tips – Page 2

5 Thanksgiving Entertaining Tips

November 17, 2015 By Chris

Whether you’re hosting your first Thanksgiving celebration or you’ve lost count how many times you’ve opened your door and table to family and friends, one thing is for certain…without a good plan in place Thanksgiving dinner can get away from you in a hurry. We have some excellent Thanksgiving entertaining tips to keep your kitchen running smoothly and allow you to mingle with your guests and enjoy the day.

Plan your menu. Figuring out what dishes and how much food you’ll need is the first step in planning a great Thanksgiving celebration. Whole Foods recommends that you’ll need about one and a quarter pounds of turkey per person, one starch, one vegetable, and one dessert each per every five people.

Get ahead. Do the majority of your prep work and basic cooking the day before. Things like stuffing, potatoes, soups, and casseroles can all be made ahead of time and reheated about thirty to forty minutes before you’re ready to serve. Use bag, pre-washed greens to easily prepare your salads. To ensure your turkey is complete thawed before cooking, set it in the refrigerator at least forty-eight hours before cooking.

Outsource. Your guests will most likely want to contribute to the meal so take them up on the offer. Ask guests to bring their favorite side dish, dessert, or beverage. Contributions from your guests can really help bring the spirit of the first Thanksgiving to your table.

Keep it simple. Sure you could go all out with beautiful, hand craft tablescapes but who has time for that? Keep your decorations simple and understated. If you don’t want to spend hour over the kitchen sink hand wash dishes, skip the fine china and go for dishwasher safe dishes or if you dare, disposable plates and flatware.

Entertain your guests. Some families enjoy eating their turkey meals in front of the big screen watching football while others enjoy soft music playing in the background. Whatever your guests enjoy, make sure there is plenty of it. If the weather is cooperative spread the festivities out so your guests aren’t crammed and you have plenty of room to work in the kitchen. And don’t forget the kids, provide them with a space of their own and some activities to keep them busy.

We wish you and your family a safe and festive Thanksgiving Day celebration!

Tips For Closing Your Pool For the Season

September 15, 2015 By Chris

While the temperatures may still be warm, summer is quickly winding down and fall with its cooler temperatures will be here before you know. Don’t let closing your pool become an afterthought. Having a pool is a huge investment in your home and one that needs proper maintenance in order to avoid it becoming a huge problem. Closing your pool isn’t as intimidating a project as many homeowners think either. Follow our tips for a smooth closing and good winter maintenance.

Treat your water. Five to seven days before closing your pool, test your water and then treat it accordingly to bring the calcium, pH, and alkalinity into the correct range. Shock the pool with chlorine to kill any bacteria. Let the chlorine levels come back down to normal range before proceeding with your closing.
Clean and clear your pool. Scrub the walls of the pool and then vacuum the pool. This will help keep algae at bay and make opening easier. Remove all accessories such as ladders, handrails, slides, vacuums, etc. from the pool and store them in a shed or garage away from the winter elements.
Lower your water level. Using your filter or a separate pump, reduce the water level to below the skimmer. In the event of freezing, this will provide enough room for the water to expand without damaging your pool.
Backwash and drain your filter system. Backwashing the filter will remove all the water in the filter. Drain all of the water lines and blow them out using an air compressor.
Cover the pool. Using a solid, opaque cover for your pool keeps debris out of the water and reduces the ability of algae to form in the water. It also helps keep unwanted guests, namely children and animals, out of the water although you should still practice proper pool safety even in the off season.

Closing your pool the correct way will allow for an easier opening once temperatures warm back up in the spring and allow you to enjoy your pool sooner.

5 Home Selling Safety Tips

August 11, 2015 By Chris

Imagine you invite a complete stranger into your home and give them almost unlimited access to every room, all while you’re not there. It sounds like a crazy scenario, right? That exact scenario is what will happen when you list your home for sale. Completely strangers will walk through your door and imagine living in your home and the majority of sellers think nothing of it. The idea that a “for sale” sign out front provides you with a sense of security is one that you should re-examine.

The majority of potential home buyers are legitimate and looking for nothing more than to find their new home but there are those people who look for an opportunity to take advantage of the access a home for sale provides. With that in mind, we have five home selling safety tips for you to follow when your house goes on the market.

Valuables. This is the most obvious tip. Secure your jewelry, computers, hard drives, cameras, and any other items that are either valuable or irreplaceable. Some sellers choose to take these items out of the house for each showing while others will ask a trusted family member or friend to hold on to them until the house is off the market.

Medications. Prescription medication abuse is a serious and fairly common form of drug abuse. It’s best to secure any prescriptions behind lock and key or remove them from your home during showings. Many prescriptions are difficult to replace before the next refill is due because of laws designed to prevent abuse. Other over the counter and behind the counter medications can be used to make street drugs and you may want to consider hiding these with prescription medications as well.

