Minneapolis, MN

Part 3 of our exploration of all things Twitter

Tweet Later is a handy tool for inputting automated tweets and can be useful for your real estate business. While this won’t replace the personal touch that instant tweets bring, it is a definite plus for the marketing efforts you use Twitter for.

Let’s say you have an open house coming up this weekend. You have it marketed across the board and you will probably remember to add it to twitter now and then. But on the same day you add the open house information to your websites, you can also add it to your Tweet Later feed. You can go in on Monday and schedule a tweet that says “Don’t miss the open house at 123 Main Street” and then set it to go out at 5 pm on Thursday, 3 pm on Friday, 10 am and 6 pm on Saturday, etc. (You pick the times of course!) That will be one less thing for you to remember. And you can of course still tweet about it instantly, but if you forget, hey, that’s ok! Just don’t spam people with a reminder of it every hour or you are sure to lose some followers!

Some of our favorite features of Tweet Later, other than the main scheduling feature, include:

Automatically send a direct welcome message to your new followers.

Easily create tiny URLs when you enter web sites in your tweets.

Automatically follow new followers and un-follow those who stop following you.

Add and manage as many Twitter accounts as you want. Great for separating your personal and business accounts.

All of these features are optional of course, and you can pick and choose among them and set your preferences for them.

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Looking for someone to manage your marketing tweets? We have a Twitter package! Contact Tricia Allenson for more information about how The Prescott Group can help.

Most clothes dryer fires are the result of poor maintenance; dryer vent cleaning is the number one defense against dryer fires

Minneapolis, MN - Carl Hein, owner of Dryer Vent Wizard, is a dryer vent cleaning technician servicing the Twin Cities, Minnesota area. During a recent interview, Carl said, "Of the 15,000 clothes dryer fires reported annually, most of them could have been prevented with proper maintenance. Annual dryer vent cleaning is recommended to provide proper airflow required to keep a clothes dryer operating safely and efficiently. Not only will dryer vent cleaning prevent fires, it also helps to reduce energy costs."

When asked how lint builds up in dryer ducts, Carl explained, "Only about 60% of lint is caught in the lint screen; the rest escapes into the dryer ducts. The main function of a dryer vent system is to carry heat and moisture from your home. Though some lint can make its way outside most of the lint that is in the dryer duct system remains there until it is cleaned out."

Carl Hein services the Twin Cities area of Minnesota, providing dryer vent cleaning, repair and installation while educating his customers on dryer fire safety and proper maintenance to keep clothes dryers running efficiently. Manufacturers recommend professional dryer vent cleaning annually.

Dryer Vent Wizard (DVW), Dry Clothes, Safe Homes is a national franchise company specializing in dryer fire prevention and dryer vent repair, replacement and alterations. They were founded in 2004, by David Lavalle in Boston, Massachusetts. DVW is headquartered in Warren, Michigan with 50 franchise locations in the U.S. Visit http://www.dryerventwizard.com to learn more.

Home, yard and appliance maintenance are a never ending project; there is always something that requires a homeowner's attention. Whether for looks, durability, safety or efficiency, all home maintenance is essential to keep things in working order.

The most common appliance maintenance issue often overlooked by homeowners is the clothes dryer. Most people are unaware that the clothes dryer is one of the most likely appliances to cause a fire if not properly maintained.

Unless you're one of the unfortunate people who have experienced a dryer fire you probably haven't given it much thought. Over 15,000 clothes dryer fires are reported annually; most of them could have been prevented with proper dryer vent cleaning and maintenance.

Your dryer duct system removes the moisture, heat and lint from your laundry as it dries. If you have a gas dryer, it also removes gas by-products that you don't want venting into your home as they pose a carbon monoxide risk.

Approximately 60% of the lint is caught in the lint screen that should be cleaned after each load of laundry. The other 40% escapes into your dryer duct system where it builds up and eventually obstructs airflow required by your clothes dryer.

Sticky, moist lint attracts more lint. It can build up quite quickly. Lint is combustible; a dryer fire will spread very quickly. A professional dryer vent cleaning specialist can inspect your system to be sure it meets today's safety codes. Not only is dryer vent cleaning essential; proper installation, using the right materials is important to ensure safety.

This article was written by Carl Hein, owner of Dryer Vent Wizard of St. Paul, Minnesota. DVW specializes in dryer vent cleaning, repair, installation and alterations, while educating consumers on dryer vent maintenance and fire safety. Carl services the Twin City Area of Minnesota. For more tips on dryer fire prevention or to order dryer vent cleaning service or inspection, go to http://dryerventcleaningminneapolis.blogspot.com/

Did you know that the average home in America averages 2,521 square feet, about 150% the size of the average home in 1977. (We crowded into tiny 1,720 square foot dwellings back then!) Though recent economic trends may lead to smaller homes in the futures, the stereotypical family of two adults and two children (rounded up from the statistical child parts statisticians account for) has enjoyed an increasing amount of space for themselves and their “stuff.”

