This is not a story about the work that I recently had done at my home, but more so of the workmanship of the man who did it. I will have to give a disclaimer here, that I’ve become friends with this man, but the pictures will tell a story in itself.
There comes a time when we have to do some work to our homes. I’ve always kept up my home fairly well, but it was definitely time for some needed renovations and improvements. A gentleman that I had met online earlier this year had previously done some work for me on my rentals as well as repair work to some listings.
I was not only impressed with his work, but his work ethic as well. It is so hard to find people that will consistently give you quality work. In all my years of being a Realtor®, I would come across workman that will do a good job, but after time their quality of work appears to dissipate. I can’t see that happening with Tony Politis.
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His eye for details & going the extra mile is what really got me. Here are just some of the things that really stood out. When he was laying the flooring, I did not anticipate him also doing the closets, but he did. And he did so without making a comment or batting an eyelash. I’m sure if you’d ask him, he would just say that’s the way it’s supposed to be done.
It was a collaborative effort in many ways, but he definitely has an eye for design. While he was laying the flooring in my office, he mentioned that I should paint the walls. He wasn’t doing this to create more work for himself, but because he knew the effect that it would have on the whole room. He was right!
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While doing the master bath, the medicine cabinet was never placed in the correct position. Since I never really used it anyway, he removed it & put in decorative glass shelves. The towel rack was behind the bathroom door in a ridiculous location, so he just moved it to where it would be better suited.
I could go on and on with the details, but the pics will tell a better story. Oh, and I did forget to mention one of the most important things. He is very reasonable and especially when you consider the workmanship that you are getting for the price. Can you spell – VALUE!?!
In fact at one time during the work, I said to Tony that he shouldn’t be calling himself a handyman, it should be a craftsman. Just to give you an idea, the different work that was done included, plumbing, electrical, tile work – laying & regrouting, flooring, carpentry, drywall, etc. Additionally, he’s done wood rot, siding, roof repairs, etc. for me as well. He will even tell you if you are doing more work than is necessary for the benefits derived.
The name of his company is Repair Your Home and his logo is “Fix it all…with just one call” Tony can be reached at RepairYourHome@ymail.com or call 407-620-5474. He is licensed and insured.
Whether you are selling or just want to spruce up your property, here are some simple ideas that are fairly affordable.
1. Add a Splash of Color - By adding color to your landscape, you are in essence adding another dimension. Flowering annuals produce an abundance of color for a sustained period of time.
2. The size of trees and shrubs should be in proportion to the size of the home, whether it be a one-story, two-story, etc. They should also not be blocking windows, doors or other architectural features of the home.
3. Lush Green Lawn - in other words get rid of those brown spots. And if you are located in a drought area, how about drought resistant plants, rocks, boulders and other ornamental grasses.
4. Shine the light - Add low voltage or solar lighting to the outside to add drama to your home at night. Highlight the front door, walkway, trees or branches, but don’t overdo it.
5. Add a fountain - The sound of water is very appealing and soothing. You can put a nice one together fairly reasonably.
lawn
I was very lucky to have had a gentleman by the name of Charles Kidwell comment on a blog post that I wrote last year entitled, The Southern Lawn.
You can read the comments and you’ll understand why I was impressed with Chuck. I did call him and he came out to look at my lawn. The long and short of it is that I hired Chuck and have been totally thrilled.
He isn’t one of these lawn services that just mow, edge & blow and run away. He knows his stuff & we’ve talked about my lawn and how to properly care for it. I had an issue with weeds & my previous lawn service and pest control company were telling me that I didn’t have weeds. Well geez, here I am pulling them… Chuck knew exactly what was going on and how to handle it.
So with his help, I’m in the process of nurturing my lawn back to health. I had wanted to do a video interview with Chuck for you see, but we’ve been having difficulty setting up the time to do so. In the springtime, you will see a photo display of the transformation of the front of my house.
What was planted there was overgrown and the incorrect plants to start with for the area. Chuck is going to redesign the area and I’m so looking forward it to. Recently, I had him clean up a friend’s house that I’ve just put on the market & he did a beautiful job. The best part, other than his knowing what he’s doing, he’s also very reasonable.
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If you are in need of a landscaper in the Greater Orlando Central Florida area, you need to call Chuck Kidwell of CK Landscaping – (321) 231-8890 or chuck@cklandscapingflorida.com.
Till next time…Marc It Sold!
For information on Orlando and Apopka real estate & Orlando and Apopka homes for sale contact Marc Grossman, your Greater Orlando Area Realtor @ 407-463-1034. Additional information is available for Seminole County real estate, Orange County real estate, West Volusia County and South Lake County.
To learn more about Marc and the services he has to offer, visit his website.
