1.  Clean out the rain gutters – If you have rain gutters on your home, fall is the best time to get them cleaned. Cleaning rain gutters isn’t that difficult of a task, it’s just a tedious one. The easiest way to get rid of the junk is to use a high pressure hose, and then use a small trowel to get rid of the rest of the debris. Once you have gotten rid of all the debris, give your gutters a final spray.

2.  Take care of your pots and planters – If you’re like most homeowners, you have some planters or potted plants sitting around the yard. Before it gets too cold, be sure to empty the dirt out of any pots or planters and put them in a place where they won’t freeze. If you don’t empty or store your planters, there’s a good chance they will either crack or fall apart.

3.  Rake the leaves – Keeping your yard free of leaves is an important task for homeowners. If you have numerous trees in your yard and piles of leaves that you don’t take care of, you might find that your grass is dead once spring arrives. Leaves can smother your lawn and replacing a lawn can cost a lot of money, so it’s a good rule of thumb to get rid of the leaves in the fall.

4.  Weed and feed the lawn – The best time to weed and feed the lawn is in the fall. If you add weed killer in the fall, the weeds will store the poison in their roots during the winter season, and will prevent a breakout in the spring. By feeding your lawn with fertilizer in the fall, you are promoting healthy root growth, and this will help your lawn grow greener and faster in the spring.

5.  Give your tools a tune-up – Once you have finished your fall maintenance chores, make sure you clean your tools and store them in a dry place so they will be in working order once spring arrives. Be sure to store metal shovels with the head upwards, as this will help detour rusting when it dries. Sheers need to be oiled up, wheel barrels should be left upside down and don’t forget to spray off the underside of the lawnmower.

In addition to tangible financial benefits, homeownership brings substantial social benefits for families, communities, and the country as a whole. Because of these societal benefits, policy makers have promoted homeownership through a number of channels. Homeownership has been an essential element of the American Dream for decades and continues to be so even today.

The purpose of this paper is to review existing academic literature that documents the social benefits of homeownership. Furthermore, this paper examines not only the ownership of homes, but also the impact of stable housing–as opposed to transitory housing and homelessness—on social outcomes, looking specifically at the following outcome measures:

•Educational achievement;
•Civic participation;
•Health benefits;
•Crime;
•Public assistance; and
•Property maintenance and improvement.

1. Reconsider that plasma TV. The three biggest energy hogs in the family room are the plasma television, DVR/Tivo box, and digital cable box, says the nonprofit American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy, which promotes energy efficiency to consumers and government policymakers.

A typical plasma TV (less than 40 inches) consumes 441 kilowatt hours of electricity per year, according to ACEEE. That translates into about $50 (based on 11.3 cents per kilowatt hour). Next up are TiVo devices at $41 annually, followed by digital cable boxes at $27. Both devices are always fully on because they constantly receive and download data.

Opting for an LCD (liquid crystal display) TV will cost about $8 to operate annually—for an annual savings of about $42 over the plasma. Of course, weigh your decision against the cost of a new TV.

2. Reduce standby power. Vampire power—the energy that’s wasted by electronic devices that are plugged in, but not in use—represents about $100 per year in the average household’s electricity costs, says Energy Star. Assuming the family room represents about 15% of your electricity bill, you could save about $15 per year with smart standby practices.

Unplug rarely used electronics (like that karaoke machine) altogether and cluster other appliances, even adapters for cell phones and digital cameras, onto power strips ($3-$12 for a six-outlet strip). Then you can fully turn off all attached electronics with one switch.

Unfortunately, some family room electronics, such as set-top boxes and downloading devices like TiVo, can’t be turned off, because that would disrupt the digital data-gathering you’ve programmed them to do. But with a so-called smart power strip (about $20 to $40 through online retailers), you can completely turn off your TV while leaving the always-on DVR plugged in.

3. Opt for Energy Star-rated electronics. They’re anywhere from 6% (audio products) to 75% (DVD players) more efficient than non-rated electronics. Take Energy Star-rated television sets. They use about one-third less energy than their nonrated counterparts.

If you can’t live without plasma, consider an Energy Star model for which you’ll pay $18 less per year in operating costs than for a nonrated one. If you use an Energy Star-rated digital cable box (ask your provider if any are available for no charge), you could pay 30% less for energy—an annual savings of about $8.50. Energy Star hasn’t yet published data on swapping out a DVR or Tivo device.

