1 cup chopped yellow onion (from about 1 small onion)
1 cup diced carrots (from 2 medium)
1 cup diced celery (from 2 - 3 stalks)
7 Tbsp butter, diced, divided
1 clove garlic, minced
4 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth (measured from 3 14.5 oz cans)
1/4 tsp of each dried thyme, marjoram, sage and rosemary
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts halves
1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tsp lemon zest
Directions
Prepare rice according to directions listed on package.
Halfway through the rice cooking, in a separate large pot, melt 1 Tbsp butter over medium heat. Add onion, carrots and celery and saute until slightly tender, about 4 minutes, adding in garlic during last 30 seconds of sauteing. Add chicken broth, thyme, marjoram, sage, rosemary and season with salt and black pepper to taste. Increase heat to medium-high, add chicken and bring mixture to a boil. Cover pot with lid and allow mixture to boil 12 - 15 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through (rotating chicken to opposite side once during cooking for thicker chicken breasts - if they don't fully immerse in broth). Remove chicken and set aside on cutting board to cool 5 minutes then shred into small bite size pieces. Meanwhile reduce heat to low and add cooked rice. Add shredded chicken to soup.
In a separate medium saucepan (I just rinsed and wiped out the rice pan), melt remaining 6 Tbsp butter over medium heat. Add flour and cook 1 1/2 minutes, whisking constantly. Then, while whisking vigorously, slowly pour milk into butter/flour mixture. Cook mixture, stirring constantly until it thickens. Add milk mixture to soup mixture in pot and cook about 5 minutes longer, or until soup is thickened (at this point, you can simmer the soup for a longer period of time if you want the rice to soften more, just cover with lid first and stir occasionally. You can also add what's left in the remaining can of chicken broth). Stir in heavy cream and lemon zest and serve warm.
*I used Lundberg Wild Blend Rice which I recommend for this recipe if you can find it.
A November gardening calendar really highlights the differences in regional gardens. For many there is no November garden to speak of. Others can't wait for the cool days and slower pace of fall vegetable gardening. But even if your garden is already covered in snow, there are still garden tasks calling. Unfortunately insect pests are much hardier than their tiny size would suggest.
Take a look at what you should be doing in your November garden and try to schedule a little time outdoors before the holidays claim you.
In General
Rake leaves and make leaf mold or compost
Clean, sharpen, and oil garden tools.
Finish winterizing your water garden
Start forcing bulbs like paperwhites, hyacinth and amaryllis for the holidays
Add organic matter to beds
Cover compost so that rain doesn't flood and leach the nutrients
Keep weeding
Frost Free Areas
Perennials can be divided now
Plant Roses, Azaleas, Camellias & Tropical Fruit Trees suited to your areas, as they become available
Prune flowering trees as they drop their blossoms
Keep planting bulbs that don't require a cold period (amaryllis, anemone, calla lily, freesia, homeria, lilies, oxalis, Ranunculus, Sparaxis, watsonia) and annuals with cool season bloomers
Keep your fall vegetable garden going.
Sow wildflower seeds
Keep an eye out for insect pests
Frosty Zones (Zones 6 and down)
Keep watering trees and shrubs until the ground freezes
Protect your roses by mounding soil around the crown and covering the bud union. Tie down climbing rose canes to protect them from cold winds.
Clean up garden debris and cut back and remove any diseased or infested foliage.
Protect evergreens from deer damage by circling with stakes and burlap.
Protect young trees from mice damage by wrapping wire around the bottom portion of the trunk
Protect plants from vole damage by not mounding mulch too close to the plant
Get those bulbs into the ground NOW
Drain and store hoses
If you're planning on buying a live Christmas tree with the intention of planting it this winter, dig the hole now, before the ground freezes. Remember to keep the soil covered, so that it too does not freeze and can go back into the hole.
