The last vestiges of summer have faded away, the leaves are turning into a brilliant array of color and the temperatures are dropping. All this glorious change means the holidays are coming, but it also means it’s time, once again, to look over your Woodbridge home.

With temperatures dropping and leaves falling, there are plenty of things to add to your “to do” list. Just in case your list is empty, here are a few “to do’s” to get you started on your fall Woodbridge home care:

Sealing Your Driveway – If you have a blacktop driveway, you probably already know it isn’t going to be smooth forever. The asphalt cracks, the color fades and the asphalt sags to create potholes. As winter rolls around and snow begins to fall, you’ll probably be putting down salt, which will further break down your driveway. Sealing it now, either by hiring a company to do it or sealing it yourself, can help keep your driveway smooth and beautiful.

Winterizing Your Sprinklers – Sprinkler systems do wonders in keeping your lawn green. However, leaving water in the system over the winter can cause a big, expensive mess, especially if the pipes aren’t buried below frost level. If you don’t feel comfortable winterizing the sprinkler system yourself, you can hire a professional for a very reasonable fee to make sure it’s done correctly.

Cleaning Gutters and Roofs – Everybody knows that fall brings leaves that fill your gutters and cover your roof. If you haven’t been on the roof of your house lately, now’s the time to do it. You want to make sure all the debris is gone before the snow hits, so the strength of your roof isn’t tested further. For that matter, now is a great time to install gutter guards; you’ll never have to clean your gutters again!

Preparing your Woodbridge home for the winter can be a tedious process, but the money you’ll save with proper maintenance will put a smile on your face.

If you’re looking for a home to call your own, I can help. Call me at 703-403-0536 or email me at patrick@patrickduffyrealtor.com for more information.

Links:

Sealing it yourself - http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=howTo&p=LawnGarden/SealDvWay.html#term

Winterizing the sprinkler system - http://www.housekeepingchannel.com/a_603-Tips_for_Winterizing_Your_Sprinkler_System

Gutter guards -http://www.askthebuilder.com/Gutter_Guard_Test_Results.shtml

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If you’ve ever bought or sold a home, you’ve probably heard the term “curb appeal” more times than you care to count from your real estate agent. Well, it’s time to hear it again, but maybe in a way you hadn’t considered.

With curb appeal, you might think of cutting your lawn, trimming bushes and getting rid of weeds.  Have you considered that creating a beautiful landscape for your home can add resale value?  Here are some tips on how to do just that:

Planting Frenzy
A beautiful landscape adds increasing value over time. That doesn’t mean you go on a planting frenzy, however. As a landscaping do-it-yourselfer, you don’t want buy a whole bunch of plants and throw them in the ground. You need to purchase the type of plants that will give your home the best resale value.  The types of plants that add more resale value to Woodbridge homes are trees and long-living flowering shrubs. Others, such as perennials, add less resale value, and still others, like vegetable gardens that need to be replaced yearly, add the least amount of value to a home.

Steps to Take
By following these steps in order, you have a much better chance of getting the best resale value out of your landscaping work:

1. Talk to the experts
Local nurseries, gardeners and professional landscapers can help you with what to plant, how to plant and where to find them.

2. Check grading and drainage
Bad drainage can ruin a lot of landscaping work, as can a poorly graded lawn. Pay attention during a heavy rain and make sure there is no erosion in your planned area, and no standing water. Both conditions can make a mess of landscaping.

3. Remove local plant pests
Local plant pests include such things as eucalyptus, scotch broom, pampas grass and certain types of ivy. These plants can quickly overgrow your garden, lowering your property value. If you have any plant pests, check online or with professionals to find out how to remove them.

4. Design
As any good landscaper knows, always start out by drawing out a landscape design on graph paper. Pay attention to the spacing needed for each plant, as well as such things as when the flowers will bloom and what the colors will look like together.

5. Prepare the soil
Not every yard has soil that’s perfect for planting. Make sure you have a good soil mix and make sure the plants you use match the PH of the soil.

6. Start planting!
Woodbridge homes with beautiful landscapes have a much better chance of selling, and selling well. Turn your thumb green and get to work on your home’s curb appeal.

If you’re thinking of selling your home, with or without a beautiful landscape, I can help.  Call me at 703-403-0536 or email me at patrick@usrlty.com for more information.

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Cash in your pocket and equity in your home?  If you’ve been thinking about making changes to your house but thought you couldn’t afford a remodel, it’s time to rethink the possibilities.  The payback on renovations in cost versus higher home value, should you decide to sell your house later, can be better than you thought.

Reason #1: Lower bids from the contractors.  The home renovation business is falling with the current housing market, leading to lower bids for the homeowner’s remodeling project.  In addition, most contractors are willing to negotiate with you for a better price, leaving you with a beautiful remodel for an excellent price.

Reason #2: Higher number of contractors to choose from.  Although homeowners are still making repairs and working on their houses, the number of bigger additions and fancy remodels is going down.  More contractors are competing against each other for your project.

Reason #3: Lower financing costs.  If you have good credit and a steady economic foundation, you can get lower financing costs.  This, in turn, makes the project that much more affordable.

Reason #4: Lower cost of materials.  Because the number of major remodels is dropping, the demand for materials (and thus the cost) is also dropping.

Reason #5: Less waiting time for a top-rated remodeling contractor.  With a lower number of people wanting to remodel their home, even top-rated professionals have a shorter waiting list.

Reason #6: Better service.  With more competition, contractors are definitely giving “service with a smile.”  Calls are being returned faster; jobs are starting on time (or before!).

If you looked into remodeling your home more than a year ago, now is definitely the time to do something about it.  However, even in this sweet time for remodeling, be aware of shady companies and shoddy work.  Do your research before accepting any contractor.

Want more tips like this?  Stay tuned to my blog!

Links:

1.  Payback on renovations

http://cgi.money.cnn.com/tools/renovation/renovation.html

2.  home renovation

http://homerenovations.about.com/

3.  Top-rated remodeling contractor:  if you have a contractor to recommend link to that page on your site or to their website, otherwise, link to:

http://www.bestcontractors.com/

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