(RE/MAX Blog) - These days, moving to a new home with your pet - whether furry, feathered, or scaled – isn't so uncommon. Many find themselves looking for pet-friendly lodging on the road to their new homes.

Here are a few tips from Kim Salerno from Tripswithpets.com.

Pet-Friendly Rooms

Many hotels allow travelers to bring their pets into every room, while others have a certain number of pet designated rooms. Certain pet friendly hotels welcome pets of all breeds and sizes at no additional charge. Others have weight or breed restrictions, and may charge an extra fee when you bring your pet. Be sure to check your hotel's pet policies before you book your room to avoid any unwelcome surprises.

Plan Early

Pet-friendly rooms can fill up quickly. So, when you're planning your travel route, make sure to check pet friendly lodging availability and book in advance to avoid being turned away. Hiccups along the way are bound to happen, but good planning can help you save money and avoid scrambling for a place to stay along the way.

Consider your Budget

Depending on your budget and how comfortable you and your pet want to be, check out pet-friendly rooms at road-side motels or luxury hotels. No matter what your travel budget is, there are several pet friendly options to help you stay on track. If you have any special requests or concerns, be sure to call ahead before booking to make sure the lodging can accommodate you.

Extended Stays - A Sense of Home Before the House

There are multiple reasons for pushing back your move-in date, which potentially leaves you in your new town without a place to stay. Extended stay hotels are a great option for those needing somewhere to unload for more than a just few nights. Typically equipped with kitchens, laundry facilities and other amenities needed when traveling, many extended stay hotels are pet friendly and affordable.

No matter where your move takes you, planning ahead for pet friendly travels is a safe bet that the process will go as smoothly as possible. Enjoy the ride and embrace this next chapter in your life with your pet right beside you!

Kim Salerno is the President and Founder of TripsWithPets.com, a pet travel guide that provides online reservations at more than 30,00,000 pet friendly accommodations across the U.S. and Canada. Kim spends her free time traveling with her four-legged kids, Tucker, Charlie and Brownie.

(RE/MAX Blog)- Creating a home media center means you'll never have to put up with the annoying guy at the theater who talks through the whole movie (unless, of course, you're married to him). Here are a few tips to get you started.

Think about acoustics

Choose a room with limited windows and doors to seal in the sound. Keep in mind that valuted ceilings can be tough when it comes to adjusting your sound system.

Set up strategically

To find the optimum distance to sit from the screen, the general rule of thumb is to multiply the diagonal size of your TV in inches by two.

Popcorn, of course

Once you're nestled into your home theater seats, you're not going to want to walk all the way to the kitchen for more refreshments. Consider investing in an old-fashioned popcorn stand. A mini-fridge may come in handy, too.

Set the scene

Frame a few posters from your favorite flicks and hang them on the wall. Popcorn buckets and marquee lights can also add to the environment.

(RE/MAX Blog) - Preparing to bring home a furry bundle of wagging joy? Keep your puppy (and belongings) safe by following these tips.

1. Harvest your plants

Puppies are known to nibble indiscriminately – make sure they don't munch on a toxic houseplant! Find out which of your plants are dangerous (azalea, philodendron and jade are a few) and either hang them high or make a neighbor's day with a gift of green.

2. Hide your cords

Everything can look like a chew toy to pups, and electrical cords are no exception. If you can't tuck them safely out of sight, try feeding cords through PVC tubing. Cords hanging from drapes and blinds also can be tempting to puppies. Tie them up out of reach.

3. Stash your trash

Items such as Q-tips and twisty ties can cause serious damage if your puppy consumes them. Chicken bones can be ever-so-enticing – and highly dangerous – to dogs. If you have under-counter storage space that can accommodate your trash can, use it. Otherwise, be sure to use a sturdy trash can with a locking lid.

4. Secure your snacks

Avoid the temptation to slip your dog table scraps. Lots of common foods, like onions and grapes, are poisonous to dogs. Foods stored in plastic bags are also dangerous, as puppies could suffocate on the plastic. Stash them on high shelves, or in pantries and cabinets.

5. Mind your pocketbook

Hang a hook or clear some space in a closet where you can place your purse as soon as you walk through the front door. You'd be amazed how quickly a pup can pilfer pills, sharp objects, pens (that could leak all over your carpet), makeup and other dangerous items from your bag.

6. Store cleaners

Make sure all household cleaning agents, like laundry detergent, pods, bleach and furniture polish, are stowed safe from the puppy in a cabinet that either locks or has a child-proof latch.

We are proud to announce the names of the real estate agents and teams with RE/MAX Realty Group and RE/MAX Realty Group who were ranked among America’s Best Real Estate Agents by REAL Trends.

Lisa Wills, Ross Simone, Trish Nicely and Klaus Breitsameter were ranked among the best individual agents. Team Connie Fitzgerald, the McKnew Team, Andy Werner Team and the Prigal Brother’s Team were ranked among the best teams. 

The REAL Trends rankings, which were released in July 2017, featured nearly 12,600 U.S. real estate associates from every state. The ranking of both the individual agents and real estate teams were based on their closed transactions and sales volume in 2016.

America's Best Real Estate Agents ranking by REAL Trends represents all 50 states and all major cities. It includes over 250 Major Areas and nearly 600 major cities. Search for the Best Agents in your area or view the REAL Trends ranking.

Learn more about RE/MAX Realty Group and RE/MAX Realty Group.

(RE/MAX Blog) - Backyard trampolines can be a great way to keep your kids active and away from their screens. Just don't let an injury end the fun. Follow these tips to help keep your young – and old – trampoline fans safe this season.

