Get Your Home Ready for Summer With These 5 Maintenance Tips

Now that summer is officially here, there are a few things you need to do to do around your property to make sure it’s ready for the season.

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As we head into summer, there are five things you should focus on to prepare your property for the season. First, inspect all your brick and stone patios and walkways. Hardscapes and brick material can freeze and shift over the winter, so make sure you fix that for both safety and aesthetic reasons. Second, feed your lawn. We’ve been lucky so far because this spring produced plenty of rain, which wasn’t good for your outdoor activity schedule but good for the grass. Continue to feed your grass and replenish it with nutrients. The more time you spend doing this, the greener and lusher it will be. Third, check the condition of your fences. This is especially important if you have a wooden fence, as wood is more prone to take a beating over the winter. Make sure no pieces have fallen off, and if they have, tack them back on securely. From an aesthetic standpoint, another thing you can do to those wooden stockades or wooden picket fences is power wash them. This will make it look like it did the day you installed it.

The season is upon us to grill and barbecue.

Fourth, mulch your flower and vegetable beds. You may be a few steps ahead of me with this tip. Personally, I like to wait to address my mulch beds until as late as early June. Make sure your flower and vegetable beds are getting enough water and you continue to weed them. Lastly—and most importantly—get your grill in gear! I love to grill pretty much all season, and if you’re like me, there are a few maintenance tasks you need to take care of with your grill. Check your grates to make sure they’re clean and in good condition. Also check all the heat diverters in the grill, the propane hookups, and the drip pan. If your igniter switch is faulty, you can go to your local hardware store, buy a new one, and ask a professional how to install it. This will add years to your grill’s lifespan and allow you to enjoy your backyard in style. If you have any questions about how to get your home ready for summer or you’re thinking about buying or selling a home, don’t hesitate to give me a call or shoot me an email. I look forward to speaking with you.

4 Ways to Make Your Home Stand out to Buyers

If you plan to sell your house, there are four things that a recent Realtor.com survey revealed will go a long way in appealing to buyers.

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There are certain things that homebuyers want in a home and certain ways you can give it to them. According to a recent Realtor.com survey, these four things will make your home more attractive to buyers:

1. A kitchen that impresses: Spend a lot of time and thought updating the kitchen. This could include updated countertops, appliances, cabinets, and hardware, which can all make the home more attractive and modern. If your countertops and cabinets are in good shape, you can pull this off by just updating appliances.

2. The great outdoors: You can't change the size of your yard, but you can make it inviting. Get rid of all the junk lying around, update the landscaping, and keep your grass freshly mowed. Make sure you have tables, chairs, or a fire pit; whatever will make people think of it as a nice place to play or relax and have company over.

3. A garage: People 55 and older actually prefer having a garage to a living room. Having a garage is huge, so make sure you give yourself enough time to get rid of all the clutter and make it open. If you're lucky enough to have a 2-car garage, really showcase that space. People love garages not just to park their cars in, but to have space for certain tasks.

4. Avoid making rooms specific to your style or use: For example, don't turn a bedroom into a dressing room or a photography darkroom. If you turn any spaces into a specific functioning space, make sure it is easy to convert it back or make it appear very neutral.

You can't change the size of your yard, but you can make it inviting.

Remember, you want to set your house up in a way that you enjoy, but you don't want anything so permanent that it can't be changed back. If you have any other questions about appealing your home to buyers or you're thinking of buying or selling a home here in the Milford area, give me a call or send me an email. I'm here to help!

4 Rules for Selling a Home With a Pet

If you’re selling your home and you have pets, following these four steps will ensure that they don’t harm the sale.

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If you’re selling your home and you have pets, you have to prepare for the market a little bit differently. Here are four essential steps you can take so that your home sale goes off without a hitch: 1. Remove any pets from the home during any showings. Having a dog that’s upset and lurking around, for example, while a buyer is walking through the house represents a huge liability if worse comes to worse and that dog decides to bite that buyer. In fact, your insurance company might not even cover that. Even if they’re inside a crate or otherwise restrained, a pet’s presence alone can be distracting to buyers. 2. Prepare your backyard. Because I have two dogs myself, you and I both know that the backyard can turn into a landmine area for pet owners. To make this area look presentable, pick up any droppings and repair any spots that have been dug up or torn out. If you see any discoloration, try and lay down some new sod if you can. And, of course, keep your pets out of this area during any showings. 3. Eliminate any odors. Odors can be a real estate deal-killer, and pet odors are very strong in particular. You might not notice it, but if someone like your Realtor mentions that they can smell pet odor, have your carpet steamed and cleaned and replace any bedding or specialized pillows. Do your best to neutralize this smell, because it can affect not only the saleability of your home but also the value you ultimately get for the sale price. 4. Get rid of any pet hair. If your dog is an excessive shedder, do your best to brush them outside and give them frequent baths. If a buyer has allergies, any kind of dander can cause those to flare up, which can send them running out the door. Also, your home won’t look well-kept if every area of it is coated in pet hair.

You might not realize your home has a pet odor, but others will.

Following these steps will greatly improve your home’s saleability. If you have any more questions about this topic, feel free to reach out to me. I’d love to talk with you!

The 4 Worst Pieces of Advice Sellers Usually Get

“Only sell your home during the spring,” and, “Hold off until the market gets busier,” are just two examples of bad advice sellers usually get.

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Here are four of the worst pieces of advice that sellers sometimes get and actually believe in regard to selling their home:

1. “Only sell your home in the springtime.” While it’s true that spring is the busiest time to sell a home, it’s also the most competitive. You have to sell your home when you’re ready, and you have to listen to your real estate agent for advice on when the best time is to sell in your community. Real estate is microlocal, so you have to pay attention to the trends happening in your area. If you want to stand out, you might want to avoid selling during the busiest season. Remember—any time is a good time to sell just as long as you’re motivated, priced right, and ready to go to market.
2. “If the market’s slow, hold off until things get busier.” If you’re selling and buying and you wait until things are busier or when prices go up, your own purchase price will go up too. Again, only sell your home when you’re ready. Don’t wait for things to get busier or slower; take advantage of the marketplace as it is. If it’s not that busy, you’ll have an easier time finding what you want and you won’t face as much competition.



Real estate is an emotional sale.




“Don’t stage or fix anything; let the buyers use their imaginations.” Most consumers don’t have an imagination. Real estate is an emotional business. When they walk into a home, consumers are either going to fall in love with a home or hate it. They’re going to know within seconds or minutes if it’s the home for them. Confer with your agent and prepare a plan to do all the right things that make the consumer fall in love with your home.
“Professional photography is not important.” On the contrary, photography is one of the most important things that your agent is going to do for your listing when it comes onto the market. People actually click past listings or decide to not even drive by them based on pictures they see online. Make sure you invest in professional photography and that your home is ready for it. Use that photography to capitalize on the ability to market your property online to as many people as possible.

If you have any questions about this topic, don’t forget to give me a call or shoot me an email. I’d be happy to help in any way I can.