Marc Grossman, GRI - http://www.OrlandoHomes-4u.com/ - 407-463-1034
You can read Marc’s other blogs Real Estate Crackers & Real Estate Off The Leash
Marc donates 10% of his net proceeds to Hospice of the Comforter.
Marc It Sold!
Today’s Memorial Day, so enjoy your hammock, BBQ, pool or whatever relaxation that you have planned, but don’t forget to prepare your home for summer. It’s here and in someplaces moreso than others, especially being in Florida.
First and foremost, have your a/c checked to make sure that it is running properly and efficiently. Most of us already have our air conditioning units on all of the time and with July and August coming up they are going to working full throttle.
Also, make sure that you change your filters regularly and don’t buy the cheap ones. The are generally not as good as the pleated air filters and will allow dirt and debris through ultimately clogging up your coils and therefore a more costly repair than just spending a little extra of a better filter. Even if the filter states that it is good for 90 days, change it at 60 days. With the amount of dust that we have here this is necessary. You know that once you clean your home, there is already a layer of dust there. This is something that you can’t get away from in Florida.
Clean that clothes dryer vent. Yes, it is a pain and difficult for some to do. In that case, hire someone to do it. It is generally not that costly of an expense and there are several local companies that do this work. This is not only important in regard to your clothes dry running efficiently, but more importantly poses a fire hazard.
Clean the tracks of sliding glass doors. This is very simple and easy to do, but very much overlooked by many. Just vacuum up any loose debris and then wipe/wash the tracks clean. This will allow your sliding glass doors to operate more easily.
Check seals around doors and windows. With the driving rains that we get quite often, this is important to prevent water intrusion and the myriad of issues that can and will create.
Keep those leaders and gutters clear. A clogged gutter will most likely cause a rotted fascia & trim. And with the amount of rain that we hope to get, you want the rainwater to flow easily.
Let’s not forget our lawns and yards. Make sure that you treat them for pests and fertilize before it gets too rainy. Try to make sure that tree limbs are not overhanging your home. Not only is this not good with hurricane season starting shortly, but also gives insects another way into your home.
And with that in mind, make sure that you are preparing for the advent of hurricane season. Check batteries, alternate lighting and radios. Make sure that you have canned food and water on hand. We’ll go more into this in another post shortly.
This is just a small list and I’m sure that we can extend this greatly. Hope you all have a great summer and enjoy!!
This is about vacant house safety because of a situation that I had to deal with over the last several days. Obviously, this person was quite tenacious.
With all of the homes on the market, many are vacant and we need to be more aware of our surroundings than ever before and CAREFUL! Even looking back, I did something quite stupid myself. OK, so a little history and a short story – Imagine that!
I have a couple of Central Florida rental properties that are not presently occupied. One of them I hadn’t been to in a couple of weeks. I knew that I needed to put new flyers in it as I’ve lowered the price and changed offices. So, I drove over to this house to put the flyers in the InfoTube and noted that my sign was missing. It’s been previously taken (see how I didn’t say ‘stolen’ – oops, there I did) so I really didn’t think anything of it except to be somewhat perturbed.
So the following day, this past Sunday, I went to the store and bought another ‘For Rent’ sign and drove over to my house to place it in the yard. To my astonishment, the sign was next to the mail box. I had to wonder, but only for a moment, if I had missed it. I was ready to drive off when I decided that I needed to check the home out. As I entered the garage, there was something on the floor that I would not have left there and as I got out of my car, I noted that the lid to the washing machine was up, which it shouldn’t have been.
What really floored me was that when I looked inside the machine, there were clothes in the tub. Needless to say I didn’t think anything of it and entered the house, obviously knowing that someone has been there, even though at this point I was also questioning my sanity and stability. Yeah, go there, I can understand!
I walked in the house and several things were amiss in that many doors were closed that should not have been; the porch light was turned off; there was an empty soda can on the floor in one room and a rod was there as well. Even though this isn’t my personal residence, I still felt violated (no need to go there, please!). After going through the house I’d noted that several doors and windows were unlocked, which was not the previous case. I’m usually careful with my homes. I also noted where I think the squatter came in.
The reason that I’m calling this person a squatter is because they did not do any damage to my house except for some dirt. So, I secured the home and called the police department to let them know what had occurred. The woman on the other side of the phone was silent for a while until she finally asked if I’d like them to patrol the area more often. Now, it has to be noted that this is a nice neighborhood and rarely has any issues.
So, Monday I go back to the house and note as I’m driving up to the garage that a blind appears to be more closed than I would normally keep it and as I enter the garage, I note that today there is a shirt lying across the washing machine. So, I immediately call the police.
