1. Get out there and shovel, or pay a neighborhood kid to do it! It’s the greenest and most effective way to remove snow. Using an ergonomic shovel, shovel early and often before it builds up and ices over.

2.  Sand does not melt snow, but it is a natural way to provide traction. Use sparingly to avoid clogging sewers.

3. Use an ice breaker or hoe to break up ice. If you must use ice melt, avoid sodium chloride (rock salt).

Salt will melt the ice but……it’s not so eco-friendly.

• Salt can leach heavy metals which can end up in our water supplies
• Salt can hurt our pets if it gets lodged in their paws
• Salt residue prevents plants from absorbing moisture and nutrients. Salt kills our flowers and grass.
• Salt is corrosive and can damage cars, leading to reduced sustainability of vehicles.
• It will also damage bridges and any other concrete surfaces it comes in contact with.
• Salt run off  from sidewalks and streets can increase salinity in local bodies of water, causing long-term damage.

Don’t use ash and kitty litter

• They don’t melt the ice. They do provide traction only on the surface of the snow.
• They can adversely affect vegetation and get into waterways.
• Can be messy once spring hits.

THE DO’S OF SNOW AND ICE REMOVAL

1. Use an ergonomic shovel to protect your back from injury.
2. Use an ice breaker and some muscle to chop up the ice.
3. Shovel more and use sand less.  Get out there and shovel early and often. Clear away as much snow and ice as possible and the need for anything additional will diminish.
4. Use sand if traction is all that is needed.  Use sparingly because it can clog up sewers and lower air quality in areas that use a lot of it. It can also ruin hardwood floors if tracked inside.
5. Use an eco-friendly ice melt product when needed-but use sparingly.  When choosing anenvironmentally friendly ice melt, take the time to read the ingredient list.  Make sure all the ingredients are safe for you, your kids, your pets and the environment.

*Ingredient info: Magnesium chloride is salt, a safer and less corrosive salt than the more common sodium chloride, but still salt.

Tips for selling your home over the holiday season:

1. Deck the halls, but don’t go overboard.
   Homes often look their best during the holidays, but sellers should be careful not to overdo it on the decor. Adornments that are too large or too many can crowd your home and distract buyers. Also, avoid offending buyers by opting for general fall and winter decorations rather than items with religious themes.
2. Seek out motivated buyers.
   Anyone house hunting during the holidays must have a good reason for doing so. Work with your agent to target buyers on a deadline, including people relocating for jobs in your area, investors on tax deadlines, college students and staff, and military personnel, if you live near a military base.
3. Price it to sell.
   No matter what time of year, a home that’s priced low for the market will make buyers feel merry. Rather than gradually making small price reductions, many real estate agents advise sellers to slash their prices before putting a home on the market.
4. Make curb appeal a top priority.
   When autumn rolls around and the trees start to lose their leaves, maintaining the exterior of your home becomes even more important. Bare trees equal a more exposed home, so touch up the paint, clean the gutters and spruce up the yard. Keep buyers’ safety in mind as well by making sure stairs and walkways are free of snow, ice and leaves.
5. Take top-notch real estate photos.
   When the weather outside is frightful, homebuyers are likely to start their house hunt from the comfort of their homes by browsing listings on the Internet. Make a good first impression by offering lots of flattering, high-quality photos of your home. If possible, have a summer or spring photo of your home available so buyers can see how it looks year-round.
6. Create a video tour for the Web.
   You’ll get less foot traffic during the holidays, thanks to inclement weather and vacation plans. But shooting a video tour and posting it on the Web may attract house hunters who don’t have time to physically see your home or would rather not drive in a snowstorm.
7. Give house hunters a place to escape from the cold.
   Make your home feel cozy and inviting during showings by cranking up the heat, playing soft classical music and offering homemade holiday treats. When you encourage buyers to spend more time in your home, you also give them more time to admire its best features.

The first step toward buying a home takes place months before walking into your lender’s office. It’s crucial to check your credit score at least three to six months ahead of your mortgage application, says Rod Griffin, director of Public Education at Experian. You can request a free copy of the report from each of the three credit bureaus (Experian, TransUnion and Equifax) at annualcreditreport.com.

Even if you don’t have sterling credit (generally a FICO score of 720 or above), the most important thing to do is to take stock of what the figure means. “Every score is educational,” says Griffin. “It’s more about why the number is than what the number is.”

This is especially true since there are different proprietary scales used to gauge credit: the Vantage score, for instance, ranges from 501 to 990, while the FICO score runs from 300 to 850. Make sure to read the accompanying credit report to understand what your score actually means. It’s also important to check for errors in the report, which can have a negative effect on your credit, and ultimately, your mortgage rate. One in four reports has an error serious enough to prevent homebuyers from getting credit, according to the U.S. Public Interest Research Groups. So get your reports well in advance of the house hunt.

Step Two: Prepare for Down Payment & Closing Costs

A generation ago, it used to be the norm to put 20 percent down, but with the market in its current state of flux, many first-time homebuyers are finding ways to pay just 3 to 5 percent of the total cost upfront. Federal Housing Act (FHA) loans increasingly have become a popular option for first-time buyers, says Greg Herb, regional vice president of the National Association of Realtors. These competitively low-interest loans are ideal for buyers with less than perfect credit, and because the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) minimizes the risk of default for lenders on these loans, borrowers are only required to put down 3.5 percent of the cost–a far cry from the traditional 20 percent down payment.

