Tag: Spring

Preparing Your Colorado Home for Spring: A Checklist

Written by Marybeth Heckler on . Posted in Homeowner.

As the last remnants of winter begin to melt away, Colorado homeowners eagerly anticipate the arrival of spring—a season of renewal and fresh beginnings. Transitioning your home from the cold, snowy months to the warmer, vibrant days of spring requires a bit of preparation to ensure your living space is refreshed, safe, and energy-efficient. 

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Getting Your Garden Ready for Spring

Written by Marybeth Heckler on . Posted in Homeowner.

Spring is a time for renewal and growth, and there’s no better way to celebrate this season than by tending to your garden. Whether you’re an experienced gardener or a beginner, there are several steps you can take to prepare your outdoor space for the warmer weather ahead.

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Starting Your Own Herb Garden

Starting Your Own Herb Garden

Written by Marybeth Heckler on . Posted in Homeowner.

Herbs are a great way to get started with gardening for those with an interest but no experience. The added benefit is that herbs can be used in the kitchen and dried for longevity. There are a lot of options when it comes to herbs and having a mini-garden in your yard including the fact that they look and smell great!

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Where to Start for New Gardeners This Spring

Written by Marybeth Heckler on . Posted in Homeowner.

One of the most relaxing and fulfilling hobbies that anyone can take up is the time-honored tradition of gardening. It’s also one of the most therapeutic hobbies you can have as it helps you center yourself physically and mentally.

Every year, I hear friends and family members say that they’re interested in gardening, but they don’t know how to get started. Well, never fear.

Here are handy tips on where to begin this spring with starting your own garden:

  1. Flowers vs. Vegetables — One of the first things you want to do is figure out what type of garden you will have as this will make huge differences early on. If you are looking to create your own food that you can use to cook, then certainly go for the vegetable garden. However, if you just want a garden that is beautiful to look at as well as fragrant, then flowers are your best option.

 

  1. Map Out Your Yard — A garden will need lots of sunlight, usually at least six hours a day. So, over the course of a few days, observe how the sun falls in your yard. Are there spots that are too covered by shade from trees or other houses? If so, then these aren’t good spots for your garden. Pick something that is in direct sunlight for most of the day, if possible.

 

  1. Get the soil ready — Next, you will want to prepare the ground for gardening. The first thing to do is to dig up the sod and replace it with about 2 to 3 inches of compost (old lawn clippings, leaves, and manure). This will let the earthworms do their thing and begin moving those nutrients into the soil to make for a fertile garden. You will also need to work the soil yourself. If you are just starting out, you can do this by digging the 10 inches of dirt or so and mixing in the compost. If you can get your hands on a rototiller, then this process will go a lot quicker and easier.

 

  1. Plant your garden — Now is the time to plant your seeds or small plants. Be sure to check for things that grow well in your climate and with your amount of sunlight. Sunflowers and lettuce are two easy options.

 

  1. Keep them maintained — Now that you’ve done the hard work, it’s time to maintain the garden. Water your plants regularly so that they can thrive. Don’t water them during the hottest part of the day as the sun is liable to “burn off” the water. Early morning or right as the sun is setting is best. Also, go through your garden at regular intervals to weed it and check for insects that may be damaging your plants.

 

Starting a garden is something that is so easy that almost anyone can do it. But it can still be intimidating for first-timers. By taking these simple steps, you can make sure that your garden gets off to a good start.

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Whether you’re buying, selling, refinancing, or building your dream home, I’m here to help you explore the many financing options available. Ensuring that you make the right choice for you and your family is my ultimate goal. I am committed to providing my customers with mortgage services that exceed their expectations. Find out more by visiting my website.

Top 10 Spring Home Maintenance Tips for Homeowners

Written by Marybeth Heckler on . Posted in Homeowner.

Spring is here and that means it’s time to break out of the winter doldrums and break out the toolkit for some home maintenance work. Want to know how to keep your house looking spic and span and running smoothly for the rest of the year?

Here are our top 10 tips for getting your home in shape this spring:

  1. Clean gutters—Leaves and debris have a tendency to clog up the gutters so break out the ladder and clear those out. If you don’t, you’ll wind up with damage to your roof.
  2. Check your tiles—Speaking of the roof, now’s also the time to check out the roof and look for any loose tiles. If you really want to have fun with this, break out that drone you bought the kids for Christmas and fly it over and get pictures to see if you’ve got any missing tiles.
  3. Inspect the outside—Now is also the time to do a walk around your property and check to make sure that your fencing is intact and that there isn’t anything else that needs a repair from the winter storms.
  4. Pressure wash the outside—If you really want to spruce up your exterior, then rent a pressure washer and clean off any of the grit and grime that has accumulated over the past few months.
  5. Repair screens—While you’re dealing with the outside, remove and inspect your screens for any holes. If you need to, replace these screens. If they’re still holding up well, then clean them and reset them so you can open the windows this spring and let in some fresh air.
  6. Clean your dryer—It’s important to clean the dryer trap every time you use it. But some of the lint still makes its way into the vent and can clog it up. Use the hose attachment on your vacuum to clean this out.
  7. Clean your fridge—While you have the vacuum out, clean the refrigerator’s coils. Get rid of the extra dust and it will run more efficiently.
  8. Replace your filters—You need to do this about once a quarter, but now’s the perfect time to take care of this.
  9. Replace smoke detector batteries—A good rule of thumb is to replace the batteries in your smoke detectors when the time change occurs. This will make sure you can keep your house safe for another couple of seasons.
  10. Have your HVAC inspected—Now is the perfect time to have your HVAC inspected and maintained. You don’t want the air conditioning going out this summer, so get it checked while it’s still relatively cool.

