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| Teresa’s Timely Tips
| Read my Spring newsletter below: |
| Newsletter Contents: Home Maintenance Checklist for Spring Spruce Up Your Kitchen for Spring Tips for Saving Money
| Home Maintenance Checklist for Spring | Most homeowners know seasonal maintenance is a must. Spring is the perfect time for routine maintenance checks on many areas of your home. But how do you decide what needs to be done and in what priority? Here is a checklist to help you shape up your home for spring:
• Gutters and downspouts: Remove leaves and debris from gutters and downspouts. Reattach gutters that have pulled away from the house. Run a hose on the roof and check for proper drainage. If leaks exist, dry the area and use caulking or epoxy to seal the leak.
• Siding: Clean siding with a pressure washer to keep mold from growing. Check all wood surfaces for weathering and paint failure. If wood is showing through, sand the immediate area and apply a primer coat before painting. If paint is peeling, scrape loose paint and sand smooth before painting.
• Exterior Caulking: Inspect caulking and replace any that is deteriorating. Scrape out all the eroding caulk and re-caulk the needed area.
• Window sills, door sills, and thresholds: Fill cracks, caulk edges, repaint or replace if necessary.
• Window and door screens: Clean screening and check for holes. Holes bigger than a quarter leave plenty of room for bugs to climb in. Patch holes or replace the screen. Save bad screen to patch holes next year. Tighten screens and frames that are allowed to flap and move to make sure they are securely fastened. Tighten and lubricate door hinges and closets.
• Roof: Inspect roof surface flashing, eaves and soffits. Check flashings around all surface projections and sidewalls.
• Decks and Porches: Check all decks, patios, porches, stairs, and railings for loose members and deterioration. Open decks and wood fences need to be treated every four to six years, depending on how much exposure they get to sun and rain. If the stain doesn’t look like it should, or water has turned some of the wood a dark gray, hire a professional to treat your deck and fence.
• Landscape: Cut back and trim all vegetation and overgrown bushes that are touching structures. Limbs and leaves can cut into your home’s paint. A little trimming can save a lot of time and money.
• Sprinklers: Check lawn sprinkler system for leaky valves, exposed lines and improperly working sprinkler heads. If there is an area of your yard that collects too much water or doesn’t get enough, run the sprinklers to figure out the problem. If it’s not something you can fix yourself, Call a professional before your lawn needs the water.
• Air Condition System: Have your unit cleaned and inspected by a professional.
| | A little Spring make-over can do wonders for making your kitchen feel bright and fresh. You don't have to paint your walls in pastels to make the room reflect spring. In order to look like spring, yet still match the room, you should use decorations that have lighter more pastel-like tones of the same colors you already have in your kitchen. If all your decorations are darker toned, try painting or accenting a few. For instance, if you have a dark green bowl or container, try putting pastel green marbles, balls, or eggs inside of it. You can also mix another color into the bowl that is a pastel version of another color in the room. Another way to accent with colors is to get some ribbon in pastels that are lighter than your kitchen colors. Tie the ribbons around different decorations, candles, and containers. A great centerpiece for the table can really hint at the season. If you'd rather not splurge on this item, you can accent an
existing piece. If the existing centerpiece is a silk flower arrangement, try adding in extra silk flowers. Be sure they are pastel versions of the colors already contained in the piece. Another easy fix is to add pastel-colored marbles to a clear vase containing silk flowers. If you prefer fresh flowers, you can still add pastel marbles to the vase, but make sure your flower arrangement contains the original color scheme, accompanied by the pastel version. Another great way to reflect spring is to switch out your placemats. Choose
placemats that have both the lighter and the darker tones together for the best effect. Floral designs and other patterned designs work best for this because of the color versatility. The basic idea is to accent, not replace. If you follow that guideline, as well as the color guidelines outlined above, your kitchen can reflect spring without looking like a child's Easter basket.
Quick Tips: Use a coffee filter to clean TV and computer screens. They don’t leave lint or a residue. | | There are several ways to save money related to your home.
1-If you own a house, shift your higher-rate credit card debt to a lower-rate home equity line of credit. You will be able to deduct the interest on your tax return.
2-Pay your mortgage payment biweekly instead of monthly—you’ll save on interest costs and pay off your mortgage years sooner.
3-Pay extra principal payments when paying your mortgage. You’ll save interest payments and be able to pay off your mortgage sooner.
4-If you have a don’t have a fixed rate mortgage lock in one while the interest rates are low.
5-If your down payment on your house was less than 20%, cancel your private mortgage insurance once your mortgage balance is 80% or less of your home’s value.
6-Raise the deductible on your homeowners insurance and car insurance policies.
7-Try a vacation at home. See and do the things you’ve always meant to do and save on hotel costs. The holidays are a perfect time to enjoy local festivities. A local festivity you might want to check out: June 21—Lake City— South Carolina Farmers Festival—activities for children, tractor parade, farmers market, antique tractor display, live performances! | | • Use a calendar and have a place to write a To Do List. Even if it’s just a 3X5 card or Post-It note, write down what you need to do. You’ll accomplish more by writing them down.
• Plan tomorrow the night before. This means confirm appointments , lay out work to be done tomorrow, and clean up your desk to be ready to start fresh.
• Keep a clear line of sight on every countertop. That means the front 2/3 of your kitchen counters and desk itself should be clear. The outer area has only things you likely will use.
• Work to cleanup the most used room at home, i.e. the kitchen. Keep up on dishes and mail so you can relax when you are home.
• Put a “Giveaway Clothes bag” in your closet and donate it every other month. It’s easier to give away regularly than to do a big cleanup.
• Email: Set times to do email and don’t let it run your life or become your To Do List! Twice in the morning and twice in the afternoon are adequate.
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| | | Don’t think all you hear about real estate on TV applies here in South Carolina. The national real estate market is bleak in places but here in South Carolina our market continues to be strong. In fact the Pee Dee region showed a slight increase in sales from 2006 to 2007. Prices across the state remain strong with our region showing less than a 1% drop in median sale price in 2007. Real estate is like the weather, all markets are local. One of the biggest differences that I have seen in the market is the tightening of mortgage guidelines. Because of the problems in the mortgage industry, houses are staying on the market a little longer. It is a lot harder to get a home buyer financed than it was a year ago. With houses being on the market longer this gives an advantage to the buyer because you have more time to make sure you find the home you want and more importantly that you can afford. | |
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