Wednesday, November 16, 2011

The Complete Curb Appeal Checklist When Staging Your Home for Sale

!: The Complete Curb Appeal Checklist When Staging Your Home for Sale

As they say, a first impression is a lasting one.  If your home doesn't look good from the outside, buyers are going to believe it doesn't look good on the inside either, so they'll just drive away, or not click on your online listing to see the interior photos. 

Also, if your home looks beautiful, loved and taken care of on the outside it speaks volumes for what the buyer perceives the inside looks like.  It also says to the buyer "I am the type of homeowner that takes care of EVERYTHING - the roof, the furnace, repairs, etc." 

Lastly, with outdoor space, even if it's just a terrace in a condo or high-rise city building, buyers are buying EXTRA SQUARE FOOTAGE, so the outside space should receive the same care and even staging that is done on the inside of the house. 

The first thing to do is to clear away the "clutter". 

Next, clean. 

Next, make needed repairs.

Then, do some easy, but impactful "wow" factor transformations. 

Here is a checklist to get your home's exterior space in show-ready condition: 

Step 1: Clearing the "Clutter"

Keep grass mowed and edges trimmed regularly (weekly) Remove and replace any dead or dying shrubs Consider removing or trimming any excess large trees or shrubs, especially those blocking the windows Prune hedges and plants Remove plant debris Rake the lawn and walkways Weed yard and garden Shovel snow and de-ice walkways Remove and store garden equipment, kids' toys, pool rafts, empty clay pots, and any other extraneous items Hide trash cans out of view Keep driveway clear of extra cars (park down the street) during showings Remove excess clutter from and neaten up shed and garage Wrap up your hose or hide it altogether in a hose storage pot or wheel Remove excess furnishings from front porches, decks and patios to create spaciousness Take down or move umbrellas if they block any kind of view If it is safe, take down the portable child fence around the pool Remove "Beware of Dog" signs Neatly stack the firewood

Step 2: Cleaning

Remove mildew and cobwebs from eaves and lighting fixtures Power wash any mildew off (or at least hose it down) house, roof, patio/deck, outdoor shower, cement, furniture, awnings, umbrellas, walkway, front door area and driveway Clean windows, front door glass and sliding glass doors inside and out Clean light fixtures Clean exterior and interior of BBQ Sweep and wash garage floor Sweep shed floor What you can't stow away when you're decluttering, at least clean and place it to the side Clean out gutters Though not visible, clean chimney (safety reasons) Clean grease spills on driveway and garage floor Clean pool, hot tub, ponds and other water features Wipe down or hose your curbside mailbox 

Step 3: Repairs

Fertilize grass Water grass more Add grass or sod to bare spots Paint exterior Paint trim Paint or stain fence Paint, or oil and seal the deck Repair or replace windows, screens and shutters Repair or repaint front door Replace mailbox and house numbers Replace welcome mat Polish door fixtures, numbers, mailbox, light fixtures Remove unattractive storm doors, especially those hiding a beautiful front door Remove unattractive awnings Replace furniture Repair or replace torn awnings and umbrellas (or remove totally) Repair or replace worn or missing side or roof shingles Replace burned out bulbs Align downspouts with gutters Repair cracks in foundation, sidewalks, etc. Repair or replace broken deck planks/slats Repair broken fences Repair any doors to garage, shed, outdoor shower, pool house, pool equipment storage, etc. Repair hose faucets, sprinkler systems, pool/hot tub filters and pumps Repair or replace any other broken or worn items

Step 4: Make "Wow" Factor Transformations

Paint the front door a contrasting color to the house such as red, maroon, black, etc.  This is one place where it's OK to use a bright color when selling your home. Paint the garage door   Update mailbox, house numbers and driveway and front door lighting fixtures If you have a large front door area, consider adding a bench, chairs, small table  Add/replace doormat Update lighting fixtures on walkways, pool area, patios, decks  Consider adding walk up lights (solar are inexpensive)  Update the planters to match the style of the house Add huge pots of color with flowers (in every season if possible) to at least the front steps, if not also the patio/deck.  Consider hanging flower pots around the front porch and deck/patio Plant flowers in the front and back yards - flowers do wonders!  Add mulch to the flower and shrub beds to provide contrast and a neat look  Flowers and/or mulch can also be used to cover any bare areas in your planters or under trees for a clean, manicured look  Consider adding shutters or window flower boxes to accent windows Add a fountain to backyard Add a table and chair set to backyard patio and decks Create an outdoor entertainment room by adding pillows to chairs or setting the table with a stack of plates, wine glasses and bottle of wine Replace worn and outdated outdoor furniture, as well as furniture that doesn't match the price point of the home

Do you know of any other things homeowners can do to enhance their curb appeal?

