At Home With Valerie

When the cooler months roll around, pests look for reliable sources of warmth and food… that includes your house! Here are some practical tips for keeping them out. When the temperatures begin to dip, humans aren’t the only ones who appreciate the warmth and shelter of a cozy home. Insects, rodents, and other small mammals are also drawn to the comforts your house provides. Ever have a mouse die in a wall? It’s not the sort of smell that one appreciates during the holidays. No one wants an expensive electrical repair when a rat chews its way through wiring in the attic or basement, either. Do yourself a favor and protect yourself from pests this Fall and Winter. Here are some tips: Inspect the outside of your home for ways animals may sneak in. Often utility vents and areas under eaves have gaps which should be sealed or screened. Look for gaps around door and window frames, and caulk or repair those gaps. Tiny entry ways can lead to big problems. Examine trees around ...

You’re standing by your window admiring the view. Then you notice it. Moisture has built-up around the edges of the glass. Should you worry?  It all depends on the reason for the build up. Assuming you have traditional double-pane glass in your windows, there are a few things to look for if you notice moisture. Often, moisture at the bottom of the windows is simply caused by too much humidity in your indoor air. If that’s the case, simply adjust your humidifier. If the moisture is on the exterior of the window, typically there’s also no problem with the window itself. It may have rained recently or the outside humidity may have spiked causing the accumulation. Generally, there’s no reason for concern. However, if the moisture is in between the two panes of glass, the seal has broken and surrounding air – along with its water content – has made its way in. This disrupts the thermal barrier of the window, reducing its energy efficiency. In fact, the glass m...

When you’re about to sell your home, it may be disheartening to see so many other properties for sale in your neighborhood.  You may be thinking, “That’s a lot of competition! Will our property get noticed? Fortunately, there are many proven strategies for standing out in a sea of For Sale signs. First of all, keep in mind that many home purchasers come from the REALTOR’S personal network of buyers who want to move into your area. So, choosing the right REALTOR®   is crucial. Second, remember that when there are other properties for sale on your street, curb appeal becomes even more important. There are many simple things you can do to make your property look great to those driving around looking at homes. Make sure your property looks as picture perfect as possible. In a competitive market, it’s also more important than ever to highlight features of your home that are unique and enticing. If, for example, you have a large backyard deck and br...

Do you live in an area which offers free and easy composting? Here are some quick tips you can use to make composting easier and more effective. Do you compost? Composting is a great way to reduce the waste which goes into our landfills. More and more communities are providing curbside compost pick-up service.  Whether a part of regular trash and recycling, or provided by a private company, composting is no longer an affair where you have to turn a drum of scraps in your backyard or worry about pests. If you already compost privately, you know that composting is a spectacular way to turn your table scraps and other biodegradable waste into “black gold” for gardening! Below are some great composting “hacks” you can use to enhance your composting experience: 1. Use toilet paper in the kitchen. Have an oily pan? Don’t dump the oil in the trash or down the drain. Instead, keep toilet paper handy in the kitchen. Wipe the pan out with the toilet paper and place th...

Selling a home is an emotional experience with heavy financial repercussions attached. If you try and sell before you’re truly ready to move, you could find yourself in a stressful, costly situation which wastes a lot of time.  Here’s how to ask yourself if you’re really ready to sell. I love to sell homes. It’s a privilege and an honor to be a part of the process. I get great satisfaction from making my living helping people move on to the next phase of their life, whether it’s upsizing, downsizing, or simply relocating to a new neighborhood. But there is one sort of home seller I can’t really help: The seller who’s not really ready to sell. If you’re thinking about selling your home, don’t enter into the process lightly. It’s a big deal. There’s some stress and there’s a great opportunity for joy. There’s a big investment at stake. This, along with a lot of other reasons large and small, is why you want to be 100% sure you’re ready to sell your home. If you th...