Three squad cars show up and they go through the house with their guns drawn and come back with an empty pack of cigarettes. Not my brand. They were very nice and we all went through the home looking for ways of entry and a couple of windows were unlocked again including the one I thought they were coming through because I’d found footprints on the kitchen counter. I was wondering to myself about the security of this window the previous day, but checked it several times before I left.
So I went through the house and secured it again, checking it several times. Besides, I wanted to clean it up and vacuum because I was showing it on New Year’s Day.
Well, I guess they weren’t happy that I secured the home, so on New Year’s Day when I went over they removed a window from the exterior door to the garage and I must have forgotten to lock the interior door. Again, I called the police and went through the whole scenario again. But dealing with the police is another story in itself.
Well, I went over there today and don’t think that they got in after covering the window with some hard particle board.
The whole point here is we ‘assume’ that when a house is vacant, that is the case. But we don’t really know this at all. The fact is, not only in this case, but we do not have the right to assume anything.
More and more homes that we see on the market are vacant. I did a google search before writing this and couldn’t believe how many articles popped up on this topic and I’m only talking about the last couple of months. This is obviously not an isolated incident and the tenacity of this person is mind boggling to a degree.
Some of the things that I’ve read tell us that if a home is vacant to cancel all of the services and keep up with the lawn. But this really isn’t feasible if you are trying to sell or rent a home. One also mentioned to leave lights on, but shut the blinds. I usually leave them open so you can see if anything is going on inside, but I guess that the other hand is they feel that the possible intruder won’t be able to see inside.
But, finally, one law enforcement agency wrote that if they’ve been vacant long enough, people will just kind of make themselves at home and squatters will come in. Now, I have to tell you that on one level I felt sorry for this person, because it appears that they just may needed a place to sleep. I really couldn’t consider what they did as vandalism except for a broken screen and missing window. But the other hand is what they did was wrong and a violation.
Please just be careful and be safe. Many of us have vacant properties, whether they be our own or that of clients. We need to be diligent in our care of such. We need to make sure that we check them fairly often. This is not meant to frighten you but to heighten your awareness of yourself and your surroundings.
For more information on Central Florida real estate and Central Florida homes for sale in addition to Central Florida relocation contact Marc Grossman, your Central Florida Realtor @ 407-463-1034. Additional information is available for Seminole County real estate, Orange County real estate, West Volusia County and South Lake County.
To learn more about Marc and the services he has to offer, visit his
profile &
website.
On this day in history…
1st closed-circuit auto race held at Cranston, RI in 1896.
The historic Farley Post Office building in New York City opened for postal business in 1914.
First Miss America Pageant was held in 1921.
Interpol is formed in Vienna in 1923.
Boulder Dam, now the Hoover Dam, began operation in 1936.
Integration began in Wash, DC & Baltimore, MD public schools in 1954.
The PLO hijacked 4 planes in 1970.
ESPN premiered in 1979.
Fall Clean Up
Spring isn’t the only time to clean up your home. Fall is a very important time as well. Many of you in the northern areas will need to start to winterize your home – getting it ready for the winter ahead.
For most of us in Florida. It is a time, usually mid-October, that we can open our windows again after the long summer.
It’s funny because as I’ve looked around on the internet for fall clean up ideas, it appears that what would be the normal clean up projects up north are our normal projects come the spring time. The reason that I can gather this is that up north you are preparing for the winter and snow, while down here in the spring, we are preparing for the rains. The reason that I come to this conclusion is that two of the jobs that I keep on seeing repeated are check your roof & clean your leaders and gutters. Now, granted, these are good to do at both seasons.
It appears that all of the ideas that I’m finding for a fall clean up are basically the same as the spring clean up. The only differences really are checking the heating as opposed to the a/c system – generally the same unit down here in Florida. Up north you’re starting to pack your summer furniture away and down here we are starting to use ours again.
But the basic cleaning is just normal cleaning that should be done all along.
Oh well, there goes what I thought would be a good blog on tips for a nice fall house cleaning.
Til next time…Marc It Sold!
OK, so I’m going to try to blog about something other than the market conditions, etc. I know that sometimes it may seem somewhat depressing to you. I still wanted to give you helpful information, nevertheless.
Well, it’s May, the A/C is on, we haven’t had enough rain, it’s already in the 90’s almost every day. You got to love, but ‘oy’ how does your lawn feel about it?
Firstly, you should have already fed your lawn. This should be done at least twice a year. I usually do mine in March, July & again in October. There are some that also feel that you can do a late spring feeding in May – June and also a late fall feeding in November – December.
