As we learn more and more about toxins, organic products vs. non-organic, and how the harsh chemicals in our daily cleaning products can harm your family and your pets I decided to look up somerecipes for some alternative natural home cleaning products. I have discovered that the switch to natural cleaning products can have a tremendous impact on the quality of life in our home environment while creating a healthy and pleasant home cleaning experience.  Many products you buy have very harsh chemicals in them also the companies that make these products have "trade secrets" which allows them to not list all of the ingredients used in commercial cleaning products. These products may be affecting your health and the health of your family! Here are a few Natural Recipes I found for make-your-own cleaning products.

Alice's Wonder Spray All-Purpose Household Cleaner
Ingredients: Liquid Castile soap, white distilled vinegar, borax, purified water, and an essential oil for fragrance.

What Else You'll Need: A clean 16-oz. trigger spray bottle.

How to Make Your Own:

Mix 2 tbsp. of vinegar with 1 tsp. borax .
Fill the rest of the bottle with very hot water.
Shake until the borax is dissolved.
Add the 1/4 cup of liquid soap or.
To scent, add 10 to 15 drops of an essential oil.

I like to use a combination of lavender and lemon. Because minerals in the water inhibit cleaning, it's best to use purified or distilled water especially for this recipe. It's important to dissolve the borax in hot water so that it doesn't clog the spray nozzle. And don't mix the soap and vinegar directly together, because the soap will clump up. Please follow the order of the recipe by mixing the vinegar, borax, and water first and adding the soap last.

How to Use:
Spray and Wipe. Use Alice's Wonder Spray as you would any other all-purpose household cleaner.

Make Your Own Natural Healthy Dishwashing liquids:

1/4 cup soap flakes
2 cups hot water
1/4 cup glycerin
1/2 teaspoon lemon essential oil

1) In bowl combine soap flakes and water and stir until the soap is dissolved. Cool to luke warm.

2) Stir in the glycerin and the essential oil, leave to cool. As it cools it will form a loose gel. Stir with a fork and break up the gel and then pour into a narrow-necked bottle. An old shampoo bottle makes an excellent container.

3) To use, squirt 3 teaspoonfuls into hot running water.

Liquid castile soap

10 drops lavender essential oil
8 drops rosemary essential oil
4 drops eucalyptus essential oil

1) Fill a clean 22-ounce plastic squirt bottle with castile soap (diluted according to directions if using concentrate).
2) Add the essential oils.
3) To use, squirt 3 teaspoonfuls into hot running water

Make Your Own Natural Healthy Disinfectant Spray:
2 Cups Water
1/4 Cup White Vinegar
1/4 tsp. Tea Tree Oil
1/4 tsp. Lavender Oil

Combine and store in a spray bottle. Shake occasionally. Use where ever a disinfectant spray is needed.

This is only a few recipes you can find many others online.  We here at The Evelyn Bruder Dream Team like to provide you with lots of useful tips for your home, News about the Real Estate Market, and even fun things to do around town.  Please visit our blog often and make sure to check out our website.  We are very proud of our website and all the information it provides for our community.  Thanks for reading our blog! Have a great day

When I list a home for sale, one of the first questions I typically ask sellers is how quickly they would like to sell. It's no secret that an overpriced home takes longer to sell, and it might eventually sell for a lot less than market value. In a high demand market, a well priced home could sell within 10 to 21 days.

Average Days on Market

Average days on market is a number almost every real estate agent knows by heart. If your agent can't give you that number, you might want to think about hiring an agent who can. To determine the average number days on market yourself, figure out the day each home in any given month goes on the market and count the days to pending. Add those days together and divide by the number of homes.

What Makes a House Sell Quickly?

Sometimes there is no logical reason for the length of time it takes to sell a house. It could be luck. Your house could come on the market on the very day a specific buyer is looking to buy such a house. But more likely, how long it takes to sell a house depends on the following 3 factors:

Price

A smart strategy some agents use to entice multiple offers, which tend to push the price higher, is to price the house a little bit under market value. Price range makes a difference, too. Often, lower price ranges sell faster than higher price ranges simply because there are more buyers who can afford lower-priced homes.

