3 Tips for Buying Bathroom Faucets

Content originally published and Shared from http://perfectbath.com

Having a hard time looking for faucets that best match your bathroom style? Luckily, we have some tips for buying bathroom faucets, such as: knowing the different styles, choosing the quality and matching with the number of mounting holes.

Below are 3 tips for buying bathroom faucets:

Knowing the Different Styles
Widespread: Most commonly found on pedestal sinks, widespread faucets are made for sinks with three pre-drilled holes that are 8″ apart. When purchasing a widespread faucet you’ll receive three individual components: two handles and one spout.
Vessel/Single-hole: On single hole faucets, the handle is attached to the spout and is for use on a sink with 1 pre-drilled hole. If you are in the market for a vessel style faucet but have a sink with 3 pre-drilled holes, it’s sometimes an option to purchase an additional deck plate to cover the existing holes on the sink. Contact the faucets manufacturer to see if that is an option before buying.
Wall-mounted: Ready for it? Wall-mounted faucets are mounted to …the wall! Normally, your water supply lines come up from the sink, but in this case they’ll need to be installed into the wall. One thing to be aware of when purchasing these types of faucets is that the spout is actually long enough to reach from the wall over the sink basin.
4″ Centerset: These faucets are found on sinks with 3 holes set at 4″ apart. The components sit on a deck plate that connect the handles with the spout body, and can also be found with single handle components.
4″ Minispread: Similar to centerset, these faucets fit 4″ configurations on sinks with 3 pre-drilled holes. But instead of purchasing a faucet with a 4″ deck plate, a minispread faucet looks more like a widespread faucet with three individual components: two handles and one spout. Source: ApartmentTherapy

Choosing the Quality
You’ll have to pay for it up front, but buying quality now means you won’t be paying during the life (or lack thereof) of your faucet. Look for an all-brass body, as opposed to brass- or chrome-plated. And keep in mind that the tub faucet has a larger flow rate than other household faucets, which means you can’t use a kitchen faucet or your tub. Bathtub faucets should have a 3/4-inch supply line, as opposed to 1/2-inch for the rest of the house. Some tubs hold up to 60 gallons of water, so you’ll want a faucet that can get the job done in a timely manner. Source: HGTV

Matching with the Number of Mounting Holes
Most sinks come with mounting holes pre-drilled for faucets and accessories such as side sprays or soap dispensers. If you’re keeping your original sink, you’ll need to match what you have or get a base plate to cover any extra holes. The base plate sold with your new faucet can be used to cover holes in your countertop, but don’t buy a faucet that requires more sink holes than your sink has; it’s not a good idea to try to drill additional holes in an existing sink or countertop. Get additional information on how to best match sinks and faucets.  Source: ConsumerReports

 

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Baseball’s Best Player Mike Trout is not above autographs

This is always nice to see – especially this time of year in Spring Training. I still remember that night in 1993 when Ken Griffey Jr. walked up and shook my hand as an 11 year old kid. I remember the feel of his Franklin Carbon Fiber batting glove in my small hand. I remember thinking I shouldn’t ever wash my hand again. It’s something magical that a kid just keeps forever inside him until he’s a man.

And Mike Trout is today’s Griffey, and he’s okay with stopping for a moment and signing autographs still.

We don’t write nearly enough about the greatness of Mike Trout. We can buy a ticket to see him but we can’t buy more time for him to be a big league player. All we can do is try to appreciate what is in the flesh in front of us. So let’s do that in this post. Seven eye opening stats from his 2016 MVP campaign:

• Batted .613 (19-for-31) on the first pitch – .350 league average
• Chased just 29% of pitches with two strikes – 43.4% league average
• Swung at 49.1% of pitches with two strikes – 61% league average
• Led the majors with a .441 OBP
• Went to the opposite field 37.8% of the time with runners in scoring position (34 of 90 times put in play) – 29.4% league average
• Swung and missed at changeups just 19.2% of the time (20/104) – 31.2% league average
• Had 162 opportunities to ground into double plays, and did so just 3.1% of the time (five GIDP) – 11.2% league average

Incredible. What is he going to do next?

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I think big things await Jharel Cotton, and you should too

It takes someone pretty interesting to get us to do a post on the Oakland Athletics, in any form. Finally they have a guy who intrigues us a little bit. Meet Jharel Cotton, former Los Angeles Dodgers prospect.

