Holiday Cleaning: Tips for a Guest-Ready Home

Source: Houselogic, By: Courtney Craig How deep do you go when cleaning for holiday guests? There are some who take it to the extreme - but you can have a clean home without going overboard. If you think wiping down countertops and fluffing a few pillows in advance of the guest onslaught will land you on Santa's "nice" list this holiday season, check that list twice. The extreme cleaners (telephone buttons! vacuum brushes! remote controls!) featured in this New York Times article may make you feel like a slacker. But you can bring your home to sparkling guest-readiness without going overboard. A few tips from the "Times" will keep your home merry, bright, and clean: Scrub your entryway. Wipe down your front door, give the doormat a good shake, and make sure dust and dirt haven't collected on floors and furniture legs. These are the first things guests will see when they arrive, so keeping them clean will guarantee a good first impression. Focus on the kitchen. People tend to gather around the food during the holidays, so make sure your kitchen looks and smells nice. Don't forget to dust the light fixtures and flush sink drains with boiling water. Whatever you do, don't neglect the loo. Don't just wipe surfaces; break out the stiff-bristled brush and scouring powder to really scrub things clean. Sniff out bad smells. If you clean your home and something still doesn't smell quite right, brew some coffee. The aroma will cover it up. HouseLogic also has a few cost-conscious cleaning tips to get your home holiday ready: Give your garbage disposal some love, considering how much it will "consume" this season. To cut down on odors, chop up a whole lemon - rind and all - and let the disposal gobble it up. Throw in ice cubes to sharpen the blades. How about one soap for everything? If you've got a bottle of castile soap ($10 for a 16-oz. bottle), you're ready for anything. It can be laundry detergent, mopping solution, and shampoo, just to name a few. Make sure you can see the guests coming. Keep windows clean and streak-free on the cheap with an easy mixture of vinegar and water in a spray bottle. Wipe down windows with a reusable microfiber cloth. With all your holiday cooking, stovetops and ovens are bound to get dirty. Baking soda and water make a simple scouring solution that can scrub off that baked-on gunk. To save money, make your own bathroom cleaning products. For example, to unclog a drain for pennies, pour half a cup of baking soda followed by half a cup of vinegar down the drain. Cover the drain for at least 30 minutes, then flush it with boiling water. What are your tips for keeping your home guest-ready during the holiday season?

Recycling Household Goods

Many consumers are accustomed to recycling paper, plastic, glass and aluminum; curbside pick up makes that an easy task. But what about other items such as compact florescent light bulbs and electronics like cell phones, computers and TVs? Objects like these will not decompose in a landfill, and in the case of florescent bulbs, can leak toxic chemicals. As such items are replaced-either because they no longer work or you simply want to upgrade-remember that there are recycling programs available for nearly every consumer product. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, recycling one million laptops saves the energy equivalent to the electricity used by more than 3,500 American homes in a year. And, for every million cell phones we recycle, 35,000 pounds of copper, 772 pounds of silver, 75 pounds of gold, and 33 pounds of palladium can be recovered. Before recycling electronics, however, remember these tips: Consider upgrading the hardware or software on a computer or laptop, instead of buying a brand new product. Delete all personal information from your electronics, including contact lists from cell phones. Remove any batteries from electronic devices, as they may need to be recycled separately. Compact florescent light bulbs may be taken to Ace Hardware, Home Depot or Lowe's home improvement stores. Keep used, intact bulbs in a bin or bag in the garage and return them on your next trip into the store. (For tips on how to clean up and dispose of a broken CFL, click here.) For electronics, manufacturers and many national retailers offer several options to donate or recycle electronics. Click here for a searchable database of providers, and links to other electronic recycling sites. The EPA says that recycling consumer electronics conserves natural resources and avoids air and water pollution, but it also reduces greenhouse gas emissions that are caused by manufacturing new materials.

Condo Rules and Regulations, HOAs, and Your Holiday Displays

Check your condo rules before you put up that menorah or Santa decoration, or you might find yourself taking your holiday decorations down a lot sooner than you planned. If you're one of the 62 million Americans living in condo and home owners associations (HOAs), you don't get to take a holiday break from condo rules. Humbug, you say? Well...read more.

Existing-Home Sales Rise in October with Ongoing Price and Equity Gains

Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said there was some impact from Hurricane Sandy. "Home sales continue to trend up and most October transactions were completed by the time the storm hit, but the growing demand with limited inventory is pressuring home prices in much of the country," he said. "We expect an impact on Northeastern home sales in the coming months from a pause and delays in storm-impacted regions." For full story click here.

Sales Statistics

This graph shows the available number of Single Family properties as of December 1, 2012. The graph then depicts out of the total number of available how many of these listed properties are Traditional, Bank Owned or Short Sale. This graph includes the breakdown of the median listed price of available Single Family properties. This graph shows the number of Single Family properties that closed escrow during November 2012 and out of that total number, the number of closings of Traditinal, Bank Owned or Short Sale listings. This graph includes the breakdown of the median sales price for closings for November 2012. Traditional listings continue to close at higher pricing.

Sincerely, Greater Las Vegas Association of REALTORS® 1750 E. Sahara Ave. Las Vegas, NV 89104

Why Use a REALTOR®?

The REALTOR® mark shows that your real estate agent is a member of the National Association of REALTORS® and adheres to a strict Code of Ethics. There are many reasons to use a REALTOR® to help you buy or sell a home. Here's one: A REALTOR® can give you up-to-date information on what is happening your local marketplace and the price, financing, terms and condition of competing properties. For information on choosing and using a REALTOR®, click here.