Holiday Stock Up! Save $!

The Time is Now!!!

This week is your time to stock up on decorations for next year.  Most of my decorations at my home were a year old before I used them, but they were also up to 90% off! 

Shopping Burnout!

I know you are burnt out with shopping, but this is actually one of the best weeks to do it, for many reasons - aggressive sales, and Holiday closeouts!

Places like Target, Michaels, Home Depot, Lowes, Walgreens, they get really aggressive on clearing out the Christmas decorations.  One trick I have learned, since there are a billion Walgreens - I have found the two I live between, that one is considerably less frequented and therefore more things in stock.

It is true the longer they have the stuff the cheaper they get, but the selection also thins out - check out their clearance items, if it seems like a good deal to you - get it!

Last year I found a great deal on white spiral Christmas trees at Michaels.  If you send a lot of cards during the Holidays, as long as you don't mind storing them, you can stock up on these as well.

The Deals Get Sweeter!

If you have not quite hit the price point you are looking for on new electronics or other furnishings yet don't panic.  The last days before Christmas get aggressive, on TV's it still tends to be the off brands.

The Day After...

After Christmas it continues, the day after Christmas is a huge sales days as well, check the adds you may see what you are looking for.  Then as we enter January you will find scattered deals - many people wait thinking there will be these amazing deals on TV's for the Superbowl - you should have listened better in economics class - they know you are shopping it is more if a seller's market.  Don't get me wrong there will be deals scattered around.

February through April

Then we hit a great time, but a time of great caution because it is closeout time.  All of the displays get closed - although you can find some good deals - do this first if you can, so you don't kick yourself in the butt later.
Compare what you are getting for the money to the new version coming out in a month.

What you really want during this time is the item they have extra inventory in boxes - unless it is a ridiculous deal on an open box.  Remember if it is a year old model it has been on for and average of 12 hours a day for a year.  The equivalent of of about 5-6 years in the average home.
And if it is a plasma look for the burn in.
Again the best deal is the new in box closeout!

Merry Christmas Everybody!

Winter Appeal - did you landscape for year round beauty?

With the fresh layer of snow around my home it gives me the opportunity to see the year round beauty of my landscaping.  It is odd bust most home owners don't consider what the yard will look like in winter.  As a Realtor, I know the "appeal" of the yard can be beneficial year round.  December is a great month to sell a home for many reasons, here is a top 10 list...

1. People who look at property during the holidays are serious buyers and are more ready to make a decision.

2. Serious buyers usually have fewer houses to choose from during the holidays, so the property has less competition.

3. Houses “show better” when tastefully decorated for the holidays with the wonderful lights and festive colors associated with the season.

4. Buyers are more emotional during the holidays and often base their decision on the warmth and good feelings they receive when viewing the home.

5. Buyers have more time to look for a house during the holidays because they have designated time off from work to purchase a home.

6. Many people want to buy before the end of the year for financial and tax reasons.

7. January is traditionally the month for transfers. Transferees can’t wait until the spring to buy. These buyers need a home now and houses must be on the market to capture these buyers.

8. Sellers can restrict showings during personal family events and still take advantage of their homes being spruced up and decorated “show ready” property.

9. Sellers can sell now – but specify a delayed closing or extended occupancy until early next year if it is agreeable within the negotiations of the contract.

10. By selling now sellers have the opportunity to buy during the spring – when more properties are on the market.

Back to landscaping - look at your yard now and see if it looks visually attractive.  There are many things that can add to the appeal, physical structures like gazebos, and arbors.  Plants like evergreens add to the appeal, one of my favorite are the ornamental grasses - I actually like them more in the Winter then in the Summer.  They wisp back and forth and have a great sound and provide a food source to small birds.  The options are endless - here is an article I found that speaks more on the topic - http://landscaping.about.com/cs/designexamples1/a/home_landscape.htm

Protect your trees from vicious predators! "Rabbits"

Take a look at your younger trees and bushes where they have exposed bark near the base.  If you notice some gnawing or stripping our small mammal friends are snacking on your plants.  The problem is if they do too much damage there is the potential to kill the tree or bush.  An inexpensive fix is to cut up a paper grocery bag and staple it around the base.  If you are about a foot high up from the ground in coverage you should be safe.  You can go to the store and buy a wrap as well to put around the base.

DLP TV's - Are they dead?

Cheap and Big - this would be the only reason to look at them.  The only place I would suggest using them is the same place you would use a projector - a very dark place.

DLP is the evolution of the rear projection TV.  The DLP technology allowed them to reduce the size of the rear projector, it is now table top, but is still much deeper than any flat panel.  If you notice over the years the DLP's keep getting bigger and bigger, and less companies make them - in fact it's basically down to Mitsubishi - http://www.mitsubishi-tv.com/

The challenge is that you can buy 60 inch plasmas that look better for about the same price as the 65 inch DLP's - and most people feel it is worth giving up,  If you want an 82 inch TV this is still a good answer because the Flat panels over 65 inch get realllllllllllllllllly expensive.