He was a 20th round pick out of the Virgin Islands that came to Oakland Athletics in the Rich Hill-Josh Reddick trade late last year.

When he debuted in Oakland, Baseball Prospectus had their usual nice scouting report on him:

Cotton has progressed to the majors at a slow-and-steady pace. The 24-year-old fights standard stigmas as an undersized right-hander without great feel for a breaking ball, but he has consistently made it work on the back of a solid top-two, and some recent development with a work-around third pitch gives rise to optimism that he can stick as a starter.

He’s well-built, with broad shoulders, a thick chest, and a sturdy base that can hold some innings. The delivery begins with a loose progression through his early rock and takeaway check points, and, coupled with some rigidity in his leg kick, there are some early timing inconsistencies in the delivery that can sidetrack his command when he gets unbalanced. He’s fairly closed into a mild back-side collapse, with an uphill arm path to a higher three-quarters slot. The higher angle helps offset some of his not-there inches, and he employs a fairly short, closed stride that helps him come up and over to create a later pickup for hitters.

His fastball will sit in the 92-94 range with a couple miles-an-hour in the tank, and it’s a north-south four-seamer that can get on hitters quickly. It doesn’t have a ton of horizontal movement, but it does feature above-average “rise” to stay on plane longer and get above barrels. It plays up in the zone thanks to the deception and velocity, though his command of the pitch will wander, and the frequency with which he attacks above the belt leaves him vulnerable to the long ball.

He pairs the fastball with a truly devastating changeup, which he sells with excellent arm speed. The pitch has excellent plane from his arm slot, and he generates extreme tumble and velocity separation, often running 15-plus mile-an-hour differentials. It’s an easy plus pitch, and when he has feel for it and keeps it down consistently it’ll run double-plus.

In almost 30 innings last year and five starts, big league hitters struggled against the 24-year old. Small sample size, but the WHIP was 0.81, the ERA 2.12, and he went 2-0 with 23 strikeouts and just four walks.

It’s more gut feeling than anything at this point – but some respected guys in the industry have Cotton doing huge things in 2017. Eno Sarris boasts a great change-up and fastball speed difference as well as no real innings limit as reasons he’ll have success.

Either way, he’s one of the guys we have a close eye on as we enter the 2017 season. The world needs to know about Jharel Cotton.

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Parc East – by Trillium Development

Coming soon to Port Coquitlam is Park East by Trillium Developments. Park East will be centrally located on the corner of Atkins and Shaughnessy, a short walk to the Main Village with its all it shops and services, as well as the West Coast Express.

Park East will be consist of 57 condos consisting of one bedroom, one bedroom plus den, two bedroom, or two bedroom plus den, with size ranging from 446 square feet to 1077 square feet. Each suite at Parc East will be designed with quartz counters, stainless steel appliances, and large islands in the Kitchen, with laminate flooring throughout.

Amenities include a gym, furnished amenity room that includes a lounge area with kitchenette, and an outdoor entertaining space, as well as outdoor play area for the kids (little kids, not the big kids, thats what the lounge is for 🙂

Sales expected to start in the late winter of 2017 or early Spring with price to starting the mid 200’s. Register with us to be kept up to date with floor plans, and vip sales.

 

 

 

 

 

E. & O. E. This is not an offering for sale. An offering for sale may only be made after filing a Disclosure Statement under the Real Estate Development Marketing Act

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The Arden

 

The Arden is coming soon to Port Coquitlam  The Arden will be a boutique building with just 22 executive size suites with Quartz countertop, stainless steel appliances and laminate flooring.  The Arden will sure be a great spot for first timers or down-sizers.

