The Alfano Group's Blog

    Owning rental property is one of the soundest investments you could make, to the extent that 90% of millionaires have income-producing property in their portfolio.  But making day-to-day decisions to manage those properties can be challenging if your not properly informed.  There is no greate...

    Early History   -Business cards originated in 15th century China, where they were known as visiting cards, which announced a person’s intention of formally meeting with someone else.   -These ancient business cards were made using woodcut and letterpress techniques and often very ornate, even...

  1.         Hide your garden hose in a nice pot. Unsightly garden hoses and spray nozzles can easily be coiled and stored inside of a big ceramic pot or planter.    2.         Reface your foundation. If you have a plain and boring concrete or stucco foundation, add faux or half bricks, tiles, or...

    Some people believe in ghosts and spirits that curse certain homes, spooking the occupants. Others think that the notion of haunted houses is nothing but a 365-day Halloween - irrational fear mixed with a healthy does of imagination. But what happens when these people are buying or selling a ...

DIY house painting tips.   Congratulations on buying your new home!  Now comes the hard part - fixing it up and redecorating to your liking.  You'll want to hire a professional painter if your budget allows, but if you're willing to invest some elbow grease and your weekend to the task, you may b...

10 Ways to find the owner of a vacant house.     1. Leave a note.  The tried-and-true method for getting in touch with the owner is just to leave a nice note.  Tape it to their front door, out of site but where it won’t get rained on. Make sure you mention who you are and why you want to get in t...

15 Crazy. fun, and funky home furnishings!   1. Turn your hanging painting into a table - and back again! 2. Tree branch book shelves.   3. Floating cubes coffee table that will mystify your guests.   4. For you old-school computer nerds - a 3.5" floppy disk coffee table.   5. Or for the Star War...

20 Little-known facts about the 4th of July.   We celebrate July 4th as the quintessential American holiday, the seminal date in United States history when we the Declaration of Independence was signed, officially emancipating us from British colonial rule.  The holiday that signals the apex of o...

30 Incredible facts and stats about the U.S. economy.   Give it away.  1. Since 2008, U.S. citizens have donated $19.1 million to our Treasury to help pay down the national debt.   2. The U.S.A and its citizens contributed $298 billion to charity in 2011, more than the GDP of all but 33 countries...

15 Tips to buying your next vacation home.   Vacation homes are hot, hot, hot! - gaining in popularity at least 10% per year since the real estate recovery, with median prices up about 23% annually.  It may be the perfect time to buy your dream destination home but it can be a far trickier proces...