The home selling and buying process can be confusing. This is especially true when it is a FSBO (for sale by owner) operation. It’s even tougher when neither the seller nor the buyer is in the real estate business. This article sorts through what stays in the house or condo when it’s sold.

Attachments – Literally!

In most states, the term “attached” takes on a unique meaning in real estate. Essentially, it boils down to this, “If it’s attached to the real estate, it’s no longer personal property.” Practically speaking, anything attached to the home stays with it when ownership is transferred. Applying this concept, it’s easy to see why chandeliers, doorknobs and kitchen cabinets stay.

To determine whether something stays or goes, focus on the attachment issue. Plants can often be a confusing item. Generally, it they are planted in the ground, they stay. If they are in planters, they go. With other items, just look to see if they are attached to the property.

I Am Seller – Hear Me Roar!

If you’re a seller, you’ve probably spent a good bit of time and effort on the property. What if you want to take a few attached items with you? Can you legally keep it? What if you’re thinking, “That fixture hanging over the breakfast table has a real Tiffany shade? It was a wedding present from Aunt Elizabeth. I’m keeping it!”

Keep your shirt on. There are a couple of ways that typically work when you want to keep an item or two of this sort. The first is to simply state in your offering “blah, blah, and blah do not convey.” (If it really matters, call an attorney to get the language right) This approach has one drawback. Human nature being acquisitive as it is, your buyer will probably immediately want at least two and the items will become a bone of contention.

There is a better way to deal with this situation. Before putting you home on the market, remove all items that have become attached to the real estate. Buy another hanging lamp, hang it and pack your Tiffany lamp. Do that for all items of this sort. Be sure to replace each with something attractive and do it well enough that it’s not obvious that a change has been made. When prospective buyers look at your home, everything they see will stay with the home. You are happy, they are happy, everyone is happy! Life is good.

Analyze your home for attachments before you put it on the market. You wouldn’t want to make Aunt Elizabeth angry by losing the wedding present she gave you.

I love that plus size body shapers for women are mostly designed to be a hidden asset under your clothes, creating a powerful illusion – but this product is pure genius! Flexees Fat Free Dressing Tank shapewear is a star performer right now and they’ve been flying off the online shelves.

The Flexees Fat Free Tank is the first ‘meant to be seen’ body shaper camisole, another industry favorite and winner of the Undie Awards 2010 for ‘favorite overall shapewear’.This is an excellent body shaping camisole to buy if under normal circumstances you feel embarrassed to wear your standard tank due to the ole muffin top. Flexees Fat Free Tank shapewear looks like your ordinary tank top, but the fabric used for the stomach area has a microfiber lining that secretly reduces the bulge.

This is definitely a more moderate control than firm control shapewear, so can be worn all day in comfort. The material is soft and breathable and you don’t have to worry about excessive sweating. It is also a nice length to the hips, which means it doesn’t roll up when you move. At it is moderate control, it won’t exactly suck your gut completely like a firm control shaper would. Instead it slims your torso rather than reshapes. Therefore expect it to neatly trim your waist by smoothing out the bulges and slim your stomach and back with it’s firm control midsection panel. The straps are also adjustable, so you can amend the neckline for a more comfortable fit.

I enjoy wearing this body shaper camisole and so do many others. They come in a variety of colors, so needless to say, I now have one in all of them as they immediately replaced my standard tanks. I don’t really see the point of wearing my normal tanks outside of the house now. Personally, I think this is a brilliant new body shaper for plus size women who enjoy the simplicity of wearing a tank for any occasion as just another item of clothing. This Flexees shapewear item looks perfect underneath a shirt, cardigan, or alone when paired with some jeans, shorts or even tracksuit bottoms for the gym. Yes that’s right; it can also be worn when exercising. So no more excuses about not going to the gym because you hate looking like a hot mess! This body shaper camisole has solved that issue.

Buying a Sofa or Suite is a significant amount of money and an investment that is expected to last and keep in good condition. This really can only be achieved if the Upholstery is kept clean, protecting the material or leather. There is no doubt within the cleaning industry that using Stain Protection with a Service Plan policy attached is the best way to limit stains and protect the fabric. More on this later in the article.

In most families the Upholstery fabric or leather faces a large amount of wear and tear particularly if there are children or pets. To keep it looking good and prolonging the life of any furniture it is important to keep it clean and well maintained. Here are some tips on how to protect and clean upholstery

o Upholstery should be regularly vacuumed to remove dust and grit that can cause soiling and fibre abrasion.
o Turn cushions occasionally to ensure even wear of the cushions, fillings and fabrics.
o Take care when wearing clothing that could cause dye transfer such as jeans etc. Dye transfer on to light coloured furniture can be difficult to remove.
o Protect furnishings from the sun and strong natural light as this will cause fibre degeneration and colour fade. Occasionally, dyes can fade from impurities within the atmosphere such as cigarette smoke, cooking fumes etc.
o Keep pets off the furniture. Pet urine and body oil can weaken and even destroy fibres.
o Solid stains should be gently scraped and lifted off the surface.
o Liquid stains should be blotted up with a clean white absorbent material.
o Work from the outer edge to the centre of the stain.
o Avoid rubbing, over agitating or too much pressure to avoid damaging the fabric fibres.
o Leading retailers recommend that you have your upholstery and furnishings professionally cleaned every 18 months. This can double the life of your furnishings.

