Author Archive: Ruth Collins

Ohio Heroes Program for Home Buyers

June 25, 2019

One of the most popular programs of the Ohio Housing Finance Agency is the Ohio Heroes Program which is exclusively intended for the active military, active reservists, veterans, firefighters, emergency medical technicians, paramedics, and several other groups with critical professions.

This post is aligned with a network of sites interested with the intersection of small business, the philanthropic sector and government in creating healthy and sustainable communities.

Find additional information and resources on nonprofit information, educational grants and Civic Engagement programs from around the world.

Community Development

Information On Growing A Better Organic Garden

June 25, 2019

There are many all-natural methods out there you can use to grow a bright, vibrant, healthy organic garden. All it takes is a little research, and some strategic implementation.

Start your seedlings in pots inside and then transplant them into your garden. They are then more likely to survive and to become thriving, mature plants. This also helps tighten time between plantings. As soon as you harvest the mature plants in your garden, your new seedlings will be large enough to plant outside!

You can use the wooden handles of your tools as measurement sticks. Tools with long handles, such as rakes, shovels or hoes can work as great measuring sticks. Lay the handles upon the floor and use a tape measure along side of them. A permanent marker can be used to label distances. When you are gardening next, you’ll have a ruler beside you at all times.

For proper optimum growth, plants require sufficient amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2). Plants are more likely to thrive in environments where high levels of CO2 are present. Greenhouses help contain C02 to keep levels high. Make sure to keep CO2 levels high to provide the best growing environment for your plants.

Stink Bugs

When partaking in gardening activities, particularly in the autumn months, keep an eye on those stink bugs. Stink bugs are attracted to tomatoes, beans and most fruits. If left uncontrolled, they can cause substantial damage in your garden, so make plans for how to protect your plants from these pests.

Use bulbs to ensure continuous flowers throughout the spring and summer. Bulbs are hearty and will continue to grow every year. Remember that different bulbs will bloom at all different times of the year, so if you are careful to choose the right bulbs, you will see blooms in the early spring, and have flowers all the way to late summer.

Do not cut your grass too short. If you allow your grass to grow a little longer, the roots will go down deeper into the dirt, helping the grass grow better and remain hydrated. When you cut the grass too short, the roots are often not deep enough, which causes your lawn to have dry patches of brown, discolored grass.

Horticulture can be done by anyone, but only those armed with the proper information can get the most from their organic garden. Use the tips provided here for organic horticulture.

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Improve Your Home With These Great Suggestions

June 24, 2019

Whether you have a lot of experience or none, improving your home improves your life. Your home often reflects you as a person. These tips can help you realize things you can do to make your home a more enjoyable place to spend time.

You can take a big bite out of the cost of a kitchen remodeling project by opting to give your existing cabinets a new finish, instead of buying all-new cabinetry. You could paint and place new doors to get a new look. It will make your kitchen look more modern without spending a lot of money.

If you want your ceiling to look like it is higher, you can use these two very easy tricks. You could paint vertical stripes on a wall or just put a big floor lamp in the room. If you do this in the room, you will make the eyes follow that pattern. Your eyes are going to focus on the lines, and your ceilings will seem higher than they are.

Sometimes small rooms may be gloomy, but it does not need to be like that. Let some light in! Raise the window shades and give the glass itself a thorough cleaning! Natural light will make any room feel bigger. Keep your room free of clutter and paint the walls a pale color. Suddenly, your little room will not seem cramped.

Determine the changes that you are going to make before you start the renovation. If you create a detailed plan, you will be far more likely to complete your project in a timely, affordable manner. If you decide in the middle to add an extra feature, you will significantly increase the cost and time it will take. Clearly defined ideas also makes it easier to work with your contractor to create a shared vision.

Improving the look of your house will make your life a lot better, and you’ll feel better about yourself. Nobody wants to live in a run down home. Use the information in this article to spur you into action!

Community Development

The Tips Below Will Provide You With Information On How To Find Great Contractors In Your Area

June 22, 2019

You can really get to know your house intimately when you embark on DIY home improvement projects. By being certain that you know how to approach a project, you can be more certain of doing it correctly. Look to the tips in this article to help you get the most out of your home improvements.

It is possible to expand storage capacity by using old shoe boxes. Cover the shoe boxes in fabric, paint or wallpaper to give them a pleasing design. This is a wonderful way to give yourself extra storage or just add simple visual drama to a room.

Add visual interest to your home by using drywall mud to texture walls. It is not hard to do. Use a trowel to apply the joint compound, and then dab with a sponge, brush, or a crunched up newspaper to add some texture.

Place holes into the rim of paint cans with a nail. The channel in the rim of the paint can usually becomes full of paint and this runs over the side of the can when the lid is put back on. By making holes around the top of your paint can you can avoid this issue.

