Surprising tips for a lush lawn

I was reading an article from the research people at Consumer Reports that said a lush lawn isn’t hard to have.  I don't totally agree with that blanket statement, but here's a few tips on your quest for the best lawn in the neighbourhood.  What is interesting about these tips is that many start with your lawn mower.

Keep your blade sharp: Sharpening your mower’s blade at the start of the season, and three to four times throughout the season, will ensure cleaner cuts and less stress to the grass.

Use your mulch setting rather than bag your clippings:  Let the clippings provide nutrients to the grass instead of just throwing them away. The clippings also provide a little extra shade.

Keep your mower’s deck clear of buildup: Grass clippings will stick to the inside of your mower’s deck and reduce airflow, which makes it difficult to cut taller grass cleanly.

Raise your mower deck up to at least three inches: Taller grass has deeper roots, and deeper roots are able to collect more of the natural moisture in the ground. Taller grass also better shades the soil beneath it, reducing evaporation.

In addition to these mower suggestions most lawn care professionals think these are also vital for a great lawn.

Water less often and more thoroughly for best results:  The average lawn requires 1 to 1.5 inches of moisture weekly.  This is enough to moisten the soil 4 to 6 inches below the surface.  Too much water can actually damage your lawn. 

Use the right fertilizer and fertilize four times annually:  Read the instructions on the fertilizer bag to ensure you are using the right fertilizer for the time of the season, but ensure your lawn gets the food it needs. You know what you feel like when you miss a meal.  Missing a lawn feeding can reduce the chances of you getting a lush lawn down the road.

Remove the weeds:  Easier said than done for most of us, but removing weeds a few at a time and reseeding bare spots will eventually pay off on your journey to a great lawn.

Enjoy your summer!

 

3 things sellers need to know about home buyers

Home buyers and sellers don't always see eye to eye when it comes to the value of home.  Here are three things that often create opposite opinions on value.

The pool for a buyer, in most cases, is a love or hate addition to the home.  Many people dream of having a pool, but there are just as many buyers who find a pool far from a valuable addition.  For home owners it's important to note that if you invest in a pool, you shouldn't bank on always getting the value back when it comes time to sell.  If a pool loving buyer comes along, you've got something to motivate them to purchase your home, but that doesn't necessarily mean the buyer is willing to pay a huge difference just because you have a pool.   

Creative gardening can be a beautiful thing, but many people are not into an entire yard that has developed over the years into a garden lover's paradise.  There are many buyers who would rather have more lawn than garden, so an entire front or backyard that has evolved into an all natural growth zone can actually lower the interest in a property.  The yard can look beautiful, but not necessarily in the eyes of some buyers.  Like putting in a swimming pool, a home owner should invest in gardens fully knowing that in most cases not all of the investment can be recouped when it's time to sell.

 
Colour is always a personal preference, but when it comes time to sell, sometimes it makes great sense to paint over wild colours so your home is more pleasing to the largest segment of buyers. Too often sellers refuse to take this issue seriously.  The colour of the exterior and interior of a home has an enormous impact on buyers and therefore it can impact the selling price.  You normally can't go wrong investing in paint as a seller.  Failing to deal with a wildly coloured room or long overdue exterior paint job is something many buyers have a hard time accepting and most important it can have an enormous impact on buyers falling in love with a seller's home.   For a seller to just leave the painting to the buyer is something many buyers just don't agree with.

For more details and suggestions on buying or selling contact me here.

A small strap that could save your home

There is a call by some for a change to the building code in Ontario to help further protect properties against hurricanes.  The call is to make it mandatory for new home construction to include hurricane straps.   The clips are small pieces of metal that bind the roof truss to the top of the wall.

At the University of Western Ontario there is a Three Little Pigs project that studies among other things hurricanes and how some structural changes can reduce serious damage during a storm. Greg Kopp with Western University is encouraging the province to utilize hurricane clips or straps based on studies from the wind tunnel at the lab.

