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Winter Is Coming!

Colorado / General

How To Prep Your Home For Winter Weather

Winter Wonderland

Prepare For Emergencies – Every year, harsh winter conditions get the best of hundreds of people in the US. It’s important to be prepared in case you are unable to leave your home for supplies. Here’s a list of supplies we recommend keeping in your home this winter:

  • Non-Perishable Food and Bottled Water for at least 3 days
  • Flashlights/Headlamps & Batteries in case the power goes out.
  • Snow Shovels ( To get out of your home!)
  • Ice Melt & Sand – Use the ice melt first, and then throw sand over the melted ice to give traction.
  • Alternative Heat – If your main heat source fails, it is good to have backups such as kerosene heaters and wool blankets.
  • Tool Kit – Most residences already have one, but it’s a good idea to keep a tool kit stocked with common tools and any specialty tool you may need for heaters, lights, etc.

Inspect Roof – The worst time to realize your roof has a leak is after the first snow hits. Luckily, it is easy to inspect your roof for possible issues beforehand. You don’t even need to get on the roof! Grab a pair of binoculars and work your way around the house, looking for the following:

  • Broken or Missing Shingles
  • Cracked Caulk or Rust Spots on the Flashing
  • Shingles that are Buckling or Curling Up
  • Moss or Lichen Growing on the Roof (this could indicate the roof is decaying beneath the surface)

If you aren’t comfortable tackling these issues yourself, you can get a professional roof inspection for roughly $119-$300.

Insulate Windows – Windows that don’t seal property can let cold drafts into your home, driving your energy bills up and comfort down. To prevent these drafts, you can re-seal the window with silicone, line the window with draft blockers, or even seal it with shrink wrap! If your window is cracked, clear nail polish can temporarily fix the window until it can be replaced.

Inspect Fireplace/Woodstove – It is a good idea to have your fireplace/woodstove inspected every year before using it. This is to ensure that there are no birds nests or other blockages that could catch fire in your chimney and cause problems. These inspections can cost anywhere between $79 and $500 depending on your area and the type of fireplace you have.

Clear Decks and Pathways – With winter comes snow, and with snow comes snow shoveling! Cleaning everything off your deck will make shoveling snow so much easier than it would be trying to navigate around summer furniture! Clear wide paths to outbuildings and anything else you may want access to after the snow flies.

Following this steps will help you prepare yourself and your home for winter! If you enjoyed this post and would like to talk to one of our Southwest Colorado real estate experts, give us a call at (970) 507-8655. To view the homes we currently have for sale, click here!

 

Real Estate Myths

General / Open House / Real Estate

Debunking Common Real Estate Myths

Real estate is an industry that, while most people will be involved in it at some point, there is a lot of misinformation in the general public. In this post we will be debunking some of the most common real estate myths:

Real Estate Myths

  • Price Higher Than You Expect To Get – Contrary to what many believe, listing your home at too high a price may actually net you less money! Many people are wary of homes that have been on the market more than 3 weeks, so listing your home too high and letting it sit on the market is not the best plan!
  • Renovate Before You Sell – Major renovations are not always the best plan when trying to raise your home value. Prospective buyers may not share your taste, so you’re better off just fixing small things and leaving the big renovations to the next owner! There are many myths about renovating before you sell. To see the renovations that are worth taking on, see our blog post on the topic here!
  • The Market Will Go Up – Home values have been going up recently, and many people have already forgotten the recent recession. They think the market just goes up, without considering how it could plummet again in the future. It happened in the mid-70s, early 80s, early 90s, and again in 2008. This is a good thing to consider when purchasing a home. How will you and your home be affected if this happens again?
  • Get Pre-Approved After Finding Your Home – One of the most common myths in real estate is that buyers don’t need to be pre-approved until the have found their home. This is simply not true and can be a big mistake! Pre-approval should be the first step in your house-hunting adventure. It can be devastating for buyers to find a home, make an offer, and have it accepted, only to find out they aren’t approved for a loan for the home. Get pre-approved first!
  • Open Houses Sell Homes – Many sellers love the idea of having their home open every weekend for people to walk through. A common myth in real estate is that open houses sell a lot of homes. While this can be true in some areas, the National Association Of Realtors tells us that only 2% of all homes are sold are a result of an open house. So while an open house can provide good exposure, it probably won’t sell your home directly!

We hope you were able to learn something new from this blog post! Real estate can be a complicated industry, so we try to break things down wherever we can to inform current and future clients! If you would like to talk to one of the NextHomies in our office, give us a call at (970) 507-8655! To see NextHome Rocky Mountain Rental’s current featured listings, click here! We want to get you into your Next Home!