All Blog Entries by Alexander Chandler 
There are currently 118 blog entries published by Alexander Chandler.
How to Get Kids to Save Energy
Monday, January 7th, 2013 at 9:21am. 278 Views, 0 Comments.
How to Get Kids to Save Energy
Published: August 29, 2012
Want your kids to pitch in and help save energy? Green parenting bloggers weigh in on getting kids to flip the switch and stop wasting energy.
Kids have more important things to think about than turning off the lights. But discovering the lights blazing in an empty room for the umpteenth time is enough to make any parent scream, especially when the power bill arrives.
The good news is, you can train your kids about the importance of saving energy right from the start. Here’s great advice from some of our favorite bloggers who know a thing or three about kids.
1. Let them take charge.
Jenn Savedge, who blogs at The Green Parent, practices a little…
2201 Primrose Ave. - Oakhurst - $30,000 Below Appraisal!!!
Monday, December 31st, 2012 at 10:06am. 182 Views, 0 Comments.
Alexander Chandler Realty and Lisa Purselley present the home at 2201 Primrose Ave. This home is located in the Historic Oakhurst Addition off of I-35 and Yucca near downtown Fort Worth. This charming 1938 home offers 2,439 square feet with a flexible floor plan that could be a 2 or 3 bedroom home, depending on your needs.
Gourmet kitchen with granite countertops, large eat-in island with granite, stainless-steel appliances, custom texture and paint are a few of the improvements that modernize this home but yet you still has the feel of its era. Beautiful hardwood floors flow through the downstairs rooms of this home with original glass doorknobs.
Oakhurst was awarded 1st Place for National Neighborhoods USA in 2007. Located by major…
Understanding Real Estate Representation
Thursday, December 27th, 2012 at 10:57am. 119 Views, 0 Comments.
Understanding Real Estate Representation
Published: March 29, 2010
Whether you’re buying or selling, it’s important to choose representation that meets your needs in the transaction.
1. Buyer’s agency
When you’re buying a home, you can hire an agent who represents only you, called an exclusive buyer’s representative or agent. A buyer's agent works in your best interest and owes you a fiduciary duty. You can pay your buyer’s agent yourself, or ask the seller, or the seller’s agent, to pay your agent a share of their sales commission.
If you’re selling your home and hiring an agent to list it exclusively, you’ve hired a selling representative--an agent who owes fiduciary duties to you.…
Home Safety Checklist
Monday, December 3rd, 2012 at 11:00am. 185 Views, 1 Comments.
Safety Checklist
Brian DePrang, Professional Inspector #5640 and owner of Square Foot Inspections in Fort Worth, TX offers the following information and checklist to make your home a safer environment. His contact number is 817-703-8400.
Each year, according to estimates by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), nearly one million people are treated in hospital emergency rooms for injuries associated with the products they live with and use everyday.
CPSC recommends the use of grab-bars and non-slip mats in the bathtub, handrails on both sides of the stairs, and slip-resistant carpets and rugs. Burns occur from hot tap water and from open flame. CPSC recommends that consumers turn down the temperature of their water heater to 120…
5 Secrets Your Contractor Doesn't Want You to Know
Thursday, November 29th, 2012 at 11:42am. 98 Views, 0 Comments.
5 Secrets Your Contractor Doesn’t Want You to Know
Published: July 5, 2012
You think of your contractor as an ally and partner — but he’s a primarily a businessman who may not reveal all. Here’s how to level the playing field.
1. He's desperate for your business
As tough as the economy has been overall, the construction industry has been in far worse shape. While the national unemployment rate has hovered around 8%, for construction workers it’s been a whopping 17% and higher.
What you should do: It doesn’t mean you should play hardball with your contractor on his price (because he might cut corners on the job if you do), but if you ask for an itemized bid, and explain that you're getting them from a…
8 Tips to Make Your Remodel More Energy Efficient and Your Home Healthier
Tuesday, November 20th, 2012 at 12:44pm. 190 Views, 0 Comments.
8 Tips to Make Your Remodel More Energy Efficient and Your Home Healthier
Published: October 18, 2012
As long as you’re remodeling, why not cut your utility bill and make your home a bit healthier?
Saving energy wasn’t on the list of reasons we’re finally ripping out the kitchen in our mid-century home (green-veined, imitation marble laminate countertops figured much more prominently). But, a session at the recent 2012 Remodeling Show in Baltimore clued me in as to why adding a few simple tasks to our remodeling plan could lower our home’s energy bill, get rid of some of the annoying hot and cold spots in our house, and make our home less hospitable to mold and other allergens.
Carl Seville, author of…
HOAs: What You Need To Know About Rules
Friday, November 16th, 2012 at 11:15am. 459 Views, 0 Comments.
HOAs: What You Need To Know About Rules
Published: September 8, 2009
Lobbying for change in your homeowners association’s rules requires procedure, compromise, and perhaps joining the board.
HOA facts
Each HOA, a volunteer group of neighbors who manage common areas of a subdivision, creates its own covenants, conditions, and restrictions. These CC&Rs cover resident behavior (no glass containers around the pool), property management (no fences higher than 8 feet) and common responsibilities (fee schedules and fines for non-compliance).
Average annual dues for a homeowners association is $420, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. And there's value in the fee. A 2005 study, which appeared in the Cato…
Holiday Cleaning: Tips for a Guest-Ready Home
Friday, November 16th, 2012 at 11:04am. 938 Views, 0 Comments.
Holiday Cleaning: Tips for a Guest-Ready Home
Published: December 14, 2011
How deep do you go when cleaning for holiday guests? There are some who take it to the extreme — but you can have a clean home without going overboard.
If you think wiping down countertops and fluffing a few pillows in advance of the guest onslaught will land you on Santa’s “nice” list this holiday season, check that list twice. The extreme cleaners (telephone buttons! vacuum brushes! remote controls!) featured in this New York Times article may make you feel like a slacker.
But you can bring your home to sparkling guest-readiness without going overboard. A few tips from the "Times" will keep your home merry, bright, and clean:…
Outdoor Lighting for Curb Appeal and Safety
Tuesday, October 30th, 2012 at 9:05am. 219 Views, 0 Comments.
Outdoor Lighting for Curb Appeal and Safety
Published: March 18, 2010
Well-planned outdoor lighting improves curb appeal, safety, and security for your home.
Mimicking moonlight
Much of the success of exterior lighting hinges on its design. Hang around lighting designers long enough and you’ll hear a lot of talk about “moonlight effect.” That’s a naturalistic look that features light no more intense than that of a full moon, but still strong enough to make beautiful shadows and intense highlights.
Other techniques outdoor lighting designers use:
- Highlight trees: Whether illumined from below or given presence by a light mounted in the tree itself, trees make stunning features.
- Use uplights:…
Evaluate Your House for a Family Room Addition
Wednesday, October 24th, 2012 at 2:16pm. 231 Views, 0 Comments.
Evaluate Your House for a Family Room Addition
Published: March 18, 2010
A family room is one of the most straightforward additions you can build with a relatively large payback—and it’ll completely transform your home.
But also, a family room can be much more than just an addition: By building it next to the kitchen, with an open floor plan, you can create a single, multipurpose gathering space that’s well suited to life in the 21st century.
What’s involved
A 16-by-25 foot family room addition constructed over a crawlspace foundation, with vinyl siding, hardwood floors, recessed ceiling lights, and 180 square feet of glass, including windows and atrium-style doors (double French doors with fixed…