© Copyright 2010 Designed to Appeal, LLC.  All Rights Reserved.


The Complete Curb Appeal Checklist When Staging Your Home for Sale

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Thursday, November 10, 2011

Pump, Metering Pump System, Including solar panels, inverters, batteries, and a manual control feed

!: Shop Pump, Metering Pump System, Including solar panels, inverters, batteries, and a manual control feed compare

Brand : COLE-PARMER | Rate : | Price :
Post Date : Nov 10, 2011 10:48:17 | Usually ships in 1-3 weeks


Manual control pumps feature an analog speed control-adjustable from 15 to 300 strokes per minute. Simple design allows for basic flow injection of chemicals into boiler and cooling tower, drinking water disinfection, and landscape irrigation applications. NOTE: Due to regulations, the battery cannot ship with this solar / pump kit. A locally sourced marine battery with a external cover would be an ideal purchase to complete the field install.

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Thursday, November 3, 2011

Solar Water Pumping - Enormous Cost Savings

!: Solar Water Pumping - Enormous Cost Savings

The recent dramatic increases in the price of oil have hit almost everyone. Gas and diesel are vastly more expensive, and that in turn causes the price of electricity to rise as well. With oil being a finite, non-renewable resource, increased use of renewable forms of energy such as wind, geothermal, hydro and solar is once again a hot topic. I say "once again" because we were there in the 1970s but didn't learn our lesson. As soon as oil prices came down, so did our resolve to use and pursue more sustainable energy sources. No one argues the benefits of solar power, but putting it to use generally required complicated connections to the utility grid. That's becoming more common, but there's another way to use solar that makes a whole lot of sense, and that is solar water pumping.

Let's think about this for a moment. The huge advantage of solar power is that it is free and inexhaustible. The disadvantage is that it's only available when the sun shines. Theoretically you could use solar power to charge giant batteries so that electric energy would be available whenever you need it, but that is not practical. But how about putting solar to use in areas where it doesn't matter when the work gets done, just that it does get done? Pumping water is one such area. Once water is pumped from one place to another, it's available for use. It generally doesn't matter when it is pumped.

Solar water pumping is becoming quite interesting to farmers who are facing increasing costs running diesel pumps to provide livestock with water as well as water for irrigation. On top of the cost savings from not having to run diesel pumps or extend the grid, bringing water to cattle instead of bringing cattle to the water offers substantial watershed and riparian zone management benefits (cleaner water, reduced erosion, etc.). And portable solar water pumps facilitate rotational grazing and temporary pasture.

Solar force is also an attractive option to bring water to remote homes, cabins or campgrounds. It even makes sense to employ solar drip irrigation and pumping for gardens and homes. The technology to do all that has been around for decades. It's mature and efficient, and there are a number of government programs and utility incentives to use it. There is an initial investment, of course, but given the increasingly unpredictable cost of non-renewable energy that's no longer the obstacle it once was. And the more expensive energy gets, the quicker solar water pumps pay for themselves.

A number of well established and highly reputable companies like Grundfos SQF, SunCentric, Solaram and Solar Force offer a variety of pumps (submersible, surface, solar slowpump, etc.), pump controllers and, of course, solar panels. A complete solar pumping system requires meticulous planning, proper sizing and expert installation, but the resulting benefits are well worth it.

The bad news is that our current problems with oil will likely not go away. The good news is that we have a number of alternatives, and solar energy is one of them. Solar water pumping makes a lot of sense and it is fairly easy to implement.


Solar Water Pumping - Enormous Cost Savings

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