Borderline Zones (Pacific NW, Southwest & Southeast)
Indoor Plants
Plant cool season vegetables
Plant asparagus and cut back tops of existing asparagus plants after they are yellowed by frost
There's still time to plant a cover crop in the vegetable garden
Watch for frost warnings. Extend the harvest by protecting plants with row covers
Sow wildflower seeds
Beef up snail patrol
Ward of cankerworms on trees by applying sticky barriers, like Tanglefoot, once leaves have dropped (Southeast)
Check that indoor plants are receiving enough water, humidity and air circulation.
Keep an eye out for pests like spider mites and scale, and take care of them before they become a problem.
Living a “green” life means reducing your exposure to toxic chemicals. One of the big ones to watch out for is artificial “fragrance,” which can contain a number of chemicals that are often hormone disrupting at worst and irritants at best.
While you may not want a spray can of fake flower smells, you may find that you do want a way to “freshen up” your home. These tips can help!
Eliminate Odors Before They Start
This is sometimes easier said than done, but it’s a good idea to reduce odors whenever possible.
Choose non-toxic cleaning products that won’t leave smells or residues.
Vacuum, sweep and dust regularly. Hair and dander from pets can cause lingering odors, so regular vacuuming can be a big help here.
Speaking of pets, be sure to groom your pets regularly to cut down on smells.
Change your HVAC filter to help cut down on dust and remove odors and other particles from the air. You will want to invest in quality filters for the best results.
If you have room, any food waste can be placed outdoors in a composter or in the freezer until trash day. This will help cut down on smells considerably.
Absorb Odors
Try these:
Baking soda can be left in small, vented containers around your home to help absorb odors.
Kitty litter placed in small containers or on upcycled lids around your home (try a natural and unscented brand)
White Vinegar. Clean with it to help lift odors. The vinegar smell will fade – promise!
For your refrigerator, try placing a couple of slices of bread out to absorb odors.
Scent Naturally
the following ideas:
DIY your own air freshener by mixing up a spray bottle with water, a splash of vodka and your favorite essential oil.
Place citrus peels in a pot of water and heat to gently fill your home with a subtle fragrance from the natural oils.
Simmer cinnamon sticks, cloves, or any other scented spice in a pot of water until scent permeates your living space.
Place a small amount of vanilla extract or other natural flavoring in a small bowl and set it out of the way.
Slice a lemon or other citrus fruit and leave the slices out on a dish in your kitchen.
Place a few drops of a favorite essential oil on the inside of your toilet paper roll.
Add essential oils to homemade cleaning solutions.
Open a few windows. There's nothing as refreshing as fresh air!
With these tips, you can have a fresh smelling home without the use of synthetic fragrances.
Attic pests are a home owner’s nightmare. But you can’t let mice, rats, and bats — oh my! — set up house in your attic. Here’s how to remove the freeloaders.
Attic pest removal can seem like Groundhog Day — the movie, not the holiday. No sooner do you shoo away pests that make your attic their home sweet home, than the little buggers sneak back inside.
But attic pest removal doesn’t have to be a revolving door. If you understand how pests enter your attic and the options for removing them, you can rest pest-free. Here’s how.
Know thy enemy
Wild animals living in your attic can cause damage — chew through electrical wires, shred insulation — and spread diseases, such as hantavirus and salmonella. To rid your attic of these pests, you must know exactly which critter has become your housemate. To identify — then kill or trap — the animal, you must learn to identify the shape, size, and pattern of its scat.
Nick Petti, of the Enviro-Tech pest management franchise, provides a little cheat sheet on pest poo.
Mouse: 1/8 inch long, pellet-shaped
Rat: ¼ inch long, sausage-shaped
Squirrel: ½ to 1 inch long, sausage-shaped
Raccoon: Up to ¾ of an inch wide, 2-3 inches long; sausage-shaped
Bat: ½ inch, pellet-shaped, found in piles
Once you identify the scat, follow the Centers for Disease Control’s advice on how to clean it up. Here are a few tips:
Open windows to air out the infested area for at least 30 minutes before cleanup. Don’t hang around during this part.
