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If you’re looking for some ideas to fill out your Christmas tree a little bit more, try some of these homemade Christmas ornament ideas:

A Button Wreath.  Use a piece of craft wire and string up any buttons you choose (you will need approximately 50-80 depending on the size of the wreath), create a wreath shape and hang with a ribbon.
Cookie Cutter Ornaments.  Back a cookie cutter with whatever style scrapbooking paper you’d like and hang with a piece of ribbon.
Santa Belly.  Use craft paint to paint a black Santa belt around the center of a red Christmas ball.  When it dries use a white, silver, or gold paint pen to draw on a belt buckle and you’ve got a cute Christmas ornament in a short amount of time.
Glitter Ornaments.  Take a clean, clear craft ornament and put in enough drops of Murphy’s Oil Soap to swirl around and coat the inside of the entire ornament.  Once it’s coated, drain the excess back into the container and pour glitter into the ornament – enough to more than coat the inside.  Once it’s coated, dump out the excess glitter and place it to dry with the top off.  Once dry, use a ribbon to hang or use paint markers to decorate the outside however you’d like.

Bottle Cap Snowman.  For this one all you have to do is take three bottle caps, paint them white and attach them by hot gluing a ribbon up the back of them (use enough ribbon to loop over and hang).  Decorate the insides (front) of the top and middle with markers to make a face, carrot nose and buttons and hang.

Fill An Empty Ornament.  An easy way to make an ornament is to purchase a container of empty clear glass ornaments at the store and fill them with whatever you’d like.  Some easy ideas are: a spring of evergreen, colorful craft pom poms, small photographs, loose leaf tea, dried flower petals, cranberries, baby’s breathe, dried herbs, bath salts, extra Christmas light bulbs, feathers, cut up strips of literature or sheet music, beads, or really anything you can think of!

Have fun and Merry (almost) Christmas!!

Thinking of buying or selling a home in Sussex County?  Give us a call at Cooper Realty Associates and put us to work for you – 302-629-6693.

With Christmas just days away, the hustle, bustle and stress may be getting to you.  Take some time out of the busy-ness of the season and just enjoy your family.  Unplug, order take out and de-stress with a family fun night.  Focus on quiet activities and not on the never-ending to do list.  Some great ideas are: watching Christmas movies, baking or decorating cookies together, playing board games, or going for a drive to look at Christmas lights – you could even use this amazing Christmas light scavenger hunt idea!

Thinking of buying or selling a home in Sussex County?  Give us a call at Cooper Realty Associates and put us to work for you – 302-644-2266.

With Christmas just days away, here’s a fun idea:
Make a “Christmas Morning Basket” – include things such as scissors, a box cutter, notepad & pen, camera, video camera, phone charger (just in case!), storage bags (to store small items so they don’t get lost), envelopes for each family member (for money or gift cards), extra batteries, hot chocolate packets, special snacks, and anything else you might need for your family’s Christmas morning traditions.  Put everything in a nice basket, add a festive ribbon, and stick it under the tree for easy access on Christmas morning!

Thinking of buying or selling a home in Sussex County?  Give us a call at Cooper Realty Associates and put us to work for you – 302-644-2266.

If you’re like me then long after your Christmas shopping is done you still have to take care of the stocking stuffers.  Here is a list of 50 great stocking stuffer ideas for anyone on your list:

1. Earbuds
2. Inexpensive gift cards to places like Starbucks, McDonalds, iTunes, etc.
3. Favorite candy bar
4. USB drive
5. Gum
6. Book Light
7. Fuzzy Socks
8. Toothbrush
9. Lip balm
10. Winter hat
11. Tic Tacs
12. Batteries
13. Key ring
14. Hot Chocolate packets
15. Comb
16. Lifesavers
17. Hand sanitizer
18. First aid supplies such as band-aids
19. Markers
20. Mini flashlight
21. Bubble Bath
22. Water bottle
23. Movie Tickets
24. Underwear
25. Gloves
26. Magnets
27. Pens/pencils
28. Magazine
29. Rubix cube
30. Travel size game
31. Umbrella
32. A good book
33. Roll of coins
34. Magnets
35. Lottery ticket
36. Tote bag
37. Fun post-it notes
38. Card game
39. Playdoh
40. Deodorant
41. Puzzle Book (Sudoku, Crossword, etc.)
42. Homemade coupon book
43. Silly String
44. Snacks
45. Dental floss
46. Sunglasses
47. Fruit
48. Lollipops
49. Shower pouf
50. Ornaments

Thinking of buying or selling a home in Sussex County?  Give us a call at Cooper Realty Associates and put us to work for you – 302-644-2266.