All of this “stuff” complicates plans to move, do a major remodel, or even free up an area of the home for more efficient use. What happens to the stuff? For some people, the old adage “if you haven’t used it in a year, get rid of it!” is a hard and fast rule; for most people the answer is “store it.” A walk through any Wal-mart, Target, or Junkorama of your choice will lead you to a big area devoted to storage containers in all colors, sizes, and shapes. These containers are a nice way to organize either often-used or seasonal items; they also allow people the chance to add a colorful touch to the basement, attic, or garage where items will linger for years in corrosion-resistant plastic rather than in deteriorating cardboard boxes.

What doesn’t fit at home is often stored in one of the nations 52,000 self-storage facilities. One of 11 American households rents outside space, for an average of 15 months. A whole industry has emerged from a few garages rented out for storage in Texas in the late 1960’s. Current facilities still often resemble garages, though some boast that the units are “climate-controlled,” and may have special storage configurations for boats and RVs.

While consumerism may be at the root of the American Manifest Destiny-like quest for storage space, part also has to do with home construction practices. Many homes have closets and rooms that are too small to accommodate what people own (i.e, home exercise equipment, camping equipment), and Homeowners Associations seldom like to see a big boat in the drive all winter. In areas of the country with more ranch homes and bungalows and their limited storage, the self-storage rates are much higher than in the Northeast. Housing in most areas does not feature attics, as home builders use trusses, rather than rafters to frame the roof, so little space is left under the roof.

Blame it on builders if you like but this trend toward storing unused personal goods brings to mind the rich man in the Bible (Luke 12:18) who preferred to tear down his old barns and build bigger ones to store his extra crops. Americans are great consumers, who at least until the current recession, outspent the rest of the world 2-to-1 on personal consumption expenditures (often on credit, another topic!) That Biblical hoarder died before he could even move his corn. No doomsday parallels are intended here but the storage bins, the mini-storage units, and even the rise of stores selling “home organization” aids are the Twenty First Century equivalent of bigger barns!

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Need a larger home for your stuff? Contact me, Stephanie Fox, today at (612) 721-7495 x 204.

People are saying that mortgage loans are hard to come by, but that’s not true in all cases. Those with excellent credit and a reasonable income can still get a loan from a mortgage company or a bank. People with not-so-good credit are discovering that finding mortgage money can be a problem.

For those with less than stellar credit but with average or higher incomes who want to take advantage of the lower priced properties that have flooded the housing market, the answer may be finding an Angel. An Angel is an individual investor, usually with cash to lend to home buyers or someone who has a preferred rate with a bank. Sometimes the Angel is a friend or relative, but there are professional Angels as well. This is how the angel system works:

Let’s say that a distressed property is selling for $60,000 but the estimated worth, once fixed up, is $150,000. The needed repairs cost $20,000. Add the cost of the house to the repairs and you’ll need $80,000, an amount which comes out of the Angel’s pocket when he buys and fixes up the house.

Meanwhile, the hopeful buyer (we’ll call him ‘Bob’) rents the home from the Angel for $800 per month (1% of the cost of the house) for six months to a year as he cleans up his credit. (Remember this won’t work unless Bob has a good income and is willing to work to raise his credit score.)

After the six months (or more) have passed, Bob the Renter can become Bob the Homeowner with his improved credit score and a mortgage loan from a bank or mortgage lending company. The house is now fixed up and worth about $150,000, but Bob buys it for $100,000 from the Angel. The Angel now has $100,000 in cash from the home sale (a 20% profit on his investment) and Bob has a $150,000 home for which he paid only $100,000.

While not everyone has a friend or a relative who can help in this way, many mortgage brokers have contacts with Angels. Of course, any buyer who decides to use an Angel should be sure to understand how this system works, be willing to sign a promise to buy the home even while still a renter and must work to improve his credit score so that when the time comes, he can get a mortgage.

As with everything, there are risks, but for some, an Angel may be the answer to how to afford to buy a home. This scenario is only an example and every situation is different. Before making a commitment, talk to your real estate agent, loan officer or a real estate attorney to decide if an Angel is right for you and your circumstances.

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To begin your search for a new home, check out my Listingbook.

Contact me, Kim Melin, for more information on buying or selling.