'll always be here
For I am your soul
I was always in you
Only you got the power to choose what to do
Cast off that negative view of that earth
On the other side
Let your thoughts and mine collide
In your heart and mind
For we got the power to do anything
It's always within your grasp
I live in your dreams, visions and past
I was always here
And will always be near
Come to the future with me
It's shining so bright
Come, Come Debbie
There's the white light!
Just take my hand.....
Puzzle of Life
The shards of your dreams
Merge in a clouded vision
Slowly at the seams
With an exact precision
Twinkling orbs filled with hope
Begin their journey softly closed
For it is within the self aspirations form
In the deep, dark crevices of the mind
Conjoined with the heart's desires they are born
Within a heartbeat's time
What is it that you want?
What do you desire?
Close your eyes to see
And then aim even higher
The pieces float together slowly
Sometimes misaligned
But it's within the journey
That makes the collisions sublime
Slowly the big picture begins to surface
Take a step back, what do you notice?
A few missing pieces
From this perplexing work of art
Did they dissipate into the abyss?
You would never let them part
You feel incomplete without those dreams
The struggle surmounts
Frantically you dig between the seams
Only to discover
The tiny gaps let the light of mystery shine in
All along your life's portrait was a work in progress
Forever we work at it, getting our hands gritty
The reflection in the end is as majestic as what we see
Desire greatness and it shall be achieved
Give up easily then prepare to grieve
Open your eyes once more
Awaken from your sweet slumber
With a renewed energy and drive
To achieve anything, desire loud as thunder
Pounding from within
Lightning charges your veins
Bathing in an aura of light beaming
Sparkling, gleaming
Blinding others who get in your way
This is your time to shine and soar beyond the heavens
I believe in you, I believe in me
Dreams can become a reality just wait and see!
Job Hunting
Know when to hide your liabilities and when to confront them head-on.
Debra Ann MacDougall advises job seekers with troubled pasts or obvious disabilities on how to present themselves to hiring managers. She and Elisabeth Harney Sanders-Park lay out their strategy in a new book, The 6 Reasons You'll Get the Job: What Employers Look For — Whether They Know It Or Not.
More from Forbes.com:
• In Pictures: Get Hired Despite Red Flags in Your Story
• 13 Big Mistakes Job Seekers Make
• 10 Companies Share What They Look For In Nontaditional Hires
MacDougall started her career at the Salvation Army, working on programs for homeless families. She was determined to come up with ways to help the chronically unemployed find jobs and build careers. Eventually she teamed up with Sanders-Park, and the two started WorkNet Solutions and WorkNet International, sister career-consulting firms that work with institutions like trade schools, federally funded workforce centers and prisons, to help people with challenges in their personal stories find and land good jobs.
When a job-seeker's challenges are highly visible, like some physical disabilities or a serious weight problem, MacDougall recommends a direct approach. Although the Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits job discrimination based on disability, it's nevertheless wise to be upfront about a potential employer's possible concerns.
A client of hers who had lost an arm in a motorcycle accident would routinely answer the ubiquitous first job interview question — tell me about yourself — by saying, "You may have noticed that I have only one arm." Then he'd proceed to explain how he coped, using a specialized computer keyboard on which he could type 85words a minute. "He had a positive, can-do attitude that inspired other workers," MacDougall says. He landed a job as an administrative assistant at a large company in Los Angeles.
Older job-seekers should also consider potential employers' concerns, MacDougall says. Hiring managers might worry about an older person's health, his capacity to learn new systems quickly, his ability to adapt to technology and his energy level. MacDougall had a 59-year-old client who mentioned in interviews that she enjoyed running several times a week and participated in discussion groups on LinkedIn. MacDougall also advised her to get an updated haircut, if she didn't want to dye her hair, and a fashionable suit. She was hired as a sales manager in Denver.
[9 Jobs That Are on the Decline]
For job-seekers with less obvious physical challenges, MacDougall recommends what she calls the "make them love you first" approach. For instance, if you have a vision problem that would require you to use a special computer screen or a bad back that makes it impossible to sit through long meetings without getting up, she recommends keeping quiet until you get a job offer. Before accepting, let the employer know about your challenge."Tell the employer about it, but tell them after they already love you," MacDougall says.
She explains that hiring managers are always weighing the benefits and risks of new employees. You want to convince your potential employer that you have a surplus of benefits before revealing your risks.
