3.) Backup Generator: The potential return on these puppies is just over 50%. If you purchase this one, accept the fact that that you are doing so strictly for personal usage. Do not make the purchase with much expectancy of potential future profit.
I thought I might post a quick blog about our blog and our blogging efforts.
We started bombarding the blogosphere with our advice, opinions and recommendations earlier this year. And not only have we not been kicked off of the world wide web (surprisingly), we’ve actually been applauded. That’s right – Somebody other than us thinks we’re pretty cool.
The National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) publishes a bimonthly magazine, The Remodelers Journal, that is distributed to thousands of industry big-wigs across the nation. A couple months back, we received a phone call from a NARI Remodelers Journal reporter who had caught wind of our bad-ass blogging and social media campaigning.
The lady interviewed us and told us that she was going to feature Total Home in the upcoming magazine. Well, that upcoming magazine has been written, printed and distributed.
Do you know what that means? That means that your little, local remodeling company is the greatest remodeling company in the world! Okay. It may not mean that, exactly. But it does mean that we are kind of a big deal. Look out Hollywood, here we come.
Check out our article. Be proud of us. Feel free to help us deflate our overly inflated ego – but in regards to that last one, give us just a day or so if you could, we kind of like feeling like we’re something extra special.
Do you suppose there is such a thing as too many estimates? I believe the answer is an emphatic “Yes.”
Home remodeling projects – No matter how big or small – Tend to bring out some of the greatest amounts of stress in a person’s life. A person is forced to make permanent decisions, spend hard earned money and place a decent amount of trust into the hands of an often-times perfect stranger.
Would you like to know the easiest way for that person to turn their already stressful situation into the Kingpin of all stressful situations? Here’s how:
Seek multiple estimates, slowly mull over the information, and then attempt to make a decision.
“Why would you argue that?” you might say.
Rule #1 in decision making – More is not necessarily better. Research is a good thing and gaining additional information can definitely help you to make a very informed decision. But too much information and too much time will inevitably lead to brain drain, frustration, confusion and cluttered counter tops.
I’d like to quote a blog entry from one of my favorite people, Seth Godin:
More time does not create better decisions. In fact, it usually decreases the quality of the decision. More information may help. More time without more information just creates anxiety, not insight. Deciding now frees up your most valuable asset, time, so you can go work on something else. What happens if, starting today, you make every decision as soon as you have a reasonable amount of data?”
When you’re gathering estimates for home remodeling projects, do a little research up front. Don’t whip out the phone book (do any of you actually still use the phone book) or hit up the Google search – and start dialing every name on the list, requesting a free brochure and an in-home estimate. This is a waste of their time and yours.
Check with your personal contacts to get any referral information that might be out there. If you find a company (either through referral status or Google) look-up the company info online. If their standards match up with yours, give them a call. But limit yourself to 2-4 bids. This is no place to be excessive.
Remember, this process is a stressful one no matter how you size it up. Do your part to keep the anxiety levels at bay. In other words, don’t pick at the scab – You’ll only be sorry you did.
Economy’s rough. Remodeling prices are high. What’s a homeowner to do?
Save on the little things, that’s what I say!
Next time you’re at the grocery store, pickup a tube of super cheap toothpaste. Then, spend an afternoon at your house, running around scrubbing all sorts of fun things with this lightly-abrasive cleaner. Really, it’s fun for the whole family!
My Disclaimer: The two I’ve ever tried are the jewelry cleaning and nail filling techniques. So, feel free to give any of these a whirl and let me know what you think.
Here’s a special little tip when setting out to hire somebody to remodel your home in some way:
Make sure the fence/gate is in good working order. Assure that the latches and locks function properly and with ease. If your remodeler will require backyard access, this is extremely important for a variety of reasons.
Receiving a successful home remodeling experience is so often contributed to the factors of heightened communication and consideration. If all parties involved can do their part towards these initiatives–Success will be had…Beautiful homes will be re-built.
I would like to share a little excerpt from a fellow blogger. This comes to us from Jamie Goldberg, Kitchen & Bath Design, LLC in Tampa, FL:
“The best builders, contractors and trades have much greater scheduling availability right now, which gives you access to professionals you might not otherwise be able to get. As the New York Times put it, during the boom years, ‘Good contractors were as hard to get as celebrated doctors.’ Their knowledge and skill are unchanged. It’s just that many have more down time at the moment.”
Get it while it’s hot.
Check out more of Jamie’s Blogging
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