The current economic boom in Midland, Texas is awesome for the employees who work in the area and the money coming in. However, housing in Midland is extremely low and we have a big demand for housing right now. According the My West Texas news, ” This time last year, there were 361 houses available according to the MLS. The number was 503 in 2010. However, the current total houses now available is now around 187.”

Here are some organization ideas from Rubbermaid, which sells closet organization systems and accessories through Lowe’s and other retailers:

Declutter

Roll up your sleeves and empty everything out of your closets. The rile of thumb is to keep items you’ve worn or used  in the past year; toss or donate everything else, You’ll have several piles: seasonal, keep, repair, donate and toss. Purging your closets will make extra room for the items you wear often, and create storage space you didn’t know you had. If you have usable closet space in other rooms, move seasonal or specialty items to those spaces.

Plan Your Layout

Use every square inch of space in your closets. Conside installing a closet organizing system, such as Rubbermaid’s Homefree Closet Kits. Some kits have telescoping rods and expandable shelves to accommodate large and small closets. Plus, you can reconfigure the adjustable systems as needed, making them feasible for every room type. Think about how often you wear certain clothing or use particular items; your layout should make those things easy to access.

Organize Accessories

Canvas or clean bins, shoeboxes and hanging canvas organizers provide simple, functional storage options for accessories, shoes and seasonal items. Plus, you’ll avoid having an avalanche of items fall from higher shelves. Don’t forget to use the back of your closet door; an-over-the-door organizer can neatly hold shoes. purses and over items while making the most of your space. Also, take advantage of the space under your bed for heavy sweaters, linens and other items you use infrequently. Under-the-bed  storage bins, as well as space-saving plastic bags, can help you neatly store such items without them getting damaged or lost in the shuffle.

Put it All Together

Once you’re ready to restock your closets, put the least-used items on the higher shelves; clothes and items that you use frequently at eye level; and shows toward the bottom. Hang all your clothing with the hangers facing toward you. Save yourself anxiety and sort your wardrobe by season.

For children’s closets- add drapes instead of closet doors add a dun, decorative touch and easy access.

The Union Pacific Is extending is railroads in Midland, Monahans and probably more areas in the near future.  According to Raquel Espinoza, a UP spokeswoman, stated ” We are spending millions of dollars of dollars to expand our infrastructure to make sure we can handle the increased demand.”  This will help the capacity on the railroads and it will help make delays reduce.  The plan this year is to add six tracks to the rail yard. This will help tremendously in the traffic and also it will allow to transfer a whole lot more to the areas and also allow service to the smaller companies.

]]> http://www.midlandtexas.com/Blog/?feed=rss2&p=338 0 http://www.midlandtexas.com/Blog/?p=333 http://www.midlandtexas.com/Blog/?p=333#comments Thu, 23 Feb 2012 19:59:26 +0000 admin http://www.midlandtexas.com/Blog/?p=333 Continue reading →]]> Going Green with household cleaning can save a lot of money and is easy to do.

Products Needed:

Vinegar, Soap, Baking Soda, and Water

ALL PURPOSE KITCHEN CLEANER

2tbs vinegar

2 cups hot water

1/4 cup of liquid soap

Add all the ingredients into a spray bottle and shake. This would be perfect for appliances and countertops.

FLOOR CLEANER

1/2 cup Vinegar

1 gallon of water

combine in bucket!

DRAIN CLEANER

1/2 cup baking soda

1/2 vinegar

First poor baking soda down the drain, then poor vinegar.  About 15 minutes later poor HOT water down the drain.

Hello To You All!

Just wanted to show you all our newest listing. It is a must see. The address is 5008 Apple Creek Road. This home is in Midland, TX and is absolutely stunning. It is currently listed at 332,500. It has 4 bedrooms and 31/2 bathrooms. This home has tons of crown molding, lots of tile, tall ceilings and much more. For more information please call RE/MAX 1st Choice-The Underwood Team at 1.800.711.6712 Ext. 2182

Here are a few easy strategies you can use:

Round Up To the Nearest Hundred.

This is an easy strategy to take advantage of, and the results are dramatic! Let’s say you have a mortgage of $100,000 over 30 years at 8% interest. The monthly payments would be about $734 a month. Now, Let’s see what would happen if you rounded that payment to the next $100 by increasing your payment by $66 extra each month. By paying $800 a month you’ll shorten the length of your mortgage by 7 1/2 years. Just this one simple strategy will save you over $48,000 in interest payments over the life of your mortgage!

Use Your Income Tax Refund to Make a One-time Pre-Payment.

Let’s say you have that same $100,000 mortgage, and you have a $1,000 tax refund this year. ( Very pssible with your new homeowner deductions.) If you take that $1000 and apply it to your mortgage, you’ll save over $8,600 and shorten your mortgage by one year and one month! Not bad for a simple one-time pre-payment.

Start Out With a 15-Year Mortgage.

One of the best things you can do-if you can afford it-is to start out with a 15-year mortgage instead of 30. It’s actually not that much more expensice, and the interest you save is incredible. With the same $100,000 mortgage at 8% over 15 years, your payment would be about $200 more ($955) and you’d be paying $72,017 in interest over the life of your mortgage instead of $164,160! By rounding up, using your tax refund, and taking a shorter mortgage instead of $ 164,160! By rounding up, using your tax refund, and taking a shorter mortgage, you can save thousands and be free of your mortgage years sooner.

