The new year is upon us and colder weather has moved in. But we don’t have to sit around and wait for better weather just because it’s cold outside.
We can accomplish a lot during this time. To that end, Gabriela Barkho with the National Association of Realtors’ consumer website, HouseLogic.com, provides several tips that will save time, money and hassles all year long.
I’m happy to share a few of her suggestions and hope you’ll find these as helpful as I will in the coming months.
Organize seasonal storage space
Packing away holiday decor presents a big opportunity. It’s the best time to sort, declutter and reorganize that space where you store your seasonal stuff.
So before simply stuffing your holiday things wherever, take inventory and then sort, filter, donate, trash and re-home as many of your things as possible. This will keep you more organized all year long and make it easier to find all of your holiday stuff next year.
Deep-clean the kitchen
All of that holiday merriment-making is rough on a kitchen. Give it a deep cleaning now that the glittery dust has settled. Purge your pantry and frisk your fridge, passing on what you can to local food banks.
Scrub the walls and kickboards and even pull those appliances out from the walls for a thorough vacuuming to prevent gunk from accumulating.
Plan summer projects now
Finalize plans for any landscaping, decks, patios, or other outdoor projects that need warm weather.
Why? If you’re DIYing, you’ll be ready to roll at the first hint of nice weather – and you’ll be less affected by any supply chain shortages and have your improved yard ready to enjoy by summer.
Also, if you’re hiring a contractor or other professional, getting your bids and contracts in place now will save you from competing with the spring rush. Wait too long and you might not be able to book anyone!
Schedule all home filters
It’s not just your HVAC. The filters in your fridge, vacuum cleaner, dryer, air filter and other household items need to be changed or cleaned at least once a year and usually more often to be effective – especially your dehumidifier. Mold grows easily there.
Check manufacturer instructions for all the filters in your home, create a master schedule and then add them to your calendar app as reminders.
Save green at white sales
Linens and towels go on sale in January. It’s a long-standing retail tradition that started back when linens only came in white (hence the name) and it still has a solid rep as a money-saver — only in more colors.
Cut your threadbare bath towels into rags, restock your supply and fill in any gaps in your bed linens you might have noticed if you had a house full of holiday guests.
These are some great tips to accomplish over the next few months, so thank you, Gabriela. Also, remember that Realtors are glad to help our clients and community get the most enjoyment out of their property investment. That’s Who We R.
Founded in 1912, Greater Chattanooga Realtors is a regional organization with more than 2,500 members servicing Hamilton and Sequatchie counties in southeast Tennessee and Catoosa, Dade and Walker counties in northwest Georgia. The association is one of approximately 1,100 local associations and boards of Realtors nationwide that comprise the National Association of Realtors. Greater Chattanooga Realtors owns and operates a multiple listing service that is one of approximately 600 MLSs in the country and that services more than 2,700 MLS users.