It’s time for some spring cleaning and maintenance
There are three magazines read regularly at my house. One of
them is
”
The Week,
”
an international compilation of the best of the U. S. and
international media. Good for the mind. Next is
”
O
”
Magazine, filled with advice, style and articles on food, health
and books. Good for the soul. Finally, I have begun to read
”
Real Simple,
”
a magazine dedicated to making life easier. Good for whatever
else ails me.
It’s time for some spring cleaning and maintenance
There are three magazines read regularly at my house. One of them is “The Week,” an international compilation of the best of the U. S. and international media. Good for the mind. Next is “O” Magazine, filled with advice, style and articles on food, health and books. Good for the soul. Finally, I have begun to read “Real Simple,” a magazine dedicated to making life easier. Good for whatever else ails me.
In the April issue, “Real Simple” asked people to bare their souls. “Raise your hand,” the writers commanded, “if you have never vacuumed your refrigerator coils.” Er, uhm, that would be me. Actually, to be honest, I have never even seen refrigerator coils vacuumed. I’m not sure I knew they were supposed to be cleaned.
My mother was a brilliant woman, but a decidedly indifferent housekeeper. She gave me great advice about how to navigate through the world with heart and courage, but she passed on her aversion to housework! And certainly none of us study House Cleaning 101 in school. However, it’s not too late to develop the skill of a clean, organized home.
Start with spring cleaning. In the old days, when home lighting was courtesy of kerosene lamps, and soot and grime caked every surface, every last item was moved out of the house in the spring. The walls, ceilings and floors were scrubbed. Washed and polished, everything went back in the house.
I’m not suggesting any of us do that. But we are fortunate to have vacuum cleaners (I’m doing the darn coils, already!) and hot water heaters to assist us in our tasks.
Two things you must do: 1. Check your smoke detectors. We have safety features: Make sure you use them! 2. Clean your light fixtures and replace old bulbs with new energy efficient ones where possible.
Want to learn more about a clean home? Have fun exploring books, Web sites, TV shows, and magazines.
Let’s move on to home maintenance. Take a guess how much most people spend on odds and ends when they move into a new house? Approximately 5 percent of the purchase price! Most people don’t consider this fact when assessing what they can afford. But you move in, and suddenly you need a new ladder for the high ceilings and your old furniture doesn’t fit and you simply cannot stand that old brown carpet (used to be ecru) for another second. The hose is too short, and a couple of big pots with flowers on the front porch would brighten things up immensely.
Once you’re in and settled, there will be house maintenance to consider. Here’s the real moment of truth – raise your hand if you don’t have a special account set aside for home maintenance and emergencies? Aha! I thought as much. I remember my shock when the water heater went out in my first home. Gee whiz, the house was only seven years old. How could the water heater only last seven years? I thought they got installed with the house, and that was that.
If you’re too busy to do much, you should at least walk through and do a visual inspection. Make note of items needing attention. Even if you can’t do it now, you’ll have a good idea how to budget your time and money over the next few months. It’s amazing how we get so used to looking at something over time we don’t notice its gradual deterioration.
At the least, grab some disinfectant and wipe down all the door knobs and handles, door bells and railings. That ought to be good for at least one less cold in every household in San Benito County! (While you’re at it, you might as well do it at the workplace as well. Do I sound like Howard Hughes?)
On to the market update: No change. Inventory remains high. Last week there were about 400 homes listed on the San Benito County Multiple Listing Service inventory. There were 13 homes that went into contract. Four properties closed escrow. There were 21 new listings. There were 14 homes that left the inventory through cancellation, expiration or withdrawal.
Advice to buyers: Full steam ahead if you’re looking to be in your new home 5 years or more. You’ll be glad you did! Advice to sellers: Be patient. It could happen today but it might be a few more months.
Thinking about making a change? Call your local Realtor today and discuss your options.
On a somber note, this column is dedicated to Dennis Conley, owner of For Soot Chimney Service, who died unexpectedly last week. Dennis, you were a great guy and will be missed professionally and personally. Your final gift to us is the reminder that life is uncertain, and needs to be savored each and every day.
Be kind to all you meet today, especially your Realtor!
