When you move into a new home or get tired of dealing with a washer dryer set that doesn’t function properly, you find yourself facing the complicated home appliances market. Most people dread purchasing home appliances because they are so expensive and there are so many different features to choose from.

Is one brand better than another? Do stackable washer/dryer units work just as well as the larger sized, stand-alone models? Will energy efficiency technology really save you a lot of money? How do you know if you need an oversized washer or if you could get by with something standard sized?

All of these questions are good ones, but you are right to be guarded against listening to the advice of a salesman interested only in talking you into the highest price tag in the store. The following tips should help orient you to the market for washing machine sets and help you make some of these decisions before you actually walk into the store!

Selecting Size & Quality

When determining whether you want to purchase a washer dryer set that is more expensive yet more durable or a washer that accommodates oversized loads, consider how much laundry you typically do in a week. If you have a large family and you are typically using your machines on a daily basis, then you may want to go with something that is very durable even if it does cost a bit more than purchasing the cheapest in the store.

If on the other hand you live alone and only do a few loads of laundry a week, then you could probably purchase something on the cheaper end of the market since you won’t be placing as much wear and tear on the machines.

Similarly, the oversized load washers are better suited to people who do a lot of laundry, though someone who lives alone could possibly save some time by having oversized capacity since it will hold more of your laundry at once.

Energy Efficiency

When you see the stickers on select washer dryer sets that say they are energy efficient, there is very good reason to consider them over other units, especially if you do a lot of laundry on a near daily basis.

Energy efficient technology allows the machine to run efficiently without sucking up as much electricity from your home. This will work out to some savings on your energy bill, though those who run their washing machines a lot may be more concerned about this than someone who uses their machines very little.

Value of Stackables

The stacked machine sets that you see are designed to be more than just cute or different. If you have limited room in your home for full sized machines, these could free up some space. They will still function just as well as your typical sets that sit side by side, but they are more compact. The big difference is just in the design.

Comparing brands

There are many brands that have been in the home appliance market for generations and many people feel they have to somehow be better than unknown or new name brands. This is not necessarily true! Take some time reading online consumer reviews of different brands and models to determine which ones will last the longest and best fit your needs in terms of how much laundry you will be doing!

What you really need is a work surface where you can use your sewing machine. You can make do with a kitchen table or office desk if you must. You will probably become tired or sore more quickly at a workstation of this type because it is really too high. A better choice is a sewing machine cabinet. There are cabinets where your sewing machine actually attaches to the inside of the cabinet or cabinets where your machine sits in a lowered area of the top surface and can be lifted out. Either type of table only requires a small amount of floor space and some of the built-in types allow the machine to drop down when not in use then half of the table top folds over, turning the unit into a small multi-purpose table.

Most sewing cabinets also have some sort of storage. Some have cabinet doors that swing open to allow knee room when you are sitting at them and, mounted inside the doors, there are spindles for storing thread spools. Some cabinets have drawers for your sewing tools and accessories. You will undoubtedly need more storage space than your sewing cabinet provides so you might want to consider some other storage as well.

Sets of plastic drawers on casters normally sold for craft storage, scrapbooking storage, etc. are a good alternative because you can easily roll them wherever you need them. Other options are stackable plastic boxes. They can even be hidden away in a closet. The storage boxes that fit under your bed can be used too. Better yet, sew a storage device! You can find creative projects for storage in all kinds of places. Just keep your eyes open.

12-14″ long magnetic bars for holding tools can be mounted to a wall. They can be found for about $10 a pair at the hardware store. The magnets are strong and easily hold sheers, scissors, seam rippers, and even whole packages of needles.

Fabric storage and pattern storage are the two biggest issues. For fabric, if you don’t have a dedicated sewing room, some choices are those under-the-bed boxes with lids to keep the dust out. Another option is to fold each piece of fabric over a wire clothes hanger and hang in it a closet.

There are cardboard boxes you can buy that are just the right size for patterns but if you don’t fold the pattern just right to get it back in the original package, they won’t fit anymore. Standard file folder storage boxes from any office supply store work better. Two patterns will fit side by side along the longer (legal size) side and if you have one that won’t go back in the package, stick it in a clear ziplock freezer bag to keep all the pieces together and it will still fit in the file folder box.