Wear protective gloves and masks so you don’t touch or breathe the urine- and feces-contaminated dust.
To disinfect, spray the area with a bleach solution (1 part bleach; 10 parts water).
Use paper towels to clean up the area, and then dispose of trash in a sealed plastic bag.
Attic pest removal techniques
Here are some tips on getting rid of attic pests.
Mice
Because mice multiply rapidly, a small problem can become a huge problem within a few weeks. As soon as you know mice have entered your attic — they crawl up drainpipes or follow electrical wires within walls — set those mousetraps.
Plan to lay several mousetraps ($1 each) because as soon as you hear scurrying overhead, you probably have more than one mouse living in the attic. Don’t bait the traps with cheese, which rodents don’t particularly like; they do like peanut butter, says Petti.
Also, remove traps as soon as the deed is done. A bunch of dead mice will discourage other mice from taking the bait.
Professional fee for mice removal: $500 for trapping, removal, and follow-up.
Rats
Never send a small mousetrap to do a bigger and stronger rattrap’s job. Take a look at this videoto see the size and strength difference between the two.
“A mousetrap will only irritate a rat,” Petti says. And make it unwilling to take the bait from a trap of any size.
Unlike mice, which are curious critters, rats shy away from new items in their environment. So scatter traps around the attic for a week before you bait and engage them.
If you find traps are disappearing — larger rats are known to take off with traps clamped around their bodies — screw the next traps into floor boards, or place them in rattrap covers ($15), which will block escape.
Professional fee: $600 to $700 for trapping, removal, and follow-up.
Squirrels
Before you attempt to remove a squirrel or raccoon from your attic, contact your state extension service or wildlife agency to determine what laws and permits apply to trapping and relocating these pests. A professional trapper may have to do the deed.
If you may trap and remove the squirrel yourself, use a one- or two-door metal cage that traps and allows you to set the pest free outdoors ($27-$47).
Professional fee: Starts at $250.
Raccoons and bats
Don’t attempt to get rid of raccoons or bats yourself. Raccoons can be aggressive when cornered or separated from their young; bats are difficult to roundup and escort out.
Professional fee: $300 to $500 per raccoon; $600 to $2,000 for bat infestations.
Humane attic pest removal
The most humane way to cope with attic pests is to make sure they don’t come into your house in the first place, says John Griffin of the Humane Society of the United States. That means inspecting the outside of your home and repairing holes even as small as a dime, which are frequently found in roof flashing, behind gutters, in rotting fascia, foundation cracks, and tears in vent screens.
Trim tree and shrub limbs 8 to 10 feet away from your house, which will make it harder for squirrels to jump onto the roof.
Once the animals are in your attic, terms such as “humane removal” no longer apply, and the conversation turns to “least inhumane” ways of getting them out, Griffin says. Spring traps, for instance, are preferable because they cause a quick death, whereas glue traps torture struggling rodents that eventually die from stress and dehydration.
oz pepper jack cheese, shredded (you can use up to 6 oz)
1
c frozen spinach, thawed and drained (you can also use fresh cooked spinach)
2
tbsp olive oil
2
tbsp Cajun seasoning - click here for my homemade Cajun spice recipe
1
tbsp breadcrumbs (I use Italian style)
Sea salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Lots of toothpicks
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Flatten the chicken to 1/4-inch thickness.
In a medium bowl, combine the pepper jack cheese, spinach, salt and pepper.
Combine the Cajun seasoning and breadcrumbs together in a small bowl.
Spoon about 1/4 c of the spinach mixture onto each chicken breast.
Roll each chicken breast tightly and fasten the seams with several toothpicks.
This part requires a tiny bit of skill and I typically use about 8 toothpicks in each roll to ensure none of the filling seeps out.
Be sure to count how many total toothpicks were used!
Brush each chicken breast with the olive oil. Sprinkle the Cajun seasoning mixture evenly over all. Sprinkle any remaining spinach and cheese on top of chicken (optional).
Place the chicken seam-side up onto a tin foil-lined baking sheet (for easy cleanup). Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.
