Toilets...Now There's a Catchy Blog Topic

Replacing an old water-guzzler with a new low-flow toilet can shave as much as $90 off your water bill and send thousands fewer gallons down the drain.

A lot has changed since 1994, when low-flow toilets became the law of the land. Early versions created a bit of a stink, because while they were good at saving water—using only 1.6 gallons per flush versus as many as 7 gallons—they weren’t necessarily good at doing a toilet’s main job.

Today’s low-flow models don’t have those problems. Not only are they much better performers, some also use even less water than the federal standard. So if you’re in the market for a new throne, it pays to consider a high-efficiency toilet (HET). You’ll save a bundle: According to the EPA, replacing pre-1994 guzzlers with new HETs will shave more than $90 off your annual utility bills. Plus, you’ll be sending thousands fewer gallons a year down the drain.

Look for high performers
The EPA’s WaterSense label on the box identifies HETs that have been certified by independent laboratories. They’re rated according to Maximum Performance (MaP) testing protocols, which measure the toilets’ ability to remove waste. MaP scores range from 250 to 1,000, based on the number of grams completely evacuated in a single flush. The EPA has adopted 350 grams as its minimum performance threshold, and “anything over 500 is very good,” says Terry Love, a plumber in Washington state who conducts his own thorough testing of low-flow toilets.

Choose a flush mechanism
Like standard low-flow toilets, HETs come with different flush options. The one you choose depends on how “green” you want to be, how much you’re willing to spend, and your tolerance for noise. Most residential toilets in the U.S. are gravity-flush, which, as the term implies, relies on the weight of water flowing into the bowl to help remove waste. Pressure-assist toilets compress air at the top of the tank to increase flush velocity, so they can do the job with as little as 0.8 gallons of water. While this turbocharged action makes for a powerful flush, the loud whoosh! may cause small children to jump out of their socks. (Somewhat counterintuitively, these also require good household water pressure to work properly.)

Some low-flow designs, like the minimalist Kohler Hatbox—so streamlined that it doesn’t even have a tank—flush with the aid of an electric pump. While that delivers a powerful flush without the noise, unlike a standard toilet it requires electricity, which can make for more complicated installation and costlier maintenance.

Calculate your savings
Toilets account for about 27% of a household’s indoor water usage, so trading up to a high-efficiency toilet can yield big savings. According to the EPA, a family of four that replaces its home’s older toilets with WaterSense-labeled models will, on average, save more than $90 per year in reduced water bills and $2,000 over the lifetime of the toilets. You can pocket even more by taking advantage of rebates and vouchers offered by many states and municipalities. The city of Austin, Texas, for example, gives residents up to three HETs for free, though there is a modest fee for certain design features, such as an elongated bowl or a seat that meets the ADA-required height of 17 inches.

And, of course, you’ll be saving a lot of water. Pre-1994 toilets send between 3.5 and 7 gallons down the drain with every flush. For a family of four, that adds up to about 76 gallons a day. And if the toilet leaks—that is, if it continues to run after you’ve flushed or sometimes trickles mysteriously on its own—it could be chugging up to 200 extra gallons daily.

To maximize water savings, consider a dual-flush HET. The tank has two buttons that let you choose between a half flush and a full flush, depending on whether liquid or solid waste needs to go down. Caroma, a brand made in Australia (where dual-flush is mandatory), started selling these in the U.S. about a decade ago and offers nearly a dozen dual-flush lines.

Do some comparison shopping
The good news is that all this efficiency comes at a reasonable price—about $200 on average, no more than a conventional low-flow toilet. Keep in mind that price doesn’t always guarantee quality or correlate to MaP score. Before you make a purchase, check consumer reviews for specific models, noting track records for maintenance and common gripes that crop up about specific brands. Once you find a model you like, it’s easy to compare prices at Web sites such as pricegrabber.com, shopzilla.com, and nextag.com (be sure to factor in shipping and return policies). Certain features, such as elongated bowls and high-tech finishes like Toto’s SanaGloss, might add 20% to the price, but considering how long it will be until you buy your next toilet, that extra bit of ease and comfort is quickly amortized.