A great way to store current projects you are working on, whether it’s a pattern being altered or cut pieces you haven’t sewn together yet, is to fold them over a wire clothes hanger and clip a regular clothes-pin or two on to hold everything. Then put the hanger in a closet. When you are ready to work again, simply pull the hanger out and everything is there together and flat and ready to go. If you have several projects on the go at once, make sure the pattern name or number is facing out when you hang it. Then you can easily look through the hangers to find the one you want. You can even attach the original pattern envelope to the hanger with a clothespin for easy identification.

For cutting out patterns, most people use their kitchen table, a craft table, the floor, or even their bed. Any large flat surface will do. Again, if the surface is too high or too low for you, you will find you get tired or sore quickly. An ideal surface is a table with a hard, smooth surface that is 30-36″ high (if you stand to cut). If you like to sit down to cut, a 26-30″ high table is better. The table should ideally be about 4 -6 feet long and a width you can comfortably reach across. If you prefer to cut from a sitting position, make your table narrow enough that you can reach across it from your chair.

If you can afford it, the largest size cutting mat available for use with a rotary cutter makes a great table top. I actually use my table more for pattern adjusting and pressing than I do for cutting. A layer of ¼” thick cork is glued (with contact cement) to the arborite top of the table, allowing me to pin straight down into it. The cork seems to be heat resistant too. I plan to glue another layer of cork to the existing one to give the pins a little more to stick into. I tape a layer of plain white paper over the cork and use a marking pen to mark a grid or part of a grid on the paper. I need these lines to keep everything square when altering patterns. When needed, I replace the paper.

If I want a large surface for use with the rotary cutter, I use two cutting mats taped together on the bottom side with duct tape. I have to snip a thread or two the blade misses where the joint in the cutting board is but that’s not a big deal. These smaller mats fold up for easy storage and I’m back to my cork table again.

Next you need to think about a pressing area. As you sew, it is necessary to press seams. An iron and ironing board will do the job but, in a pinch, you can layer several towels on an arborite table or counter and use that. (The iron’s heat may damage some surfaces.) You can even buy special heat-resistant material to cover your surface with, making it more suitable for ironing on. The cork table works well to press on too.

An ironing board isn’t ideal for pressing while sewing. It really isn’t wide enough or sturdy enough. When you are adhering interfacing, for example, you need to put quite a lot of pressure on the iron. Your ironing board may crumble under that pressure but a counter-top or a table can take the pressure as long as it can also take the heat and steam.

The chair you sit in while sewing is very important. A comfortable one that swivels and rolls is a very good choice. Bear in mind that your feet must reach the floor to work the sewing machine pedal. Good back support will enable you to sew in comfort for longer periods of time.

Flooring in your sewing area is a bit controversial. I prefer linoleum so when pins drop they are easy to pick up (use a magnetic pin holder for quick retrieval) and for smooth and easy rolling of the chair but some people prefer carpet because it’s softer to stand on.

A smooth floor has the disadvantage of allowing the foot pedal to scoot around. This can be solved by putting a small rectangle of rubber shelf liner under the pedal. The same material under a serger will keep it from vibrating around on its table too.

One of the most important reasons I have a dedicated sewing room with a door is to keep my cats out. Not only don’t I want their hair on every project I make but if they play with spools of thread and get it caught on their rough tongues, they will swallow a bunch of it that will hurt them internally. Cats and thread don’t mix!

My sewing room also has a TV and a DVD/VCR so I can watch sewing programs or whatever as I sew. If you’re not a TV addict like me, perhaps you would enjoy some music or a relaxing mix of nature sounds while you sew.

A window is nice if you can manage that. With or without a window, excellent lighting is extremely important (especially as your eyes get older). Set up whatever lamps you need so your eyes are not straining. Try to find natural daylight simulation bulbs so colors will appear accurate. You don’t want to put a dark navy zipper in a black pair of pants by accident!

For convenience, I also keep a portable phone handy while I’m sewing. It never fails, the phone always rings when my hands are full. Also keep a bottle of water nearby. Bottles don’t spill as easily as glasses.

