Posts in category 'Lifestyle'
1
How to Keep Your Home Cool Without Cranking Up the AC
Chicago gets mighty hot when summer rolls around. This is the season to visit our beautiful Lake Michigan beaches and do whatever you need to do to keep cool.
When it comes to staying cool, you might be tempted to close up the windows and bask in the air conditioning, but there are other ways of beating the heat. Our real estate agents in Chicagoland have some tips for keeping your home cool without blasting the AC.
- Open your windows at night.
Sounds simple, right? Even on hot days in Chicago, things tend to cool down as the sun goes down. Open up the windows in your house to take advantage of nature's air conditioning, or better yet, open the windows at opposite ends of the house to create a cross-breeze. As soon as the sun rises in the morning, close the windows and draw the curtains to keep that...
5
Hosting the Perfect Summer BBQ: Enhance Your Outdoor Living Space
Nothing says "summer" quite like hosting a backyard barbecue. The smell of food cooking over hot coals captures the mood of summer in Chicago like nothing else, and if you're anything like our real estate agents, you're more than ready to get the grill going.
That being said, you may also be ready to make a few improvements to your outdoor living space before inviting all your friends and family over. Here's how to level up your grill game and get your backyard ready for BBQ season in Chicagoland.
- Upgrade your grill.
If you've been using the same small, cramped barbecue grill for multiple seasons, it may be time for an upgrade. Especially if you're planning on hosting a get-together with lots of hungry guests. Charcoal grills are ideal for smoking meats and slow-cooking ribs and brisket, but gas gril...
23
How to Get Your Chicagoland Home Ready for Summer
Are you ready for summer in Chicagoland? It's the season of street fairs and farmers markets, and days spent beachside along the beautiful Lake Michigan shoreline. For Chicago homeowners, the months leading up to summer also offer an opportunity to prepare for the season ahead. Our real estate agents are here to share five helpful tips for getting your home summer-ready!
- Wash your walkway and driveway.
Chances are, there's a lot of dirt, plant matter, and other assorted grime and debris all over your driveway and walkway from the colder months. As summer approaches, it's time for a cleanup. If there's a lot of loose material, start by sweeping it up with a push broom and dustpan (resist the urge to use your leaf-blower to avoid raising a major dust cloud). Then use a power washer to spray down hard surfaces...
17
Earth Day at Home: Eco-Friendly Habits to Adopt
Our real estate agents are always looking for ways to make our homes a little greener, more energy-efficient, and environmentally friendly. In honor of Earth Day, we'd like to share a few tips to live a more eco-friendly lifestyle!
- Start composting
A handy way to reduce food waste, composting at home will transform your food scraps into nutrient-rich fertilizer. This cuts down on greenhouse gases and reduces the amount of organic waste that ends up in landfills. If you want to compost but don't want to do it at home, you can also take your food waste to any of
13
Spring Decor Trends to Revamp Your Living Space
- Replace heavy drapes with breezy curtains
Gone are the dark winter months. Embrace the longer daylight hours by stashing heavy drapes for the season. In their place hang up some light, flowy curtains that let more sunlight in. It won't be long before the days are warm enough to open the windows. - Rearrange your bookshelves
If your bookshelves have looked more or less the same for several years, now is a great time to liven them up! Instead of alphabetical order — or, more realistically, no order at all — try arranging your books by color, assigning a specific palette to each shelf. Thinning out your books and displaying just a select few...
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