All About Real Estate

Moving Checklist

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 10:46:30 -0600

Moving Checklist

from allabouthome.com

Moving Checklist
Here’s your moving checklist! Use this checklist to make sure you remember important moving dates and deadlines. We’ve taken the worry out of moving by thinking of nearly everything!

8 weeks before move
•If you are planning a garage sale, set a date.
•Arrange to transfer school records if you have children.
•Discover schools in your new community by visiting www.theschoolreport.com on the World Wide Web.
•Contact insurance companies to notify them of the move.
•Start a “Move File” for all receipts, papers and estimates related to your move.

6 weeks before move
•Select a van line or rental truck company you will use. Give them tentative pick-up and delivery dates.
•If you are moving to a new city, be sure and ask your attorney, doctor and other providers for referrals and any necessary records.
•If you have any pets, schedule a check-up and be sure and get a copy of their records from the veterinarian.
•Set schedules with real estate agents and/or landlords.
•Schedule a home inspection for your new home

4 weeks before move
•Schedule disconnect dates with your local utility company.
•Notify new utility company of connect dates in the new home.
•If you have a lawnmower or any other power equipment, drain them of oil and gasoline. Moving companies will not move them if they are full.
•Cancel newspaper delivery and trash pickup effective on your move date.
•Give your carpet a good cleaning before all of the furniture is moved into the new address

1 week before move
•Clean out refrigerator and defrost freezer.
•Have your car serviced if you will be driving a long distance.
•Confirm connect dates for utilities in your new home.
•Transfer or close your checking account.
•Be sure to get all items from your safe deposit box.

Moving day
•Spend the entire day at home with the movers.
•Carry any valuables or family heirlooms with you.
•Right before the movers leave, take a final tour of your home, making sure nothing has been left in drawers or closets and that all doors and windows are locked.
•Specify a “Do Not Move” area where you place items you do not want the movers to take with them.
At your new address
•Obtain numbers needed in an emergency such as the fire department and police.
•Check with post office to see if there is any mail that is being held for you.
•Register your cars. Also, register to vote in your new area.
•Enroll children in school.

Keeping Cool

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 10:35:20 -0600

from mnn.com

Here are some simple ways to save energy… save money and keep cool while the temps continue to rise during the Summer months.

Energy isn’t cheap, and power generation means more toxins and greenhouse gasesreleased into the atmosphere. So keep yourself cool while saving money — and the environment!

The little things

This set of ideas costs nothing to implement. Most are just a matter of thoughtful energy habits. Since none of these involve capital improvements, they’re renter-friendly.

• Set your thermostat to 78. Go higher, if the humidity is low enough and you feel comfortable. Turning a thermostat down to cool a room quicker doesn’t work, by the way — it makes the A/C run longer, not colder.

• Wear short-sleeved, loose clothing. You dress lightly to go out on a summer day. Do the same indoors. Absorbent, wickable cotton is the hot weather classic.

• Drink lots of water. This is good practice, anyway. Cold drinks lower your body’s core temperature and cool you down quickly.

• Draw your drapes. Keeping your blinds, shades and curtains closed — particularly on the west side of the house — a practice that helps keeps heat from getting inside in the first place.

• Turn off unnecessary heat-producing devices. Incandescent light bulbs are a big heat generator. Shut down electronic gear when you’re not using it.

• Use the microwave. Conventional cooking dumps heat in the house, but microwaves cook the food directly.

• Wash and dry clothes when the day is cool. Do laundry early in the day and late at night. Don’t forget clotheslines: they generate no heat in the house.

• Skip your dishwasher’s dry cycle. Rack your dishes and let them air dry instead.

• Open the bathroom window when showering. Vent heat and humidity outside, rather than back into the house. Obviously, you don’t want to put on a show for the neighbors. If you have privacy concerns, open up the window after dressing. Keep the bathroom door closed.

• Run your air conditioner fan on low. This is particularly helpful in areas with high summer
humidity. The low air volume helps your A/C dehumidify.

• Keep heat-producers away from your thermostat. Don’t allow a closely located TV or water heater to convince your thermostat that it’s hotter than it really is.

• Check your refrigerator settings. The fridge takes heat out of your food and transfers it to your kitchen, so be sure you’re running it efficiently. The refrigerator works best when set between 37 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Put the freezer around 5 degrees.

• Turn off your furnace pilot light. You can always re-light it next autumn.

• Close the fireplace damper. Don’t send cool air up the chimney. If your fireplace has a glass door, shut it.

10 Fall Lawn Care Tips

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 04:09:34 -0600

10 Fall Lawn Care Tips

The days are growing shorter, the leaves are changing, the nights are cooler, and your grass has slowed its growth down. It’s now time to think about preparing your lawn – not only for the long winter ahead but also for the coming spring.

I like to think of grass as my carpet outside. It must be cared for regularly in order to maintain its brilliance. Fall is a time that your grass requires a bit more care to prepare it for the coming months. Many people do not realize that through the harsh winter your lawn continues to grow a stronger root system. Here are ten tips to help your lawn this fall season so you can enjoy its rewards in the spring.

1) You need to fertilize your lawn before the extreme cold hits. Your lawn will need food to aid in root growth throughout the winter and to help it produce a stunning green when spring finally arrives.

2) Many people think that they no longer need to water their lawns with the fast approaching winter knocking at the door. This is not true. Now, more than ever, your lawn needs water. It will need water to absorb the fall fertilizer and to grow strong roots. So continue to water your lawn until true winter arrives.

3) It’s time for weed killer. Buy a broad leaf weed killer and apply it before the temperatures drop below 50 degrees during the day.

4) Keep the leaves off your lawn. Rake those leaves up as they fall. Your grass needs sunlight and leaves will gradually kill it. They will also breed disease if you let them lie on the lawn throughout the winter months. Your grass will wither and die with leaves on top of it.

5) Mulch a few of the leaves to give your grass nutrients. However, not too much. Some people simply have too many deciduous trees that are dropping leaves to seriously mulch them all. Most of the leaves will have to be raked up.

6) Be sure to aerate your lawn. The soil compacts down through usage and time; by aerating your yard you are offering the roots a chance to breath and spread. Plus it allows water and nutrients to reach the root system more easily.

7) Fall is also a wonderful time to reseed your lawn and fill in any holes that might look patchy. Simply work the soil up with a rake, spread grass seed, cover the grass seed an inch or two thick with peat moss, and then water as usual. Next spring your lawn will be lush and perfect.

Fall is the time for grub control. You will find that adult beetles lay their eggs throughout your grass in July and August. The grubs will grow throughout the winter and they will eat the roots of your grass. This will cause loss of growth and bare spots when spring arrives. Fall is the ideal time to buy insecticide and practice strong grub control.

9) Mow your yard. Try to keep your grass two inches high for the coming winter. Grass that is longer will mold under the snow and the results will be horrific when spring arrives because there will be large dead spots. Grass that is shorter then two inches will die.

10) Make sure all toys, lawn furniture, fire place pits, barbeques, and anything else is removed from your yard. If you have these sitting on your lawn throughout the winter, the grass will die in these spots and it might also make the yard more prone to sickness as the grass molds and decomposes under the weight of the various things.

These ten tips should help you to prepare for spring so your lawn is back to its glorious, green state that everyone so admires.

This article from associatedcontent.com

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