Nicholas Yount, REALTOR

  Closing costs are typically 2 to 5 percent of the sale price of a house. If you struggled to come up with money for a down payment, having to find thousands of dollars more may seem impossible. With some types of mortgages, the buyer must pay the closing costs, or at least a percentage. In many cases, however, the lender doesn’t care who pays those fees. Sometimes a seller is willing to pay some or all of the closing costs.  Why Would a Seller Agree to Pay Closing Costs? A seller and real estate agent set an asking price anticipating that a buyer will want to negotiate a lower sale price. If you offered to pay the full list price and asked the seller to cover the closing costs, the seller could still come out ahead financially in the end. Sometimes sellers are in no rush to move, but in other cases they have a strict deadline; for example, if they need to start a new job. A seller may have already bought a new house and may be eager to sell the old one to avoid having to pay...

  (Family Features) If you want to add superfoods to your diet in the new year, Montmorency tart cherries may be perfect for you. Montmorency is the variety of tart cherries grown in America, primarily on small family farms. Compared to sweet cherries that are typically eaten fresh during the summer season, tart cherries are available year-round as dried, frozen, canned, juice and juice concentrate.   Decades of scientific research has shown Montmorency tart cherries are deserving of their superfood reputation. Here are five reasons to enjoy them more often: Sleep:  Tart cherries are one of the few food sources of melatonin and have been the focus of multiple sleep studies. Exercise recovery:  Tart cherry juice has become a popular exercise recovery drink for athletes. Arthritis and gout:  Studies have explored the impact of Montmorency tart cherry juice consumption on gout attacks and arthritis symptoms. Heart health:  Montmorency tart cherry research...

  When decorating your home, one of the most important areas of focus should be the lighting. Inadequate light can make a room look dark and dreary, making it difficult to perform everyday tasks comfortably. But too much light or the wrong types of fixtures can be an annoying distraction.  Types of Household Lighting and Fixtures Ambient lighting from overhead or recessed lights can serve as the primary source of light in a room. Task lights can be used in specific parts of a room for certain activities. They may sit on a table or desk or be mounted on a wall. Accent lighting is used to draw attention to a particular feature, such as a piece of artwork. Accent lights can take a variety of forms. Flush and semi-flush mounting lights hang down a short distance from the ceiling. They’re designed to illuminate a room without taking up too much space.  Pendant lights are attached to a cord, chain or wire and hang down farther than mounting lights. Pendant lights vary in size a...

  You and your family probably open your refrigerator several times per day looking for food, beverages and condiments. If things aren’t organized, people must rummage for the items they want, only worsening the disorganization. Not storing things in the right places can also cause food to spoil faster and put your family’s health at risk. Creating and sticking to a system can make cooking and snacking easier and help you avoid having food go bad. Which Foods Go Where? Before you reorganize the refrigerator, empty it out and clean it thoroughly. Wipe down and disinfect all surfaces and use baking soda or another deodorizer to control odors. Store foods that don’t need to be cooked, such as leftovers, yogurt, cheese, deli meat, other prepared foods and beverages, on the upper shelves. Use labeled plastic containers to organize items. If you have several open jars or containers, use a Lazy Susan to make them more easily accessible. Put raw meat on the lowest shelf so any juice that l...

  As for home appliances, your dishwasher is one of the most hard working and utilized. When the cycle is finished, it’s nice to see your dishes, glasses and silverware sparkling clean. But in some cases, when the time comes to empty, residue is stuck and you’re left wondering how a plate, glass or pan is still dirty after an entire wash cycle. This can happen simply because the dishes weren't properly loaded. Here, you’ll find a guide to loading your dishwasher the right way to ensure the best clean.  Top Rack Designed for your smaller items, the top rack is perfect for glasses and cups, bowls and plastic containers. To ensure that plastics don’t get warped, keeping them on the top rack, away from direct heat is the safest bet. Don’t over fill, as it can cause dishes to break or limit the water and detergent from thoroughly washing.  Bottom Rack Larger items, like plates, serving bowls, pots and pans and cutting boards belong on the bottom rack of your dishwasher. Just m...

  (Family Features) Adding salmon to your weekly menu can take dinnertime from drab to delicious. Combining it with bright, fresh veggies heightens the savory experience even more for a burst of seafood flavor. Loaded with salmon, a homemade dressing, sushi rice and a variety of tasty veggies, this Salmon and Shrimp Coconut Curry is a perfect option for putting together a quick yet delicious meal. Plus, you can feel good that it's sustainably produced by looking for the Aquaculture Stewardship Council’s (ASC) certification on farmed salmon. Fast becoming a leading source of seafood worldwide, aquaculture is similar to typical agriculture but with fish, shellfish and seaweeds. It consists of two methods: natural environment and onshore tanks, which are both safe ways to raise quality, responsibly produced seafood. Through strategic partners, innovative technologies and mindful farming practices, the ASC is transforming the seafood industry with a certification for farmed fish to hel...

  While it’s true that all rooms are not created equal when selling a home, you still need to stage each room and make it as attractive as you can for any potential buyer. While something like a dining room, garage or family room might not seem as important as a kitchen or bedroom, you may have a house hunter who spends a great deal of time in one of those rooms and that could be where their focus lies. So, when considering the dining room, whether you use it for meals or simply to plop down mail and food that you need to put away, think of it as a room that people will want to dine in every night. Though many millennials would probably just transform the room into an office or larger entertainment room, you still want to furnish and prepare the room for those who consider the dining room a vital component of the home. For many, the dining room is where most of the family meals and entertaining is done. Plus, it’s a wonderful showcase room for your china, glasses and other flatware...