4. Invest in rechargeable batteries. No, they won’t help you save on your electric bill. But you’ll save on the cost of batteries for your video game system and other entertainment remotes, according to PJ Stafford, founder of Green Irene, an eco-consulting company that provides energy and environmental makeovers to homeowners. You’ll help the environment, too. For every rechargeable battery you buy, you prevent at least 500 single-use batteries from entering the waste stream, Stafford says.

Consider a game system charger station, which runs about $25, or outfit your media room with 10 rechargeable batteries and two chargers for $55 to $65. (Rechargeable AA and AAA batteries cost $3 to 3.50 apiece, versus 75 cents to $1 for disposables; a charger costs $25 to $30.) That investment in rechargeable batteries and chargers, in lieu of 500 batteries over four years, adds up to about $310 to $445 in savings. Buying a charging system for your video game system eliminates the need to buy batteries for the controllers.

Call your local trash collection service to find out which batteries can be recycled or taken to a transfer station versus being thrown away. If you’re doing a major sweep-out of old batteries and appliances, consider Big Green Box, which lets you send your devices and batteries to a sustainable processing facility. Recycle old rechargeable batteries for free via programs like Call 2 Recycle.

5. Replace bulbs with compact fluorescents. By replacing one 60-watt incandescent bulb with the equivalent compact fluorescent in a family room where lights are on for four hours per day, you could save $7 per year. CFLs cost between $2 and $15.

By: Jane Hodges Published: September 23, 2009 Jane Hodges has written about real estate for publications including The Wall Street Journal, MSNBC.com, and The Seattle Times. In 2007 she won a Bivins Fellowship from the National Association of Real Estate Editors to pursue a book on women and real estate. Her work has also appeared in The New York Times, CBS’s BNET, and Fortune. She lives in Seattle, in a 1966 raised rancher with an excellent retro granite fireplace. Latest home project: Remodeling a basement bathroom.

September 4, 2010 from 9 AM- 2PM.

The Brevard/Transylvania Chamber of Commerce is announcing the 2nd Annual Farm Fair, an exciting Labor Day weekend event. Due to the large amount of producers in our county, and the success of the 1st event, it was decided to hold the Second Annual Transylvania Farm Fair on Saturday, September 4. The event will take place at the American Legion Building, both indoors and outdoors, from 9:00 am until 2:00 pm. The purpose of the event will be to promote our Transylvania County producers.

Don’t miss the Jam/Jelly contest and the Ugly Truck Contest!

Plan to spend the day! The Heritage Museum will also be celebrating their 2nd Annual Founders Day from 11-5.

HGTV’s guide to decorating small spaces includes these tips:

—Determine your priorities, making rooms fit your needs and lifestyle. If a desk is more important than a dining table, for example, eat at the kitchen counter or coffee table.

—Furniture using clear materials such as Lucite and glass give the impression of openness while delivering function.

—Lamps placed at different heights brighten small rooms and make them seem larger.

—Round tables, rugs and pillows, and chairs and sofas with curves help small rooms feel less boxy.

—Floating shelves instead of cabinets add storage but look airy and chic.

Mozart’s delightful opera exemplifies intrigue and deceit. This is the story of a botched attempt at marital infidelity. The story provides subtle mockery of the nobility – the very benefactors who financed Mozart’s work. This opera features some of the composer’s best-known arias and duets.

Baritone Jonathan Christopher will be playing the role of Figaro. He come from Bermuda, and is attending McGill University. He previously performed as Guglielmo in Cosi fan tutte and Ubalde in Armide. Soprano Sara Ptak dazzles in the role of Susanna. She is from Peru, IL, and attends DePaul University. Notable roles include Gretel in Hansel und Gretel and Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi. Soprano Véronique Coutu plays the Countess. She hails from Montreal, Canada, and attends McGill University. She has performed as Colinette in Colas et Colinette, Dido in Dido and Aeneas, and Nancy in Albert Herring. Baritone John Allen Nelson will play the role of the count. He hails from Kansas City, MO, and attends UMKC Conservatory of Music. Notable roles include Belcore in L’Elisir d’Amore. Lastly, Cherubino is played by mezzo-soprano Reilly Nelson. She is from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, and attends the Eastman School of Music. She has performed as Rose in The Secret Garden and Dryad in Ariadne auf Naxos.