Remove the toothpicks before serving. Count to make sure you have removed every last toothpick. Serve whole or slice into medallions.
Ingenious engineering brings unique architecture to new heights.
Archangelsk, Russia
Though incomplete, the “Gangster House” is believed to be the world's tallest wooden house, soaring thirteen floors to reach 144 feet (about half the size of London’s Big Ben). The homeowner, gangster Nikolai Sutyagin, had all intentions of finishing the construction but his dream went on hold when he got locked up behind bars for his third jail sentence. Now out of jail and out of money, the ex-convict lives at the bottom of this precarious tower of wood.
British Columbia, Canada
Free Spirits' wooden spheres can be hung from any solid surface (tree, cliff, bridge, etc.) and are accessed by a spiral stairway or a short suspension bridge. A web of rope grasps onto a strong point, essentially replacing the foundation of a conventional building. You can anchor points on the top and bottom to prevent swinging or just let it loose and enjoy the ride.
Syzmbark, Poland
The design of the Upside Down House seems totally nonsensical—but that is exactly the message the Polish philanthropist and designer, Daniel Czapiewski, was trying to send. The unstable and backward construction was built as a social commentary on Poland’s former Communist era. The monument is worth a trip, be it for a lesson in history or balance.
Rotterdam, Netherlands
Cool-looking would be a good enough reason for us, but the Cactus House was created to maximize each apartment’s outdoor space and indoor sunlight. The splaying stack of slabs creates big terraces for gardening and the irregular shape allows sun to enter from multiple angles.
Krasnosilka, Ukraine
Supported by a single cantilever, this mysterious Floating Castle, a levitating farm house, belongs in a sci-fi flick. Allegedly located in an abandoned granary near Krasnosilka in Ukraine, it's claimed to be an old bunker for the overload of mineral fertilizers.
Cincinnati, Ohio
So disparate in materials and shapes the hodgepodge Mushroom House looks like it's been welded and glued together. But this is no random construction: It was designed by the professor of architecture and interior design at the University of Cincinnati, Terry Brown, and was on the market in recent years.
Rotterdam, Netherlands
Living in a tilted house is much easier than it looks—just ask the people living in these the Kijk-Kubus cube homes. Architect Piet Blom tipped a conventional house forty-five degrees and rested it upon a hexagon-shaped pole so that three sides face down and the other three face the sky. Each of the cube houses accommodates three floors: a living space including a kitchen, study and bathroom, the middle floor houses bedrooms and the top is the pyramid room that can act like an attic or viewing deck. These houses are quite expensive, but you can satisfy your curiosity by visiting the museum show house.
Amsterdam-Osdorp, Holland
A zoning law and blueprint flub were the inspiration for the Wozoco Apartments. Dutch housing regulations require apartment construction to provide a certain amount of daylight to their tenants—but MVRDV architects forgot to plan for that. Their solution? To hang thirteen of the 100 units off the north facade of the block. The ingenious design saves ground floor space and allows enough sunlight to enter the east or west facade.
Freiburg, Germany)
Green to the extreme: Architect Rolf Disch built the Heliotrope Rotating House, a solar powered home that rotates towards the warm sun in the winter and rotates back toward its well-insulated rear in the summer. A house that spins in circles doesn’t sound too stable to us, but for the environment it might be worth the risk.
Berman House (Joadja, Australia)
Surrounded by lush vegetation and the wild animals of the Outback, the striking cliffside Berman House hangs over a deep river cut-canyon. We don’t know what makes this split-level house more thrilling—looking down from the plank-like living room, or all those wild animals.
Montreal, Canada
Apartments connect and stack like Lego blocks in Montreal's Habitat 67. Without a traditional vertical construction, the apartments have the open space that most urban residences lack, including a separate patio for each apartment.
Anywhere!
Inspired by a city billboard, this rendering of the pole-supported Single Hausz only needs a few feet of land to hold a home. And it can be installed in a variety of ground conditions, so you can relocate it to wherever your heart desires.