Location

The adage: location, location, location is true. If the home is located in a highly desirable neighborhood near excellent schools, there will be more demand for the home. If it's located on the wrong side of the tracks near a toxic dump, it might never sell.

Condition

Homes in tip-top shape that sparkle and shine sell much faster than homes that need repairs or are cluttered. Home buyers need to imagine how they will live in that house, and they can't do that if the home looks like it belongs to you or is a mess.

Market Temperature Determines How Long it Takes a House to Sell
In seller's markets, homes tend to sell faster because there are fewer sellers and more buyers. When more than one buyer is trying to buy the same home, that can result in a bidding war with offers above list price. It's not unusual for a home to sell in a seller's market in less than a week.

In buyer's markets, buyers have more choices and can take their time. If the home isn't exactly what a buyer wants, a buyer will pass it over and keep looking. If you are a seller in a buyer's market, patience is key.

We here at the Evelyn Bruder Dream Team would love to work with you to achive your goals! We have a Unique Strategy when it comes to selling your home.  Our philosophy for selling your home is based upon Positioning.  We put your home at the top of every buyers wish list.  We make sure you home is seen!  Please visit our website and learn more about the oportunities we provide for home sellers.

www.sellingahomeinlascruces.com

If your home is currently for sale, or you are considering selling your home, we (and all the other experts too) believe that "this spring home-selling season could be the strongest in years." See USA Today 4/1/2012.  An article in FORBES  on 3/27/2012 said: "This Spring Could Be The Best Home-Buying Season In Years."  Economists, realtors and Wall Streeters have been quick to surmise that 2012 will be the year of the market bottom, and with that, there is a prognosis of great expectations for sellers as this high season nears.

YOU ONLY GET ONE CHANCE TO MAKE A FIRST IMPRESSION.

Buyers begin judging your home the moment they see it.
Which house says "keep on driving" vs. " Show me this house"?

A home's curb appeal is one of the most important factors when it comes to selling your home. Think of it as window shopping. You're not going to buy a sweater in a shop's window if it is dirty, faded and has holes on it. Well, the same goes for a home's attractiveness from the exterior that is visible from the street.

Increasing a home's curb appeal
can make the difference in whether your home sits or sells.

  These simple steps can make all the difference
and still keep you within a $1,000 budget.

Assess the Situation
When working on any home improvement project on a budget, you should always come up with a plan to help you stay within your means. For your curb appeal project, start by assessing the home's current appearance from the street. Stand directly across the street from the property and take note of any areas you find unappealing. Better yet, take a picture of it all. Next, walk a few houses down and assess the home's appearance from an angle, then do the same on the opposite side. If a portion of the side or backyard is visible from the street, you might need to perform some improvements for those areas as well. Take as many pictures as possible to help you with your planning.

Fix the Front Yard
Estimated Cost: $200 to $300
If you've decided that the front yard has room from improvement, start with the small stuff that will hardly cost you a thing. Make sure the lawn is mowed and any weeds are pulled. Prune any trees, shrubs or bushes that have grown to unsightly proportions, and don't hesitate to remove or uproot anything. Plant-life should help frame the home, not completely cover it. Removing excess shrubbery can breathe new life into an aged front yard.

The next stage of front yard work should be repairing any patchy areas. Check your lawn for bald spots or dead grass, and repair these areas with a bag of lawn patch. To replace any plant-life you've removed or to fill a slope or bald area of your yard, consider planting fast-growing groundcover like vinca minor.

Some mulch and garden bed edging can make your front yard look brand new. Look for discarded rocks, stones and cement blocks at rock quarries or construction sites for affordable edging. Another edging idea that is eco-friendly, but a little out of the ordinary, is to bury wine bottles into your soil, neck down. Bury the bottles as far as you can, exposing only a small portion of the bottle.

