Livingston Reporting - page 45

Home Remodeling Dos and Don’ts for Resale Value

Posted on by Creative Programs and Systems

You’ve decided to sell your home and want to maximize its resale value. Remodeling is an excellent way to do this. But what works and what doesn’t? These decisions are critical, so we’ve provided a few pointers for you on do’s and don’ts when remodeling your house for resale.

Remodeling Do’s

Remodel Your Kitchen

A tired, worn kitchen is not going to help sell your house. This home area is one of the more obvious places to start, but you should be cautious.

  • Try not to tailor changes too much to your specific taste—potential buyers may not share it.
  • Keep to the existing layout. Knocking out walls and moving plumbing will add to the cost and offset any gains you make on resale value.
  • Use neutral colors. Clean, neutral colors accentuate the kitchen’s space and appeal to buyers.

Add Extra Living Space

Knocking external walls down and building new rooms may seem expensive, but it can be worthwhile. It’s a sure way to add value beyond the cost of the remodel, but you need to take care that you are adding functional space that’s big enough to appeal to potential buyers. Conservatories are an excellent option.

Remodel the Primary Bedroom

The primary bedroom is one of the top rooms that buyers consider. New flooring or a new en-suite can be a great way to add value here.

Revitalize Your Bathroom

Potential buyers will always consider bathrooms, especially the main ones. A new bathroom suite and flooring can boost your chances of getting your asking price. Also, think about remodeling secondary bathrooms if you have the budget.

Remodeling Don’ts

You might be tempted to do a few things that don’t offer a great return on your budget. These include:

Pools

Although pools are attractive to some buyers, they are costly to install and maintain. The maintenance costs alone may put off some buyers.

Kids rooms

Every parent wants to put their kids’ personalities in a space, so don’t waste your budget going crazy with these rooms. Some buyers might not even see additional bedrooms as kids’ spaces.

Specialist rooms

A wine room or a games room might appeal to you, but it won’t to every buyer. Outside of the core use rooms, keep additional spaces plain and neutral so buyers can look at them and imagine their preferred room use.

No matter the size or expense of a home renovation, the personal joy and functionality of the space for you and your family should be the ultimate deciding factor for any home project. The decision is always yours alone to make and will need to decide the actual value of the remodel not only from a resale standpoint. Keeping these ideas in mind may help you choose where to spend each dollar wisely during a project.

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JFC Remodeling is committed to providing top-quality home reconstruction services to clients throughout Livingston County. With over 30 years of experience in the industry, our licensed contractors create unique, individualized, and polished renovations. Whether the site requires an improvement, repair, or is a new construction, you can trust our experts to deliver remarkable results. Call: 810-923-1123, e-mail: jfcllc@comcast.net, or visit us at: www.jfcremodeling.com today.

Written by the digital marketing staff at Creative Programs & Systems: www.cpsmi.com.

Jason Foldenauer Construction

Securing an Energy-Efficient Mortgage

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There are plenty of reasons to have an energy-efficient home, one of which includes lower electrical bills. The Energy Efficient Mortgage (EEM) program from Fannie Mae, titled HomeStyle®, is a great way to go green, but what does it consist of, exactly? Read on to find out.

Energy-Efficient Mortgages are used to finance houses that are already energy-efficient (Energy Star-certified) or those that need energy improvements. These loans allow borrowers to qualify for a larger mortgage than they would otherwise.

Energy-efficient mortgages can be for purchasing or refinancing and allow approved borrowers to buy energy-efficient homes or pull cash out of their equity to fund energy-efficient repairs or updates to the landscaping.

Some energy-efficient improvements include:

  • Water efficiency devices
  • Renewable energy sources (solar panels, wind devices, geothermal)
  • Storm surge barriers
  • Earthquake foundation retrofitting
  • Brush and tree removal in fire zones
  • Mud and water retaining walls
  • Air sealing, insulation, windows, doors, etc.
  • Radon remediation

Energy-efficient mortgages can be financed for up to 15 percent of the appraised property value. There are a multitude of advantages when it comes to energy-efficient mortgages, including lowering monthly mortgage payments, decreasing utility bills, and offsetting your initial investment through the years.

Looking for loan options to meet your needs? Contact the experts at EB Mortgage today to learn how we can help you go green.

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EB Mortgage is a locally owned mortgage company with experts in new home purchase, refinancing, and commercial loans. Our wholesale rates can’t be beaten. We offer more products, more options, and more solutions. Our “3C” Process is simple: complete our pre-approval request, consider options based on your requirements, and choose the offer that suits your needs best. Call us at (616) 228-8797 or e-mail contact@ebwmtg.com today.