New Rochelle, New York
We assumed this oddball home was UFO-inspired, but it turns out the weed Queen Anne’s lace was the inspiration for the Pod House. Its thin stems support pods with interconnected walkways.
Darwin, Australia
It’s pretty gutsy to build a stilt-house, like the Rozak House, in cyclone country, but these residents came prepared. Even if Mother Nature knocked their house off the grid, the solar power panels and rainwater collection systems would keep them self-sufficient. Take that, cyclone!
Commercial green cleaners can kill your budget as you save the planet: that’s why they’re called “green.” But not all eco-friendly cleaners cost a lot. We’ve found store-bought green cleaners and everyday pantry products that will scour your bathroom for pennies per gallon.
So don’t throw dollars down the drain as you become chemically independent. Try these green cleaners; they’re kind to the environment and to your wallet.
Toilet transformers
Commercial toilet bowl cleaners contain poisons that can literally take your breath away—bleach, ammonia, hydrochloric acid, and naphthalene. Instead of using toxic substances, add half a cup of a green all-purpose cleaner, like Biokleen’s (12 cents/oz), to the toilet, then sprinkle in an ounce of baking soda (6 cents/oz) into the bowl. Cost: 60 cents/flush. If you want extra bleaching power, use hydrogen peroxide (87 cents/oz) as an all-purpose cleaner. Fill a dark spray bottle with 1:1 water/hydrogen peroxide. Spray directly on toilet seats or around the rim. Brush and flush. Cost: 87 cents/flush.
Drains de-clogged
Instead of pouring industrial-grade acids down your drain to dissolve hairballs, pour in a half-cup of baking soda (6 cents/oz) followed with a half-cup of vinegar (5 cents/oz). Cover for at least 30 minutes, and then flush with boiling water. Cost: 44 cents/treatment. If rock-hard clogs resist the baking soda-vinegar method, try an enzyme-based cleaner like Nature’s Miracle (19 cents/oz), which contains eco-friendly microbes that eat away clogs. Cost: 28 cents/clog. Or you could push it out with a plunger. Cost: $5.
Sinks and vanity solutions
Green clean scum and toothpaste-covered sinks and vanities with hot water and a natural dishwashing soap like Mrs. Meyer’s (28 cents/oz). Cost: 56 cents/wash.
To disinfect, make a soft scrub mix made from Women’s Voices for the Earth’s green all-purpose cleaner recipe. Cost: 80 cents/16 oz.
Or make a creamy soft scrub mix of baking soda, castile soap, glycerin, and essential fragrance oils that will foam up and clean away dirty sink and vanity problem. Cost: $3/20 oz.
You can use the soft-scrub mix all over the house, and castile soap (40 cents/oz) can double as a body wash or shampoo.
Mirror and glass miracles
White vinegar (5 cents/oz) will green clean glass and mirrors. Add a quarter cup of vinegar to a 32-ounce spray bottle, and then fill with distilled water (less than 1 cent/oz), which doesn’t have tap water’s murky-making minerals. Cost: 2.4 cents/40 spritzes.
Spray on and wipe with microfiber cloths, which are washable, reusable, and much less messy than newspaper or paper towels. Your mirrors will be streak-free for significantly less money than if you used a chemical glass cleaner.
Green clean grout
A soft-scrub mix of baking soda, castile soap, and essential oils will green clean the dirt, mold, and scum that darkens tile grout. Cost: 15 cents/application. A mop bucket of vinegar-based (5 cents/oz) all-purpose cleaner will make tile floors shine. And borax can green clean mold from shower tile and grout. Mix one cup of borax/1 gallon of water. Scrub with a stiff-bristled brush. Cost: 45 cents/bucket.
Alyson McNutt English writes about green cleaning in magazines and online. She buys her baking soda and vinegar in bulk.
Dreaming of a clean refrigerator, but not sure how to organize? We’ve got some cool ideas.
