April is National Car Care Month: Turn to Spring Car Care After Rough Winter

BETHESDA, Md. -- Many vehicles were neglected during the recent brutal winter months, and could use a little extra care by now. The Car Care Council recommends setting aside a little time during National Car Care Month in April to get your vehicle ready for the spring and summer driving season.

"Your car has gotten you through one of the worst winters in recent memory, working overtime in harsh conditions, but the extreme cold, potholes and road salt have taken a toll," said Rich White, executive director, Car Care Council. "Since most Americans rely on their vehicles nearly every day to get to work, school and everywhere in between, taking a little time for car care now can save headaches and money in the long run."

The non-profit Car Care Council recommends that motorists follow three simple steps during National Car Care Month in April.

• Keep your vehicle clean. Regular car washes and waxes protect the paint and body of your car from corrosive debris. In parts of the country where salt is used on the roads, regularly washing is especially important.
• Keep your car on schedule. Every vehicle has a manufacturer recommended maintenance schedule. Whether you choose to do your own maintenance or patronize a local repair shop, following a routine service schedule is essential to keeping your car in safe and dependable working order.
• Keep an eye on the little things. Your windshield wipers aren't cleaning as well as they should? Your gas tank is missing its cap? There's a warning light on your dashboard?  When you see your car needs attention, don't delay. Repairing small things now can help avoid more costly problems down the road, and add years of useful vehicle life.

The Car Care Council offers many free tools on its website to help consumers drive smart, save money and be car care aware, including the popular 60-page Car Care Guide and a custom service schedule and email reminder service.

The Car Care Council is the source of information for the "Be Car Care Aware" consumer education campaign promoting the benefits of regular vehicle care, maintenance and repair to consumers. For a copy of the council's Car Care Guide or for more information, visit www.carcare.org.

Ten Common Myths About Lawn Care Dispelled

HERNDON, Va. -- April is National Lawn Care Month, and the time of year when homeowners turn to the care and upkeep of their lawns with the goal of seeing their yard and landscape flourish. It's also the time of year when landscape professionals must address some common misconceptions about when and how to tend to the lawn for maximum success.

"Our job as landscape professionals is to help advise and emphasize ways to save time and money on lawn care and, oftentimes, that means we need to dispel some fairly persistent myths," said Glenn Jacobsen, Landscape Industry Certified, president of PLANET. 

PLANET, the national landscape industry association, asked its professional landscape members to name the 10 most common lawn care myths:

1. Myth: The best time to replace the lawn is in the spring, as plants get ready to bloom.  Reality: Sowing seed in the spring sets one up for potential problems, as heat sets in during the summer months and weeds compete for space. The best time to sow seed is in the fall when the temperatures are more consistent and highly competitive weeds, like crabgrass, have gone dormant.
2. Myth: Water new plants every day to prevent them from drying out.Reality: Overwatering kills as many plants as lack of water. It is better to make sure you are wetting the entire root system of your new plant and then allow the soil to dry to the point that it is only moist. 
3. Myth: To have a healthy lawn, dethatch in the spring.Reality: Thatch is a layer of living and dead plant material, including the crown, roots and stems of the turfgrass plant. The brown on the surface at the beginning of the spring will slowly recede into the background all by itself as new leaves emerge. While dethatching is a common and sometimes necessary practice, it should be done only when thatch is excessive.  
4. Myth: It's a good idea to remove clippings after mowing.Reality: There is a misconception that grass clippings contribute significantly to thatch. Grass clippings are mostly water and decompose rapidly, returning significant amounts of fertilizer to the lawn. Research shows that up to one-third of applied fertilizer can be recycled by simply returning clippings.
5. Myth: Golf courses cut their grass short, so it's a good idea to do the same.Reality: Golf courses use incredibly sophisticated and expensive mowers to achieve a short height of cut. Check the appropriate mowing height for your species of grass, but in general, never cut more than one-third of the grass leaf at a time.
6. Myth: Lawns are not "organic."Reality: Sometimes, lawns are thought of as areas that don't provide environmental benefits. However, they are actually highly complex and dynamic organic systems that not only contain turfgrasses, but also earthworms, fungi, soil microbes and other life forms that coexist and make possible the lawns we all enjoy for recreation, sports and aesthetics.
7. Myth: The best time to fertilize your lawn is in early spring.Reality: Different varieties of grass like nutrients at different times of the year. You need to use the right fertilizer source, at theright rate, at the right time, and in the right place. Cool-season grasses, like Kentucky bluegrass, are usually given nutrients in fall and early spring when it is cooler. Warm-season grasses, like Bermuda grass, usually like nutrients in late spring and early fall when it is warmer.
8. Myth: The products lawn care companies use are dangerous and more powerful than what a homeowner can use.Reality: Most of the products professionals use can be purchased at the garden center, but the difference is that professionals are regulated and, by law, have to use the proper amounts, apply them correctly and dispose of them properly.  
9. Myth: While digging in my lawn, I saw a grub worm. I should apply a grub control application every year.  Reality: Most of the time, grubs don't attack fescue lawns because of their deeper root zone. Grubs in small numbers are not harmful to a lawn; in fact, they are beneficial, as they aerate the soil. It's having too many that can be harmful. Call a professionalto evaluate your lawn.
10. Myth: Watering the lawn with the garden hose saves more money than installing an irrigation system.Reality: Consider installing an irrigation system that uses smart controllers which have sensors that only allow for watering when conditions require it. Smart irrigation can offer a cost savings of approximately 15–20 percent on water bills. Convert irrigation spray nozzles from sprinklers to rotating nozzles which spread heavy droplets of water at a slower pace which makes them more targeted and effective.

