Ways to Attract Birds with Water

Water increases the chances that birds will visit a backyard—whether in winter or summer. The bird experts at Duncraft offer the following easy and fun ideas for providing water to back yard birds so customers can help the birds and enjoy more of them. Birds bathe in water to keep feathers clean. Clean feathers are more flight-worthy, helping birds escape predators. Clean feathers also fluff up better, retaining heat in winter. Although birds get most of their dietary water from food, they also seem to enjoy a drink at times. In some areas, natural water sources simply aren’t easily available to birds, especially when water is frozen over or water sources are dried up in summer. Birds don’t want to travel far from water, so not having a water supply in the yard might even keep birds from visiting bird feeders. The most obvious way to provide water to birds is with a bird bath. However, another way to provide water for birds and that is with a simple mister attached to a hose. When attached to a tree branch, it delivers a fine, cooling mist in the area. Hummingbirds especially like flying in and out of a gentle mist. Other birds may simply perch in front of the mister to wet their feathers while they preen. Birds will also drink the water-droplets that form on leaves.

Moving water is especially attractive to birds. A product called the Water Wiggler continuously agitates the water and creates ripples. Along with being very attractive to birds, moving water removes the tension on the surface of the water that enables mosquito larvae to develop. Larvae sink when there’s no tension for them to cling to and breathe—mosquitoes hatching in the bird bath are no longer a problem. One more way to accomplish moving water is with a fountain. A solar operated fountain is an eco-friendly option. Source: www.duncraft.com

Home Buying Basics: Why You Need a Home Inspection

Homeowners across the country are learning about the benefits of having a home inspection—an important step in the home buying and selling process. Whether your home is on the market or you simply want to maintain its condition, enlist the help of a trustworthy home inspector to ensure that your current or potential home is in optimal condition.

When buying a home, a home inspection determines its structural and mechanical condition. If there are any problems, your inspector will make them known and estimate costs for repair. You can then determine if the cost of dealing with these issues is worth the listed price of the home or if more negotiation is required.

If you are selling your home, a potential buyer is likely to enlist a home inspector, but you can arrange your own home inspection to prepare. They will help you identify any issues that need fixing, so that you can present your home as structurally and mechanically sound home.

Even if you're not in the process of buying or selling, home inspection is important to the upkeep of your property. Prevention is more affordable than treatment—and a home inspector will help you identify issues before they become a serious problem. For example, a home inspector could identify a hole in your roof; left untreated, you may need an expensive new roof, but caught by a home inspector, you may only require an inexpensive patching service.

A home inspector will examine your home for structural and safety issues. They will determine if your foundation has been damaged by renovations or termites, and verify the condition of support beams. They will also check for safety hazards, including rotting steps, loose railings, and faulty locks.
Your home inspector also knows to look for problems with wiring and electrical boxes, as well as plumbing issues. Water damage can be a deal-breaker in the sale of many homes, and a home inspection can identify potentially costly leaks.

Source: AmeriSpec®

Coming to terms with your closets

By Maria Patterson “Not enough closet space” is a common lament of many homeowners. But the truth is, no matter how abundant or spacious your closets may be, the inner pack-rat in all of us tends to take over and stuff our shelves to capacity. If your closet contains articles of clothing with the price tags still on, sheet sets from your childhood bunk beds, or board games with more than a few pieces missing, raise the red flag—things have gotten out of control. While the prospect of overhauling your closets is indeed daunting, the benefits in terms of streamlining and organizing your day-to-day life (just imagine how much easier getting dressed in the morning could be?) make the challenge more than worth it. Here are some pointers to make tackling closet clean-outs less overwhelming: - Pick and choose. Often the biggest deterrent to closet cleaning is not knowing where to begin. Odds are, if you have one bad closet, you have more. Enlist a triage approach and decide which closet is in the worst shape and/or which closet you frequent most. Or, take the opposite approach and clean out a closet that needs the least amount of cleaning first. This will help ease you into the process and motivate you with a sense of accomplishment. - Think long-term. Unless you happen to be in a situation that affords you an inordinate amount of downtime, schedule your closet clean-outs over several months. Attempting to get them all done in one weekend is probably unrealistic and will leave you quite cranky come Monday morning. Shoot for something more reasonable, like one closet per month, or one closet per rainy weekend day. This type of approach is a lot more palatable. - Buy contractor bags. One of the biggest pitfalls of cleaning out a closet is hemming and hawing over what to keep, what to give away, and what to discard. As is often said, if you haven’t worn or used something in a year, get rid of it. But only plan to give it away if it’s in really excellent condition; otherwise, the clutter in your closet will simply be transferred to your trunk with your good intentions to give it away stretching out over months. A nice, big contractor bag by your side will be your best friend during closet clean-up. Throw stuff away and start fresh all around. - Consider an expert. For many homeowners, insufficient closet space is a real issue, especially if you live in a condo or smaller house. Also, if you’re abode is older, the closets may not have been designed with modern lifestyles in mind. A professional closet organizer can work miracles to revamp your closets for maximum space and organization.

Congrats to our 1st Quarter 2012 Circle of Excellence Award Winners!

The Circle of Excellence is a Coldwell Banker Platinum Partners internal awards program established to recognize well-rounded agents. In order to be inducted into the Circle of Excellence an agent must either be one of the top three in the company or meet the minimum point requirements in the following categories – production, participation and company support. Points are earned based on activities within each category.

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Platinum Partners earns Five Star Recognition from CARTUS

Coldwell Banker Platinum Partners has received Five Star recognition from the Cartus Broker Network. The award is accorded to brokers who met or exceeded their individual objectives related to outgoing broker-to-broker referral closings during 2011.

Coldwell Banker Platinum Partners will receive a trophy for its achievement during the Cartus Broker Network International Conference, which will be held in Florida on April 25-28 at the Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes.

“Coldwell Banker Platinum Partners’ focus on referring customers to other Network firms that provide the high level of service and provide trained and qualified agents demonstrates not only their support and confidence in the Cartus Broker Network but also their understanding of its success. The fact that Coldwell Banker Platinum Partners has achieved objectives for outgoing broker-to-broker referral closings speaks volumes about the commitment to success that makes our brokers such highly valued partners,” said Gerald Pearce, Cartus executive vice president, Broker Services and Affinity Services. “We are proud to be affiliated with this talented group of real estate professionals and look forward to our continued success in the future.”

“The importance of placing broker-to-broker referrals cannot be overemphasized,” said Connie Farmer Ray, President & CEO of Coldwell Banker Platinum Partners. “We are happy to join the list of Network members from around the country who have worked so hard to succeed in doing this.”

Coldwell Banker Platinum Partners earns President's Award of Honor

Coldwell Banker Platinum Partners has been awarded the prestigious Coldwell Banker®President’s Award of Honor,a distinction achieved by only 39 of the Coldwell Banker independently owned and operated affiliate companies throughout North America. This designation is given to companies who attained closed adjusted gross commission income of certain criteria during the 2011 calendar year.

“Connie Farer Ray, CEO & President, and the sales associates at Coldwell Banker Platinum Partners are truly deserving of the President’s Award of Honor,” said Jim Gillespie, chief executive officer of Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. “They have shown sincere dedication to their customers while representing the highest professional standards, a quality that sets apart Coldwell Banker sales professionals from the competition. By assisting families in achieving the dream of home ownership in these challenging economic times, companies such Coldwell Banker Platinum Partners are helping to keep America strong.”