Front and center
Give prime fridge space to priority items, says professional organizer Kathi Burns, founder of Add Space to Your Life.
“If you want leftovers to be eaten, keep them front and center on the middle rack, at eye level,” says Burns. “That goes for healthy snacks, too. If you have leftovers, don’t cram them in the back.”
For large food items, slice and store in several containers, says professional organizer Abbey Claire Keusch. If your refrigerator has adjustable shelves, you can move them around for specific items. Have a plan for the food you keep.
Did you know that ketchup, vinegar, jam, and even mayonnaise and butter don’t need to be refrigerated? If you’re tight on fridge space, these items and more can go in the pantry instead.
And if you have backyard chickens, the eggs you get from them don’t need to be refrigerated, although store-bought eggs do (American regulations require eggs to be power-washed before selling, which strips eggshells of their protective coating, so store-bought eggs have to be refrigerated to stay fresh).
The only items that really need to go in the fridge are meats, dairy products, and certain vegetables (unless you’re going to eat them right away).
Items that should never go in the refrigerator include:
Tomatoes (they’ll get mushy faster if they’re cold).
Onions (they’ll soften, plus all your other food will smell like onions).
Honey (it’ll get too thick).
Potatoes (cold temperatures turn starches into sugars, giving your taters a sweet flavor when you cook them, and not in a good way).
Go against the flow Today’s refrigerators are designed to be organized a certain way — condiments in the door, vegetables in the crisper, gallon of milk on the center rack. But it doesn’t have to be that way, Burns says.
“For busy families, I recommend a ‘lunch bin’ that you can pull out,” she says. “Keep the mayo, mustard, pickles, meat, and cheese in there, so you can just pull it out and make a sandwich. It’s easy for kids. You can create a bin for healthy snacks, too, or a breakfast bin with bagels and cream cheese.”
Pulling out one bin instead of many individual items is faster, too, so your refrigerator door doesn’t stay open as long. For smaller refrigerators that don’t have drawers, long, rectangular bins can be used for easy organizing.
“Same goes for the freezer — just use a Tupperware bin for frozen veggies, so you can pull out all the bags of veggies in one fell swoop,” Burns says. “It works really well.”
Hip to be square
Refrigerators are more efficient when they’re fuller, but that doesn’t mean you should cram as much stuff in there as possible. Square or rectangular containers are the way to go for leftovers — they’re easily stackable and fit into corners neatly.
“Stay away from round containers,” says Burns. “That’s just wasted space.”
Preheat oven to 350°.
Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion, chopped carrot, dried oregano, and minced garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Cool.
Combine onion mixture, 1/2 cup ketchup, and the remaining ingredients except cooking spray in a large bowl.
Spoon the meat mixture into 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Top each with 2 teaspoons ketchup. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until a thermometer registers 160°. Let stand for 5 minutes.
While the meatloaf is cooking, make the mashed potatoes. Place potato in a saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until tender. Drain. Put potatoes into a ricer for best results. Return potato to pan. Add milk and remaining ingredients; stir with a spoon to desired consistency. If they are not creamy enough for you, add up to 1/4 cup more milk – although they need to be stiff enough to pipe on top.
Put the potatoes into a pastry bag with a wide star tip and pipe the mashed potatoes on top of the meatloaf. Sprinkle with bacon crumbles and chopped chives.
For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here: Meatloaf Cupcakes
Mike Pickett's pumpkins put all other carvings to shame.
Mike Pickett is a PGA Golf Professional by day and an expert pumpkin carver by night.
Working out of his home in Columbus, Ohio, Mike creates unbelievably intricate designs that range from famous celebrities, to beloved movie scenes, to personalized depictions of family and friends. In fact, Mike says he can carve just about anything, as long as you give him a picture.
“The majority of my business is custom," Mike wrote to Country Living in an email. “People can send me an image of anything (kids, adults, toys, cars, dogs, boats, logos, anything) and then I can hand carve it from the image.”
