Becky Bauer is an expert realtor in the Bloomington, Normal, Illinois area. She has many years of experience delivering stellar service to home buyers and home sellers. Becky loves to share her knowledge with others so that they can make the best decisions. Please feel free to read and share these articles on your social media platforms.
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MY BLOG
Things to Do When Moving Into a New House
It's easy to get super excited about moving into your new house. But for your own safety and security, be sure to cross these tasks off your checklist before you call the house home. 6 Things to Do When Moving Into Your New Home Tip #1 Change the Locks You really...
Can You Afford That House? 6 Easy Ways to Find Out
If you’re considering purchasing a home, you’ve likely already considered how much you have available for a down payment, what an ideal mortgage payment would be, and how much home you can actually afford based on your monthly income. But what about your lifestyle?...
7 Tips and Tricks to Keep Your Home Cleaner Longer
When cleaning your home, why not do it in such a way that'll keep your home cleaner with less effort? Here are 7 ways to keep your house spring-clean fresh all year long: #1 Use Humidity to Defy Dust Low humidity levels cause static electricity. Not only does static...
8 Spring Lawn Care Tasks You Need to Do Now
How to prepare your yard for spring so you can enjoy it more and work on it less. Temps might still be a long way from shorts and T-shirts, but if your soil is warming up, it's time to tackle your spring lawn care tasks. Especially if you want a gorgeous yard with the...
8 Easy Mistakes Homeowners Make on Their Taxes
Don’t rouse the IRS or pay more taxes than necessary — know the score to avoid common tax mistakes As you prepare your tax returns for 2022, be careful not to make any of these eight common tax mistakes, especially when it comes to the property tax deduction or...
8 Home Remodeling Projects With Top-Dollar Returns
Not all home improvements are created equal. These will reward you the most when it comes time to sell. Your home is in the perfect location, came at the perfect price, with the perfect lot. (Yay southern exposure!) But the home itself? Perfect isn’t the adjective...
7 Tips for a Profitable Home Closing
Be sure you’re walking away with all the money you’re entitled to from the sale of your home. When you’re ready to close on the sale of your home and move to your new home, you may be so close to the finish line that you coast, thinking there’s nothing left for you to...
Your Home’s Unsung Hero — The Closet
Closets get a bad rap: too small, too cluttered, never as perfect as we want them to be. It’s time to recognize the value they add (and get some savvy organizing tips) More vital than a bathroom, more useful than a kitchen, your closets make every other room look...
4 Affordable DIYs That Boost Home Value
We’ve got practical and pretty blogger projects that pack a payoff. These four projects can boost your home’s value and good looks for a lot less money that total room renovations. And you can knock out each yourself over a weekend -- or two. #1 Ikea Hack Transforms...
‘Eeeww!’ Stenches to Stop Now Before They Move in for Winter
What to sniff for, and how to kill it — quick From pet stench to kitchen stinks, house odors get amplified during the tightly sealed winter months. Here's how to deal with those shameful winter smells that prevent you from inviting friends over for a hot toddy. Cut...
What You Need to Know About Researching Home Prices
There are a lot of home pricing resources out there, and some are far better than others When it’s time to sell your house, you may be feeling a little anxious. A chapter of your life is closing. There’s a lot of money on the table. You may be thinking “Is my house...
12 Simple Home Repair Jobs to Lift You Out of Winter’s Funk
Accomplishments -- even little ones -- go a long way toward a sunny outlook. Fortunately, there are plenty of easy, quick home repair chores you can do when you’re mired in the thick of winter. For max efficiency, make a to-do list ahead of time and shop for all the...
5 Things That REALLY Will Put a Serious Dent in Your Energy Bills
Stop sending so much money to your utility company with these simple strategies. Your Mexican beach vacation was great, but, man, those margaritas sure can put on the pounds. It’s been two months, and you’re still carrying around an extra tenner — despite a new...
7 Benefits of Buying a Home
Interest rates are only one factor when it comes to buying a house now Interest rates sure do get a lot of attention. But they shouldn’t be the only part of your home buying decision-making process. After all, the answer to the question "is right now a good time to...
Home Cleaning Tips for Every Hosting Vibe
Put the happy in your holidays by working with the home cleaning style that’s the real you Your hosting style shapes how you do your home cleaning for holiday entertaining — and the challenges you might have along the way. Whether your vibe is perfectionist, relaxed,...