For more serious challenges like a criminal conviction, MacDougall says you should be prepared to talk about what you did and how you've changed. She tells the story of a client she calls Chuck who had been jailed on drug charges. Chuck had a moment of clarity and life change when he had to tell his 10-year-old daughter that he would miss her soccer final because he was going to jail. MacDougall recommended that Chuck share that revelation with potential employers and talk openly about how he had remade his life. She also told him to volunteer to take regular drug tests. He is now clean and working, she says.
Job-seekers with criminal records, who are HIV-positive or have alcohol or drug issues do have legal protections, and there are nonprofit organizations that advocate for people who encounter discrimination. The Legal Action Center's website is a good resource, and the federal government has a site loaded with information about the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Sometimes your serious struggles may be far enough in the past that you don't need to address them at all with a potential employer. For instance, if you were hospitalized for a mental illness years ago but you're now healthy and your work performance won't be affected, you don't need to discuss it. "The deciding factor is whether the employer will find out about it," MacDougall says. "If it's not going to affect your ability to do the job, because you've stabilized, don't bring it up." The same applies to drug and alcohol problems, she says.
If you've had a long period of unemployment, MacDougall recommends listing yourself as a consultant on your resume. Include both paid and unpaid experience. Nowadays, she says, employers are increasingly receptive to resumes that include long stints of consulting or freelance work. "They know what the situation is out there," she says.
Debra Ann MacDougall advises job seekers with troubled pasts or obvious disabilities on how to present themselves to hiring managers. She and Elisabeth Harney Sanders-Park lay out their strategy in a new book, The 6 Reasons You'll Get the Job: What Employers Look For — Whether They Know It Or Not.
More from Forbes.com:
• In Pictures: Get Hired Despite Red Flags in Your Story
• 13 Big Mistakes Job Seekers Make
• 10 Companies Share What They Look For In Nontaditional Hires
MacDougall started her career at the Salvation Army, working on programs for homeless families. She was determined to come up with ways to help the chronically unemployed find jobs and build careers. Eventually she teamed up with Sanders-Park, and the two started WorkNet Solutions and WorkNet International, sister career-consulting firms that work with institutions like trade schools, federally funded workforce centers and prisons, to help people with challenges in their personal stories find and land good jobs.
When a job-seeker's challenges are highly visible, like some physical disabilities or a serious weight problem, MacDougall recommends a direct approach. Although the Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits job discrimination based on disability, it's nevertheless wise to be upfront about a potential employer's possible concerns.
A client of hers who had lost an arm in a motorcycle accident would routinely answer the ubiquitous first job interview question — tell me about yourself — by saying, "You may have noticed that I have only one arm." Then he'd proceed to explain how he coped, using a specialized computer keyboard on which he could type 85words a minute. "He had a positive, can-do attitude that inspired other workers," MacDougall says. He landed a job as an administrative assistant at a large company in Los Angeles.
Older job-seekers should also consider potential employers' concerns, MacDougall says. Hiring managers might worry about an older person's health, his capacity to learn new systems quickly, his ability to adapt to technology and his energy level. MacDougall had a 59-year-old client who mentioned in interviews that she enjoyed running several times a week and participated in discussion groups on LinkedIn. MacDougall also advised her to get an updated haircut, if she didn't want to dye her hair, and a fashionable suit. She was hired as a sales manager in Denver.
[9 Jobs That Are on the Decline]
For job-seekers with less obvious physical challenges, MacDougall recommends what she calls the "make them love you first" approach. For instance, if you have a vision problem that would require you to use a special computer screen or a bad back that makes it impossible to sit through long meetings without getting up, she recommends keeping quiet until you get a job offer. Before accepting, let the employer know about your challenge."Tell the employer about it, but tell them after they already love you," MacDougall says.
She explains that hiring managers are always weighing the benefits and risks of new employees. You want to convince your potential employer that you have a surplus of benefits before revealing your risks.
For more serious challenges like a criminal conviction, MacDougall says you should be prepared to talk about what you did and how you've changed. She tells the story of a client she calls Chuck who had been jailed on drug charges. Chuck had a moment of clarity and life change when he had to tell his 10-year-old daughter that he would miss her soccer final because he was going to jail. MacDougall recommended that Chuck share that revelation with potential employers and talk openly about how he had remade his life. She also told him to volunteer to take regular drug tests. He is now clean and working, she says.
