Tim Ryan - Articles

Fixing up Your New Home: Ceramic Tiles

If the tile is broken and requiring more than just a cosmetic fix, then you might want to see about replacing the tile or tiles that are broken. Ideally, when a tile floor is installed you should keep a few of the tiles so that you have replacements in case you drop something hard on the floor that causes a broken tile. If you’ve moved into a home that has a broken tile or two, you might have some difficulty finding ceramic tiles that match, however. Read

By: Tim Ryan | 03/11/2009 | DIY

Your New Home: Making it Safe

Now that you’ve found the perfect home for your family, it’s time to take a look into making sure that your family will enjoy their new home in safety. The majority of accidents that happen to people occur in the “safety” of your own home; it’s even easier to suffer some kind of accident when you’re newly living in unfamiliar surroundings. Read

By: Tim Ryan | 02/11/2009 | Home Improvement

Paint Your Way to a Sale

Fresh paint on walls, floors, ceilings, baseboards, and doors will perk up a room in no time, but having an extra sales tool for your realtor will be even better. Consumers are well aware of paints that have low VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds), and being able to ensure potential buyers that their new home has environmental considerations could go a long way. Read

By: Tim Ryan | 25/09/2009 | Real Estate

DIY Projects to Leave to the Professionals

Even a task as innocuous as painting can be costly if a homeowner doesn't know what he or she is doing. By improperly preparing the painting surface, the whole job may be botched, and require a professional to come and smooth out the wrinkles. Read

By: Tim Ryan | 24/09/2009 | DIY

Creating Zen at Home in Stressful Times

No, you don't have to sit in a room, surrounded with candles, repeating the latest Gregorian chant, unless you want to. But creating a Zen environment is still a simple process with great results. Read

By: Tim Ryan | 24/09/2009 | Interior Design

Translate Real Estate-Speak into Real World- Speak in Your Blog

Clients appreciate it when you translate real estate-speak to real world-speak without making them feel ignorant in the process. Everything in the world that exists can be boiled down into something that the average person can understand. If you add entertainment to understanding, you will have the building blocks for a compelling blog that draws people in – even the people who are not looking for real estate or aren’t looking for what you’re representing. Read

By: Tim Ryan | 03/09/2009 | Blogging

Is the Mortgage Assistance Program Assisting Homeowners?

There is not much in the way of overseeing going on between the Treasury Department and the lending institutions in regards to what seems to many homeowners to be deliberate foot dragging on the part of the lenders; unfortunately homeowners might be at the mercy of their lenders to take the initiative on their own to do a good job with this program. Read

By: Tim Ryan | 01/09/2009 | Mortgage

Are Home Sales Rebounding Off the Tax Credit into Recovery?

The results that have been seen since this program was instilled so far have been fairly dramatic; housing prices have started to rise and it is estimated that up to 350 000 sales will take place during the period of January 1st to December 1st that would not otherwise have been made. The increase in sales is helping to support some higher real estate prices; for every home that's sold instead of being foreclosed on the value of the homes around it are supported as well. Read

By: Tim Ryan | 01/09/2009 | Real Estate

Protect Your Dog from Trespassers

Dogs that are sexually intact are more likely to be aggressive and territorial. If you spay/neuter your dog at the vet-recommended age, they will also be less likely to engage in sex-related behaviors like mounting, marking in the house (another plus for homeowners!) and getting stressed at the presence of intact dogs in the neighborhood. Read

By: Tim Ryan | 25/08/2009 | Pets

In's & Outs of Refinishing a Deck

For small jobs, some people prefer the gentler method of scrubbing the wood with a stiff brush and a cleaning solution of trisodium phosphate (TSP). A combination of cleaner with the power washer is also very effective. Make certain you never let the spray sit in one area too long or you can damage or discolor the wood. Read

By: Tim Ryan | 07/07/2009 | DIY