Because we are so close to our pets, they often become very sensitive to our stress levels. When we are packing to move or even take a vacation, our pets will be more stressed than usual. When packing, it helps to remove pets from the area to minimize stress, fear and possible harm.

Here are some tips for traveling to your new destination with your pet:

• Carry your pet's current health certificate and rabies tag

• Make sure your pet has a collar with current contact identification

• Have any of your pet’s medications handy and make sure it is protected from fleas and ticks

• Bring your pet’s bedding, food and water bowls, a litter box and favorite toys

• Keep fresh water available at all times

• Maintain good air circulation; use your air conditioner if necessary

• Stop for an exercise and potty break at least every three hours

• Never leave your pet alone in the car on a warm day

Friends come by to visit you, not your house. Your home can be a flexible extension and reflection of your lifestyle and personality, not a fixed collection of rooms that can only be used for their originally-intended purpose.

If space is limited, consider making some rooms do double duty. Here are some tips for thinking differently and making the most of the space in your home:

• If you don’t put on formal dinner parties, consider turning an unused dining room into a home office. When friends come over for an meal, cushions around a coffee table in front of the fireplace can become an informal ‘dining room.’

• Repurpose furniture into special ‘rooms.’ A drop-front secretary with shelves, drawers and a work surface can turn your living room into a craft center by day but can be closed up for entertaining in the evening.

• Many people regard their bedroom as a sanctuary and retreat. Consider adding built-in or freestanding shelves and an easy chair with a floor lamp to turn one corner of your bedroom into a quiet ‘library.’

Instead of having a traditional garage sale, perhaps you should consider putting your garage sale online. Free online classified ads like Craig’s List or fee-based auction sites like eBay make it easy to do. Here’s how:

• Take your time: The beauty of an online garage sale is that you don’t need to sell all your unwanted belongings at once. Instead you can post them online as soon as you decide to get rid of them.

• Price it right: Search online to learn prices of comparable items and price yours to sell if you don’t want to be stuck with them later on.

• Use pictures: Use a digital camera to take shots of your items. One picture is worth hundreds of words of description. Provide written descriptions, including dimensions and be sure to indicate any defect or areas of wear or damage.

• Payment: Items listed on local classified sites like Craig’s List are usually paid for  as cash at delivery on a first-come, first-served basis. Winning bidders on auction sites like eBay use PayPal to pay with their credit card. Setting up an account with PayPal is free and easy.

• Shipping: Auction sites let you specify a flat rate for shipping or allow buyers to compute and pay for shipping costs. Craig’s List buyers will pick up their purchase from you once you’ve both agreed on the price so there are no shipping costs at all.

By getting rid of unwanted items through an online garage sale you’ll make your home feel more spacious and have fewer items to pack if you decide to make a move.

Nothing makes a home quite as appealing as attractive plants. People lacking a green thumb or the time or space necessary to devote to a garden might consider adding window boxes or small raised beds to add a touch of color. Here are some ideas to get you started:

• Window boxes are the easiest to install, plant, and maintain. Wrought iron grids called ‘hayracks’ are available in many stores. They come in a variety of widths and attach easily to your window trim. Their liner helps retain soil and water, keeping your plants moist and healthy.

• Raised beds are best when made from pressure-treated dimensional lumber or artificial wood products like Trex to minimize rotting over time. Cut the lumber into the dimensions you want then nail or screw them together to form a frame. Place the frame where you want it, making sure it’s level. Then add a layer of fine gravel at the bottom for drainage followed by topsoil, and finally an organic topdressing. This works with large pots as well.

• For south-facing window boxes and beds, plant sun-loving perennials or herbs. For north and east facing locations, choose shade plants like ivy, hostas, begonias, hydrangeas, geraniums or bleeding hearts. For western exposures, sun-loving, drought-tolerant plants are best. Choose vegetables in the spring and summer and in late fall and winter, plant decorative cabbage (kale) or dwarf boxwoods.

• Whatever you plant, make sure to water only enough to keep plants from wilting in the sun. Remember, too much water can be as bad as not enough.

More and more people are working from home. From small-business owners to corporate telecommuters, more and more people are dedicating areas within their homes as full-time home offices. Here are some tips to help you design and equip an office in your home, no matter how small it might be:

• Size isn’t everything. Perfectly functional offices can be built into unused walk-in closets or even armoires or other furniture. While not everyone needs a large office in which to meet people or hold meetings, every office needs to have room for the basic tools necessary to running a business or doing a job.

• Organization is the key. Make the most of the space you have by using storage boxes or baskets of a uniform size to store papers, catalogs, magazines and supplies. By being the same size, they’ll better fit on shelves or on your desk with a minimum of wasted space.

• Make the most of today’s technology. A modern laptop has as much computing power as last year’s desktop tower. Thin LCD monitors take up much less space than bulky CRT tube monitors. Wi-Fi lets you connect to the Internet with a minimum of wiring. And VOIP telephones use your Internet connection to communicate at a fixed price every month with no long-distance charges.

• Treat your body right. Get an ergonomic chair and adjust it so your elbows are bent at a 90º angle when typing and be sure you’re not looking down at your monitor. Use high intensity task lighting to direct light where you need it.

Sooner or later you may need to hire a contractor to perform maintenance, painting, remodeling, landscaping, or other project. Here are some tips on how to choose a contractor to ensure you get a fair price and are treated fairly during the process.

• Start by writing down exactly what it is you want the contractor to do and when you want it done. Be specific.

• Make a list of prospective contractors. Ask friends and neighbors, check the phone book, your local newspaper, or online classified ads like Craig’s List.