Each clip is only a few dollars and some communities in North American already have them as part of the building code.   

Get more on the Insurance Lab for Better Homes here.

You must act now to stop this planned tax

(Voice your opinion on this tax here)

The Ontario government intends on giving municipalities the ability to levy a municipal land transfer tax (MLTT). This could be devastating to home ownership for many people.






Already on closing the average home purchase in Ontario faces thousands of dollars in transfer tax payments to the province. According to calculations from OREA, if the Ontario government follows through with this plan, home buyers will be forced to pay $10,000 in total land transfer taxes on the average priced home in Ontario.




Leeds-Grenville MPP Steve Clark recently introduced a motion calling on the Ontario government to oppose the spread of the MLTT.  MPP Clark’s motion will be debated on December 3rd. That leaves little time for you to voice your opposition to this planned tax and support MPP Clark's motion.




There is an easy way for your voice to be heard.  You can let your local MPP know that you want to protect affordable home ownership in our province and vote YES to Mr. Clark’s motion.

It can all be done in under one minute with the easy submission form found here.

Together with your support Ontario REALTORS® are helping to protect affordable home ownership in our province for future generations.

5 important home chores to prepare for winter

Spend a little time now to prepare for the long winter ahead.

Seal cracks and repair damaged doors and windows.  The time you put into this chore including replacing tired weather stripping is one of the most important things you can do to help lower heating costs.

A photo posted by @eliwgnd on Oct 2, 2015 at 6:03am PDT

Remove fallen leaves from your gutters and downspouts.

A photo posted by durhams finest appliance (@dfaservice) on May 18, 2015 at 6:42pm PDT

Book a furnace check-up and cleaning.  A properly serviced furnace can save you money and can eliminate an after hours service call during a cold winter night. 

A photo posted by @work_harderrr on Nov 8, 2015 at 10:14am PST

If you have a wood fireplace, have your chimney checked and cleaned.  As part of the inspection, ensure the damper closes tightly to prevent winter drafts.

A photo posted by Giuseppe N. Cicero (@nazariomaximus) on Feb 11, 2015 at 2:03pm PST

Don't forget that outdoor hose hanging on the wall.  Disconnect, drain and store it for the winter season. If possible, shut the waterline off from inside to prevent pipes from freezing.

The one room that is growing in popularity and why.

A second master bedroom is the latest must-have for high-end house hunters. This second master is actually better called the "snoring room."  The reason for a second master is obvious, but just so the cat is out of the bag,  many couples who live together prefer to not sleep together because one or both of them snore.  (So, you're not alone)

Although I've never personally had  buyers tell me a snoring room is on their wish list in their search for the ideal home, I imagine I would hear some interesting confessions once they learned what the extra room was really all about.   (Kind of like our ancestors discovering indoor plumbing for the first time.) 

To completely understand what is happening in the high-end market, the bonus room isn't just an extra bedroom next to or down the hall from the master bedroom. High-end house hunters want two master suites — complete with two big bedrooms, separate walk-in closets, separate bathrooms and naturally both equipped with an area for that huge flat-screen TV.

When you think about it, the extra master is cheaper than a couple buying two separate houses down the road because of the dreaded snore.

Posted by My Snoring Solution on Sunday, June 21, 2015

One important thing often missed at an open house

Although there are many things not to leave out in the open if you are having an open house, there is one thing that many home owners forget to ensure is out of the reach of everyone.

 
Some people will go to great lengths to steal prescription medications and that means your bathroom and cupboards should be checked in advance of your open house to ensure your medications are out of sight. When you think about it why should a thief deal with having to pry open a security door when that wannabe pill thief can just go to an open house and hope to score in the unlocked medicine cabinet?

Some real estate agents are increasingly hearing about prescription pills going missing after open houses. It’s suggested that you hide away your medications or better still, take them with you during the couple hours of your scheduled open house.