Lee Morof's Real Estate Blog

Preventive maintenance is crucial to the value and upkeep of your home.  Keeping your Southeast Michigan real estate in great shape with regular check-ups will save you the headache and cost of emergency repairs.

Here are six items to add to your outdoor spring maintenance checklist:

1. Clean the Gutters:  Gutters work best when clean and free of gunk.  Check yours for foliage, tree limbs, etc., especially if trees hang over the roof.
2. Make sure the downspouts are clean:  They should point at least two feet away from foundation walls.
3. Check exterior paint: Look for chipped, cracked paint.  Scrape off any failing paint, sand it down, prime the surface, and paint it with a high-quality, low-VOC exterior paint.
4. Brighten your Southeast Michigan real estate with a good power washing: Rent a power washer or borrow your neighbor’s. This should always be one of the first things you do after winter to brighten and freshen the exterior of your home.
5. Trim overgrown trees and hedges: Trim away from the home to discourage growth of mildew and moisture.  Don’t forget to trim along your property line to make it appealing to potential buyers.
6. Rake up all the downed leaves: Leaves will suffocate your grass and stop it from growing.  Pull up weeds and dead flowers and replace with low-maintenance varieties such as pansies, begonias or mums.
7. Inspect trees for broken branches: If the limb is high up, hire a licensed arborist. If you can reach it from the ground, take it down using the three-cut pruning technique, which prevents bark from tearing and creating an open wound on the trunk. If you had heavy snowfall this winter, look for bending branches and check to make sure they produce leaves this spring.
8. Repair cracked pavement: Before weeds have a chance to take hold, repair cracks in your asphalt driveway and concrete walkways. On surfaces that have ruptured from the effects of frost heaving, hire a professional to pour or pave a new surface.

If you’re thinking of selling your Southeast Michigan real estate, I’d be happy to do a walk through at no cost to help you identify repairs or maintenance that will help your home sell faster and for more money.  Call me at 248-514-2640 or email me at info@NorthWoodwardHomes.com to schedule an appointment.

Lee Morof
Associate Broker/Certified Distressed Property Expert/Attorney
RE/MAX Showcase Homes, Birmingham, Michigan
Call:  248-514-2640
www.NorthWoodwardHomes.com

Setting your clocks forward means it’s time for a seasonal safety check!  On Sunday, March 11, Daylight Savings Time will be upon us.

As you circle your North Woodward home in Southeast Michigan, setting clocks ahead, make sure to do this short safety checklist.

• Change the batteries: Batteries in smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors need to be replaced. Also check batteries in thermostats, phone accessories and portable electronics. Don’t throw those batteries away! Old but still working batteries can be used in children’s toys, electronic devices and remote controls.
• Buy new alarms: Replace any smoke alarms older than ten years; replace any carbon monoxide alarms older than five years. Sensors in these units degrade and lose their effectiveness over time.
• Replace light bulbs: While you have the stepstools and stepladders out to reach the smoke detectors, check for light bulbs that are out.
• Find the flashlights and replace their batteries: Having the flashlights where you need them is the first step to being able to use them.  Change their batteries to make sure they work when you need them!
• Check first-aid kits: With spring and summer coming, bumps, scrapes and stings will be on the rise.  Check your first-aid kit and replace any missing supplies.  Don’t forget your car’s first aid kit – buy one or replace any missing items.
• Check and discard expired medications: Expired medications can cause medical problems due to change through aging.
• Clean the dryer vent: Check and clean the dryer vent for buildup that can become a fire or carbon-monoxide hazard.
• Reset timers on outdoor lights: Avoid wasting electricity by resetting timers on outdoor lights so they’re not on during daylight hours.
• Replace the water filter in your refrigerator: Isn’t it hard to remember to do this? Why not make it another time-change activity. Follow manufacturer’s instructions for replacing the water filter.

Remember to discard used batteries and expired medications properly.  Call me at 248-514-2640 or email me at info@NorthWoodwardHomes.com with questions on your Southeast Michigan, North Woodward home’s safety.

Lee Morof
Associate Broker/Certified Distressed Property Expert/Attorney
RE/MAX Showcase Homes, Birmingham, Michigan
Call:  248-514-2640
www.NorthWoodwardHomes.com

So you’ve invited some friends over to show off your Southeast Michigan real estate in Oakland County, and all is going well. The weather is good, the food is delicious, everybody is having a great time and—oh no! Somebody finds a tick!

Unfortunately, ticks are an ugly reality just about everywhere these days. Not only are they utterly creepy blood-suckers, they can also carry some serious diseases you do not want to get. If you’ve ever tried to kill a tick, you know just how tough and gnarly they are. You need to be prepared to deal with ticks. Here are some helpful tips:

• Treat your pets for ticks. Dogs and cats, being furry and close to the ground, are natural tick magnets. If you don’t treat your pets for ticks, you’re simply inviting ticks into your home, your lap, anywhere your pet goes.  If you apply a product to your pet that kills ticks, your pets then act as little sweepers that collect ticks wherever they go and drastically reduce the tick population in their territory (aka, your Southeast Michigan real estate). Ask your vet about the tick treatment options available.
• Treat yourself for ticks.  Use insect repellent on your clothing that may come in contact with grass and brush. Repellents that contain DEET or Permethrin are the most effective, but make sure you use them according to the directions because they contain powerful ingredients that can harm your health. Don’t get it in your mouth or eyes, and wash your hands after you apply it.
• Keep a tick jar handy. This can be any small jar filled with straight vinegar. Empty vitamin jars are good, as they are dark and you won’t have to look at the nasty things. Add a few drops of essential oil to keep the smell pleasant. Any time you find a tick crawling around, toss it in. No running around in a panic trying to find two rocks to crush it with. Just be sure to label the jar and keep the lid on tight.
• Use duct tape. Yes, it’s duct tape to the rescue! The beauty of this tactic is you don’t even have to touch the little beasts. Just unroll a bit of tape, apply it to the tick and it’s immobilized. Fold the tape over on it and it’s out of sight, out of mind. Perfect.

With these tools at the ready, you can avoid being a hapless victim of ticks. If you’d like to read more handy tips like these to enhance your Southeast Michigan real estate, subscribe to my blog. It’s free!

Lee Morof
Associate Broker/Certified Distressed Property Expert/Attorney
RE/MAX Showcase Homes, Birmingham, Michigan
Call:  248-514-2640
info@NorthWoodwardHomes.com
www.NorthWoodwardHomes.com