Cheryl Thomson, Real Estate in Northern Virginia, REALTOR®, U.S. Army (Retired)

1. Close window shades, drapes, and blinds on the sunny sides of the home during the day to block the sun.

2. Set the air conditioner thermostat at 78 when people are at home and higher when leaving. A programmable thermostat makes adjustments easy. Run a ceiling fan or other fans with the air conditioner to feel cooler.

3. Have a qualified heating and cooling technician check the central air conditioner unit annually. Change unit filters every month for peak efficiency.

4. Schedule heat-producing such as baking, cooking and laundry chores during cooler morning and evening hours when possible. Cook with a microwave or grill dinner outdoors.

5. Turn down the water heater temperature to 120 or the "warm" setting.

6. Turn off unnecessary lights in your home and replace standard incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs. CFLs use 75 percent less energy and last much longer.

7. Use natural ventilation. On cooler evenings when the humidity is tolerable, turn off the air conditioner and open windows. Run whole house, window, ceiling, or floor fans and a dehumidifier.

8. Use kitchen and bathroom exhaust fans just long enough to remove heat and steam.

...there's no right or wrong or hard-and-fast rule to that question, but it's good to have an answer in case you are asked. In most cases the sellers don't have much of a choice, they either have to stay until it sells, or they are under a lot of pressure to move but it sells. If you are in a situation where they have no choice, make them feel good about whatever they have to do.

Some buyers love to look at empty houses; others are uncomfortable in them. Some buyers can't stand other people's taste in their furnishings, and get so wrapped up in reacting to the decoration that they don't notice the floor plan! Most buyers will be more comfortable looking at neat and clean furnished homes, as long as the furniture does not crowd the rooms and make them look tiny.

Some sellers living in a small home have it so jammed with furniture while preparing to move to a larger one...try to get them to put some of the pieces in storage. For homes under 1700 sq ft is usually not a problem if it is vacant or unfurnished, but as the size increases it is more important for houses to be at least partially furnished. Large empty homes, especially over 4000 sq ft will seem like acres of empty space, if left totally unfurnished.

Come one come all! This 21st Century Elegance embraces the Comforts of Tradition in this gorgeous 5 bedroom 4.5 bath all brick home. A magnificent floor plan featuring, expansive windows, archways, coffered ceilings, and stunningly designed rooms fill over 8500 sq ft of living space. Terraced gardens surround a heated pool and patio; this home is perfect for entertaining friends and family. Quietly situated on 1.75 acres...10314 FOREST MAPLE RD, VIENNA, VA 22182, priced at $1,630,000. Interested parties please contact Cheryl Thomson at 703.216,5635 or email at cherylt729@yahoo.com FX7369411.

Keeping things organized at home is a challenge. Here are some tips to keeping a house in order in three critical areas.

Laundry Room
Many companies specialize in manufacturing laundry organization systems. They consist of wall-mount panels with shelves, baskets and hooks to hold items such as hangers, paper towels, detergent, fabric softener and ironing boards. Some manufacturers and retailers of such systems include Brookstone (brookstone.com), Meijer (meijer.com) and Target (target.com)

Closets
The best way to get a closet in order is to install a closet organizing system. There are two types: prepackaged kits or a custom organizing system. Custom units can be purchased by the linear foot. Prepackaged kits are sold in prefabricated sections. The latter are less expensive but less versatile. Another consideration is the type of construction material. Home Depot and Lowe's, provide two options: laminate and wire. Wire systems are less expensive, easy to install and easily cut to any closet measurements. Laminate shelving provides a more elegant look but might involve more effort to install. For higher-end closet organizing systems, check out John Louis Home (johnlouishome.com). Its standard closet organizer system starts at $264.99.

Garage
Organizing the home often means putting stuff in other storage areas such as the garage. A number of companies sell garage storage systems, such as Sears and Rubbermaid. Gladiator Garageworks (gladiatorgarageworks.com) sells comprehensive garage packages and dozens of accessories. Strong weight-bearing channels secured to the wall form the foundation of the Gladiator garage system. These channels can support 75 pounds per linear foot and allow hanging, moving and configuring bins, hooks, shelves and cabinets. Special hooks are available to handle almost anything imaginable, from golf bags to bicycles.