Spring Cleaning: It’s That Time Again
As we emerge from the depths of winter, we must finally address the dust bunnies, stale odors, and various to-dos that we put off until spring. To some people, cleaning is therapeutic. To others like myself, it’s as much fun than a root canal. But alas, we must all engage in our spring cleaning ritual. A few ideas for you:
1) Choose Cleaning Products & Stock Up – Making multiple trips to the store can kill your momentum. Buy multi-surface cleaners, glass cleaners, soap, dusters, and plenty of reusable microfiber towels among other things. If possible, use natural cleaners, or even make your own. There’s a reason chemical cleaners are popular – they get the job done – but the stench of chemicals isn’t much better than a dusty, dirty home, and there is evidence that harsh cleaners can be toxic.
2) Let the Air In – If you suffer from seasonal spring allergies, skip this. If not, opening all your windows will blow the stale winter air out as well as the smell of your cleaning products. If you have an attic fan, this will take no time at all.
3) Go Room-by-Room – As a multitasker (read: ADHD), I tend to bounce around everywhere, but studies have shown (in cleaning and life-in-general), that a methodical item-at-a-time approach is far more effective.
4) Organize & Get Rid of Clutter – There’s a very broad gap between minimalists and hoarders, but I’ve always held as a rule of thumb that if there is an article of non-event specific clothes that I haven’t worn in 18 months, it’s time to get rid of it.
5) While You’re at It, Don’t Forget:
All Kitchen Appliances Shower Drain & Grout
The Junk Drawer Bathroom Exhaust Fan
Washer/Dryer Change Air Filters
Bookshelves Clean Gutters
Windows & Blinds
Recovering from Snowmageddon
What an unforgettable, terrible cold front it was it was. Record snow, near-record low temperatures…. and in typical Texas weather fashion, 70 degrees the next week.
Unfortunately those of us who don’t have a crystal ball and didn’t winterize ahead of time, the damage is largely already done. The best we can do is assess the damage and rebuild/replant/repair.
Here are a few things to consider:
Plants – When you hit a hard freeze, even “hearty” plants can suffer. During an extended hard freeze, the water within a plants cells freezes, causing destruction at a cellular level. It can take several days for the damage to appear, and like someone recovering from frostbite, gradually introduce heat to your plant will help slowly introduce warmth to the cells. Remove mushy leaves/flowers, so fungus doesn’t take hold. With wooded plants, it’s best to leave them until spring. and prune/cut as necessary. The best thing you can do for your lawn is to fertilize it in March.
Swimming Pool – Hopefully you a) had power and b) kept your pump going. There are a lot of different indicators that you have damaged pool plumbing. The most obvious is bubbles coming out of the jets. More subtle signs include: tile cracked/falling tiles, wet spots in the yard, water pooling under pool equipment, and dropping water levels. Pools can be absolute money pits, but to pool lovers they’re essential for Texas summers.
Plumbing – If there is an upside to your plumbing being damaged by freezing temperatures, you’re going to see it once your pipes thaw. “Assessing the damage after a winter freeze is a pretty straightforward process,” says Andy Parrish, owner of Pro-Bowl Plumbing, “The damage has already been done, and if you’ve had damage done to the copper or cast iron piping in your house, you’re going to know about it the moment the water starts to flow again.” If you need a great plumber referral (such as Andy), give me a call.
DFW MLS Statistics – February 2021
Architectural Corner – Shotgun House
Also called the shotgun Shack (The Talking Heads once made a reference), this housing style was popular from 1860’s – 1920’s, beginning in New Orleans but spreading through the deep south and as far as Chicago. Originally built for the middle class, Shotgun houses quickly became associated with poverty in America.
No more than 12′ wide, the shotgun house was a quaint product designed to make the maximum use of space in cramped subdivisions. They were typically elevated several feet above the ground to compensate for frequent flooding, and were so narrow that hallways were unfeasible. They were almost all wood frame & wood shingle construction, and many of them had no windows on their sides.
Thousands of these homes have been renovated thanks to urban gentrification projects; Chip & Joanna Gaines did one in Waco!
Vague Specifics – January 2021
The 2021 market has started out exactly as analysts thought: spicy hot. We had the usual New Years hangover which lasted all of 10 days, and then we were back in action. I had the luck to pick up a couple of investment properties in Oak Cliff. One of them got 17 offers in less than 48 hours and will close so far above list price that I don’t see how it will be a viable investment. But hey, I will never be a man who objects to giving me more money that I’m expecting.
