The housing market continues to be shaky with existing home sales that rise one month and fall the next.  If you are trying to sell a home at this time, it can be both frustrating and discouraging.

There are some steps; however, you can take to ensure that your house is the one a buyer chooses over all the other houses in your area.  Below are six simple steps you can to get organized and be able to sell your home quickly.

Price it Right – With foreclosures, short sales and motivated sellers, the prices of homes in most areas in the US are at an all time low.  And while your home doesn’t have to be the lowest priced, it must remain competitive with other houses in your area.  Make sure your home’s listing price is comparable to other homes on the market or buyers won’t even look at your home.  If buyers don’t look at it, then buyers can’t buy it.

Create Curb Appeal – The buyer’s first impression is a lasting one.  Create a warm welcome for potential buyers by improving the appearance of the yard and front entrance to the home.  Remove anything that would distract the buyer from wanting to make this house their home.  Clean, repair and replace anything that needs it.  Mow the yard, rake the leaves, trim the hedges, pressure wash the driveway, and clean or paint the front door. These simple and inexpensive tasks will greatly improve your home’s curb appeal.

Make Your House Larger – No, you don’t have to add an addition to your home.  You can make your house appear larger simply by removing everything you don’t absolutely need right now.  By decreasing the amount of furniture, décor and clutter, you allow the buyer to see the home, not your possessions.  Experts suggest removing 25% of the furniture and 50% of your possessions to create a cleaner, more spacious appearance.

You are planning on moving anyway, so why not pack the items you don’t need to have access to for the next few months and store them in an off-site storage unit.

Repair it now – A house in need of small repairs signals to the buyer that larger repairs may also be needed. Doors that don’t properly close, cracks in walls, showers that need re-caulking and cabinet drawers that don’t open or close smoothly are examples of things that buyers will notice. Make any needed repairs now, before the buyer has a chance to notice them.

Clean, Clean and Clean!  Make your home sparkle by doing a thorough spring cleaning.  While you can do it yourself, it is better to leave this to the professionals.  They will clean the home from floor to ceiling.  This truly makes all the difference in the appearance of your home.  And once your home has been cleaned, consider hiring a cleaning company to come in each week to keep it that way.

Decorate Your Home for the Buyer – Decorate your home like a model home by creating clean, open spaces with a few finishing touches.  Keep it simple.  Remember that you want the prospective buyer to picture themselves living there, so prepare your home to sell by decorating with the buyer in mind.

Preparing your home to sell takes a little extra time and money but the results can make the difference in whether a home sells quickly or stays on the market.  Follow the above steps and you can look forward to seeing that ‘sold’ sign in your yard in no time!

The debate over whether or not television as a positive or negative effect on society has endured for more than sixty years. The latest causality in this war: reality TV. Critics lambast the genre, claiming it’s a choreographed illusion that celebrates distasteful and dysfunctional behavior, feeds our voyeuristic urges, and siphons intelligence, while enthusiasts celebrate it as a method of entertainment. So, who’s right?

The Worst of Human Behavior

Psychologist George Gerbner and Larry Gross of the University of Pennsylvania developed the “cultivation theory,” which asserts that prolonged exposure to television can shape viewer’s concept of the world. Basically, the more television someone watches, the more he will believe the world is as it’s presented by the TV. I can see how this might apply to older generations who didn’t grow up in the Information Age. Take my grandpa, for example. He watches nothing but the news and he’s convinced the world is a violent and dangerous place. I’d probably think that, too, if all I watched were reports of thefts, shooting, and terrorism.

I wonder if the “cultivation theory” applies to reality TV shows. If I did nothing but watch “Big Brother” all day, would I start to believe there were cameras scattered throughout my home and my family was conspiring to vote me out of the house?

Voyeuristic Urges

The idea that reality TV nourishes voyeuristic behavior sounds like a great argument. Who would want to raise a society of Peeping Toms? Thankfully, this criticism has no merit. Voyeurism is, by definition (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/voyeurism), “the practice of obtaining sexual gratification by looking at sexual objects or acts, especially secretively.” The key word here is secretively. All voyeuristic pleasure is removed if the person being watched knows she’s being watched.

A Threat to Intelligence

Reality TV critics claim that these shows pander to the ill-witted and somehow manage to make the rest of us dumber for watching. I don’t think it’s possible to lose brain cells or cognitive functioning simply from tuning into a TV show. I think a far greater concern for critics is the sense of superiority viewers derive from watching reality TV. The truth is many people watch these shows to feel better about their own lives. What does that say about our society’s ability to promote a healthy self-image?

