John Beckett's Real Estate Blog

November is a good month to move some maintenance efforts indoors. This month also provides an opportunity to see if your hard work during earlier months paid off — nothing tests waterproofing efforts like a hard November rain.

Maintain large appliances

As the holiday season begins, make sure your appliances are prepared for the demands you will place on them. Pull your refrigerator from the wall and clean the condenser coils in back with a vacuum cleaner with a brush attachment. Also, vacuum dust from the front lower grille and clean the drip pan and the drain leading to it (if your unit has one). Clean the oven and stove drip pans on your electric range. Clean the surface burner on your gas stove to ensure proper flame level. De-stench your in-sink garbage disposal by packing it with ice cubes and 1/4 cup of baking soda; then turn it on. After the ice-grinding noise stops, pour a kettle full of boiling water into the sink. Check the dishwasher strainer and washer arm; clean if necessary.

Clean and maintain closets

Go to your closets and perform these two simple tests: Can you see floor space, and can you easily close the door? If the answer to either one of these questions is no, clean your closet. Cramped closets can provide haven for pests, too-full racks can break free from walls, and sliding doors can be derailed by too much stuff. Add compartments and hanging racks at different levels to utilize more space.

Maintain woodwork

November is a good month to repair and reglue woodwork, since indoor air is at its driest. If you are regluing wobbly dining room chairs, clamp during drying by wrapping a rope tightly around the perimeter of the legs. Be sure to protect wood surfaces with cardboard before tightening rope. Try using toothpaste on white water stains on wood surfaces. Once the stain is removed, polish with furniture polish. Use paste wax and elbow grease to put a new sheen on wood furniture.

Clear leaves from gutter

Cleaning gutters is a slimy job, but the task will protect your siding and basement from expensive water damage. Don long rubber gloves, grab a gallon bucket and scoop leaves into the bucket by hand. Trying to use a garden trowel or other device just makes the task more cumbersome and can damage gutters. Blast the scum from the bottom of the gutter with a hose equipped with a pressure nozzle. If it doesn’t drain well, feed your running hose up the pipe to knock loose the clog. Dump the contents of the bucket on your compost pile and pat yourself on the back for a dirty job well done.

Speaking of leaves …

Check some other places where accumulated leaves can be a problem. If leaves are piled in the valleys of your roof, they can retain water and initiate leaks. Walk your property with a shovel and clear drainage ditches and culverts of leaf buildup. Also, a moderate amount of leaves on a lawn can provide a natural mulch, but if large amounts are left to soak up winter rains, they will smother the grass beneath them.

Have problem trees trimmed

Now that you’ve cleaned your gutters, you know which trees are dumping leaves on your roof, shading it enough to encourage moss, and close enough to cause serious damage should they lose a branch in a storm. Trees are dormant this time of the year and can withstand extensive pruning. Decide which ones need cutting back and hire a professional to do the job. This is not a do-it-yourself task if the trees you are looking at are high enough to affect your roof. Trimming large trees is a dangerous job that should be left to an expert.

Maintain moisture

Heaters, especially forced air and wood stoves, can rob a home of humidity. A touch of moisture in the air makes heated air feel warmer, so you can keep the heat at a slightly lower temperature if your humidity is balanced. If your woodwork is cracking or your skin seems excessively dry, you need more moisture in your home. A furnace-mounted humidifier is likely the answer if your home has central forced-air heat and other measures don’t moisten things up. If you have a wood stove, put a nonwhistling teakettle on it and add water regularly (check it daily to make sure the water hasn’t evaporated). If you prefer not to go by feel, buy an inexpensive instrument called a hygrometer that measures humidity.

Maintain pools down south

For most of the country, pools are out of sight and out of mind during November. But if you live in sunny southern climes, this month marks the beginning of the dry season and the time to begin any pool maintenance job that requires emptying the pool. If a pool is emptied when groundwater levels are high, it can “float” and damage itself. So if you’re fortunate enough to live in a place where you can actually enjoy your pool in December, consider having major maintenance like replastering done this time of year.

Check your sump pump

Some unfinished basements in wet areas have sump pumps installed. These pumps switch on automatically when groundwater levels rise, eliminating basement water before it becomes a problem. If you have one, make sure it is in good working order before the rainy season starts.

