Spring is also the time of year when homeowners engage in the rite of “spring cleaning.” But if the thought of dragging out all your cleaning supplies is giving you a headache, you may want to re-think the type of supplies you’re using. If your household cleaners contain harsh chemicals, they may give you a real headache.

There is a way to make your cleaning chores less harmful to you AND your environment. Think green! Choose environmentally friendly cleaning supplies to do the dirty work. You’ll find several brands of “green” household cleaners at your local grocery store these days, such as Seventh Generation and Method that work just as well as traditional cleaners.

You can also choose to make your own cleaning products, using common ingredients you probably have in your pantry right now. Here are a few of the basic supplies you’ll need:

• Distilled white vinegar 
• Baking soda
• Olive oil
• Borax (found in the supermarket laundry aisle)
• Liquid castile soap (like Dr. Bronner’s brand, found in most natural foods stores)
• Essential oils (super concentrated natural plant oils found in natural foods stores, usually in the cosmetics section)
• Microfiber cleaning cloths
• Newspaper

A mixture of vinegar and water can be used to clean windows and other glass surfaces. Countertops and bathroom tile can be cleaned with a combination of vinegar, baking soda and water. You can find recipes to make your own green cleaning products online.  

If you’re looking at homes for sale in North Dallas, TX, check out the selection of high quality, affordable green homes offered by Landon Homes. Rated as one of the best home builders in North Dallas, Landon delivers uncompromising quality, complete customer satisfaction, and exemplary value in every home it builds. Visit our website for more information.

Despite all that space, 50% of homeowners rate the garage as the most disorganized place in the house, according to the National Association of Professional Organizers. Here are some tips to declutter your garage:

1. Take inventory. Look around your garage and determine what you really use, and what’s taking up space. Donate anything that is in good shape to a local charity, and trash the rest.

2. Organize your space.  Choose a layout for your garage that groups similar items together. Sports equipment can be in one area, while outdoor lawn care items and car washing supplies should be in another.  Take advantage of vertical space in your garage to store items up high that you don’t need frequently – whether on a shelf or wall hooks.

3. Shop for supplies. Head to your local IKEA or other home store for organizing supplies like hanging racks for tools, and bins to hold toys, tools or gardening supplies. If you’re handy with tools, you can build your own shelves, drawers or workbench area – or hire someone to do it for you.  Make sure you have any dangerous chemicals or pesticides stored away behind closed doors so children and pets can’t get at them.

4. Keep it clean. Once your garage is organized, make a commitment to keeping it that way. Return items to their designated space when finished.  Every three months or so, give the garage a thorough cleaning. The work you put in will be well worth it – giving you a garage that can actually house your car instead of a bunch of disorganized stuff!

As you’re looking at McKinney, TX homes for sale, consider Landon Homes’ selection of beautiful, eco-friendly homes. The North Dallas home builder respects both the environment and your budget in the top quality homes they build. For more information, visit our website at www.landonhomesusa.com.

1. Clear the clutter. A room free of excess clutter helps create a more tranquil feeling to your home spa.

2. Paint the walls. Create that spa feeling by painting the walls with cool, relaxing colors such as sky blue and sea green.

3. Add room accents. Place decorative baskets on the counter to hold hand towels and washcloths. Accent them with decorative soaps, scented lotions, loofahs and other spa tools.

4. Create a relaxing scent. Use essential oils, such as lavender, reed diffusers and candles to make you feel relaxed and comfortable in your home spa.

5. Add simple decorations. Accent the area with items that make you feel relaxed such as fresh flowers, potted plants or photos of the ocean. 

6. Choose appropriate lighting.  Add dimmer switches, recessed lighting and/or wall sconces to create soft, diffuse light that promotes relaxation. To mimic a skylight, add light panels to the wall or ceiling that feature large, partially-opaque rectangles of plastic to cover the light bulbs – diffusing the light for even, soft coverage.

Landon Homes builds high quality, affordable green homes for sale in Frisco, TX in a variety of floor plans to suit your style and taste. Visit our website or contact Tanya Ryan at 866-898-3603 to schedule a model home tour.

Some common uses for a bonus room are a media room, home office, children’s play area, oversized game room, or a craft room.  A media room allows homeowners to feel like they are going to the movies, while still enjoying the comforts of home. Studies or home offices have become popular as more people work from home, but need a separate space that doesn’t interfere with their normal living space.  

A bonus room can be located virtually anywhere in the house. Some builders tuck them behind a covered porch or atop a two- or three-car garage. The goal is to give the home owner options, so they will be satisfied with their purchase.

Here are a few decorating ideas to spruce up your bonus room:

Media room – Dark walls, ceiling, furniture and/or flooring are essential – but that doesn’t mean black! Consider a rich navy blue or chocolate brown color instead. And add patterned carpeting for visual interest.