That’s worth considering.

In their never-ending search to find an easier way to rate a person’s financial ability, mortgage companies are using a new system called credit scoring.

When Lenders pull up your credit report, they can look at all of the debt you havem how much you owe, how well you make your payments, and and many other things such as if you’ve had any bankruptcies with the last several years.

With your credit report, Lenders now get a “credit score” which takes all of this information and creates a credit score for you.

This credit score is a number that Lenders use to decide which types of loans you’ll be eligible for and able to get.

As with all new things, there’s controversy over these credit scores. Some types of loans require that you have a certain credit score to get the loan- no exceptions. And credit scores change over time. As a matter of fact, just applying for credit can lower your credit score.

Now that you know what a credit score is, here’s how to make sure you have the best one possible. First of all, don’t apply for any new credit cards or consumer loans, Don’t go down to the furniture store and take them up on the “no interest, no payments.” You can do this after you get your mortgage and buy your house, but for your own sake,  DO NOT do it before! Buying things on credit not only hurts your credit score, but it also leaves less money for you to use for a house payment.

Lenders look at this figure also to determine how much money they’ll lend you, and how much they’ll charge you to lend it.

So, wait until after you’ve bought your home and moved in to get that new couch or big screen T. V.

Everyone needs to be aware of how safe or how unsafe your privacy is. The following  information is provided by by First Capital Bank of Texas, “You need to protect yourself. Please be diligent in monitoring transaction activity on your account and contact us immediately if you identify any fraudulent transactions.”

Here are some additional tips on protecting your self from debit card fraud:

Unless absolutely required for a legitimate business purpose, avoid giving out your:

• Address and ZIP code
• Phone number
• Date of birth
• Social Security number
• Card or account number
• Card expiration date
• Your PIN is private, never give it out

In stores and at ATMs, always cover your card and PIN, and watch for:

• Cell phone cameras, mirrors, or other tools used to view cards and PINs
• People watching your transactions
• Cashiers taking your card out of sight; take it to the register yourself
• Any unusual activity at ATMs; if you feel uncomfortable, go to another ATM

Online, you should never respond to unsolicited emails that:

• Ask you to verify your card or account number; such emails are not sent by legitimate businesses
• Link to websites; such sites can look legitimate but may collect data or put spy-ware on your computer

]]> http://www.midlandtexas.com/Blog/?feed=rss2&p=317 0 http://www.midlandtexas.com/Blog/?p=312 http://www.midlandtexas.com/Blog/?p=312#comments Thu, 19 Jan 2012 17:01:21 +0000 admin http://www.midlandtexas.com/Blog/?p=312 Continue reading →]]> How to reduce your energy use:

Unplug the “secret energy addicts” in your home: TVs, VCRs, DVD players, cable TV boxes, computers and printers, video game consoles, microwave ovens and AC adapters for cell phones digital cameras and other electronics. Most electronic equipment, including anything that uses a remote control, is designed to consume energy when it is turned off. That “off” setting is actually a “standby” or “idling” mode. Standby power int he average household consumes 1,000 kilowatt ours of electricity annually. That’s enough energy to power an entire home for two months or more. The solution? Unplug anything that isn’t being used.

More and more utility companies are offering their customers the option to purchase green power-electricity generated by rapidly renewable resources like solar power, wind turbines geothermal systems and biomass- to power their homes, Generally, green power adds $2 to $3 a month to your utility bill while helping to combat global climate change and America’s dependence on foreign oil.

*Use compact fluorescent lamps in your lights

*Wash your clothes in cool rather than hot water.

Think you need to install a state- of-the-art, expensive security system to keep your home safe?  Well, think again……

While you can certainly spend thousands of dollars and make your home a virtual fortress you don’t have to. You can significantly reduce the threat to your home and family with less expensive, common-sense solutions that are easy to implement.

Burglars and other miscreants don’t like obstacles. Encountering them, they’ll usually move on. So anything you can do to deter them can be quite effective. Here are some simply strategies:

• Instead of simple screen doors, install security doors.
• Replace exterior doors that have glass panels-or install deadbolts that open only with a key. Otherwise, it’s often an easy matter for a thief to break the glass and open the door from the inside.
• Have deadbolts on exterior doors.
• IF you get an unexpected knock on the door, find out who it is before opening the door.
• Put a pipe or metal bar in the middle bottom track of the sliding glass door to prevent them from being opened.
• Always make it appear as though someone is home. If you go out at night leave at least one interior light on.
• Keep drapes or blinds closed, especially in rooms with valuable items.
• Don’t leave extra door keys in obvious locations such as under doormats or in potted plants. Find a less conspicuous spot or leave key with a trusted neighbor.
• Keep doors and windows locked at all times
• Put latching metal or hard plastic covers over window wells.
• Have motion-sensitive lights around the entrance to your home, and possibly in dark areas where burglars could hide.
• Don’t leave notes on the door for friends or delivery people. This is a dead giveaway that you are not home.
• Store valuables in a safe or safety deposit box: don’t leave them in plain view.