Still, there are advantages to paying more at the start. A larger down payment ultimately means smaller monthly bills down the line. Also, if you purchase a conventional loan (i.e.: one that is not backed by a federal agency), paying 20 percent or more upfront will eliminate the need to pay Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI) charges. PMI is insurance for your lender that can be paid upfront or in monthly installments, and is designed to offset your lender’s risk in the case that you’ve paid less than 20 percent on your home. It can cost around $55 a month per $100,000 financed. While it’s important to note that FHA loans also carry mortgage insurance with a down payment of under 20 percent, their low barriers to own still make them a good choice for first-time buyers.

Continue Reading at AOL Real Estate

During the real estate boom in Portland, Maine, no one really cared about staging — the act of preparing a home before putting it on the market so it can sell quickly and for top dollar. Back then, homes practically sold themselves. Sellers would get their asking price (or in many cases MORE) even if the place was dirty or filled with clutter.

Today, staging has become especially important in this highly competitive Maine market, where traditional sellers are up against foreclosures and short sales (so-called distressed properties) that can offer rock-bottom prices for bargain hunters. And that’s what today’s buyers crave — a bargain.

But a nicely staged property offers that “move-in ready” appeal that buyers are willing to pay a bit more for. They want to see that the current owner is taking care of the home, not allowing it to fall apart, like the abandoned foreclosure down the street. If they see a fixer-upper, they’ll offer a fixer-upper price.

Luckily, you don’t have to spend hundreds of dollars on home improvements or hire a professional stager to reap the benefits of a staged home. There are simple, inexpensive things you can do, including:

1) Clear out the clutter. If you don’t use it, sell it, give it away or throw it out. Hold a garage sale, donate it to Goodwill or post it on Craigslist. People are always looking for free or cheap stuff. If you simply can’t part with something that’s taking up a lot of space, like your winter clothes, pack it up and put it in storage.

2) Clean and repair. Cleaniness is next to godliness, especially in real estate. And be sure to fix what’s broken, including a squeaky cabinet door, leaky faucet or a torn screen door. If you like, replace outdated hardware and fixtures. They’re inexpensive and add that shiny new feel buyers love.

3) Make room and lighten up. Remove extra furniture or use a smaller couch or bed if they’re too big. Cramped rooms give buyers the impression that your house is small and lacks space. Store some of your clothes so your closets look bigger. Choose window treatments and lighting that brighten each room.

Information from HGTV

If you’re planning to sell your house any time soon, home improvements that build property value should be on your to-do list. In Portland, Maine it’s a buyer’s market, and between tighter purse strings and plenty of properties to choose from, shoppers want homes that are move-in ready and free of the need for home improvement projects that will add to their own bottom lines.

Here are the top 10 Home Improvements that pay you back.

1. Front Entry Doors: Curb appeal is the first step in a successful home sale, and installing a beautiful, high-quality entry door is a simple home improvement that delivers impact both in buyer drive-bys and online listings. A new entry door will also help lower home energy costs and stand up to weather extremes.

2. Attic Bedroom: Converting an attic into useful living space is a smart way to add value and attract those shopping for multigenerational family homes.

3. Decks: Building a deck is one of the least-expensive ways to extend your living space. Composite decking is a great low-maintenance option, and even building a deck from pressure-treated wood can bring a return on investment of up to 80 percent at the time of sale.

4. Siding: A tight, tidy home contributes to curb appeal and takes major home improvement worries off a potential buyer’s list. Spruce up your home’s exterior by repairing or replacing siding for an eye-catching, protective finish.

5. Kitchen: The kitchen is a major selling point for a home, and its appearance and layout can often be a deal-breaker. Improving your kitchen doesn’t have to be a huge investment, however: just replacing countertops, key appliances or cabinet hardware can transform a kitchen’s look and impact.

6. Windows: Installing replacement windows is a pre-sale home improvement that pays for everyone, with the seller earning valuable energy tax credits and the buyer enjoying lower home energy bills.

7. Additions: If done wisely and in a way that won’t price your home out of the local market, additions are valuable home improvements

8. Basement: Make the most of this bonus space by finishing it for use as an apartment, office or entertainment zone ─ more great ways to appeal to multi-generational households.

9. Bathroom: Along with kitchens, bathrooms tend to age easily, so neutralize potential design objections by replacing the vanity, installing efficient fixtures and choosing hardware that facilitates easy access for all.

10. Back-up Power Generator: With the aging electrical grid becoming less reliable, access to backup power is essential for a home. Gone are the days of bulky, smelly, portable gas-powered generators: You can now have a neat, compact standby generator installed outside that can repower most of your home within seconds of losing electricity from the utility.

Thought: Of course you want to be pleased with the way your home looks while you’re in it but you don’t want to put in things that are extremely personal. For instance, choose colors that are neutral. Not everything has to be beige and bland, but you don’t want to pick colors that the average person isn’t going to like.

Information from MSN Real Estate & Remodeling Magazine.