If you’re like most of us, you need a little motivation to transition from the relaxed, barefoot days of summer to back-to-school shoe shopping. That’s what Back to School Month is all about. Back to School Month has been celebrated for nearly 60 years as a way to get parents, students, and teachers ready to tackle the new school year. Is your home back-to-school ready? We’ve got some tips to inspire you, or at the very least get you an A+ for effort. Declutter the Home Base Before you head out to buy anything new, purge last year’s piles. Take stock of backpacks, sports gear, clothing, lunch containers, and school supplies. Get rid of things that are broken, outgrown, or too worn out to use. Throw out last year’s school papers. If you declutter, destress, and begin with an organized … [Read more...] about Is Your Home Back-to-School Ready?
Inman Connect: What We’re Looking Forward To
Inman Connect is right around the corner. San Francisco will play host this year with the theme "Faster. Better. Together." The week-long event brings over 4,000 top-producing agents, CEOs, tech entrepreneurs, and marketing executives together to network and converge. Catch speakers from Google, Redfin, and SoulPancake and learn from industry experts through hands-on sessions, roundtables, and labs. Here are a few (of the many) events we're looking forward to this year: 1) Hacker Connect Hack into the minds of your customers at Hacker Connect, where you'll learn to understand your customers and their needs more effectively. Take a deeper look into customer-centric problems and learn how to solve them with technology developers, engineers, designers, and IT directors. From Voice … [Read more...] about Inman Connect: What We’re Looking Forward To
Moving Made Easy: Top Apps for the Big Day
The moving process can be extremely stressful with what feels like a million things to do and remember. Thanks to helpful moving apps like Sortly and Updater, it doesn't have to be. We've listed our top 7 apps that streamline the process and can help save you some moving day headaches. 1) MagicPlan Create floor plans in minutes with just your phone's camera. MagicPlan lets you view your new home's space in 3D and design it before you even move in. No need to grab the measuring tape every time you buy new furniture or want to move things around -- MagicPlan keeps all your floor plans in one place and with the app's impressive AR (Augmented Reality), you can bet it'll be precise. 2) Homestyler While similar to MagicPlan, Homestyler focuses more on interior design and less on … [Read more...] about Moving Made Easy: Top Apps for the Big Day
Prepare Your Home to Beat the Heat
Summer 2018 is going to be a hot one, so why not make a cool decision now and prepare your home to beat the heat? Follow these steps to keep your home cool and your energy bill low. Maintain your air conditioner Make sure your air conditioner is ready to go before the heat rolls in. Regular maintenance keeps your A/C running smoothly and extends its lifespan. Clean the condensing unit, evaporator coil, condensate drain line, and replace the filter. If you notice the fins are bent and blocking airflow, fix them with a fin-straightening tool. Check out our detailed steps on how to maintain your air conditioner. Prep your windows Are your windows properly sealed? Windows with air leaks let in hot air during the summer, causing your air conditioner to use more energy and … [Read more...] about Prepare Your Home to Beat the Heat
How to Maintain Your Air Conditioner
Melting ice cream, parched pets, and hot leather furniture that burns your legs -- avoid these misfortunes by maintaining your air conditioner before the heat rolls in. Regular care and maintenance keep your A/C running smoothly and extends its lifespan. Follow these steps to maintain your air conditioner and save a little money and energy along the way. Power OFF Turn off the electrical power to the unit completely before doing any maintenance work on your A/C. You can shut off the power to the breaker box from indoors and flip the switch to "OFF" outdoors. Clear debris The area surrounding the unit should be completely clear, with all branches and plants being a couple of feet away. Use a screwdriver to remove the cage and fan grill from the top, then … [Read more...] about How to Maintain Your Air Conditioner