Pricing is expected to be:

1 bedroom from high $200’s

1 bedroom + dens from Low $300’s

2 bedroom 1 bathrooms from Mid to high $300’s

2 bedroom 2 bathroom over $400,000

Completion anticipated to be Fall of 2017.  Previews start soon, register with us today to get access to this development and many others

 

 

 

E. & O. E. This is not an offering for sale. An offering for sale may only be made after filing a Disclosure Statement under the Real Estate Development Marketing Act

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Nashville Lawn and Garden Show 2017

Post by Growing The Home Garden - Vegetables, Herbs, and Plant Propagation Tips for Home Gardeners

It’s the week of the Nashville Lawn and Garden Show 2017 (Plant a Forest:  Gardening for the Future)! As a harbinger of spring the Nashville Lawn and Garden show happens every year at the Nashville Fairgrounds. It starts this Thursday (March 2nd) and continues through Sunday (March 5th). At the…

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Meet the RE Tech Entrepreneur: Bud Hovell from SyndaFeed

In our latest real estate tech interview, we’re talking with Bud Hovell from SyndaFeed. I first spoke with Bud back in while Zillow was first setting up our feeds program for brokerages. I published this post in September of 2007, and SyndaFeed is one of the syndication companies listed — meaning they’ve been around for about a decade. Without further ado…

What do you do?

We provide dedicated syndication services tailored to brokers competing in higher-end real estate markets where on-line marketing precision and reliability matter most.

This service includes a complete and fully transparent dashboard display reporting incoming and outgoing listings details, errors requiring correction, warnings about other detected deficiencies, delivery results achieved, and reports showing other quality checks and history of polling, recent listings added and deleted, and a master list of current listings active.

Quality and convenience are geared to satisfy demanding needs of brokers engaged in serious advertising to customers having greater expectation of performance, presentation, and attention to detail.

What problem does your product/service solve?

Delivery to search engines of only “good listings” with no fatal errors or warnings about conditions which may cause rejection.

Agents can be confident their listings will post successfully and need not suffer frustration and time lost trying to figure out why some listings don’t show up as expected on search engines. They are reported with specific instructions about what needs fixing.

Warnings also provide feedback to promote best practices to enhance advertising and search results. Some built-in features can help agents overcome some native deficiencies of raw MLS data which cannot fully support well-proven advertising methods.

What are you most excited about right now?

Completing our White Glove RETS Service for brokers who want our top drawer syndication services but don’t want to maintain their own local database of listings data.

This new service will directly download listings from the MLS and submit these through our proprietary error checking and delivery system, which is fully automated, end to end.

What’s next for you?

Web services for smaller brokers using our syndication services who want a fast and satisfying experience for their visitors but don’t want to use IDX.

This service will offer some uncommon options:

• Configurable custom tabs allowing visitor to re-route to another web location (like an individual agent’s personal website or the MLS).
• Broker option to reward agents whose ads land new customers on the company website with all listings displayed during that visit with their agent contact information, even if they are not the listing agent.

What’s a cause you’re passionate about and why?

Data quality and transparency are the recognized hallmarks of our service. Search engines rely on accurate feeds delivering fully vetted listings data. Customers rely on knowing what’s happening.

One senior search engine engineer recently complimented us by saying: “good data is hard to come by.” Yes, it is. But we make that happen. And when a customer says “we love you guys”, you can bet that makes our day!

Thanks to Bud for sharing his story.

We’re constantly looking for great real estate tech entrepreneurs to feature. If that’s you, please read this post — then drop me a line (drew @ geekestatelabs dot com).

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2017 Fantasy Baseball Position Rankings: Third Base

Before the 2017 season begins, we will rank our top 15 fantasy players at each position for you. We might provide a projection. We might not. But take some notes, and if you’re lucky this will have you ready for the exam on draft day 2017. Today we examine fantasy baseball’s best at the hot corner, Third Base.

Tier One:

1. Kris Bryant, Chicago Cubs

He’s the reigning NL MVP, a Mike Trout-esque player, and we’re not ranking anyone ahead of him. The top three or four at this position group could all be argued to be anywhere interchanged from one to four. His age, and improvements he showed last season just should be the tip of the iceberg.

2. Nolan Arenado, Colorado Rockies

3. Manny Machado, Baltimore Orioles (listed in Shortstops)

Read what we say about him in the shorstops post. If you are lucky enough to own him, play him there.

4. Josh Donaldson, Toronto Blue Jays

There is some mileage on this man. Still an elite talent, but will be 31. Still should achieve a .900 OPS, but plays often banged up. Durability has not yet been a concern. But we figure he is a body that won’t age well, and it’s coming soon.