Entertainment

Critics of reality TV argue that television should be used to education, inform, and enlighten viewers. I agree television is an excellent medium for teaching, decimating information, and promoting the arts, but it is also a vehicle for entertainment. It’s a way to peer into another world for amusement and fun. Television offers viewers a needed break from the daily pressures of life; it’s a healthy occupation for the mind.

Tyler is a writer for USCharterService.com. He enjoys watching and writing about Cable TV.

After a long winter, spring is always embraced with open arms.  The spring season adds a skip to everyone’s step.  New enthusiasm is found with the new season in great part due to the warmer weather we have been anticipating for so long.  Another reason to make you spirit soar is because of what’s in store for your new spring wardrobe. This season you will really enjoy the spring 2012 fashions.  Finished with the drab and subtle black and grey tone of the winter and make way for the bright and bold colors that are making a splash for the spring 2012 trends.

Colors are making a comeback for spring 2012.  One of the colors that you will be seeing a lot of is Tangerine Tango.  As the name indicates it’s a juicy orange color.  You will see this coloring popping up in every fashion department. Tangerine Tango for shoes; checks out Marc Joseph shoes.  They have great moccasins in this orange color as well as a whole slew of vibrant and fashionable bright hues.  Then you will find this color in tops, bags, accessories and even in nail polish colors.  It a fabulous color to use to accent a subtle outfit with a bright accessory if you are not daring enough to wear the entire look.

Another color that you gotta make sure to incorporate into you spring wardrobe is Watermelon Pink.  (However chose these colors this season must have been hungry!) Watermelon pink is a color that is very closely related to bubble gum pink yet a little bolder and not as pinky.  It’s a feminine color yet bold enough to be empowering.  You will be seeing a lot of this color in wedding party dress wear.  If you are not a pink person, you can opt for a glossy pink wallet to incorporate the color.

Marigold yellow is a very strong color for spring.  This shade of yellow has a goldish tint and compliments a lot of skin tones.  You will find it to be a richer tone then the ordinary yellow color.   This color works well with many different fabrics including chiffons and leathers.  A hot item this year is a brightly colored leather skirt.  A leather skirt in marigold leather is an awesome look.  Marigold yellow paired up with neutral tones is a look to go with.

There are so many great colors this spring season. Oranges, reds, yellow and green; colors are really making a comeback.  Wearing vibrant colors will bring much needed excitement to your everyday life.  It’s a fact that when wearing blacks and grey’s your attitude it deflated. If until now you were hesitant to wear color because you didn’t want to stick out in a crowd; you feel more secure when your blend into the crowd, well now is the time to wear these great colors without making a loud statement.  Every wear you turn, color is all the rage, join the trend, you will surely enjoy it in more ways than one.

Cheryl Davis is a shoe stylist for marcjosephshoesnewyork.com.  With her years of experience in the clothing and shoe industry, she uses her talents and expertise to incorporate the new trend s and styles into the Marc Joseph New York collection as well as many other areas of fashion.

Americans pull up stakes and relocate an average of 11 times during our lives. Are we gluttons for punishment or what?  For whatever our reasons, wanting to buy a new home, change neighborhoods, employment opportunities or better school options to name a few, we Americans change houses typically every 7 years.  For my husband and me, we realized we were making way too big of an impact on the planet with the skyrocketing cost of heating and maintaining a large home.

Recently, we moved from a 3000 sq ft. house to a 1200 sq. ft. house.  It was like fitting a size 9 foot into a size 6 shoe.  However, besides the obvious savings on the heating bill and despite the incentive to lighten our load and make less of an impact, we were at odds with what to keep and what to throw away, give away, sell or put into storage.  Let me sum the process up in a word; organize, organize, organize.

Start with a 30,00 Foot View

It’s important to see things outside of the fray; otherwise it’s too hard to make decisions between what is necessary and what is going to help your new digs feel like home. Take a look at the whole picture as if you were helping a friend move.  In fact it’s ideal if you can invite a friend over to bounce ideas off of. Often a second opinion helps to get a more objective point of view.

Catalog

Take pictures of furniture; digital is best for future use of on-line venues. Keep a journal with descriptions and measurements of pieces that you may want to work into your new residence. This helps take the guess work out of what you can logically take with you and what you might want to deal with differently.

Pitch it or Donate it

This is easier said than done in some cases.  I discovered we had two or three of many things that we barely used.  Did we really need three cans of Brasso or 18 Christmas hand towels?  Sure these are small things, but small things add up to space eaters.