Other than peoples’ kids, the most popular requests are sports teams, John Wayne, and Marilyn Monroe, along with Mike’s personal favorite of all time: The Joker.
It all began six years ago with a little male ego. Mike, who was and still is a PGA Golf Professional, was challenged to a pumpkin carving contest by his friend, Neil Ingle.
Of course Neil, who was a proficient pumpkin-carver, won that day, spurring Mike to keep practicing and perfecting his craft as they competed to outdo one another over the next few years.
When Neil suddenly passed away in the summer of 2011, Mike found himself even more motivated to carry on the tradition in his memory.
Once he truly perfected his skills, Mike set up a website, where he now takes requests, hoping to bring a little bit of the magic of jack-'o-lanterns to other families across the US. All photos courtesy of Mike Pickett
Winter presents its own unique set of challenges. It is not the ideal time to put your home on the market if you live where it gets cold and rains or snows, primarily because your home won't show as well. However, there are steps you can take to brighten your home and make the showing pleasant and enjoyable for your buyers.
1) Clear a Path
Continually shovel a path through the snow, especially if snowflakes are still falling.
Footprints on freshly fallen snow will turn to ice if the temperature is low enough, so scrape the walk.
Sprinkle a layer of sand over the sidewalk and steps to ensure your buyers' stable footing.
Remember to open a path from the street to the sidewalk so visitors aren't forced to crawl over snowdrifts.
If it's raining, put a rubber mat by the front door or a container to hold wet umbrellas / shoes.
2) Let in the Light
Pull up the blinds, open the shutters, push back the drapes on every window.
Turn on every light in the house, including appliance lights and closet lights.
Brighten dark rooms with few windows by placing spotlights on the floor behind furniture.
Turn off televisions and computers.
3) Turn on the Heat
Pump up that thermostat. It's better to heat the house a degree or two warmer than usual and then set the temperature at normal. This prevents the heat from kicking on when the buyer is present, because some HVAC systems are loud.
You want the temperature inside to be comfortable and to give the buyer more of a reason to linger, especially on a cold day.
Light the fireplace, but open the damper, place a grate in front of it and don't leave it unattended for very long. You don't want your house to catch fire!
4) Create a Mood
Make your living room appear romantic by placing two champagne glasses near a champagne bucket on the coffee table.
Toss afghans or throws across the arms of your sofa.
Turn your bathroom into a spa:
Hang plush robes.
Roll up wash cloths, tie with a ribbon and place in a basket on the counter.
Set up a grouping of soaps, lotions and shampoo.
Place vases filled with winter flowers around the house.
Set a breakfast tray on the bed containing a coffee cup, saucer, napkin, rolled-up newspaper.
Dress your dining room table for a dinner for two.
5) Turn on the Music
Turn on soft music. I used to play Enya until one day I heard it piped in at a mortuary.
Jazz or classical is soothing.
Don't turn on a commercial radio station - set your tunes to random selection so your music will be continuous.
6) Ease Up on the Scents
Many people are allergic to certain scents and deodorizers, so don't spray the air or plug-in air fresheners.
Don't burn candles or spray perfume in the bedroom for the same reason.
If you're going to bake cookies or simmer spices such as cinnamon in water on the stove, put out munchies so buyers aren't disappointed. More than one sad buyer has said, "Oh, darn, I thought there were cookies in here!"
7) Make it Visually Pleasing
Display photographs showcasing your summer flower gardens and lush green lawns.
Keep blinds partially closed that otherwise show undesirable outdoor scenery such as a dilapidated fence or a nearby structure that obstructs views.
Make Your House Sparkle:
Wash windows
Clean out cobwebs.
If necessary, re-caulk tubs, showers and sinks.
Polish chrome faucets and mirrors.
Clean out the refrigerator.
Vacuum daily. If your carpeting is plush, vacuum in one direction.
Wash and wax floors.
Dust furniture, ceiling fan blades and light fixtures.
Bleach dingy grout.
Empty trash and recycling bins.
