Good grief! Someone wrote me and complained about the number of ads on this blog. My reaction was "what the heck are you talking about". (thought it - did not say it). But I knew the blog was not linked to a bunch of advertisers and checked - and did not see ads. So, I assumed it was a mistake - on her part.
But - sometimes things just haunt you. So, I checked the blog using an incognito browser - and YIKES, there were ads all over the place. Lesson learned - since I normally viewed the blog in the same browser I post and edit from, it was recognizing me as the owner and not displaying any ads. ggggRRRRR
Alright, moving on - I started digging and found out how to disable ads - I think - and now your experience on this blog should be a whole lot better! We'll go forward from this point and I do hope you like the change. Al
Our homes are our sanctuaries. It’s where we can go after a
long day and leave our worries at the door. But, after social distancing for months,
your home may feel more like a prison than a sanctuary. So, why not take back
your home and breathe new life into it?
According to HomeLight’sQ3 survey, buyers are looking for a few specific features in a home. If you
have the money and the time, consider these home improvement projects with high ROI, and we’ll share our top tips from top agents about how to tackle these projects.
1. In-law suites
We’ve joked about dreading when the in-laws come by to
visit, but what if there was a way they could visit and not be a burden? An
in-law suite is a great way to make the in-laws comfortable and keep
your sanity. Typically these suites include a bedroom and a full bath, but you
can find suites that are more like a mini-apartment! They could include a small
living area and sometimes even a kitchenette.
2. Outdoor living spaces
There’s nothing like stepping out onto the patio (or deck or
balcony) and breathing in the fresh air. Buyers want to be able to entertain
outdoors and because these features are highly sought after (20% of agents say
their clients want an outdoor area), you can expect to see a decent return on
your investment!
3. No more open floor plans
Open floor plans were made popular by home improvement shows
on television, but due to the pandemic, people are more interested in having
their own, private space. This is certainly true for families who are working
or learning from home. By having clearly defined rooms with a door, folks can
shut the door and do their work in peace.
Plus it’s always nice to have your own little retreat when other household members start to get on your nerves!
4. Touchless features
Homes with touchless features like smart thermostats, lights
and entertainment systems are all the rage nowadays. These features help
minimize the spread of germs and in light of the pandemic, people are very
concerned about the health and well-being of everyone who lives (or visits) the
home. And if you have touchless features like the lights and thermostat, you
can adjust the heat and turn on the lights before you even get home!
5. Antibacterial surfaces and disinfecting zones
Along with touchless features, buyers want to have surfaces
that will not harbor harmful bacteriaand microbes that can get people sick. Materials such as stainless steel,
copper, and surfacestreated with a special coating can go a long way to make people feel
safer.
Not only are people looking for antibacterial and
antimicrobial surfaces, they want a designated space for disinfecting. This
room will be a space where families can leave packages, clothing, shoes, and
other items that may carry the COVID virus and other infectious germs.
Of course, before you decide that you want to take on any renovation project, you need to do your homework and budgeting. These renovations can add up pretty quickly and if you’re not careful, you could easily go over budget!
When it comes time to hire a contractor, as your real estate
agent (if you’re selling your house) for recommendations. If you aren’t going
to sell your home any time soon and still want to do these or other renovation
projects, look for licensed contractors with a good reputation. You’re going to
pay a lot of money, so you’re definitely going to want to make sure it’s well
spent!
Author: Evette Champion
Bio: Experienced Freelance Writer with a demonstrated history of working in the writing and editing industry. Strong media and communication professional skilled in creating engaging blog articles for the lovelorn reader.
My occasional reminder that these are available to you. Actually, they are always available using the links in the rightmost column in this blog.
Free Recipes From Family and Friends. No commercial today - no requiring you to sign up or give up anything - and safely hosted at ISSUU
When mom passed, a close friend help me get the old family recipes into an online booklet form. There are recipes from the Italian side and the German side - and a mix of others from friends.
Sadly, the friend who help get the recipe book together passed away about 2 years later. A group of us got together and created the second of two recipe books. She was a military wife and her recipes are from friends around the world.
You are free to use the recipes and share. The only thing we ask, is never make it monetary - they are always FREE. Who knows, maybe you will find something you have been looking for - or something new. On the first book, since the recipes are mostly family going back to great grandmother - I am privileged to say I think ALL of them are good!
BOOK 1 - https://issuu.com/cannistra/docs/200_recipes
BOOK 2 - https://issuu.com/cannistra/docs/the_book_of_joy
The ancestry analysis takes you to at least the level of 8th cousin. Last time I shared all of this with you in 2018, the list was about 135 pages of cousins. The updated list is 271 pages of cousins. There is about 15 cousins per page!
