Blog

Fall is right around the corner, meaning cooler temperatures, leaves turning colors, restaurants & coffee shops debuting pumpkin-spice flavors. In the home, it’s all about transitioning from the hot summer months to a warm and cozy living space. What better time than now to start prepping your home for the cooler weather to come? We’ve gathered some important home maintenance tasks to get you and your home ready for the next season. Reverse your ceiling fan Here is something you may not know – warm air rises up to the ceiling fan while cool air stays close to the ground. If you reverse the way your ceiling fan runs, then the warmer air will be pushed down while the cool air is forced up.. Science! Clean your gutters As beautiful as Autumn may seem, having clogged gutters due to leaves, branches or debris may not be as beautiful. If rain gutters are blocked they can overflow, causing unwanted flooding and damage to your home. So, grab your ladder and clean those gutters out! Clean your fireplace and chimney If it’s been a few years since your last chimney cleaning, now’s a good time to schedule one. Fireplaces and chimneys should be cleaned annually and inspected about every 50 burns. Creosote and soot buildup in the chimney flue is dangerous and can cause an uncontrollable chimney fire. Before you fire up your fireplace this season, make sure it’s clean and ready to go! Check your smoke detectors With furnaces turned on, windows closed and portable heaters humming, Fall is a great time to test your smoke and CO detectors. Check the batteries and their expiration dates – smoke detectors are good typically for 10 years and CO detectors for about 6 years. Once you’ve replaced the batteries, press the test button to ensure they are working properly! And remember, the law changed in Maryland in 2018 – all smoke detectors must be 10-year sealed battery units 🙂 check with your local fire department to see if they can help you with the cost of upgrading your home’s smoke detectors! Check windows and doors for leaks Because the weather will get colder, it is important to check the seals on your windows and doors. Your home could lose a lot of heat if there are leaks, causing your gas and heating bills to spike! Store / Protect your outdoor furniture Unfortunately, the season for backyard parties is coming to an end. To ensure next year’s parties are well-prepared for and that your furniture stays intact, you will want to make sure you store the furniture away or properly cover them. Clean or change the filters Heater and furnace filters trap dust that would otherwise be deposited throughout your home. Clogged filters make it harder to maintain a comfortable temperature in your home. Try using a soft brush attachment on your vacuum cleaner to thoroughly clean the filters. A simple monthly cleaning is all it takes to keep your filters breathing free and clear! Test your winter equipment Fall is at our doorstep and winter isn’t too far behind. It’s a smart move to be prepared for whatever mother nature decides to throw at us this season. Avoid the hassle and check all your winter equipment now before realizing they don’t work. This is also a good time to stock up on things such as propane and firewood. A little bit of preparation can go a long way.