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Using rain barrels to harvest rainwater from your roof is a simple, low-expense solution for conserving water and saving on your water bill.

Why pay to pour thousands of gallons of municipally treated tap water on your lawn and garden every summer if you can irrigate for free? That’s the thinking behind the growing interest in rain barrels, which let you conserve water, protect the environment, and save money at the same time.

Considering that an inch of rain dumps 500 gallons on the roof of a typical 2,000-square-foot house, it’s possible in most parts of the country to collect more than enough runoff for basic landscape irrigation needs. A rain barrel will save about 1,300 gallons of water during the peak summer months, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

In a national survey by DC Urban Gardeners, a rain barrel lowered water bills by about $35 a month in the summer. For as little as $100 for the barrel and downspout fittings, a rain-harvesting system can pay for itself in just a couple of seasons.

How much rain can you collect?
The first step is to figure out the potential runoff amount from your roof. Multiply your area’s average annual rainfall in inches by the square footage of your roof. If you don’t know exact roof area, it’s fine to use the dimensions of your house’s footprint. Then multiply that number by 0.623—the amount of water in gallons needed to fill one square foot of space to a depth of one inch. The result is the number of gallons you can harvest. (Keep in mind, though, that most rain barrel systems are set up to collect only a portion of that, depending on irrigation needs.)

If your main goal is to water flower beds or run soaker hoses during dry spells, one or two 55-gallon barrels will suffice. If you want to turn off the garden tap all together, you’ll need multiple barrels or a cistern, a large tank that stores from 300 to 3,000 gallons. But cisterns cost considerably more (up to $2,500) and are more complicated to install and use, which makes them best suited for larger-scale rain harvesting systems that include such indoor uses as flushing toilets.
The cost to set up a rain barrel system
Commercial barrels cost between $50 and $200, though you can also make one yourself from castoff food-grade containers. One couple linked together five 55-gallon syrup drums they bought for $10 apiece from the local Coca-Cola bottling plant. Their blog is an amusing and instructive rain-harvesting primer.

A typical system consisting of one or two barrels and off-the-shelf parts such as spigots, downspout extensions, mesh screens, and soaker hoses costs between $35 and $600. Cobbling it all together might take a weekend or two, but it’s not rocket science. The Maryland Environmental Design Program offers easy step-by-step instructions for building your own barrel with about $15 worth of supplies.

Unfortunately, most rain barrels are not very handsome, and it’s not always easy to camouflage them. Some people like the folksy wooden water barrel look, but generally speaking, the more water you’re trying to capture, the bulkier the containers—and the harder they are to make inconspicuous or tuck behind bushes, especially since they need to be located near a downspout on your house.

Safety requirements and caveats
Rain barrels work via gravity, so the barrel must be level, stable, and elevated to allow water to move out of the tank. You’ll want two spigots, one at the bottom to connect a hose and the other about two-thirds of the way down to fit a watering can or bucket underneath. If you want to move water to a higher level, you’ll have to add a small pump ($50 to $150, depending on type).

You’ll also need to take a few other precautions for safety:
Covers and screens:
A secure cover keeps children, pets, and wildlife out. Fine mesh screens prevent mosquitoes from breeding (a mosquito dunk, which kills mosquito larvae but is non-toxic to plants or other animals, is also not a bad idea) and block leaves and twigs from clogging the works.

Organic growth:
Water that sits for days or weeks, especially in hot weather, can start to grow algae. Try adding a capful or two of bleach to the tank and letting it stand for a few days before using. If that doesn’t work, you may have to drain and scrub the inside periodically.

Overflow:
A 55-gallon barrel (or even two) will quickly fill up, especially during intense downpours. An overflow system that diverts water to a storm drain or into a moisture-tolerant part of the garden is essential.

Restricted uses:
Although good for plants and perfectly fine for washing cars or garden tools, water that comes off the roof is far from pure. It may be contaminated with dust, insects, bird droppings, pine needles, pollen, and other pollutants. Be sure to clearly label all rainwater-supplied fixtures as “Non-potable—Do Not Drink.” Nor is it safe to mix fertilizer or garden chemicals in the barrel, even for garden use.