Sewing can be such an enjoyable, relaxing experience that you might be surprised how many hours will fly by. I try to set aside 1 or 2 days each weekend to sew. That’s my little treat to myself after working all week. My washer and dryer are in the sewing room so I do laundry as I sew and I find it a very efficient use of my time. Sewing makes the tedious chore of laundry more enjoyable.

Happy Sewing!

Why is it that dingy basement laundry room designs are the norm?

Ever since families started washing their own clothes in their own home instead of taking it out  laundry day chores have been relegated to out of the way places like the basement or the garage.

I think that good laundry room designs would at least require that the laundry center in the home would be placed close to where the dirty clothes are taken off at the end off each day! The last time I did laundry none of it came from the garage!

Laundry coordinators in every home (you know who you are) have been lugging piles of  washing to the basement or the garage for decades and I think it is time to start planning for laundry room designs that are user friendly for the entire family. The average North American family does anywhere from 7-10 loads of laundry a week so it is a chore that takes up considerable time in family life. It is time to take a look at sensible laundry room designs. Let’s face it if you have to do your own washing, you will want it to be as pleasant a chore as possible. At the very least good planning should remove some of the unpleasantness that currently goes along with laundry day.

Good laundry room designs should provide for convenience for the entire  process and not just washing and drying. The entire process includes sorting, washing, drying, folding, and ironing so here is my wish list for a laundry room makeover.

Stacked full size washer and dryer - Any space over the washer or dryer is wasted space. Even if you put shelves or cupboards up there you would have to be a gorilla to reach into them.

Sound insulation – I might have to do laundry but I do not want to be reminded of it all the time by the noise of the machines.

A laundry room designed just for laundry - Ever notice how laundry rooms get messy with dirty clothes and laundry hampers strewn about? My dream laundry center will be just for laundry so that I do not have to trip over other things (basketballs, runners, coats, snowsuits, galoshes etc) on laundry day.

A laundry center close to where the “inputs” are! - Why can’t the laundry center be close to the bedrooms? That’s where most of the laundry comes from!  Think how much time can be saved if the trip  from the bedroom is a short one!

Special “cubbies” assigned to each family member - Clean folded clothing could be placed there for them to put away in their own room.

A horizontal work surface – Just large enough to use for folding towels, sheets, or t-shirts

Cabinets and shelving – Supplies like soap, bleach, and stain remover are best hidden behind closed doors! Preferably in a vertical cabinet space beside the stackable machines

Drying Area - Or some small space or drying rack to hang up clothing that needs to be air dried

A supply of buttons and thread – It would be most convenient to be able to sew on a button right away when you notice it is loose.
 A drop down ironing board – Who likes setting up the ironing board?  And have you ever noticed that once it is set up it stays there? and everything gets piled on it so you cannot even use it for ironing. I would like to have my ironing board ready to go and the iron already plugged in so I could just turn it on with a flick of a switch!

Laundry tub – A place for soaking or pre-treating stains or soaking some of those bigger items like sheer draperies

A few spare bins and/or storage baskets for orphaned socks – You never know, the missing mate just might show up on the next laundry day!

If laundry day has to be a part of contemporary life, it can certainly be made a lot more enjoyable by good laundry room designs!

The thought of having to do a load of laundry is one that most people tend to dread. There is no chore that is so tedious and yet so necessary to each and every household. That being said, choosing the right washer and dryer is essential when it comes to doing this chore day in and day out. There are many different types to choose from, so you should take your time and do your research to know which set will be the right one for you.

One of the first things you should consider when buying a washer and dryer is the size of your laundry room. If your laundry room is on the small size, then you should think about purchasing stackable units from a store like Premier rent to own. This will save you lots of valuable space that you wouldn’t have with the regular standing units. If you are lucky and have a larger laundry room, then you pretty much have free reign when it comes to the type of units you will be purchasing. The only thing you might need to worry about is the cost of the unit itself.

There are many washers and dryers out there can are pretty reasonable for your wallet. Just because a washer or dryer is more expensive doesn’t necessarily mean that it will last longer than the less expensive one. Be sure to keep this in mind when it comes to your budget. If you find that they are still too expensive, perhaps you should consider shopping at a store like Colortyme rent to own. With a rent-to-own store you will be able to purchase your washer and dryer and make monthly installment payments rather than make a payment all at one time. This can really make your wallet feel a little bit better for those months that you take to pay it all off.