Written by the digital marketing staff at Creative Programs & Systems: www.cpsmi.com.

EB Mortgage

Servers Become More Climate Friendly

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Danish researchers from the University of Copenhagen recently developed a novel algorithm that can substantially reduce the carbon footprint of computer servers. The green transition for computer servers is an urgent matter, as they are more taxing on the climate than global air traffic. The massive amount of electricity consumed by computer servers is expected to double in a few years.

Professor Mikkel Thorup and his fellow UCPH researchers have perfected a new algorithm that solves a fundamental server issue. Some servers become overloaded as they receive more requests from users than they can handle. As consumers stream the same Netflix film or a specific video, systems need to shift users around to achieve a balanced server distribution.

He said, “We have found an algorithm that removes one of the major causes of overloaded servers once and for all. Our initial algorithm was a huge improvement over the way industry had been doing things, but this version is many times better and reduces resource usage to the greatest extent possible. Furthermore, it is free to use for all.”

The mathematical calculation to achieve the extraordinary balancing act is immensely challenging. Up to a billion servers can be involved at one time; as new clients and servers join, congestion and server failure is inevitable. This resulting resource consumption significantly influences the climate. Cisco, an American IT firm, says internet traffic is projected to triple between 2017 and 2022, with online videos making up to 82 percent of traffic.

Thorup said, “As internet traffic soars explosively, the problem will continue to grow. Therefore, we need a scalable solution that doesn’t depend on the number of servers involved. Our algorithm provides exactly such a solution.”

The new algorithm safeguards servers by segmenting them as evenly as possible, while moving them around as little as possible, and retrieving content as locally as possible.

Do you need a server for your business? Contact the IT experts at Creative Programs and Systems today.

Founded in 1994, Creative Programs and Systems provides professional results for all computer needs. We design, create, and code an array of custom software programs and websites; offer top-notch digital marketing services including enhanced Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and paid advertising; repair and provide support for computers of both residential and professional nature; build custom systems and servers, and offer secure data backups. Need assistance or want to learn more? Call us at 810-224-5252 or e-mail info@cpsmi.com.

Written by the digital marketing staff at Creative Programs & Systems: www.cpsmi.com.

Creative Programs and Systems

Understanding Ground Trapping

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It’s now March, which means that the sap has begun to run in the maples, the squirrels can be heard chattering in the trees, and the intermittent snow of a Michigan winter is replaced with showers of rain. The smell of spring in the air may be something else, perhaps the musky scent of a skunk family as they wander your yard throughout the night. They’re not the only mammals to become active this time of year. From now until fall, you can have visitors from groundhogs, raccoons, opossums, rabbits, and sometimes even foxes, depending on where you live. While none of these animals are really all that dangerous to humans, it can be disconcerting to see them roaming in “your” yard, especially if you have domesticated animals.

Ground trapping, the entrapment and removal of wildlife pests at ground level (opposed to those in an attic or other elevated space,) doesn’t generally seem like a complicated process. Therefore, DIY ground trapping appears to be the go-to, attractive option. It does, however, present some unique challenges that no other area of wildlife control has, thus, requiring a call for professional help.

In the first place, the targeted animal may not be localized to a specific area. Squirrels and raccoons that break into your attic are more easily trapped through a process called exclusion because we know exactly where they are going to be. Ground trapping, not so much. The groundhog you see every morning might be living on your property, or he might have a den several yards over. Skunks are even worse; they can range for miles in a single night, which means that locating the shelter and setting a trap could be impossible.

The second challenge can be even more annoying than the first, off-target captures. Even if the den of whatever animal you’re trying to trap is physically on your property, unless there’s an option for placing a trap right over the entrance (and sometimes there isn’t), we’d be setting a free-standing ground trap of some kind. This means that we can try as hard as we want as far as location and bait used, but there’s always a risk that we’ll trap something other than what we’re aiming for. Not only can this be dangerous, but it’s exasperating as well! If you’re looking to trap an opossum and you get a skunk instead (as often happens, based on the number of calls we get,) you’re looking at a high risk of getting sprayed. Or an unexpected raccoon can also be an issue if you don’t know how to release the trapped animal safely.

Of all the wildlife problems to have, a large rodent running around your yard is probably the best one. You likely can take care of the pest yourself; however, if you run into either of the above problems, or perhaps one that we don’t foresee, give our office a call at 800-441-1519, and we’ll see what we can do!

