Posts made by author 'Jay Mattlin'

Spring is coming soon, and with it comes the opportunity to begin remodeling projects! Because there are many things that could go wrong with any remodeling project, it pays to have some help from the pros who have already done what you want to do. This way, you'll save time, money, and a boatload of frustration at possibly having to redo a project.

Here are seven of the most common mistakes people make when they begin a remodeling project. Once you're aware of them, you can work to avoid making the same mistakes on your own projects.

Avoid impatience

Don't rush into any remodeling project. Think it through, decide what your priorities will be for the project, and come up with a good plan that you can follow. Revise this plan until it seems rock solid, and all your goals for the project will be met. Price out the work, and then try like crazy to stick to your plan, and your pricing. Of course, you should always expect the unexpected, but if you have a sol...

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Spring is in full swing, and you know what that means: the days are getting longer, the temperatures are rising, and in just a few short weeks we'll be heading into the warmer months of summer.

Summer is one of the best times of year; children are out of school, it's the perfect time to explore the great outdoors, and of course, everyone's favorite: good ol' summer vacation.

After the freezing temperatures of winter and the unpredictability of spring, you and your family are probably more than ready for the warm, summer weather. But the question is: is your home?

Here are 5 tips to get your home ready for warmer weather:

1. Get your A/C checked

The summer heat is great for beach days and splashing in the pool. But when you're done enjoying the sunshine, you'll want to open the door to a nice, cool interior. But if your air conditioner isn't working properly, you can quickly find yourself with no escape from the rising temperatures.

It's Sunday morning.

You're scheduled to go out and see houses later on with your real estate agent. But it's nasty outside. It's beyond pouring. You can't even imagine walking from the car into a house. You'd rather just cancel the appointment and hang inside, maybe watch some TV.

You can always go see the house next weekend.

But should you wait for next weekend?

Should you even wait to go see houses only during the weekend?

There's five weekdays you can go see houses. Is there a better day than a Sunday?

What if someone else scoops up the house before you end up getting out to see it? Right?!

Sure. Totally a possibility. And, totally a reason to motivate and go see that house today in the rain.

But that's not the point of this article. The point is that the best day to see a house is not necessarily Sunday. It's also not necessarily not Sunday.

The best day to go see a house is when it's...

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It's Sunday morning.

You're scheduled to go out and see houses later on with your real estate agent. But it's nasty outside. It's beyond pouring. You can't even imagine walking from the car into a house. You'd rather just cancel the appointment and hang inside, maybe watch some TV.

You can always go see the house next weekend.

But should you wait for next weekend?

Should you even wait to go see houses only during the weekend?

There's five weekdays you can go see houses. Is there a better day than a Sunday?

What if someone else scoops up the house before you end up getting out to see it? Right?!

Sure. Totally a possibility. And, totally a reason to motivate and go see that house today in the rain.

But that's not the point of this article. The point is that the best day to see a house is not necessarily Sunday. It's also not necessarily not Sunday.

The best day to go see a house is when it's r...

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With summertime comes the need for yard work – it can't be avoided! But, what if you could trim down the time you need to spend on your yard so that you could have more time to do other things instead? While everyone loves the look of a neatly mowed lawn trimmed with pretty flowers, there is a trend today towards conserving water and reducing the maintenance needs of a large yard. There are dozens of ways you can accomplish this, from quick-growing ground covers that need zero maintenance to replacing grass with different colored and sized stone.

Let's look at five great ways to reduce your yard work chores.

1. Reduce the size of your lawn

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