The World Cup and Your Home...USA! USA! USA!!

AZ Real Estate Update: USA! USA! USA!!: The World Cup in my house is bigger than the Superbowl.  It is so interesting to learn and hear of countries that I never know existed.  Isn...

USA! USA! USA!!

The World Cup in my house is bigger than the Superbowl.  It is so interesting to learn and hear of countries that I never know existed.  Isn't it crazy to think that our housing in Phoenix is better than 90% of the rest of the world? 
Here in Phoenix we think a home is old or "historic" if it was built in the 1940's or 1950's.  Heck, I have had clients tell me a home built earlier than 1990 is too old and would need too much maintenance. In Europe, many people live in homes built in the 1800's and many people in the African nations consider themselves lucky to live in what we consider huts. 
Do you think it is difficult for players who live in the homes with minimal housing to return to their homes after living in hotels in Brazil?  Or do you think they are so happy to be back in their familiar surroundings?
Homes are determined by the feelings and emotions that are felt when you walk through the door. Not by the granite vs. laminate countertops. Do you have a realtor commited to help you find your ideal home in your ideal neighborhood? 

Best Return on Investment ??? A Home Office !

Turn Your "Extra Room" Into An Office For A Good ROI

Recently, Seattlebubble.com surveyed their visitors with this question: What's the most important "extra room" to have in a house? Nearly half the respondents (48%) said an office or study would be their most important extra room.

Comfortably integrating a home office into one's dwelling can generate a good return on investment if you are using it for work or for a hobby that generates a few extra bucks.

Amy–Mae Elliott at mashable.com recently interviewed home office expert Lisa Kanarek, founder of WorkingNaked.com who said the first thing to do is decide where your home office should be.

Kanarek suggests considering obvious places like a spare bedroom or guest room, as well as more unorthodox spaces like a dining room or formal living room, if rarely or never used.

One important consideration, she says, is making sure your office has a door, ensuring you can switch off when you're not working. Some other tips include:

• Install an L–shaped arrangement for a desk to double your work surfaces.
• Add shelves above or next to your desk to gain more storage space and to reduce desktop clutter.
• Use open shelves or a hutch that sits on your desk to increase your storage space.
• Invest in some decent, surge–protected extension cords to install around the room where you need power most.
• Consider a Wi–Fi printer, which can be kept further away from the computer.
• If you work from home full–time, you're going to be spending as much time in your office as you do in the rest of the house, Kanarek says. Don't treat your working space as a second–class accommodation. Give it the importance it deserves.