This spring do a little bit more with your traditional spring cleaning. By taking care of these 10 items, you can ensure that your house will be clean, well maintained, and safe.

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Whether you’re buying, selling, refinancing, or building your dream home, I’m here to help you explore the many financing options available. Ensuring that you make the right choice for you and your family is my ultimate goal. I am committed to providing my customers with mortgage services that exceed their expectations. Find out more by visiting my website.

Planning Out the Perfect Garden

Written by Marybeth Heckler on . Posted in Home Improvement, Homeowner.

April is designated as National Garden Month and if you’ve ever considered starting a garden in your backyard, now is the perfect time to do it. But, if you’re worried that you may not have the green thumb needed to keep it alive, then don’t panic.

Check out these steps you can take to plan your garden ahead of time:

  1. Do some research—The United States is composed of various climates, all of which are good for growing specific vegetables at specific times. Use this website to calculate which growing zone you live in and which vegetables should be grown and at what time of the year. This will help you figure out what you should begin with when it comes to growing a garden.
  2. Test your soil—If you have never done this before, it’s a good idea to have your soil tested to see if there will be any issues with growing and to get suggestions on the best plants to grow. You can do a variety of tests on your own, but I’d suggest collecting a sample and taking it either to your local farm agency or a nursery and having them professionally test it. Then, you can order your seeds for the plants you plan to grow.
  3. Map your garden—Measure out exactly how much of your yard you can dedicate to a garden and then map it out using graph paper. You should also determine exactly what you plan to grow and how much space you are going to need for it. (For instance, are you going to just grow one type of vegetable, such as carrots, or do you want to plant a mixture of different types?)
  4. Create a calendar—Once you know the plants you’re going to grow, determine how much growing time you’ll need for each type to reach maturity, how much sunlight they will need, and how much watering and care you need to provide them. Then, create a calendar for your garden so you know exactly when you should water them, when you should perform maintenance on them, and when you should be ready to harvest them.
  5. Till your soil and plant—Once you have it all planned out, go ahead and till your soil and begin planting your seeds. Be sure to follow your calendar when it comes to planting, but also follow it in terms of care and harvesting.

Once you get your garden planned out, it’s just a matter of following your calendar and making adjustments depending on weather and other conditions. When you get this started, you can experience the joy of harvesting your own vegetables at home.

 

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Whether you’re buying, selling, refinancing, or building your dream home, I’m here to help you explore the many financing options available. Ensuring that you make the right choice for you and your family is my ultimate goal. I am committed to providing my customers with mortgage services that exceed their expectations. Find out more by visiting my website.

Tips for Jumping into the Spring Homebuying Season

Written by Marybeth Heckler on . Posted in Real Estate.

If you know anything about the home real estate market, then you know that spring is the biggest season for home buying. Buyers have been cooped up in their old homes all winter and are looking to move while sellers have had the same time frame to get their homes ready for sale.

But, if you’re looking to get into the homebuying market, then there are a few tips you should take care of before you start shopping.

  1. Make a list—Before you talk with a real estate agent, you should write out all of the must-haves that you want in a house. How many bedrooms and bathrooms will you need? Is there a specific location that you want? All of these will help narrow down the agent’s search so you don’t waste your time looking at houses that won’t work for you.
  2. Get your credit in line—A good FICO credit score is essential to buying a home. Let’s just say, hypothetically, you are buying a $300,000 home. A mortgage at 4.14% will run you a total of about $520,000. But if your credit is bad and your interest rate comes out to 5.73%, that same home will cost you about $630,000. That means that bad credit will make the same home cost you over $100,000 more than it would if you had good credit.
  3. Save as much as you can—One of the biggest problems with buying a home is that you have to keep a lot of cash on hand for down payments and emergencies. The more you put down, the better your interest rate and monthly payments will be. But you should also have at least 1-2 months of income set into savings for a potential emergency, such as a major home repair.
  4. Get preapproved—Because Spring is such a huge time for buying a home, you are going to be competing with a lot of other buyers that will be looking at the same prime properties. To make yourself look better to the sellers, you should arrive with a pre-approval from a local lender. These will generally carry more weight than a pre-approved loan from an online lender. You need to do everything that you can to make yourself look appealing to the seller.
  5. Be ready to negotiate—It isn’t enough to just make an offer, cross your fingers, and pray. In a competitive market, you will probably have to pay list price and not be able to haggle down on the price. But, you can still negotiate other areas like extended home warranties and closing costs. This can save you some money without asking too much that might wind up killing the deal.

This spring, thousands of homes, both old and new, will be placed on the market. If you want to jump into this “selling frenzy” then you need to get your finances in order and be ready to negotiate in order to be successful.

 

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Whether you’re buying, selling, refinancing, or building your dream home, I’m here to help you explore the many financing options available. Ensuring that you make the right choice for you and your family is my ultimate goal. I am committed to providing my customers with mortgage services that exceed their expectations. Find out more by visiting my website.