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Spring-Ready Roofs: Essential Maintenance Tips for a Trouble-Free Season

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Winter is finally finishing up, and spring is almost here!

As the weather warms up, it's time to start thinking about your home's maintenance needs. One area that homeowners often overlook is their roof. Your roof plays a critical role in protecting your home from the elements, and it's important to ensure that it's in good condition before the season changes. In this blog post, we'll share some essential maintenance tips to help you get your roof ready for spring and avoid any potential problems down the line.

Inspect Your Roof
Before you start any maintenance work on your roof, it's crucial to inspect it thoroughly. Look for signs of damage, such as cracked or missing tiles, shingles or flashing, or any visible holes or leaks. Check for debris buildup, such as leaves or branches that may have accumulated during winter storms. If you notice any problems, be sure to address them promptly by calling a professional roofing company.

Clean Your Gutters
Cleaning your gutters is an essential part of roof maintenance. Gutters are designed to carry rainwater away from your home and prevent water damage to the foundation and walls. Clogged gutters can cause water backup, leading to leaks or even structural damage if left unchecked for too long. Be sure to clean out any debris from your gutters at least twice a year - once in the fall and again in the spring.

Trim Overhanging Branches
Overhanging tree branches can pose a significant risk to your roof during heavy winds or storms. They can also contribute to debris buildup in your gutters. Trim back any branches that are close enough to touch your roof regularly so that they don't cause damage.

Repair Flashing
Flashing is the material used around chimneys, skylights, vents, and other roof penetrations to prevent water from seeping through. Over time, flashing can become damaged or corroded, leading to leaks. Inspect your flashing for any signs of wear and tear and replace it if necessary.

Schedule a Professional Inspection
While it's essential to inspect your roof yourself regularly, a professional inspection is still recommended at least once every two years. Roofing professionals have the expertise and equipment necessary to identify potential problems that may not be visible to the untrained eye. They can help you address any issues before they turn into more significant problems down the line.

A well-maintained roof is critical in protecting your home from the elements and ensuring its longevity. By following these essential maintenance tips, you can prepare your roof for spring and avoid any potential problems down the line. Remember to inspect your roof regularly, clean out your gutters, trim overhanging branches, repair flashing, and schedule a professional inspection every few years. With these simple steps, you can enjoy a trouble-free season with peace of mind, knowing that your home is well-protected.

Read more at Rismedia.com

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It’s Time To Prepare Your House for a Spring Listing

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If you’re thinking of selling your house this spring, now is the perfect time to start getting it ready.

With the market gearing up for its busiest time of year, it’ll be important to make sure your house shines bright among the competition.

Here are some valuable tips you can use to get your house market-ready.

Declutter and Organize

First impressions matter, and if your house is a mess, that can easily turn off potential buyers. Before listing, take the time to declutter and organize each room. Decluttering is about more than just tidying up – it’s about creating a sense of space and openness that allows potential buyers to envision themselves living in your home. According to Moving.com:

“Decluttering and organizing your space will go a long way in appealing to potential buyers. . . .decluttering will help the buyers see themselves living in your home. Less clutter inside a home also helps a place appear larger and cleaner, which should attract more buyers.”

Deep Clean Your Kitchen and Bathrooms

The kitchen and bathrooms are focal points for many buyers, and often influence their overall opinion of the house. Ensure these spaces dazzle by giving them a thorough deep cleaning. Pay attention to details like scrubbing grout lines, polishing fixtures, and decluttering countertops. A sparkling kitchen and bathroom can leave a lasting positive impression on potential buyers.

Maintain Your Yard

Your home’s exterior is the first thing potential buyers see, so it’s important to make a good impression from the moment they arrive. A well-maintained yard not only enhances curb appeal, but also shows buyers the home has been well taken care of.

Take the time to spruce up your yard by mowing the lawn, trimming bushes, and clearing away any debris or dead plants. Remember, the goal is to create a welcoming environment that entices buyers to step inside and imagine themselves living there. U.S. News says:

“A beautifully landscaped front yard can elevate an ordinary house into a charming home and will help homes sell faster and for more money.”