Another item to consider for your washer is whether you would like a top loader or a front loader. A front load washer using tumbling instead of agitation to clean your clothes so it tends to be a little gentler on your fabrics. However, whether you choose front or top load either will do an adequate job of cleaning.

No matter what type of washer and dryer you decide to buy, odds are you will be very happy with your purchase. If you opt to purchase your new set from a rent to own association, then even your wallet will be happy too!

Many people are often confused which one is better for them – a front loading washer or a top loading washing machine. Some people can’t let go of their favorite top loaders while some people are kickers for front loaders washers. So who is right?

Well, in this article, we will dissect for you the two types of washing machine and help you make the right decision.

Top Loading Washing Machines

Before the rise of front loading washing machines, top loaders rule the washing machine industry. Almost every household has owned a top loader washer at one point or the other.

There are several key advantages in a top loading washer. Here are some of them:

a) Faster laundry washing cycle.

b) Easier to load clothes into the washer (don’t need to bend down).

c) Cheaper to buy.

There are also some disadvantages in a top loader. Consider these points before you buy one:

a) Less energy efficient – uses more water and electricity.

b) Presence of a agitator can cause greater wear and tear in clothes.

Front Loading Washing Machines

Front loaders washers offer people an alternative choice when it comes to buying a washing machine. There are several good points about front loaders and here are some reasons why a front load washer is increasingly gaining popularity with people.

1. More sleek and better looking.

2. Smaller and more economics designs.

3. Better water conservation abilities.

The greatest benefit of using a front loading is therefore its energy saving capabilities. Compared to a conventional top loader, you can expect a lower usage level of up to 60% in water and electricity just to wash the same amount of clothes.

Considering the number of times you use a laundry in a year, the reduction in household utilities bills can be very significant.

However, front loading washing machines can be expensive upfront. It is also more difficult to use for older folks and people with back problems. A front loader typically also have longer wash cycles and is less effective in washing the clothes than a top loader (due to the lack of an agitator).

Which One To Choose?

To be honest, the decision is a difficult one. If you are concerned about saving water and using less electricity, then a front loading washing machine would suit you just fine. On the other hand, if you have spine problems, then a top loader will definitely be easier and more convenient for you. Whatever your choice is, make sure you weigh the pros and cons before you decide on one.

Front load washing machines have established themselves truly as the top kid on the block. As the world becomes increasingly aware of human impact on the environment, more and more consumers are looking for “greener” appliances. Washers are notoriously known to suck up the energy, driving up utility bills and wasting water.

Well, there’s a new sheriff in town and washing machines are getting a “greener” facelift. Frontloaders are leading the pack. Many are emerging onto the market with a new attitude that is energy efficient and use less water. They have a higher load capacity and the wash much better. One thing is for sure: this isn’t your mother’s washing machine!

There is a lot to be said for frontloading washers. When compared to top loaders, they consistently come out ahead in terms of best washing and largest capacity. When you put them head to head against top loaders, you will see that the front loaders have many appealing features. Their high spin speeds cut down drying time significantly. And if you have ever had to battle a toploader with an unbalanced load, you know how frustrating it can be. Are you tired of pulling soggy, wet, half washed clothes out of an unbalanced top loader in an effort to balance it out? Well, with top loaders there is no risk of the load becoming unbalanced.

Now, you may not yet be convinced that frontloaders are the best, but there are more attractive qualities. Top loaders tend to be rather noisy, but a front loading one is gentler and much quieter. Another boon for front loaders is that they are often stackable. This is good news if you have limited space in your laundry room.

There are many good things about them, however, there is a flip side to everything. The cons of the machine are few, but can have an impact on your ability or desire to purchase one. The price, for one, may be somewhat inhibitive, ranging from $800 to $1,800 (although some higher efficiency top loaders are equal in cost). Front loading washing machines often require special detergents as well.

While the large capacity that can be as much as 4 cubic feet or 20 pounds is convenient, getting the clothes out of the washer can be tough on the back because you have to bend over to unload it. There are pedestals available that raise the washers, but they are an extra cost of about $150. What’s more, they tend to have longer cycles that can be as much as two hours.

