August News

August, 2015 Newsletter
Here we are in the full swing of summer! We hope you are enjoying the longer days, the warmth, the lazy afternoons on the patio, the extended vacations! In this month's newsletter we've prepared some information to help protect your home when you're not there, whether you're just running an errand or taking off on a three week adventure. Also, we've included a few tips for summer sellers. If you've listed your home for sale in the summer we want you to have an advantage with buyers. Enjoy!

Familiarity breeds carelessness!
Don't leave your appliances on when you're not home.
Do you leave appliances like the dishwasher or the clothes dryer running when you're away?  We are so comfortable with the appliances in our homes we tend to take for granted how dangerous they can be. Here is a quick guide of household appliance safety.

Clothes Dryers

• Clothes dryers account for nearly 15,500 fires each year in the US. To keep your home safe from your dryer:
• Clean the lint trap after every load
• Clean the lint from the vent ducts once a year
• Make sure your dryer is vented to the outdoors and not to an attic, wall or garage
• Never put rubber, foam or synthetic fabrics in your dryer
• Never put fabrics with flammable liquids on them in your dryer - allow them to air dry then wash and dry as usual
• Never leave the dryer running when you're not home

Dishwashers
Dishwashers operate with scalding hot water and many use very high temperatures to dry the dishes. Heating elements can melt plastic dishes and cause fires. The steam that comes from an operating dishwasher can burn. Never leave small children unattended near a running dishwasher. Never leave your dishwasher running when you're not home.

Stoves and Ovens
Of course you never leave your stove on when you're not home. Do you leave anything in the oven and "just run out for a minute"? A small fire in the oven can escalate quickly and the smoke damage from an oven or stove fire can be serious. Never leave a heated oven or stove unattended, even for just quick run to the corner.

Space Heaters
According to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission space heaters account for 21,800 home fires each year killing nearly 300 people. In addition to fire risks, space heaters can cause electrical shorts, carbon monoxide poisoning and natural gas leaks. To operate a space heater safely:

• Keep heaters at least 3 feet away from walls, bedding, clothing, pets and people
• Always turn off heaters when you leave the room
• Always turn off heaters when you go to sleep
• Never leave heaters running when you leave the house
• Never dry fabric or clothing on a space heater
• Don't use extension cords with a space heater

Wish You Were Here
With three whole months off from school, many families take advantage of the time and leave for extended vacations. If you are leaving for an extended period of time make the necessary preparations to keep your home protected.

Burglars!
It's important to make sure you don't broadcast the fact that your home is vacant. Thieves are opportunistic and look for the easiest targets. If someone were to drive past your house while you're away, would it be easy to tell that there's no one home? Is the mail piled up on your porch? Is the grass knee high? Are the lights never on? Before you leave ask or hire a neighbor or friend to take care of a few simple things:

• Cut the grass
• Pick up your mail
• Park a car in your drive
• Turn on/off lights or move your timer to different lamps every couple of days

Broadcasting your absence on social media can be a beacon to thieves as well. Publishing the dates you'll be gone, when you'll be back and all the pictures and updates along the way could be a red carpet of welcome to anybody looking for an easy target. Wait until you return, then update your friends and family with the highlights of your wonderful vacation.

Save a little money on your utilities while your away as well. You're not there so you can set your air conditioning to 78 degrees. Turn your water heater down to a lower temperature, too. If it won't harm your grass, turn off your main water supply all together. And remember many of your appliances and entertainment equipment still draw power even when they're off. Unplug these items to save on electricity:

• Televisions
• DVD/Blue ray players
• Radios/Blue tooth speakers
• Computers
• Routers
• Cable and dish boxes
• Game consoles
• Microwave oven

Check out more ideas for protecting your home here>>

Tips for selling your home in the summer.

The home market is up and buyers are actively looking and BUYING! But, believe it or not, selling your home in the summer is not the ideal time. For many of us our homes look best in summer, so this can disappointing. To be competitive and capture the attention of summer home buyers it just takes a little extra effort. Here are some tips to help your house stand out, in a good way.

Curb Appeal
Some buyers won't even go into a house if it looks sad and frumpy from the outside. Keep the yard picked up, don't leave toys or tools out. Cut the grass twice a week. Keep bushes neatly trimmed. Plant extra flowers and display planters with flowers and plants. Keep the front door and entryway swept, clean and inviting.

Let the sun shine. If you have lots of heavy draperies and shades either remove them or keep them pulled open. Dark rooms always appear smaller, and light gives the impression of space and cleanliness.

Be prepared and agreeable to showings later in the day. Because the days are longer in summer many buyers will want to tour your home later at 7 or 8 pm

Fresh air. Keep the air clean and fresh in your home. Don't try to use a lot of air fresheners and candles in the summer. Allowing fresh, clean air from outside to keep the house smelling nice is a better idea for summer. For a nice accent use fresh cut flowers in vases. It will add a lovely fragrance as well as some summery decor.

Not too warm or too cool. A good rule of thumb is between 72-75 degrees. When a room is hot and stuffy you just want to get out. You don't want the buyers to get out, you want them to stay! Keep the temperature comfortable but not so cold they're wishing they had a sweater.

In general do what you can to make your house light, inviting and comfortable. These simple tips can put your house at the top of any buyer's list. Good luck and when you need a home inspection remember Sterling Home Services!

Sweet sweet summertime!

A perfect summer day is when the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing, the birds are singing, and the lawn mower is broken. ~James Dent

In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer. ~Albert Camus

The summer night is like a perfection of thought. ~Wallace Stevens

A life without love is like a year without summer. ~Swedish Proverb

“Winter was nothing but a season of snow; spring, allergies; and summer…It was the worst. That was swimsuit season.” ~ Teresa Lo