Monthly News Article – John Angell

Getting Your Yard Ready for Fall

This may be jumping the gun a little, but it usually takes me a month or so to I know, I’m obsessed with lawn care. Please bear with me.

Before 2021, I always believed here in Texas we didn’t have to worry quite so much about preparing our lawns for winter. Now I realize we need to fortify them as much almost as much as the northern states, because we’re just one massive freeze away from years of progress being destroyed.

1) Continue Usual Maintenance – Don’t stop mowing and weeding, and keep raking leaves up through the fall. It will allow the waning sunlight to reach the grass, and there will be less leaf to turn brown during the winter. And for God’s sake, don’t stop watering, even in the winter.

2) Ready the Pre-Emergent Herbicide – The early fall (now) is the perfect time to apply an herbicide to stop the spread of weeds and dandelions. Recent EPA regulations have outlawed weed killers that kill man stubborn weeds in North Texas (don’t get me started on why…). A preemergent herbicide will sterilize the weeds so they won’t grow back in the spring… provided we have a nice, cold winter.

3) Additional Fertilizing – When mid-late October approaches, it’ll be a good time to apply additional high-nitrogen lawn fertilizer to your lawn. It’s about to experience what could be an extended period of dormancy, but you need to make sure the roots are strong and run deep. I use Scott’s Bonus-S at the advice of my local Home Depot guru, but I can’t say that’s the best.

4) Know What’s Best for Your Lawn – Without going into details, there are pre-emergents and fertilizers that work great for bermuda grass, but kill St. Augustine on contact, and conversely. Also be mindful of the forecast. Some treatments do not work properly above certain temperatures, and if there is a heavy rain in the forecast it’s pointless to sprinkle anything on your lawn.

Preparing For Fall Weather

We all have our plans of home improvement and maintenance tasks to do once the weather cools. If you’re not already buried in honey-do’s, here are some ideas.

Plan – We only get a few months in Texas between unlivable heat and unbearable cold. Make sure to prioritize your tasks.

Apply Pre-Emergent to Your Lawn – Of course I start with the lawn. You want to apply a root-inhibiting pre-emergent around the time your soil reaches 70 degrees. I’m not suggesting you put a thermometer in the dirt… but it would work.

Clean Your Chimney – Nothing is more fun than lighting a roaring fire and your house ends up burning down. Guidelines state that wood-burning fireplaces should be cleaned every year, but I suspect that guideline comes from the International Brotherhood of Chimney Sweepers and all their lobbying dollars.

Service Your Heater – Nothing is more fun than starting your heater on the first chilly day of the fall and you dying from natural gas suffocation. Make sure your gas heater is in shape for that 24-hour period when the high is 82 and the low is 11.

Check Sprinkler System – In August, there isn’t enough water to keep our lawns alive. When We hit October, make sure you adjust your watering schedule to save money.

Clean Your Gutters – From now until December your gutters need to be monitored. If you have long gutters and lots of trees you may want to have them cleaned out twice a month.

Take Inventory of Holiday Decorations – It’s right around the corner, and it’s best to test and replace them now.

Your HVAC: A Brief Tutorial

Most of us don’t think about our HVAC (Heater, ventillation & air conditioner) until there’s a problem with it, even fewer of us know it’s components. I’m limited by space here, my goal is to give you a 101-level understanding so you can keep up with I won’t go over the 1) thermostat or 5) vents.

Furnace – The core of the heating system. Fueled by gas or electric coils, your furnace keeps you warm during the 3 weeks of winter through which we suffer.

Evaporator Coil – A heat exchange device that absorbs the heat from the air in your house. It uses tubes/channels where refrigerant is circulated, fins that increase the heat transfer area, a source of heat such as a natural gas or a heating filament directed over the tubes and a distillation of vapor into an outlet pipe.

Condenser – It’s the thing outside that either releases or collects heat depending on if the system is on cold or hot. I contains the condenser coil (made of copper or aluminum), a compressor, fan that facilitates heat transfer, and controls.

Refrigerant Lines – The insulated lines that go between the condenser and evaporator coils.

Buying a Backup Generator

Why John,” you may ask, “is this newsletter late because you decided to center the front page article around Tuesday’s storm?”. Why yes, dear reader. I was prepared to write something relevant to the market or coming summer, but this was a chance to research something fresh in everyone’s minds.

It’s rare that we need a generator, but it would appear that “extreme weather” in Texas is increasing in frequency. The topic of generators is pretty big in options, so rather than giving you an insufficient view of all of things I’ll give you two options.

1) The Essentials – According to Consumer Reports, a 2,000 watt generator is enough to power your fridge, TV(s), 5-10 lights, a computer, charger and security system. There are portable, gas-powered generators. If you’re prepared to chance the elements and make a few concessions, you can live in relative comfort (sans HVAC) for $300-400. You’ll need to get gas every couple of days, but those steaks in the freezer will stay frozen, you’ll have light and TV, and the all-important internet will function.

