5 Things to Do Inside During A Winter Storm

Winter and freezing wind chills have settled in the Midwest.  Days like today make me grateful to have the option of working from home.  Before you grab the remote, here are some great ideas to pass the time away.

1)  Organization
You know that drawer in the kitchen that won't close or the linen closet that's a mess? It's a great time to attack these projects.

2)  Safety Check
Another overlooked item is your medicine cabinet. When was the last time you checked the expiration dates?  Evaluated your supply of bandages, cold or flu medicines etc? 

 

3)  Paperwork

Everyone has some type of filing system for bills, medical records, household information and receipts.  When was the last time you cleaned out your files?  Do you really need to keep that 10 year old cable bill?  Organizing your papers help save you time and money.

 

4)  Recipes and Menus

A few years back, I typed up all my recipes, printed and laminated them on 4 x 6 cards.  If you type them in Microsoft Word, you can also save them as a pdf. file.  I then saved all my recipes to a cloud base file system such as Dropbox.  Why? Easy menu planning and shopping. Now if I am at the store and they have a great sale or I have an urge to make Sweet & Sour Chicken, I can pull up the recipe on my phone and easily check the required ingredients.

 

 

 5)  Dream and Plan
So often in our busy life, we fail to take time to dream, plan and grow.  Grab a blank notebook, a cup of tea and settle in to a comfy chair.  Ask yourself lots of questions. What do you like about your life? What would you change? Where do you image living in 5 years? If you could do one thing this year - what would it be?  What places do you want to visit? What new things would you like to try?  Who inspires you?

These are just a few ideas to get you started. Enjoy the season, grab another cup of coffee and get started.

What To Look For On A Final Walk-Through

What To Look For On A Final Walk-Through

The final walk through is usually scheduled right before a real estate purchase is closed. It is an important step - the final walkthrough is your chance to take a careful look at what you're buying and be sure that everything is as you expected. Your real estate professional will accompany you on the walk through as an experienced second set of eyes, and go through the following items:

• The major systems in the home are working such as electrical, plumbing, and HVAC.
• Appliances are working.
• All items that were agreed upon to convey with the home are in place. This could include window treatments, lighting fixtures, or other items.
• Manuals and warranty information for appliances and other items are present.
• Home is reasonably clean.
• There are no major repairs needed such as to the flooring, walls, trim, or exterior.
• If sellers have already moved none of their personal belongings have been left behind.
• Items have not been removed from the landscaping unless previously agreed to.

Keep in mind that if you are buying a home "as is" or you were already aware that something was not working or needed repairs and agreed to purchase the home anyway, you won't need to bring these items up during the final walk through. If however, you had been under the impression that all appliances were to be included with the property and during the walkthrough you notice that the washer and dryer are missing this is the time to bring it up. Voice any concerns to your real estate agent and he or she can advise you about how to best proceed.

 Also make sure all utilities have been transferred over to your name, so you will have electrical power, gas, heat, water, sewer, and trash service once you move in.

What To Look For On A Final Walk-Through

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Check out all the OPEN HOUSES this weekend in Porter County - here is a listhttp://ping.fm/tHzXe

Want a list of ALL the Open Houses this weekend in Porter or Lake County? Just message me at lindazcentury21@gmail.com & I will send you a list.

THIS FRIDAY - Come to County Line Orchard in Hobart for a live benefit concert for Housing Opportunities Inc & Hobart YMCA featuring Chris & Lou and the Crawpuppies Tickets are $15 per person which will include a night of Beatles music, food, drinks and fun!! Let me know if you would like tickets. I hope to see you there!!!

the joy of being self employed - Quarterly Business Taxes are due including the 15.8% Self Employment Tax