With every selling season and all its nuances, new truths emerge. We live in a rapidly escalating market, but buyers with very high expectations for their purchases. Now add to that incredibly low interest rates. What do you think this would mean and who would it best serve? I had a listing about a year ago. Great house. It was priced about $100,000 below the top-of-the-market, but needed about $80,000 in updates. It made sense to us that building in a little discount would entice buyers to make the investment. It was in a great north Dallas neighborhood, had an amazing backyard living space, and well over 3,000 sqft. It had been updated in the early 2000’s with travertine/granite/2000s colors (which were tired), and the master bathroom (massive as it was) was still very 70s. We put it on the market at $600,000 and got 5 showings in the first few days. After 4 months we had had a TOTAL of 10 showings and no offers.
“But John, you elegant yet knavish truth-sayer,” I hear you ask, “whatever is the point of this captivating story?” Well, dear reader, the answer is people are willing to pay a premium on low-interest borrowed money for a completely updated property. It makes sense considering the odds of them paying off a 30 or 15-year mortgage are rather low. The losers in this scenario are houses like my listing. I’m trying to get the owners to spend the necessary money to bring it up to expectations, but it’s an uphill battle. If only people would spend their money like I want them to, things would be so much easier.
DFW MLS Statistics – December 2020
Storing those Holiday Decorations?
Storing those holiday decorations There’s nothing fun about cleaning and organizing, but hastily storing Christmas decorations can make the next year’s decorating a full-fledged nightmare. Growing up, my mom used ancient, rolled up newspaper to wrap Christmas lights around, and it was always fun reading articles from the late 70’s as I rewound the lights.
Here are a few tips that may help this year:
1) Storing Christmas Wreaths – Any container you use must be able to preserve its shape and prevent warping.
2) Labeling Boxes – Mystery boxes can be fun to open, but when you’re looking for a specific light, bulb, or decorating item, it can b e extremely frustrating.
3) Wrapping Up Lights – Do away with the tangled mess of years-past by organizing your Christmas lights before packing. As I mentioned before, a rolled up newspaper does a great job. Make sure to dispose of any lights that may have been damaged or are not working properly.
4) Storing Christmas Candles – Wrap candles in old, preferably washed socks to prevent scratching. Place them in a box standing vertically, and make sure to pack them snugly with newspapers or bubble wrap to prevent them from breaking.
5) Take Pictures Beforehand – If you’re fond of your decorating scheme, make sure to photo document it before putting everything into storage. It’s amazing how quickly your memory can fade in 11 months!
6) Storing the Christmas Tree – Using the original box may seem like a practical idea, but over time and use the cardboard begins to deteriorate. There are many different kinds of boxes, specifically designed for Christmas trees, that you can buy once the original box starts to wear out.
Vague Specifics – November 2020
The election has come-and-gone, and the market didn’t miss a beat. We had a bit of quiet the first and second weeks of November, but nothing like it had been in previous years. Looking ahead, pending sales are up considerably from 2019, telling us that it will be a very busy November. December is normally among the quietest months in the year, but since when is anything in 2020 normal? It’s unlikely the market will scrape anywhere near the bottom that April and May were. After all, it’s really hard to sell real estate when you’re not able to leave your house.
It’s been a wild year thus far for property appreciation. Many ‘experts’ we worried the shutdown would lead to a collapse in prices, but it’s done the opposite. Bear in mind, average sales prices in DFW from October 2020 as compared to October 2019 were up 13%, but that doesn’t mean your property is suddenly worth 13% more. You have to figure in what area you live in (real estate is local) which varies wildly. MLS area 19 (my home town of Sunnyvale) is up an astonishing 43% (but again, if you live in Sunnyvale your home isn’t necessarily 43% more valuable than last year), while area 47 (Delta County) figured out how to drop 39%. My point being, ask me if you are curious what your neighborhood is doing.
By the time you’re reading this, we’re past Thanksgiving. In all honesty, it’s been a tough one. I’m blessed to have Kacie – in fact I don’t deserve her – but being without the rest of our families has been hard. I do hope you were able to spend yours with loved ones. When you’re younger you think there will never be an end to the number of holidays you’ll celebrate. As time goes on, you realize that’s just not the case. Everything is temporary.
MLS Statistics – November 2020