With Christmas just days away, you may be doing a lot of holiday entertaining.  Here are a few inexpensive and relatively easy decoration ideas you can do in an afternoon:

Create an Ornament Wreath.  All you need for this one is a styrofoam wreath and about 100 glass ball Christmas ornaments (you can get lots at the dollar store to keep costs low!).  Find the instructions for this simple & gorgeous creation here.

Candy Cane Vase.  Slide a thick and close-fitting rubber band over a cylindrical vase and slide candy canes between the vase and rubber band one by until the vase can no longer be seen.  Once the vase is fully covered, tie or hot glue a ribbon around it to hide the rubber band.  Fill the vase with a favorite flower, evergreen branches, or whatever your heart desires.  (See above photo.)

Decorate Your Kitchen.  Choose a thick, holiday inspired ribbon and “wrap” your kitchen cabinets by running the ribbon over the top and bottom and taping the ribbon to the insides of the cabinets.  This is a simple & elegant decorating idea that can fit any taste or budget!

Thinking of buying or selling a home in Sussex County?  Give us a call at Cooper Realty Associates and put us to work for you – 302-644-2266.

With Christmas just days away, here’s a few helpful preparation tips:

Prepare the gifts.  If you have young children, prepare any before wrapping them.  Open the box and remove the “childproof” wires and such that most toys contain.  Add batteries if necessary, and clear out any unnecessary packaging then rebox the toy and wrap it.  This will prevent the toy from getting broken or fingers from getting pinched in the rush to play with new toys!

Keep the receipt.  As you do your shopping, keep an envelope for all receipts and keep it in your purse or wallet until all gifts have been given.  This way you have the receipt handy if something needs to be returned or exchanged and you are not frantically trying to remember where you put an important slip of paper.

Go around.  To avoid losing gifts, money, and small pieces of new toys clean up the wrapping paper after each round of gift opening.  Give each member of the family a gift to open.  Take turns opening and then immediately clean up the trash from that round before handing out new gifts.

Thinking of buying or selling a home in Sussex County?  Give us a call at Cooper Realty Associates and put us to work for you – 302-644-2266.

If you google home remodeling, it’s easy to come across lists of which improvements give you the most bang for your buck and which improvements will be difficult to recoup in selling costs should you ever decide to move.  However, if you know you’re going to be in your home for the long haul, should renovating be about what works best for your family and not what is going to get you the most money if and when you ever decide to sell?

If your object in remodeling is to enjoy living in your home even more than you do now, then consider a few of these improvements instead of some of the more traditionally encouraged renos:

1.  Rethink bathrooms
There are a few ways you can get creative if you’re looking to change up your bathrooms.  First, consider sharing the master bath.  Meaning, position the floor plan so that the tub and sink are accessible to the rest of the house.  This can prevent you from needing a separate half bath.  Think about it!  How often do you use the toilet/sink portion of your master bath during the day?  You could always have a second sink in the “master” portion of the master bath as well.  That’ll still save you money!

Another idea is to do a similar thing with a second bathroom.  Tuck the toilet and shower away, and have a nice double sink in a separate attached area.  This will allow three people to get ready at once without needing three separate bathrooms!

2.  Consider a walk-in pantry or two
Cabinets can be very expensive and depending on how tall you are and how they are positioned, can also be a pain to utilize efficiently.  Consider using kitchen wall space for windows and building a couple of walk-in pantries instead.  They save space, store a lot more stuff in a more convenient configuration, and they cost less to build than cabinets do to install.

3.  Shower vs. Bath
The idea of a big bathtub is nice, but unless you use it often, it’s probably not worth the space it’s in.  Consider installing a large shower instead.  You will use it more often, guaranteed!  Plus, it takes up less space and saves you money since it uses less hot water.

