LED Lighting Kitchen DIY

The area under and on top of kitchen cabinets can be dominated by shadow. LED Lighting can be an excellent way to add lighting to areas under cabinets to ensure the proper ingredients are being used for recipes. The videos below are a great way to begin exploring a DIY project on how to install LED Lightng in a kitchen. … Read More

Reducing Stress Moving with Kids

Moving and Public Speaking are two of the biggest stresses that will be encountered within a persons lifetime. Moving is the one form of stress that is hardest to avoid. The stress of moving is also compounded if the move involves children. Proper planning and organization along with the tips and videos below will assist in easing the stress of … Read More

I Didn’t Think of That

Beginning to think, “this might be the house to put an offer on”, below are some aspects to double check before placing an offer. Does the kitchen have enough counter and storage space. Can all the kitchen appliances co-exist? Does the refrigerator become inaccessible when the dishwasher is open? Are there enough outlets in the kitchen to power blenders, toasters, … Read More

Home Inspection Data Gathering

Financing is all set, offer on the home has been accepted, next up is the home inspection. The Chicago Tribune recently did an article on home inspections and how to maximize the entire process. Below are highlights from the article on ways to effectively gather information, while still allowing the home inspector to perform the inspection. Bring something to take … Read More

Too Many Countertop Choices

There are at least a dozen different types of countertops, that range from stone surfaces to laminate, concrete and stainless steel. The July 2013 issue of Consumer Reports is dedicated to kitchen renovations, and has in depth reviews of many different styles of counter tops. The most common materials that homebuyers are looking for is a stone based countertop. Below … Read More

Choosing the Right Neighborhood

There are many external factors that need to be considered when purchasing a house, and one of the biggest to be considered is the surrounding community or neighborhood. There are also other factors in the surrounding neighborhood that need to be considered. Drive around the neighborhood specifically looking at the number of homes for sale and see how many have … Read More

Is Technology More Important Than Curb Appeal

What are Millenials or Gen Y home buyers looking for? A recent study done by Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate showed that Gen Y is looking for smaller functional homes, and homes that are wired for technology. They are also willing to buy a house that is a fixer-upper, and do some of the work themselves to fix the … Read More

Stop Wasting Rain Water

Save rain water for later, and use it as an ecologically friendly way to water a garden. This video explains in simple steps on how to capture rain water, and how to set up an irrigation system to deliver the water to your thirsty garden or lawn. For assistance in future house hunting, or selling current home contact us

Home Design Trends

Traditional Entry by Stillwater Architect Ron Brenner Architects What trends are popular this year for home design? Better Homes and Gardens released the results of a consumer attitudes survey, at the International Builders Show in Las Vegas in January and identified specific trends. People are staying in their homes longer. The sizes of homes is growing again. Many new homes … Read More