Sears Home Services

Home design trends for 2010

Bold paint colors, loft-style rooms and the return of traditional kitchens all made big waves at last week's International Builders Show in Las Vegas.

The annual builders show – a must-attend event for designers, architects and builders – hits at the perfect time of year. Holiday chaos has passed and cold winter weather has us holed up in our homes. Restless with cabin fever, I start picking apart my home, finding dozens of features I'd like to change. I dream of new kitchen cabinets and refinished wood floors, but may just settle for a fresh coat of paint.

It's a great time of the year to plan home improvements. Get inspired by these 10 home design trends featured at the builders show and start a new home improvement or decorating project today. It'll help pass time to spring – promise!

-Erin Sund, homepage editor, Manage My Life

Posted at 11:58AM Jan 27, 2010 by Admin in General  |  Comments[7]

A whole new ballgame

Like Brett Favre, whose Vikings bowed out of the title hunt Sunday against the Saints, I'll be watching the Super Bowl on a sweet big-screen television next Sunday, February 7.

How do I know? Two reasons. First, he won't be playing in the big game because his fourth-quarter pass was intercepted just when it looked like he was going to lead the Vikes down the field for the winning TD. Second, I saw him shopping at Sears for a smaller version of the same Samsung LCD flat screen TV I'll be watching the game on from my living room.

Yes, I know it was a commercial. But Brett's a smart guy, so you know he shops at Sears and you know he loves Samsung for its crystal clear high-definition picture.

I love Samsung, too, but never as much as after we had an HD satellite hooked up to our 60-inch unit last week (thanks, honey!). If you're throwing a Super Bowl party next Sunday, or even if you're just planning to watch the game by yourself, now's a great time to spring for a high-def, big-screen TV at Sears. The prices have never been lower (sadly, we paid twice as much two years ago as they're selling for right now), and if you hurry you can have it delivered and installed well before the Colts and Saints take the field in Miami.

Go Saints! 

- Mike Morris, editor, Manage My Life

Posted at 12:21PM Jan 26, 2010 by Admin in General  |  Comments[2]

Benefits of ownership

Everyone keeps telling me how lucky I am to be renting a home instead of owning one right now. Fiscally, they’re right. Home values have dropped so significantly in the past few years that I’m lucky to have sold my home for a decent price before the real estate market collapsed.

But let me tell you, renting a home is no great treat when that house is in dire need of repair. We need new windows, front and rear entry doors, insulation, gutters, a major kitchen remodel, a minor bath remodel, upgraded electrical system and drain tile in the basement. Alas, our landlord deems this place a tear-down and won’t invest in any of these repairs. So, for now, we wait, do some of our own minor repairs and improvements and keep our eyes open for a great deal on a home to buy.

If you own your home and need to do any of the things I’ve listed above, or any other type of home improvement for that matter, do yourself a favor and contact Sears Home Services for a quote. You’ll get a fair price on top quality work and save yourself the time, trouble and frustration that can come with doing it yourself or hiring an unqualified contractor.

Believe me, once we’re back in our own place, Sears will be at the top of our list of resources to help us maintain, repair and improve our standard of living.

- Mike Morris, editor, Manage My Life 

Posted at 03:59PM Jan 15, 2010 by Admin in General  |  Comments[0]

It's not you, it's your oven

How many batches of cookies does one have to burn before she realizes that there's something wrong with her oven? Let's just say I did my part to keep the butter, flour and sugar industries afloat this past holiday season.

The cold weather inspires me to cook at home rather than going out. Hopping a bus to grab a bite at a restaurant with friends is much less appealing when it involves donning 2 tons of wool to defend myself against Chicago's glacial winter winds.

I have had some winter cooking victories. Over the holidays I made great black bean chili in my crock pot, perfected my stir-fry technique and even dabbled in the pancake arts. But every time I stuck something in the oven, I was horribly disappointed. I produced a record number of charred black discs – inedible entities formerly known as cookies.

A lot can go wrong in the kitchen and it's sometimes operator error, but if everything you bake comes out charred, there's good news; it's not you, it's your oven. As it turns out, my oven's internal thermostat was off by more than 100 degrees and having it fixed was painless.

Here's the even better news; you can schedule service for kitchen appliances online. Don't toast another roast, waste another batch of cookies or set fire to a turkey breast. Schedule service today; there's still a lot of winter left to bake through.

Erin Sund, homepage editor, Manage My Life

Posted at 03:33PM Jan 14, 2010 by Admin in General  |  Comments[6]

Oh brrrr!

Like much of the country, the Chicago area where Sears is headquartered is in the middle of a long cold snap. And there's nothing like a cold snap to make you wish your house were less drafty. If you're thinking that 2010 is the year you're finally going to replace those Cold-War-era single-pane metal windows or that exterior door that never fit tight, why not arrange for a free estimate now, before spring arrives and you forget what it's like to have to wear a hat and scarf while watcing TV? You don't even have to turn away from your computer to call -- you can schedule a visit online. And of course you're not obligated to buy, so why not take off your gloves and set up a visit right now?

Erin Hynes, managing editor, Manage My Life

Posted at 12:58PM Jan 05, 2010 by Admin in Politics  |  Comments[0]

A new channel for you to reach us!

Perusing the Sears Home Services site and need just a little bit more help or information?  Don’t hesitate to contact us via phone, email, chat or the newly available “text to call” channel that allows you the ability to send a text to Sears Home Services for a near instant call to your mobile phone from one of our talented Personal Service Advisors.  You got it!  No waiting with this new feature!  Our Personal Service Advisors can answer questions about parts, schedule a repair appointment, help you find a manual and even assist in troubleshooting an issue with your appliance or home electronics seven days a week between 6:00am and 11:00pm C.S.T.

It’s easy…text “repair”, “install”, “clean” or “remodel” to 694663 (MYHOME) from your mobile phone and within moments, we’ll give you a call.

Thanks and Happy New Year!   
-Frank Kern, Online Customer Experience Manager, Manage My Life

Posted at 05:07PM Jan 04, 2010 by Admin in General  |  Comments[8]