Benefits that go beyond saving money
Collecting rainwater has numerous benefits apart from low-cost irrigation. Free of chlorine and sodium, naturally soft rainwater is superior for plants. Capturing roof runoff also lowers the risk of flooding and reduces the burden on storm sewers and local watersheds.

That’s one reason why a number of local and state governments are offering tax breaks or rebates for rainwater harvesting systems. A few, such as Washington, D.C., San Antonio, Texas, and San Jose, California, will even conduct a rainwater audit of your property, make recommendations, and implement rain barrels or other storm-water runoff strategies at a subsidized rate.

Related articles by Zemanta:
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Minnesota-Based Barrel Depot Takes Rain Barrels on the Road (eon.businesswire.com)

The not so ugly rain barrel (thecrunchychicken.com)

Best Things About a Rain Barrel (hedbergrocks.blogspot.com)

Build a Gutterless Rain Barrel [DIY] (lifehacker.com)

And, when looking for a home in the Johns Creek, North Fulton area you need look no further than:

www.AnzianoRealEstate.com

Water Saving Irrigation Strategies

Simple, low-cost watering systems help you save water and money but still have a great-looking yard.
Almost one-third of the water your family uses—some 100 gallons a day on average—ends up on your yard and garden, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Nationwide, more than 7 billion gallons a day go to landscape irrigation. If that weren’t problem enough, as much as half that water is wasted. It falls on sidewalks or evaporates into the air before it ever reaches the ground. With a few simple changes to the way you water, you can save a precious resource and lower your bills at the same time. To remember the steps to take, just use our handy acronym: DIRTS, which stands for drip irrigation, recapture, timers, and sensors.

Drip irrigation sends water only where you need it
Drip irrigation systems can be a great way to save because they put water only where you want it. Unlike a soaker hose, which emits water all along its length, a drip system delivers water directly to plants’ roots, which cuts down on waste and also reduces weeds.

A drip system is basically a long, thin plastic tube sitting on the ground or, less often, buried right below the surface. Small fittings, called emitters, release water at rates of one-half to four gallons an hour. The tubing is attached to your outside faucet with a valve. You can turn on the drip manually or put it on a timer. Some systems also let you adjust the water flow, which can help prevent overwatering.

Installing a drip system is pretty easy.

Attach the valve, run the tubing, and insert the emitters where you want water. The number of emitters you need depends on what you’re watering. A 10-foot tree that soaks up 60 gallons of water a week might need several emitters, while a small plant that only requires a couple of gallons would need just one.

A new drip system will cost about anywhere from $50 for about 20 plants to $200 or more for a whole yard. You can also convert your existing in-ground sprinkler system. Companies like RainBird make adapters that let you replace sprinkler heads with connectors for drip tubing. Going from sprinklers to drip irrigation can cut lawn water use by up to 50%, saving you about $70 off the average annual household water bill of $475.

Recapturing rainwater lets you irrigate for free
Plants love the purity of rainwater, and you can’t beat the price. One inch of rain on a 1,000-square-foot roof provides 600 gallons of runoff. Depending on your local rainfall, that could be enough to water your plants all summer.

All you need to harvest rainwater is a simple plastic or wooden drum with a spigot near the bottom where you can attach your hose. A 60-gallon model will set you back $75 to $150.

Just put the barrel underneath a downspout to catch rainwater coming off the roof. You’ll need to attach a flexible elbow to the downspout so it feeds into the barrel. In areas of heavy rainfall, you can expand your storage capacity with $10 connectors that let water flow from one barrel to another.

A few cautions. Roofs made of asbestos shingles, treated cedar shakes, or old tar and gravel aren’t good candidates for rainwater collection because the runoff may contain high levels of contaminants. To keep debris out and pests away, especially mosquitoes, cover your barrel with a fine mesh screen or lid. If you have kids, clamp the lid down to keep them from falling in.