This is one family reunion that is NOT going to happen. We would need to rent a small town. Thanks for reading and if you have any unique ancestry stories that you would like to share reach out to me.
Will it change next time?
Tomorrow, more about the increase in the number of cousin links! Come on back.
Well, I have the latest update about my ancestry records. When I shared the information with you in April 2018, they said I was part African and part Middle Eastern. Somehow that changed. I am not the expert on this stuff for sure, but the revised information gives rise to questioning the authenticity of their results.
For now, it seems I am primarily Italian and German by descent, however they added a new surprise to the mix. At least, there is new information about "what makes me who I am" - for now.
Nothing has really changed for me. As I said in 2018, I am AMERICAN all the way - but a look back piques my curiosity. More to share with you tomorrow!
The following is a guest post - and our first opening this blog to touching and inspiring stories. If you have one to share, we would love to hear from you. I am not moving the blog away from real estate – I am opening it up to an ethical life stance that we, as humans, are more encompassing than simply a narrow focus on our own abode. Humans are about altruism, generosity, benevolence, humanitarianism, and so much more.
Our Guest Poster:
My name is Al Manges. I would like to share my story with everyone. I am a truck
driver and I am away from my family for weeks at a time. I am lucky to
work for a company, Schneider National, that values family. With
approval, I am allowed to have passengers when I drive.
Every two weeks I trade off passengers. I
take my son AJ and daughter Sabrina with me. They really enjoy coming out
on the road. We get to see many different parts of the country that most
people do not.
On one of my bi-weekly trips that starts in
Indiana and goes down to Texas then on to California. I had my son AJ on
this trip out to California. After I delivered to all of my customers we
started our trip back. We
picked up our new load and headed out. Part of the way home we stopped at
a Walmart in Nevada. By the way it is not easy to park at a Walmart in a
semi-truck. I have to make sure they allow trucks to park there and have
space to park.
I made a list of groceries we needed and headed
in. I knew exactly how much money I had in my bank account so I was
careful picking out my items so I didn't go over my limit. AJ and I
gathered all of our groceries and headed to check out.
This is where it gets interesting. I
generally use the self-checkout with the conveyor. We loaded our items on
the belt and began scanning our groceries. When we finished and went to
pay I looked at the total and knew I had enough money to buy everything.
I inserted my debit card in the card reader, put in my pin the computer said
card declined. I did not understand why the transaction was
declined. I logged in to my bank account and saw that my balance had
changed since I entered the store.
I then had to tell my son that we would have to
put some of our items back. It was frustrating to say the least. As
I contemplated what to put back a customer at the checkout across from us
overheard my son and I talking. She then asked me how much we were
short. She then gave me twenty dollars to cover the rest of the difference
I could not pay for.
I was very touched by the generosity of a
complete stranger. I thanked her as my eyes welled up with tears of
happiness. We were able to purchase all of our groceries thanks to the
kindness of a kind woman.
I would like to thank Debbie that was at the
Walmart in Fernley, Nevada. I have always tried to help others in
need. It was refreshing to have it happen to me. I didn't realize
until that day that paying it forward really meant something bigger to
me. Thank you again Debbie.
..........
If you have a story to share https://www.sanantoniorealestate.blog/p/guest-articles.html
I hired professionals – the company shall remain nameless as I am not looking to engage their lawyers. And, in truth – this can happen with any moving company. It simply depends upon the integrity of their employees.
The movers placed and connected the washer and dryer. Apparently, “connecting them” is a service not provided by the moving company, but the guys offered - if I would just make their total tip generous. I kept my end of the commitment – each got a nice bonus and I thought everything was fine.
My new place was brand new – no one lived here before – everything was bright and shiny. So a couple months later when I started noticing “a heavy dust” in the laundry room I started examining the ceiling, the water tank, the shelving – and found nothing. It went on and got worse. All that was left to do was check the washer and dryer – and yes common sense says I probably should have done that sooner.
When I pulled the dryer forward, I was shocked that the exhaust vent and hose had separated. The hose also separated from the dryer itself so the dryer was venting into the laundry room and spewing dust that would normally have vented. On examination - the reason for that – NO CLAMPS. Not disconnected, fallen clamps – but NO CLAMPS. I know that there were clamps from the previous installation and I know the clamps were not left behind because we cleaned up there right after the move. The clamps are not worth more than a couple bucks – so who knows what or why.
