Tips for selling your home

 Repairs and touch up:  

Have a contractor go over the house looking for needed repairs. Touch up paint, repair holes in walls, fix broken windows, make sure your smoke detector is up to date, have a carbon monoxide detector if needed. Have moss removed from roof without pressure washing it off.

Floodplain:

If your property is in the floodplain obtain the elevation certificate, if you do not already have one. You will need a surveyor to do the survey for elevation. 

Declutter house and garage:

Rent a storage unit if you have too much stuff. Designate a room in the house for storage, if you do not want to rent a unit. Stack the boxes in the middle of the room leaving the walls open with a walking space between the stacks and walls. Buyers want to see your house, not your stuff.

 Clean house thoroughly:

Deep clean walls, ceilings, carpet, window coverings and furniture to remove smoke and pet odors. If the home has smoke odors, remove and clean the light fixtures and light bulbs. Wash windows, take down the spider webs, clean doors and interior/exterior walls around the doors, especially if you have children or pets.

Mow grass, weed yard beds, trim trees and bushes:

Remove all clutter from yard, junk cars, tires, trash and dead plants. If showing in the growing months, plant annual flowers for instant color. Use potted plants to fill bare spots.

Use a licensed real estate agent to help you sell your home!

Winter Safety Tips for the New Year!

 Winter safety tips for your car:

Keep your fuel tank full in case you have to sit and try to stay warm or are stuck in traffic.
Things to carry in your car:
Mittens or gloves
Warm socks
Boots
Stocking cap
Water for you and your pet
Snacks
Flares
Phone Charger
Flashlight
Thermal Blankets
Pet Poop bags for sanitation, not only pets may use these
Kitty litter or sand for traction, not for the above reason!
If you are stuck, for whatever reason, tie a bright cloth to your antenna for visibility for helping people to see you and identify you are disabled.

 Winter safety tips for your home:

Make sure you have a working smoke detector and Carbon Monoxide detector in your house.
Keep the snow off of your sidewalks and steps by either shoveling or using a snow blower.
Use kitty litter on sidewalks for traction.
Calcium Magnesium Acetate or Potassium Chloride are plant friendlier alternatives to chemical de-icers or rock salt to use on walkways.
Move snow away from gate opening paths on driveways. It can be hard to get out of your driveway if the gate is held shut by snow, especially if it ices over the top of the snow.

 Winter safety tips for your garden:

Try not to walk on your grass while it is snowy or frosty. It will leave brown footprint marks when it thaws.
Knock the snow off of tree branches and shrubs. The weight of the snow may break the branches.
Try to brush the snow off of greenhouse and shed roofs. It may collapse the roofs.
Make sure hoses are disconnected from outside hose bibs. Cover hose bibs if not frost proof.

 Winter safety tips for your pets:

Do not use metallic food or water dishes outside in the winter. The pet's tongues or lips may attach to the metal. Ouch!
Clean pet's feet after being out in the snow. Snow and ice can become stuck in-between their pads and be painful. I like to soak their feet in tepid water to help melt the snow and clean the feet.
Use dog boots to protect their feet in the snow, ice and mud. Good luck with that!
Use reflective coats, collars and leashes for the darker days and for night walking. The collars are helpful for seeing your pet in your yard at night, too. Freaks out the neighbors for added fun.

Garden Things to Do in November

This is the time to plant spring flowering bulbs.

Now is a great time to plant bulbs such as tulips, daffodils, crocus, checkered lily, snowdrop(galanthus), trillium and hyacinth. Plant bulbs at a depth 3 times the height of the bulb. Planting in layers works well with the tulips and daffodils planted the deepest, then hyacinth and finished off with crocus. Mix in some Dutch iris with their slender stems and pretty flowers. 

Garlic can be planted now for summer harvesting.

Plant or transplant trees and shrubs 

The soil is still warm, this helps the roots to spread out and get comfy in their new home. The fall and winter rains help to water them in without hand watering.  

