Don’t spend a dime until you consider these cheap-and-easy options.

Wanting to spruce up their plain entry (and needing a bit of organizational space), these homeowners created faux wainscot by nailing up $65 worth of 1-inch-thick boards and painting everything white. Hooks screwed into the boards provide storage for coats and bags, and a flat board at the top creates a small shelf for artwork and knickknacks.

If you’re looking for ways to add a bit of dazzle, do it with paint. An interior door is the perfect subject — it’s a single architectural element that won’t look out-of-place when finished with a bold paint color that contrasts with your walls. Some inexpensive, glued-on moulding gives this hollow-core door some added jazz.

If you’d like to give your kitchen cabinets a regal touch, add crown molding where the upper cabinets meet the ceiling. If you have a custom paint job on your cabinets, such as this antique glaze, try painting the molding before installing it.

Continue reading here.

Source: Houselogic.com

Away From Home

If you are away from your home for an extended time, the Punta Gorda Police Department can conduct periodic home checks and notify you of any concerns or problems that arise.

The Away from Home Program is an invaluable courtesy service offered by the City of Punta Gorda to its residents. The primary purpose of the Away from Home Program is to offer vacationing, seasonal, and year-round residents the reassurance that if a problem exists at their property such as suspicious activity, utility emergencies, or other emergency conditions, the resident or their designated key holder can be contacted expeditiously.

Members of the Punta Gorda Police Department’s Volunteers on Patrol may also conduct periodic House Checks on your home while you are away and immediately notify you or your designee of any problems or concerns at your residence. Participants can provide contact information for themselves or a key holder which will enable the Police Department to more quickly remedy emergency situations.

It is important to note that the Away from Home Program is not intended, or designed, to replace home security systems or other security services. Rather, it is a courtesy service designed to further protect your home and enhance the Police Department’s ability to rapidly respond to, and remedy, an emergency at the homes of our residents.

Find out more here.

See our March newsletter here! Every month, we hold a $25 American Express gift card drawing and the lucky winner will have their card mailed to them. Find out how to enter by reading our newsletter below.

Take a look at our January newsletter here. Also, be sure to like our Facebook page to automatically be entered into the next American Express gift card drawing.

I wanted to share this article from CookingLight. I had never heard of this before but it’s good to know!

All of the most terrifying stories begin with “a Florida man,” and this one is no exception-earlier this month, one West Palm Beach resident woke up to a bed-rattling noise and rushed into the kitchen to find his four-month-old refrigerator in pieces. The explosion not only blew his kitchen into disarray: it rattled and cracked his ceilings, walls, and blew out windows in different areas around the home, according to a Realtor.com report.

In all seriousness, the man was lucky to be uninjured, as fridge explosions have caused dozens of deaths in the United Kingdom over the last few years. While the circumstance is rather uncommon, home cooks could be living with a faulty fridge and not be aware of it-which turn into a life-threatening situation if left unresolved over a longer period of time.

How does a refrigerator explode, anyway?

While the cause of most of these infrequent disasters can’t always be calculated, Neil Everitt, former editor of ACR News, a business-based air conditioning and refrigeration publication, says that’s what makes them so dangerous. Everitt noted a toaster or stove fire can usually be caught by a fire alarm, but refrigerator explosions happen in a matter of seconds rather than minutes, so there isn’t any time for a warning.

The problem typically begins in the compressor, which is located in the back of your fridge. The compressor functions like a car radiator, Everitt explains, absorbing all the heat in the freezer and fridge, and cooling the interior to keep your groceries at perfect storing temperatures.

Sometimes, the rear of the fridge can get extremely hot, as the gas that cools down the fridge returns through the compressor and becomes trapped inside. That trapped gas, stuck within the fridge’s compressor, leads to a pressure build up silently-and, eventually, an explosion.

Continue reading here.

Source: www.cookinglight.com

The Punta Gorda Isles Civic Association is a great organization and if you’re new to the area, it provides a lot of valuable information about how to become more involved in the community.

Click here to view a copy of the latest PGICA Commentator, a monthly publication where you can find information about our area and the multitude of community activities available to you, as well as info about how to join.

Check out our November newsletter here! Also, be sure to like our Facebook page to automatically be entered into our next American Express gift card drawing.

Check out our latest newsletter here! Also, be sure to like our Facebook page if you haven’t already to automatically be entered into next American Express gift card drawing.

How to figure out exactly what you want, and how to work with the experts who’ll help you get it.

Know, Exactly, What You Want

First things first: You need to know what you want (and what your partner wants) in order to sell your home with minimum frustration. Why are you moving? What do you expect from the process? When, exactly, should you put that For Sale sign in the yard?

Do Your Research

Unless you bought your home last week, the housing market changed since you became a homeowner. Mortgage rates fluctuate, inventory shifts over time – these are just a few of the factors that affect the state of the market, and every market is unique. Educate yourself on what to expect.

Interview and Select an Agent

This is the most important relationship you’ll form on your home selling journey. Pick the right agent and you’ll likely get a better sales price for your house.

Price Your Home

How much is your home worth? That’s the … $300,000 question. Whatever the number, you need to know it.

Prep Your Home for Sale

Today, home buyers have unfettered access to property listings online, so you have to make a great first impression – on the internet and IRL. That means you’ll have to declutter all the stuff you’ve accumulated over the years, make any necessary repairs, and get your home in swoon-worthy condition.

Market Your Home

Home buyers look at countless listings online. The best-marketed homes have beautiful photos and compelling property descriptions, so they can get likes – which can amount to buyer interest – on social media. Some agents are even using videos, virtual tours, texts, and audio messages. It’s time to consider how to promote your property.

Showcase Your Home

One of the best ways to get buyers in the door is to have an open house. This is your chance to show off your home’s best assets, and help buyers envision themselves living there. Know how your agent will organize, advertise, and host the event to ensure it’s a success.

Continue reading here.

Source: houselogic.com

Check out our latest newsletter here! Also, be sure to like our Facebook page if you haven’t already to automatically be entered into next American Express gift card drawing.