Timers and sensors keep water waste to a minimum
Whatever watering system you choose, putting a timer on it will make your watering more efficient. Plus, if you live in a drought-prone area where watering schedules are restricted, a timer can keep you from getting a ticket.

Timer kits range from simple $20 dial models that screw onto the faucet and let you set on and off times manually to electronic controllers that let you program multiple on-off times and different watering schedules for different days of the week. If you want to track your water use, you can add a garden water meter for less than $10.

For even greater water savings, you need a sensor ($20-$30) that adjusts the water flow depending on how much rain you’ve had. These sensors measure either actual rainfall or the moisture in the soil, then automatically subtract that amount from the next watering cycle. Savings can be significant: A University of Florida study showed that soil moisture monitors can cut water use by more than 50%.

You can even give your water monitoring a high-tech spin with an ET (evapotranspiration) controller. These “smart” controllers use real-time satellite weather data to make watering adjustments. They can also be programmed to adjust for soil type, weather conditions, and slope. Installation requires a professional, but savings can be 20% to 40%, according to the Irrigation Association. Many water agencies in the West give rebates to customers who install “smart” systems; in southern California, installing an ET controller qualifies you for a $200 rebate.

An edible garden featuring vegetables and herbs can save you a bundle if you keep it simple and raise plants that offer high yields.

Edible gardens aren't just good for your health, they're also good for your wallet--a well-maintained garden can yield a half-pound of fresh vegetables for every square foot of garden space.

Whether you’re trying to pinch pennies on your grocery bill or just hungering to eat healthier, having your own edible garden is the answer. The beauty of tending a backyard vegetable patch is that you can pick and choose what to grow, allowing you to customize a mix that suits your family’s palate—and gives you the greatest return on investment.

How much can you save?
A backyard edible garden will trim costs from your grocery bill while providing you and your family with the freshest produce possible. According to Bruce Butterfield, research director for the National Gardening Association, a well-maintained garden can produce a half-pound of fresh vegetables for every square foot of garden space. At average market prices, that means a garden returns about $1 per square foot.

Studies conducted by W. Atlee Burpee Co., a mail-order seed company, are even more optimistic. According to Burpee, the average cost-to-benefit ratio of home-grown produce for those who have established gardens is better than 1 to 25. That means every $1 spent on seeds and supplies yields at least $25 worth of vegetables.

Even first-time gardeners will benefit. George Ball, owner of Burpee Co., says that a $10 investment in seeds for tomatoes, beans, bell peppers, lettuce, peas, and carrots, plus $80 for soil, fertilizer, and the cost of building several raised beds, can yield more than $250 worth of veggies and herbs—a substantial portion of the approximately $3,465 the average U.S. family spends on a year’s worth of groceries.

For families that save the harvest, either by freezing, canning, or drying, the cost-benefit ratio climbs even higher. Martha Garway, who tends a 10x10 plot in a Providence, R.I., community garden, freezes much of her summer produce, such as okra, tomatoes, and peppers.

That summer harvest, which costs her $20 for the plot plus the cost of seeds (and she tends to save her own), enables her to “buy only meat and fish through winter—no vegetables,” she says.

Top plants for great returns
For the average gardener in most regions of the country, here are some of the most cost-effective vegetables to grow, and an estimate of what you’ll save over store-bought produce. These figures reflect veggies harvested for fresh eating only; if you freeze or can produce to consume beyond the harvest season, your savings will multiply.

Slicing tomato
Seedling cost: $2.00/plant
Yield: 10-15 pounds tomatoes/plant
Savings: $15-$23/plant

Bell pepper
Seedling cost: $2.00/plant
Yield: 6-8 peppers/plant
Savings: $9-$12/plant

Cucumber
Seed cost: $2.95/packet of 240 seeds
Yield: 10-15 pounds of cucumbers per plant
Savings: $5-$7.50/plant

Bush green beans
Seed cost: $2.95/packet of seeds
Yield: 2.5-3 pounds/5-foot row
Savings: $3.75-$4.50/row

Pole green beans
Seed cost: $2.95/packet of seeds
Yield: 4-5 pounds/5-foot row
Savings: $6-$7.50/row

Leaf lettuce
Seed cost: $2.00/packet of mixed lettuces
Yield: 16 oz. of salad every 3-5 days after leaves mature
Savings: $4 per week

A few vining vegetables, like squash or Malabar spinach, produce abundant yields for the price of a packet of seeds ($2.95). Winter squash types in particular are easy to cure and store, lasting well into spring and offering savings of up to $10-$15 per vine.