2) All the Bells & Whistles – It’s Texas. The odds every outage won’t be followed by 70 degrees, and if you’re going to drop some coin on a generator you may as well have something even The Omega Man would envy. If you have natural gas, a 4-ton air conditioner (servicing 2,000 sqft) requires 17,000 watts. Stack on top of that the comforts you are willing to pay to maintain (TVs, internet, most-all of your lights, chargers, computers, stove/oven, everything except probably your dryer) and you’re up to roughly 22,000 watts. A permanent, wired into your electric panel and plumbed into your gas line is going to set you back $5,000-8000 PLUS installation. At this time I’m not sure the cost of the plumbers and electricians fees, but if I was to guess I’d add another $1,500 to that. Now this system is big, roughly the size of a table, but it will also increase the value of your house (not dollar-for-dollar) or you can take it with you when you move.

Preparing Your Yard to Sell

s a self-proclaimed lawn enthusiast, I do my best to project my obsession on my dear readers. That said, lawns are often overlooked when someone is preparing a home to sell. There are honey-do’s, contractor-do’s, cleaners and stagers, and it’s easy to overlook the exterior and what surrounds it. Remember, the yard is the first thing a buyer sees, and unless you’re selling in the dead of winter (this does raise a case for selling in the winter…) it’s best not to ignore it.

1) Clear the Path – When buyers approach your property, they want to see a smooth, defined walkway to the front door. If you have a concrete sidewalk, make sure it’s clean, swept, and edged. Ensure stone steps are edged and decomposed granite walkways are free of weeds and debris.

2) Clean Up – There’s a lot to this one. From debris to flower beds to tree pruning, you’ll need to address all deferred tasks, especially if you’re in a competitive market (pro tip: the market for 2024 is going to be the most competitive in several years). Apply fresh mulch, store the kid and pet toys, remove wood piles and replace broken or cracked pavers.

3) Plant Mature Trees – This isn’t to say just plant a tree for its own sake, but if you need to remove a diseased tree plant a larger one in its place. A 5-6′ tree well into development and able to bloom is ideal.

4) Add Color – This is where I have no practical experience whatsoever. My whole yard would be monochrome green without an artistic wife. Pops of color are pretty inviting.

5) Pest Control – You’re either going to handle this now or later… provided there is a later and people don’t run in terror when seeing roaches everywhere. Several weeks before listing, have an exterminator visit your property and free if of pests. Do this several weeks prior to listing because you will likely see dead bugs in the days following treatment.

What is a Home Warranty?

The other day my mom received a piece of mail from the “home warranty department” (no company name was stated). When I looked up the number, sure enough it was a scam. Then my mom asked, “What is a home warranty anyhow and do I need one?”.

A home warranty is essentially an insurance property on the mechanical components of your property such as major appliances, plumbing, HVAC & electrical systems. It is a service contract that covers general wear and tear but unlike homeowners insurance is NOT mandatory. It is, however, so common that the Texas sales contract has a “Residential Service Contract” section that very often provides a buyer with funds for a 12-month, seller-paid home warranty.

There are multiple Home Warranty Providers, and like most industries they closely monitor what one another charge and the services they provide. Most of them are quite similar but every now and then one distinguishes itself with new plans or pricing. The differences are often subtle. A few years ago one company inserted language stating they would not cover “detectable pre-existing conditions”, meaning if a home inspector missed the issue on the report and it was determined by the home warranty-approved repair professional it should have been detected, then they would not pay to fix it.

Are they Home Warranties worth it? It depends. If it’s paid for by the seller, why not? Product and builder warranties are better and home warranty companies feature a lot of fine print designed to protect them, but I have clients who have saved tens of thousands and swear by them. They often write 5-figure checks for air conditioning systems that were deemed to have died before their time, and I’ve seen huge plumbing jobs covered. That said, I’ve also seen clients hold a home warranty for 3 years and they never used it. It’s all very subjective. Rule of thumb: If you have an older home, it’s not a bad annual investment of $500-800.

Preparing Your Home To Sell

In all candor, this article could be 10 pages long. After 20 years I’ve come to understand that buyers want and how to present your house to make it most attractive to them. Reach out to me if you want a more comprehensive guide on this topic.

1) MAKE REPAIRS – We all have deferred maintenance issues, and you might as well get them out of the way. Obvious deficiencies will make buyers think you’re a bad homeowner, and more subtle ones found by inspectors will cost you later.

2) REPAINT IN NEUTRAL COLORS – Those purple walls your daughter just had to have served her well, but not a lot of buyers will appreciate them. I know they‘re boring, but neutral colors often allow buyers to see themselves in your property.

3) DECLUTTER & CLEAN – It’s amazing what we can get used to and not see if it’s there everyday, guys especially, and it’s an incredibly rare homeowner whose property is always in “showing condition” (I’d say about 5%). It’s not a knock on your skills as a homemaker.

4) DEPERSONALIZE – I’m a bit more lax than most Realtors when it comes to this, but it’s true an excessive number of pictures makes it difficult to see themselves in your property. That said, photos of life events or vacations can do the opposite. A young couple buying their first home together might like seeing (LIMITED) pictures of your newborn, or a trip to Europe. Professionally-taken photos are usually the best.

