Want to upgrade the technology in your home without breaking the bank? Check out this list of ways to geek out your home for less than $900.
Want to upgrade the technology in your home without breaking the bank? Check out this list of ways to geek out your home for less than $900.
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View Advice and Tips RSS feedWant to upgrade the technology in your home without breaking the bank? Check out this list of ways to geek out your home for less than $900.
Cost: $85
Want to keep an eye on the kids without having to be in the same room? Or perhaps you want to monitor your front yard to see which neighbor keeps stealing your newspaper? You can do both with a wireless media streamer. If you think this sounds expensive, think again. Thanko, a Japanese electronics company, recently came out with an all-in-one kit that includes a transmitter (to connect to the source), a receiver (to hook up to a TV or computer monitor), and a remote control (to let you control and enable devices no matter where you are located). According to Thanko, you can use a
video camera and the kit to relay images to any screen in any room in the house.
Cost: $70
There's no telling what's happening in your home while you are away--unless you have a home monitoring system. These systems allow you to communicate and monitor your home with your cell phone or an Internet connection. Motorola has an easy to install system that requires no wiring, no drilling, etc. at a price that won't break the bank.
Cost: $270
Swimming pools are nice, but dealing with the chemicals can be a hassle. Fortunately, there are solar powered purifiers on the market that can do the job for you. The Solar Powered Pool Purifier from Smart Home floats around the pool and purifies the water naturally. It works so well, in fact, that the purified water is supposed to meet EPA established standards for drinking water. (Don't drink out of your pool though. That's gross.)
Cost: $130
There is no sense wasting valuable time cleaning your garage when there are robots out there willing to do it for you. Cleaning robots, like iRobot's Dirt Dog, can sweep up debris in garages, basements, or any other place with a rough, dirty floor. The best robots have enough suction power to pick up nuts, bolts, and other big chunks without slowing down, and most can be programmed to start cleaning at a specific time or a the touch of a button.
Cost: $40
Flavored water is all the rage. If you want to jump on the bandwagon and support this healthy fad, why not start at home. PUR has a new water filtration system that allows you to get your choice of flavored water straight from the tap with just a push of a button. The PUR Flavor Options Faucet Mount installs in less than 3 minutes on all standard faucets. Best yet--you won't even need the toolbox.
Even geeks need to take a break every now and then. If you want to kick back in technology-induced style, try adding a spa feature or two to your bathroom. A few worth considering include:
Falling prices are eroding the value of U.S. homes. According to a new Fed report, the equity that Americans have in their homes has dropped to the lowest level on record.
A survey commissioned by a national federation of state and local apartment associations shows that most renters will not be jumping into the U.S. housing market anytime soon. Has renting become the smart decision?
Some politicians are in favor of providing assistance to the millions of homeowners who are facing default as a result of poor decision-making and falling home prices. Others are dead set against it. Let's see where the American people stand.
Small banks and big ones alike are on the verge of bankruptcy, due to all of the bad loans that have been approved over the past few years. Although people tend to assume that their money will be safe even if their banks fail, history has shown that this isn't always the case. Find out if your hard-earned cash is at risk.
When it comes to home prices, location matters. Consider this: a $210,000 home in Atlanta, GA would be worth $1.4 million in Beverly Hills. The same home would be worth $509,000 in Washington D.C. and $207,000 in Phoenix. Find out how much homes might be worth in different cities in this home price comparison.
An open letter to all of the lawmakers and taxpayers who think a mortgage bailout is what we need to solve the housing crisis.
A national survey found that Stamford, Connecticut has most expensive rents among other U.S. cities. Residents need a household wage of $31.58 to afford fair market rent on a two-bedroom rental unit. Find out which other metro areas and states have high housing costs.
To get borrowers to leave a house--and leave it in good condition--mortgage lenders around the nation have begun offering cash for keys. Some lenders are paying out upwards of $3,000.
Republicans and Democrats are working on a new measure inappropriately named ''The Foreclosure Prevention Act of 2008''. This legislation is being billed as help for homeowners, but homebuilders and the mortgage industry are the true beneficiaries.
The National Association of Realtors is still working overtime to convince the American consumer that the housing market is starting to turn around. What's worse is that some media outlets are buying this story and passing it on to people who are looking for real news.
Which cities are the most expensive ones to live in and to visit? Which are the cheapest? The answers might surprise you.
Democrats unveiled a new plan last week that will allow the FHA to buy $300 billion in delinquent, underwater mortgages. The initial cost to taxpayers is estimated to be $20 billion.