Are we there yet?

 Ready to put away the mower or cancel your lawn service for the season?  Hold on, not so fast!  The weather is still quite warm during the day and above 60 degrees at night so the grass will continue to grow, just not as fast as it would in spring.  The bad news is that you will still need to mow but the good news is you won’t need to mow as often.  And maybe it will even turn green and look like grass again instead of brown scorched earth!  Once there is frost and daytime temperatures drop below about 50 degrees, growth will slow and you are off the hook for the year, at least for mowing!

Other than mowing, there are a few tasks that if handled over the next few weeks will help ensure a better start for your lawn next spring.  If you want to give your lawn the best start after winter, consider aeration and fertilization now.  In the next few weeks, it will also be prime time for reseeding or laying sod in bare areas.  Aeration will help break up the dry compacted soil from the heat of the summer allowing anything you plant to get a better start.  Cooler temperatures and increased rainfall will help the grass seed germinate or roots to take hold and fill in those empty spaces with much less effort.  Just remember as leaves start to fall to keep them raked or chopped up, so the new grass growth doesn’t get smothered.  Now is also a good time to plant some new shrubs, trees or even a few fall vegetables in your garden for the same reason.  Plants can send out some new roots and thrive without the stress of being burned alive in the summer sun!  Just because summer has come to an end doesn’t mean the growing season has to be over!

This is also a great time to clean up landscaped beds, trim dead limbs and branches, plant some perennials, and apply some new mulch.  A little extra mulch applied now can help with control of weed growth over winter months especially if it is warmer or we get more rainfall than usual.

With just a bit of planning in the next month or two you can ensure a strong start for your lawn and a little less maintenance for your landscaping next year!

Are You Ready to Weather a Storm?

We are midway through summer and have had few weather-related issues to deal with this season (knocking on wood, NOW!) unlike our neighbors to the north in Kentucky where flooding this week has hit areas hard resulting in wide-spread destruction, leaving many homeless or at the least with some water damage and without electricity and the usual comforts a home provides.

Tennessee has had its fair share of weather-related emergencies in the past few decades, so you probably feel ready to handle most small inconveniences that come with the storms each season. However, it is always good to do a review of your emergency plan and supplies a few times each year to ensure you and your family are prepared whether you must evacuate quickly or shelter in place!

Generators are a very smart and popular first line of defense in an emergency and have been widely advertised lately, especially the “whole house” size. Although they are a great investment, depending on the size of the home, they can start at a cost of around $20,000 for professional installation plus another $1,000-$1,500/year in maintenance costs to keep the warranty valid. For something that may never be needed, that is a pretty steep price tag. However, there are many affordable smaller gas-
powered generator options and battery back-up power banks available starting at a few hundred dollars can be quite useful during short-term power outages. Some may even be useful during your next tailgate party! Just remember if you have a gas-powered generator to test it regularly, have a few long heavy-duty extension cords on hand (refer to your generator’s owner’s manual for proper type/usage information) and keep your gas cans full!

The next two items needed are water and food. Choose food that won’t require a lot of preparation and also has a decent shelf life that everyone likes. If you don’t already have these items in your emergency plan, start with a few days’ supply for each person and pet and gradually add to your stash over time. A simple internet search will provide some ideas about what to buy. Be sure to store your items in a cool, dry location and rotate items in and out throughout the year to keep everything fresh.

If there are prescription medications used by members of your household, be sure to know their location if you had to access them quickly upon evacuation or have some extra over-the-counter medications and a first aid kit stashed near your food and water supply. You should also have some cash on hand and know where important items like wallets, keys, phones, charging cables and
eyeglasses are stored if you must leave your home. Not every emergency will happen during the summer so you will also want to have some cold weather gear and extra blankets on hand. Always have some extra batteries along with a few flashlights or other battery or solar-powered lights and test them regularly. And, if you don’t already have one, buy a radio. Choose an old-school model that uses batteries, a hand crank or has solar-powered capabilities and doesn’t require data streaming to work.

These are just a few simple ideas to get you started on an emergency plan. Most people think about preparing during or right after an emergency has already happened, then life happens, and they forget until the next disaster. If you don’t have a plan, there’s no better time to make one than now, while the sun is shining! .....   "You've Got A  Friend in Real Estate"

Jarod Tanksley 615.403.8265
www.BrentwoodandBeyond.com
Brentview Realty  615.373.2814

Most homebuyers spend countless hours looking for the right home, making sure all the proper paperwork has been submitted to the right people and then finally get those keys! Woohoo! And then after closing all that documentation is stored somewhere and most don’t pay attention to the makeup of their monthly mortgage payment unless it increases. This is especially true if the payment is made electronically. Most homeowners do take notice when their monthly payment increases, and one major part of your mortgage payment is the homeowner’s insurance premium.

Every year around the month you purchased your home you probably receive a letter from your insurance company showing what the current insurance coverage is on your home and reminds you to contact them if you need to make any changes before the new policy AND premium go into effect. If you make no changes a new bill is sent either to you or to the mortgage company. Over the last year or two most homeowners have seen increases in their policy rates when the notices of renewal arrive even though nothing has changed with coverage and no claims have been filed.

One of the main reasons you are seeing premium increases is directly related to the increase in cost of labor and building materials. Supply chains are tight making building materials harder to source and more expensive and the labor shortage isn’t helping either. You have experienced this firsthand if you have done any home improvement projects during the last year or two. A premium increase is the insurance company’s way of dealing with rising costs if something happens to your home and you need to make a claim.