Find a Listing Agent

A skilled listing agent is your partner in minimizing stress when selling your home. Lean on your agent for advice on decluttering, staging, and enhancing your home’s appeal to potential buyers. Their insights into market trends and recommendations for reliable contractors and stagers are invaluable. As Realtor.com says:

“A good listing agent will help you price your home . . . recommend a photographer and stager to make it look its best, and put your home on the multiple listing service.”

Bottom Line

By decluttering, deep cleaning, and tidying up your house, you can create a welcoming environment that resonates with buyers and increases your chances of a successful sale. Connect with a trusted real estate agent for advice on what you need to do to get your house ready to sell this spring.

Read more at KeepingCurrentMatters.com

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As Featured in West + Main Home Magazine: Nest Out West

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@Nest.Out.West influencer Cait Pappas

“Having established somewhat of an Instagram presence in the DIY and Interior Decorating niche in our first home, we knew that moving to this house meant fully renovating and customizing the interior, and documenting every step along the way to share with our loyal followers.”
— Cait

West + Main Home: Cait, thank you so much for letting us feature your beautiful home in this issue of West + Main Home! Tell us…what inspired your project?

Cait: I'm super frugal, so Jason and I learned early on to DIY projects that we didn't want to pay someone else to do for us. That frugality also meant not wanting to pay top-dollar for a turn-key home that might not have the finishes I would've chosen. We looked for something that hadn't been updated in at least a decade so we could save on the purchase of the home and not feel bad about pulling out dated (and sometimes damaged) finishes.

I design and renovate for clients, and the first two questions I always ask in order to figure out someone's style are 1) Can you describe your go-to wardrobe staples to me and why you love them? and 2) Can you send me your Pinterest boards? (I like to analyze them to see if I can spot recurring themes or materials that I can work into the client's new design.) 

To figure out the style and finishes for our home's renovation (a nearly five-year-long ongoing project!), we took a long, hard look at our own wardrobe and realized that we are both into warm neutrals, earthy greens, caramel-toned leather, and brass accents. A casual pullover or pair of jeans in bold black was something we both frequently pulled out to wear, too. My Pinterest boards (Jason's not into Pinterest) contained recurring images of minimalist spaces with white-oak-clad walls and floors, marble stone accents with warm veining, creamy whites, statement light fixtures, and earth-toned furniture and rugs. It makes sense, then, that our home has a very neutral palette with some form of a black accent piece in each space, brass or wood light fixtures, and marble countertops and tile accents.

We wanted to make our home fit OUR style, while incorporating some of the design trends that we both loved and would be happy to live with for years to come. Our children (ages two and four) needed to be able to live freely here, too, especially with two years of being cooped-up during the pandemic. Nothing we chose for our home is too precious for sticky fingers and little toes, and they have space to run around and be kids from front to back across the main level (our home is a ranch) and throughout the basement.

W+M: Do you mind sharing a ballpark idea of how you have invested in your home?

Cait: I couldn't put a number on it if I tried! TIME. We invested many weeknights after putting the kids to bed, and more weekends spent working on projects than not working on projects. I am privileged that in my line of work, between my photography style and my social media reach, brands are happy to sponsor products for our projects so that I can help spread the word about them on my blog, Pinterest, and Instagram accounts. With that being said, sponsored designer wallpaper still comes at a cost, as we're either giving up a weekend skim-coating our knock-down-textured walls, priming them, and then installing the wallpaper ourselves, or we're spending a few hundred to around $1K to hire someone to do it if we can't make time before the content is due to be shared on social media. 

Had it not been for sponsored products and a team of loyal friends and family helping us DIY the install, our kitchen renovation would have cost us roughly $50K in labor and $100K in materials. My parents always said, "You have to make your own luck," and I do feel that our dedication to saving money by doing most of our projects ourselves and making sacrifices (like choosing to work when we really wanted to be meeting people for dinner or heading up to the mountains, or putting myself out there on social media despite my introvertedness and hesitancy to open up my personal life to criticism by complete strangers) helped us bring a significant amount of equity to the value of our home.