As summer winds down and the back-to-school season approaches, it’s the perfect time to rethink and refresh your living spaces. Did you know the average person spends about 3,680 hours—equivalent to 153 days—searching for misplaced items? (Source: The Daily Mail). Instead of waiting for a move or a major life change to prompt you to declutter, seize this time with a simple five-bin approach to make your space more organized and efficient. The 5-Bin Approach – Decluttering the home can be overwhelming. However, applying the 5-bin approach to organizing and discarding items may help you feel less anxious and more in control of the process. Bin 1: Items that need to be put away. Place items that belong somewhere else in the home in this bin. Eventually, you’ll put them away; the intention is to put them somewhere while you’re clearing the room. Bin 2: Items to be fixed. Place items that you plan to fix or that need to be washed or cleaned in this bin, such as toys, dirty clothes or scuffed shoes Bin 3: Items to donate. Items in this bin are in good condition, but you no longer need or use them. They can be given to friends or family, sold online or donated to a local charity. Bin 4: Items to be recycled. This is where you’ll place items made of paper, plastic or glass that you don’t want to keep. Add all empty drink bottles, food containers, and magazines or newspapers. Bin 5: Items to discard. Place expendable items in this bin that you can’t recycle or donate. What about sentimental items? – Many of us have items we can’t bear to part with because there’s a memory or other sentimental feeling attached. Here are a few tips for handling sentimental items that may start to create clutter. Decide if it’s worth keeping. If you use or enjoy the item, hang onto it. However, you may not need to retain every piece of artwork your children created. It can be helpful to ask a relative or friend when deciding which to keep. Choose a few items that remind you of a loved one. If you’ve inherited many heirlooms, see if other members of your family would like some, too. Donate the rest. Keep in mind; you can get rid of an item without getting rid of the memory. Take a photo of the item to place in a journal or scrapbook and write why it means so much to you. Organization tips for each room of the house – Kitchen – The kitchen is the hub of the home, and it tends to collect the most clutter from other parts of the house. Start clearing one area of the kitchen at a time, beginning with storage spaces, including the pantry, cupboards, and drawers. In the pantry: throw away stale or expired items and donate canned goods that you know will go uneaten but are still edible. In the cupboards: remove chipped dishware, as well as utensils, pots, pans and bakeware that are damaged beyond repair. Keep the kitchen clutter-free: put the items where they belong and leave a small bin to collect items that don’t belong there. Living Room – Too much clutter makes it difficult to relax. The mantra for this room is, “A place for everything; everything in its place”. Create easily accessible, permanent storage space for items you use most often, such as the remote control. Fold throws and place in a decorative basket within reach of the sofa. Sort through your electronics to determine what works and if you still use it. Store your frequently used electronics where you tend to use them. Recycle back issues of magazines or newspapers you’ve already read. Donate books you don’t want to keep and categorize the others in your library. Bathroom – Create more space in your cabinets, linen closet and on the counter. Clean out the medicine cabinet and discard outdated medications, skincare and makeup. Organize the drawers and shelves so the items you use the most are readily available. Bedrooms – In the bedroom, clutter seems to center around storage areas, such as closets, drawers and nightstands. Clear out dressers, wardrobes and closets by removing non-seasonal clothing you haven’t worn in more than six months and items that no longer fit. Sell or donate pieces that are still in good condition. Organize your drawers by function: undergarments, activewear, t-shirts, etc Separate anything that should go to the cleaner or a tailor. Depending on your bedroom, purchase a hanging storage unit or floor shelf for shoes. Remove everything from the nightstand and place items that belong elsewhere in Bin #1. Mudroom/Foyer – This is where we tend to drop things when we get home. Clear items off of the entry tables and decide what to put away, recycle or toss. Place keys in a pretty bowl or on hooks so you don’t have to waste time searching for them. Remove coats, shoes and boots that are out of season, don’t fit or need to be repaired. By following these tips and utilizing the five-bin approach, you’ll create a more organized, efficient, and stress-free living environment. Embrace the end-of-summer energy to tackle clutter and enjoy the benefits of a refreshed home.

Thinking of selling your home in the new year? Sell with confidence by addressing these 5 essential steps! – Establish Your Moving Timeline: Consider your unique reasons for moving, whether it’s a new job or expanding your living space for a growing family. Determine the ideal timeline that suits your needs. – Assess Repairs or Changes: Consult with an experienced real estate agent to identify impactful changes that enhance your home’s value with minimal effort on your part. Streamlining this process is crucial amid the demands of moving. – Establish a Listing Price: Rely on a Comparable Market Analysis (CMA) from your real estate agent, analyzing recently sold properties in your area to determine a competitive and strategic listing price for your own property. – Declutter and Clean: Prioritize decluttering your home before listing, not only for a smoother move but also to present your property in its best light to potential buyers. – Implement a Strong Marketing Plan: Ensure your real estate agent outlines a comprehensive marketing strategy tailored to your property. Understand how and to whom they will market your home for optimal visibility. Our team, Elisabeth Yeager Homes and Farms Group, would love to work with you to sell your home in either Maryland or south central Pennsylvania. Feel free to call or text me at any time!

