Jessica Friedland's Blog Posts

The 9 Super Useful Tools Every DIYer NeedsThat tape measure you have? It’s probably all wrong.Those spare Allen wrenches and $1 tape measure from Ikea aren’t going to cut it if you’re making

7 Smart Strategies for Bathroom RemodelingHere’s how to get the bathroom of your dreams without making your budget a nightmare.You dream about a bathroom that’s high on comfort and personal,

Simple things you can do, like flipping a switch on your ceiling fan (the wrong direction will make your room colder)!The Frugal Energy Savings Guide!1. Clean Light bulbs and Fixtures - Brightens

Home pricing is more of a science than an art, but many homeowners price with their heartstrings instead of cold, hard data. Smart sellers know that crunching the numbers is always the better

One of the biggest misconceptions of home buying? The 20% down payment. Here’s how to buy with a lot less down.Buying your first home conjures up all kinds of warm and fuzzy emotions: pride, joy,

Did you ever notice that your self-improvement pacts with yourself are action oriented? Walk 10,000 steps a day. Fix that leaky faucet. Register for VolunteerMatch.But “get organized�? It’s a

Fall and winter start cozy â€” who hasn’t used the colder temperatures as an excuse to binge-watch Netflix while swaddled in a couch blanket?But come January, staying indoors can feel

Refacing Your Kitchen Cabinets: The Options and CostsRefacing your kitchen cabinets includes covering the exposed frames with a thin veneer of real wood or plastic laminate.Doors and drawer fronts

New homeowners may have heard that winterization is important, but in the hubbub of your first year living in a home you own (finally!), it can be easy to overlook the need to prepare for the cold

I'm going to admit something. I have never been to an ugly Christmas sweater party. Nor have a I actually participated in an ugly Christmas sweater contest. Saturday that is going to change. We have

I'm sitting in the office looking out at the snow and listening to holiday music on Pandora and am loving it!  Our family has been throwing around ideas on what to do this weekend in the

A solid game plan can help you narrow your homebuying search to find the best home for you.House hunting is just like any other shopping expedition. If you identify exactly what you want and do some

I could literally eat Marshmallow Treats every meal of the day. Love. Them. So. Much. Needless to say when I find  creative ways to enhance their awesomeness, I skip to the kitchen. 

Buy Your First Home in One Year: A Step-by-Step GuideA real yard. Closets bigger than your average microwave. The freedom to decorate however you darn well please! Making the switch from

Everyone wants a festive drink at that Ugly Sweater party coming up this weekend. There are so many different concoctions and a variety of websites and cookbooks to view it can be overwhelming to

I love a good playlist. I love a variety of genres- you should see my Pandora and Spotify list. This time of year I drive my husband and twelve year old nuts with Christmas songs. As a general rule,

Staging your house can make you money. Seventy-one percent of sellers’ agents believe a well-staged environment increases the dollar value buyers are willing to offer, according to the 

The inside scoop on what it takes to make a holiday light show go viral.By Lisa Kaplan Gordon If you’ve got deep pockets and time on your hands, you can turn your ho-hum Christmas lights

Never underestimate the power of an extra iPhone charger. You’re expecting houseguests. Fun! You want them to feel welcome, comfortable, and — dare we say it? — maybe even a tad envious

It’s all about priorities. Oh, and hiding messes. That, too.SHARE THIS Email This Pin This Tweet This TOPICImprove, Organize & Maintain, Cleaning & Decluttering Print article

Are you waiting for spring to sell your home… like everyone else?  I keep hearing from people that they are getting ready to sell but waiting for the Spring.  Right now we have â€

I've started a new routine of taking 10 minutes each night, to tackle 5 things that have since made a world of difference in the overall upkeep of our home. It makes mornings easier and nights more

Punxsutawney Phil make me nervous.  Dead serious. EVERY YEAR he sees his shadow, freaks out and goes into hiding for another 6 weeks. Up here in the Pacific Northwest that makes us crazy.

Spring is right around the corner...Punxsutawney Phil (America's favorite groundhog) didn't see his shadow, so that means an early spring is just around the corner. There is no better time then

Our real estate market is hot right now and there is a lot of love in the air with fantastic prices and low interest rates.  The internet has drastically changed the way people meet their new

I often hear misunderstandings of what earnest money is and what it means to a contract in Washington State.  It is a very important factor in the home buying process and should be understood

Mortgage Rates Drop Again...Mortgage rates lower for the fifth week in a row, confounding the experts, and are now at their lowest level since late April 2015. Meanwhile, a couple of reports

Ready to Buy?3 things to consider as you begin to shopReady to buy your first home?  Well maybe you are closer than you think.  Although many first time homebuyers begin the process with