Smart Homes
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If you have always wanted to live like the futuristic cartoon The Jetsons, products readily available on the market today will help you achieve many of the functions of that animated 60’s family.

Smart homes in today’s world provides its owner security, comfort, energy efficiency and convenience. Appliances, lighting, heating and air-conditioning, TVs and security systems all can communicate with each other. A home owner can communicate with them by programming schedules or by remotely controlling their functions from any location in the world using a computer or phone.

Millennial home buyers will appreciate and understand smart home features. Because a smart home can be easily established using individual products, buying and installing only what you will use is the way to modernize your home for today’s buyer.

The top voice and remotely controlled features to begin with:

• speaker and control center
• indoor security cam
• light bulbs
• thermostat
• door lock
• outdoor security cam

https://www.pcmag.com/news/the-best-smart-home-devices

Key Smart Homes Automation Statistics to Help You Get Your Home in Order

• There are an estimated 175 million smart homes in the world.
• The US is expected to have 63 million connected homes by 2022.
• The worldwide connected home market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 25% from 2020 to 2025.
• Amazon holds the biggest market share in smart devices and will keep its position through 2021.
• 86% of millennials would pay more for a connected home.
• Smart heating and cooling systems can save smart home users 50% in energy use.
• 63% of those surveyed want their smart home to have smart security systems.
• Smart home statistics in the USA show an estimated 35% of US broadband households dealt with a data security issue last year.
• 40.8% of smart homes have at least one device vulnerable to cyber attacks that put the whole home in danger.
• It costs people between $970 and $3,310 to make their home a smart one.

Mailboxes
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If you live in an area where your mail is delivered to your home, you are required by the U.S. Postal Service to have a receptacle to receive the mail. Door slots must be at least 30 inches above the floor where they are installed and mailboxes 41 to 45 inches high if you have curbside or roadside delivery. There the regulation ends.

Some developments have their own requirements for mailbox design aside from the USPS, meant to create a uniform and cohesive look to the streets of a neighborhood. Simple black posts with identical black mailboxes or brick surrounds that encase the mailbox and match the brick of your home.

Popular decoration of mailboxes sometimes includes the personality of the owner. It might include painting the mailbox and post the colors of your favorite sports team or a big plastic fish where the mail is delivered into a big plastic fish mouth, or a clever one that has a 6 to 10-foot rod extended above the regulation 41-inch high mailbox, upon which an additional mailbox is attached and labeled Airmail.

Mailboxes become part of the curb appeal (or not) of your home. Keeping your mailbox tasteful, in good repair and blending with the overall look of your home and landscaping is still the best curb appeal if you are selling your home.

Fairs and Stampedes
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One of the most highly anticipated events for Magic Valley, Idaho residents opens tomorrow.  We LOVE Fairs and Stampedes.

August 29-September 3, 2018

Twin Falls County Fair & Magic Valley Stampede
215 Fair Avenue
Filer, Idaho

Providing a venue for 4-H and FFA projects, Professional Rodeo and Cowboy Association competition, food booths, carnival rides, free magic and hypnotist entertainment.

Grandstand entertainment highlights this year include:

• Octane Addictions Free Style Motocross Show – August 29^th
• Magic Valley PRCA Rodeo – August 30-September 1
• Old Dominion Concert – September 3

Find an online calendar of events and an option to plan your own itinerary and buy tickets CLICK HERE

“Committed to providing a positive enjoyable experience, while maintaining traditional values with emphasis on youth and agriculture.”– Twin Falls County Fair Board Mission Statement

“The following description of the Fair entries and parade from the FILER JOURNAL, September 21, 1916: “Under the clearest skies opened the first annual meeting of the Southern Idaho Fair Wednesday morning. With everything working like clockwork, the gates were thrown open and from an early hour it could be predicted that the Twin Falls County Fair was going to be the success as the little handful of Filer Boosters had predicted. Everyone connected with the Fair was on his toes to see that no mistake had been made when the County Commissioners had lent their aid to make the Fair at Filer, a creditable and successful one. All the many horse and stock stalls were taken the morning of the first day which insured the success of this essential part of the fair. The exhibits for the different buildings also rapidly filled.”

The name of the fair was changed to the Twin Falls County Fair in 2018.

Home Staging
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Staging your home when listing it for sale can be an important part of the selling process. As always cleaning and de-cluttering is crucial. But sometimes a trained eye that sees beyond the way a room looks and functions can dramatically change the first impression and appeal of your home.

Professionally trained stagers consult with you and in as few as 2 hours present a DIY plan that uses your existing furniture with suggested arrangements and accessories, de-cluttering priorities, lighting and window treatment recommendations.

The cost for a DIY consultation is modest, usually based on the square footage of your home, and can dramatically change the look and flow of your home along with the marketability. More detailed services are also offered by most stagers, including furnishing and staging empty homes and condos. Most stagers are flexible and can provide a detailed plan for DIY or do the entire staging with their own staff and furniture.

Staged homes help potential buyers visualize how their furniture will fit, set your home apart from others on the market, appeal to a wider range of buyers and most importantly has the potential to produce a higher offer and a quicker sale.

Study Zones
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It is hard to believe that Twin Falls schools first day of classes for the 2018/2019 school year is just 6 days away. Monday, August 20, 2018. Now is a great time to find and customize a study area in your home for each of your homework-aged kids.

Determine the type of study atmosphere each child needs. Does your child do well in a private area that is quiet without other children, or a common area where more than one child can be working at the same time. Even in a very small house you can find and transform areas that work for study zones.

Elevate the bed. Raise the bed in bunk bed fashion to create a study area underneath it rather than another bed. The footprint will be the same as before and it is a fun and private spot to study.

Revamp half a closet area. A small desk with a chair in an existing closet will not only be a fun place to study, but when the closet door is closed no one will suspect it is there.

Create a desk on a bookcase. Build a drop leaf desk on an existing bookcase that can be opened when needed for study and dropped down when not in use.

Find an area and create an easy and comfortable place for homework. Many ideas and advice can be found on the internet. Help your child succeed with their school work.

Remember to slow down and be cautious when driving as area schools reopen in the next few weeks. It takes the whole community to keep our children safe.