8) Serve Winter Foods
Don't serve muffins or any other kind of food that can be quickly popped into the mouth because you want buyers to stay for a while and notice elements they might otherwise miss.
Hot soups such as tortilla, tomato, potato or squash are delicious on a cold day.
Chili or stew is a great alternative to soup, but leave a receptacle for disposal of the paper bowls and spoons.
Hot apple cider or cups of cocoa make great beverage choices.
9) Provide Specific Information
Attach printed cards to items and in rooms that provide further information the buyer might miss or might not know. You have so little time to make an impression.
If you have an antique chandelier in your dining room, put a card on it that discloses its age and other important details.
If you have removed the washer and dryer from the laundry room, attach a card to the wall describing the room so visitors know where they are.
If your basement stairs are steep, attach a card to the railing that cautions buyers to watch their step or their heads.
Take care when placing a card that says: "Not included in the sale." That will make a buyer want it, but you can play that later to your advantage.
10) Use Timers and Technology to Your Advantage
Plug indoor lamps into a timer to automatically turn on at times buyers will be present.
Consider using motion sensors that will light up in the evening when a buyer approaches your doorstep.
Set your crock-pot on a timer to warm up soup at designated time.
If you use an answering machine, turn it off or mute messages.
From A-frame to Tudor, here are 17 popular styles of residential homes in America—which one is your favorite?
Carpenter Gothic
A popular style of house in the late ninetenth century, Carpenter Gothic homes are characterized by steeply pitched roofs, board-and-batten siding, and ornate trim.
Tudor
A timber frame, small leaded windows, shingles, and brickwork add a charming storybook aesthetic to this 15th-century style of home.
Cape Cod Style
This popular New England-style house is commonly recognized by its steep roof and small, protruding windows.
Victorian
Wraparound porches, intricate turrets, bay windows, and ornate details often populate the exterior of this whimsical style of home.
Farmhouse
These gorgeous homes, often found on sprawling, rural country estates, are distinguished by wraparound porches, clapboard siding, and numerous windows.
Craftsman
Though Craftsman homes are often designed as bungalows, the style can be adapted for a range of sizes. Triangular roofs, overhanging eaves, and spacious front porches are often the standout details of these types of residences.
Tuscan
Tuscan-style homes, reminiscent of architecture seen in the Italian countryside, often showcase patios, terraces, and a stucco or stone exterior.
Split-Level Home
Split-level homes are exactly that: a style that features levels of the house at different heights, with sets of stairs in the interior to link each portion.
Ranch
Ranch-style homes became wildly popular between the 1940s and the 1970s among the middle class masses, and are easily distinguishable by their tendency to feature a single story, a low roofline, and an open, asymmetrical layout.
Cedar Shingled
Covered in small cedar panels that can be painted, stained, or weathered and usually age well, these homes are often seen near the coast.
A-Frame
Like its name suggests, this kind of home features a dramatically steep roof that mimics the letter A. However, due to the somewhat restricting nature of the structure, homeowners might choose to build an additional portion of the house extending from one of its sides.
Saltbox
Structured with a long, sloped roof that extends down the back, a saltbox home is named after its similarities to saltboxes used in the Colonial era.
Dutch Colonial
A traditional gambrel roof adds visual interest to Dutch Colonial homes—which were popular in the Northeast in the early 1900s—in addition to distinguished chimneys and overhanging eaves.
Eastlake Stick-Style
Cross gables, steep roofs, and quirky Victorian details characterize these late-1800s-style homes, which can include exteriors that boast half-timbering, grid stickwork, or rosette-trimmed porch brackets.
Log Home
This rustic, mountain home can be made of a variety of reclaimed materials, including chestnut logs, ponderosa pine, or oak.
Octagon House
First popularized in the mid-19th century, these eight-sided houses provide 360-degree-views of surrounding property, and usually feature a cozy lookout point that extends from the center of the roof.
New England Colonial Home
Symmetrical facades, detailed molding, and original millwork (a term used in the 18th century for any work done by a sawmill) are features typical of a classic colonial home.
