Winter Weatherizin’
So this is…winter? It’s been a mild one – with the occasional vague threat of a pending snowmaggedon – but mostly uneventual. However, just because we’re not being inundated with severe weather doesn’t mean you should slack on your usual annual home maintenance chores. As this pic by my lovely client illustrates, your home is still vulnerable to environmental damage beneath the surfaces. Here’s my (strongly suggested) recommendations for keeping your home in tip top shape this winter, snowmaggedon or not:
- Clean those gutters! Allowing leaf litter and debris to accumulate over time can lead to leaks and saggy gutters (and who wants those?).
- While you’re up there, make sure your roof isn’t accumulating moss. This is a task you can do yourself, depending on your courage and mobility (and with someone else around to spot you), but if you’re worried about it, hire a professional!
- I cannot stress this enough: hire a HVAC contractor to get your furnace AND hot water heater serviced. More importantly, change or clean your air filter. If this is clogged up witht he detrius of years gone by (think pet hair, dust bunnies, and human dander…gross), your air quality is gonna suck, and it can potentially cause health issues. Let’s stride into 2020 with clean, breathable air in the home!
- With heavy, uninterrupted rainfall comes potential basement leaks. If you don’t get down there often, now’s a good time to do a quick search for possible water damage.
- It’s also a good time to turn on any showers or faucets that don’t get much use – just run for a few minutes to clear out those pipes!
That’s it! Easy, right? Now we’re all set for whatever the weather decides to surprise us with!
Five Star Realtor for Ten Years Running
That’s TEN years in a row, now! Honestly, I am so moved by the love my clients show me by referring their family and friends to me – and the fact that they take the time to fill out this Portland Monthly survey means a lot, too! I hope to send all that love right back by giving unbeatable, consistent service, resources, encouragement, and friendship over these many years of being your agent! Thank you for this great honor.
End of An Era
Oof! It’s hard when some of your besties leave the state, especially when they’ve been so amazing at supporting me as a realtor over the past decade. We sold their gorgeous Kenton home recently, and they had this to say:
“And just like that, our Portland home is sold. Our amazing BFF realtor Stephanie Lundin knocked it out of the park for us yet again, working incredibly hard on our behalf to get us the best situation and multiple bids, and making this the least stressful transaction of all time. I’ve worked with her in two purchases, and two sales in the past 10 years, and I’ve referred her to literally dozens of my friends and neighbors. She indulged me in showing me over 100 properties when we were looking for what would be our Kenton house, and we had such a blast every time. She’s also an advocate for green building and affordable housing in Portland, and cares deeply about shaping the way housing policy works in Portland. In short: she is simply the best. She sent us this incredible watercolor of our home to remember it by, and these beautiful flowers, and I’m verklempt AF. Portlanders, if you ever need a realtor, Stephanie is your gal. Thank you, Annie, we love you so much!”
You can’t ask for a better goodbye kiss than that. And if you’re in LOVE with the artist renderings of sold homes that I gift to my sellers, check out (artist’s page), or, you know, hire me as your listing agent. 😉
Winter Scouting & Market Report
If you’ve been thinking that Portland real estate is a bit sluggish, you are not alone. We can usually expect things to slow as we trudge through the winter months, but the number of new listings decreased by a whopping 40% from November to December of 2019. Pending sales were also down 22%. Those numbers… See the Full Report
Help My Business Grow in 2020!
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