The other challenge is that you don't know when they will stop making them - I have a JVC 61 inch, my bulb is rather expensive about $300.  Mitsubishi's bulbs are only $99.00.  The question is will that change if they stop production.  My suggestion is you buy one - get the longest warranty you can to cover other issues and buy 2 bulbs and store them.

My TV is really active and our bulb lasted about 2.5 years.  Compare them to a plasma you can usually look at them side by side - it is usually a big enough difference that most will give up the size for clarity.

No such thing as an LED TV

There really are only 3 kinds of TV's available right now, DLP, Plasma, and LCD's.  LED is a feature of an LCD TV.  Basically all LED TV's are in fact LCD TV's.  The LED feature is simply a way to illuminate the TV more efficiently and allow for an even thinner television.  Typically, when you are buying an LED LCD TV - you are getting most of all the other good features as well.  In fact, the most important feature and probably the most boring to talk about is Contrast.  Unlike 1080p, 240hz, 3D, you use contrast with everything you watch.  This is why you don't buy the first of a particular size in a brands line up.

A LED-backlight LCD television is an LCD TV that uses LED backlighting^[ rather than the cold cathode fluorescent lights (CCFLs) used in traditional LCD televisions. It is not a true LED display but is incorrectly called "LED TV" by some manufacturers. The use of LED backlighting has a dramatic impact, resulting in a thinner panel, less power consumption, and a brighter display with better contrast levels. It also generates less heat than an ordinary LCD TV.

The Future TV - OLED - on the horizon is the OLED TV - at this time it is cost prohibitive, but expect to see these in the near future as the production costs come in line with consumer consumption.

The primary benefit of OLED displays over traditional LCDs is that OLEDs do not require a backlight to function, and consume less power during operation. OLED displays are expected to be more efficiently manufactured than LCDs and plasma displays.

Plasma or LCD?

First, let me begin by saying that Plasma gets a bad rap, and there are several misconceptions about plasma TV's. 

They "do not" need refills of gas!

They also don't use that much more electricity than an LCD.

They do typically have a brighter, faster picture than most LCD's.

They are heavier due to the glass screen and need to transport upright, or you can and most likely will break them.  This is an issue that subsides as soon as you place it in the home.

They are more reflective than an LCD TV, so I typically lean LCD in a well lit room where you can't control the natural light.

Yes you can get burn in - this is rare and happens more in showrooms because they leave a menu on a screen for days on end.  Don't do that at home and you will be fine.  If you buy an open merchandise plasma - look for this on the screen.  Some plasmas have a "screen wipe" feature that is there to correct burn in.  Do this very sparingly, it is not good for the TV, it is like the self-cleaning mode on an oven - and basically institutes an even burn.

Personally, my next TV purchase will be a bedroom TV and it will be a plasma, probably a Samsung 42" and 720p.  In a future note I'll explain why I would stoop so low and buy a 720p.

Landscape Deals

There is not much time - but even here in the St. Louis area there are still deals to be found and additions to your yard are available.

I am notorious for waiting to add items to my gardens until the season ends.  Right now, although slim pickings there are bushes at my local Lowes for 50 cents.  This year I picked up a beautiful weeping cherry for $7.50.  I also picked up some small pines for 83 cents, and donated some trees to neighbors. 

/make sure you get them in the ground right away.  I picked up a bag of mulch and covered the soil around them for added insulation.  If you are not sure where to put some of your great buys, like the 4 Japanese Maples I bought from Sears at $2 a piece, put them in a garden nice and deep so they can winter, then find them a good home on Spring.

Black Friday Electronics Deals

After working in the retail electronics industry for over 17 years including Executive Management I have learned a few key things....

First, be cautious of the "off-brand", besides the fact they may have less quality controls then another manufacturer - their warranties can also be very different.  On the outside they have a one-year warranty, BUT, how that warranty is handled can be very challenging - including the consumer being required to send the product to manufacturer themselves.  If you must by the "off-brand" take a second look at the extended warranties they may have available - then the retailer will take care of the problem when it arises.  In my experience, if a flat panel failed in under 4 years, 80% of the time it was an "off-brand".

What is an "off-brand"?

This has become a challenge as well - many names that were big reputable manufacturers are not the same companies anymore - examples - RCA, Zenith, Westinghouse, Emerson, and Curtis is not the Curtis Mathis company from yesteryear.  Others are easy to recognize by their unique names.

Best Deals?

The best deals are not gone, just because Black Friday has come and gone.  In fact, the best is yet to come.  Technically, retail calls it Black Friday because they go into the black - PROFIT!

Yes there are door busters, but if you want that limited quantity item you need to be at the store a few hours before it is even open.  As the Holiday Season continues the ads get very aggressive and you can get good deals on the Sony, Samsung, LG.  I will tell you even these guys have a low end that I personally am not interested in.  Later I will tell you the differences in some of the current features.