When completing a home improvement project, the tools you use can be the difference between success and disaster. When you are using the right tools, it will be easier to get the job done properly. You should also make sure to read the instructions on using the tool correctly for the best results on your project.

Before you attempt to make a major repair, get professional advice. A professional will be able to give you advice so that you do not make costly, or even dangerous mistakes. You can make a huge mistake if you don’t talk with a professional.

Improving your home will either be a massive headache or an amazing experience that boosts your home’s value. Hopefully, you’ve found the tips written here to be helpful and you will surely be a success when it comes to any home improvement project that you plan to start.

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Grants From The Department of Commerce

June 22, 2019

The Department of Commerce was initially created to manage and regulate the country’s economy. The mission of the department is to “promote job creation and improved living standards for all Americans by creating an infrastructure that promotes economic growth, technological competitiveness, and sustainable development.”

This post is aligned with a network of sites interested with the intersection of small business, the philanthropic sector and government in creating healthy and sustainable communities.

For more information on small business grant and home ownership programs visit TopGovernmentGrants.com.

Community Development

Home Improvements And Getting Things In Order For A Home

June 21, 2019

Doing your own home improvements can cause big hassles, but they also come with the potential for major rewards. These tips should give you some confidence to take on new projects. By using these tips, your home improvement venture will be a successful one.

You can increase your home’s value with one project. If you plan to list your home for sale in the near future, it may behoove you to take on a series of small projects beforehand. Paint your home’s interior and exterior for a fresh look. Something like this that is relatively low in cost can increase your home’s value exponentially.

Save money on kitchen remodeling by refinishing your current cabinets instead of replacing them. Adding a fresh coat of paint and new hardware can quickly make them look new again. It will make your kitchen look more modern without spending a lot of money.

If you want a simple project that will really make a difference, think about painting your home. Fresh paint has the ability to make a home feel new again and is easy and cheap to apply. Painting your home adds to the beauty and making it much more attractive to a potential buyer.

Purchase some plastic bins, and start sorting things in your garage. Label these boxes and ensure they’re stackable. This helps you clean your garage, while saving a lot of money.

Appliance paint can be used to update the appearance of your kitchen in just hours. You many want a new refrigerator that is stainless steel even though your refrigerator works perfectly; however, this is not a good investment. There is spray paint available for your appliances in a lot of different colors. Your kitchen can be updated in a single day.

Home improvement is more complicated than is commonly realized. If you are willing to put in the time and effort required, you can make your home a fabulous place to live. The above information is designed to help you achieve success in completing your home improvement projects.

Community Development

Tricks And Tips On How To Make The Most Out Of Your Landscape

June 20, 2019

Is your house looking particularly boring? If so, landscaping can provide many benefits. A small amount of landscaping can make a big impact on the look of an older home. The tips in this article will guide you down the path to yard rejuvenation, so read on.

Use native plants when landscaping your yard. Native plants have been able to successfully thrive in the climate conditions available, therefore making them easier for you to take care of. This means you won’t have to spend so much time maintaining the plants in your yard. Your local gardener probably has lots of great native plant information.

Are you planning on selling your home anytime soon? Landscaping is a wise investment that offers as much as a 200 percent return. Use the front yard to give your home curb appeal and the back yard for an outdoor entertaining area.

Which plants you choose can impact the success of your landscaping project. You don’t want to use plants that require a lot of sunlight in shady areas. Also, you should not put a tree in an area where it cannot grow. Proper planning will ensure that your landscape is successful.

Less Expensive

By properly timing what you purchase, you could save yourself a bit of money. Lumber is usually less expensive in the winter months. Mulch, shrubs and trees can be quite a bit less expensive later in the season. So if you can, you may want to wait to make your purchases then. As new plants become available, wait a couple of years before purchasing them, so the prices will be lower.

Consulting with a professional up front, before beginning your project, can save you time and money, even if you plan to do the work yourself. While it won’t be necessary to have them perform all the work, you can use their experience and knowledge to get the look you want. If you are new to landscaping design, this step is especially important.

Now that you’ve learned these landscaping tricks, your house will no longer look dull. Your home will look more vibrant and will look very stylish, like a work of art. You do not need to change things overnight. Add things that fit into your budget and build upon those. You property will look noticeably more attractive before you know it.

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Tips From Experts On A Healthy Garden

June 19, 2019

An organic garden is an interest you have. Your timing is awesome! Below are some excellent ideas to help you begin down the road to an exceptional organic garden.

To prevent your plants’ systems from becoming shocked, you need to gradually transition them from higher to lower temperatures. Start by placing your plants outside for a few hours only. Slowly, day after day, you can leave your plants outside for a little longer. By weeks end, you should have plants that are ready for a permanent home outside with no problem!