Consumer reviews are consistently favorable for front loading washing machines. The cons that they actualy have are minor. One front loader owner found the price a little high, but stated that it was “well worth it.” Another con was that the door could not be changed to open the other way (the way the door opened got in the way of her putting clothes from the washer into the dryer), but she simply purchased a stacking kit to compensate.

All the reviews listed cleaner clothes and that the machines are much quieter. One customer, however, had purchased the pedestal and was no longer to fold clothes on top of the machines so if this is something that you do, you may want to opt for not getting the pedestal or for getting a laundry folding table.

Many of the front loading washers also offer many different cycles from which to choose. They all offer great cleaning and the vibration and noise are very much kept at a minimum. When you are looking to pick up a new washing machine, considering a front loading washing machine would be a wise move. Purchasing one would be just plain smart.

Sunday mornings with the newspaper real estate section can be daunting to home buyers and sellers. Figuring out the shorthand for popular home features takes an inquiring mind. Mark Nash, author of 1001 Tips for Buying and Selling a Home takes the guess work out of listing sheets and classified residential real estate ads.

BOM! 3/2 F.S.TH,S/E Exp.,Wbfplc,2 Tan.Gar,S.S. Kit.,Motv. 1031 Sell. Mid 5’s

What it really says: Back on market, 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom, fee-simple townhouse with south and east exposures, wood-burning fireplace, 2 tandem garage parking spaces, stainless steel kitchen appliances. Motivated seller needs to sell to meet guidelines for a 1031 exchange. Price $550,000.

What it really means: Either a contract fell-through (the buyers walked) or the sellers took the property off the market due to illness, repairs or the holidays. There are no homeowners association assessments because the townhouse is owned fee-simple. The indoor garage parking spaces are end-to-end or tandem. The seller who hasn’t occupied the property because it is a 1031 exchange needs to sell within a short period of time to meet tax guidelines. Yes the price is fifty thousand over a half-a-million-dollars.

The run-up in real estate prices the last few years has created a new real estate speak. The shorthand used by agents can be difficult to decipher by home buyers and sellers, but don’t be fooled by the lack of zeroes in prices or the use of friendly words in place of the real choice. It sounds a lot less expensive if you’re looking in the 1.1 to 1.5 range than one million, one hundred thousand to one million, five hundred thousand. Plus “fixer-upper” sounds better than what it really is: tired. “As-is” translates into buyer beware.

Here are some additional abbreviations home buyers and sellers should become familiar with when interacting with real estate agents.

A/G. Above ground. Swimming pools that are above the ground or grade.

Accom. Accompany. Listing agent must show property.

A/C. Air conditioning. W for windows, CA for central air-conditioning.

Appl. Appliances. Kitchen and laundry.

Appt. Appointment. Shown by appointment only, don’t ring the bell unannounced.

Approx. Approximately. Verify anything that is approximate.

As-is.

Assmt. Assessment. Annual, quarterly or monthly homeowners association charges to property owners.

Att. Attached. Any condominium, co-op, duplex, town home or two-flat that is attached to another unit.

A/I. Attorney and inspection. Defined period under terms of contract to purchase where both parties can have an attorney review the contract and the buyers can perform an inspection of the property at their expense.

Bsmt. Basement. Below grade or ground level.

Ba. Bathroom. Either half (no shower/tub), three-quarters (shower no tub) or full (tub and/or shower).

Br. Bedrooms. To qualify usually have to have a window and a closet otherwise a den or office.

BOM. Back on market. Was available, went off-market, now available again.

Bldg. Building. Such as high-rise (more than eight floors) or mid-rise (5-8 floors) or low rise (2-4 floors).

Cab. Cabinets. Kitchen or other built-in storage.

Canc. Canceled. A listing is no longer available.

Crpt. Carpet. Wall-to-wall and tacked down.

C/A. Central air-conditioning. Either originally built-in with duct-work or retrofitted as space-pak (spc pk).

CLD. Closed. A property that has been sold and the buyers have received title.

Const. Construction. New, recent or quality.

CTG. Contingent. A property is under contract with provisions that must be met. The buyers must sell their home (home sale=HS) or receive a commitment for a mortgage (mort).