W+M: Spill the tea…what are some of your fave resources?

Cait: My go-to for all things kitchen and bath is Signature Hardware. They're a one-stop shop for me, since their products are all great quality, they carry a vast selection, I don't have to worry about varying tones from finish to finish, and their products align with my taste. I also love shopping around for light fixtures, and will tell you that some of my favorite fixtures came from Wayfair, Serena and Lily, Signature Hardware, and Hudson Valley Lighting Group. For bedding, I had the opportunity to sample some sheets from Cozy Earth with no strings attached, but they've since become the only bedding company I can bring myself to tell people about now. They are buttery-soft, come in a variety of neutral (warm and cool) colors, wash well, are breathable/keep you cool, and while they are pricey, I have a discount code (NESTOUTWEST), so my followers can take 40% off—they are worth every penny!

Our home smells like my favorite candles from local maker The Sunday Candle (available at retailers across CO and the US, including Lottie Lane in Erie). There are too many great scents to ask me to choose a favorite, but I will say "Sunday" and "Alpine Haus" are up-there for me! Another scent you'll smell upon walking into our home is McGee & Co's "Palo Santo & Oakmoss" candle. I wait for it to go on sale and buy two whenever it does.

W+M: Did your home turn out the way you hoped/planned and was the final result what you had originally intended?

Cait: Overall, our home is exactly our style. It's warm, inviting, cozy, peaceful, and fit for a growing family. Jason and I are proud of all of our hard work, and we love hosting family and friends, as well as raising our little ones, here. There are small things here or there that really only bother us (other people have said even when pointing these things out, they hardly notice or are bugged by them), but the little scratches and blemishes are what make a house a home after all. There's a story behind every imperfection, and we'd welcome the opportunity to laugh over a cup of coffee with anyone who feels the need to point them out. In the end, we've customized every square inch of this home and turned it into a true haven for our family, and we're really proud of that.

W+M: What do you love most about it/what's your favorite thing?

Cait: I could sit here and tell you all of my favorite elements that went into customizing our home, but at the risk of sounding cheesy, I will honestly say that my favorite part is that creating this home took so much heart, patience, and teamwork. Am I obsessed with our kitchen renovation? Bathroom renovation? Mudroom expansion? What we've done with the small, but well-appointed yard space? The imagination that went into making the basement both fun and cozy? Yes—all of the above. More than that, though, I'm proud of my husband for coming home from his 9-5 job and turning descriptions from my mind and paper-towel sketches into beautiful spaces where our family finds and creates joy. We moved here with a ten-week-old baby in early 2019, not having any idea how hard it would be to demo and rebuild spaces while living in them, while taking turns finding rest, feeding the baby, holding the baby, entertaining the baby, taking the baby places to escape the noise and dust, painting during his one-hour naps, and so on. I look back on those long days, and while they were a blur, I remember them being hard. Knowing that we powered through them to create a home we love is something Jason and I are both incredibly grateful for.

 

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Strategic Tips for Buying Your First Home

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Buying your first home is a big, exciting step and a major milestone that has the power to improve your life.

As a first-time homebuyer, it’s a dream you can make come true, but there are some hurdles you’ll need to overcome in today’s housing market – specifically the limited supply of homes for sale and ongoing affordability challenges.

So, if you’re ready, willing, and able to buy your first home, here are three tips to help you turn your dream into a reality.

Save Money with First-Time Homebuyer Programs                                       

Paying the initial costs of homeownership, like your down payment and closing costs, can feel a bit daunting. But there are many assistance programs for first-time homebuyers that can help you get a loan with little or no money upfront. According to Bankrate:

“. . . you might qualify for a first-time homebuyer loan or assistance. First-time buyer loans typically have more flexible requirements, such as a lower down payment and credit score. Many help buyers with closing costs and the down payment through grants and low-interest loans.”