Herbs
Herbs offer amazing return. For $1.50, you can buy a 3-inch pot of parsley, chives, oregano, mint, or basil and harvest leaves all season long. With the perennial herbs, like oregano and mint, the harvest continues for years with little maintenance action required. Compare that to “fresh” herbs you’ll get at the grocery for $3 for a 3-ounce packet.

What not to grow
Some vegetables aren’t cost-effective in an edible garden. For instance, you could spend $20 for organic seed potatoes that will yield 15 pounds of spuds from a 20-foot row planting. Compare that with the average price of white potatoes in the supermarket at $1 per pound. Then again, you can’t find Russian Banana fingerlings or Purple Viking potatoes at the grocer, so if you want a specialty spud, grow your own.

Other veggies that don’t pay to grow are ones that are finicky, like celery or asparagus. Both are labor intensive. Onions are relatively cheap to purchase, and it can be difficult to get a large yield of good-size bulbs without a massive garden.

Try growing shallots instead, a gourmet-style onion family member that produces green tops you can harvest like chives and mild flavored bulbs that cost up to $4 a pound at the store.

How big an edible garden?
The median size of an edible garden is about 100 sq. ft., according to the National Gardening Association. For a family of four, a growing space of 200 sq. ft. should keep the family in veggies all summer long. Plan to spend 4 hours a week tending your garden, with 8-12 hours for preparing the planting area in spring, shopping for seeds and seedlings, and sowing crops.

Where to get the best garden land?
Well, that we don't know but we do know that Johns Creek is a wonderful place to start growing your family. See all the houses in Johns Creek at: http://bit.ly/9XJ70b

Green Kitchen Remodeling

If you’re ready to remodel your kitchen and want to go green, here’s how to create the healthy, energy-efficient, eco-friendly kitchen of your dreams.

Going green with your kitchen remodeling project means making choices based on your lifestyle and your budget. The decisions aren’t always simple. For example, a certain green product may outlast and use less energy but cost more than a similar product that performs equally well. Fortunately, an expanding marketplace for smart, stylish green products is helping to lower costs—making it easier to have a green kitchen and love it, too.

If products you’d like to add to your project aren’t readily available, schedule visits to showrooms or green home improvement expos to examine materials first-hand before making decisions. To help you plan, here are key products, ideas, and tips to put the green in your kitchen.

Major components
• Sustainable kitchen cabinets are made from wood and wood products certified by the Forest Stewardship Council to be produced using sustainable forest management practices. They feature formaldehyde-free glues and finishes with low volatile organic compounds that give off little or no toxic fumes. Check product literature closely to ensure the cabinets you choose meet these criteria.

When shopping for cabinets, ask if the cabinet boxes are built with wheat board or straw board. These products are made from agricultural waste, such as the chaff left over from farmers’ wheat crops. As a rule, they feature formaldehyde-free binders. They’re strong and rated to exceed the standards set by the American National Standards Institute for medium density particleboard—the material commonly used to make cabinet boxes.

• Green countertops offer variety but all share similar characteristics: recycled or sustainable content, low-toxicity binders, and eco-friendly manufacturing processes. In addition, they’re highly durable. Examples: Squak Mountain Stone is made from recycled paper, recycled glass, reclaimed fly ash, and cement. The finished countertop slabs resemble limestone and soapstone. Eco-top counters consist of renewable bamboo fiber, post-consumer recycled paper, and water-based resin glue. Vetrazzo makes countertops that are 85% recycled glass—almost all the glass comes from curbside recycling programs. Craft-Art includes a line of wood countertops made of reclaimed wood from older barns, warehouses, and commercial buildings.