Clay Soil

If you work with clay soil, you have probably found using a shovel very frustrating and exhausting. Use a thin coat of floor or car wax on your shovel, then buff it with a nice clean cloth to make dealing with clay soil easier. By waxing the shovel head, the clay will not be able to adhere to the surface.

When winter arrives, transfer a few plants into the house for safe storage during the cold weather. Think about saving your resistant plants or the expensive ones. Carefully dig up the plants, using caution not to disturb the roots, then transfer into a pot.

Bulbs will give you wonderful flowers that you can enjoy in early spring and right through the summer. Bulbs are usually very hearty and very easy to grow, and bulbs will grow year after year. Keep in mind that different bulb types bloom differently and at different time periods, so when you choose a bulb plan accordingly, you can have your plant blooms lasting spring into summer.

When it’s autumn, you know what that means. It’s time to plant fall vegetables! Clay pots are boring, so replace those ordinary lettuce and kale pots with pumpkins. After cutting an opening and removing the meat and seeds from inside the pumpkin, use Wilt-Pruf, sprayed throughout the inside and cut edges, and prevent rot from occurring. Once you have completed this, start planting!

After reading these tips, you shouldn’t have many questions about organic gardening. If you thought you knew a lot then, now you should be a professional. Hopefully, the advice you have learned will give you the knowledge and confidence you need to produce a beautiful and beneficial organic garden.

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Be Smart And Follow These Tips On Buying Real Estate

June 18, 2019

A lot of people consider themselves experts in real estate, but are they really experts? Real estate experts didn’t stop the housing market from crashing, so it may not be wise to trust them now. If you are thinking about buying a property, read these tips to learn more about real estate.

Make sure to contact people you helped to buy a house every holiday, and on anniversaries of their first day in the house. Additional contact from you will help them remember how valuable your services were during their real estate experience. Make sure you remind them about you working with referrals and that you would be honored if they mentioned you to the people they know.

If you have or plan to have a big family, you need to find a home that will be big enough for everyone. Think about safety too. A swimming pool or stairs present a major risk for small children. You should have a safer house if the previous tenants had children.

If you are interested in purchasing commercial property that costs a lot, locate an trustworthy investment partner to do business with. Qualifying for a large loan is more difficult for a single purchaser than a partnership. Having a partner gives you an extra person to help pay the necessary down payment and any needed credit in order to be qualified for a loan.

You must understand well the terms used in mortgage loans before purchasing a home. The important things you need to know are how the loan term affects your monthly payment and the amount of interest you will have to pay throughout the loan period.

Real Estate

It really is a buyer’s market when it comes to real estate. Upsets in the real estate market have resulted in low prices for buyers. If you are looking to move into a new or used home to call your own, now is the right time to buy. Since the prices will eventually go up again, if you purchase now, you are sure to make your investment profitable.

As previously mentioned, it’s not always wise to rely on the self-styled professionals in the real estate field. If they were so informed, how come the market collapsed? Ignore the faux-gurus. So use what you’ve learned here to stay a step ahead of the marketplace and to always find the best deals on property.

Community Development

Help For Horticulture That Anyone Can Use

June 17, 2019

The rewards of an organic garden to your health and eating pleasure are innumerable. But, you need to put in a lot of effort to grow your garden effectively. Knowing where to start when planning an organic garden can be a little confusing.

When laying sod, it is important that you do it correctly. Get your soil ready before you lay your sod. Take out any weeds, then mix up the soil into a tilth that is fine. Compact the soil firmly but lightly, and make certain it is flat. Gently sprinkle water on the soil until you are certain that it is thoroughly moistened. The sod should be laid in staggered rows, with the joints offset from one another. Make sure the sod is firmly placed to ensure a surface that is sufficiently flat and even. Also, make sure to use soil to fill the areas where there are gaps in the sod. Water the sod everyday for the first two weeks until the roots grow enough.

When you are mowing your lawn do not cut it too closely to the dirt. Keeping grass with a little more height makes it healthier. This allows the roots to grow more deeply and makes the blades of grass more resistant to becoming dry and discolored. The shorter the grass, the shallower the roots, which makes the lawn more likely to develop brown patches.

If a test indicates that your soil is very alkaline, you can mix the dirt with used coffee grounds. Basically, the grounds resupply the soil with acid. This is one of the most inexpensive ways to achieve this result. This solution will make the vegetables you grow healthier and more flavorful.

As has been outlined in the above article, you need to research all about organic horticulture, and know that it will take a lot of work and effort in order to grow organic plants of your own. After you have begun to grow the garden, it is true that you need to maintain it to get the best possible results. If you use the advice in this article, you will soon see great results from your organic garden.

Community Development