Tier Two:

5. Kyle Seager, Seattle Mariners

One owner in our league – a losing owner – called him ‘The Librarian”. He earned this nickname because no one knew if he was hot or not. He seemed boring. He wasn’t loud or sexy. Seager’s can be that way. Career-high 30 homers, .859 OPS, and 99 RBI was a part of many a successful fantasy team in 2016. He’s in his prime and just on the cusp of the elite. Doesn’t slump for prolonged periods.

6. Jonathan Villar, Milwaukee Brewers

The weird thing about the post coverboy is that he had never shown anywhere close to the amount of power that he did in 2016 when he hit 19 home runs. He added 38 doubles, 62 steals, and ran aggressively. He showed the ability to draw walks (79). He came at a huge discount to all owners that is now gone. That must be taken into consideration. It’s unlikely that he does what he did last year ever again. Buy him for the steals, not the other peripherals.

7. Matt Carpenter, St. Louis Cardinals

We just really hate this guy – but he’s damn solid. His .885 OPS was a career-high. He’s going to be 31, and he’s got to age at some point right? Seems like he’s been doing his thing in St. Louis forever, a stalwart of their pesky lineup. He’ll have another Carpenter-esque season. There’s not a lot left to say. A high-end fantasy player to own, if you can.

Tier Three:

8. Alex Bregman, Houston Astros

Baseball’s biggest schill for Hillary Clinton is getting an awful lot of hype. People have bought in and think they’re in for a laser show in 2017 that rivals some of the top young players of the past. He will come with a hefty price tag. It’s all about projecting what you think he’ll do over a full-season, and the results should be very good for the 23 year old. We will predict a .280/20 home run/80 RBI season with an .800 OPS. Should gain multi-position eligibility somehow, also.

9. Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays

One of; if not the nicest ‘set it and forget it’ players in fantasy baseball the last four seasons. Last year he had an extra special treat in store. Career high in home runs (36), with 98 RBI and .273 average. We love Longoria. Hard to believe he will be 31. He’s the focal point of a barren Tampa lineup. That’s bound to lead to him getting pitched around some. But he was able to overcome last season, and he’s worth betting on once again. Buy for the durability.

10. Anthony Rendon, Washington Nationals

Never really found his stroke in 2016 at all, and still managed a really solid season. What he finished with is what people are hoping for out of a Bregman in 2017 – think about that for a moment. Added 12 steals which was really under-appreciated. Overshadowed by Trea Turner and Bryce Harper, but he was a high draft pick with all the pedigree of greatness. Needs to regain full health to have a shot at the swing he had in 2014. Showed nice base on balls skills that he’s displayed throughout his career. About a .350 career on-base guy. Very solid option.

Tier Four:

11. Todd Frazier, Chicago White Sox

The Toddfather hit 40 home runs in 2016, which is staggering. The detractors of course was everything else. Well – he did steal 15 bases. But the .225 average was enough to make most owners want to crawl into a hole. Career-high 64 walks. Wouldn’t shock us to see a slight rebound in batting average to .245-.250 and OPS of around .800 because of his park. Faces an uncertain future as a White Sox member.

12. Adrian Beltre, Texas Rangers

The foundation has been laid for a Hall of Fame career. Another 32 home runs, 104 RBI, and .300 batting average on the nose. He just feels like a guy that if you draft him, the bottom finally falls out. And that’s our fear with Beltre.

13. Justin Turner, Los Angeles Dodgers

His 2016 season could end up one of the best he ever has. Probably was a good decision to return to Los Angeles where he isn’t expected to really be a focal point or anything more than he really is. The last three seasons show him as a .296 hitter with a .856 OPS. He will be 32, and should be productive for at least another two or three seasons. The merry-go round will eventually stop, and he’s nothing special. But he’s in the top 15 at the position for now.

Tier Five:

14. Miguel Sano, Minnesota Twins

Feels like a guy who could lead baseball in HR/AB. Also seems like a guy who could hit .220, bury you in batting average, and stay lost for weeks at a time. We are absolutely tantalized by his upside, but scared to death of his floor. This will probably be the last year he hangs onto any type of third base eligibility. When will the Twins’ murdering of young prospects end?

15. Ryon Healy, Oakland Athletics

Very, very intriguing name who had just 72 games in the second half. Changed his swing to become a power hitter and ended up with impressive results in that Oakland Coliseum morgue. The strikeouts are going to become a concern, but the guy can flat out mash. We’ve seen enough to know.

