Owning a Home in 2014

This is a re-print of an article that I wrote in the newest Merchant Marketer for Jan 2014-

Owning A Home In 2014

By: Tammy Rodriguez- Owner of AAA Realty LLC, Always Clear Water and A+ property Management LLC

It is already the New Year.  Welcome to 2014.  This is a time that many people make decisions.  45% of Americans had made New Year’s Resolutions, and of those “Forbes.com” states that only 8% achieve the goals they set for themselves.   Where are you with your resolutions?  Have they already been broken?  By now if you are a business owner of any size you should already have dived in to your new business plan, updated for 2014.  If you are a homeowner, you probably are in need of some yearly preventive maintenance.  One of your goals may be to buy your first home or to sell the one you have and move up, maybe because the family is growing or maybe you want something smaller because the family has all grown up and you may not need all the space you have anymore.  Then just maybe you want to purchase a second home because you are here right now in Florida to get away from the Northern Snow and freezing temperatures and may want to make it a semi-permanent residence (The best of two worlds for many who choose this way of life).   

We not only as a Real Estate Company but also a licensed Water Treatment Company and Licensed Painting Contractor are here to help with any New Year’s goals you have for the Real Estate options I mentioned above or the preventive maintenance we spoke of earlier.  If you are getting ready to sell your home, we have a list of” Getting Your Home Sold.  I wrote an article a couple of months ago in the Merchant Marketer that was dedicated to just that.  We have copies of that article in our office.  I thought this time specifically I would address preventive maintenance for your home for the new year.  If you are selling your home, these too are items that should be done to get ready for the sale.

The annual items in a home that should be taken care of are:

·         Change your smoke detector batteries

·         Clean out your AC drain and put chemical in place to avoid the buildup of slime

·         Clean both your inside and outside coils on your AC

·         Clean your windows inside and out

·         Check toilet valves for leakage and replace if necessary

·         Replace or repair any caulk in all wet areas

·         Check washing machine hoses for cracks and replace if necessary

·         Clean dryer vent from dryer to outside connection

·         Replace any missing light bulbs throughout home inside and outside

·         Clean all HVAC vents

·         Choose one room to freshen up either by new paint or full rehab

·         Pressure clean the outside of the home from the soffits down to the concrete driveway and sidewalks (don’t forget the concrete pad by your ac and pool equipment)

·         Time for fertilization of the lawn

·         Trim bushes and trees

·         Have water system checked, cleaned and chlorinate the lines and well

·         Clean debris out of gutters and check for missing or broken pieces or downspouts

·         Check your sprinkler system for any broken sprinkler heads

·         Check your timers for sprinkler and or pool for correct operation and times

·         Do a security check around perimeter of home and make any adjustment necessary (motion lights etc)

·         Check all windows and screen for proper operation and fix any broken locks or screens

·         Check outside of home for cracks and seal and paint any that are needing it

Whether you are getting ready to sell your home or you are just maintaining the one you already have and plan to keep, there are things that need attention on at least an annual basis.  We hope this article will help you remember the items that need attention on a regular basis.  We can take care of all these items for you if you don’t have time, medically or physically can’t or just don’t want to.  We have a full service maintenance staff that can work hard for Lehigh Acres folks that need us.  We don’t just manage rentals.  We help manage your home by helping you keep up with the necessary fixin’s that are needed along the way. 

So whether for buying, selling or just keeping up with what you have, AAA Realty LLC is here for you. We are located in the Lehigh Towne Centre right between the Medicine Shoppe and Metro PCS.  Stop by and see us, check us out on the web at www.aaarealtyllc.com or give us a call at 239-368-8520 for more information.

Let’s All Work Together To Make 2014 A Great Year For Lehigh Acres!