5) STAGE – This is one of my hardest sales as a listing agent: the notion that you have to spend money to make money. The necessity for staging is very subjective, and you have to be honest with yourself and listen to your Realtor. Not every room has to be staged, but main rooms – especially “open concept”, should have something to add warmth to open spaces.

Holiday Weight Gain: Is It Avoidable?

Every year it’s a given that the holidays will be something that destroys all the weight-loss progress that people have made from January – October, and it starts with Thanksgiving. Does it have to be this way? Here are a few ideas that might help you keep your fat pants in the closet:

1) Be Prepared – Turkey Day and Christmas don’t sneak up on us, they’re the same day every year. In the days leading up, eat modestly but often. Your body responds most efficiently when you eat 5-6 small meals per day, or at least modest meals with a couple snacks sandwiched in between. On the day of the feasts, have a sensible breakfast and a modest snack leading up to your meals, you’ll ensure your body isn’t hungry and thus in starvation/gorging mode when you hit the buffet line.

2) Choose What You Eat – Yes, stuffing is delicious. And heck yes, dessert is too. But what else is the Holiday Season known for? Turkey. Ham. Chicken. Eat protein. Fill half your plate with it. Avoid the dark meat if possible, and keep the dressing to a minimum. If you fill up on protein (or non-fried vegetables), there’s much less room for that which can expand your waistline.

3) Portion Control – My nemesis. Eat one plate full of food. You may be like me, and be inclined to eat as fast as possible so you can be first in the second helping line, but DO NOT do it. Eat slowly and drink lots of water during the process. Water will help to expand the contents in your stomach (especially carbohydrates), and will help make you feel full.

4) Exercise Afterwards – Yes it’s the holidays. Yes family is in town. Yes the Cowboys are on. But your food is settling in your stomach, and in addition to drinking water, the best way to facilitate intestinal mobility (a fancy term for the obvious) is to at least go for a 20 minute brisk walk afterwards.

The Origins of Halloween

Most people are aware of the pagan roots of Halloween, but it’s not that simple. Earliest roots can be traced back 2,000 years ago to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. Celebrated on November 1st, it marked the end of summer, the harvest, and the beginning of their new year. They believed the night before, the ghosts of the dead returned to Earth. To commemorate, Druids built enormous bonfires, where Celts burned crops and animals as sacrifices to their Deities. Animal sacrifices were all the range across cultures back then…

By 43 A.D., the Roman Empire had mostly conquered the Celts, and over the course of the next 400 or so years, the holiday was combined with two Roman holiday known as Feralia, also commemorating the passing of the dead, and Pomona, honoring the Roman Goddess of fruit and trees (the origin of bobbing for apples).

On May 13th, 609 A.D., Pope Bonface IV established All Martyr’s Day. It was later changed to November 1st by Pope Gregory III. By the 9th Century, as Christianity had spread throughout Europe, these many holidays were blended into one. To add one more holiday to the list, in 1000 AD, the Church proclaimed November 2nd All Souls’ Day, also to honor the dead.

All Souls’ Day was celebrated rather similarly to Samhain, with large parades, bonfires, and costumes such as angels, devils and saints. All Saint’s Day was also called All-Hallows (or All-hallowmas, translated from Middle English Alholowmesse meaning All Saints’ Day) and the night before was dubbed All-Hallows Eve. Over time, it just called Halloween.

I’m impressed if you’ve gotten this far. This story ended up being far longer that it was interesting, but if you have one thing to take away from it, my job is done.

Fall Lawn Care

I know what you’re thinking. “John, you towering archetype of masculinity, why are you so fixated on lawn care?” Well, fictional contrivance designed to inflate my ego and forward this article, it’s my newsletter and I choose the subjects. Also, we’re expecting a colder and rainier than usual winter in 2023 and it would be wise to minimize the damage to grass and landscaping.

1) Fertilize Now – If you have warm weather grass, the a great way to reinforce your root system is to fertilize in September. Temperatures are dropping, and a nitrogen boost before plants go dormant will set them up for surviving winter. I use Scotts Bonus S. Not only does it get good reviews, but it’s expensive and we all know pricier = better, right?

2) Aerating – If you have hot weather grass like Bermuda, Zoysia or St Augustine, you don’t need to aerate.

3) Mulch – Using the mulching option on your lawn mower will shred leaves and grass clippings and return them to your lawn. It will give both nutrients and protection to your roots when it freezes.

4) Watering – Over-watering attracts pests and disease. Cut back on watering now that it’s not 107. If you don’t want to think about it, consider a Rachio or other smart watering system.

5) Weed control – My nemesis. When you have a ton of neighbors with weed-infested lawns, it’s a losing battle or so I tell myself. Pre-emergent herbicides will prevent winter annual weeds.

Bonus Tip: Spring Pre-emergent – I had a landscaper out the other day. He said to keep an eye out at gas stations, parking lots, any place with cracked concrete. When you start seeing small post-winter weeds form there, apply your spring pre-emergent.