I'm green with envy over the Green Home's earth-friendley laundry room.

I’m not even kidding when I say I was literally just daydreaming about The Laundry Room of My Dreams, when I heard CNN’s Keira Knightly (like a voice from above) talking about the possibility of a federal Cash for Clean Laundry program. Okay, it’s not called that. But word on the street is that there is a new program in the works that might work like the Cash for Clunkers deal, but for appliances. You wouldn’t have to turn in your offensive, earth-destroying, old refrigerator. (You could just move it to the basement or the garage like my parents.) Sit tight though – state governments will decide how much you get and they don’t have to turn in their proposals to the feds until Oct. 15. Keep checking in at www.energy.gov. Do you realize that this could bring me one step closer to 4.0 cubic feet of front-loading happiness? What’s your next big appliance purchase going to be?

You can make a Slatted Room Divider in one day.

In my mind, they are two separate rooms and clearly the one with the room dining room table…is the dining room. But when I have people over—it never fails—they end up eating in the living room. I understand their confusion. After all, it is technically one big room, but one room with two jobs. I want a room divider that I can make myself…on a Saturday…that I can also remove when I want the two rooms to appear as one. I like HGTV’s Slatted Room Divider that I found in their gallery of ideas for room dividers. I’m trying to be creative before I give in and order a shoji screen online. Do you have a room divider? Does it work?

Everyone’s always talking about all the bargains to be had in the foreclosure market, so I decided to check it out for myself. I attended an auction of bank-owned homes in the New York City area. I didn’t end up buying anything, but it did reinforce what I already knew about buying a home at auction:

 1) Research. Many homes are in less desirable neighborhoods. Visit the homes being auctioned and look out for these 10 red flags for homebuyers.

2) Crunch the numbers. Estimate how much you expect to spend on home improvements on top of the purchase price, and decide if it’s a smart investment.

3) Be prepared. Most auctions require a cashier’s check or cash for the required earnest money deposit. Find out if it’s a cash-only transaction, or if you can finance the purchase through a lender.

I’m a packrat. I still have textbooks from high school, copies of all the newspaper articles I’ve ever written and clothes I haven’t worn in 10 years. Sadly for my mother, all of that is collecting dust in her garage.

Lucky for me, she’s not planning to sell her home anytime soon. But if you’re planning to sell your home, now is not the time to be a packrat. In fact, this is the time to purge your life of things you never use. Think of it as starting new in your new home, and ditching all the unnecessary baggage you’ve been trying to carry with you for the past 5 to 10 years.

So go forth and clean and declutter. Cleaniness is next to godliness, especially in real estate. If you don’t use it, sell it, give it away or throw it out. Hold a garage sale, donate to Goodwill or post it on Craigslist. People are always looking for free or cheap stuff.

Someday I’ll go through the stuff at my mom’s house. Someday.

Rate My Space: Inground Pools

A dear friend hosted a pool party for us last weekend. She’s using a saltwater system rather than the traditional chlorine tablets or liquid to clean the water. Now, there’s disagreement over whether saline or chlorine is better, but I definitely preferred the saline with its lack of eye sting and bleach smell. I hear my suit will last longer this way too, and that sucker wasn’t cheap!

Then again, I’m not too picky. If you invite me over, I’m going in. And I certainly wouldn’t turn my nose up at any of these amazing pools, regardless of how the water gets sanitized.

Paint your home before selling

It’s amazing how many poorly maintained homes I see when I’m house hunting. Do these sellers actually expect to get their full asking price?

Let’s face it – if your house looks like a fixer upper, it’s going to get a fixer upper offer. If you want to sell quickly and for top dollar, staging your home is essential.

 You don’t have to spend hundreds of dollars on home improvements or hire a professional stager to reap the benefits of a staged home. Try these tips:

 1)  Paint and repair. A fresh coat of paint adds new life to a drab room. Fix what’s broken, including a squeaky cabinet door, leaky faucet or a torn screen door. If you like, replace outdated hardware and fixtures. They’re inexpensive and buyers love that shiny new feel.

2)  Make room. Get rid of clutter, remove extra furniture or use smaller pieces if they’re too big. Cramped rooms give buyers the impression that your house is small and lacks space. Store some of your clothes so your closets look bigger.

3)  Lighten up. Choose window treatments and lighting that brighten each room.

Plant hardy, sun-loving flowers in summer.

It’s approximately a bazillion degrees today. Again. I’m glad to have a list of hardy sun-loving plants and flowers that will be at least a little harder for me to kill in this kind of weather.

Weekend projects from HGTV

Sometimes all it takes is a little fancy to make you feel better about yourself or your surroundings. You know what I mean, a little lip shimmer, a pair of white gloves, a British accent…stuff like that. Same holds true for your place, you know.  Look at the pendant light in your kitchen. Now picture it suspended from a fancy ceiling medallion? See what I’m sayin’? Here are 19 other weekend projects to help you class up a room, all for under $100.