Spring and summer are traditionally the busiest shopping seasons for potential homeowners. With the current housing stock dwindling as buyer demand increases going into the warmer months, a seller's market has emerged across the country, giving residents looking to unload their current properties the upper hand in negotiations. However, even with the advantage laying in the hands of owners, a closing can still get derailed - or at least made less-than ideal for a seller - when a buyer hires a home inspector to come investigate the property.

In many cases, these contractors will unveil deficiencies in the property that even the homeowner didn't realize existed, causing the prospective purchaser to demand a slash in the asking price. Often, the amount of money that these home inspections cost the seller on a closing exceed the price it would have cost them to be proactive about minor fixes in the first place.

Before putting your home on the market, have a home inspector come in and evaluate your property to check for the deficiencies that potential buyers will be watching out for. Simple things like the water heater being outdated - or even not positioned correctly off of the floor - can be caught, allowing you to preemptively address them before the open house.

From island lighting to crystal chandeliers, 2015 marks the International Year of Light.  Make your home a haven for relaxation and a haunt for partying it up with your best friends–the right lighting design dictates the mood, so spend a little extra time mapping out your lighting plan and selecting the right light fixtures and light sources.

Ceiling fixtures from Quoizel Lighting add a festive finishing touch to this handsomely tailored den.

Never underestimate the power of a great lighting design.  For personal assistance in customizing your lighting plan, visit with a professional lighting consultant at a Capitol Lighting showroom or 1800lighting.com.

Replacing a major appliance in your home is never a fun—or a cheap—experience. However as cooling systems age, repairs become obsolete and sure enough your system eventually breaks down, requiring a full air conditioner replacement.

But how do you know when enough is enough when it comes to repairs? There’s no flashing neon sign letting you know that it’s time for a system replacement, and yet delaying replacement could mean dealing with an inefficient system that keeps making your utility bills rise. We’ve shared a few signs below that you can look out for, which indicate it may be time for a replacement.

Air conditioning systems perform at their best efficiency until about 10-15 years of age. After this time they start to break down a bit more frequently than usual. The good news is that systems manufactured today are much more efficient than those of the past. This can result in significant savings on your energy bills.

Do repair jobs seem more and more frequent? If your aging air conditioning system requires two to three repairs a season, chances are that it’s a good idea to consider system replacement. Rather that continuing to throw money into your old air conditioner and try to squeeze a few more years out of it, you can put that money towards a newer, better AC system.

Your air conditioner’s Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating (SEER) is an indication of how efficiently it performs. Today’s systems will all have a SEER ratio above 13, while systems installed in the 90s and even the early 2000s will probably be in the 7-12 range.

If you have recently decided to go into business for yourself, you understand that your new company is going to take a lot of work. As you have probably already discovered, the paperwork alone is enough to scare many people away from opening a small business. Additionally, your business needs a space from which to operate, and for many people, that means renting a commercial space. However, not every space is immediately ready to handle a business, and every small business has unique electrical demands. If you are setting up your first commercial space, a commercial electrician can help your business get started on the right foot.

Whether you are starting a bakery or a law firm, your new company is going to need electrical services. By calling an electrical contractor, you can be certain that your new office space is equipped to handle everything your small business will need. As Des Moines’ Top Rated Local® electrician, Electrical Gurus can help you in powering up your new office. Will your new business require industrial appliances? We can help with the electrical installation. Will your new company need to power computers, copiers, and other office fixtures? We can help with the wiring. Have you considered specialty lighting? We can design lighting for your office space as well. Additionally, as you prepare your new company headquarters, a commercial electrician from Electrical Gurus can help make sure your business is energy efficient, too.

When starting a business, there are an incredible amount of things to consider. Let Electrical Gurus help by having us handle the commercial electrician issues. As a local electrician you can trust, you can spend your time focuses on your business goals and let us worry about the electrical services. Contact Electrical Gurus online today to see how we can help get your small business up and running.