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Get a Jump Start in the Garden!

Wednesday, March 30, 2022
by Tucker Robbins


The days are noticeably longer, birds are singing, and your yard and landscaping are looking as drab as winter.  Time to take advantage of more daylight hours and get a jump start on the growing season.  Here are some guidelines for early Spring outdoor maintenance: 

 

  • Rake leaves and other debris so your lawn can absorb as much sun as possible to look its best.
     

  • Order seeds if you have not already done so and get them started as soon as possible. The Old Farmer’s Almanac has some great advice for indoor seed-starting. 
     

  • Do not wait to find a mechanical problem with your mower when it is time to use it.  Home Depot offers some tips for getting your lawnmower ready for the busy season. 
     

  • Check your irrigation system for any cracks if the cold weather has been brutal this year. 
     

  • If you see daffodils blooming, that means it is time to get cold weather veggies in the ground:  onions, garlic, sweet peas, salads, carrots, and potatoes are cold-hardy and will be ready to harvest first! 
     

  • Continue to keep bird feeders full.  Clean your hummingbird feeders with a mixture of warm water white vinegar, rinse, and allow to air dry.  Check out this hummingbird Spring migration information so you will be ready when the hummers return. 
     

  • It is important to prune dead wood and suckers out of flowering trees and shrubbery.  However, plants that bloom in early spring and summer or that bloom off old wood, i.e.., azaleas, hydrangeas, forsythia, dogwoods, should not be completely cut back until after they flower. Cutting them back now will take off the new flower bud that formed last year. 
     

  • After pruning fruit trees, spray with neem oil to help prevent any pests that have overwintered and can destroy the summer harvest. 

 

Get great results when the growing and harvest seasons begin by maintaining plants and plant beds.  Your outdoor space is a year-round job and getting an early start may save you some time and energy when the temperatures are soaring.   

 

Courtesy of New Castle County DE Realtors Tucker Robbins and Carol Arnott Robbins.   

Photo credit: The Family Handyman 

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Make Your Home a More Relaxing Place

Wednesday, March 23, 2022
by Tucker Robbins


Let’s face it, we are all busy and we all typically look forward to relaxing after a hard day’s work once we arrive home!  Can I get an Amen?  

Many times however, we come home to a house that can sometimes be less than relaxing.  Whether it is the kids running around fighting with one another or the animals leaving us messes to clean up, there are many reasons why our homes can often times be less than relaxing. 

Below are listed a few tips to help make your home a more relaxing place regardless of what is going on around you. 

  1.  Placing a big comfortable chair in a quiet nook in your home with perhaps a blanket thrown over it can do a lot towards adding a relaxing comfy feel.  Be sure to put this chair and blanket in an “out of the way” space such as a back bedroom so that you will be able to go there to escape the day. 
     
  2. Another idea for making your home a more relaxing place   is to add some fluffy white curtains to your patio or porch.  Add a few pieces of outdoor furniture and a table or two as well.  This will allow you an outdoor space in which you can retire to after a long hard day at work.  These spaces are great for when the weather is good. 
     
  3. Adding an upholstered headboard to your bed can make the entire room look more soft and serene.  Also if you happen to have a television in your bedroom, take it out and put it somewhere else in the house.  Your bedroom should be your sanctuary at all times. 
  4. Another way to help make your home a more relaxing place is to add a speaker system throughout your house.  This way you can play soft relaxing music and listen to it as you move from room to room. 
     
  5. Much in the way that music can be used to make your home a more relaxing place, diffusing essential oils into your home can go a long way as well!  If you don’t have a diffuser you should definably order one today! 

These tips to make your home a more relaxing place are a good place to start!  Once you do your part to make your home your sanctuary you will likely love the changes!  

Courtesy of New Castle County DE Realtors Tucker Robbins and Carol Arnott Robbins.   

Photo credit: thedistrictrecovery.com

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How to Choose the Best Offer When You Have Multiple

Wednesday, March 16, 2022
by Tucker Robbins


While multiple offers may be a good thing, you still should know how to choose the best offer   in the event this happens to you. Below you will find a few ideas on how to best handle this particular situation. 

  1. Finding out which of the potential buyers have the best financing available to them is a great way to help you choose which offer you would be best to go with.  If you pick someone who hasn’t got the financial side of it all worked out for themselves you will likely end up spending more time than you would like getting all the kinks worked out.  Choosing someone who has a reputable lender on the other hand and has already been pre approved will make the transactions go nice and smoothly for all involved. 
     
  2. Another way to choose the best offer  when you have multiple offers is if the closing date is good for you.  You may have one person that wants to buy your home that has to wait on their home to sell first while another person is ready to go right away.  If you want to and are ready to move out quickly you may want to go with the latter however if you are not quite ready to move that fast you may want to go with the folks that need to wait a while.  Choose the offer that best suits your own personal needs.
     
