Blog - - Month: June 2019
Month: June 2019
How to Prepare for Flash Flooding in Northeast Ohio
It’s been a wet Spring in Northeast Ohio, and Summer has brought its fair share of rain showers so far. In fact, Ohio’s unusually rainy Spring may be the wettest on record in 120 years! While we hope warmer, drier weather is around the corner, it looks like the early weeks of Summer promise even more rain. So, what does that mean for you? Besides being stuck indoors, there’s a high risk for flash flooding for many cities in the greater Cleveland area. If you’re a homeowner in the region, this is the right time to prepare you home for potential floods this year. Below are four ways you can keep your family, pets and house safe. Elevate Your Electronics Water and electricity do not mix! If you use surge protectors or have a lot of wiring in any space like a family room or game room, try to move electrical items off the ground. When flooding hits a home, keeping electronics elevated can prevent damaged property and reduce the number of hazards around cleanup. Pro tip: If you get a flood warning for your neighborhood, you’ll want to move electronics six to twelve inches above the predicted flood levels. Clear the Basement If your home has a basement, you should take some time to move any valuables to higher levels of the home. You may also want to consider installing a sump pump this year! Watch for Flood Alerts While flash flood warnings aren’t new t
How to Unpack the Right Way
Each year, about 40 million Americans will move to a new home — that’s roughly 14 percent of the population. New homeowners make up around six million of those movers. That’s a lot of moving boxes! According to a recent survey by Duck Brand tape – the tape you probably used to seal all those moving boxes – it takes most Americans almost 182 days to finish unpacking after a move. That’s more than six months! A lot can happen in six months. Valuables go missing, you may replace something you already own, or you might just decide that last moving box never gets unpacked. It doesn’t have to be that way, though. If you’ve recently moved into a new home, here are some tips to help you get unpacked faster without losing anything. One Room at a Time One of the best ways to ensure you unpack everything is to work one room at a time. Start by putting boxes in the rooms where they belong — dishes go to the kitchen, pictures in the living room and so on. When you don’t have to constantly move items between rooms, fewer things get misplaced and you’ll have more energy to finish. What’s Next? Start unpacking into that room — and don’t stop until it’s done. Finishing one whole room at a time rather than little bits around the house will keep you focused and motivated. Pro Tip: if you’ve hired a professional movin
Three Things to Remember When Caught in a Bidding War
Imagine this… You’ve been house hunting for months, and you’ve finally found the perfect home. However, you’re not the only one who’s fallen in love with the house’s charms, location and price. At least three other buyers are interested in the property. Believe it or not, bidding wars like this are becoming a lot more frequent the Greater Cleveland area, and that means the cost of homes is going up. That’s a great market for sellers in Northeast Ohio, but it’s not always the best place to be for a homebuyer. As the region’s home values continue to rise with demand, you can expect to find yourself facing off with other buyers to get the kind of home you want. But what does this mean for you? You have to come prepared. Below are three key tips you to help give you a competitive advantage if you are caught bidding on a house. Don’t “Lowball” It’s natural to want to get a good deal on a home, but coming in with a super-low offer based on the listing price doesn’t always mean the seller will come down in the middle — especially in a seller’s market like Northeast Ohio. To make an offer that receives a counter offer, look at home sales data instead for recent closed deals in that neighborhood. Then, make your offer based on how homes are selling, not on the dollars you hope to shave off the listing price. Rely on Your Agent So,