Unlock your dream home in the new year with these 5 essential things to help guide you through the home-buying process! So, you’re ready to move forward with an offer once you find a home you love. – Set a budget you’re comfortable with! Keep in mind that your mortgage payments do not cover additional costs, such as utilities, HOA or condo fees. So, coming up with a budget beforehand of what you’re comfortable spending each month will help determine your price point. – Get pre-approved with a trusted, local lender. Make sure you work with a lender that works beyond the normal 9-5 shift, and will get you a pre-approval on the at night or on the weekend while you’re seeing homes, unlike bigger banks that are closed on the weekends (and so are their staff!) We work with many great lenders and would be happy to refer to you! – Figure out what type of house you’re looking for. Do you want a fixer upper? Do you want a house that is turnkey and move-in ready? These are some important questions to ask yourself, which help determine your price point vs. area you want to be in. – Use a real estate agent that will work for you! Find an agent that makes you the priority. You should always feel as though you 100% have an advocate and expert guide on your side! And of course, we would love to be your agent 🙂 – Think of your future plans. Think about your future plans – and talk to your lender and agent about resale value down the road and about what changes you could make to add value if investment opportunity is important to you. Is this a 5 year home or a forever home? Have questions about the home-buying process or ANYTHING real estate related? Don’t hesitate to reach out!

Do you have to sell your current home in order to purchase your next property? If you need to use the equity in your current home as a down payment for your next, or you can’t hold two mortgages at the same time financially – this is called having a Home Sale Contingency, and there are a lot of people in this position! We have 3 great strategies that will not only help you successfully buy and sell simultaneously, but also protect you during the process in this competitive market. – Put a ‘Home Sale Contingency’ in your offer You can make an offer on a home with a Home Sale Contingency. We highly recommend not making an offer until your current home is on the market, and ideally under contract. That plays two-fold into our next strategy. – Add a ‘Seller Home of Choice Contingency’ when listing your home Step 1: We list your home and we let every interested buyer know that you need at least 30-60 days to find your home of choice. Step 2: This would protect you as the seller and make the buyer aware that you need to find your next home in order for them to purchase your current home. Step 3: If you didn’t go under contract on your next home during those 30-60 days, there are several routes that could be taken. A) you could mutually agree to extend the contract for the sale of your home, or B) you could terminate the contract with little to no consequence as the seller and stay in your current residence. This is a great way in this fast moving market to be able to have some time to find your next house while also giving your buyer comfort that they’ve locked down the house they want in a competitive market. – Enter into a Rent Back agreement A rent back agreement is when a seller remains in the property for an extended period of time, ranging from a few days up to 90 days. How would this work? We would list and sell your house as normal, so that you have the funds to purchase your next home. As part of your buyer contract, we put a rent back agreement in place which allows you to “rent” your home back from the buyer until you settle on your next home. That gives you time as the seller to find your next home, but you also risk not finding your next home within that rent back period. However, you would have a place to stay (at least short term!) and funds from your home sale to ensure you can make a non-contingent offer. Another strategy relating to buying and selling simultaneously that lenders have, specifically, in today’s market – is the ability to recast loans. We have clients that are looking to purchase their next home before selling their current one, who can afford both at the same time. Once they settle on their next home, they quickly sell their current home. This allows them to take the equity from their home sale and apply it to the principal of the loan on their new home. Then the lender does a loan ‘recasting,’ which is almost like a refinance but in a shortened amount of time without all the closing costs of obtaining an entirely new loan. These are some of the most common strategies that we use to help clients purchase their next home contingent on selling their current home, and how recasting your loan may be an option as well if you have the financial ability to be non-contingent. As always, feel free to check out our Facebook page – Elisabeth Yeager Homes & Farms Group or email me at any time with any questions you may have. I’m always happy to answer!