To find out more, talk to your state’s housing authority or check out websites like Down Payment Resource.

Expand Your Options by Looking at Condos and Townhomes

Right now, there aren’t enough homes for sale for everyone who wants to buy one. That’s pushing home prices up and making affordability tight for buyers. One way to deal with that issue and find a home right now is to consider condos and townhomes. Realtor.com explains:

“For many newbies, it might just be a matter of making a shift toward something they can better afford—like a condo or townhome. These lower-cost homes have historically been a stepping stone for buyers looking for a less expensive alternative to a single-family home.”

One reason why they may be more affordable is because they’re often smaller. But they still give you the chance to get your foot in the door and achieve your goal of owning a home and building equity. And that equity can help fuel your move into a larger home later on if you decide you need something bigger in the future. Hannah Jones, Senior Economic Analyst at Realtor.com, says:

“Condos can help prospective homebuyers who perhaps have a smaller budget, but who are really determined to get a foothold in the market and start to accumulate some equity. It can be a really great entry point.”

Consider Pooling Your Resources To Buy a Multi-Generational Home

Another way to break into the market is by purchasing a home with friends or loved ones. That way you can split the cost of things like the mortgage and bills, to make it easier to afford a home. According to Money.com:

“Buying a home with another person has some obvious advantages in the mortgage department. With two incomes in the mix, buyers can likely qualify for a larger mortgage — a big help in today’s high-cost market.”

Bottom Line

By exploring first-time homebuyer assistance, condos, townhomes, and multi-generational living, it can be easier to find and buy your first home. When you’re ready, connect with a local real estate agent.

Read more at KeepingCurrentMatters.com

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If there is a home that you would like more information about, if you are considering selling a property, or if you have questions about the housing market in your neighborhood, please reach out. We’re here to help.

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Some Experts Say Mortgage Rates May Fall Below 6% Later This Year

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There’s a lot of confusion in the market about what’s happening with day-to-day movement in mortgage rates right now, but here’s what you really need to know: compared to the near 8% peak last fall, mortgage rates have trended down overall.

And if you’re looking to buy or sell a home, this is a big deal. While they’re going to continue to bounce around a bit based on various economic drivers (like inflation and reactions to the consumer price index, or CPI), don’t let the short-term volatility distract you. The experts agree the overarching downward trend should continue this year.

While we won’t see the record-low rates homebuyers got during the pandemic, some experts think we should see rates dip below 6% later this year. As Dean Baker, Senior Economist, Center for Economic Research, says:

“They will almost certainly not fall to pandemic lows, although we may soon see rates under 6.0 percent, which would be low by pre-Great Recession standards.”

And Baker isn’t the only one saying this is a possibility. The latest Fannie Mae projections also indicate we may see a rate below 6% by the end of this year (see the green box in the chart below):

 
 

The chart shows mortgage rate projections for 2024 from Fannie Mae. It includes the one that came out in December, and compares it to the updated 2024 forecast they released just one month later. And if you look closely, you’ll notice the projections are on the way down.

It’s normal for experts to re-forecast as they watch current market trends and the broader economy, but what this shows is experts are feeling confident rates should continue to decline, if inflation cools.

What This Means for You

But remember, no one can say for sure what will happen (and by when) – and short-term volatility is to be expected. So, don’t let small fluctuations scare you. Focus on the bigger picture.

If you’ve found a home you love in today’s market – especially where finding a home that meets your budget and your needs can be a challenge – it’s probably not a good idea to try to time the market and wait until rates drop below 6%.

With rates already lower than they were last fall, you have an opportunity in front of you right now. That’s because even a small quarter point dip in rates gives your purchasing power a boost.

Bottom Line

If you wanted to move last year but were holding off hoping rates would fall, now may be the time to act. Connect with a real estate agent to get the ball rolling. 

Read more at KeepingCurrentMatters.com

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If there is a home that you would like more information about, if you are considering selling a property, or if you have questions about the housing market in your neighborhood, please reach out. We’re here to help.

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