1. Put it in a safe place
Don't set up your trampoline below power lines, trees with low-hanging branches or clothes-drying lines.

2. Keep it clean
Leaves and dirt can erode the trampoline's mat and springs. Hose it down when it starts collecting yard debris, or wipe it off with a wet rag. Don't use any strong solvents to clean your trampoline as these can also erode the materials.

3. Give it a once-over more than once
Regularly check the trampoline for warped or damaged springs, damaged frames, tears or fraying in the mat and deteriorating stitching.

4. Cover the metal
Invest in shock-absorbing pads that cover the trampoline's springs, hooks and frame.

5. Avoid the asphalt
Even with a safety net or crash mats, setting your trampoline on concrete is too risky.

6. Create a safety zone
Keep at least eight feet of ground surrounding the trampoline clear.

7. Slippery when wet
Make sure the mat is dry before using after a rainstorm or morning sprinkler rotation.

8. Avoid overloading
Your trampoline's instructions will include a weight limit – do not exceed it. It could damage the equipment and increase the chance of parts breaking and causing injury.

9. Only kids 6 years and older
The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons advises against kids younger than 6 using trampolines.

10. One at a time
More than one jumper at a time creates more tension, which means kids could lose control of how high and how far they bounce.

11. Exit strategy
Don't let kids bounce off the trampoline onto the ground. Those exciting dismounts cause lots of accidents.

12. Save your grass
Move your trampoline around your yard (using two people to avoid damaging the frame) throughout the year to avoid creating a giant circle of dead grass.

Ready to bounce on over to a new neighborhood? Start the search for your new home today. 

(RE/MAX Blog)- Cranking up the AC can also crank up your electric bill. Here are a few alternative ways to keep your home cool this summer.

1. Swap bulbs
If you still haven't switched to CFLs for environmental or economic reasons, do it to be cool. Incandescent bulbs waste about 90 percent of their energy through the heat they emit.

2. Keep a cool head
Try out a buckwheat pillow for bedtime. They don't absorb and retain heat like cotton and down pillows.

3. DIY AC
Place a big bowl of ice water in front of a fan for a cheap alternative to central air.

4. Mind the blinds
Close your window blinds or curtains when you leave to prevent your home from heating up like a greenhouse while you're gone.

5. Grill and chill
Cooking outside on the barbecue keeps you from heating up your home with a stove or oven. It also minimizes the time you have to sweat over the dishes.

6. Don't block your breeze
Open internal doors at night to maximize any fresh, cool air that makes its way inside.

7. Change direction
For the summer, set your ceiling fan to rotate in a counterclockwise direction to create a cooling, downward airflow. In winter, turn the setting back to clockwise to recirculate warm air.

8. Suck it up
Use your bathroom fan when you shower and your exhaust fan when you use your stovetop. They'll help draw the hot air up and out of the room.

9. Unplug
Electronics emit heat when they're plugged in, even if they're turned off. Unplug them, or use a smart power strip, when you're not using them.

(RE/MAX Blog)- Busting clutter is almost always the first recommendation from professional stagers. Why not have a yard sale to clear out the things you no longer use while earning some cash for your move? Follow these tips to help things go smoothly and maximize your profits.

1. Get the online word out
List your sale on the "Garage Sale" section of Craigslist and on any neighborhood Facebook page groups. Include photos of your more interesting items to attract shoppers.

2. Sign up
Hit the dollar store for some neon poster board and thick markers. Then make big, legible signs to post at intersections near your home.

3. The more the merrier
Ask neighbors and friends if they want to sell their things too. Everybody has things they need to get rid of. People are more likely to stop and shop if they see a variety of items for sale.

4. Sell drinks
Enlist your cute kid (or your neighbor's) to learn about economics with a lemonade or coffee stand. A hot or cold drink for a few cents can help lure people to stop and shop while they sip.

5. Plug in
If you're selling appliances, have access to an outlet or an extension cord so people can test them out. Make sure to have some batteries on hand so shoppers can see if battery-operated items work as well.

6. Make it easy to find prices
The bigger the item, the bigger the price tag. Don't make shoppers hunt around for tiny stickers on your couch or lawn mower.

7. Prep for checkout
Have lots of change and small bills on hand, as well as plastic bags shoppers can use to carry home their new treasures.

(RE/MAX Blog) - Just as hygge becomes mainstream, a new Scandinavian trend is hitting lifestyle blogs, websites and even the world's largest furniture retailer. Have you heard? 2017 is the year of lagom.

Loosely translated from Swedish, lagom means "not too little, not too much, just right." This applies to finding balance in all aspects of your life, including your dwellings.

Are you looking to achieve a 'just right' home in 2017? Here are three easy steps.

1. The Right Amount of Space

The first step in creating a lagom home is finding the right amount of space. Whether it's a single family home, condo or a home with a much smaller footprint, more American homebuyers are choosing to live in less square feet. In fact, the lagom lifestyle is in line with many of the amenities that millennial home buyers are looking for. Gone is the desire for a formal dining room that may only be used on holidays and large outdoor spaces that take time and money to maintain.

2. The Right Amount of Furniture

Now that you have found your 'just right' space, it's time to furnish it. Take a note from professional home stagers on this one, the size of the furniture is just as important as the amount of furniture in a lagom home. While shopping, look for useful and comfortable pieces that don't overpower your space.

3. The Right Amount of Décor

Millennials seeking out minimalism will gravitate to lagom home décor. The focus is clearing clutter and keeping only items that you need.