Creature Control

Contract Bonds

Posted on by Creative Programs and Systems

The construction season is fast approaching, so those bidding on new jobs will need to make sure they have the appropriate contract bonds lined up to qualify for review. The process can be confusing, and unfortunately, some requests for proposal (RFP) contain vague language regarding the bond specifics. Those vying for government construction work and maintenance, often privatized jobs, will need a contract bond (or surety bond.)

Surety bonds are contracts between three parties: the principal, surety, and oblige. They provide a financial guarantee that one party will fulfill their legal, contractual obligations to another. A surety bond is more like a line of credit than insurance. Usually, construction contracts are completed to the satisfaction of all, where work expectations are met, and wages are paid out – the surety doesn’t need to get involved. If a disagreement occurs and the principal and the client (generally the oblige) can’t settle on a compromise, they can file a claim with the surety for financial compensation. The surety will investigate the claim, and if found legitimate, the surety will pay the claim in an amount up to the bond penalty.

A contract bond refers to several surety bond types. Below are the three most common contract bonds:

Bid Bonds: A bid bond is a prequalification indicating that the contractor is bondable for the performance and payment bond should they be read low or chosen by an Owner/GC/CM to enter into the contract and provide a Performance and Payment Bond.

Performance Bonds: Performance Bonds offer assurance that the bonded contractor will perform according to all contract documents.

Payment Bonds: Payment bonds assure that the bonded contractor pays for all materials and labor associated with the documents related to the contract.

Need help obtaining a contract bond? CBS will help you determine the RFP bond requirements in order to submit a bid and consequently win the contract. Contact us today for assistance.

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At Construction Bonding Specialists, we work with new and experienced contractors to find the most satisfactory bond solutions. As a distinct surety-bond-only agency with decades of bonding experience, we work to discover surety solutions for all types of cases ranging from ordinary to challenging. Call us at 248-349-6227 or visit us at www.bondingspecialist.com today.

Written by the digital marketing staff at Creative Programs & Systems: www.cpsmi.com.

Construction Bonding Specialists

Novel ‘Cure’ For Cancer Treatment

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A new report published in Nature titled “Decade-long leukemia remissions with persistence of CD4+ CAR T cells” highlights a novel treatment called CAR T, which is being hailed as a “cure” for cancer by Dr. Carl June, the principal investigator for the trial at the University of Pennsylvania.

June said, “Now we can finally say the word ‘cure’ with CAR T cells.” In 2010, when the trial began, the idea for this sort of therapy “was way out there,” he added.

June and his colleagues reported that the CAR T therapy wiped out cancer in two out of the three initial early-trial patients, all of who had chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Though the cancer disappeared, the CAR T cells stayed circulating through patients’ bloodstreams, almost guarding the body against future attacks.

In CAR T therapy, T cells (white blood cells that fight viruses) are removed from a patient’s blood and re-introduced after being genetically engineered to fight cancer. Patients’ T cells are taught to recognize and destroy B cells, a key player in cancer formation throughout the body. Without B cells – or cancer – patients require regularly-scheduled infusions of immunoglobulin infusions, which replenish antibodies.

Many people with blood cancer have benefitted from CAR T therapy, which has proved especially effective against acute leukemia. Roughly a third of patients who underwent the CAR T therapy have gone into remission, but many patients later relapse.

Dr. John F. DiPersio, chief of the division of oncology at Washington University in St. Louis, said, “The question is not only why some patients relapse or are resistant to therapy but why are some patients cured?”

He continued, “Oncologists don’t use words like ‘cure’ lightly or easily or, frankly, very often,” he said. “I guarantee that it’s not being used lightly. The patients we treated had far advanced disease,” he noted, adding, “the biggest disappointment is that it doesn’t work all the time.”

Acceletronics is an industry leader in delivering the best equipment performance and service reliability from CT Scanners and Linear Accelerators across all major brands and models. Call 610-524-3300 or visit our website: https://www.acceletronics.com.

Written by the digital marketing staff at Creative Programs & Systems: www.cpsmi.com. 

Acceletronics

Freedom Convoy That Protests Against Pandemic Restrictions

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The number of COVID-19 cases is regularly decreasing, but some government officials are still trying to use the pandemic as a means of control. Recently, the Freedom Convoy took a stand against new vaccine requirements for the truckers who transport goods into Canada.