Job-seekers with criminal records, who are HIV-positive or have alcohol or drug issues do have legal protections, and there are nonprofit organizations that advocate for people who encounter discrimination. The Legal Action Center's website is a good resource, and the federal government has a site loaded with information about the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Sometimes your serious struggles may be far enough in the past that you don't need to address them at all with a potential employer. For instance, if you were hospitalized for a mental illness years ago but you're now healthy and your work performance won't be affected, you don't need to discuss it. "The deciding factor is whether the employer will find out about it," MacDougall says. "If it's not going to affect your ability to do the job, because you've stabilized, don't bring it up." The same applies to drug and alcohol problems, she says.
If you've had a long period of unemployment, MacDougall recommends listing yourself as a consultant on your resume. Include both paid and unpaid experience. Nowadays, she says, employers are increasingly receptive to resumes that include long stints of consulting or freelance work. "They know what the situation is out there," she says.
The Eleven Reasons People Can't Sell Their Homes
The Eleven Reasons People Can't Sell Their Homes
by Douglas A. McIntyre
The environment for home sales becomes more difficult with each passing month. Some estimates put 11 million mortgages, about 20% of the U.S. total, underwater, meaning that homeowners owe their banks more than the underlying properties are worth. Home repossessions reached more than 100,000 for the first time in September. Rising foreclosure rates continue to further depress housing prices.
The federal government let its tax benefit for homeowners expire in April and has not renewed it since them. The program did boost sales earlier this year. Shoppers must now face a market without the credit in which many home prices continue to fall.
More from 24/7 Wall St.:
• The Best and Worst Run States in America
• More Evidence Apple Will Eventually Rule the PC World
• Many Doomed Americans Aren't Saving for Retirement
The clamor over flawed foreclosure paperwork and robo-signers could further chill the housing market. People who might buy have bought a home in foreclosure will now worry about obtaining proper documentation and effective transfer of title.
24/7 Wall St. spoke with experts at real estate research firms Zillow.com and RealtyTrac to find the best way to sell a home. We also interviewed management from the National Association of Realtors, a number of real estate brokers, bank managers and elected officials in affluent communities. What emerged from these conversations and our research is the following: successful home sellers often do the same small number of things correctly. Often, these tactics are the difference between finding a buyer and not.
1. Pick the Best Broker
Many people who decide to sell contact a real estate brokerage with a sterling reputation or go to one that has the largest number of listings. Frequently, when potential sellers call these firms, they are turned over to the first available broker in the office. That person is often not the best representative. As a matter of fact, what is a successful broker doing in the office anyway? There are a small number of brokers in most markets who have a better track record than their peers. Most of them have been brokers for a long time and did not lose their jobs when the housing bubble collapsed.
2. Get an Appraisal
Sellers should obtain an appraisal for their home before they put it on the market. One of the major reasons house sales fall apart is that the bank assesses the home for less than the buyer has agreed to pay. For example, a buyer and seller agree on a price of say $250,000. Then the buyer goes to his bank to get a mortgage. But, the bank appraises the house for $200,000. Now, the buyer has to put up more money. Sellers who get their own appraisals get a realistic idea of what price a bank would value a house at before they enter into a sale. Most appraisers already do some work for banks. An appraisal often tells a seller what a "safe" price is. And an appraisal's average cost is only about $200.
3. Get the Right "Comp"
Sellers must make sure that foreclosures in their area are included in the "comps" the Realtor gives them. Traditionally, a broker will give a seller a list of similar properties in the market and that information is part of what is used to set a price. What brokers do not always do is put the price of any foreclosed properties that are comparable into the calculation. A typical foreclosed home sells for 25% to 30% less than similar inventory in the same area. If sellers don't take that into consideration, their home will not be priced competitively and they put themselves at a disadvantage. Sellers wind up slashing prices after their overvalued properties are on the market for several months without success.
4. Tax Assessment
Low property taxes are critical to finding buyers. Property taxes in most cities, towns and counties have gone up for years as home values appreciated. This revenue is used to run schools and other local services. However, now home values have dropped sharply, and the appraisals by local authorities on which taxes are based are too high. Many cities have a process for homeowners to request lower appraisals, and as a consequence obtain a reduced property tax. Some states even have a board of appeals for homeowners who do not think they were treated fairly. One way for people to get local authorities to cut the tax assessment of their home is to put it on the market at below the appraised price. If the home does not sell for several months, they can present empirical evidence of the lower value. A home assessed for $300,000 that goes on the market for $275,000, but does not sell for a year, is probably not worth $300,000.
