-
Deck the Halls with Safety: Avoid house fires from holiday decorations
Six crucial tips to keep you, your family, and your home safe. December 13, 2021 11:11 AM Posted: December 13, 2021 11:11 AM Updated: December 13, 2021 11:15 AM KENNEWICK, Wash. — December, January, and February are the most dangerous months for home fires as they occur more in winter than any other season, according to a Facebook post from the Walla Walla Fire Department. The U.S. Fire Administration said that cooking is the leading cause all year round, but during the winter season holiday decorations are also to blame. Nearly one in five Christmas tree fires were started by decorative lights, according to National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). In…
-
GARDEN COLUMN: Putting the garden to bed for winter | Home & Garden
The phrase ‘putting the garden to bed for winter’ always struck me as unrealistic as there is always something happening in the garden all year round, particularly in the south. For those of us in Orangeburg County, the soil temperature is perfect for planting spring bulbs as well as hardy flower seeds that need cold temperatures before they germinate next spring. Dormant trees can also be planted as our ground rarely freezes so hard that you cannot dig in it. Primarily though, the main chore is to tidy the garden up which does not mean mowing or trimming everything above the ground. Many annual flowers will set seed around themselves…
-
Home Improvement: 6 Times The Show Was Dangerously Flawed
One of the most iconic sitcoms ever made, Home Improvement is a show everyone loves and adores. But there were times Home Improvement was super flawed. The Incompetent Husband Stereotype Home Improvement The concept of a bumbling and clumsy husband that has trouble handling his family life is something we only see in animated shows now. But Home Improvement did it way early as a live action series. Family Guy and The Simpsons only learnt how to further this stereotype from Tim. His clumsiness and incompetence almost got himself and his family killed multiple times. He knew his way around the garage shed but cannot handle an ordinary family life?…
-
Commercial real estate faces $13.5 billion in flood damage in 2022: Report
A satellite image shows TD Bank Ballpark submerged in flood, after Hurricane Ida swept through the Bridgewater Township in New Jersey, September 2, 2021. Maxar Technologies | Handout via Reuters The commercial real estate industry faces an intensifying threat from flooding, which is likely to lead to billions of dollars in increasing costs, a new study says. Approximately 730,000 retail, office and multi-unit residential properties face an annualized risk of flood damage in the United States. The structural damage from flooding is projected to cost $13.5 billion in 2022, increasing to over $16.9 billion by 2052, according to the First Street Foundation, a nonprofit research and technology group, and global…
-
Boutique Real Estate Brokerage The Agency Aims for International Growth
Vice Chairman Billy Rose, Chief Executive Mauricio Umansky and President Rainy Hake Austin. What started as a small residential real estate brokerage based in Beverly Hills has grown to more than 800 agents and 50 markets with plans to expand further. In the 10 years since luxury boutique brokerage The Agency was founded by real estate veterans Mauricio Umansky and Billy Rose, the company has been on a rapid growth trajectory, but Rose and Umansky said it has stayed true to its roots as a boutique brokerage focused on culture and giving its agents and clients a different experience from other brokerages. “I felt that the industry was very archaic and…
-
Considering a Cash-Out? Now is a Great Time as Equity Skyrockets!
Record home price appreciation in the last few years has pushed tappable home equity to new heights! According to a report published by data vendor Black Knight this week, the third quarter of 2021 saw a nearly $250 billion increase in tappable equity—a record. With record high tappable home equity, now is a great time to consider a cash out refinance to fund those projects or repairs around the house, start an addition, consolidate high interest debts, or whatever you need the extra cash for. The report from Black Knight also sheds light on the fact that the aggregate total of $9.4 trillion is up an astonishing 32{d4d1dfc03659490934346f23c59135b993ced5bc8cc26281e129c43fe68630c9} from the…