Now is the time to take a closer look at your policy provisions and be certain you have the coverage you need especially if you have you made upgrades to your home since you purchased it. Did you put in a new bathroom or upgrade the kitchen? If changes have been significant then you should discuss with your agent to ensure proper coverage. After all, you probably don’t keep the same insurance coverage on an old car as you would a brand new one! Keep in mind the many moving parts of a homeowner’s
policy and review it at least yearly to be sure you have the coverage you need. No one wants to think about losing their home and possessions, but could you afford to rebuild it and replace everything you own at today’s cost if you suffered a loss?

The same policy review could also save you money! Can your deductible be raised? Are you paying for coverage you no longer need for example like coverage added for a trampoline you no longer own now that the kids are out of the house? Did you get a new roof or upgrade a security system? Most companies also offer discounts if you have multiple policy types with them or if you have newer systems installed.

Take some time now to review coverage with your agent to protect one of your largest investments!

..... "You've Got A Friend in Real Estate"

Jarod Tanksley 615.403.8265
www.BrentwoodandBeyond.com
Brentview Realty 615.373.2814

Time to Water Again..

It is now “officially” summer, but we didn’t need the calendar to tell us that!  The temperatures have been in the 90°-100° range for about two weeks now, with no signs of them dropping anytime soon.  Afterall, it is June in Middle Tennessee!  The grass is starting to get crunchy and landscape plants are looking less than fresh unless you have been watering regularly.  However, summer schedules are always packed and as budgets become tighter with the rising cost of just about everything, there are a few ways to keep your schedule, your plants, and your checkbook from boiling over as the temperatures rise.

Obviously, rainfall is the best option for money and time savings and plants definitely know the difference!  Lawns and landscaping always look best with rainfall.  However, since you can’t control the weather, you must look at several other factors you can control to help your lawn and plants thrive without going broke or spending every waking minute in your yard watering. 

Consider your plant choices and placement.  Try not to plant bushes too close to your house or position potted plants where they will be covered by the roof when it rains.  This will allow the plants to get water when you are not at home saving you time and money.  Keeping a lawn in good shape this time of year can also be a challenge when temperatures are high but rainfall is low.  There are quite a few types of grass that are drought tolerant and will thrive in Middle Tennessee.  Even if you have an irrigation system, reseeding in the fall with a more drought tolerant variety that will mix in with your current lawn could mean less watering in the years to come and more money in your pocket!  For now, focus on watering for a longer amount of time so water reaches the roots.  Watering less often but for a longer amount of time has been proven to produce a healthier lawn.  You can also adjust the height of your mower.  Keeping it on the higher side will allow the roots to be shaded and avoid burning.

There is also a long-running debate over whether you should water plants in the morning or evening.  Everyone seems to have a preference, but depending on your schedule, you may not have a choice.  Many believe that watering in the morning is best.  It prepares the plant for the day of heat and also allows the leaves to dry before nightfall which will help diminish mold or fungus growth on moist leaves.  This is especially important for plants like tomatoes.  Others recommend watering in the late afternoon or early evening while there is still daylight.  This allows leaves to partially dry and also cools the roots of the plants.  This could be important depending on what type of pots you use.  Plastic and glazed ceramic pots tend to hold on to heat longer than unglazed pottery.  Regardless of when you water, try to keep the water at the base of the plant and away from leaves.  Also, if the soil is extremely dry, water slowly at first to give the water time to soak into the soil rather than running off and away from the plant.  Try to water evenly in a circle around the base of the plant to help form an even root system and again, watering plants deeply and less often will help a deep root system develop so you can water less often as the plant becomes established. 

Summer is just getting started but hopefully these few helpful tips will keep you and your landscaping from overheating!  ".... You've Got A Friend in Real Estate" 

Jarod Tanksley 615.403.8265

www.BrentwoodandBeyond.com

Brentview Realty 615.373.2814

Can you smell your home?

What does your house smell like?  Not after you have cleaned all day or baked cookies, but when you walk in the door after being gone for a while, for example when you have been away for a few days on vacation.   I’ll bet you have noticed the smell of other people’s houses when you first enter.  Have you noticed that after a while you don’t really smell their house either?  Sensory adaptation is the fancy term for this phenomenon, and it simply means that the longer you smell a scent the less you respond and just become used to it.  This could be a good thing, but it can also be a bad thing if the scent is not all that pleasant.  I think there is a commercial that refers to it as being “nose blind.”

The scent of your home is a collection of all the people, things and furry creatures that reside inside as well as the activities that occur there like cooking, cleaning, laundry, or home improvement projects.  Some scents like fresh baked cookies are pleasant, but some fall into the strong odor category.  Did someone forget to take out the trash after dinner last night?  Are you overdosing your laundry with too many fabric softener scent pellets?  Do you have pets? Old carpeting? A leaky basement?  Does a smoker live here?  I will bet you can form a mental opinion just thinking about each of these smells.

Consider the scent of your home when you are getting ready to list it.  Have someone come visit who doesn’t live with you or visit regularly and give you a scent audit!  You may pass with flying colors or find that you need to do a little work.  Usually, offending odors can be minimized by a good cleaning session, opening some windows, and perhaps upgrading your homes HVAC filters to get some fresh air circulating.  There are also quite a few stand-alone air filtration devices on the market that can help with more heavy-duty odors if you have determined they are not related to any water leaks, mold, or mildew.  Also keep in mind that although a scented candle here and there may be pleasant to you, potential buyers may be allergic to strong perfume scents or find them just as nasally offensive as cigarette smoke.  Aim for a neutral, “clean” smell in your home when it is being shown and if you do use fragrances or air fresheners, consider gentle smells that mimic nature like mild mint, lavender, or other herbal scents.

Just remember that next to curb appeal, the scent of your home catches the attention of buyers as they enter.  Don’t underestimate how much influence the smell of your home can have on that most important first impression!

...."You've Got A  Friend in Real Estate"

Jarod Tanksley 615.403.8265

www.BrentwoodandBeyond.com

Brentview Realty 615.373.2814