Now, to watering. I see too many people water incorrectly & this does not help you lawn in the long-term. As a general rule, most lawns require about one inch of water per week. The best time to water a lawn is early in the day. You don’t want to water during the heat of the day, because you will lose a lot of that watering due to evaporation. Secondly, it is illegal to water from 10am to 4pm in most parts of Florida due to our drought restrictions. You also don’t want to water in the late evening, because then you may be putting your lawn at risk for developing mildew and fungus disease.
Don’t water more often than twice a week. This actually hinders your lawn more than help it. And, surely, don’t give your lawn light sprinklings. This will only promote shallow roots.
Two types of weeds show up in lawns: broadleaf weeds and grassy weeds. Basically, any plant growing in the lawn that does not resemble grass is a broadleaf weed. If your lawn is full of weeds, the best solution is to use a broadcast herbicide to kill them. A few weeds can be pulled up by hand, but many will grow right back because of their deep tap root. It may appear that the entire weed was pulled out, but the tap root simply breaks and what is left in the soil sprouts new weed growth above the soil.
Grassy weeds are a bit tougher to control. Typically, grassy weeds like crabgrass die in the fall and drop thousands of seeds that germinate the following spring. This is why a crabgrass preventer is recommended in the spring.
The best defense against weeds is a thick lawn that is properly cared for and never scalped by mowing. A thick lawn will choke out weeds and never allow them a place to establish in the lawn.
Mowing your lawn once a week is sufficient and most Bahia & St. Augustine grasses should be 2 – 4” in height. Keep your mower blade sharp. A dull blade tears the ends of the grass & this will turn brown & possibly promote fungus.
Never cut off more than 1/3 of the length of the grass blades in a single mowing. Mow in different directions each time you mow & never mow a wet lawn. Again, this will not only give you an uneven cut but may encourage fungus growth.
Well that was fun. OK, happy lawn care to you!
Until next time – Marc It Sold!
Let me begin by saying that I am a pet lover having had many over my lifetime & enjoying those of friends & family. Unfortunately, there are many people out there that are not pet lovers or at least not of many breeds.
Most of us would not think that this is a problem. But, there are many people that will not go into a home with pets that are ‘on the loose.’ Additionally, there are many people that will spend less time in a home that has pets that are not of their liking. Too many of us this is surprising and may even sound bizarre, but when you put it into perspective it is quite understandable.
So, therefore, we need to take many things into consideration when selling a home with a pet(s). Now, again as I’ve said, I love most pets. I will usually play with the pet & keep him/her occupied while my clients are viewing the home. This usually works for the pet as well as the prospective buyers. A lot of times, you will find buyers that have no issue with the pets. And, yes, we all know about those loveable, cute pets that just pull at your heartstrings just by looking at you. They can almost sell the home themselves.
But here are some things to possibly remember & some tips for all of us.
1. If it smells… That in itself is probably enough to be said. Sorry, but I’ve had cats & very rarely did my litter box smell. Guess what? I don’t want to smell yours. Neither does anyone else. Clean that litter box & keep it clean or put it out of the way. But those are not the only smells. Most odors come from dander. You need to deodorize your home often & keep your pet bathed and groomed.
2. Stains. Clean them, there are many good products on the market for ‘pet stains.’ Clean that carpet before listing your home, or if it is that bad, then consider replacing them. Sorry, but smells, stains, etc. are not going to get you top dollar for your home, nevermind, the length of time on the market needed to sell a home in that condition especially when there are so many other available homes to purchase.
3. Keep Pets from Showings. If it is at all possible, take the pet for a walk while your home is being shown. It will make it a much more pleasant experience for the prospective buyer. Loud barking dogs are not always a pleasing sound & may actually scare potential buyers. This only limits your potential pool of buyers. As your realtor, we are constantly trying to increase this pool for you.
4. First Impressions. The old adage is so very true – First Impressions are Lasting Impressions. This not only includes smells & carpet stains, but also possible gnawed moldings, scratches doors & door jambs, holes in the backyard, poop in the backyard, etc. You obviously get the picture & so will the potential buyer that viewed a home like this. I don’t care how pretty the home may be otherwise, it is the total picture that has to be taken into consideration. And, yes, first impressions do last & will most likely have the prospective buyer out of your house quickly if care is not taken to these details.
5. It’s all about perception! If someone enters a home & it smells & there are stains on the flooring & scratched door jambs, etc. They should also wonder what else this home holds for them. I’m sorry if this seems harsh, but if I enter a home and see this, I do have to wonder what else hasn’t been taken care of & kept up. This is only being realistic & I’m not being mean.
We love our pets & there is no reason that they should hinder a sale. Nor do they have to be responsible for lowering a realistic price on a home. It is our responsibility & this can be taken care of without a great deal of inconvenience to all.
Best Wishes & until next time… Marc It Sold!
