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Heres how to stay connected with nature in the city.

Create Your Own Oasis

Whether its a small backyard or a spacious terrace, try to surround yourself with plants wherever you can.

Rooftop Gardens

A growing trend in the city, hotels sport verdant lounges and restaurants, while public buildings boast well-tended green spaces on top.

Parks & Trails

Local parks, nature trails and botanical gardens are all easy ways to get a quick dose of nature.

Indoor Herb Garden

If your home is a bit limited in terms of outdoor space, all it takes is a sunny spot inside to grow your own herb garden.

Published with permission from RISMedia.

If you have ever owned any stainless steel products, you know how beautiful and appealing the look can be. Stainless steel appliances give a renovated kitchen that POP! it needs, while steel also makes for a very durable cookware product that never disturbs flavors, yet guarantees a balanced heating of foods. It also resists corrosion and rust – a bonus for the steel fans!

But sometimes stainless steel appliances can be difficult to keep clean. Here are some quick and easy tips for cleaning steel and maintaining that fresh metallic look:

Clean with water and a cloth. Microfiber cloths are the best option to use when cleaning stainless steel because they absorb all of the water. It’s also a safe product to use to avoid scratching steel surfaces. You’ll want to avoid paper towels or any cloth or towel with a rough surface intended for non-stick cookware. This especially includes steel wool! When drying, dry along the grain to avoid water spots. If you clean or dry aggressively against the grain with regular scouring pads, you will leave marks on your appliance or pan, so be sure to take it easy.

Only use a drop of dish soap. For most cases, a drop of mild dish soap and warm water is all you’ll need to clean a pan or pot, so don’t overthink it! Just be gentle. Alternatively, using white vinegar as a cleaner has also been proven to work. Try it out – that stuff is like magic!

Glass cleaner is your friend. Fingerprints on stainless steel is one of the biggest complaints and it’s a valid concern! No matter how careful you try to be, fingerprints will always end up on your fridge. Spray glass cleaner on a microfiber cloth to get the job done. Wipe away the fingerprint using soft circular wipes. There are newer finishes of stainless steel that are fingerprint resistant, so if you are buying new products be sure to do your research and seek those out.

Keep a stainless steel cleaner on hand. If you need to remove stains or scratches from your stainless steel, using a steel cleaner is a great option. Read the directions on the cleaner and be sure to test the product on an unnoticeable location, just in case. Even if you aren’t trying to remove a stain or hide a scratch, stainless steel cleaner or glass cleaner will help your appliance shine. As always, rinse the area thoroughly afterwards and towel dry.

Stainless steel can be finicky, but with a little TLC, stainless steel will keep your kitchen looking sleek and stylish for years to come.

Published with permission from RISMedia.

Mortgage rates have been relatively low for years. Seeing them inch up can cause home shoppers to panic and possibly put their home purchase on hold.

The good news is that there are options when mortgage rates are rising.

First, it’s worthwhile knowing that small increases in mortgage interest rates shouldn’t affect buyers too much ” a one-half percent rise in mortgage rates is only about $28 more per month on a $100,000 loan.

A 30-year fixed-rate mortgage is the most common type of home loan. There are other types of home loans and other options that can make buying a home easier, though they often come with the caveat that a low interest rate now may mean a higher one later. Here are some options:

Get an ARM: An adjustable rate mortgage, or ARM, will have a lower interest rate than a fixed loan, but only for a certain number of years before it changes.

The interest rate will be fixed for three, five, seven or 10 years, then may go up if interest rates are rising. The longer the fixed-rate period, the less savings you’ll see in the interest rate.

Pay More Points: Paying discount points can lower your interest rate. Each point costs 1 percent of the loan rate to lower your rate by one-eighth to one-quarter percent. Paying two points, or $2,000 on a $100,000 loan, to lower a 4.25 percent loan to 4 percent equals $15 per month in savings.

You’ll have to calculate how many months it would take to make up that savings. In the above case, it would take 133 months of saving $15 per month to make up the $2,000 paid for the lower interest rate. That’s about 11 years of living in a home.

Make a Bigger Down Payment: Coming up with a bigger down payment is another way to afford higher interest rates on a loan. The more money you put down, the less money you’ll need to borrow”and, sometimes, it can help you get a lower interest rate.

Do the Floatdown Option: Pay a fee of one-quarter to one-half of a point to get a floatdown option to protect you if mortgage rates drop by the time you close on the loan. If rates fall during the typical 45 days it takes to close a home loan, you’ll get the lower rate.

Those are just some of the options borrowers have when interest rates are rising. Ask your mortgage provider for more.

I hope you found this helpful. Contact me for more home and real estate insights and info.

Published with permission from RISMedia.

Published with permission from RISMedia.

Here are just a few reasons why reclaimed wood might be the right choice for you!

Its an eco-friendly option, so youre helping to preserve natural resources. You can feel good about using timber that would otherwise go to waste.

Each piece of reclaimed wood is unique, and has often already developed a patina.

For a long time, reclaimed wood was only used in traditional or rustic design; however, these days, it can be found in almost any setting.

Unlike new materials, theres a story behind reclaimed wood that gives character to your home.

While certain styles come and go, salvaged wood has timeless appeal that continues to improve with age.

Published with permission from RISMedia.