• Eco-friendly flooring includes linoleum and cork. Both are made with renewable resources that make them sustainable choices. They’re good-looking and durable, but require periodic maintenance.

Linoleum is made from renewable, biodegradable materials including linseed oil and cork. It produces no harmful vapors and comes in many patterns and colors. Linoleum stands up well to traffic and offers some cushioning underfoot. It’s resistant to moisture but susceptible to staining, so some manufacturers add a coating to protect against spills and scratches. Without this protection, linoleum must be cleaned and polished every two years. Cost: $2 to $4 per sq.ft.; installation adds $5 to $7 per sq.ft.

Cork is a sustainable flooring product made from tree bark; the bark grows back and can be harvested repeatedly. Harvesting practices are carefully regulated to ensure future supplies, reducing environmental impact. Cork is waterproof and slightly soft underfoot, which makes it both moisture-resistant and comfortable. It’s made in 12x12-inch tiles and 1x3-foot planks, each with a distinctive grain pattern. The surface is slightly textured and slip-resistant.

Treat cork flooring with a sealant every 3 to 4 years to prevent scratches and stop moisture from penetrating seams between tiles. Natural wax and water-based polyurethane work well. Cost: $2-$6 per sq.ft.; installation, $5-$10 per sq.ft.

Appliances
• Choosing Energy Star products reduces energy consumption and saves utility costs. Energy Star appliances are tested and rated to be the most energy-efficient models in any product category. In addition, some states and regional utility companies offer rebates for buying Energy Star appliances.

• Dishwashers go green when they feature an energy-saving or quick-wash cycle. These cycles operate for shorter periods of time, saving water and energy. Also, look for dishwashers that include an air-dry option, which dries dishes with circulation fans rather than energy-draining heating elements. Or, simply open up the dishwasher door when the wash cycle is complete and let dishes air dry.

Energy Star models are 25% more energy efficient than the federal standards for energy consumption. If you replace your pre-1994 dishwasher with an Energy Star model, you’ll save as much as $40 a year on energy costs.

• Buy a new refrigerator and you’ll save on energy costs. That’s because manufacturers are constantly improving technology and insulating techniques. In fact, today’s new models are 75% more energy efficient than those manufactured just 20 years ago, saving about $100 per year on energy costs. An Energy Star-rated model will save an additional $20-$30 per year.

Choose models featuring the freezer on top and use 10% to 25% less energy than a same-sized model with a side-by-side configuration.

Green essentials
• An under-the-counter water purifier cleans water of contaminants before it reaches the kitchen tap; it has about 10 times the filtering capacity of a faucet-mounted purifier. A model with a top-quality activated carbon filter will remove heavy metals, bacteria, and pesticides. In addition, it removes odors and bad tastes. Expect to pay $150-$200 for an activated charcoal purifier with a replaceable cartridge.

• Energy-efficient lighting includes fluorescent and compact fluorescent lamps that use 50% to 90% less energy than comparable incandescent lamps. In fact, according to EnergyStar.gov, a single compact fluorescent bulb will save $30-$40 during its expected lifespan of 10,000 hours over conventional incandescent bulbs of similar luminosity. However, consider the correct quality of light, such as an efficient halogen and LED lighting sources, for task areas.

• Being an active recycler is one way to ensure your kitchen is green. Most cabinet manufacturers offer options for lower cabinets that include pull-out recycling bins that keep contents organized and out of sight. In some instances, these bins are designed to be positioned conveniently beneath holes in countertops so that you can sweep food scraps into them. You can also retrofit existing cabinets with recycling bins—rotating lazy Susan-type recycling centers feature multiple bins and are designed to fit in lower corner cabinets.

Visit all the green homes in our Atlanta area at: www.AnzianoRealEstate.com

Working with Your Listing Price is Smart Business

While you’d like to get the best price for your home, consider our six reasons to reduce your home price.

If you don't receive any offers for a few weeks, check out other comparable houses on the market and what they're going for. Image: Liz Foreman

Home not selling? That could happen for a number of reasons you can’t control, like a unique home layout or having one of the few homes in the neighborhood without a garage. There is one factor you can control: your home price.