5. Conserve Utilities
Turn the lights off! Most buyers ask for utility bills. "Energy wasters" who sell a home will rue the times they forgot to turn off lights, turn down the air conditioner or left the TV on all day. It would be ill-advised to fake the amount of energy being used by simply living in the dark and cutting utility costs to nearly zero. However, careful and prudent use of energy can cut bills by enough so that a buyer does not have sticker shock about what it costs to maintain electricity, gas or oil to run a house.
6. Sell "Green"
Not very many homes are actually built with environmentally friendly material or heated by solar panels or wind. But those that are have a special appeal to the crowd that buys green cars such as the Prius. A seller may have one of only a few "green" homes in their town or city. That may make it highly desirable to many shoppers.
7. Curb Appeal
This item appears on most lists, and many sellers don't bother to take the advice to prune the hedges or clean the gutters. But it is even more complex than that. Walk to the road on which your home is located. Now walk toward the house. What does a buyer see for the first time? Most sellers never bother to look at their homes through a buyer's eyes. Do the shingles need a paint job? Are the shutters looking shoddy? "Love at first sight" is no less rare with homes than with people.
8. Everything Is Negotiable
Negotiate the fee with the broker. The fee paid to a Realtor for selling a home is traditionally 6%. Sellers often believe that they can get that down to 5% or even 4%. But, in a market where brokers are desperate for business, pressing for 3% or even 2% may work. Whatever the savings are, they can materially affect how much a seller can drop the price of his home and still walk away with a profit.
9. Get an Inspection
Sellers should do some of the inspection work and testing before their home goes on the market. Inspectors for buyers are often aggressive when they report what is "wrong" with a home to their clients. For as little as $250, an inspector will go through your house and tell you what the inspector is likely to flag such as a roof leak or old, energy-wasting windows. That gives the seller a chance to fix the problem for less than the buyer may want to lower the price by, or at least know the items that a buyer will use to negotiate down the price.
10. Hire a "Stager"
For as little at $200, you can hire someone who can make your home look better by moving pictures, furniture, lights and addressing problems that may make the home show poorly. These people are cousins to the men and women who "fix" expensive homes before magazines come in to photograph them for stories. "Stagers" have lists of tricks that few Realtors and almost no homeowners know. The "better" your home looks, the more appealing it will be to potential buyers.
11. Fix It First
Sell a house that does not need any work. In a market in which people count every penny and worry about job security, fewer buyers want homes that are "fixer uppers" that require work that could cost thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars to address. These days, a buyer choosing between two homes will most likely take the one that needs the least work. It may cost some money to get your home to the point where a buyer can walk in and do almost no work. However, it may be the difference between selling a home and having it languish on the market.
by Douglas A. McIntyre
The environment for home sales becomes more difficult with each passing month. Some estimates put 11 million mortgages, about 20% of the U.S. total, underwater, meaning that homeowners owe their banks more than the underlying properties are worth. Home repossessions reached more than 100,000 for the first time in September. Rising foreclosure rates continue to further depress housing prices.
The federal government let its tax benefit for homeowners expire in April and has not renewed it since them. The program did boost sales earlier this year. Shoppers must now face a market without the credit in which many home prices continue to fall.
More from 24/7 Wall St.:
• The Best and Worst Run States in America
• More Evidence Apple Will Eventually Rule the PC World
• Many Doomed Americans Aren't Saving for Retirement
The clamor over flawed foreclosure paperwork and robo-signers could further chill the housing market. People who might buy have bought a home in foreclosure will now worry about obtaining proper documentation and effective transfer of title.
24/7 Wall St. spoke with experts at real estate research firms Zillow.com and RealtyTrac to find the best way to sell a home. We also interviewed management from the National Association of Realtors, a number of real estate brokers, bank managers and elected officials in affluent communities. What emerged from these conversations and our research is the following: successful home sellers often do the same small number of things correctly. Often, these tactics are the difference between finding a buyer and not.
1. Pick the Best Broker
Many people who decide to sell contact a real estate brokerage with a sterling reputation or go to one that has the largest number of listings. Frequently, when potential sellers call these firms, they are turned over to the first available broker in the office. That person is often not the best representative. As a matter of fact, what is a successful broker doing in the office anyway? There are a small number of brokers in most markets who have a better track record than their peers. Most of them have been brokers for a long time and did not lose their jobs when the housing bubble collapsed.
