Spring Cleaning Tips - Part 2

5. Stick to One Room at a Time - Similar to tip #2, don't go overboard and organize sections of different rooms without finishing one. If only a small portion of every room is clean, it will be hard to see the progress. Tackle it in pieces and go one room at a time. The accomplished feeling after one room is clean will be worth it to move on to the next room.

6. Double Time - When pulling things out of drawers, cabinets and off of shelves to clean, remember to organize as you go. As you taking things out, put the things you're going to keep in groupings with similar things. That way when the space is clean, your things will already be sorted and ready to be put in place, rather than laying in a giant pile of chaos.

7. Mix & Match Cleaning Tasks- There's always that one (or several) task in each room that makes you want to give up before you even begin. By recognizing the harder parts of the room to clean, you can balance the nitty gritty with the simple stuff and alternate your focus.

8. Reward System - If a clean, organized home isn't enough to keep you spring cleaning, create small and larger rewards for yourself that won't interfere with your cleaning. Maybe for a 10 minute break, you can read a magazine and then after you're done for the day, you get to watch a movie without checking your email! When the house is looking beautiful inside & out, host friends and show off your hardwork.

While you're going through all of your things, why not take inventory of your home with an iPhone App like this one or this one? There are also inventory apps for Android users here and here.

Need some ideas on what to clean? Here are some thoughts & ideas.

What is the task you dread most when seasonal cleaning?

Spring Cleaning Tips - Part 1

For a few weeks in March and April, I thought spring had completely forgotten us. With highs in the 80s and 90s some days, Ames seemed to be in Summer Mode. Spring weather has come though and it's a good reminder that deep cleaning, organizing, and purging unused items really is ideal in mild weather like we've had lately.

Though the results are almost always a great feeling, getting the house to that point can be stressful for most people. Here are a few tips to get the ball rolling on cleaning out your home for spring and summer:

1. Gather Supplies - Nothing can kill motivation to clean and organize like having to make trips to the super store to get one thing several times. Gather what you have, assess what you'll need and go to the store on the front end.

As you run out of supplies, try to finish what you can with what you have and then go to the store when you need/can foresee needing at least 3 things. Wait to buy your groceries and toiletries after you're done spring cleaning for the day to avoid distraction when you get home.

2. Tackle It In Pieces - An entire house is to daunting a task to tackle - but one section of kitchen cabinets is doable, then onto the next section, and then onto the hall closet. By moving in sections, you aren't tempted to pull everything off of every shelf in the house. This makes small, manageable amounts of mess instead of one large overwhelming pile in every room. You'll feel accomplished after each portion and be motivated to move to the next.

3. Time It - You know when you set aside an entire day to do something? It usually takes the entire day. Whether the task of a 16 hour project is so daunting that you distract yourself with other things or 16 hours makes you feel like you have to use the time up, you're usually wasting some of that time.

Set aside manageable, yet slightly challenging amounts of time for specific projects. This way you will work towards the deadline and remain focused while not spending time over thinking things. Set a timer or make an upbeat playlist that ends after your allotted amount of time.

4. Keep, Trash, Sell/Donate - As you're cleaning and organizing, only organize the things worth keeping. The rest, sort into two bins: 1. Trash & 2. Sell/Donate. Once their in those bins, leave them alone until you're done with your organizational task.

These two bins are important because you don't want to waste your time cleaning around things you don't even want. These things are taking up room in your home when they could be elsewhere. A good rule of thumb is if you haven't used it for one year, you don't need it.

Tips 5 -8 on Friday

A Great Weekend for Curb Appeal

source

It's common knowledge that a well maintained yard increases the value of your home and your neighborhood. This Sunday is Earth Day, but that's not the only reason to work on your yard this weekend in Ames. On Saturday, April 28th, the American Professional Service Group is having a Yard Waste Free Day. All of your clippings, branches, shrubs and brush can be taken to 407 Freel Drive from 8:00am to 4:00pm and you won't have to pay to get rid of your yard waste.

 This weekend is expected to be in the mid-sixties. Let's beautify Ames without having to pay for the branches we trim!

10 Family Friendly Things to do at the VEISHEA Festival

The Iowa State VEISHEA Festival isn't just for students, it also includes several activities for families. The purpose of VEISHEA Festival is to create community between Iowa State University and Ames residents.

On Saturday, April 21, the following family events will be happening on campus:

1. Horse Rides - VEISHEA Village

2. Petting Zoo - VEISHEA Village

3. VEISHEA Parade - Perimeters of campus
4. International Food Fair - Memorial Union

5. Face Painting - VEISHEA Village

6. Smart Home Open House - VEISHEA Village

7. Taste of VEISHEA - Union Drive

8. Chainsaw Wood Sculpture Artist - Central Campus

9. Sugar Cookie Decorating - VEISHEA Village

10. Martial Arts Demonstrations - VEISHEA Village

For more information, check out the VEISHEA Village and the VEISHEA Festival websites.
These are just a few of the events happening this Saturday at VEISHEA. 

Home Buyer Tax Credit - Now What?

The fine print of the first-time home-buyer tax credit has a lot of people stumped as tax season approaches and the loan repayment cycle begins. An article in the Washington Post sums up some of the big questions and conundrums.
"It was never fair to call the original first-time buyer stimulus a credit. It was an interest-free loan. Those who took the credit are required to repay the government over 15 years in equal installments for any amount received. So if you qualified for the maximum credit of $7,500, this means a yearly loan payment of $500. The loan/credit applied only to homes purchased after April 8, 2008, and before Jan. 1, 2009."

OPEN ARTICLE TO READ MORE


If you're interested in the rest of the article, attached is the link.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/remember-that-7500-first-time-homebuyer-credit-its-now-an-irs-headache/2011/04/05/AF5zpwqC_story.html
If you took advantage of the tax credit, remember to look into the terms so you're ready for tax season! If you have any questions about the process, let the Van Cleave Team know. We're here to help with all of your Real Estate needs.