Tips - Real Estate, Updates, News & Tips

REALTORS: Business Cards Are Making a Bigger Statement

The traditional black-and-white business card is dying out in some professions, but salespeople and marketers are reinventing their look to keep others intrigued.The Wall Street Journal reports an increase in the do-it-yourself business card, marked by unusual designs and materials. Business cards are being made of everything from metal to plastic and even wood. Some are larger than your traditional business card, while others are much tinier to

Read More

REALTORS: Work With the Deaf Without Sign Language

As you build your sphere of influence, you may connect with the deaf or hard of hearing. If you don't know how to communicate with them, you may strain the relationship through etiquette blunders or even just inefficiency. Always ask them how they prefer to communicate, but start with these guidelines from Lifehacker.com and you'll quickly pick up the rest.To get their attention, a few options include moving into their field of vision, gently tap

Read More

Where You Most Have to Worry About Bedbugs

Bedbugs travel from place to place and can make their way into homes, apartments, and even offices.Orkin, a nationwide pest management company, released its annual list of cities with the most bedbug infestations. Baltimore and Washington, D.C., continue to rank the highest for infestations. Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, joined the top 10 list this year.Orkin based its list on treatment data from metro areas where it performed the most bedbug treatme

Read More

Protect Your Devices From New Security Flaws

A pair of CPU flaws known as Meltdown and Spectre can allow hackers to access protected information on your computer’s memory. This could make your passwords, personal photos and email, or anything else you have saved on your computer vulnerable. The flaws could impact phones, PCs, and servers.Apple on Thursday was the latest company to announce that its devices aren’t immune either. Apple said all of its computers, iPhones, and iPads are aff

Read More

More House Fires Ignite in Colder Months

A greater number of structural fires occur in the winter months. In colder weather, homeowners crank up the heat, using space heaters and electric blankets. But leaving them on too long or placing them too close to flammable objects can spark fires quickly, realtor.com® warns.“A substantial portion of the structure fire increase is caused by heating fires,” according to a study by the United States Fires Administration, “The Seasonal Natu

Read More

10 Cities That Offer Work-Life Balance

Madison, Wis., offers the best balance between work and play. In fact, Midwestern cities placed in four of the top five spots in a new study by SmartAsset, a personal finance website.SmartAsset analyzed the data on the 100 largest U.S. cities across 10 metrics. Those metrics included concentration of entertainment establishments, bars and restaurants, housing costs, home values, average weeks worked, average hours worked, average commute times, u

Read More

The Best Places for New Year’s Resolutions

Some places may be more inspiring than others for keeping your goals on track for the new year.Realtor.com®’s research team analyzed the 100 largest U.S. metros to figure out where it’s easiest for residents to keep their top new year’s resolutions, like getting healthier, putting finances in order, improving their minds, or setting out to find adventure.To determine the best places to get healthy, the research team looked at the number of

Read More

REALTORS: Hone These Essential Business Skills in 2018

According to Pensacola, Fla.–based author and business consultant Quint Studer, there are ten key abilities any entrepreneur or small-business owner must have in order to be successful. But he also notes that no one starts out with all of these skills and emphasizes that smart businesspeople are constantly learning and honing their abilities.“No one is born a great business owner, knowing all there is to know. Great business owners evolve. Th

Read More

5 Home Accents Interior Designers Loathe

Interior designers are trained to know what works and doesn’t work in a home. Some designers recently advised against purchasing certain home furnishings, whether you are staging a home or moving into one. Avoid these interior design eyesores for the sake of a home’s style:Overstuffed chairs.“I get that lounge chairs are comfortable, but they’re truly the elephant in the room,” Karen Gray-Plaisted, a home staging and decor pro with D

Read More

Wet vs. Dry Bars: Outdated or On-Trend?

Entertainment areas—wet bars and dry bars—are places to prepare beverages for guests. But these spaces may be losing appeal and could make your listing look dated, designers say.First, make sure you know the difference between a wet bar versus a dry bar. Simply enough, a wet bar has a sink, allowing glasses to easily be rinsed, while a dry bar does not.Home bars became trendy in the 1970s and 1980s. More homeowners outfitted their basements w

Read More

This website includes images sourced from third party websites including Adobe, Getty Images, and as otherwise noted.