Co-op. Cooperative. A form of ownership of an apartment (apt) or a commission paid to a real estate brokerage that procures a buyer for a property.

Det. Detached. A building that is not joined to another.

Din. Dining room. A separate space not combined (combo) with living room.

Dir. Directions. How to get to a specific property address.

D/W. Dishwasher. Built-in ( a fixture) or portable (personal property).

Dist. District. School (sch) or historic (hist).

DOM. Days on market. The length of time a property has been in the Multiple Listing Service (mls).

Drv. Driveway. A description follows of what the material is covering the driveway.

Ex. Expired. A listing period for a property has passed.

Excl. Exclusions. The sellers are taking grandmothers light fixture in the breakfast (brkft) room.

Exp. Exposure. Direction home or unit faces. E=East, W=West, S=South, N=North

Ext. Exterior. Features on the outside of a building and the grounds.

Fam. Family. Family room. Beware that use of this word can violate Fair Housing Laws.

Fin. Finished. Basements can be fully finished (full fin) or partially finished (part fin).

Fplc. Fireplace. Fireplaces can be gas (gas fplc) or wood burning (wb fplc).

Flr. Floor. Such as first floor master bedroom (1st flr mstr).

Grdn. Flower gardens or garden level. Can describe exterior landscaping or a interior living level that is partially below ground level.

Gar. Garage. A enclosed space for storage.

GFA. Gas forced air. A type of heating system.

Grt. Great room. A combined (combo) family, kitchen and breakfast room.

Hdwd. Hardwood floors. Beware softer woods are through into this category. Bamboo and poplar can’t take the same wear and tear as maple and oak. Diagonal hardwood (d/hdwd) and parquet (parq) are other options.

HVAC. Heating,ventilating and air conditioning. Refers to an all-in-one heating and cooling system.

H/War. Home warranty. The sellers have purchased a warranty on the home to protect buyers from repair expenses.

Hr. Hour. 24 hour notice to tour a property.

Incl. Includes. Any items that would be considered personal property (pers prop) that the sellers are leaving in the home.

Int. Interior. As in decorating (decor) or professionally (pro) designed.

Kit. Kitchen. That’s an easy one.

L. List price. The advertised price of a home.

Liv. Living room. A formal room typically adjacent to the front entrance of a home.

Loc. Located or location. Location rules in residential real estate.

LL. Lower level. A nice word for basement.

L.O. Listing office. The brokerage to contact concerning a specific listing.

Maint. Maintenance. Can apply to amount of work to maintain a home or what is included in the homeowners association charges to property owners.

MT. Market time. Same as days-on-market.

Mstr. Master bath or bedroom. The designated space where the homeowners bath and sleep.

Mech. Mechanical systems. The cooling, electrical, heating, and plumbing systems in a home.

MO. Month. Monthly assessments or month-to-month rental.

Ofc. Office. Home office (hom ofc) or office space (ofc spc).

O/M. Off-market. A property that has been withdrawn from the Multiple Listing Service.

Prkg. Parking. Options (opt) include off-street (off-st), space (spc) or covered (covd).

Pend. Pending. When a property in the MLS is under contract and close to closing or escrow.

Priv. Pvt. Private. Entrance (entr) or road (rd).

Poss. Possession. The date when a buyer can occupy (occ) a property.

PCHG. Price Change. The price has been lowered motivated or raised (difficult sellers).

Rm. Room.

S. Sale price. The recorded price a property sold for.

Scrnd. Screened. Lanai’s (lan) or porches (por).

Sec. Security. System (sys) or building. Or a deposit (dep).

Sep. separate. Entrance or room not combined with another.

Sing Fam. single family home. A detached dwelling.

Slider. Sliding door(s). Usually pertains to sliding glass pr patio (pat) doors.

Sq ft. Square Feet. Verify all square footage measurements on home marketing materials.

Sty. Story. Describes the number of levels in a home.

Sty. Style. The architectural character of a home. Colonial (Col), ranch (ran) or traditional (trad).

Tx. Taxes. Property taxes for last (2005=05) attainable year (yr).

Thruout. Throughout. Hardwood floors in every room.

TH. Town home. Attached home.

Trans. Transportation. Convenient to buses, trains or highways (hwys).