Refresh the Front of Your Home
Estimated Cost: $400 to $500
Now that your front yard is taken care of, you can move on to the actual house. A good place to start is your front door. Worn and weathered front doors are off-putting, but a newly painted front door can be a great focal point for the front of the home. Make sure to also polish the door fixtures, and even consider installing a new door knocker. Finally, hang a wreath around the door for a finishing touch. You can do all of this for under $50.
If your home features a front porch, think about adding potted containers that can be hung or placed around your frond steps. If you have any porch furniture, consider giving it a face lift with new fabrics and paint rather than replacing anything. The key to curb appeal is to make your home appealing to the eye. You can accomplish this by creating symmetry with potted plants, furniture and other items on your porch.

For the next part of your project, you'll need to rent a pressure washer. These can be rented from most major home improvement stores, and typically cost $50 to $75 for the day. You can use the pressure washer to clean the exterior of your home, which is a cheaper and quicker alternative to painting it. Pressure wash your garage doors, driveway and walkway to make everything look new. Just be sure to avoid windows because the water pressure can damage or break them.

If you still think a new paint job is necessary, even after the pressure wash, consider painting accents. The front door, columns, window sills and the garage door can all be matching colors and used as accents to enhance the curb appeal of the entire home. Take things a step further by adding matching shutters to your windows, or even a matching arbor and fence panel as long as you can afford it.

Minor Improvements
Estimated Cost: $100 to $200
With what is left of your $1,000 budget, you can finish your curb appeal project with minor improvements to refresh your home. Even the little things can make a difference, so be sure not to overlook anything you can upgrade or improve. Start by either repainting or replacing your mailbox. Then, replace your home's house numbers if they are worn or are barely visible from the street. Update any outdoor lighting fixtures by either replacing or repainting them if they are old and rusted. Finally, make sure to clean any cluttered areas, rake any fallen leaves, wash your windows and clear your gutters of debris.

The Bottom Line
Giving your home more curb appeal can be accomplished on a limited budget. Make sure you spend time examining your home from every angle to see what minor improvements you can make to enhance its appearance. All it takes is a little creativity and patience. Buyers want homes that are well-maintained, clean, and clutter-free. That's why the improvements that you will make during the staging process, are all designed to anticipate the wants and needs of buyers, and why staging sells homes faster and can boost your selling price.

It's a tough market. You want YOUR Home to be the one that will sell!
Staging is positioning your home to be at the top of the buyer's list.
Properly staged homes outshine the competition every time!

A wealth of information about staging your home to sell, including articles, pictures and reference materials, is available for you all online with no obligation or agents to hassle you.  visit: Staging Your Home To Sell

Thank you for reading my blog! If you like my blog check out our website we have so many resources for you, local news, real estate tips, things to do around town, and so much more!

www.homesforsaleinlascruces.com

Americans consume more water during the summer than any other season, particularly in Las Cruces where temperatures can climb to the triple digits.

However, it's important to conserve water whenever and wherever possible. Doing so can help you save money, as well as help the environment. Here are 8 tips to help you save water.

1. Reuse water whenever possible
You can save a tremendous amount of water by using the same water to perform multiple tasks around your Las Cruces home. For example: instead of rinsing fruits and vegetables in the sink, put water in a dish and rinse them there. When you're done, use the leftover water for your houseplants or lawn. Or if your shower takes a minute or so to warm up, start saving that water and then water your planst with it. 

2. Use a pitcher for drinking water
Instead of filling a glass of water in the sink, invest in a water pitcher to store in your fridge. This ensures that water is not wasted down the drain by running the tap. Some pitchers are outfitted with water filters, which can help purify the water and improve its taste.

3. Turn off the water while brushing your teeth or shaving
Next time you brush your teeth, wet the tooth brush and then turn the faucet off while you brush. Doing so can save as much as four gallons per minute. When shaving, try filling up your sink with a few inches of water for rinsing your razor.