For more tips on taking care of your lawn or to hire a landscape professional, visit www.loveyourlandscape.com

Realtor.com® Names Top 10 Markets for First-Time Home Buyers for 2014 Home Buying Season

SAN JOSE, Calif., -- Realtor.com®, a leader in online real estate operated by Move, Inc. (NASDAQ:MOVE), today released the Top 10 Markets for First-Time Home Buyers for the upcoming home buying season. Markets that made the 2014 list by rank include: Pittsburgh, PA; Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL; Philadelphia, PA; Fort Worth-Arlington, TX; Orlando, FL; Jacksonville, FL; Dallas, TX; Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC and Phoenix-Mesa, AZ.

"As we head into home buying season, these markets show favorable conditions for first-time buyers, which is encouraging because these buyers are crucial to the housing market," said Steve Berkowitz, CEO of Move, Inc. operator of realtor.com. "First-time buyers have a widespread impact on the local housing markets. In transitioning from renters to owners, new buyers pay property taxes and other fees and taxes associated with homeownership that benefits local schools and services."

Top 10 Markets for First-Time Home Buyers by Rank

MSA	Median Listing Price	YOY % Change	MOM % Change	Total Listings	YOY % Change	MOM % Change	Median Age of Inventory	YOY % Change	MOM % Change	Un-employm ent rate
Pittsburgh, PA	$135,000	0.00%	1.58%	11,026	-3.21%	-0.38%	128	1.59%	2.40%	5.70%
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL	$169,900	13.34%	0.53%	21,062	33.96%	2.90%	88	-1.12%	-5.38%	5.90%
Philadelphia, PA-NJ(NJ)	$174,900	0.00%	1.39%	10,656	2.19%	2.98%	141	-1.40%	-3.42%	6.40%
Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	$175,000	3.61%	0.06%	8,433	7.44%	15.54%	67	0.00%	-19.28%	5.40%
Orlando, FL	$191,900	12.95%	1.00%	13,425	49.17%	4.33%	81	12.50%	-5.81%	5.50%
Jacksonville, FL	$198,000	1.59%	1.59%	9,787	25.47%	2.99%	95	5.56%	-5.94%	5.60%
Philadelphia, PA-NJ(PA)	$219,000	1.86%	2.82%	21,909	-4.72%	1.78%	121	5.22%	-0.82%	6.40%
Dallas, TX	$224,900	12.45%	2.23%	15,887	10.28%	18.72%	57	1.79%	-25.97%	5.40%
Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC	$227,500	5.81%	1.11%	9,435	-0.99%	6.68%	98	4.26%	-7.55%	4.90%
Phoenix-Mesa, AZ	$244,900	13.96%	2.04%	23,654	45.34%	9.02%	59	13.46%	-20.27%	6.20%

Market dynamics play a major role in the level of stress taken on by buyers, especially to buyers new to the process. In this report, realtor.com® examined five key factors including market popularity, prices, inventory, time on market and employment, to see which markets currently are the best for new buyers.

1. Location, location, location: Market popularity is an important consideration for first-time buyers. It is common for owners to become "move up" buyers and purchase a larger home a few years after a first home purchase. Buying a home in popular markets increases the likelihood of making money on a first home.   
2. Affordable list prices: One of the biggest barriers to homeownership is affordability. Home owners not only have to be able afford a monthly mortgage payment, but have enough saved for a down payment. Less expensive homes are typically a better fit for first-time buyers as they require less of a down payment and have lower monthly mortgage payments.
3. Supply of inventory: Inventory shortages can often spark bidding wars between buyers where investors or buyers with more income can price out first-time buyers. Markets with a steady supply of inventory are less likely to involve bidding wars. 
4. Reasonable time on market: Median age of inventory is a clear indicator of demand in a market. High demand is another factor that prompts bidding wars and makes it difficult for first timers to get the home of their dreams.  Additionally, first-time home buyers should consider the specific amount of time a home that has been on the market, they may have an opportunity for a better deal as sometimes sellers are required to price homes more competitively in order to close.
5. Steady employment: Unemployment rates affect all aspects of the economy, including first-time buyers. In order to pay for their mortgages, new buyers need to work and hold steady jobs in markets that support their job.

How To Make the Most Out of an Open House

Did you know: March is National Frozen Food Month

A number of various causes are recognized in March. Two of these seem to go hand in hand, or hand to mouth — National Nutrition Month and National Frozen Food Month. The goal of the first is make consumers aware of just how easy it is to eat healthy meals. And one of the ways this is possible is because of frozen food. Developed by Clarence Birdseye, the first commercially available frozen food was fish in 1925. Frozen food became increasingly popular as refrigerated freight trains and trucks were able to carry it to all parts of the nation. Today in the U.S., some 3,500 packaged frozen food wholesalers sell $85 billion worth of heat and eat products. You can find current data on the country's economy by downloading the 'America's Economy' mobile application at www.census.gov/mobile.