U/C. Under contract. A property has a fully executed contract to purchase.

Util. Utility (ies). Cable, Electric, gas, oil and telephone services provided to a home.

Vin. Vintage. A home that was built prior to World War II.

W/D. Washer and dryer. Side by side (SBS) or stackable (stk).

W/. With. Wood burning fireplace with gas starter. Wbfp w/gas Str.

Wbfp. Wood burning fireplace.

Yd. Yard. Front, back or side landscaped areas.

And how about those capitalized initials after real estate agents names on their business cards, called Professional Designations. Here is a sample.

ABR Accredited Buyers Representative. Homebuyers should look for the Accredited Buyers Representative designation. The Real Estate Agent Council trains experienced real estate agents in specifically representing the real estate consumer.

CRS Certified Residential Specialist. Agents who hold the CRS designation have additional education and sales experience with focus on the latest in real estate professionalism, sales and marketing techniques.

GRI Graduate Realtor(R) Institute. Graduates of the REALTOR® Institute earn the GRI designation by completing a national program of advanced education consisting of residential marketing, cost basis, appreciation methods, investment and taxes in real estate, construction, exchanges, capital gains and mortgage programs.

In the past few years there has been a new “player” in the field of laundry machines-the washer dryer combo. A washer dryer combo is designed to take up less space than both a stackable washer dryer and a side-by-side washer dryer. The washer dryer combo has one very important distinguishing factor–you wash and dry in the same machine!

Disadvantages:

o One of the most common problems with a washer dryer combo is that it can only handle very small loads of laundry.

o How valuable is your time? For one load of laundry that weighs just under five pounds, it will take 4 ½ hours to complete in this combo system. When the load finishes washing, the dryer can only dry half of a full wash load at a time. What this means is that you then have to remove half of the load from the washer dryer combo, then replace it after the other half has dried.

Advantages Of A Washer Dryer Combo:

o One advantage of a washer dryer combo is the price of the machine. The least expensive washer dryer combo is comparable to an inexpensive a stackable washer and dryer.

o Another advantage is the actual expense of using the combo system. It is energy efficient, which will save you some money on your utilities.

o Spatial advantage of a washer dryer combo is beneficial, especially if you live in a studio apartment or small home. The washer dryer combo utilizes space extremely well.

The combo machine has both disadvantages and advantages. If you are in the market for such a combination, do some online research. Go into different stores to see the different types of washing machines, dryers, stackables, and combos. Choose wisely, and be rewarded!

Stackable Washer/Dryer Combos are becoming the normal type of washers and dryers to purchase for many renters and homeowners alike. It used to be whenever you bought a washer and dryer you would buy a top loading model for a washer and front loader for your dryer. However, new front loading models are offering better energy, water efficiency, and treatment of garments when compared to top loading models.

Stackable washers and dryers offer one of the best energy and space efficiencies. This type of unit is great for anyone who does not have a large home or apartment. Most of the these are front loading, which means that they use gravity to agitate your clothes instead of a tumbler used in traditional washers. You may wonder why this is important. Front loaders use gravity to put less wear and tear on your clothes, which means that they will last longer than if they were washed in a traditional unit.

Prices for this type of unit are often cheaper than many standard units that are sold individually. The disadvantages to stackables are that many have one component that is made of a higher quality than another. For example, you may have a unit that has a great dryer, but the washing unit breaks down or has other issues. And, vise-versa, you may have a great working dryer but a pesky washer. Some people have rigged up their own unit to avoid this exact issue. What they do is purchase front loading models of each and make their own unit, one on top of the other. This only works when the controls are positioned correctly, and if a support structure can be implemented so that it doesn’t tip over. While many of these units are great for saving space, they do not have anywhere near the features that a traditional unit does. This is due to the tight constraints that they have to be built in.

Stackable washers and dryers are great for anyone who lives in a small home, apartment, or house with a small laundry room. However, they are not for everyone. They do have some drawbacks; they do not have anywhere near the wide selection of features that regular features, the loads may be smaller, and you may have issues with one part of the unit or another. They also may not be built to the same standard as regular side-by-side models. Always make sure to shop around before purchasing any appliance. Stackables are like most other types of appliances, you get what you pay for.