Office – Use bright lamps, such as a floor fixture to create a nicely lit space.  Wood finishes are appropriate for furniture. You can find stylish desks and chairs that are both functional and comfortable. Add some plants for visual interest. (Studies say they’re good for reducing stress!)

Craft room – Paint the walls with a white or off-white color to provide a neutral background for all of your art supplies, fabrics and paper. Select a table that is counter height and fit it with casters so that you can roll it to the middle of the room when needed.  Store supplies on shelves or in stackable bins.

If you’d like more information about North Dallas new homes for sale, and the types of bonus rooms offered by Landon Homes, visit our website at www.landonhomesusa.com.

There is an easy solution. You can create a fitness space in your new home.  And the best part is that it won’t cost you any money. You’ve got all the equipment you need right at your fingertips.  

The next time you’re in front of the TV, sit on the edge of the sofa or chair, brace yourself with your hands, and slowly raise your legs in front of you. Hold the position for a count of ten and slowly lower your legs to the floor. Repeat as many times as you can. This exercise is great for working your stomach muscles!

For toned legs, climb the stairs in your home as slowly as you can until the muscles in your legs start to feel tired.  When this routine gets easy, try taking the stairs two at a time, or continue single steps, but slow the pace even more.

You can also work your calf muscles while washing dishes. Stand with your feet hip-width apart, and rise up on your toes. Stay there for a few seconds, and slowly lower your feet back down. Repeat as many times as you need until you feel your muscles burn slightly.

Going grocery shopping? Carry bags that are of equal weight in each hand and slowly shrug your shoulders as many times as you can. Once you’re in the house, sit down, grasp one bag in your hand, resting your elbow on your knee. Slowly raise and lower the bag 5-10 times to work your bicep muscle. Switch the bag to your other hand and repeat. 

To give your lower back and thigh muscles a workout, place your clean, wet laundry into a laundry basket to transfer to the dryer.  Hold the basket in front of you, keeping it close to your body to minimize lower back strain. Place your feet shoulder-width apart, angling your toes slightly outward. Keeping the weight on your heels, slowly descend into a squat by pushing your hips back as if you were sitting down on a chair. Make sure your feet are flat on the floor, and stop when your thighs are parallel to the floor. Slowly stand up straight and repeat 5-10 times.

Finally, for an overall cardio workout, tackle your usual household chores with a burst of speed! Move quickly from dusting to sweeping and vacuuming without taking a break.  You’ll finish your chores in record time and get a great workout at the same time!

If you’re thinking of moving to the north Dallas area, there are a variety of new homes available. Landon Homes, the Frisco home builder, constructs high quality, energy efficient homes in premier neighborhoods. For more information, contact Tanya Smith toll-free at 866-898-3603.

Here are a few strategies you can use to keep everything in its place:

1. Set aside one area in your home for mail and important papers.  Soon as the mail comes in, throw out what you don’t need and file the rest in your designated location.

2. Keep kitchen counters clear for food preparation. Store appliances you don’t use every day out of sight. Use tiered stacking shelves and pull-down racks for cabinets. Expandable or modular organizers are great to utilize every inch of drawer space.  A great place to find these supplies is the new Container Store, which recently opened in McKinney.

3. Implement the one in, one out rule. Whenever you get something new like a book or piece of clothing, get rid of something old. That way you’ll avoid the tendency to accumulate things.

4. Use stacking drawers or shelves in closets to take advantage of the vertical space. Also, save time selecting an outfit to wear by color coordinating your clothes, and grouping similar items together.

5. Take advantage of areas over doors and underneath beds to store items you don’t use often. On the other hand, make sure the items you do use frequently are each to reach.

6. Organize your cleaning supplies in one area of your garage, pantry or laundry room to keep them easily accessible.

7. Keep magazines and catalogs from piling up by keeping only the last 6 issues, or better yet, tear out the pages you wish to save, and recycle the rest of the periodical.

If you’re looking to buy a new home in McKinney, TX, contact Landon Homes at 866-898-3603 to schedule a tour of Shiloh Ranch. This quiet community features some of the largest homesites McKinney has to offer.

The state’s unemployment rate is below the national average and job growth is steady at a healthy 2.8 percent rate, the same as it has been over the last two decades. In addition, Texas has one of – if not the strongest – real estate markets in the country. So if you’re in the market for a new home, pay attention to local numbers, not national, and you won’t go wrong.