4. Avoid rinsing dirty dishes with running water
When hand-washing your dishes, fill one side of your sink with soapy water and the other side with clean water. This method saves much more water than rinsing your dishes with a running faucet. If you prefer to use a dishwasher, scrape the leftover food off your plates instead of rinsing them. Newer dishwashers and detergents are powerful enough to thoroughly clean your dishes without rinsing beforehand.

5. Use a water-efficient showerhead
Try this experiment at home: take a one-gallon bucket and fill it up with the water from your showerhead. If the bucket fills up in less than 20 seconds, your showerhead expels too much water. Consider installing a showerhead that uses 2.5 gallons per minute or less to conserve water.

6. Find and fix leaky faucets
Check your kitchen and bathroom sinks to see if they're dripping. A leaky faucet can waste as much as 20 gallons of water a day. Thankfully, fixing a leaky faucet is much easier than you may think and usually requires little more than a wrench to repair. DoItYourself.com has a handy guide to fixing a variety of different faucets typically found in homes.

7. Only water plants when necessary
Did you know that more plants die from over-watering than under-watering? Prevent this by only watering your plants when they need it most. Try to water your plants early in the morning, when cooler temperatures reduce evaporation. To make it simpler, invest in a self-watering system with a timer so your plants get the water they need at the right time. Make sure you adhere to the City of Las Cruces's water use schedule.

8. Reduce unnecessary flushing
You might be tempted to dispose of dead bugs, cigarette butts or used facial tissues in the toilet. However, these unwanted items should be thrown in the trash instead. A typical toilet can use as much as seven gallons of water per flush.

Here is OUR contribution: 10 Energy-Saving Tips

Summer brings certain things to mind: BBQ’s, festivals, parades, camping, fishing, swimming – any way to enjoy the outdoors and the beautiful weather summer offers across the country. However, summer in Las Cruces means hot weather, which can run up your energy bill. To keep sky-rocketing energy costs from ruining your fun summer plans, follow these easy guidelines below to keep your energy costs down, and your spirits up!

10 Quick & Easy Energy-Saving Summer Tips

1.     Limit fan use to only when you are in the room with them. Ceiling, oscillating and standing fans give you the feeling of being cooler without actually changing the temperature of the air.

2.     Use compact fluorescents, which burn cooler than regular bulbs. Not only will you save year-round, up to $40 over the life of the bulb, and in the summer you'll reduce the heat generated into a room.

3.     Use evaporative coolers and whole-house fans. Both are cost-effective methods of keeping a house cool without spending a lot.

4.     If you have central air conditioning, keep your thermostat at 78 degrees. Each degree above 78 can knock off an additional six to seven percent off your cooling costs.

5.     Get rid of hot air. Use an exhaust fan to blow hot air out of your kitchen while you’re cooking. The savings on your cooling costs far outweigh the electricity used by the fan. Also, take lukewarm showers and baths to avoid humid air, which holds more heat.

6.     Turn your water heater down to 120 degrees. This saves you money and is a safety measure if you have children in the house.

7.     Hold off on doing laundry and dishwashing until nighttime to avoid generating extra heat in your home. Also, consider taking advantage of the warmer air and dry your laundry outside.

8.     If you have a pool, turn off your filter overnight when the pool is not in use.

9.     Use your microwave or smaller, countertop appliances for cooking instead of the oven or stove.

10.  Close blinds, drapes and shades during the hottest part of the day. This keeps the strong sunlight from heating your home.

Summer Safety Tips

• When possible, avoid outdoor activities during midday, when the sun's rays are strongest.

• Keep perishable food cool on longer trips. When outside, keep the cooler in the shade and continue to replenish the ice!

• Check for hazards in the yard during thunderstorms. Secure any unstable items on your house or in your yard that could be blown away or knocked over.

Do you have any more ideas or suggestions on how to save energy this summer? If so, we'd love to hear your thoughts in a comment below!