Best of the Rest: Jose Ramirez, Jake Lamb, Maikel Franco, Javier Baez, Nick Castellanos, Mike Moustakas, Hernan Perez, Yoan Moncada, Jedd Gyorko

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Brooklynn

Much like Maplewood Village and Lions Gate Village, Lynn Creek/Seylynn is undergoing a transformation into a walkable, transit oriented hub.  Brooklynn by Wanson Developments will be the next development to come up in the Lynn Creek/Seymour Village centre. Brooklynn will be a mixed use building consisting of ground floor retail and 63 1, 2 & 3 Bedroom condos.

More information and sales are expected to be released in March of 2017, register with us today to be kept up to date on this development and may others like it coming to the North Shore.

 

 

 

E. & O. E. This is not an offering for sale. An offering for sale may only be made after filing a Disclosure Statement under the Real Estate Development Marketing Act

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Cedar Reach at Maplewood

After the very successful development of Loden Green by Guildford Developments and Maplewood Place by Anthem, as well as the Northwood Estates Rental suite and shopping centre,  Maplewood Villages is rapidly becoming a hot spot in North Vancouver. Cedar Reach is the newest development coming soon to the area.  Cedar Reach will be modern collection of homes featuring 163 One, Two, and Three bedroom homes in the heart of Maplewood Village.  Within a short stroll to Northwood Shopping centre, including Strong’s Market, Deep Cove Brewing. banking and liquor store, Cedar Reach will be designed with West Coast architecture and storage space for all your gear to fully enjoy the outdoors its surrounded by.

If you’d like to receive more information on this development or any other coming to the North Shore, register with us today to be kept up to date.

 

 

 

E. & O. E. This is not an offering for sale. An offering for sale may only be made after filing a Disclosure Statement under the Real Estate Development Marketing Act

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Belle Isle by Citimark Developments

Lions Gate Village was approved under the new OCP a couple years ago, we are now seeing the changes coming with Park West slated to begin sales in the coming months, as well as Larco’s rental community, but Belle Isle will be the first ground oriented townhome development, when all phases are completed will include 164, 1, 2

, and 3 bedroom townhomes and garden flats.

Belle Isle will be centrally located in a new community within walking distance of Park Royal, a 15 minute drive to downtown and quick access to bus routes directly downtown, or anywhere on the North Shore

To be kept up to date on this development or any on the North Shore register with us today.

E. & O. E. This is not an offering for sale. An offering for sale may only be made after filing a Disclosure Statement under the Real Estate Development Marketing Act

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Tommy Hilfiger Lists Colorful, Eye-Candy Estate for $27.5M

Tommy Hilfiger’s estate is exactly what you’d expect from the iconic fashion designer: unexpected, stylish and avant garde. While he didn’t design the home himself, Hilfiger and his wife, Dee, worked with interior designer Martyn Lawerence Bullard to create the whimsical, eclectic feel of their custom abode.

The Hilfigers bought the 14,079-square-foot, 7-bed, 8-bath spread for $17.25 million less than four years ago. They are now asking $27.5 million for the residence.

Photos courtesy of Zachary Balber.

Located in the exclusive Golden Beach neighborhood outside Miami, the home offers unobstructed ocean views and 100 feet of water frontage. The backyard also boasts a oceanfront infinity pool, nestled into the expansive palm-filled backyard.

The indoor views are equally impressive. The entryway welcomes visitors with crisp white walls, white glass tiles and the smooth, curved lines of a contrasting black marble staircase. The monochromatic theme continues in the kitchen with sleek white cabinetry and striped black-and-white floors.

The bedrooms, on the other hand, are colorful and patterned. One is reminiscent of a candy cane, with swirling red and white stripes encircling the walls; another is punctuated with yellow polka dots of varying sizes. The only room with somewhat expected decor is Tommy’s home office, which features the signature colors of the Hilfiger brand.

The listing agents are The Jills of Coldwell Banker.