One area that’s been growing fast is McKinney, site of Landon Homes’ Shiloh Ranch community, and recently rated number 5 in CNN Money Magazine’s Best Places to Live in the U.S. Newcomers are flocking to this Dallas suburb because of McKinney’s great schools, safe streets, low crime and robust employment opportunities. The city also features lovely rolling hills, expansive open spaces, more than 40 miles of hike and bike trails and 2,000 acres of parkland.

The homes in Shiloh Ranch are the most energy efficient in the area, include huge backyards, and some models feature 3-car garages. The community is located just north of Virginia Parkway off Custer Road with the Exemplary J.R Wilmeth Elementary School right across the street. 

For more information about Shiloh Ranch or any of Landon’s other new home communities in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, contact Tanya Smith anytime at 866-898-3603 or visit our website at www.landonhomesusa.com.

When you buy a home in Austin Ridge, you’re getting great value for the money in the highly sought-after Frisco School System. Our Premier Series homes are priced from the $250s to the $290s, starting at 2,877 sq. ft. up to 3,802 sq. ft. These homes are available in one or two-story models, offer stone elevations, granite in the kitchen, a rear entry garage, and generous designer upgrade allowances.

Our Executive Series homes are exclusive gems within our community, with oversized home sites of 80’ x 125’ that back up to an extensive greenbelt space. Only 34 of these sites will be available among the 260 homes Landon plans to construct in Austin Ridge, and the first sites have all been purchased. A waiting list of families has been started for the next 3-5 homes that will be released in the Spring of 2011.

Step inside our new model and you’ll be able to see first hand the energy efficient features that Landon Homes is known for. Our “Better Built by Design” philosophy provides state of the art materials in home energy saving features such as 2’ x 6’ exterior wall construction, tankless water heaters, radiant attic barriers and Low-E windows that block a significant amount of the sun’s heat and harmful UV rays.

If that’s not enough to convince you, Lone Star Ranch provides an exceptional amenity center, featuring a three-tiered resort-style swimming pool with waterfalls, a large clubhouse that can be rented for private events, as well as a fitness center loaded with equipment. Located minutes away from Lake Lewisville, there are an array of golf courses and shopping centers, as well as a variety of entertainment options including Dr. Pepper Ball Park, Pizza Hut Soccer/Events Stadium and Stonebriar Mall.  Plus, Cinemark is opening a brand new, state of the art movie theater across from Pizza Hut Stadium, with all of the latest in HD and sound technology.

To schedule a tour of Landon’s new model home in Austin Ridge, visit our website at LandonHomesUSA.com or contact Tanya Smith anytime by phone at 214-707-0347.

Landon Homes in Frisco, Texas EXPLODING with New Buyers in Austin Ridge

Who is curious about the newest Frisco Homes to hit the Market in DFW?  Not Landon Homes.

The newest builder on the block is absolutely taking the city by storm.  The Austin Ridge Community could be the most sought after community in DFW.  They are selling homes like crazy and are having to take a waiting list on homes on their smaller lots!  What other builder in Frisco has a waiting list? 

I have seen many builders in the area and how they build, and have never been as impressed as I am with Landon Homes.  They have created an unbelievable bar for other builders in energy efficiency as one of the first major builders in DFW that use 2 x 6′s instead of 2 X 4′s.  This helps with the insulation issue by providing up to 60% more insulation than the new home builder standard, and the huge savings being passed on to their customers makes Landon Homes a incredible buy for the price.

John Landon has the experience, beautiful open floorplans that make sense, and has created the ultimate value for the middle of the road buyer, or the buyer that wants one step below custom!

Call me today at (469) 733-2723 to take advantage of the newest builder on the block in DFW, Landon Homes in Austin Ridge, and I promise you will not be disappointed in these Frisco homes! 

Brad Holden

Holden New Homes

http://www.holdennewhomes.com

It is important to know where the candidates stand on the issues. So do your homework now, and don’t worry about it again until Election Day when it’s time to make your vote count. Remember that politics is a soap opera that will always involve drama. Waiting for election cycles to be over just delays the enjoyment you could be having in your new home! 

There are some great deals to be had right now in the housing market. Prices are affordable, mortgage rates are at record lows, and the new homes that are built today are much more energy efficient than those built 5-10 years ago. That means you’ll be able to save a good deal of money on utility bills.  Plus, a new home comes with a full builder’s warranty, so you don’t have to worry about making repairs.

At Landon Homes, we keep you in the loop all through the construction phase, so you know how your home is progressing. We offer a pre-construction meeting, a pre-drywall inspection, and a final inspection to ensure your satisfaction during all points of the building process.

With a repertoire of more than 40,000 homes built over the last 20 years, the Landon team offers an unmatched wealth of talent, expertise and enthusiasm. Call us today at  866-898-3603 to schedule a tour of one of our model homes in the Dallas-Forth Worth area.