So you’ve just purchased a new place and now its time to add some furniture. Where do you start? Many people will buy home décor magazines to get some ideas. That’s not a bad start if you’re not the best with coordinating colors and styles. However, many of us are on a fixed income and can’t afford the expensive pieces we see in those magazines. So here are some suggestions if you’re looking for affordable ideas for your home.

The flea market. Some of the best places to shop are not at the top of everyone’s list, and the Flea Market is one of these places. Here you can find pieces that may not always match but can still look good in your living space. Bargain with the vendors to get lower prices, they are expecting this anyway. Get there early because you want the best choices not the left over pickings from the day. Lastly, bring a large vehicle or truck so you can load up and take your furniture home.

Scratched and dented furniture. Another way to save on pricey furniture is to check out your local furniture stores and ask about their scratched and dented furniture. You can also ask about their old floor pieces and get these at a great deal. Most stores are willing to sell them at a low price since they may be worn from being on display. Bargaining is again a good thing to do when trying to purchase these pieces.

Discount furniture stores. Stores like The Dump in Hampton Roads, VA are another great place to buy inexpensive name-brand items. These pieces are mostly discontinued goods from other name-brand stores. Bring a large truck or vehicle with you so you don’t have to pay extra to have the pieces delivered.

Walmart and Target. Don’t discount these two stores. They are great for buying basic furniture and accents for your home. They offer throw pillows, curtains, bathroom shelves, and more. They really have it all.

Online sales. If you prefer to shop online, some great places include Macy’s, Overstock, and IKEA. Be mindful that not all items you find online are available in stores and vice versa. While shopping online there may be online specials and sales that you won’t find in the stores. Store sales are not always available online as well. At IKEA mostly smaller items like kitchen utensils and cookware are not available online so make sure there is a store nearby where you can purchase these items. JC Penny’s, Kohl’s, Walmart, and Target also have online shopping available with specials and sales not in stores.

Whether it’s for your cozy apartment, your condo or a house, you can furnish it to fit your budget. Having your home looking great and classy does not have to break your pockets.

Websites

• www.macys.com
o Currently celebrating their 150th anniversary, check out the in-store and online gifts, while supplies last. Free shipping statewide for purchases of
$99 or more.
• http://www.ikea.com/us/en
• www.jcpenny.com
o Free shipping on orders of $99 or more.
o Lowest prices of the season sale currently in effect.
• www.walmart.com
• www.target.com
• http://www.thedump.com/
o Weekend coupons available on this page.
• www.kohls.com
o Lowest prices of the season sale currently in effect.
o Always an in-store sale happening

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The International Customer Service Association (ICSA) began Customer Service Week in 1988. In 1992 the US Congress proclaimed Customer Service Week a nationally recognized event. Each year, during the first full week of October, thousands of businesses around the world celebrate Customer Service Week. It's an international event devoted to recognizing the importance of customer service and honoring the employees responsible for taking care of customers. 2008 Customer Service Week begins TODAY and runs through Friday, October 10th.

When people think of customer service, often they think of the front-line workers, those that have direct contact with the customer. The truth is everyone in your company has an impact on the customer experience. This includes the receptionist who greets callers and visitors, the IT engineers who maintain the system that manages your orders, the marketing staff that communicates information about your products - the list could go on and on. Every employee touches the customer in some way.

The ICSA has themed this year’s celebration with “One Team - One Goal”™. Both the words and the graphic representation speak directly to the importance of working together to achieve the most important goal of any service organization: customer satisfaction.

For the 2nd Annual AgentAdvantage and Homes.com celebration, we have decided that our week of events will be called “Traveling the World TOGETHER”. The teams will celebrate with a week long adventure to a different location everyday. Please join us in this celebration by visiting our CS Week website http://csweek.directhomes.com which will be updated with photos as the week progresses! Have an AgentAdvantage or Homes.com employee you want to praise? Send an email to today.

No matter how you celebrate Customer Service Week, as Nike says “JUST DO IT”! The rewards are plentiful. Always remember, the value of this celebration doesn't end in October. The message of Customer Service Week will benefit you and your customers all year long!!

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So you’ve been out all day taking photos of your real estate listings. After downloading them from your camera, you see that they’re good, but they’re just not perfect. You know that with just a few tweaks they’d be perfect. You're not the most tech-savvy and you don’t have the budget to purchase super fancy photo-editing software, so what do you do?

Don’t worry!

I found some web-based photo-editing tools that are not only easy to use, but FREE. Did I say FREE? Many of these tools will give you comparable results to brand-name software, but without the steep learning curve and hefty price tag!

One of my favorites is www.picnik.com. This site has all the basics you need to modify your photos. After registering for a free account, you can upload and modify photos in a flash.

The basic tool set allows you to:

· Rotate

· Crop

· Resize

· Fix exposure

· Change colors

· Sharpen

· Convert to new file type (png, gif, tif, bmp)

Should you feel a little adventuresome and want to test out the advanced tools, you can do the following:

· Convert to black and white or sepia

· Add borders

· Add drop shadow

· Add text

· Touch up

Picnik has all the editing tools that the professionals use, just without the high price tag. Best of all, this site is available to you from any computer connected to the internet—for FREE!

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