4.  Skip the vaulted ceilings
Unless you are absolutely convinced that the drama of a vaulted ceiling will make your life better, consider skipping it.  It might add square footage, but it isn’t square footage you can actually use.  Rooms with high ceilings are harder to clean and decorate and cost way more money to heat and cool as compared to rooms with average ceilings.  If you really want high ceilings, go for the 10 foot ceiling and cap it there.  There are plenty of tricks for adding the illusion to height of a room if you feel too claustrophobic.

5.  Go for the view
If you have a great view somewhere, capitalize on it!  Instead of placing a couple of windows in each room, choose a room that faces the view and put (almost) all of your windows there!  Trust me, you won’t regret it.  One of the most beautiful homes I’ve ever been in was in Alaska.  It was not that fancy or that large, but two walls of windows in the living room looked out over one of the most amazing views I’ve ever seen!  I just wanted to sit in that living room all day long and stare!  I still drool when I think about that otherwise plain house.

Thinking of buying or selling a home in Sussex County?  Give us a call at Cooper Realty – 302-644-2266!

 

Creating a weekly routine that works for you is the best way to keep your house clean.  Here’s a list of chores that should be done once a week to keep your house in the best possible shape.  Assign one room to each day of the week, and viola! you’ve got a weekly cleaning schedule that will help you keep your whole house spic and span in less than an hour each day!

Each Day
-wash and put away dishes
-wipe down kitchen and bathroom counters
-wipe out kitchen and bathroom sinks

Kitchen
-mop the floor
-wipe down cabinet doors and the exterior of the appliances

Bathroom
-polish fixtures
-scour the tub
-disinfect the toilet and wipe down the base
-mop the floor

Living Spaces
-dust shelves, furniture, and trinkets – don’t forget the things hanging on the wall!
-vacuum carpets and mop hard-surface floors

Bedrooms
-same as living spaces, plus
-wash bed linens

And don’t forget to sweep and de-clutter your front entry area/foyer each week too!  If you don’t like the idea of spending one day per room you can always change it up and do the kitchen one day, bathroom one day, and then spend one day dusting all rooms, one day vacuuming, and one day mopping all hard-surface floors!  Adjust as needed and do what works best for you!

Thinking of buying or selling a home in Sussex County?  Give us a call at Cooper Realty Associates and put us to work for you – 302-644-2266.

When you are looking to sell your home, the most important relationship to cultivate is the one with your agent.  A local agent who is smart, prepared, and aggressive can be the difference between making settlement and continuing to make mortgage payments.  Although you should keep in mind that agents are not magicians, (even the best agent is not going to be able to sell a home that is not market friendly when it comes to price and preparation), working with one is definitely in your best interest as a seller. Here are 3 reasons that you should consider listing your home with a Cooper Realty agent:

1.       We know what people are looking for.
Cooper Realty agents work with a lot of people looking to buy in the area and have seen a lot of local homes.  We’ve seen it all, and we know what sells and what doesn’t!  I’m sure you’ve heard that when you’re trying to sell your home it is important to find “comparables.”  At Cooper Realty we have seen those comparables first-hand and will translate that experience into advice on how to best price, stage, and market your home.

2.       We know how to market in this area.
Agents at Cooper Realty know the protocol of selling a home in this area and can use it to your advantage as a seller.  For example, we know what day/time is best to hold an open house in the area that you are trying to sell.

3.       We know people.
Agents at Cooper Realty will get the word out about your home in a way that nobody else can.  We have been through this process before and have relationships with other agents, inspectors, appraisers, and lenders that might come in handy.  Local agents (such as those at Cooper Realty) are also likely to be members of the Chamber of Commerce, a school board, town council, or other local agency.  We also have friends, neighbors, colleagues, and acquaintances in the area.  All of these networks can potentially translate into more traffic for your home.

Now that you know why you should list your home with a local agent, give Cooper Realty Associates a call and let us help you get your home on the market!  We are Southern Delaware’s best local agents – we know what people are looking for, how to market it, and we have the contacts that can get your home sold!   Call us today – 302-644-2266!

