AW Realty Group

Is your home ready for overnight guests? Follow these suggestions to create the perfect guest room for friends and family. 1. Offer reading material A pile of recent magazines or a shelf of assorted books offers guests a way to wind down before bed. 2. Add flowers A simple flower arrangement adds class and color to any room. 3. Provide seating Make sure there's somewhere cozy for guests to sit if they need some alone time during holiday chaos. 4. Make wi-fi and ac power connection easy Leave a piece of paper with your internet server's name and password on the dresser so guests can easily access your wireless connection.  Add an AC power strip that is easy to access for charging. 5. Did they forget something? Fill a basket with sample-sized containers of essentials, like toothpaste, mouthwash and shampoo. 6. Add a luggage stand Put out a folding luggage stand where guests can prop their suitcases to avoid having to squat all the way down to the floor ev...

Thinking of selling your home on your own? Online listing sites may lure you into thinking that the process is simple. Take a few photos, buy a "For Sale" sign and wait for buyers, right? But the process is much more complicated than that. If you're considering selling your home on your own, here are a few sure signs you should call a professional real estate agent. 1. You're not sure what your home is worth Calculating the right price for your home is an art and a science. Price your home too high, and it can grow stale, sitting on the market. Price it too low, and you could leave money on the table. Agents have the most current information about how much comparable homes in your neighborhood sold for and how long they were on the market. Agents use their deep knowledge of local and national market factors and the nuances of your particular home to calculate the right price. 2. You're losing sleep because this sale will be the biggest financial transaction...

Demolishing your seventies kitchen and upgrading to stainless steel and granite can produce all kinds of happy feelings. It can also produce piles of materials you might not be sure what to do with. Here are a few ways to remove all those building byproducts. 1. Donate If your stuff's in half-decent condition, there's probably a drop-off donation center willing to take it. Habitat for Humanity has  a national network of home improvement stores  stocked by donations. They take everything from light fixtures and appliances to counter tops and windows. 2. Reclaim, reuse, recycle Roll up old carpet and use the  Carpet America Recovery Effort  website to find a company near you that will reclaim, recycle or reuse it. Check with your municipality to find out if they recycle any other types of construction material. The Construction and Demolition Recycling Association  can help you locate local companies that will take materials such as asphalt shingles,...

The list of famous people who kept journals is as diverse as it is expansive. C.S. Lewis, Ronald Reagan and even grunge rocker Kurt Cobain are all known to have kept a personal record of their lives. According to a recent Huffington Post article, the benefits of journaling are not exclusive to philosophers and creative geniuses. Here are a few ways writing daily can help you in life and in business: Achieving goals You can talk about your future plans all you want, but something about writing down your goals signals to your brain that it's a big deal, and you need to follow through. Journaling also provides an opportunity to brainstorm a pathway to get there. Emotional intelligence Writing down your frustrations helps you process them before you say something you'll regret. Once everything is out of your system, you can evaluate the situation with less emotion. Memory Once again, your brain picks up that if you're writing something out, it must be important. The mo...

In the colder months, when people are less likely to linger at bus stops or the mailbox, it can be difficult to stay in touch with your neighbors. Rekindle connections by bringing everyone in out of the cold with a game night. Here are a few suggestions for hosting an evening of fun. 1. Try something new Ask your neighbors to bring over their favorite games. It will help you expand your horizons beyond Monopoly and Clue, and provide variety for your guests throughout the night. 2. Gather the pieces Double check that your games have all of the pieces before your guests arrive, and that extra paper, pens, die and whatever else games may call for are handy. 3. Serve comfort food Cooking up chili is an easy way to feed a large group of people and get cozy on a cold winter's night. Make your favorite recipe – and invite neighbors to bring over something of their own. 4. Award the winners Have a prize or two available to the winners of each game. Consider blue ribbons or...

It's often tough to be away from loved ones during the holidays. Fortunately, there are several ways everyone in your family, wherever they may be, can be included in celebrating the season. Here are a few. 1. Make time to video chat Plan ahead (maybe even send out an Evite) and schedule a virtual family reunion. Video chatting is easy – and free. Services like Skype, FaceTime and Google Hangouts allow you to talk to more than one person at the same time. Bonus: you can finally turn down the volume on the uncle who shouts during every conversation. 2. Share activities While everyone may not be able to do the same thing in the same place, you and your family members around the world can still share a holiday experience. For example, everyone could make the same treasured family recipe or create some DIY holiday decorations. Then, share the experience via phone or video chat. 3. Family Facebook Set up a Facebook page for your extended family for the holidays – and beyond...

Are you thinking about bringing home a furry family member this holiday season? Make sure you have the time, energy and space to give to a pet before deciding to adopt. Here are a few things to keep in mind: 1. Time From taking your dog out for walks to ensuring you're home to feed and spend time with your furry one, a pet can require a lot of time and commitment. Make sure your work schedule and social commitments allow you to be home with your pets to take care of them. If you don't have time during the day, consider hiring a dog walker or having a fenced-in backyard and a doggie door so you can easily let your dog run around outside. 2. Cost Speaking of dog walkers, those daily visits can add up fast. Run some numbers and make sure you're ready for all the costs associated with pet ownership. From buying food and cat toys or signing your pup up for training, pets can be expensive. In fact, owning a dog can cost an average of nearly  $900 per year . Make sure you hav...