"The finest compliment I can ever receive is a referral from my friends and clients!" Renata V. Lewis REALTY USA Licensed Real Estate Salesperson 518-439-2888 ext 243 518-312-2069 CELL (Voice Mail & TEXT) |
The finest compliment I can ever receive is a referral from my friends and clients!" |
| Renata V. Lewis Licensed Real Estate Salesperson |
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| If your house is already listed with a Realtor®, please disregard this offer. |
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Decorating Tricks for Your Bedroom Hanging a graphic quilt is an easy solution to the “big blank wall” issue. Complementary bed linens pull the decor together. Nightstands and adjustable lamps affixed to walls smartly save space in a small room. Gauge the size of your bedside lamp by the scale of your bed: A four-poster would call for a big fixture; for a low bed, choose something smaller. A wall lamp eliminates any need to juggle items on the nightstand. Equip it with a multi-watt bulb to fine-tune the light for reading or relaxing. At the bold end of the scale, go for saturation with a favorite color. Use a variety of tones and textures to give your room a layered feel. Make your most personal space even more so with artwork of those you love, whether photographs or framed cameos of your little ones. Source: RealSimple.com Save Money by Winterizing Your Home Find Energy-Sucking Culprits: Some unsuspecting areas include dryer vents, outdoor faucets, cable TV and phone lines, and electric and gas service lines. On a cold windy day, turn on bathroom fans and stove vents and walk around the house holding a burning incense stick. Drafts will blow the smoke. Close a window or door on a piece of paper. If you can pull it out without tearing it, you're losing heat. Insulation investment Make sure your heating system is serviced. Replace the filter monthly. Check that vents, including return ducts, are not blocked by furniture, toys or piles of clothes. Cover your air ducts with insulation. You can add new insulation on top of old if you don't add the kind with paper backing. Determining the proper amount of insulation is tricky. A quick guide is that you should have at least 12 inches, enough to cover the ceiling joists. Source: MSNBC.com Remodeling: Cost vs. Value Report for 2009-10 Welcome to our 22nd annual report on the relationship between remodeling costs and resale value. On this site, you can compare national and regional averages for 33 popular remodeling projects; you can also download a PDF with project data for any one of 80 U.S. cities. To learn more about how the Remodeling 2009–10 Cost vs. Value Report was put together, click on the link HERE. The Capital Region City Report is available on a PDF file. To open and print any PDF file, you will need the Adobe Reader® software installed on your computer. To begin downloading the city data, click on the this LINK. NYS Tax Credit Revised & Expanded First-time Home Buyers Tax Credit First-time home buyers have been eligible for tax credits of up to $8,000 since January as part of the economic stimulus package. With that program scheduled to expire Dec. 1, Congress voted to extend it into the spring -- and include people who already own homes. Who Qualifies for the Extended Credit? • First-time home buyers who purchase homes between November 7, 2009 and April 30, 2010. • Current home owners purchasing a home between November 7, 2009 and April 30, 2010, who have used the home being sold or vacated as a principal residence for five consecutive years within the last eight. Which Properties Are Eligible? The Extended Home Buyer Tax Credit may be applied to primary residences, including: single family homes, condos, townhomes, and co-ops. How Much Is Available • The maximum allowable credit for first-time home buyers is $8,000. • The maximum allowable credit for current homeowners is $6,500 Click here for more details February Quote: “I don't understand why Cupid was chosen to represent Valentine's Day. When I think about romance, the last thing on my mind is a short, chubby toddler coming at me with a weapon.” ~Unknown |
Adopt a Foolproof Credit Card Strategy for 2010 Make this the year you tackle that credit card debt once and for all. Doing so will make you and your family stronger and happier— forever. What happens to the stock market and the housing market is completely beyond your control. Credit card debt, however, is completely within your control. Every time you pay off a card with a 15 percent interest rate, you get a 15 percent return on your money. See if you can qualify for a balance transfer card that offers a low or 0 percent introductory interest rate for the first six to 12 months. If you can get a good deal, move your high-rate debt to that new card. Do not use the card for any new charges, and push yourself hard to pay off the balance as soon as possible. If you don't qualify, no worries. Always pay the minimum due on each card, on time, every month. Whenever possible, send in some extra money on the card that charges the highest interest rate. Your goal is to get the costliest balance paid off first. When the first card is cleared, direct your payments to the card with the next highest interest rate. Keep doing this until you've zeroed out the balances on all your cards. Source: Suze Orman for Oprah.com Super Bowl Chili Ingredients: 1 pound mixed ground beef and sausage, browned & drained 1 medium onion, diced 1 green bell pepper diced 2 cups chopped celery 2 (28-ounce) cans diced tomatoes 1 (28-ounce) can whole, ( peeled tomatoes ) Ground cumin Chili powder 1 (14.5-oz) can pinto beans drained & rinsed 1 (14.5-oz) can black beans drained & rinsed 1 (14.5-oz) can kidney beans drained & rinsed 1 package chili seasoning mix Shredded cheddar, sour cream, chopped green onions(for garnish) Directions: In a skillet brown ground beef and sausage, drain and set aside. Spray large pot with nonstick cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Add the onion, green pepper, and celery and saute briefly. Stir in the diced and whole tomatoes. Add cumin and chili powder, to taste, and cook for about 8 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add the beans, browned meat, and chili seasoning. Partially cover, and let simmer for 4 hours. Serve with Cheddar cheese, sour cream, and green onions. KIDS CORNER Candy Rings These candy rings are quite wearable! They make a sweet little gift for friends and classmates and they are simple to make. Once they are done wearing them, they can snack on the delicious wrapped candy. What you'll need: 1 chenille stem per ring (pink, purple, light blue, white, or red) White craft glue Wrapped candies How to make it: Wrap the entire chenille around the child's finger, and then slide it off. Take the end of the chenille and wrap it around the circle to secure the ring. Place a wrapped candy on the table and add some white craft glue. Place the ring in top of the glue and let dry. Tips: Do not use unwrapped candies for this project. Not only would it prove to be messy and sticky, you don't want children ingesting even small amounts of craft glue. Chenille stems have pointy ends, just be careful with smaller children. Foil wrapped chocolate hearts are an ideal candy for this project! Warranty Wisdom Whether selling or buying a home, you can never predict when problems will occur. Unexpected home repair expenses can ruin family vacations and holidays, and put a strain on the family budget. A HomeTrust Warranty® home service agreement gives you the protection you need against breakdowns of covered appliances and major systems such as plumbing, heating, electrical and air conditioning. View the Home Trust Warranty Home Guide HERE RealtyUSA awarded for the Best Place to Work - for the second consecutive year! |
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| 518.312.2069 RLewis@RealtyUSA |