These truckers created blockades as a way to show their disdain for the requirement that truckers either quarantine 14 days when they go into Canada from the United States or be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The requirement covers all truckers, regardless of if they’re from the U.S. or Canada.

There were more than 4,000 truckers who took place in the protest. The horns honking and blockades caused Ottawa businesses to close temporarily. The demonstrations also shut down the Ambassador Bridge and other border crossings crucial for trade.

Supply Chain Disruptions Impact Pricing

Commerce traffic flow through the Ambassador Bridge accounts for around $360 million worth of trade between these countries each day. Without this, transactions become critical for both Canada and the U.S. The disruption in the supply chain is impacting prices on a variety of goods in the U.S.

There’s some concern about similar protests happening in major U.S. cities, but those haven’t occurred yet. One reason for this is likely that states are starting to relax the mandates related to the pandemic.

In the electrical services industry, supply chain disruptions have caused an increase in pricing partly due to the cost of the wiring and other components. Therefore, taking steps to control the costs to consumers has to be a priority for service providers.

 At J&P Electrical, we can save your business 50-75% off the cost of buying new, as our specialty is salvaging and reconditioning heavy industrial electrical equipment. You can rest assured that our refurbished products are completely rebuilt, inspected, and tested, often mistaken for new surplus.

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J&P Electrical is a full-service electrical supply company. At J&P, we source contractors, end-users, and supply houses with new surplus, quality reconditioned, and obsolete electrical equipment. We also purchase a wide range of heavy industrial electrical equipment such as bus plugs, bus duct, transformers, circuit breakers, fuses, and switchboards. Call us at 877-844-5514 or visit us at https://www.jpelectricalcompany.com.

Written by the digital marketing team at Creative Programs & Systems: www.cpsmi.com

J & P Electrical Company

Problematic Carpenter Ants

Posted on by Creative Programs and Systems

During home inspections, one of several things we look out for is the existence of wood-boring insects. While many of these pests are beneficial in converting deadwood into the soil, having them in your home can be dangerous as they compromise a house’s structural integrity. The prevalence of wood-boring insects is heavily dependent on the region’s climate. In Michigan, carpenter ants thrive due to the relatively colder environment. While carpenter ants don’t consume wood, they chew and chop it up using their mandibles, preying on moist, damaged wood, to construct their colonies in the portions they’ve tunneled out.

If you notice piles of “frass,” which looks like sawdust, this is the excavated wood shavings that carpenter ants have tunneled out near the nest entrance. Also, the presence of large black ants, especially those that are winged and fly, consider this a red flag and that you potentially have a carpenter ant infestation. The nest may not necessarily be inside your house, however. Instead, carpenter ants may have a nest outside but enter your home searching for food and water. Carpenter ants usually emerge at night, feeding on sugary and fatty foods.

How To Check for Carpenter Ants:

  • May through July, use a flashlight at night to look for foraging workers.
  • After dusk, pay close attention to the attic, basement, and garage. You may be able to follow the worker ants to their nests.
  • Always check for carpenter ants in areas with damp wood, possibly due to leaks, poor ventilation, defective flashing, and condensation.

Over time, the outdoor parent colony will fill capacity and send their winged, reproductive ants to find new colonies, this time – they may be in your home. To get rid of carpenter ants, you need to locate and eliminate the parent and satellite nests. It’s imperative to reach all the ants in the colony, as a few stragglers will create a new settlement.

A carpenter ant colony will not go away on its own. If you notice any of the above-mentioned warning signs of a pest invasion, it is imperative to seek professional insect control services. At Northern Pest, our professional extermination services will not only prevent future infestations by sealing up cracks and open voids, but we go the extensive length to make sure that no ants are left behind (as just a few can rehome a new colony.) We are also licensed, bonded, and insured to make the necessary repairs caused by wildlife damage, bringing back the integrity of your home or office to pre-pest condition.  

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Northern Pest is a local, family-owned, and operated insect and wild animal control company spanning six counties in Michigan’s central upper peninsula. We’ll help you find the least invasive and most cost-effective plan to handle any irritating pest problem affecting your home or business. We are licensed and insured to provide pest control services, building maintenance, and repair work caused by wildlife damage. As a comprehensive animal and insect control company, Northern Pest is honored to give our customers peace of mind by providing solutions for troublesome wildlife. Contact us today at www.northernpest.com or call 906-553-4841 to learn more.

Written by the digital marketing staff at Creative Programs & Systems: www.cpsmi.com.