Buy foam-cup covers for outdoor faucets

Be prepared to protect your spigots when the weather gets chilly and flirts with going below the freezing level. The foam cups are commonly sold at hardware stores and provide a cheap insurance policy that will help keep exposed pipes from freezing.

Read at: http://realestate.msn.com/article.aspx?cp-documentid=13107890

A Birth Certificate shows that we were born.  A Death Certificate shows that we died. Pictures show that we lived!  Have a seat . . . Relax . . . And read this slowly.

I Believe…
That just because two people argue,
doesn’t mean that they don’t love each other.
And just because they don’t argue,
doesn’t mean they do love each other.

I Believe…
That sometimes when I’m angry I have the right to be angry,  but that doesn’t give me the right to be cruel.

I Believe…
That we don’t have to change friends if
we understand that friends change.

I Believe…
That no matter how good a friend is, they’re going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.

I Believe…
That true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance.
Same goes for true love.

I Believe…
That you can do something in an instant
that will give you heartache for life.

I Believe…
That it’s taking me a long time
to become the person I want to be.

I Believe…
That you should always leave loved ones with
loving words. It may be the last time you see them.

I Believe…
That you can keep going long after you think you can’t.

I Believe…
That we are responsible for what
we do, no matter how we feel.

I Believe…
That either you control your attitude or it controls you.

I Believe…
That heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.

I Believe…
That money is a lousy way of keeping score.

I Believe…
That my best friend and I can do anything, or nothing, and have the best time.

I Believe…
That sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you’re down, will be the ones to help you get back up.

I Believe…
That maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you’ve had, and  what you’ve learned from them…..and less to do with how many birthdays you’ve celebrated.

I Believe…
That it isn’t always enough to be forgiven by others.
Sometimes, you have to learn to forgive yourself.

I Believe…
That no matter how bad your heart is broken the world doesn’t stop for your grief.

I Believe…
That our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.

I Believe…
That you shouldn’t be so eager to find
out a secret.  It could change your life Forever.

I Believe…
Two people can look at the exact same
thing and see something totally different.

I Believe…
That your life can be changed in a matter of
hours by people who don’t even know you.

I Believe…
That even when you think you have no more to give, if a friend cries out to you……..you will find the strength to help.

I Believe…
That credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.

I Believe…
That the people you care about most in life are taken from you too soon.

Every guy needs a getaway, a place where he can go to hang out, by himself or with his buddies. Batman had his secret cave, Superman his remote Fortress of Solitude. Well, you’re not going to tunnel underground or fly off to the Arctic for your special sanctuary. But you can create the perfect hideaway within your own home. All it takes is a spare bedroom, a corner of the basement or even an attic to carve out a manly escape — especially if your idea of escaping is locking yourself in a room to listen to Miles Davis albums at floor-shaking levels, shouting encouragement to your alma mater’s football team or tinkering in the privacy of your workshop.

3. The wired workshop

The guy: Just because you’re not in the office doesn’t mean you’re not keeping busy. Weekends find you ensconced in a corner of the basement or in the garage, tackling projects from building flower boxes for the bay window to sharpening the lawn-mower blades in anticipation of spring.

The getaway: Since you get restless just watching other people fix stuff, the flat-panel TV is within sight of your workbench, so you can TiVo “This Old House” and cue up the segment you need. A stainless-steel fridge lets you slake hunger and thirst without tracking sawdust and motor oil into the house. Music is a must, so why not a boom box that charges your batteries? And you’re going to need your laptop to download projects from online, but a wimpy one won’t do the trick. This is a hard-working hangout. Things could get rough in here.

Setting it up right
Where square footage is at a premium, “you need to decide if you want to maximize work space or storage space,” says Jaime Twitchell, owner of Custom Garage Systems Inc. of Bozeman, Mont. “You can run out of one or the other in a hurry.” An organized system keeps clutter in check: sports equipment and kids’ stuff in one area, yard tools in another, power tools in the workshop. “Use modular cabinet systems so you’re not stuck with one configuration as you accumulate tools and toys,” Twitchell says. Other important considerations are lighting — Twitchell recommends swapping out hot-burning incandescents for cooler, energy-efficient compact fluorescents — and ease of cleanup. An air compressor hooked to piping around the perimeter of the room comes in handy for blowing away debris (as well as pumping up bike and car tires).