Related:

• Sleepless in SoHo? Meg Ryan’s Loft Awaits

• It’s a Sell for Warren Buffett in Laguna Beach

• Julia Roberts Takes a Bath on Kauai Estate

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Get Ready to Grow: 6 Tips for Planning Your Spring Garden

Spring fever got you dreaming of lush gardens and sunshine? Despite what you might see on TV, beautiful landscapes don’t happen overnight. Weeds will invade your beds and need to be pulled. The mulch will break down and require replacing. And your attention span will no doubt move on to shinier things long enough for your garden to fall into disrepair.

Your spring fever may be temporary, but if you get to know your garden's unique conditions and choose the right plants, you'll ensure that both the garden - and your enthusiasm for it - will last for a lifetime.

Invest in your soil

To get the dirt on your dirt, perform a soil test with your local agricultural extension office. This will tell you everything you need to know about what will grow there and how to improve it.

In the meantime, amend your soil with as much organic matter as possible - either by starting a compost pile or by adding bags of composted manure. This will give it a better texture, a diverse population of beneficial organisms, and more fertility.

If your soil is poorly drained, either grow plants that tolerate wet feet, or install a dry creek bed or French drain to prevent standing water.

Ditch the trash trees

With any luck, the trees that you plant today will be there for a long, long time. Keeping that in mind, don't grow things that you'll regret one day - like a messy silver maple that drops seeds all over the lawn, or a cypress that will eventually dwarf your house.

When choosing a tree or shrub for your garden, consider the eventual size, form, and habit. Avoid planting anything that has weak limbs or is susceptible to pests and blights, because tree removal is a costly and unnecessary expense.

Understand your garden's sunlight

Those little “full sun” and “part shade” icons are on the plant tag for a reason - too much sunlight will burn the foliage and compromise the plant's health, while too little will make it lanky and weak.

Choose plants that thrive in your conditions. A spot that receives eight or more hours of direct sunlight is a perfect place to grow vegetables, fruit trees, and most flowers. Part to full shade is ideal for growing plants like perennials, ferns, and small trees that are naturally found in the forest's understory.

If you have a shady yard but can't live without roses and tomatoes, consider hiring a professional arborist to remove trees or large limbs to get more sunlight.

Purchase plants with confidence

If it seems like everything you grow dies sooner or later, stop buying unhealthy plants. Inspect the foliage at the garden center and slip the plant out of its pot to check for firm, white, and healthy roots. The best place to buy healthy plants is at a local garden center, but otherwise, purchase them shortly after they've arrived on a shipment.

If you can't find the plant you're looking for, order seeds, bulbs, and plants online from reputable sellers like Burpee Seeds and Plants, Brent and Becky's Bulbs, and Plant Delights Nursery.

Plant for all four seasons

It's tempting to do all your plant shopping in spring, but those pretty blooms will soon fade away. To avoid 11 months of boredom, choose a variety of plants that offer interest at different times of the year.

Grow summer-blooming plants like canna, coneflowers, and guara to keep the show going until fall, when colorful foliage and fall bloomers like mums and goldenrod take over.

For winter interest, look to trees with interesting branch patterns and bark, as well as unusual cultivars of evergreens - like heuchera and abelia - or even architectural, hardy palms and succulents.

Divide and conquer

Here's a huge money-saving trick: Choose a perennial, bulb, or ornamental grass that can be propagated by division - one that you'd love to see growing all over your garden in a few years.

Plant several copies of that plant in your garden. After a couple of years, divide the plants by digging them up and slicing through the middle with a sharp spade. For best results, do this in spring when the weather is cool and the plant is actively growing.

Plant the divisions in the ground again, cover the space between the plants with mulch, and water them thoroughly to help them establish. Repeat these steps every two years, and you'll have not only a ton of free plants, but also a garden that looks cohesive and established.

Spring is a season of boundless energy and renewal - make sure to channel that springtime energy while you have it and turn it into a garden you’ll enjoy all year long!

Related:

• 9 Tips for Preparing a Fabulous Flower Bed
• 5 Tools Every Gardener Should Splurge On
• Getting Your Garden Ready for Fall

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5 Questions to Ask Potential Mortgage Lenders

Buying a home is the largest purchase many consumers will ever make, and many will turn to a lender for financing. But finding a lender you click with can be a challenge, especially if you wait until the last minute.

