Home and Garden
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First frost signals many gardening choresOct 13, 2018 7:00 am - The average first frost date at the Chicago Botanic Garden is Oct. 15, though it is often later in the city. Tender plants can be protected from light freezes by coverin...
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Escrow taxes and insurance or pay them yourself?Oct 13, 2018 6:00 am - Mortgage lenders generally require borrowers to include taxes and insurance premiums in their monthly mortgage payments. The additional payments are placed in escrow unt...
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Seller unlikely to owe taxes on profit from home saleOct 13, 2018 6:00 am - Q. Please explain the IRS requirements regarding one-time $250,000 tax exemption when the elderly sell their home. A. The regulations you're asking about have been chang...
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New options open for homeowners seeking a reverse mortgageOct 12, 2018 7:00 am - WASHINGTON - You've probably seen actor Tom Selleck suavely pitching federally insured reverse mortgages on TV and thought, hmm, that sounds interesting. He says you can...
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Waterbed promoters hope to revive industryOct 12, 2018 6:00 am - TAMARAC, Fla. — Waterbeds still elicit a wink, wink, nudge, nudge whenever they come up in conversation — but two pioneers of the industry in the United States are hopin...
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Electrical safety for whirlpool bathtubsOct 12, 2018 6:00 am - Q. Please help me resolve a debate I'm having with a local home inspector. I have a small business installing bathtub whirlpool systems. For added safety, I use plastic ...
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Kondo says people of all cultures have trouble organizingOct 12, 2018 6:00 am - Organizing consultant and author Marie Kondo joined staff writer Jura Koncius recently on The Washington Post's Home Front online chat. Here is an edited excerpt. Q. Now...
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St. Charles named 'Best of the Best' in America in Bloom awards programOct 11, 2018 11:00 pm - St. Charles took home top honors in the America in Bloom national awards program, winning the Circle of Champions award for its population category, 25,000-75,000. The ...
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Marie Kondo on the five obstacles to declutteringOct 11, 2018 11:00 pm - Japanese decluttering diva Marie Kondo started out as an organizing consultant while she was a 19-year-old university student in Tokyo. Her 2011 book “The Life-Changing ...
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Social media changes how garden clubs are perceivedOct 11, 2018 11:00 pm - The Hawthorn Garden Club of Glen Ellyn has climbed on board the social media, internet train. Introducing the club's website is exciting for us. Interestingly enough, i...