Wanting to go green with your cleaning products?  Try these well rated solutions:

1.  All Purpose Cleaner.  With gloves on, mix 1 tsp. washing soda, 2 tsp. borax, 2 Tbsp. white vinegar, 2 ½ cups hot water, 5 drops lavender essential oil & 7 drops of lemon essential oil in a 32-oz spray bottle.  Shake well, add ¼ cup liquid castile soap & shake again.  Once mixed, use as you would any multi-purpose pray.

2.  Glass Cleaner.  With gloves on, mix 3 cups water, 2 Tbsp. rubbing alcohol, and ¼ cup white vinegar into a 32-oz spray bottle and shake well.  Add ½ Tbsp. liquid castile soap and shake again.  Spray onto windows and wipe clean with newspaper.

3.  Furniture Polish.  With gloves on, mix 2 Tbsp. olive oil, ¼ cup white vinegar, and ¼ tsp lemon oil or fresh lemon juice in an 8-oz squirt bottle and shake well.  Make sure it is very well mixed.  Squirt polish onto a microfiber cloth and polish wood furniture with the grain.  Remove excess polish with a clean microfiber cloth.

4.  Toilet Bowl Cleaner.  Pour ½ cup baking soda into the toilet bowl.  Follow with 10 drops of tea-tree essential oil.  Follow oil with ½ cup white vinegar.  Let sit and bubble for 10 minutes then scrub with a toilet brush and flush.

5.  Laundry Soap.  With gloves on, mix ½ cup washing soda, ½ cup borax, and 1 bar of lavender castile soap (grated), ¼ cup baking soda, and 15 drops of lemon essential oil in a tightly lidded 24-oz plastic container.  Cover, shake well, and use 3 Tbsp detergent per load.  This detergent is HE friendly, but don’t use too much.

Thinking of buying or selling a home in Sussex County?  Give us a call at Cooper Realty Associates and put us to work for you – 302-644-2266.

As merry and bright as the holiday season is, did you know that it is also one of the most dangerous times in your home?  Home safety is often compromised during the holiday season.  Falls, fires, and trips to the emergency room are more common during the holiday season than any other time of year.  To keep yourself, your home, and your family safe consider the following:

Lights – carefully inspect all strings of holiday lights for frayed cords, cracked bulbs and loose connections.  Be sure to unplug the string of lights when replacing burnt out bulbs and always check the wattage to be sure you aren’t overtaxing the strands.  In addition you should always, always turn off all holiday lights when leaving your home or going to bed.  If you can, it is best to place all outdoor lights on a timer to switch on after 7pm.

Trees – if you have a fresh tree be sure to keep it well watered and far away from any fireplaces or candles.  If you have an artificial tree be sure that it is labeled fire-resistant.  Either way, be sure that your base is steady so that the tree won’t tip over easily.

Entertaining – when cooking for a crowd be sure to keep an eye on the stove.  Unattended ovens/stoves are the number one cause of home fires in the U.S.

General Safety – keep all matches and lighters up high and out of reach of children.  Test all smoke alarms and replace batteries as necessary.  Do not discuss holiday travel plans publically or with strangers.  Store scissors and ribbons used to wrap gifts well out of children’s reach.  Inspect all toys, decorations, and gifts for small objects which can be choking hazards or sharp edges which can be dangerous.

Thinking of buying or selling a home in Sussex County?  Give us a call at Cooper Realty Associates and put us to work for you — 302-644-2266.

The holidays are a stressful time of year for many people.  There are many things you can do to help make the stress of the season more bearable.  First, realize that it is okay to feel sad, depressed, stressed or anything other than the happy person that people expect.  Next, be realistic – know that situations change and with them traditions and rituals change as well.  Change isn’t always easy, but creating new traditions when its time will help ease any stress you feel.  Perhaps the most effective way to relive holiday stress is to learn to say no when you need to.  Saying yes to every get together, work assignment, and friend while leaving no time for yourself and your family is the number one way to burn-out during this festive season.  By limiting yourself to only what is absolutely necessary and/or most important to you, you will limit the amount of stress you allow into your life which makes it easier to spend a few minutes on yourself.  Making time for yourself during the next couple of hectic weeks is important for your mental health.  Even if you just spend 15 minutes alone to take a quick walk, read a magazine, or listen to music, spending time alone and clearing your mind can reduce stress and help you stay calm as things heat up.  Finally, recognize that along with being stressful, the holidays can be a sad, lonely, and depressing time for many people so don’t hesitate to reach out to your friends, family, community, or support groups if you need to and by all means, seek professional help if you need it.  The holidays should be a time filled with joy and not stress!