Personal Information. In addition to making your house look neat and clean, you should file away any paperwork that has credit card numbers, billing information, and identifying information to deter anyone who may be tempted to commit fraud using your name. You should also put away information related to your children’s schools or daycare.

Showings. All showings should be scheduled through your Realtor’s office. Never allow a person into your home that you weren’t expecting or who simply knocks on your door after seeing the sign in your front yard. All potential buyers should be accompanied by a Realtor during a showing.

Protect the Buyer. Make sure your home is free from obstructions that may cause injury to any visitors. Sidewalks and driveways should be level, bushes should be trimmed back from doorways, and pets should be secured in a crate or taken out of the home during showings, for the safety of both the buyer and your pet.

If you ever feel that a situation isn’t right, call your Realtor right away. Being cautious is always the safest course of action.

Moving Timeline

August 4, 2015 By Chris

You’ve found your new house or you’ve sold your old one, either way you need to put together a plan to move yourself and your belongings from one house to another. Having a well thought out and detailed plan will help ensure your move with be as smooth as possible. Follow our moving timeline to help you have the best move possible.

moving day -2

Two Months Out

Contact a moving company for a detailed estimate or reserve a moving truck if you’re moving yourself.
Take inventory of your belongings; be sure to note serial numbers of large ticket items; take pictures if possible.
Begin sorting through your items into three categories: keep, donate, trash.

One Month Out

Submit a change of address form with the post office.
Contact utility companies to end service at your old residence and begin service at your new residence.
Arrange insurance policies for new residence and make any necessary changes to your automobile coverage.
Obtain records from schools, doctors, dentists, attorneys, and accountants.
Register children with new school district; notify current school of your plans.

Three Weeks Out

Begin packing items that don’t see a lot of use.
Begin using items that can’t be moved such as frozen and canned food.
Arrange transportation for yourself, children, and pets.
Coordinate cleaning of your new home before you move in.

Two Weeks Out

Have your cars serviced.
Pack all about essential items.
If moving into a building, schedule use of the elevators with the building’s management.

One Week Out

Pack essentials and take them in your car; don’t load them onto the truck.
Close bank accounts and safety deposit boxes.
Confirm movers packing, pick up, and drop off dates.

Day Before

Empty your freezer and refrigerator.
Set aside items you will carry yourself.
Arrange to deliver the keys to the new owners after the you move out.

Day Of

Make sure someone is available to supervise and answer any questions the movers may have.
Once your belongings are loaded onto the truck, walk through the house to make sure no items were left behind.
Do a quick clean of the house to leave it in broom swept condition.
Say “goodbye” to your former home.

Prepare Your Home For Vacation

May 26, 2015 By Chris

Summer is almost here and for many Americans, it’s prime time for vacation. vacation should be a relaxing, stress-free time not one spent worrying about your home. Follow our tips to prepare your home for vacation and one you’re at your destination sit back and relax.

Keep up appearances.

Make it appear as if someone is frequenting the house at different hours of the day. Stop mail and newspaper deliveries for the duration of your trip and set timers on your lights to go on and off. Mow the grass and clean up the yard; if you’ll be gone for longer than a week consider having someone maintain the grass for you. Park your car in the garage, if possible, to deter thieves or damage. Ask a trusted neighbor to stop in your home once or twice during your time away to check on things, pick up any packages that may be delivered by overnight carrier, and make sure doors and windows are still locked.

Prepare your home.

Before leaving, unplug all appliances that won’t be in use during your trip. Set your thermostat to a temperature that will reduce the use of air conditioning. Most hot water heaters have a setting for vacation or non-regular use. Turn off the water valves directly under sinks, the dishwasher, and washing machine. If you have a pool, check the water levels before you leave and treat as necessary. Make sure your filter runs at least 8 hours a day while you’re gone; for this a filter time is an inexpensive investment. Clean out your refrigerator of any food that many spoil while you’re gone and take all trash out before you leave to prevent unpleasant smells from developing or attracting pests.

Prepare Your Home For Vacation

Notify someone.

Let a trust neighbor or a nearby relative know of your vacation plans and an alternate way to contact you in case of an emergency. Notify your home security system company of your plans as well of anyone who has been given access to your home in your absence. Some local police departments will have a patrol officer drive by your home during your vacation to make sure things don’t look out of place, others will simply take note of your contact information in case there is an emergency while you’re gone.

A few small but proactive steps will go a long way to ensure you have an enjoyable summer vacation.

Ready to Own a Rental Property?

May 19, 2015 By Chris

You’ll hear the same advice from multiple professionals, if you want an asset that will continually appreciate over time real estate is the way to go. It’s true that real estate is a solid investment. Real estate investing isn’t fool proof though so, how do you know when you’re ready to own a rental property?

Finances

You shouldn’t go into a rental property without a solid financial footing. The same closing costs you encountered during your primary residence closing will be due when you close on an investment property. You’ll also need to be able to make any necessary improvements to make your property attractive to potential tenants as well as meet the monthly mortgage obligations until a tenant moves in.

Many investors use the equity in a property they already own to purchase another property. If you’re able and willing to use the equity in your primary residence you’ll possibly be able to pay cash or pay a sizable down payment to reduce the amount of money you’ll need to finance.

Business

Real estate investing is a multi-faceted business and you should approach it as such. Define your goals for real estate investing. Are you looking to make a quick profit or are you in it for the long term? If you’re in it for the long term you need to develop a budget for upkeep, marketing, general overhead, and unexpected issues. You’ll also need to determine how you’ll meet these costs, how you intend to handle emergencies and disputes with tenants.

Research

Purchasing a property that will costs a lot of money to repair isn’t necessarily worth the discount you many get on the price. The same goes for an immaculate home that will only rent for enough to simply cover the mortgage. You will need to research potential areas for not only home prices but also rental prices. Potential investors should also research the local laws related to rental laws to be fully aware of what is expected not only of the landlord but of the tenant as well.

Logistics

Finally, as an investor, you’ll need to determine how you’ll handle the logistics of being a landlord. You’ll need to collect rent, manage accounts, and maintain the property. If you don’t want or are unable to handle these issues you can hire a management company but be prepared to account for this expenditure in determining your profits.

Successful investing can be measured in many different ways. Defining your goals and assessing if you can reach these goals with the resources available to you will determine your ability to become a successful real estate investor.

Spring Clean Your Landscape

February 24, 2015 By Chris

While the rest of the country may still be buried under all of that snow, spring is quickly finding it’s way back to Florida. Regardless if you’re attempting to sell your home or not, you’ll want your landscaping to present a maintained look. Not only does a maintained lawn look nice it is also a sign to intruders that someone lives in the property and your home isn’t an easy target for break-ins and thefts. Keeping clutter at bay and pruned lawns, trees, and bushes will also help repel other unwanted visitors like rodents, snakes, and bugs that can get into your home and cause serious damages.

Clear the clutter.

The first thing to do when you spring clean your landscape is to remove all the debris that’s built up over the winter months. Litter, fallen leaves, and dead plants and weeds from last season should be collected and disposed. Now is a perfect time to look around your property and get rid of any pieces of outdoor furniture that is broken or you will no longer use. If you have a shed or other outbuilding, check around it to see if there are any scrap materials that need to be trashed as well.

Raking your lawn is also recommended to help remove thatch build up. Bushes and trees should be pruned back. Bushes should stay clear of windows and entryways both for aesthetics and safety. Any branches that have suffered damage through the winter should be pruned. Branches that hang over any part of the house, a sidewalk, or a fence should be cut back to prevent damage should they fall down. If a branch is especially large or high or the entire tree needs to be removed, we recommend you higher a professional arborist to handle the task.

Make it effortless.

No one wants to be out in their garden all spring and summer pulling weeds. To keep your planting beds weed free lay down landscape fabric. (Experts advise against landscape fabric in vegetable/fruit beds.) Native plants such as leather ferns, century plants, and blue stem grass can fill your beds and require minimal assistance to survive in the Floridan climate. Adding mulch around your bushes, plants, and flowers will help keep moisture in the soil, weeds out, and provide an attractive finish to your beds. Professional landscapers recommend mulch be spread to a depth of at least two inches and replaced at least twice a year.

Have the right tools.

Spring is also the perfect time to have your irrigation system checked if you have one. Look for and replace missing or broken spray heads. Check to make sure all spray heads fully clear the ground when turned on and retract completely after the system has been turned off. Make sure the water pressure is correct and the spray heads point to the grass or bushes and not onto sidewalks or the house. Most systems come complete with the ability to program when the system turns on and off. Refer to your local ordinances for water conservation and schedule your system accordingly, the best time to water is in the evening.

Inspect your lawnmower and any other equipment you plan to use to keep your lawn trimmed. Clean out the undercarriage of the mower. Gasoline powered motors are much like your car’s engine and require regular maintenance. Make sure the oil level is adequate and the air filter is clean. Experts suggest that the spark plug be replaced every year to ensure a swift start-up. The mower blade needs to remain sharp for an easy cut and healthy grass. It’s recommended that you take the blade to a local hardware or landscape store to have it sharpened for a nominal fee. Your blades should also be adjusted to keep your grass at a height of 2-1/2 to 3 1/2 inches.

Much like our fall home maintenance tips, these tasks can be tackled over one weekend, cost very little to complete, and the results will pay off for the rest of your spring and summer.

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