Tips For Removing Mold and Mildew - Use Paint With Mildewcide

From the familyhandyman.com



In areas where mold might grow, such as basement walls, spray the surfaces with an antimicrobial treatment. Paint walls with mildew-resistant primer and paint or add mildewcide to your paint.

Free and cheap things to do in Miami - Holidays 2014

By Josie Gulliksen and Teresa Mears | miamionthecheap.com

Here are some budget-friendly ways to have a happy holiday in South Florida.

The holidays are upon us, and with all the bills, we all need free and cheap things to do to keep us in a holiday frame of mind. Luckily, there are all kinds of free and cheap holiday events around South Florida.

You can watch free holiday movies, including Frozen at South Dade Park on Friday night, and The Polar Express at The Palms of Town & Country on Saturday. You can watch snow fall twice every night at Dolphin Mall or watch lights on a Christmas tree light up to a holiday musical score at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale. Plus, we’ve got holiday boat parades. For $5 each, you can see light displays at Pinecrest Gardens’ Nights of Lights or Zoo Miami’s Zoo Lights event.

For holiday movie film buffs
A variety of holiday favorites are showing free on big screens around Miami. Watch as Elsa builds her snowy fortress and her sister Anna and a hilarious cast of characters try to convince her to come home in Disney’s classic Frozen at South Dade Park’s Movie Night in the Park on Friday at 6:30 p.m. Then on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. take a magical train ride through the mountains to the North Pole with conductor Tom Hanks and several pajama-clad kids in The Polar Express showing at The Palms of Town & Country.

Snow and a singing Christmas tree
Avoiding the mall as Christmas gets closer is all but impossible. You can break free from the stress, even if just for half an hour with these entertaining activities. At Dolphin Mall they’ve got snow falling every night at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. At Gulfstream Park in Hallandale nightly from 6-11 p.m. it’s the Symphony of Lights, a synchronized musical extravaganza set to the holiday music of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra every hour.

Seasonal tunes at Wallcast on South Beach
Skip the clubbing and opt a night of symphonic sounds of the seasonal kind during the New World Symphony’s “Sounds of the Season” concert, broadcast live on the Wallcast at Soundscape Park on Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. Christian Reif conducts a program of holiday classics, including Anderson’s Sleigh Ride, Chanukah Overture by Friedman and Wendel, selections from The Nutcracker Suite by Ellington and Tchaikovsky andWhite Christmas by Irving Berlin.

Floating Christmas parades 
Saturday’s a big day for boat parades, with one in downtown Miami and one meandering through the waterways of the Palmetto Bay neighborhood down south. The Miami Outboard Club hosts its 15th annual parade at 6 p.m. at Bayfront Park with nearly 100 holiday-decorated yachts and boats participating and festivities following the parade concluding with a fireworks display. The fifth annual Palmetto Bay Boat Parade starts at 5:30 p.m. at Coral Reef Park, then passes by Bill Sadowski Park and ends in Southwest Palmetto Bay. Canned food drives are taking place at both events.

Shop indie for unique holiday gifts
Revolution Live in Fort Lauderdale will be transformed into an indie shopping bazaar Saturday for “A Very Merry Stitchmas.” Featured are vintage accessories, art, handmade and repurposed items and home goods by more than 70 independent artists, crafters, designers and stylists. Try the $3 holiday mimosas and other holiday concoctions as well as vegan items and gourmet sweets while shopping. It’s $5 to enter and goes from noon to 6 p.m.

You can find a day-by-day calendar of free and cheap holiday events at Miami on the Cheap and more free and cheap Broward holiday events at Fort Lauderdale on the Cheap.

Jason Bateman Lists Beverly Glen Mid-Century

BY CATHERINE SHERMAN

ZILLOW

The “Arrested Development” star and his wife purchased a new family home in Beverly Hills last year.

Jason Bateman may be forced to stay home in the new movie “This Is Where I Leave You,” but he’s moving out of Beverly Glen. The actor’s home is on the market for $2.25 million.

Source: IMDb

Described in the listing as a “serene and sophisticated mid-century,” the 1953 build has a classic post-and-beam construction with 3 generously sized bedrooms, hardwood floors and custom finishes throughout. The grounds feature lush professional landscaping, a patio and koi pond.

Property records show the “Arrested Development ” star purchased the home for $885,000 with his wife, Amanda Anka, in 2002, a year after they got married. In February 2013, they dropped $3 million on a new family home in Beverly Hills.