Thinking of buying or selling a home in Sussex County?  Give us a call at Cooper Realty Associates and put us to work for you – 302-644-2266.

If you are in the market for your first home, or have struggled with your credit in the past the first step to buying your dream home is to build your credit so that you can get a mortgage and hopefully at a good rate!  Here are three tips to help you:

1. Don’t have too many credit accounts. You do need to open a few lines of credit to establish your credit record, but you don’t want to have too many.  One to three accounts is usually sufficient for establishing credit, but don’t open them all at once.  Opening these accounts and maintaining them is key.

2.  Open a variety of credit lines.  Credit cards, department store cards, auto loans, bank loans, etc. are all good ways to open your credit lines.  To truly build your credit you should try to have a variety of credit accounts, not just several credit cards.

3.  Maintain your accounts wisely.  Don’t open all of your accounts at once or you will actually lower your credit score.  You also need to use your accounts.  If you open them but leave them at a 0 balance, they don’t help build your credit record since it doesn’t show a lender that you have a history of responsibility in paying off your bills.  To truly build your credit you need to use your accounts, but not to their limit – 30% of your credit limit is a good number to shoot for, and you also need to pay your bills on time every single month, with no exceptions.

Thinking of buying or selling a home in Sussex County?  Give us a call at Cooper Real Estate Associates and put us to work for you – 302-629-6693.

Whether you are a buyer or a seller, you want to be sure that when you buy (or sell) a home your contract is definitive when it comes to what comes with the house and what doesn’t.  Even if there is a spoken agreement about what comes with the house, be sure to get everything you care about in writing, otherwise it is not binding.  For example, if you are a buyer who desires the washer and dryer that were in the house during the showing, ask for it in writing.  Typically, items that are permanently attached such as flooring, light fixtures, built in bookcases are included unless they are specifically excluded in writing.  If, for example, a seller excludes the fireplace mantel because it’s a family heirloom that would need to be in writing.  Be sure to ask in writing for the buyer to replace the fixture before closing.  Likewise, if the house is equipped with a wall mount for a flat screen television that you don’t want, write it into the contract for the sellers to remove it and make any necessary repairs to the walls, etc.

If you’re a buyer don’t make the mistake of thinking that everything you saw when you viewed the house is coming with it just because it “goes with the home.”  For example a fountain, potted plants, custom bar stools, or a table that fits so perfectly in the breakfast nook that it seems like a built-in may or may not come with the home.  So, what’s the moral of the story?  If you’re a buyer and you want it, you need to ask for it.  And if the buyers agree, be sure to write it into the contract!  If you’re a seller and you’re planning to take your items with you, making that clear to the buyers from the get-go can make your life easier, but whatever you do, be sure to write everything that you care about into your contract.

Thinking of buying or selling a home in Sussex County, give us a call at Cooper Realty Associates and put us to work for you – 302-629-6693.

From everyone here at Cooper Realty Associates, we wish you and yours a safe, happy and healthy Thanksgiving!  Gobble, gobble!!

 

Today’s food for thought is from Henry Morgan:  “A careful driver is one who honks his horn when he goes thru a red light.”  (Fred)  “This is an oxymoron because a careful driver would not run a red light.”

Today I would like to comment on the Congressional problem of once again “Kicking the Can Down the Road.”  It really does not matter your political views.  Mathematics is not political.  We cannot continue to spend 20% or more of borrowed money forever.  We need to get our spending under control NOW.  We elected our Representatives and Senators to look out for our welfare.  They are supposed to make the hard decisions of what to fund and what not to fund and at what level.

Let the liberals, moderates, and conservatives hammer out an agreement.  But this time the target number should be 95% of anticipated revenues leaving 5% for debt retirement.  It is better to have some pain now than a total collapse tomorrow.  There must be one budget not several spending bills. Does anyone inside the beltway know how to balance a check book?

Happy Labor Day from all of us here at Cooper Realty Associates.  Thinking of buying or selling a home in Sussex County?  Give us a call at put us to work for you — 302-644-2266.