Spring 2013 Newsletter
Melissa Mummery, Sales Representative ABR®, SRES® Well, another Spring is almost upon us friends! I would like to take this opportunity to Thank You for not only your business, but the referral of your friends and family. Please enjoy the tips outlined here in my newsletter and be sure to send me an email or give me a call if your contact information may be changing. My newsletter will also be available online at www.issuu.com/portdoverrealestate along with other real estate and community information. Would you rather receive your newsletter via email? No problem! Send me a quick note at melissa@melissamummery.com and the Summer edition will arrive in your inbox instead of your mailbox.
Read on for some great Spring Tips! Here’s a list of 18 around-the-house Spring chores to consider from www.styleathome.com 1 Inspect your roof for any loose, missing or damaged shingles, evidence of leaks, cracks in seals or flashing that may have shifted. 2 Scrape, prime and repaint any peeling or bubbling paint on trim or woodwork. Touch-ups now can forestall or prevent a big painting job later on. 3 Check your steps and deck for cracks, rotting boards or places where nails have popped up. With concrete steps, consider painting them with concrete paint to protect the surface and spruce them up; repair any cracks. 4 Clean and check your eavestroughs and make any needed repairs. Consider buying leafguards for the tops of downspouts; these are easy-to-clean mesh screens that prevent debris from flowing into the downspout and clogging it. 5 Walk around the perimeter of your house, carefully checking the foundation and seal for cracks. Even small cracks should be repaired; they have a way of growing into big cracks, and possibly leaks.
6 Coat your driveway with driveway sealer. 7 Arrange for an annual check-up of your cooling system, before the summer rush. 8 Clean and, if necessary, replace your furnace air filter. If you didn’t have it cleaned in the fall, schedule a furnace cleaning. 9 Wash your windows inside and out; take down storm windows if you have them, and wash and install window screens and window coverings. 10 Clean and condition your outdoor barbecue to ready it for another season. 11 Clean and repair outdoor furniture. 12 Clean, sharpen, oil, and if desired, paint the handles on your garden tools. 13 Bring out and mount your garden hose. Turn on outdoor faucets, once all danger of a freeze has passed, and test the hose; if there are any leaks, repair or replace the hose. 14 Give your lawn a spring boost. Lightly rake up leaf debris and dead grass left on the surface, then apply a light application of spring fertilizer. Seed any bare spots, then give it a good watering; the new shoots will be thirsty. 15 Spring clean your garden. Lightly rake the beds, removing leaf debris and cutting down dead stalks from last year. Dig out any baby weeds, while they’re small and easy to get at. Apply a couple of inches of compost, but do not mulch your beds until later in the spring, so the earth has a chance to warm up. Plant spring bulbs such as autumn crocus, dahlias and some lilies. 16 Trim shrubs and trees while they are still dormant. 17 Organize a family garage cleanout. Systematically take everything out of the garage and organize into four piles: Keep and Put Back; Keep and Put Somewhere Else; Recycling/ Giveaway; Throw Out. You can buy lots of garage organizing systems and items, ranging from hooks and pegboards for tools to cupboards and drawer systems. At the very least, simply keep the general rule in mind that often-used items (lawn mower, gardening tools) should be kept organized and accessible, while less-needed things, like snow tires, can be placed out of the way in storage solutions until needed again. 18 Plan a garage or yard sale. Consider enlisting your neighbours for a street-wide sale.
Spring Has Sprung - a 4 Step Clean Up for Any Garden We are surrounded by signs of spring — true spring, not that two-week blast of (possibly) futuristic heat we felt back in March. The experienced gardener tends to eye this newly sprouting green world somewhat cautiously: One never knows when winter can make a final freezing encore. On that note, let’s take advantage of the good weather and welcome this most hopeful and sweetest time of the year with a few simple but satisfying spring garden tasks. Give Your Bulbs Some Backup Those of you who plant bulbs in the fall (crossing fingers that pesky vermin don’t devour them) want to enjoy seeing the beauties emerge, green and youthful, from under the rubble of mulch and winter debris. What can beat the sight of a healthy crocus, daffodil or tulip emerging in the spring? A simple gardening act that can help is gently hand-raking the brown matter from around the plant. Now, don’t fret if this doesn’t get completed, or if you don’t do it thoroughly: bulbs are strong, they yearn for the light and they will fight their way out of the darkness. (My crocuses didn’t get the hand-rake this year and I still saw their cheery heads peeking up from the mulch.) Still, it’s worth the effort — consider it a final, small top-off investment for all that hard autumn labour. Go Slowly Don’t rush into super-clean mode on the first nice day or weekend. Relax. Breathe. Stretch like a cat. Enjoy the sunshine — it’s your time off, after all. Taking care of a garden is a seasonal act of patience. Check the weather forecast regularly, keeping aware of future temperature changes and rainfall (and, yes, possible flurries). Bear in mind, though, that predicting the weather can be as unreliable as betting on a horserace. Which is all the more reason to, as suggested, proceed slowly.
Sunny Side - Always look at the sunny side of life. The ups and downs, the truth of a beginning. We need water to grow, we need seeds to sow. What we see today is bringing us more for tomorrow even if we can’t tell. As they say, April showers bring May flowers.
Rake and Weed Rake up those leaves, but leave some around the base of more sensitive perennials and shrubs. Weed, weed, and weed again, any time the ground can be walked on (i.e., it doesn’t feel like a squishy sponge). Not sure whether a plant is a beloved perennial or a pesky weed? Leave it alone. You’ll figure it out later in the season, as weeds are very prolific. Know thine enemy!
Brown Bag It! From shrubs to flowers to ornamental grasses, remove anything that is dead, diseased or damaged. Especially maple leaves with big black polka-dots — not a funky fashion statement, but a leaf blight that’s not healthy for your garden. Brown bag it all up and put it on the curb for collection. Now: Dust off your hands, place said hands on hips, and survey your outdoor domain with pride. Another job well done — and just the beginning of another wonderful, fulfilling green season.
I hope you enjoyed my Newsletter! If you would rather receive it in your inbox instead of your mailbox, please let me know at melissa@melissamummery.com.
Some News of my own… In 2012 I was awarded the Sterling Society Sales Award which is earned by the top 14% of 82,000 Coldwell Banker REALTORS® worldwide.
BIG Service. Small Town Values. Melissa Mummery, SRES®, ABR® Sales Representative Cell: 519-718-2628