5 Top Trends in todays homes

"1. The live-in kitchen. Consumers spend three to four hours in the kitchen every day, not only cooking there but using it as a place to entertain, work, craft and spend leisure time, Mirabile said. The kitchen is being reinvented as a second living room, he said, as appliances are camouflaged and functional objects are hidden or minimized, allowing people to create ambiance in the room.

2. Living within our means. The recession is changing long-held opinions on how we spend our money. Consumers are looking for quality and durability in products -- a shift away from disposable consumption, he said. They're canning food more and growing their own herbs, they're brown bagging lunches and they're shopping in bulk at warehouse clubs or stocking up during grocery store sales to save money. Read tips on how to buy and use a home freezer if you're thinking of saving money on groceries.

3. The green kitchen. Americans continue to make their lives more environmentally friendly, but they're increasingly confused and frustrated about what is really "green," Mirabile said. While they want products to be eco-friendly, they're not going to pay much of a premium for it either -- they expect retailers and manufacturers to deliver green products at competitive prices.

4. The wellness kitchen. Buying local food and/or growing your own often means it will be fresher and free from pesticides and preservatives -- in short, more nutritious, he said. Today's consumers are also interested in purifying their water and air.

5. Cooking for fun. We're a nation of foodies, Mirabile said, quoting a Nielsen survey that found one in every five households has a "budding gourmet chef." It's not just women spending more time in the kitchen, either; "gastrosexuals" are men who consider cooking more of a hobby than a household chore, and use kitchen skills to impress friends and prospective partners. The popularity of the Food Network has helped to inspire a new love with food and cooking, and he expects consumers to continue to search for new recipes, techniques and cooking tools. "
taken From Market Watch reporter, Amy Hoak.

Do you agree with Amy? Let me know.

Where the market went

As you can see by the graph- this taken from the Columbus Dispatch...this has been a down market and now you can see by just how much!

You don't have to be selling a home to have curb appeal!

Curb appeal is at the heart of a home. Whether you are renting or you own, having pride in where you live shows as much about you as whether you wear wrinkled or dirty clothes to work.

Curb appeal starts at the curb. Obvious maybe, but how often do people take the time to look at their house from the curb? Even condos can have curb appeal.
Nothing can make a blah day better than digging into spring cleaning the front of your house and making it shine!
Rake up the rest of those pesky leaves. Get the window cleaner out and clean the door, the glass, the coach lights and anything else that doesn't move fast enough!

It will make a big difference in the looks of your home, in the eyes of your neighbors, and for anyone Selling...it could be the difference between getting a contract and someone passing you by!

$6500 for existing home owners/upto $8000 for first time'ers.

There has been some confusion about the tax credit only being for first time Home Buyers but this is not the case. The added surprise is that current home owners thinking of moving down/moving up can also take advantage of a tax credit. Not as much as for the First Timer'ers but substantial none the less. Don't let this opportunity pass you by!

Arizona

Ever want a vacation that is totally different? Let me tell you; If you live anywhere in the mid-west or east-after living in an oasis of trees, rain, grass, and the critters that come with it, Arizona is the place you should choose.

There is nothing more arid, land that has been stripped of trees and grass, more brown and less green than this landscape. Getting back to basics...that's what it is. Rocks, dirt...lots of dirt..., critters all in search of water and food. And that includes the 2 legged kind. Speaking of critters- a whole new variety exists in the the world of Arizona. From scorpions to black widow spiders to rattle snakes, the landscape teams of creepy crawly dangerous things.

Yet there is a beauty here that one cannot find anywhere else. Rocks can be and are beautiful. Reds and blacks, and crystals, golds and silvers and turquoise. Cactus are beautiful. Dangerous if you fall back on or into one but their beauty is something to behold especially when they flower.