Li-Ning Huang, a research manager on Fannie Mae's economic and strategic research team, says buyers should start talking to lenders early in the process - before you fall in love with a home - and compare several quotes. "Otherwise, you could end up choosing a lender based on convenience," she says.

Avoid buyer's remorse

Twenty-one percent of home buyers reported buyer's remorse over their lender, according to a recent J.D. Power study.

Among first-time home buyers, that rose to 27 percent. Dissatisfied respondents cited a lack of communication, unmet promises, and feeling pressured to select a specific mortgage product.

“If you're not getting a call back, or don't understand what's going on, look elsewhere,” advises Angie Hicks, founder of Angie's List. Last year, about 9 percent of the real estate pros received C, D, or F grades from Angie's List members.

"People happy with their mortgage pros cited quick, friendly, clear responses and fair pricing," says Hicks. "There are plenty of qualified, trustworthy lenders out there."

Find the right lender

It's important to find a lender or broker who communicates well with you, and in a manner you're comfortable with. This applies whether you're meeting face-to-face with a lender, or working online and over the phone. Does the lender explain things well? Are they willing to spend the time? Or do they seem rushed and irritated?

To test the waters, Hicks suggests asking these five open-ended questions:

1. Is this the right time for me to buy?
   The lender's answer will depend on your circumstances - such as your debt-to-income ratio, how much you plan to put down, and other factors. What's important is that they explain your situation in a way you understand.
2. What personal debts - like credit cards - should I pay down before closing? And how soon do I need to do that to qualify for a good rate?
   Lenders should explain what they're looking for in your credit history and how you might improve your credit score. According to credit reporting agency Experian, on a scale ranging from 300-850, a credit score of 700 or above is generally considered good. A score of 800 or above is considered excellent. If you aren't sure what to expect, you can order your free credit report online.
3. Should I pay points to lower my interest rate?
   Your interest rate may be paired with mortgage discount points. One discount point typically amounts to 1 percent of the loan amount. So one point on a $250,000 mortgage would equal $2,500. A lender should explain the options. "The longer you plan on living in your home, the more sense it may make to pay points," advises the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
4. How much will I need to pay at closing? Do I pay by check, wire transfer, or bank check?
   Make sure you really understand how the money will be transferred when the deal closes. There's been an uptick in scammers swiping the buyer's closing funds during electronic transfers, according to the Federal Trade Commission.
5. Who will service my loan?
   A servicer is the company that collects your mortgage payments and deals with late or missed payments. Some lenders service their own mortgages or outsource servicing. Others might sell the mortgage. While you have no say on who services your loan, this question gives lenders the opportunity to talk about the scope of their business and commitment to you.

Buying a home is an exciting time - finding a lender shouldn’t ruin the experience for you. Take it slow, ask the right questions, and you’re sure to find a great fit.

For more tips and resources, check out our Mortgage Learning Center.

Related:

• Mortgage Broker vs. Mortgage Lender
• Top 5 Ways to Find a Mortgage Lender
• 4 Ways To Ensure Your Online Lender Is Credible

from Zillow Porchlight http://ift.tt/2lOeLX5

The divine melody

Zaki heard Xa asking his friends what was the most beautiful sound on Earth. ‘The sound of the flute,’ said one. ‘Birdsong,’ said another. ‘A woman’s voice,’ said a third. They continued the discussion late into the night, without reaching any conclusion. Days later, Zaki invited Xa and his friends to supper. In the room […]

from Paulo Coelho http://ift.tt/2lVn05X

Corey Seager didn’t have his ‘A’ Swing in 2016

Pretty good little story making it’s rounds around the different sites that cover the game of baseball recently. Corey Seager is telling reporters that he didn’t have his ‘A’ swing last season when he burst on the scene and won the National League Rookie of the Year Award.

Beneath the surface, though, Seager was discontent. Early in the season, he fumbled in search of a daily routine. By the end, he felt exhausted and frazzled. Along the way, “more often than I would have liked,” he said, his swing did not cooperate with his will.

“I was obviously comfortable,” Seager said. “There was obviously success. But it wasn’t what I ideally would have wanted.”

As Justin Turner later added in talking to the same reporter, it will be interesting to see what happens when Seager does find that swing. It’s almost scary to think about.