As for bits and pieces that have been in the family for years like Grandma’s bone china or Uncle Ken’s collection of Star Wars memorabilia, you have to be hard nosed when making the choice. I took one plate, one cup and one small bowl of Grandma’s dishes and presently have them displayed on a single shelf in the kitchen. Not only did I downsize, I get to enjoy something that had been tucked away in the hutch for years.  As far as any kind of memorabilia, check to see if it’s got a dollar value before delegating to the donate or pitch pile.

Storage

There will always be things we can’t part with – or so we think. For no other reason other than peace of mind, self storage is an excellent way to keep things safe and nearby. When using storage be sure to supervise your movers when things are unloaded into the unit.  If you are planning to sell items or work them into your lifestyle after you are settled be sure they are easily accessible and near the front.  Seasonal tools for the gardener or golf clubs for the duffer need to be reachable. Talented packers can make the most of a small space, but left to their own devices they may bury the things you want to get your hands on most leaving you tunneling through boxes.

Selling

This can be a toughy. Why?  Mostly because your goods are not as valuable to others as they are to you. Certainly if you don’t mind taking a hit, then this is one way to get a bit of cash out of goodies that you don’t really want to keep any longer. But sellers beware. Most furnishings for example will sell for far less than you think they are worth. Two of the best places to list your things are Craig’s List and Facebook’s Marketplace. Ebay is good for things that can be shipped internationally. We sold several books that we mailed to Britain. The marketplace is much bigger and shipping can be included in the price.

Some of the local newspapers and Pennysavers will get you traction. Consignment shops are popular for those who are downsizing, but many will take a 60/40 split and reduce the price on your things sometimes weekly. Most shop owners are very congenial and want to be fair, but be sure to read the fine print on the store’s policy carefully before agreeing to their terms.

Downsizing can be very manageable if approached with a clear game plan. Take it step by step and don’t let the journey ruin the destination – of being freer and lighter than you’ve been in years.

Kenneth McCall is an avid ski, boater and bicyclist. When he is not engaged in outdoor activities he directs the IT operations at storage.com , building websites and tools for homeowners and businesses needing storage, including self storage in Chicago and around the area.

A group of social marketing savvy women, collectively referred to as the “mommy bloggers,” clearly demonstrated the power of social marketing when they successfully used their blogs to rally massive opposition – 23 million Twitter impressions in one hour on January 27 – against a hospital’s misguided media campaign against childhood obesity.

The mommy bloggers have no problem with a campaign to end childhood obesity, but they took issue with the tactics of the Strong4Life campaign launched by Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. They petitioned the hospital, in their organic social media endeavor, to end the campaign, which features unflattering images of overweight children.

Instead of promoting solutions to childhood obesity, the campaign’s ads opened overweight children to public ridicule, the mommy bloggers asserted. One of the blogs, Mamavation, pointed out, “The Strong4Life Campaign has purchased billboard ads all over the State of Georgia in hopes to promote a ‘wake-up call’ to Georgian parents about how many children are obese. Unfortunately, they decided to create ads that are so controversial, they are downright offensive and hurtful to children. We think they have gone too far. As a concerned group of moms we recognize that Georgia has a large scale problem with obesity. No one is refuting that. We are refuting however tactics that would inadvertently harm children in the process.”

The mommy bloggers’ social media blitz gained attention and acclaim around the world for its effectiveness in rallying opposition against the advertising campaign and bringing it to the attention of the general public.

For instance, the BBC News website on February 9, 2012, focused on the mommy bloggers’ campaign and pointed to it as one of the latest demonstrations of the power of social media. Other examples, the BBC News reported, included the online outcries that led the Bank of America to rescind its plan to charge monthly debit card fees and pressured Susan G. Komen for the Cure to reverse a decision to discontinue grants to Planned Parenthood.

The mommy bloggers also gained the affirmation of professional marketers. A blog post, “Marketing for a Cause,” on the website of Sway Digital Marketing of Durham, N.C., stated, “As a parent and an advocate for health and education, I appreciate the battle that Georgia is fighting over childhood obesity. But as many opponents to the campaign have put it, the enemy isn’t obese children, it’s obesity. And the campaign has put the wrong target in the crosshairs.”

While its first foray has been deemed a success, the mommy bloggers’ campaign is not over. Some of the Strong4Life billboards remain up.

So, in a follow-up post on February 12, Mamavation invited supporters to join in a second social media volley against Strong4Life, from 9 to 10 p.m. EST on February 16, using the hashtag #Ashamed.