Mulch berries

Grow a cover crop on your garden area

Plant crimson clover, fava beans, lana vetch, winter wheat or barley to add nutrients to the soil, help prevent soil compacting and loss of soil to runoff. 

If not growing a cover crop mulch the area using 3" to 5" of leaves, rake off in spring before planting. 

Drain sprinkler systems and hoses

Plan for next years garden and flower beds

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Halloween and everyday safety tips for homes

Sweep and Declutter 

Driveway, walkways and porch

Sweep the walkways and porches clean of leaves and twigs, they can be slippery and trippy. Pick up hoses, toys and bikes from yard, driveway, walking paths and porch. Keep candle-lit pumpkins away from stairs and walkways, they can be a fire hazard for costumes, pets and visitors tripping and tipping over. Battery operated candles are safer than candles and can last longer.

Light it up and be careful opening the door to strangers

Keep walkways and porch well lit for guests and trick or treaters and to discourage pranksters and vandals. If you are unsure of person at the door do not open it. I use the window near the front door to speak to people that I do not know that come to the house. That way you do not have to open the door and it would be harder for someone to force their way into the window rather than the door.

Secure pets

Close pets in a room or crate to keep them from escaping while answering the door for visitors and trick or treaters. Costumes and strangers can be scary for pets. If they are like my pets, the doorbell is pretty scary, too. Keep their collars with ID tags on and make sure their micro chip info is up to date just in case they escape and are running loose in the neighborhood.

Have a safe and fun Halloween!

Albany, Corvallis and Philomath Halloween activities

Halloween things to do in Albany:

Trolley of Terror & Haunted Monteith House @ Monteith House

October 18th through 26th

Tickets on sale NOW – The Monteith Society is once again hosting a fun and spooky historical experience: a candlelit tour of the Monteith House Museum and ride on the Trolley of Terror. Climb aboard the Trolley of Terror and hear stories from Albany’s past as you ride through the Historic District’s haunted places. Tours begin at 6pm, 7pm, 8pm and 9pm on October 18th,19th, 25th and 26th. Tickets may be purchased at Albany Visitors Association Monday – Friday 9 a.m.

Albany Downtown Trick or Treat & Costume Contest

@ Historic Downtown Albany Oregon

October 26th 11:00 am – 1:00 pm

Celebrate Halloween in Downtown Albany with safe and friendly Trick-or-Treating on Saturday, Oct. 26th, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Trick-or-treating starts at 11 a.m. Just look for the orange and black balloons marking the participating merchants. Dental care treat bags from Pediatric Dental Associates will be available at the Albany Downtown Association office, 126 Ferry Street SW.

                     ____________________________________________________________                    

Halloween things to do in Corvallis:

 Haunted Corn Maze

Every year the Melon Shack hosts a daily corn maze and a haunted corn maze on weekend nights, along with a pumpkin patch and hayrides.
Corn Maze: The Melon Shack's corn maze is perfect for kids and families. It's open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. starting Sept. 28, through Halloween. Admission is $5, and free for kids three years old and under.
Haunted Maze (Open Oct. 4): The Melon Shack's haunted maze takes their corn maze and kicks it up a notch for spooky evening fun. It's open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., starting Oct. 4 and running through Oct. 31, with a special Haunted Corn Maze on Halloween night. Admission is $12 on Friday and Saturday and $10 on Sunday.
Pumpkin Patch and Hayrides: The Melon Shack's Pumpkin Patch is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Hayrides are available on the weekend from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Halloween Swim Fun
 

Spooky Splash!

You're invited to Osborn Aquatic Center on the spookiest night of the year to show off your costume, play games, make crafts, and make a spooky splash!

Fee: Regular admission rates apply

Osborn Aquatic Center, 1940 NW Highland Dr

 

                     ___________________________________________________________                    

Halloween things to do in Philomath: