Preparing Your Home for the Perfect Springtime Open House
I am personally thankful for so many things: my family, living in Bucks County, and assisting others each and every day with important real estate decisions are at the top of my list. However also at the top of that list – I am very thankful that the brutal winter is over, and we are having some beautiful spring weather!
Spring is a great time not only to attend an open house, but to also prepare your home for one. It is an incredible feeling to finally get outside, enjoy the breeze and work in gardens. On rainy or cooler days, there are many things you can work on inside your home as well – the goal is to have your home prepared for that perfect open house so it will sell quickly.
Now that the weather is nicer, I recommend the following tips to get your home ready for a quick sale:
1. Spruce up your flowerbeds by removing weeds, dead leaves and plants, and even branches that may have appeared in them throughout the winter. Apply new mulch and plant some new flowers to really brighten them up.
2. Rake up the yard and pick up any sticks or branches that have fallen.
3. Inside your home, this is a great time of the year to begin getting the clutter out of your closets. If you won’t be wearing your winter coat or heavy sweaters anymore this season – this is the perfect time to pack them away into boxes.
4. Spring is a great time for, you guessed it, spring cleaning! This is the perfect season to wash the windows, shampoo carpets, dust, wipe down the blinds, wash curtains, and really get your home clean from top to bottom.
If you are considering selling your home in Yardley or Lower Makefield, I can show you how to get the highest possible price for your home. I can be reached at 215-519-1399 or email Marty@MartinMillner.com.
Continue Reading > Add a Comment |3 Quick Home Improvement Ideas for Spring
The warmer weather and longer days of spring may have you thinking about adding some new life to your home. Here are three easy home improvement ideas that can give your home and your spirits a quick lift.
Spruce up your kitchen: You spend a good part of your life in the kitchen, and after a year of use, it may be crying for a quick and easy makeover. Although a complete kitchen renovation can cost you big dollars, there are a few inexpensive ways to give yours a lift.
Start with the cabinets. A year’s worth of dust, grease and oils from handling can dull your kitchen cabinets bring down the overall look of the room. Use a cleaner with orange oil to break down the grime and let your cabinets shine again. Be sure to test the cleaner in an inconspicuous place first to be sure that it will not harm the wood finish. If you want to change your cabinets without the big investment, try adding some molding to your flat panel cabinet doors to give them some depth. You can match the finish to your cabinets, or go bold with an accent color.
Add a new backsplash. If you are looking for a different fun project, buy some ceramic tiles, grout, a trowel and a tile cutter and brighten your kitchen with a new backsplash. Whether you are a seasoned DIY-er, or a beginner, there are many resources online that can help you with this venture. Check out Lowe’s home improvement’s article for a detailed step-by-step instruction.
Get the garden ready: Landscaping projects easily add aesthetic value to your home, and can add dollar value to your selling price if your house is on the market. Your garden may have been hiding under mulch this winter. Now is the time to bring it back to life and get it ready to shine this summer. Remove the remains of winter from your flowerbeds, trim back plants, remove old mulch and let the warmth get to the soil. Adding some inexpensive bedding plants will add some new life to your exterior without breaking your wallet.
Secure your dryer from fires: Ok, this is not so much a beautification project, as a safety project to protect your home investment and your family’s lives. The main cause of dryer fires is not a wiring problem, but an over accumulation of lint that combusts. A few preventative measures this spring can make all of the difference.
Always clean the lint screen in your dryer after every use. Vacuum behind your dryer on a regular basis to remove excess lint. And at least once per year, use a dryer hose lint brush, like the Brushtech B68C 10-Feet Long Dryer Vent Duct Cleaning Brush, to completely empty your connector hose. Also, it is best to use an aluminum hose instead of a plastic one, as plastic heats up easily and can catch fire.
I hope that these three quick ideas can help you bring new life to your home this spring without the time or money of a major improvement. Contact me if you are interested in more ways to enhance your real estate and get it ready to sell.
Continue Reading > Add a Comment |Living in Yardley or Newtown in Bucks County, its getting cold, are your windows drafty?
Preventative care will minimize your home repair costs and, at this time of year, it’s a good idea to sweep your home’s exterior for sign of air leaks and drafts around windows. If you are in the Yardley and Newtown area, you know that it is getting cold!
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, drafty windows can account for 30% of a home’s heat loss in winter so it’s best to find them, and seal them.
In this 4-minute video from the DIY Network, you’ll learn how to identify your home’s leaky windows, and how to seal them with caulk. The job requires a little bit of elbow grease, but it’s manageable for even the notice handyman.
Some of the tips include:
- How to use a lit candle to find windows that leak air
- How to remove existing caulk using caulk softener
- How to “push the bead” of caulk for proper application
The video concludes with a brief tutorial on setting your home’s programmable thermostat so, when taken with the window caulking exercise, homeowners in Lower Makefield Township could stand to save a bundle on their winter heating bills.
Hope that you find this video helpful.
Continue Reading > Add a Comment |Yardley, Newtown, Homeowner Maintenance : Twice-Annual Gutter Cleaning
Gutters are designed to funnel rainwater away from a home. Properly working gutters help keep a home’s basement from filling with water, and protect a home’s foundation from long-term, structural damage, and keep a roof in tip-top shape.
In other words, keeping clean gutters is essential for homeowners. Thankfully, gutter maintenance can be a do-it-yourself job.
There are four main steps in gutter cleaning, summarized cleanly in this 4-minute video from Lowe’s.
- Gather your tools. You’ll need a ladder, a bucket, a hose, and a trowel.
- Scoop large debris from the gutter, using the trowel for hard-to-reach places smaller sticks and leaves
- Flush the gutters using a garden hose and spray attachment
- Remove clogs in the downspout and check for proper sloping
Gutter maintenance is a twice a year task and the Lowe’s video offers helpful safety tips, too. Of course, if you’re uncomfortable on a ladder, or prefer to hire a professional, reach out to me anytime.
I’m happy to make a local gutter-cleaning recommendation.
Continue Reading > Add a Comment |Chat With Marty