5 Houseplants Almost Anyone Can Keep Alive

Bringing the outdoors in is huge in home décor these days, but so-called black-thumbers—and the forgetful—traditionally have big trouble keeping their houseplants alive and thriving.

But California writer/blogger Justina Huddleston reached out to a few horticultural experts to find out the best low-maintenance choices for people who want to bring a little green into their lives. Here are their top five choices:

Pothos. Sometimes called Devil’s Ivy, this plant with shiny, heart-shaped leaves, sometimes speckled with white or gold, does well in any light and doesn’t mind drying out now and then. It’s a little leggy, so you can let it trail from a pot or basket—or trail it along the mantel. Bonus: this plant can help purify the air in your home.

English Ivy. A trailing plant like pothos, this attractive choice has smaller heart-shaped leaves and does an even better job of filtering toxic agents out of the air you breathe. And it doesn’t require much sunlight or water to retain its cheerful demeanor.

Chinese Evergreen. A trim and sleek-looking plant with large green, speckled leaves, Chinese Evergreen stays where you plant it and is a good choice if you don’t have a lot of natural light. It likes a bit of water when the top of the soil goes dry, but can do without moisture for as long as two or three weeks without noticeable damage.

ZZ Plant. You may have never heard of this one, but it’s a natural for growing indoors. It has thick, rubbery leaves that might remind you of a palm or fern, and requires about as much attention as a cactus. It grows fastest in bright light, but it does just fine in low light and asks only that you think to water it once a week or so.

Parlor Palm. This attractive palm-like plant with narrow fronds will grow three or four feet high, making it a good choice to show off in a basket or tub to anchor an empty corner. It can handle low light, low humidity, bad air, near-freezing temperatures and some neglect, making it perfect for people who are accustomed to accidentally killing off their house plants.

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Ways to Winterize Your Home on a Budget

Clean Your Gutters

You've heard it before, but we can't stress this enough. Making sure that water can flow freely through your gutters now will help prevent icicles and ice dams from forming later. 

Flush the Water Heater

Particles and sediment can collect over time in the bottom of your water heater, hindering the unit's efficiency. Flush the water through the drain valve to clear out the material and keep your heater functioning at its best. 

Clockwise Ceiling Fans

Ceiling fans are everyone's favorite summer budget-saver. But they can help out in the winter as well! Have your ceiling fans move in a clockwise direction so they push hot air along the ceiling towards the floor. If they're going counterclockwise, they won't be as effective. 

Window Insulation Film

It may not be the most fashionable tip, but window insulation film can keep up to 70% of heat from leaking out of the windows. You won't mind the appearance when you're toasty warm in your house!

Draft Guards

In a drafty room, heat escapes under the door. When winterizing your house, place draft guards by the doors to prevent heat loss. It's a simple solution that keeps your house warm and saves you energy. 

https://www.bobvila.com/slideshow/11-ways-to-winterize-your-home-on-a-budget-10169#draft-guards

3 Predictions for Denver Real Estate in 2019 and Beyond

Prediction 1

The market will slow—just a little—this year.

Buyers, take a breath. A small one. And make it quick, because you still can’t afford to take your sweet time deliberating over whether to stretch your budget to get that extra bathroom—even as the market will likely affect a slightly more leisurely vibe in 2019. Littleton-based Development Research Partners is forecasting a six-year low for existing home sales closed over the entire year (see graph). Multiple bids will continue to be the norm; however, come July and August, Heather Heuer, senior vice president of sales operations for Liv Sotheby’s, expects higher inventory to allow buyers a little more time for deliberation. That could be enough to temporarily slow the feeding frenzy around new listings. Recent buyers and would-be sellers can still enjoy nice, deep, self-assured inhales, though, because our economy is now diversified enough (thanks tech, health care, and marijuana booms) to maintain its robustness. Says Heuer: “The bottom dropping out isn’t going to happen.”

Prediction 2

Interest rates will remain stable in the near term.

The average interest rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage at press time (early April): ~4%. That’s almost a half percent down from where rates were in early 2019, which may sound like good news for home shoppers—but the tantalizing rates could encourage more buyers to jump into the market, increasing competition. Regardless, experts expect rates to stay in the low fours this year.

Prediction 3

Millennials and baby boomers will flood the market, in some cases competing for the same properties.

At about a quarter of our population, millennials are the largest generation in the Centennial State, on track to account for 45 percent of mortgages in 2019, according to realtor.com. Plus, the largest cohort of millennials is approaching 30, an age at which that demographic, broadly speaking, is transitioning to a more stable lifestyle—and, perhaps, finally able to scrape together a down payment. “They don’t necessarily need the square footage,” says Libby Levinson, a broker associate at Kentwood Real Estate. “They want the lifestyle; they want to be living their best lives on Instagram and have access to things that let them do that.”

https://www.5280.com/2019/04/11-predictions-for-denver-real-estate-in-2019-and-beyond/