It’s cold out, and you’re still in holiday mode, but cleaning up all the holiday decorations is a must! Otherwise you might end up with lights til February – or worse, March (yikes!)
Aside from packing up all the holiday decor, here are a few maintenance items to kick off the new year. Check them out!
Start by taking down the tree. Remove all the lights and ornaments carefully and lay them down for sorting. Pro tip: carefully wrap the lights around a piece of cardboard to keep them from getting tangled. Take down any remaining lights and hanging decorations in other rooms/outside, and make sure to clean all the ornaments before wrapping them up. This can help prevent damage in storage.
As you sort through everything, decide what you want to keep, donate, or throw away. Lastly, label and organize! Make sure to label your storage boxes and organize them in a way that makes sense to you. You’ll thank yourself later!
If you hosted parties over the holidays, or had people stay in your guest room, then clean up officially starts today!
Strip the beds – remove pillowcases, sheets, and blankets and have them washed. Additionally, vacuum the floors and wipe the surfaces making sure to get door knobs, switches, and remote controls.
Onto the kitchen! Wipe down tables and countertops with disinfectant wipes, making sure to get the corners that might have been overlooked during the busy rush of the holidays. Mop and/or vacuum the floor to remove crumbs or spills. Finally, take the time to deep clean your oven and microwave to remove and leftover gunk from all the holiday cooking.
Living in New England means living through snowstorms and arctic blasts. That said, as responsible homeowners, we have to watch out for snow and ice, how it might cause damage, and more importantly, how to prevent them.
Watch out for icicles forming along the edge of your roof dor they might create ice dams. Ice dams often collect melted snow which can leak into your home and damage walls, ceilings, and insulation. Get a roof rake and nylon stockings stuffed with icemelt to remove the ice dam, or call a contractor to professionally take care of it.
Another thing to watch out for during the winter is freezing pipes! Frozen pipes can burst which ultimately leads to costly repairs.
Here are a few tips to avoid frozen pipes:
If you’re thinking about renovating or making major repairs in your home, then the beginning of the year is the best time to start planning!
Make a list of possible projects you wanted done once the warmer weather settles in this spring. Then start looking up builders and contractors that can help you with your project. If you’re doing it DIY, then you can start researching how to DIY it, and assemble a board for the things that you would want to do. But most importantly, get your budget ready! There are plenty of resources online that can help you estimate how much your home project could be, or better yet, call contractors and canvass early.
One of the baffling things about pricing real estate is that each house is actually completely unique. There can never be an exact lot. But in my experience, people overestimate the impact of condition on pricing by multiples.
Buying a house can be an exciting and significant investment. Understanding interest rates is an essential aspect of the home-buying process. In the context of Boston real estate, here’s some information about interest rates and how they work.
One of the most effective strategies to make sure your home sells for top price is to stage it for sale. Our services are an investment that will increase the number of possible buyers for your house, and speed up the selling process.
Book an appointment with us. Reach out now for more info! Call or text Stephanie at (617) 765-9641
Book an appointment with us. Reach out now for more info! Call or text Stephanie at (617) 765-9641
The Beacon Group is a client-driven real estate team working in Greater Boston to help clients buy, sell, and invest in real estate. We provide straightforward, analytical advice, empowering clients to make successful and informed decisions. We provide our buying clients with constructive insights, allowing them to identify the right property and enabling them to make purchase decisions with confidence. Our recommendations to both buyers and sellers are specifically crafted to meet clients’ short and long-term housing and financial goals.
The Beacon Group is a client-driven real estate team working in Greater Boston to help clients buy, sell, and invest in real estate. We provide straightforward, analytical advice, empowering clients to make successful and informed decisions. We provide our buying clients with constructive insights, allowing them to identify the right property and enabling them to make purchase decisions with confidence. Our recommendations to both buyers and sellers are specifically crafted to meet clients’ short and long-term housing and financial goals.
Greater Boston Sales
Stephanie Ford
(617) 765-9641
1261 Centre St, Newton 02459
1000 Mass Ave, Cambridge 02138
