Envy of Your Neighbours

First impressions are everything! The clocks have moved forward, the snow has melting, and the sun is shining – Today we’re reviewing episode 8 of #KTQuickTips to provide you with helpful real estate tips to get a jump start on your spring gardening to make sure that your lawn is the envy of your neighbours. And, maintaining a thick, green lawn is a lot easier than you think. Have you heard of the term, “Dethatching”? If you haven’t, it’s probably where you’ll want to start. Dethatching is a process of removing above-ground, tangled roots and old grass clippings from the ground.  If you have a thick matting of this, it makes it hard for water and nutrients to penetrate the soil.  All you need to do is wait for the ground to dry and use a dethatching rake or an electric dethatcher, both of which you can pick up at your local hardware store. Once the dethatching has been completed, it’s a great time to seed your lawn.  Use a broadcast spreader to ensure you’ve got proper coverage, and water your grass regularly to ensure you’ve got enough moisture. Followed by a slow-release fertilizer.  Fertilizing your lawn two to three times per year on its own makes a world of difference. Last, but not least, the most common mistake most people make is cutting their grass to short.  Cut no more than a half an inch off at a time, leaving the grass three to four inches in length, allows it to compete better against the weeds and the sunlight.

3 Things That You Didn’t Know Expire in Your Home

It’s that time again. Welcome back to the #KTQuickTips Blog with your favorite Milton Real Estate Agents, The Kormendy Trott Team. Did you know there are a bunch of things that expire around your house? Here are a few things that you probably didn’t know expire. SMOKE & CO DETECTORS Smoke detectors will expire every 7 to 10 years, your CO detector every 5 to 7. They do have an expiry date somewhere on the device, so make sure you’re checking them and replacing them as needed. HOSES The hoses to your washing machine typically last five years. Make sure you’re replacing them in and around that timeframe to make sure you don’t have any unexpected floods. They also have an expiry date stamp right on it that a lot of people don’t know about. FIRE EXTINGUISHERS  They do have an expiry date, usually they are around 10 years of life, but check them regularly to ensure they’re adequately pressurized. Most importantly, never rely on the expiration dates that are printed on these devices. It’s important to test them regularly to ensure they are operating Come up with a schedule for testing devices, coordinating with Daylight Saving, New Years, your birthday, etc., is a great way to remember to do it.

May’s Monthly Checklist

Welcome back to the #KTQuickTips blog, where we share our tips and advice on maintaining, buying and selling real estate. Today we tackle May’s Monthly Checklist! Checkout the highlights below to help you prepare for the summer. DRIVEWAYS & WALKWAYS Make sure you inspect your driveways, walkways and patio areas to see if salt and ice have caused any major damage.  If it did, you’ll want to take this opportunity to fix it before it gets worse. LANDSCAPING & EQUIPMENT Take out all of your lawn and garden equipment to make sure everything is working. Since you have your equipment out, it would be a great time to give your lawn a coating of fertilizer. This will give you a head start to ensuring your grass is growing properly as we head into the summer months.  EAVESTROUGH Inspect your eavestrough. Over the winter months, ice can cause your eavestrough to separate from the roof causing drainage problems and you will want to clean out any leaves and debris that may have accumulated since the fall to ensure they can handle all of the spring rain. That’s it! Like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram for other great tips and information.