• Meet with the contractors you’ve selected to show them your property and discuss the project in detail. Use your written description of the project to make sure you cover all the points on it with each contractor you meet.

• If a contractor suggests additional work, ask for his estimate in two parts with the second part covering the additional work he suggests beyond what was on your original project description.

• Ask exactly who will be doing the work and the extent of the contractor’s personal involvement in your project.

• For small projects, payment is usually made in full on completion. Larger projects usually require making interim payments on a weekly or monthly basis. Make sure you both agree on when interim payments will be made.

• Get an estimate in writing. Be sure it specifies all labor and materials that may be required. If subcontractors are required, be sure the estimate includes their cost as well.

• Choose your contractor based on whatever factor you’re most comfortable with: lowest price; reputation; or ‘gut feel’.

• It’s good business practice for both of you to sign a copy of the estimate and for you to give the contractor a deposit before the project begins. The deposit can be either a flat fee or a percentage of the total estimate amount.

• Never make full payment for a project up front.

Earthquakes, tornados, hurricanes and floods are an unfortunate fact of life in many areas. Here are some steps you can take to get ready before any kind of disaster occurs:

• Be prepared to spend up to 72 hours without utilities, medical help or communications.

• Start an emergency kit in a crushproof box containing bottled drinking water, a first aid kit, flashlight, non-perishable food, blankets, basic toiletries, a portable radio and extra batteries. Camping gear can also be valuable. Make sure your kit is up-to-date and easily available in a safe, dry place.

• Strap your hot water heater and any gas appliances to a wall. Turn off gas at the meter ONLY if you smell a leak. Leave your home immediately and call the utility company from a safe place.

• Hold a home evacuation drill. Have a plan for reuniting your family. Keep photos of family members in your wallet in case they turn up missing.

• Educate your children. Get a copy of their school’s disaster policy regarding emergency transportation and student release.

• Keep a stash of cash hidden in the event that banks or automatic teller machines shut down.

When you decide to sell your home, having it in tip-top condition can make a huge difference in how quickly it sells and the amount of the offer you receive. Prospective buyers eagerly look at every new home as it comes on the market so taking care to ensure your home looks its best can help make it stand out from the others. Here are some tips you might find helpful:

• Start with a well-cared-for yard and freshly-mowed lawn. Your front door, porch and entryway should be clean and neat, preferably newly painted.

• Remove excess furniture and accessories so the rooms appear larger.

• Pack family photographs and other personal effects away to make your home appear more ‘generic’ and easier for prospective buyers to imagine themselves living in it.

• Have your home thoroughly cleaned beforehand. Make sure that beds are made, dishes are done and everything is picked up.

• Bring the outside in with fresh flowers. Potted flowering plants last much longer than cut flowers.

If you’d like more suggestions on getting your home ready for sale, please don't hesitate to call or email me.

If you’re thinking about moving, you have to make a decision: do you buy your new home first and then sell your old one? Or sell first and then buy?

The biggest obstacle to selling first is that you may have to move twice – first into a rental, then again into the next home. Many buyers need to sell first in order to free up cash to purchase a new home. If you buy before you sell, making a contingent offer on the new home or taking out a bridge loan can make your decision, and the moving process, easier. But there are some important factors worth considering:

• An offer to purchase a new home that’s contingent upon the sale of your current home can be "bumped" if another buyer makes an offer that is not contingent.

• To make the contingent offer more appealing to the seller, many buyers offer full price. But making a contingent offer may cost you negotiating leverage on both ends. A full price offer to the seller means you lose the ability to negotiate the sale price, and also puts pressure on you to accept a lower price on your current home in order to sell it quickly.

• A bridge loan provides interim financing to “bridge the gap” until your first home sells. It also means making two house payments until your old home sells, so you need to decide how long you will be comfortable paying for two homes at the same time.

Your decision to buy first or sell first depends on your individual circumstances and the market conditions in your area. Please call or send me an email if I can help with more information to make your decision easier.

Recent news stories about so-called ‘subprime’ loans illustrate that it’s a good idea to shop carefully for a loan, especially one whose payment amount won’t abruptly increase and jeopardize your ability to make monthly payments and possibly lead to foreclosure.

If you’re shopping for a loan, here are some important things to ask a prospective mortgage broker:

• What will his total compensation be from you and the lender for the loan he helps you to get?

• How will her compensation vary depending on what type of loan you choose or which lender makes the loan?

• Is he willing to work for a flat fee agreed to in advance and to rebate to you any additional compensation he receives from the lender?

• How many lenders does she work with on a regular basis? Do any of them account for a majority of her business?

If you are thinking of purchasing a home, I can help you. I have a team of professionals to help you select a loan that will be best for your needs.

If you are considering a refinance, a home evaluation can give you a good idea of what your home is worth and I can give you a general price range right online based on recent sale prices of comparable homes in your area. For a more precise estimation of value, I can drop by for a quick review of your home.

As the price of energy continues to rise, so too does the importance of using it efficiently in your home.

Increasing your home’s energy efficiency doesn’t cost a lot and the financial savings can add up quickly. Plus, when you decide to sell, the resulting lower utility costs give you a marketing advantage with today’s savvy buyers.

Take these 5 steps to make your home more efficient:

1. Replace your old thermostat with a new programmable digital model.

2. Replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent lights (CFLs).

3. Replace the seal around your refrigerator and freezer doors.

4. Get a furnace tune-up and replace the filter every three months.

5. Install a ceiling fan to circulate warm air from the top of a room down to the bottom.

Many utility companies offer free energy audits that show you where your home is wasting the most energy. The audit pinpoints areas for home improvement.