The latest post said of the January 27 effort,

“A very impressive feat and very strong demonstration of how people in social media feel about shaming children into better health. But our campaign to stop the billboards in Georgia is NOT over. There are several still up in Atlanta in some of the poorest neighborhoods where the obesity rate is very high … We still have power to stop this! This is a fight about empowering children, not demeaning them and making them feel shame. No one here denies the fact that Georgia has the 2nd largest childhood obesity rate in the nation, but we feel in order to combat this statistic, it needs to be done in love and support … not with shame.”

And the mommy bloggers have proven that they know how to speak out with an amplified voice, thanks to social media.

About the author: Jaime is an avid hiker and skier who loves to write in her spare time for USBundles.com–home of Century Link .

Video games have been blamed for everything from childhood obesity to the increase in violent tendencies among young people.

And, while they can have negative impacts, they also have positive ones, especially in the area of mental and physical health benefits, which include:

1. Mental Alertness

Playing video games actually keeps you mentally alert, which can help ward off Alzheimer’s or dementia. Older adults may enjoy puzzle and math games.

2. Stress Relief

Video games are a good way to relieve stress, as long as you don’t get stressed trying to beat your highest score or achieve the next level.

3. Improved Hand-Eye Coordination

Playing video games improves hand-eye coordination. For younger people, this is something which can prove useful in their careers, especially if they pursue those which require delicate precision. For older adults, maintaining hand-eye coordination may help them remain independent longer.

4. Keeps Reflexes Sharp

Playing a video game that requires quick responses can help keep reflexes sharp. Older people may find this very helpful.

5. Relief from Boredom

Video game playing can relieve boredom, which is sometimes the cause behind some harmful habits. It keeps the fingers busy so that they can’t hold a cigarette or snack, and keeps the brain engaged so that the urge or craving can be more easily ignored.

6. Personal Reward

Playing a video game can be used as a personal reward. Adults can use this as an incentive to finish a task that they find particularly tedious. Younger children can be taught that video games come after fulfilling responsibilities, and that playing them is contingent upon everything being done properly.

7. Socializing

A video game can start or increase interaction with others, both in the virtual world and in the physical realm, which can help stave off loneliness and feelings of isolation. Many of the games are designed to be played with multiple players, who may actually be in a different part of the world. Others are designed to be played by two players, using the same gaming system.

8. Physical Therapy

Video game playing can be used in physical therapy because it requires movement of hands, arms, and other parts of the body. Many hospitals and rehabilitation centers have already started using them.

9. Controlled Environment for Young People

If you have teenagers in your home, you can encourage them to invite their friends over to play video games. This way, you will know where your child is, what he or she is doing, and exactly what video games are being played.

10. Learning Benefits

Many of the video games that are geared toward younger children (including preschoolers) allow children to learn colors, numbers, letters, shapes, and other things because they have to make the right move in order to see results.

You may have never even considered some of the positive impacts of video games, but now that you know them you can use them to your full advantage. Or, you may be able to think of other ways that video games provide mental and physical benefits, and you can use those also.

Jessy is the entertainment blogger who writes for Life Insurance Finder, the free Australian life insurance comparison tool.

Already the most followed on Twitter with 19 million followers, Lady Gaga is set to launch her own website. To be called Little Monsters, it is her way of thanking her fan base which she called “monsters” hence the name of her site.

Now in invite-only beta testing, Little Monsters will have a design similar to that of Pinterest, the fast rising mobile app that allows pinning of locations and items that users like. The site will focus on sharing and creation of photos and videos while promoting content that they like.

Little Monsters is the initial venture of Backplane, the startup company where Troy Carter, Lady Gaga’s manager, is one of the four founders. According to Matt Michelsen, Backplane CEO, the thrust of the company is to bring together online communities. Lady Gaga’s community serves as the pioneering site. Once other sites have been put up, Backplane would let users switch from one community to another.

Backplane is partially funded by Lady Gaga and it is planning to remove Little Monster from beta testing before launching more sites this year.  Aside from Carter, Backplane was co-founded by former Google designer Joey Primiani and former Palantic Director of Operations Alex Moore. Little Monster has been in beta testing for a month now and has since given out 10,000 codes, including one to Mashable.

Lady Gaga has made her presence felt in both social media and digital world. She joined Google+ in January 2012 and has already gained over 330,000 flowers. Aside from her 19 million Twitter followers, she also has 47 million Facebook fans. She was involved in two Google initiatives last year. She appeared in a Chrome commercial as well as appeared in Google Goes Gaga serving as a promotional campaign for Google Moderator. Lady Gaga made a record as the first artist to reach 1 billion views on You Tube. In fact, Vogue launched a Lady Gaga focused iPad-only magazine app.

Mags Malvar is a content writer for a promotional products company selling quality giveaways. Follow him at http://twitter.com/melvinmags