These six signs may be telling you it’s time to lower your price.

1. You’re drawing few lookers
You get the most interest in your home right after you put it on the market because buyers want to catch a great new home before anybody else takes it. If your real estate agent reports there have been fewer buyers calling about and asking to tour your home than there have been for other homes in your area, that may be a sign buyers think it’s overpriced and are waiting for the price to fall before viewing it.

2. You’re drawing lots of lookers but have no offers
If you’ve had 30 sets of potential buyers come through your home and not a single one has made an offer, something is off. What are other agents telling your agent about your home? An overly high price may be discouraging buyers from making an offer.

3. Your home’s been on the market longer than similar homes
Ask your real estate agent about the average number of days it takes to sell a home in your market. If the answer is 30 and you’re pushing 45, your price may be affecting buyer interest. When a home sits on the market, buyers can begin to wonder if there’s something wrong with it, which can delay a sale even further. At least consider lowering your asking price.

4. You have a deadline
If you’ve got to sell soon because of a job transfer or you’ve already purchased another home, it may be necessary to generate buyer interest by dropping your price so your home is a little lower priced than comparable homes in your area. Remember: It’s not how much money you need that determines the sale price of your home, it’s how much money a buyer is willing to spend.

5. You can’t make upgrades
Maybe you’re plum out of cash and don’t have the funds to put fresh paint on the walls, clean the carpets, and add curb appeal. But the feedback your agent is reporting from buyers is that your home isn’t as well-appointed as similarly priced homes. When your home has been on the market longer than comparable homes in better condition, it’s time to accept that buyers expect to pay less for a home that doesn’t show as well as others.

6. The competition has changed
If weeks go by with no offers, continue to check out the competition. What have comparable homes sold for and what’s still on the market? What new listings have been added since you listed your home for sale? If comparable home sales or new listings show your price is too steep, consider a price reduction.

Working Hard to Keep the Sale Together

After finding a buyer, all you have to do to make it to closing is to avoid these five traps.

If something falls apart before a home sells, the sellers are responsible for fixing it.

Finding a buyer for your home is just the first step on the homeselling path. Tread carefully in the weeks ahead because if you make one of these common seller mistakes, your deal may not close.

Mistake #1: Ignore contingencies
If your contract requires you to do something before the sale, do it. If the buyers make the sale contingent on certain repairs, don’t do cheap patch-jobs and expect the buyers not to notice the fixes weren’t done properly.

Mistake #2: Don’t bother to fix things that break
The last thing any seller needs is for the buyers to notice on the pre-closing walk-through that the home isn’t in the same condition as when they made their offer. When things fall apart in a home about to be purchased, sellers must make the repairs. If the furnace fails, get a professional to fix it, and inform the buyers that the work was done. When you fail to maintain the home, the buyers may lose confidence in your integrity and the condition of the home and back out of the sale.

Mistake #3: Get lax about deadlines
Treat deadlines as sacrosanct. If you have three days to accept or reject the home inspection, make your decision within three days. If you’re selling, move out a few days early, so you can turn over the keys at closing.

Mistake #4: Refuse to negotiate any further
Once you’ve negotiated a price, it’s natural to calculate how much you’ll walk away with from the closing table. However, problems uncovered during inspections will have to be fixed. The appraisal may come in at a price below what the buyers offered to pay. Be prepared to negotiate with the buyers over these bottom-line-influencing issues.

Mistake #5: Hide liens from buyers
Did you neglect to mention that Uncle Sam has placed a tax lien on your home or you owe six months of homeowners association fees? The title search is going to turn up any liens filed on your house. To sell your house, you have to pay off the lien (or get the borrower to agree to pay it off). If you can do that with the sales proceeds, great. If not, the sale isn’t going to close.

When it's all said and done...
These are tough times and after you've worked hard to get the sale and harder to keep it together; so, treat yourself to a new or resale home that meets your new lifestyle. It's so easy to find on our website: http://www.anzianorealestate.com/. Like our friend says, "it's easy peasy!"

PS; please feel free to share our posts with your friends...no obligations, ever.