Clutter Bug in Your Home? | Clutter Free Tips | Provided by HouseLogic

Do you constantly clash with the clutter bug in your home? Here are tips on how opposing clutter styles can live in peace.
If you live alone, you never must tolerate anyone’s clutter but your own. Add another human to the household, and you’re bound to butt heads over how and when stuff is stored, piled, and put away.  The Wall Street Journal feels your pain and recently hosted an online chat about clutter styles.
Writer Alina Dizik and psychologist Patty Ann Tublin advised readers — mostly women complaining about packrat husbands and boyfriends — how to navigate relationships between clutter bugs and neatniks.

Here are 5 tips we culled from the conversation:
1. Determine if arguments about clutter are really power struggles. Is the rift really about piles of paper or an attempt to acquire more control? If you can’t figure this out, consult a professional organizer or counselor.
2. To reduce stress in your home, designate “clutter free” and “clutter friendly” areas. Perhaps the guests-only living room is a No Clutter space, while a mudroom or small den can accommodate some clutter. Also, investigate unusual places to store clutter, like under the stairs, or these space-saving hacks.
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CoreLogic: Home prices rise for third consecutive month | HousingWire

According to CoreLogic Home Prices Rise Again ! ??  Not so much  in Chicago Land

However you need to read beyond the headline… as you can see some states are in a decline!  Here is a bottom line Quote from the Story.

“The five states experiencing the most price appreciation include Arizona (prices up 12%); Idaho (up 9.2%); South Dakota (up 8.7%); Montana (up 8.2%); and Michigan (up 7.9%)”.

“Areas with the greatest price Depreciation include Delaware (prices down 9%); Rhode Island (prices down 4.4%); Illinois (prices down 4.2%); Alabama (prices down 4.1%); and Georgia (prices down 4%)”.

In Fact it seems CoreLogic  will indeed Exclud Distreessed Sales in there forcast.  ( Quote below)

:”CoreLogic's Pending Home Price Index suggests that home prices will rise another 1.4% from May to June. When excluding distressed sales, that number is expected to jump by 2%.”

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Video- First Time Buyer, How Much Can You Afford?

First Time Buyers Have Lot's of Questions  the Main one is...What can you comfortably afford?
Learn how the relationship between your income and total debt could affect your home buying budget.

Know your debt-to-income ratio, which is the percentage of your monthly income that is spent on debt.

• Talk to a lender before you go house hunting so you focus your search on homes you can comfortably afford.

Find a Trust Worthy Realtor who you feel comfortable with and can walk you trough all the steps of the process.

Feel free to contact me with any questions... All my best, Neal  neal.paskvan@bairdwarner.com

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Dupage County Health Department > News

FOLLOW THESE PRECAUTIONS FOR FURNACE AND FIREPLACE SAFETY

Mon January 9, 2012

DUPAGE COUNTY- People rely on their furnaces and fireplaces to function properly year after year, often not remembering proper maintenance or cleaning. This is a dangerous practice resulting in thousands of injuries and deaths among Americans. The DuPage County Health Department recommends the following precautions to keep your family safe this winter:

Furnaces:

• Change or clean your furnace filter regularly.
• Have a professional check your furnace to be sure it is in good repair. Some furnace services can check to see if the furnace gets enough fresh air. Many homes are over-insulated and lack intake-air piping. This causes the furnace to burn improperly and can reduce the oxygen in your home to a dangerously low level.
• Move all materials that burn easily away from the furnace, including old rags, sawdust, wood scraps and flammable liquids such as gasoline and kerosene. (Because vapors from flammable liquids ignite easily, store these liquids in tightly capped containers.)
• Have a professional inspect your chimney and flue at least once a year and clean them if necessary. Carbon monoxide levels can become dangerous if smoke cannot escape from blocked flues or chimneys. Also, soot in flues and chimneys is highly combustible and can easily ignite, sending a ball of fire from the furnace or fireplace into the house.

Fireplaces:

• If you have a fireplace, be sure it was made to be used and is not just for decoration.
• Only burn materials designed for a fireplace. Coal and charcoal release carbon monoxide, and some products emit deadly gases. If using artificial logs, burn just one at a time. They may produce more heat than the fireplace can withstand.
• Always use a fireplace screen to prevent hot embers from popping out into the room.
• Do not go to bed or leave the house until you are sure the fire is completely out. Securely shut the fireplace screen or doors.
• Put ashes in a metal container and empty it after each time you clean the fireplace.
• Install smoke and carbon monoxide detectors on every level of the home. Test the alarms periodically and change the batteries at least once per year.

For more information on the DuPage County Health Department, follow us on Twitter @DuPageHD or become a fan on Facebook