Read entire story at: http://realestate.msn.com/listarticle.aspx?cp-documentid=24360350



Every guy needs a getaway, a place where he can go to hang out, by himself or with his buddies. Batman had his secret cave, Superman his remote Fortress of Solitude. Well, you’re not going to tunnel underground or fly off to the Arctic for your special sanctuary. But you can create the perfect hideaway within your own home. All it takes is a spare bedroom, a corner of the basement or even an attic to carve out a manly escape — especially if your idea of escaping is locking yourself in a room to listen to Miles Davis albums at floor-shaking levels, shouting encouragement to your alma mater’s football team or tinkering in the privacy of your workshop.

The guy: Your tastes run more to single-malt scotch than malt liquor, and you want a sophisticated space to indulge your passions: vintage jazz, fine cigars and the occasional game of Texas hold ‘em with the guys. You’re one of the few people you know who still keep a collection of LPs and a turntable to play them on, the centerpiece of an audio system that gets pride of place in this mellow den.

The getaway: Think Edwardian library, updated for the 21st century with built-in storage for stereo equipment, sound-absorbing floor and walls, and a wireless tabletop remote control to operate everything from the music to the lighting to the thermostat.

Setting it up right
Whether it’s in a downstairs den, a converted bedroom or the attic, the key to a good listening room is containing the sound. After all, you can’t crank up the volume if the kids are next door trying to sleep. The best method, says Utz Baldwin, president of Houston-based electronics installer AD Systems, is to build a room within a room, creating an air buffer zone to deaden sound. But if you’re not inclined to construct a high-tech listening chamber, you can install sound-baffling materials on the floor, walls and ceiling. And don’t forget to audition your speakers. “Listen to your ears, not to a salesperson,” Baldwin says. Try to position your sitting area so it creates an equilateral triangle with the speakers, and place the speakers at least a foot or two away from the side and back walls for best sound quality.

Read at: http://realestate.msn.com/listarticle.aspx?cp-documentid=24360350

This weeks post is going to be in three parts. Today is on the “Sports den”. The next two will be on “The get away”  and last but not least will be “The Wired Shop.

Every guy needs a getaway, a place where he can go to hang out, by himself or with his buddies. Batman had his secret cave, Superman his remote Fortress of Solitude. Well, you’re not going to tunnel underground or fly off to the Arctic for your special sanctuary. But you can create the perfect hideaway within your own home. All it takes is a spare bedroom, a corner of the basement or even an attic to carve out a manly escape — especially if your idea of escaping is locking yourself in a room to listen to Miles Davis albums at floor-shaking levels, shouting encouragement to your alma mater’s football team or tinkering in the privacy of your workshop.

1. The sports den

The guy: You haven’t quite outgrown your love for hoops or video games, and Sundays are holy to you because of pro football. Whether it’s March Madness or the latest action-movie DVD, everyone wants to watch it on your big screen.

The getaway: Your basement home theater has to be big enough to accommodate a crowd, but you don’t want to sacrifice anything in the way of sound or video quality. That means a high-definition digital projector, a 75-inch (or larger) screen and at least 5.1-channel surround-sound speakers. For comfort, you need ample plush seating, and for convenience, a built-in bar complete with taps for your favorite suds.

Setting it up right
Today’s high-quality projectors have excellent “off-angle” viewing, which means you don’t need to sit directly in front of the screen to get a sharp image. Marc Leidig, owner of Ambiance Systems in Clifton Park, N.Y., suggests mounting the projector against the back wall or in the wall cavity to avoid the distraction of a machine hanging overhead. An acoustically transparent screen, with thousands of tiny holes that allow sound to pass through, lets you install the center channel speaker of your surround system behind it, further reducing visual clutter. Leidig recommends a fixed screen rather than a retractable one. “It saves money that you can spend on other features in the room, and it performs better because it can’t move around and affect video quality.”

Article From: http://realestate.msn.com/listarticle.aspx?cp-documentid=24360350