2. Get an Appraisal
Sellers should obtain an appraisal for their home before they put it on the market. One of the major reasons house sales fall apart is that the bank assesses the home for less than the buyer has agreed to pay. For example, a buyer and seller agree on a price of say $250,000. Then the buyer goes to his bank to get a mortgage. But, the bank appraises the house for $200,000. Now, the buyer has to put up more money. Sellers who get their own appraisals get a realistic idea of what price a bank would value a house at before they enter into a sale. Most appraisers already do some work for banks. An appraisal often tells a seller what a "safe" price is. And an appraisal's average cost is only about $200.
3. Get the Right "Comp"
Sellers must make sure that foreclosures in their area are included in the "comps" the Realtor gives them. Traditionally, a broker will give a seller a list of similar properties in the market and that information is part of what is used to set a price. What brokers do not always do is put the price of any foreclosed properties that are comparable into the calculation. A typical foreclosed home sells for 25% to 30% less than similar inventory in the same area. If sellers don't take that into consideration, their home will not be priced competitively and they put themselves at a disadvantage. Sellers wind up slashing prices after their overvalued properties are on the market for several months without success.
4. Tax Assessment
Low property taxes are critical to finding buyers. Property taxes in most cities, towns and counties have gone up for years as home values appreciated. This revenue is used to run schools and other local services. However, now home values have dropped sharply, and the appraisals by local authorities on which taxes are based are too high. Many cities have a process for homeowners to request lower appraisals, and as a consequence obtain a reduced property tax. Some states even have a board of appeals for homeowners who do not think they were treated fairly. One way for people to get local authorities to cut the tax assessment of their home is to put it on the market at below the appraised price. If the home does not sell for several months, they can present empirical evidence of the lower value. A home assessed for $300,000 that goes on the market for $275,000, but does not sell for a year, is probably not worth $300,000.
5. Conserve Utilities
Turn the lights off! Most buyers ask for utility bills. "Energy wasters" who sell a home will rue the times they forgot to turn off lights, turn down the air conditioner or left the TV on all day. It would be ill-advised to fake the amount of energy being used by simply living in the dark and cutting utility costs to nearly zero. However, careful and prudent use of energy can cut bills by enough so that a buyer does not have sticker shock about what it costs to maintain electricity, gas or oil to run a house.
6. Sell "Green"
Not very many homes are actually built with environmentally friendly material or heated by solar panels or wind. But those that are have a special appeal to the crowd that buys green cars such as the Prius. A seller may have one of only a few "green" homes in their town or city. That may make it highly desirable to many shoppers.
7. Curb Appeal
This item appears on most lists, and many sellers don't bother to take the advice to prune the hedges or clean the gutters. But it is even more complex than that. Walk to the road on which your home is located. Now walk toward the house. What does a buyer see for the first time? Most sellers never bother to look at their homes through a buyer's eyes. Do the shingles need a paint job? Are the shutters looking shoddy? "Love at first sight" is no less rare with homes than with people.
8. Everything Is Negotiable
Negotiate the fee with the broker. The fee paid to a Realtor for selling a home is traditionally 6%. Sellers often believe that they can get that down to 5% or even 4%. But, in a market where brokers are desperate for business, pressing for 3% or even 2% may work. Whatever the savings are, they can materially affect how much a seller can drop the price of his home and still walk away with a profit.
9. Get an Inspection
Sellers should do some of the inspection work and testing before their home goes on the market. Inspectors for buyers are often aggressive when they report what is "wrong" with a home to their clients. For as little as $250, an inspector will go through your house and tell you what the inspector is likely to flag such as a roof leak or old, energy-wasting windows. That gives the seller a chance to fix the problem for less than the buyer may want to lower the price by, or at least know the items that a buyer will use to negotiate down the price.
10. Hire a "Stager"
For as little at $200, you can hire someone who can make your home look better by moving pictures, furniture, lights and addressing problems that may make the home show poorly. These people are cousins to the men and women who "fix" expensive homes before magazines come in to photograph them for stories. "Stagers" have lists of tricks that few Realtors and almost no homeowners know. The "better" your home looks, the more appealing it will be to potential buyers.
11. Fix It First
Sell a house that does not need any work. In a market in which people count every penny and worry about job security, fewer buyers want homes that are "fixer uppers" that require work that could cost thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars to address. These days, a buyer choosing between two homes will most likely take the one that needs the least work. It may cost some money to get your home to the point where a buyer can walk in and do almost no work. However, it may be the difference between selling a home and having it languish on the market.
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