Ice Melting Alternatives for a Safer Driveway

It is that time of year again. With the beautiful snow we experience here in Utah comes the not so beautiful chores associated. 

      Keeping your driveways and sidewalks as snow and ice free as possible can be quite the task. With many traditional salt ice melts there is the worry of damage to concrete, excess salt running off into your yard and the associated potential damage to your plants and flower beds, irritation to your pets feet, or an excess nutrient load in waterways during spring runoff. 

Ok most people probably aren't as concerned about the last part, but it is a legitimate issue.

Greener Cleaning Recipes

Hello Everyone! Today I wanted to share a couple of easy to make green cleaning recipes. These recipes use ingredients most of us already have around the house. 

Many people want to limit the use of harsh chemicals in their households. Homemade cleaners are a way to easily accomplish this. There are additional benefits to making your own cleaning products; reduced cost, reusing what you already have etc. 

So, whether you want to reduce the number of chemicals your family is being exposed to, or just want to reduce the packaging from buying commercial products you might consider giving these recipes a try.  

Nichole Gets Green Reviews Rust-Oleum Garage Floor Coating Kit

Hi Everyone! This week I decided to do something a little different. I'm going to share my experience using the Rust-Oleum Garage Floor Coating Kit. I purchased this garage floor coating kit on a whim a few weeks ago and just decided to go for it. I am no stranger to painting but this was a new adventure for me. I love the look of a finished garage all nice and perfect...which up until this point has been a grand illusion for me, something I've only seen in other people's homes and never achieved myself. With this little box kit I bought at Lowes I set out to change that.  

Here is how it turned out.....

Great Neighborhoods I Have Been Loving Lately

Hello everyone. Today I'm feeling like showing some love to some areas I've been enjoying showing houses lately. 

I will say one thing...I love Utah. I also love traveling, but there isn't really anything quite like home. I am lucky to sell homes in Utah and I genuinely believe it is one of the greatest places to live. Hiking, water sports, skiing/ snowboarding, snow shoeing, biking, fishing...you get the point there is a lot to do in Utah. 

There may or may not be some air quality issues in many counties and I'm not discounting that...but overall this is a great place to live your life. 

Get Your Home Fall Ready

Hello Everyone! I hope you have had a wonderful week. It is sad to say but with the chill in the air it is becoming apparent fall is around the corner. Fall is my favorite time of year (so maybe it is not so sad). 

There are a lot of similarities between fall and spring in my opinion. There are so many opportunities to get a head start on next years planting and get necessary maintenance on your home done before the snow flies. This week I wanted to share with you some basic tips on how to get your home fall ready inside and out. 

Making the most of the 2013-2014 Cost vs. Value Report

So your house is feeling a little outdated, you want something new and you have saved some money to get those projects done!! 

We all want to know our hard earned, hard saved money is going to a project that will add value to our home and give us a good return on our money if we sell. 

The Cost vs. Value report published annually can help you decide which projects are going to give you the most bang for your buck, and the projects you might want to take a pass on unless you absolutely love them....

Did You Know? Green Features Your REALTOR® Can Help You Find In A Home

Did you know it is possible to search for homes with very specific green features? Features like Geothermal heating and cooling, active or passive solar systems just to name a few! Well...your REALTOR® can do just that for you. Perhaps you are looking to buy a home and one of your main criteria is solar panels or a geothermal heating/cooling system.

Of course you can invest and upgrade many features to optimize efficiency after your purchase, but some buyers want a home move-in ready with these features. A newer feature to most multiple listing services is the ability to highlight a home with these valuable features. This will ideally fetch a better price for sellers who have made the investment. It is also a great idea for buyers as well. Often times severely reduced recurring utility bills which is a fantastic bonus when looking for a new home.