In order to keep your home decor looking fresh and up to date, it’s important to pay attention to the trends as they shift and change. 

Planning to redecorate this year? Consider these trends to pay attention to.

Getting Personal

Social media has made a big bang in 2013, and it is following into 2014. People are able to share their interests through pictures and inspire others with DIY ideas.

Printstagram turns your Instagram pictures into prints for frames, posters, calendars, and more.

Hang these pictures of family and friends or even scenery on the walls. Postcards or letters you may have collected and saved over the years will also add a personal touch. 

If you're looking for more pop culture rather than personal, an amazing website…

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Hourly to daily, trends are constantly changing but we can always rely on Google to keep track of what users are searching for. From ObamaCare to the Government Shutdown and the Royal Baby to Taylor Swift's relationships, Google compressed 2013's search engine trends regarding major events, pop culture and terms in its Zeitgeist. 

BatKid stole our hearts, whereas the Boston Marathon bombing and the death of Nelson Mandela broke them. Miley Cyrus managed to become the most searched person. Courtesy of pop culture, Oxford Dictionaries Online added words such as 'twerk', 'selfie', and 'derp.' 'What is ObamaCare?' was the seventh most popular term. Viewers bid farewell to their favorite TV show characters in Breaking Bad to 30 Rock. Playstation 4 went up…

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When you take out a mortgage on your new home as a first time homebuyer, the more you can pay as a down payment the better. The down payment on a mortgage reduces the principle of the loan and means that you will be paying tens of thousands less in interest payments over the life of the loan.

Most financial experts recommend that you should save up at least 20% of the value of the home as a down payment. Depending on the value of the home that you want to buy, this can be a serious chunk of money. You will need some strategies for saving big. Here are some tips to help you get closer to that down payment:

Make A Separate Savings Account

No matter how much you have already saved for your down payment, create a new savings account to put the money…

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New York experienced its second snowstorm since the beginning of the year.

On Tuesday, January 21: we were hit with an early blast when snow started to come down around 8 a.m. and sanitation trucks seemed to have been invisible on the streets. 

Mayor De Blasio’s spokeswoman Marti Adams claimed the city does not dispatch plows until there is two inches of accumulation.

There have been reports that a number of streets on the Island still looked unplowed as of Thursday morning. Islanders called 311 seeking assistance for untouched side street such as, Greanleaf and Delafield Avenue by Blessed Sacrament where parents drop their children off. 

According to the New York Post: The city’s 311 help line had been swamped by nearly 125,000 calls,…

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The original Silver Lake was known as Fresh Pond, up until 1860. During the 19th century, a casino and saloon once existed on the property and several companies harvested ice. The lake's body of water was used for boating and ice skating. In February 1897, Silver Lake hosted the National Skating Amateur Championship races.

When the population was growing, Silver Lake Park was created for families and their children to have recreational grounds to play on. 

As ice harvesting became old news, the lake was drained and converted to a working reservoir by the Board of Water Supply in 1913. Less than five years later, Silver Lake Reservoir became the endpoint of the city’s Catskill water supply system. 

Facilities  
Baseball Fields

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April 1864 — Staten Island Savings Bank is founded in Stapleton

Staten Island Savings Bank was founded by Francis George Shaw and numerous other men, as a mutual savings bank in 1864. The Savings Bank opened for business three years later and became Staten Island’s first successful bank.

For over it's first 60 years, Staten Island Savings Bank remained a local bank but as business continued to expand in the twentieth century, it began to open branches in other communities on the island. The first branch was opened in St. George in 1931. Branches in New Dorp, Castleton Corners and Grasmere followed years after.

March 17, 1865 — Pioneer photographer Elizabeth Alice Austen is born in Rosebank.

Alice Austen was one of America's earliest and most…

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Home sale closing costs can take you by surprise. Here is an estimate of what a buyer or seller can expect in the way of residential closing costs - but always be sure to discuss this with your real estate attorney or mortgage rep.

Closing Costs are fees for final property transfer not included in the price of the property. Typical closing costs include charges for the mortgage loan such as origination fees, discount points, appraisal fee, survey, title insurance, legal fees, real estate professional fees, prepayment of taxes and insurance, and real estate transfer taxes. 

Here are the breakdowns:

A buyer utilizing a loan can expect between 4.5 and 6% of the purchase price depending on the loan amount.

A buyer paying all cash can expect…

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When it comes to selling your home, curb appeal refers to the “first impression” that your house gives when a buyer approaches it from the driveway or the street. First impressions are important and even if the inside of the home is perfect, the outer appearance can really affect a buyer’s perception.

If you are trying to sell your property, look out for these common curb appeal mistakes:

Garden Decorations

You might think that your decorative lawn ornaments are cute, but your potential buyers don’t necessarily have the same taste. If you have a few gnomes living in your garden, you might want to hide them away for a while when your home goes on the market.

Dying Flowers

Adding flowers to your front yard can improve your curb appeal, until…

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Veterans Park is the oldest park on Staten Island. First mapped in 1836; thirty years later, the town became known as Port Richmond. In 1898, this open area was named Port Richmond Park.

In the 1920s, a police booth was built in the park courtesy of the Police Department and Parks. In 1949, the park was renamed by local law as a tribute to American veterans. Once an iron fenced property, it is now open for the public.

A granite water fountain stands in the Park as a monument honoring Eugene G. Putnam in 1915. Putnam was the school principal of P.S. 20 for over 15 years. 

The Park has a second monument; a bolder with a plaque comemorating  John Sullivan is located on the Park Avenue side. In the summer of 1777, he was an American Revolutionary War…

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Have you made it your New Year’s resolution to find that perfect home for you and your family? You might have thought that you needed to wait until spring to start house shopping, but the fact is that January is a great time to begin.

House hunting in January offers a number of advantages that will work in your favour. Here are some of the main reasons:

Desperate Seller

If the home is on the market at this time of year, there is a chance that the home sale is somewhat urgent. If they were not desperate, they might pull their home out of the market and wait until spring to try again. With a motivated seller you are more likely to get a better price.

A Dedicated Realtor

Your realtor will have more time on their hands at this time of the year,…

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