An Application to rent is a pre-qualifying measure, a screening tool. That's the phase where references and credit are typically checked and verified, etc. Some places charge an Application fee, others don't. A Lease is an entirely different document. That's the legally binding contract that spells out the terms and conditions for renting a specific location for a specific period of time in exchange for a specified amount of money. If the apartment complex charged an Application fee and you agreed to pay that fee then you could be held responsible for it. (Honestly, tho, sending an App Fee to collections seems like a lot of trouble to go through, because collection agencies charge for their services. But some places are sticklers about things like that.) If it's a nominal amount (e.g. $50) it would cost more to get a lawyer to fight it than to just pay it. If that's the case, talk to the collection agency a.s.a.p. Just because something has gone to a collection agency does not mean it's hit your credit report (yet). If you make arrangements to pay, and take care of it, then you have an opportunity to keep it off your credit report. If you don't pay, odds are good it will land on your credit report. (You can check and see the status of your credit for free by going to annualcreditreport.com. No gimmicks, it's a site endorsed by the federal government. Federal law allows consumers one free credit report per year from each of the 3 credit bureaus.) If, however, they are trying to charge you rent, but you never signed an actual Lease, that's definitely worth seeking legal advice.

I agree with the previous posters. The faux wood garage doors would look nice. I LOVE your front door, very classy! I notice you have 2 large urns you could place on the driveway near the garage doors to add depth and color, I'd use black urns with bright flower colors if you keep the doors, taupe or white if you change them. Same goes for widening your flower area along the driveway and give it some curve. You could add something that stays green in the winter since you get snow in Chicago. Try adding something between your daylilies, every 2nd one put in a shrub that has great fall color and summer flowers to compliment the color of the daylilies : ) You could add a mounded & curved bed to the left (in the open grass space) with a taller flowering tree/shrub and some perennials that flower at different stages. A dogwood or ninebark in the corner near the front window and entrance would look nice since they have nice winter color, great summer green and pretty fall leaves : ) Does the tree at the end corner have flowers, berries or interesting leaves? It seems to have some good height. Do you like clematis? That would look nice on that corner too, both sides. Your house and yard are great! A bit of curves and color is all it should take.

I like the island and I think you could go either way with the ORB or a nickle finish. The crown gives the kitchen a more traditional feel, but I think your glass upper cabinets gives off a more contemporary vibe. I would go with the ORB if you want a more traditional look. You did a great job painting and adding the crown. It's gonna look great!

Just talked with my pool builder setup guy and recommended to stay with hayward, showed me the most frequent wear parts (the bearings on the suction mechanism - $40 part kit) and said at 1yr 9 months call in and say I need it rebuild (regardless if it did or not) so in theory it should last longer than the 2 years. He has worked with the PoolCleaner and he says is hard to fix and is really restrictive on the flow. I know everyone's got an opinion. He even said here is some extra feet, although he said mine would not wear due to having a smooth ultrapoz finish just to appease me I think. I got a confirmation of my equipment options: 1) Upgrade to Intellitouch i5S+MobileTouch - $1337 2) Upgarde to Intellitouch i5S+TC15Kit/Screenlogic Wireless (PC interface) - $1206 3) Upgrade to Intellitouch i5S+Indoor Control Panel - $545 We are leaning toward option 3 - trying to get our costs down and not really needing a remote we think. Any advice ...