The Importance of Home Maintenance

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Many times a person will put their house on the market and never do much else to improve the home. Some will even leave repairs and cleaning up for the agent and buyer to deal with later. This is a horrible idea if you want to get top price for your house.

While you do not have to do major repairs to the house, you should keep up with regular maintenance and do small repairs. Often the neglect of those small things can turn off potential buyers, and it may lead to larger problems later on.

Repairing any holes in the walls or floors is a must. Smaller holes can be easily repaired in a day with a handful of supplies from your local hardware store. You may need to hire someone to repair larger holes. Make sure to put a fresh coat of paint on the walls after repairs are finished.

Replace caulking and seals around windows, drains, sinks, and bathtubs. This is normal routine maintenance for any home, and it will also make the home look cleaner and well kept. If you are just a little handy then you can get this done on your own in a day or two.

Keep up maintenance on the porch and any fencing. The outside of the house applies to curb appeal, and a porch in good repair looks better and safer than one that fallen into disrepair. After any needed repair a fresh coat of paint can help attract buyers.

Keep gutter clean and in good shape. The gutters on a house can clog up quickly if not maintained. Standing water in the gutter could attract pests that would detour potential buyers. It could also cause unattractive water erosion on the ground around the house.

Featured Homes for Sale in Bryan-College Station

Your local RE/MAX realtor bryan-college station, Sarah Miller, can help you discover a lot of great tips for making a profitable and fast sell on your house.

Pool Maintenance in College Station

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If you are looking to buy a home in Bryan College Station, you are more than likely going to want a home with a swimming pool. Summers are HOT HOT HOT in Texas.  A pool is a great respite from the heat.  However, before you take a dive into those crystal blue waters, there is some maintenance that you will need to do first.

You will need to first skim the surface of the pool to get rid of floating debris.  Be sure that when you empty the skimmer basket, you discard the waste away from the pool so that the wind wont blow it back into the pool.  To lessen the debris floating in the pool, think about trimming nearby tress or bushes.  These are well known for shedding leaves, pollen and blossoms into the water. Vacuuming the pool requires about half an hour.  This is needed to get all of the gunk and debris from the bottom and the sides of the pool. 

Each week, you will need to test and adjust the chemical levels in the pool.  Start with the pH first.  If it is over 7.6 adjust with muriatic acid and use a soda ash product if it is below 7.4.  You will need to shock the water if your chlorine levels are under 1 part per million or if the alkalinity is under 90 ppm.  To shock the water, dissolve chlorine and baking soda in a pail and empty it into the pool. Other maintenance steps include cleaning out the pump filter and adding chlorine to the system. 

College Station may be a hot place in the summer, but you can certainly spend your days lounging in the cool pool.  Just a few maintenance tasks and you will be well on your way to a crystal clear and clean pool.

Featured Homes for Sale in Bryan-College Station

Your  RE/MAX realtor bryan-college station, Sarah Miller, can help you discover a lot of great tips for making a profitable and fast sell on your house.  She is one of the RE/MAX Bryan-College Station realtors that has a long list of the finest homes for sale in  Bryan College Station, Call her today at 979-255-1904.

Lawn and Plant Care

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The summer months in College Station can be down right hot.  This hot climate takes a bit of effort to keep your lawn and plants looking great.  The afternoon temperatures can get pretty high and this in turn causes your lawn, as well as your plants, to be deprived of the right amount of water they need to survive and look amazing.

The first thing that is important is to recognize what lawn and plant damage looks like.  Lawns that are heat stressed as simple to recognize.  If you step on your lawn and the footprint is noticeable, this is one warning sign. 

Another way to look is to dig under the grass and look at the soil.  The soil should be moist and not hard or crusty.  Plants will have leaves that are wilted or crinkling.  The leave color will also begin to turn brown.

It is important that you know when and how much water is needed to properly maintain your lawn and plants.  If you have sandy soil, you will need to water more often then clay soil. 

The best time to water your lawn and plants is very early in the morning or in the latter part of the afternoon.  These are the two times of day when the temperatures are the lowest and the movement of the wind is also the lowest.  Cooler temps and less wind means a reduction in the amount of evaporation.

Plants needed to be watered so the water seeps down deep.  This is ideal for plant growth because they will get the proper moisture, nutrients and minerals for survival. 

If you own a home in of College Station or anywhere in Central Texas, it may take some effort to keep your lawn and your plants healthy, but that is only because of the Texas heat.  With a little work, your lawn will be a pretty shade of green with colorful plants as part of your landscape and curb appeal.

Featured Homes in College Station,Texas

Your RE/MAX realtor bryan-college station, Sarah Miller, can help you discover a lot of great tips for making a profitable and fast sell on your house.  She is one of the RE/MAX Bryan-College Station realtors that has a long list of the finest homes for sale in  BryanCollege Station, Call her today at 979-255-1904.

Curb Appeal Tips : Improving Your Front Lawn

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Home of the Aggies of Texas A & M, Bryan College Station is not only a fun place to live, it offers residents great opportunities for work and family activities. With homes selling at a decent rate in this growing area, it is good to know a few tips to make your homes stand out above the rest when showing them to potential buyers. Here’s how you can use curb appeal to make not only a great first impression on your buyers, you can even get the best price possible if they like what they see.

One of the best ways to achieve great curb appeal is through the front lawn. A well manicured lawn speaks volumes about the home and gives a clean look to potential buyers. Make sure that not only is the lawn well taken care of, you also want clean lines between the lawn and any concrete surfaces. This can be taken care of with a good edger and adds the finishing touch to a well manicured surface.

Any shrubs around the home may also need trimmed as to avoid obscuring any view of the windows. Giving shrubs a good trimming gives a clean look to any landscaping already in place and gives potential homeowners a great first impression of the house.

Taking care to make sure any concrete surfaces are power washed is also a great way to give a home decent curb appeal. That oil stain on the driveway often gives potential buyers an impression of work that will need done before they even enter the house and that will turn off many buyers before they even get the chance to see the inside.

Featured Homes for Sale in College Station,Texas

Your  RE/MAX realtor bryan-college station, Sarah Miller, can help you discover a lot of great tips for making a profitable and fast sell on your house.  She is one of the RE/MAX Bryan-College Station realtors that has a long list of the finest homes for sale in  BryanCollege Station, Call her today at 979-255-1904.