What will also extend the life of Upholstery is to apply Stain Protection either when purchased or after a Professional clean. In most cases the Stain Protection will include a service or replacement warranty, which means if staining occurs then procedures are put in place to remove it. The benefits of Stain Protection are:

o It creates an invisible layer which does not change the look or feel of your fabric upholstery or carpets.
o The majority of the UK’s leading retailers sell it.
o The protection plans come with a 5 year servicing plan and free stain removal.
o It can add up to 50% to the life of the fibres by reducing abrasive wear.
o It is environmentally safe.
o A full replacement warranty can be issued on brand new furniture.
o Very cost effective over a 5 year period.

Many customers, who have invoked their Stain Protection Policies when a stain has been found, are pleased when the stain is removed by their own actions or when a professional cleaner is called to attend. The successful removal of a stain depends on a lot of things but there is absolutely no doubt that the chance of success is enhanced significantly if Stain Protection has been applied.

If you want to protect and increase the life of your Upholstery then the application of Stain Protection will do this.

Look out your car window and, sometimes, between the billboards, you can see a tree. In the good old days before we started covering the land with concrete, there used to be whole forests. Now the trees are gone and the ground is covered up, all we get are floods – the water can no longer soak into the ground and disappear. Of course, some of us keep trees as pets in our yards. We miss the old times and enjoy watching something big and green growing up into the sky. And yet. . . Have you ever wondered what holds the trees upright? Yes, these wonders of nature do grow up into the sky but, to ensure they don’t just fall over every time the wind blows, they develop big root systems. Many of these roots spread underneath our homes and can cause problems with the foundations. Some roots go the other way and produce that delightfully uneven sidewalk our old folk like to trip over when their eyesight’s not so good.

If the roots from one of your trees produces cracks in your neighbor’s home, or a stranger passing by falls over a cracked sidewalk, you can face a claim. This will usually be covered under the liability section of the policy. You can also face enforcement action from your local council. Local laws usually entitle the council to order you to remove “dangerous” trees and make good the sidewalk. If you refuse, the council can come on to your land, remove the tree and send you the bill. Whoever’s responsible for maintaining the road outside your home is likely to have similar powers. Completely removing a large tree can be an expensive business. Unfortunately, your insurance policy only covers you when your trees cause loss or damage to others. It does not pay out for preventive work to cut back the branches or roots. You get to pay the tree surgeon to do that out of your own savings.

When the snow and ice builds up on the branches, the additional weight can bring them down. This is where your study of the policy terms can pay off. Most policies pay for the repair of your own home or garage if a tree blows over or heavy branches fall through the roof. The unknown is whether the policy will also cover the cost of removing the tree or branch. Hiring men with chainsaws and a truck to remove the pieces does not come cheap. If the tree simply falls to the ground without damaging any structure, the chances of a successful claim for removal are small. Remember if your tree falls on your car, only comprehensive cover will get you back on the road. There are standard terms covering storm damage and, damage caused by falling branches or lumps of ice from trees is usually included.

The fact the northeast has just experienced record snow for October should convince you of the need to review your home insurance policy. In 2010, the Insurance Information Institute reports total claims of $2.6 billion for winter storm damage alone. The weather is causing an increasing amount of damage and, unless you have good cover from your home insurance policy, you might find it difficult to repair your home.

Which of the popular coffee maker pods should you choose? The two most popular options are Keurig coffee makers and Tassimo coffee makers. They provide similar functionality but there are several differences between the two brands that can help you make your decision.

It’s important to note to begin with that you can’t go wrong with either of these two choices. Both companies are very highly rated and the people who buy them are almost always thrilled with their decisions. So the choice between a Keurig and a Tassimo isn’t life or death, it really comes down to personal preferences.

Keurig Coffee Makers
Keurig has at least six different main models that run the gamut in terms of price range and features. The good news is that even the cheapest models, coming in at around $60 or $70 produce the same great coffee in the same quick time as the more expensive models.

The differences lie in style, design and the size of the water reservoir, as well as intended use. For example, they have a model designed specifically as an office coffee maker that is built to be rugged and withstand a constant bombardment of uses.

The coffee maker pods for Keurig are called K Cups. Keurig produces their own wide range of flavors and tastes. In addition, they have partnerships with many popular coffee manufacturers. You can get your Keurig K Cups with Caribou Coffee, Green Mountain, Newman’s Organics, Emeril’s and many others.

Tassimo Coffee Makers