We buy this. Seager mentioned several times last season about fatigue starting to take grasp of him down the stretch into September. He played in a lot of baseball games, and that can be a big change for any young player to get accustomed to.

An interesting part of the article referenced above in the LA Times is the routine that Seager has gotten himself into to be ready to play each day. He says it’s essential. It also talks about Seager’s order at Panera Bread, getting used to stardom, how Chase Utley has served as his mentor; and most shockingly, Pat Burrell served as Utley’s mentor!

from Diamond Hoggers http://ift.tt/2lKUHF6

Best of the web for Design and Web Development February 2017

The second month of the year coming to a close we have put together another great roundup of the best highlights of month from Photoshop to Illustrator tutorials. Learning how to create a water blaster illustration to creating an airbrushed poster effect. We have also included some worthwhile reading web and design related blogs posts from mistakes running A digital project to 25 logo design tips from several experts. There’s tons of great post in the monthly wrap up, which I hope you enjoy.

Photoshop

How to Create a Desktop Illustration in Adobe Illustrator

n this tutorial I will show you how to create an amazing night desktop using basic shapes and tools in Adobe Illustrator. It’s very easy and fun!

How To Create an Editable Retro Text Style in Illustrator

Many of the text effect tutorials I produce for Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop tend to require the text to be permanently set, which means if the wording needs changing, the effect would have to be created all over again from scratch. In today’s tutorial I’m going to cover some useful tricks that incorporate the Appearance panel in Illustrator to create a Graphic Style that works with live text. See how a range of fills and strokes can be layered to produce a trendy retro style text effect, while retaining the ability to alter the wording and change the font.

How To Create Vector Smoke in Illustrator

Today you’ll find out how to create vector smoke with the help of gradient meshes, Transparency panel and Warp Tool. This is a very simple technique that every beginner can master, but you will still need to work hard to get a good result.

How to Design a Flat Sci-Fi Blaster in Adobe Illustrator

Are you keen on sci-fi movies, games, and fancy weapons? Follow this tutorial and try your hand at weapon design by creating a futuristic space blaster in trendy flat style.

Photoshop

Create Dispersion Disintegration Effect In Photoshop

Learn how to create dispersion effect in Photoshop using this free action. You can create endless dispersion disintegration photo effects using the dispersion brushes included in this pack.

Airbrushed Film Poster Photo Effect

In Photoshop tutorial your been shown you a mix of filters and adjustments we can apply to a photograph to mimic the retro style airbrushed painted look associated with classic film posters. Imagine the poster art for original Star Wars trilogy, the Indiana Jones movies, and pretty much any action/adventure film from the 80s! They all feature incredibly life-like depictions of the the actors and characters, which are almost like photos, but they have a clear hand painted appearance with subtle brush strokes, outlining marks and quite high contrast with vibrant colours.

How to Create a Glossy, Puffy Text Effect in Adobe Photoshop

This tutorial you will be shown how to use Photoshop’s layer styles to create a super quick and easy glossy, puffy text effect.

Create artwork with both real and digital brushstrokes

In this tutorial, Adi Gilbert explains how he produces beautifully-crafted illustrations using a blend of traditional brushwork, and digital techniques with a tablet, stylus and Photoshop.

 

Web and design articles

10 mistakes that are ruining the success of your digital projects

The nature of digital requires a unique approach to managing projects. We need to embrace new working practices if we want to see success.

25 logo design tips from the experts

Master the art of branding with these expert logo design tips.

A guide to cross-browser testing: installing all the things

So, you’ve written a website. Your carefully crafted HTML, CSS and JavaScript sits waiting to be sucked through the ether into the wild world of browsers.

A Straightforward Guide to the WordPress Template Hierarchy

If you’re building your own themes for WordPress, or using a child theme to customize a third party theme, at some point you’ll come across the template hierarchy.

How Stack Overflow Redesigned the Top Navigation

We launched this update today as part of a series of changes supporting our core mission: Make developers’ lives better. In the past year, we fully integrated our by-developers, for-developers Jobs product. We added a whole new content type — Documentation — to help you find even more solutions to your programming questions. And we added Developer Story to help developers ditch the outdated resume format.

Creating Non-Rectangular Headers

Headers (or, more generally, any container element) that have a non-rectangular shape.

from Creative Nerds http://ift.tt/2loNd9I