West Islip Blogs of the Week: Mar. 3

What are your neighbors thinking about? Is a national-news story peeking the interest of the neighborhood or is someone simply sharing their insight on every day life? No worries if you missed the past week – we've collected the top blog posts across our local Patch sites in one convenient place.

Do you have ideas to share? You can always join our Local Voices right here.

Sequestration: What the President & Congress Can Learn from School Districts

Patch blogger Meryl Ain, Ed.D. suggests the President and the United States Congress could learn a thing or two from school districts during budget season, especially on coming together to agree on a budget, which the country technically has not had in nearly four years.

"Sure, school districts engage in politics too when presenting their budgets. They may threaten to cut full-day kindergarten, sports programs, or other popular offerings, and sometimes they are cut," she writes. "But often when there is an outcry from parents, these reductions are shelved in favor of those that have less impact on students and the educational programs."

Learn the Seven Principles of a Healthy Home

Local handyman Robert Deacon gives his tips on how to keep your home healthy, especially those that were affected by Hurricane Sandy in October. Tips include keeping the home dry, clean and free from being a bug's best friend.

"Prevent water from entering your home through leaks in roofing systems, rain water from entering the home due to poor drainage and check your interior plumbing for any leaking," said Deacon. "Control the source of dust and contaminants, creating smooth and cleanable surfaces, reducing clutter and using effective wet-cleaning methods."

Tips For Showing Your Home

Selling your home soon? Local real estate agent Kristin Schuster has some great tips for what should and should not be done when you decide to show your home to potential buyers and their broker.

"Never allow a buyer into your home without an agent present, you will from time to time have someone see the home and decide they are going to 'pop in,'" said Schuster. "You can speak with them but don't let them into your home, this is not about your agent trying to 'control' a possible sale but about your safety!"