In addition to appearing on the big screen alongside Tina Fey in “This Is Where I Leave You” and Olivia Wilde in “The Longest Week,” Bateman is currently working on his next comedy, “IPO Man,” based on a true story. The sequel to his 2011 film “Horrible Bosses” opens later this month.

The listing is held by Richard Ehrlich of Westside Estate Agency Inc.

Easy Storage Ideas - Clothes hanger holder

From the FamilyHanyman.com



Avoid wrinkles 

If you have shelves or cabinets above your washer or dryer, you've got the perfect spot to store clothes hangers. Just mount a towel bar to the bottom of the cabinets. This puts hangers at your fingertips so you can hang up shirts and slacks fresh from the dryer.

Jeff Gorton
Associate Editor

Top 10 Dos and Don’ts of Getting a Mortgage

From enlightenme.com

Many people are able to buy houses more than ever recently. With patience and careful planning, you may be able to get the best mortgage loan to buy that dream home you are destined to get!

One of the most important things to consider when planning to buy a house is to make sure you are financially set and stable. By making sure you have everything in check, such as your credit and savings, your home buying process could be easier than you think. There are many other things to consider when getting a mortgage loan. Read more for the dos and don’ts of getting a mortgage.

1. Do pay your loans, credit cards, and other bills on time, particularly around the months leading up to the time you get ready to apply for a mortgage. This will ensure that your credit score is at the best mark, scoring you an ideal loan!
2. Don’t buy anything big for a few months, especially before applying for the mortgage loan. Buying a $16,000 car will not only take away from the money you may have for a down payment, but it will also affect your score from the credit scoring system mortgage lenders use.
3. Do contemplate paying off more of your consumer debt and maybe put down a smaller amount at closing. This will help you to replace high-interest debt with lower-rate mortgage debt.
4. Don’t just pre-qualify for a mortgage loan, try to get pre-approved. If home buyers allow the lenders to pull their credit reports and check debt-to-income ratios, that would put a borrower much closer to getting a loan.
5. If you just have to miss some type of payment, do consider missing the credit card payment first, and then the payment on an installment loan you may have. This is because the system that lenders use looks at the performance of loans that are similar to the one of which you are trying to obtain.
6. Don’t attempt to get a seven-bedroom mansion in the hills if you know you are going to have to stretch your budget to make your mortgage payments.
7. Do increase your down payment by saving as much as you can, and as often as you can.
8. Don’t forget the type of money personality you have when applying for a mortgage. People who spend a lot of their extra cash on dining out and movies twice or three times a week won’t be able to invest the money saved on a monthly payment, which can help you accrue equity in your home much faster.
9. Do try to get a mortgage first, if there are going to be multiple financial obligations popping up in the near future. If you are going to be applying for new credit cards, the inquiry alone can affect your credit score.
10. Don’t forget that owning a home comes with many burdens. It is less costly to miss a rent payment than it is to default on a loan.

Tom Cruise Lists Off-the-Grid Estate for $59 Million

BY CATHERINE SHERMAN

ZILLOW

The “Top Gun” actor designed the Telluride, CO home himself, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Even with room to accommodate his private jet, Tom Cruise’s Telluride, CO estate has proved to be a mission impossible for the actor.

The home at 115 Francisco Way is now publicly listed for $59 million. According to The Wall Street Journal, Cruise is selling the place because he hasn’t used it much over the past few years.

Listing agent Bill Fandel of Sotheby’s International Realty told The Journal that the actor designed the native stone and cedar home himself. The project was finished in 1994, but rumors started circulating in 2007 that the Scientology follower was planning to build an underground bunker to protect his family from an intergalactic alien attack.

There’s no mention of the bunker in the listing, but there’s definitely space for it. Tucked away on 298 acres of national forest land, the nearly 10,000-square-foot main residence has 4 bedrooms and 6 full bathrooms. There’s also a 1,600-square-foot guesthouse with 3 bedrooms and 3 full baths.

Cruise, known for his roles in “Top Gun” and “Mission Impossible,” owns real estate across the country. Following his divorce from Katie Holmes, he quietly sold his East Village condo, according to a report. The former couple also owns homes in California and a brownstone in Greenwich Village.

Photos by David O. Marlow/Telluride Sotheby’s International Realty

Tips For Removing Mold and Mildew - Use Mold-Resistant Building Materials

From the familyhandyman.com



If you need to build or rebuild an area where moisture has been a problem, use materials that resist mold growth and aren't affected by water. Construct walls with pressure-treated wood and rigid insulation and cover the walls with paperless drywall, which has nothing for mold to feed on.