Tip # 1:  "Should you do the work yourself? This answer depends on a number of factors, including your abilities, your tools, your time and safely gear. Unless you are a highly skilled do-it-yourselfer, avoid taking on jobs that may be dangerous, particularly difficult, of where a mistake can be quite costly. Some jobs simply are not worth the risk. For example think twice before doing:

Extensive electrical work
Plumbing that involves crawling under the house
Roofing work on a steep or high roof
Difficult of laborious work, such as chopping out and pouring a new concrete floor
Siding work that requires scaffolding higher then two stories
Work where there may be hidden mysteries

Tip # 2:  "If your shower sprays freezing cold water when the dishwasher or washing machine kicks on, or scalds you when someone flushes a toilet, you have two basic choices:1. Organize shower schedules with appliance schedules or...2. have a pressure-balancing valve installed on the hot and cold water lines that supply the shower faucet. unless you're quite familiar with doing your own plumbing work, this is a job for a plumber.If that doesn't do it there's always HomeCare."

Tip # 3:  "Banish those stubborn Carpet Stains. Spots that reappear after cleaning are actually a combination of the dissolved soil, (usually something sticky), and the cleaning product that was worked in the base of the carpet during cleaning. Once surfaced, these areas become virtual dirt magnets. To keep spots from resurfacing, lay several sheets of paper towels over the freshly cleaned section and place a heavy object, like an enclopedia, on top. Leave in place for a few hours or overnight. As the carpet dries, any residual stain and cleaner will be absorbed by the toweling. If you have a need for professional carpet care, there's HomeCare."

Tip # 4:  "When moving into a new home, or just re-arranging your furniture, often you will find areas of the carpet that has dents of depressions from the furniture or heavy objects. Brush the dented area using a grooming tool to loosen and stand-up the mashed tufts. Using a stream iron, steam the dented area lightly and brush up the tufts with your fingertips. Don't let the iron touch the carpet. Hold the iron 2 - 3 inches above the carper. (For carpets containing acrylic or mod-acrylic, use the warm setting on a hair dryer, as the steam may felt the fibers.) Allow the carpet to cool completely. To give the rest of your carpet a fresh look without shampooing, try sweeping the carpet with a broom, which will make the nap stand up and loosen imbedded dirt. Then vacuum. The rug should show a noticeable improvement. To avoid further crushing, use casters under furniture legs. However, in the event you find that carpet simply needs a good cleaning, there's HomeCare."

Tip # 5:  "There are a number of simple things you can do to lessen the chance of infestation, whether it's from termites, ants, of even rodents. Don't put a welcome mat for them. Keeps stacks of firewood away from the house. Keeps trees and bushes trimmed from touching the siding. Don't leave piles of brush or leaves near the house. Have your roof checked by a professional every few years to check for signs of deterioration in the roof itself and all flashing. One particular spot that is prone to leakage is the flashing around the chimney. Even if you don't see any obvious wall or ceiling stains inside the house, the damp wood attracts ants and once they move in they will do considerable damage. Bird houses are a joy to many people during the winter months but they do more then attract birds. Rodents also love the seed, and will more likely take up residence in your house if you supply them such fine food source close to such great accommodations... your home. Even without a welcome mat, sometimes we simply find ourselves with uninvited guests and there's HomeCare."

Tip # 6:  "To remove hard water spots from the shower doors, cover stains with paper towels soaked in white vinegar. Let them set for about an hour, then scrub with dry baking soda on an old toothbrush. Once stains are removed, applying a light coat of lemon oil to the glass will help keep the build-up to a minimum and the glass sparkling. When listing a home, not all your clients needs will disappear to simply. For those that don't, there's HomeCare."

Tip # 7:  "While it seems that drains get clogged at the most inconvenient times, the fact is that drains warn us ahead of time. The problem is that we tend to ignore a "slow" drain until its too late. Prevention is still the best solution. To keep kitchen and bathroom drains clear of hair and clogged grease, try this weekly: pour one cub baking soda into the drain, followed by one cup vinegar. As the soda and vinegar foam, flush the drain with very hot water. In the event you do find yourself with a clogged drain.... there's HomeCare. Any home repair, maintenance, or improvement there's HomeCare."

Tip # 8:  "To rid yellowing from white appliances, try this: Mix together 1/2 cup bleach, 1/4 cup baking soda and 4 cups of warm water. Apply with a sponge and let set for 10 minutes. Rinse and dry thoroughly. You can wax large appliances with car wax to make them shine and remove scratches. In the event they need to be replaced, there's HomeCare. "

Tip # 9:  "Remember when you were a kid and you smelled everything? Well we still do. Especially when entering a home. Of course, its hard to smell your own home, because you live there all the time. But for people who don't have pets, even the cleanest dog still smells like a dog, and the freshest cat box still smells like a cat box. Keeping a special blend of cinnamon, cloves, and orange peel, in the water, simmering away in the kitchen is a great way to take the last minute showings, a quick and easy way to remove per hair from upholstery is to wipe your hand across the fabric while wearing a latex glove. "

Tip # 10:  "Many of people are confused by the difference between continuous-cleaning and self-cleaning ovens. A self-cleaning oven provides for the removal of soil during a separate high-heat cycle. This means you have to set the cycle for cleaning when needed. A continuous-cleaning oven gradually reduces oven soil on a specially treated surface to a "presentable" clean condition during normal baking or broiling operations. Each time you cook, the oven burns off the dirt and grease. You'll need to clean up large spills as they occur to keep the oven looking good. NEVER use any kind of cleaning aid in a continuous-cleaning oven or self-cleaning oven. The finish will be removed. Once that happens, the oven will no longer clean itself. Do all wiping up with ordinary detergent and water or window cleaner. In self-cleaning ovens, use plain water-dampened sponge or paper towels to wipe up the ash that remains in the bottom after the cleaning process has finished, In the event you find your oven needing more that leaning, there is always HomeCare."