Northern Pest

Three Fundamental Survival Tips

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Disasters rarely come with prior warning to give people ample time to prepare for their impact. Being prepared for all kinds of disasters is essential to staying alive and well in their occurrence. With an increasing number of natural disasters, the pandemic, and the threat of war, more people are considering how to ready themselves for when the SHTF. While covering everything you would need to prepare would take books worth of explanation, here are some essential tips and concepts to help you get started.

So, what are the absolute basics of survival? They fundamentally revolve around staying fed, hydrated and warm.

Essential Gear

Whether a disaster would lead you to bunker up at home without electricity and gas or out in the wilderness somewhere, having the right gear is a necessity. Multi-purpose tools are handy equipment that can aid in various situations. Other essential survival gear includes a water filter or survival straw, flint for starting fires, camping gear, and lightweight cooking gear.

Get Familiar With DIY

Simply having the gear is not enough to get you through survival situations. It also helps to know how to use it for a wide range of needs. Getting familiar with outdoor DIY can increase your chances of survival by a large proportion. It might be helpful to read and learn more about creating make-shift shelters, building fires, and making effective animal traps.

Staying Warm

Whether at home or outdoors, staying warm is paramount to survival. Having a camping stove that can heat your house or campsite while also enabling you to cook would significantly contribute to your probability of survival in a dire situation. You might also consider insulating your home better or learning how to use blankets and other thick cloth items as insulation. As long as you have a way to heat water, hot water bottles can provide sufficient heating for one person, so it helps to have a few of them around.

Looking for long-term, freeze-dried food and other survival items? Check out our gear and supplies at Wolf Survival Gear.

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Wolf Survival Gear is a hub for all your prepping and survival needs. We are a trusted resource for concerned families, avid hunters, or serious preppers. Make us your one-stop-shop and prepare now, before you’ll need it later. Visit our website or e-mail us today for more information.

Written by the digital marketing staff at Creative Programs & Systems: www.cpsmi.com.

Wolf Survival Gear

How Professional Landscaping Helps Businesses

Posted on by Creative Programs and Systems

With just a couple of weeks of winter left, it’s time to execute your long-awaited landscaping plans. Green grass is on the horizon, but why should you hire a landscaping company to manage your business’ appearance? Read on for the answer.

One of the greatest American traditions is maintaining a gorgeous, lush lawn with plenty of flowers and accent bushes or trees throughout. Companies typically utilize professional landscapers to create a fresh, open, welcoming environment for prospective customers.

The cost of maintaining your own landscape far outweighs the investment in a professional company. From purchasing a commercial lawnmower, weed whacker, trimmer, edger, gas, oil, etc., the costs are high. Add labor to those essential expenditures, and you’re looking to spend thousands of dollars on lawn equipment and then must find someone to run the machines, not to mention liability insurance.

Once you find someone to work full-time on your lawn, without any training or prior experience, they can surely inadvertently ruin what might already be a good thing. Without education and knowledge, laypeople cannot accurately maintain your commercial property.

Hedges, floral aspects, grass maintenance, etc., are all immensely vital to achieving a pristine commercial lawn. It’s imperative to keep all of these aspects in mind, know how to maintain and care for them properly, and perform maintenance as necessary, without over- or under-doing it.

In contrast, hiring a professional landscaping company takes little- to no time, saves you money in the long run, and avoids your headache of finding a full-time employee who may-or-may-not know how to actually maintain your environment.

Lawn care professionals will:

  • Cut your lawn
  • Provide expert advice
  • Show up regularly
  • Trim hedges
  • Edge sidewalks, pathways, walkways, etc.
  • Minimize liability for business owners
  • And much more!

Are you looking to hire a commercial property maintenance company? Look no further – T&T Property Maintenance, INC. has the professionals you can depend on!

T&T Property Maintenance has been visualizing, creating, and maintaining commercial properties since 1997. We offer a vast number of services for our clients, including lawn and landscape maintenance, irrigation set up and repair, fertilization, weed and pest control, snow plowing and salting, and tree trimming and stump grinding. We are licensed with the Michigan Department of Agriculture, so you can rest assured we will do the job right – every time. We work with commercial businesses of any size and offer our services in seasonal or yearly packages, and a la carte. For over 20 years, we believe a satisfied customer is the only kind of customer. Check out our website, call, or e-mail us today to learn more.

Written by the digital marketing staff at Creative Programs & Systems: www.cpsmi.com.

T&T Property Maintenance