Natural Kitchens: Always in Style
Lighten up with a kitchen remodel that adds wood, stone, and plenty of daylight and greenery. As the kitchen has become more of hub, that fact may have sparked daydreams about a redo. What if the space could draw family and friends with a warm, inviting, and...
7 Organization Tips for Your Holiday Gear and Decorations
Decking the halls is good fun and all, but shuffling through piles of wreaths, lights, ornaments, dreidels, wrapping paper, and stockings is nothing to fa la la about. Cut back on the holiday overwhelm with these organization ideas for your festive gear. #1...
13 Small (and Affordable) Home Upgrades for Big Impact
Home improvement pros and DIYers tout a fresh coat of paint as a favorite among low-cost home upgrades that can make a huge impact. But what else can you do to accessorize and decorate? Sometimes the little things can make a bigger difference than you'd think....
7 Quick-and-Easy Winter Weather Preparations to Do Right Now
Wintry weather is great at turning up problems you didn't even know you had. Like that first snowy night in front of your fireplace that you thought was pure bliss — until you noticed a leak in the ceiling corner. Apparently it was caused by a lack of insulation. How...
How to Choose the Right Laminate Flooring
So many flooring choices. Laminate can stand up to tough treatment and still look good. If you have pets or kids or are generally accident-prone, you may need some heavy-duty floors. And you may be exploring laminate flooring, thanks to its durability. Laminate...
What You Should Really Know About Browsing for Homes Online
Oh, let’s just admit it, shall we? Browsing for homes online is a window shopper’s Shangri-La. The elegantly decorated rooms, the sculpted gardens, the colorful front doors that just pop with those “come hither” hues. Browser beware, though: Those listings may be...
Keeping Your House Clean With Dogs While It’s on the Market
Oof. Houses that smell or look like pets have lived in them are just harder to sell. To avoid that happening to you, de-pet your house before putting it on the market — and keep it that way while you sell. Here's how. #1 Steam Clean Everything Fabric Job No. 1 is to...
How to Have an Efficient and Organized Laundry Room
Get creative with storage space and work surfaces. Bonus: no clutter with (almost) no effort! Unless you do your laundry in the buff, it’s one chore that’s never really done. Follow these laundry room storage ideas, however, and you can breeze through your dirty duds...
7 Household Expenses You’re Probably Wasting Your Money On
"They were this gorgeous, greenish-teal, and they looked great in my laundry room," says Eliesa Prettelt, avid DIYer and author of "A Pinterest Addict" blog. The washer/dryer combo was perfect. Such a delightful way to brighten laundry day — with a cheerfully colored...
Getting Your House Ready to Sell: Amazing Tips to Get You Top Dollar
Your home is one of the most valuable assets that you will own. So I understand that the decision to sell is a big deal - many thousands of dollars are at stake here! Are you getting your house ready to sell? Do you want to get all the equity you’ve put in over the...
5 Ways to Keep Severe Weather from Doing a Number on Your Yard
Contrary to what many may believe, severe weather doesn’t just beat up on the other guy. Mother Nature can wallop anyone’s home and yard. That doesn’t mean you’ll have to watch your house reduced to briquettes by a wildfire or flooding test your home’s capacity for...
Buying and Selling Houses? Then Check Out These Tips!
Will you need to move? Do you plan on buying and selling houses at the same time? Then buckle up, because you’re going to have to do a lot! Plus, you never want to be stuck with two mortgages - that would be bad for your finances. But you can make your housing market...
Roofing: Repair or Replace?
Deciding whether to repair or replace roofing is largely an exercise in timing — you don’t want to reroof too soon and waste money, but you don’t want to wait too long either. Eventually, all roofs wear out and need to be replaced. In a tight economy, the decision...
How to Sell Your House in 5 Days at a Price You’ll Love
Selling your home is a significant undertaking. Furthermore, there’s a lot that you will have to do to get to closing day. But what if we told you that you can sell your house in record time? Like 5 days? Yes, it’s possible! Let’s discuss how to sell your house in 5...
Moving Across Country: Tips You Should Keep in Mind
Do you have a long-distance move coming up? Packing all your possessions, arranging the logistics of your move, and getting to your new hometown takes a lot of time, money, and effort. I want to share some moving across-country tips that will help you have a...
How to Move Past Student Debt — and Into a Home
You want to buy a house. But you’re worried you won’t qualify for a mortgage because of your student loan debt. You’re not alone. Half of non-homeowners (51%) say student loan debt is delaying them from buying a home, according to a survey from the National...