  3. Yet another way to choose the best offer on your house when you have been given multiple offers is to make a checklist of the pros and cons of each offer.  This will make sorting out the details a bit easier for you. 
     
  4. Be sure that you have peace about each offer and if you don’t feel a peace about a certain offer, take that one off the list of who to choose from. 

It is a good idea to go through all scenarios that may arise with each offer that is given before deciding which one to go with.  Once you choose the right offer, you can look forward to moving into a new chapter of your life! 

Courtesy of New Castle County DE Realtors Tucker Robbins and Carol Arnott Robbins. 

Photo credit:  CRES

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Ways To Eliminate Pet Odor When Selling Your Home

Wednesday, March 9, 2022
by Tucker Robbins

If you have pets you know all too well just what a mess they can make, what you may not be aware of however is that they have a smell all their own that others who walk into your house may be able to smell more than you can.  If you have your house on the market you may need to do your best to eliminate the pet odor before you home starts showing so that you will be better able to sell your home. 

Below are a few ideas and tips to help you get a head start on eliminating pet odor.

  • If your pet has an accident inside of your home douse it with baking soda as quickly as you possibly can after you soak up the urine with a towel.  Allow the baking soda to dry and then pat the area with a dry towel.  Once you have done all of this, be sure to vacuum the area.  The smell that once would have lingered behind after cleaning the soiled area will no longer exist.   
     
  • Another great way to rid your home of pet smell so that your home may have a better chance of selling is to make a fabric spray out of white vinegar and baking soda.  1 teaspoon of baking soda mixed with 1 tablespoon of vinegar will do the trick.  Put these ingredients together in a spray bottle and you will have a great way to get pet smell out of your furniture and other fabrics.  Spraying this concoction over your furniture before a showing is a great way to know that your potential buyers will not be able to smell that you have pets living inside of the house with you. 
     
  • A  HEPA  air filtration system is also a good thing to have if you have pets and you are planning to try to sell your home.  These types of systems cost as little as $100 and can make all the difference when it comes to the sale of your home.  One hundred dollars may sound like a lot of money but when you think that it may make or break the sale of your home it is nothing.  Be sure to always clean you’re air conditioning filtration system as well so that you will have clean air flowing throughout the house at all times just in case you have someone who wants to take a tour of your home at the last minute. 

Courtesy of New Castle County DE Real Estate Expert Tucker Robbins.

Photo credit: The Family Handyman

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7 Easy and Affordable Home Improvements

Wednesday, March 2, 2022
by Tucker Robbins


It is not necessary to completely overhaul every bathroom in your home, remodel the kitchen. or put down new flooring to give your tired home a boost. Small, affordable improvements can get big results. 

 

  • - Decluttering every space in your home is probably the first place to start.  Getting organized is one of the best and simplest ways to improve your home’s look. Selling items on social media marketplaces or having a yard sale will also put money in your pockets for an added benefit! 
     

  • - A quick and easy fix-up for your interior is paint! Not only is it inexpensive, but it is also an easy DIY when you tackle one room per weekend. 
     

  • - After painting, why not add some crown molding? Purchase plaster-coated foam molding that can be cut with a handsaw and put into place with joint compound. 
     

  • - Spruce up your mudroom, kitchen, or bathroom floors with self-stick tiles. This type of vinyl flooring comes in many styles and colors, and you can create a pattern for some added style. 
     

  • - Simple kitchen updates can make a big difference:  a countertop makeover, new hardware for cabinets and drawer pulls, peel-and-stick backsplash installation, or new paint on the cabinetry.
     

  • - While costing a bit more, if your bathroom needs a boost, ready-made sink cabinetry,  prefab tub/shower kits, or tub refinishing kits can be purchased at a local home store or online for thousands less than hiring a pro. 
     

  • - If a total exterior paint job is not in the budget, give the house a thorough pressure-washing and paint the shutters and front door. Brightening the landscaping with fresh mulch and seasonal annuals in containers are other dollar-saving ways to give the outside an update. 

 

Homeownership can be expensive, but your desire to make updates do not have to be.  If you are thinking of putting your house on the market soon, even the smallest improvements can make your home “show” better and sell faster.  Add some sweat equity, follow directions exactly, and many jobs can be done on your own.  Either way, you will benefit from the fresh, new look! 

 

Courtesy of New Castle County DE Realtors Tucker Robbins and Carol Arnott Robbins. 

 

Photo credit: Better Homes and Gardens

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Photo of Tucker Robbins Real Estate
Tucker Robbins
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices
3838 Kennett Pike
Wilmington DE 19807
(302) 777-7744 (direct)
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