Tight on your budget and still want to have a high-end kitchen look? Here are suggestions by industry experts on how to get the high-end look without breaking the bank. 

Simply updating your appliances is one way to achieve that high-end kitchen look.  Keep an eye out for sales while checking out appliances from reputable brands. With proper consideration, you can go about finding what you are looking for at the price that will meet your budget. 

Interior designer Nate Berkus, who also happens to be the artistic advisor of LG Studio’s high-end appliances range indicates, "The right appliance can make the space feel much more finished and expensive. Plus, they involve almost no construction, but change the functionality 100-fold." If you're forced to…

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For many, their home is the single-most important purchase they have ever made. A lot of time and effort goes into locating the right property. But, when it comes to finding the best mortgage, why do most people take what is being offered rather than research and secure the best mortgage available for their situation?

Considering that you will pay the bank more in interest over the life of the loan than the home is worth, why wouldn’t you invest the same time and effort in finding a mortgage that will reduce the amount of interest you are  paying, potentially saving you tens of thousands of dollars?

There are various types of mortgages available to home buyers.  Each type has their advantages and disadvantages.  Lenders will offer specific mortgage…

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Misinformation is the greatest hindrance for both buyers and sellers of residential and commercial real estate, especially when engaging the industry for the very first time. There is so much misinformation revolving around out there that first time buyers and sellers have a difficult time navigating truth from fiction.  Here are some myths debunked by industry experts Dave Kruse and Steve Knapp of Lockardrealty.com

Myth #1: The gift of foresight

“My experience in the market and gut tell me that XYZ opportunity is the way to go,” sasy a bad realtor, frequently.  Certainly, successful residential and commercial real estate professionals do have an industry knowledge that would help them predict future market conditions. But that alone won’t get you…

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Buying and or selling real estate is one of those things that most of us will engage in at some point of time in our lives. Both the buyer and the seller are looking to maximize their value and often attempt to do this by avoiding the services of the real estate professional.  What looks like the easiest way to save a few thousand up-front sometimes turns into a sure-fire way to tens of thousands more than you expected in the long run.

Here are 5 reasons why you should utilize a real estate professional to help you buy, sell, or rent your next real estate transaction:

  1. Real Estate Professionals Know the Market

Real estate professionals are able to price the property correctly. Current industry pricing for business and home sales in specific…

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Buy, sell, rent, or lease, LockardRealty.com has the Cedar Valley’s friendliest user interface and is a handy site for all your real estate needs.

Just a few taps and swipes on these real estate websites or apps and you could be well on your way to buying your next dream home or renting  that local commercial property, right from where you are sitting. Finding a home to live in or a rental property has never been easier thanks to these great tools:   

LockardRealty.com LockardRealty.com is the easiest search tool for commercial and residential real estate in the Cedar Valley.  With just one click you are on your way to searching for your dream home or commercial property. LockardRealty.com’s clean interface and always free search keeps your searches…

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By: Brandon Turner
Source: BiggerPockets.com

In 2006, NASA admitted they had accidentally taped over the original recording of the first lunar landing.

In 1962, Decca Records had a choice to sign one of two bands. They chose Brian Poole and the Tremeloes. The band they rejected? The Beatles.

In 1788 the Austrian army accidentally attacked itself and lost 10,000 men.

Clearly, mistakes happen. The same will be true for your real estate business, though hopefully to a lesser extent than the examples mentioned above.

However, one mistake that can be deadly to your real estate business is this: choosing the wrong property.

Making the mistake of picking the wrong property is a lot like picking the wrong spouse. It can be incredibly…

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By:Courtney Crowder

Source:The Des Moines Register

Internet, Internet, on the web, which state is the American-est of them all?

Iowa, of course.

 

A new totally unscientific study by Estately declared lil' ol' us to be the most American of all the 50 states.

Iowa is "where astronauts are born, and where the actual baseball field in the movie 'Field of Dreams' is located," the Estately post read. "It produces the most bacon of any state, and Iowa corn farmers fuel our country's obesity epidemic with sweet, sweet corn syrup."

Estately rated states based on eight factors: 

  • Bald eagles per square mile
  • Olympic gold medals won per capita
  • Native astronauts per capita
  • Fast food restaurants per capita
  • Major League…

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By: Kurt Jacobson
Source: Realty Biz News

Gone are the days when women used to cut out pictures from interior design magazines and filed them away for future use. Today, technology has invaded nearly every aspect of our lives, including home décor and design. So whether you are buying furniture for your living room, choosing paint colors for your dining room, or simply looking for ideas to do up your kid’s room, you can rely on technology to help you achieve the best possible results. 

Here are some of the top apps in the home decor and design space today. Don’t forget to check them out before you plan your next home renovation project!

Color Smart

Want to paint your bedroom in the colors of the painting you fell in love with, but not sure…

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SwipeFin allows real estate pros to swipe expenses into 'business' or 'personal' categories.

Source: Inman
By: Paul Hagey

Kyle Willis, 30, downloaded the dating mobile app Tinder eight months ago, and while it hasn’t yielded any relationships yet, it did inspire him to create the latest “Tinder for real estate” app, SwipeFin.

The app allows real estate pros to designate all of their expenses as either business (swipe right) or personal (swipe left) with a swipe of their smartphone screen, helping them eliminate the yearly tax-time dance of organizing shoeboxes full of receipts in the process.

Launched earlier this year, SwipeFin joins a growing crowd of real estate apps that have functions based on the simple mobile device swipe…

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Source: DAILY REAL ESTATE NEWS

Don't underestimate the importance of a beautiful yard to home owners and their neighbors. 84 percent of adults say that the quality of a home's landscape and yard would affect their decision on whether to purchase a home or not, according to a new survey of more than 2,000 adults conducted by the National Association of Landscape Professionals.

The majority of Americans want to live amid nice landscaping. The survey found that 91 percent of Americans believe it is important to live in close proximity to trees, grass, or nice landscaping. Midwesterners are the most likely to rate the importance of landscaping the highest (at 94%), followed by the West (89%) and Northeast (87%).

"Across the board, the survey…

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