“The weather’s getting colder and the leaves are changing so it must be time to prepare for your home for Winter. Check out this list of ‘To Do’s’ that you don’t want to forget.”
Denise Buck & Ed Johnson – DC Metro Realty Team
Such as look for roof leaks before the first winter snow. Preventative maintenance is key. Read
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© Copyright 2020 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®
“It’s that time of year, when we begin to retreat indoors, as the weather gets a little cooler. But as the temperatures drop the colors change. See how to take advantage of this right at your front door.”
Denise Buck & Ed Johnson – DC Metro Realty Team
“Be proud and feel good every time you come home, by using one of these helpful tips on improving your front entrance.”
Denise Buck & Ed Johnson – DC Metro Realty Team
Wouldn’t it be nice to approach your home’s entrance with a grin instead of a grimace? Take our tips for beating a clear, safe, and stylish path to your front door. Read
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© Copyright 2020 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®
“Got some problem areas in your yard, or maybe you’re just not sure what to do? Here are several ideas on using Ground Cover for a multitude of issues.”
Denise Buck & Ed Johnson – DC Metro Realty Team
Originally published by American Home Shield
Ground cover plants can do more for your yard than you realize. Check out these 7 ideas to see how.
Low-growing ground cover plants are an often-overlooked solution to many of the most common landscaping problems homeowners face when implementing DIY backyard ideas. And that’s a real shame, because many ground cover plants are easy to grow, come back year after year and can bring color and texture to your flower beds or lawn.
Whether you’re looking for a way to fill in the bare soil under your trees or in other shady spots, need a way to make lawn maintenance on slopes easier, or are simply looking to revitalize the look of your flower beds and landscaping, ground cover plants can meet your needs. These seven tips for using ground covers in your yard can help you solve your landscaping problems and give you the best yard on the block.
Mowing, weed-eating or otherwise maintaining grass on a slope or hill is a real pain. It can be dangerous, too, especially on a steep slope or in wet grass.
Landscaping with ground cover plants can make caring for landscaping on a slope, embankment or hill much easier. Most ground cover plantings don’t need to be mowed or trimmed, so you can put the lawnmower away and stop struggling with the weed-eater string. Longer ground covers like ivy, Japanese painted fern, Japanese forest grass and pachysandra are great choices for a low-maintenance, visually appealing slope.
It can be hard to grow traditional turf grasses in shady spots under trees, but there are plenty of ground cover species that love the shade and will grow well under your trees, filling in the space with greenery and texture. Grape hyacinths can add quick bursts of color to shady spaces in the spring, and after they go dormant, good ground covers for shade, like pachysandra, vinca minor, liriope and wintercreeper can offer foliage and flowers throughout the summer.
Plant ground covers in between tree roots. Add some compost, garden soil, mulch and other organic material to get ground cover plants started and to avoid the need to dig too deeply into the soil around your tree’s roots.
Ground covers are a great way to add movement and texture to flower beds because they’re usually much shorter than many popular flower bed plantings. Colorful ground cover plants like creeping phlox, basket of gold and creeping thyme can fill in your flower beds and add interest to your garden.
If you like to grow large, showy plants in your flower beds, a single species of ground cover can provide an attractive backdrop for them. But mixing several species of colorful ground cover plants can create a beautiful mosaic of different colors and textures in your beds. Go for different shades of green with covers like Scotch moss, ajuga, creeping Jenny, Dutch clover, and golden pearlwort, or add some color with flowering ground covers like nepeta, Angelina sedum, basket of gold or amethyst in snow.
If you’ve been making hardscaping outdoor home improvements, like installing patios or pathways, you might be looking for a way to soften the sharp edges around your new installations. Many ground cover plants are well-suited to this purpose. When planted along paths or around patios, they can spread out to soften the edges of these hardscaping features. Try creeping ground covers, like creeping thyme.
Looking for an attractive way to fill in gaps between stepping stones? Many species of moss are easy to grow, won’t creep out of their space and can handle a little foot traffic. Other good choices include a low-growing sedum or creeping thyme.
While most people might still choose to grow a sprawling expanse of turf grass on their lawn, homeowners are increasingly realizing that it’s not the only option. Replacing your turf grass lawn with one made of a patchwork of ground cover plants can be more energy-efficient because many of these plants are more drought-tolerant than traditional turf grasses. Ground covers like Spanish daisy, lantana, creeping rosemary and silver carpet can tolerate full sun and drought conditions.
Ground covers are also easier to maintain than traditional turf grasses because they don’t need mowing. Most only grow to a certain height, and then no further. The most you’ll need to do in terms of maintenance would be to trim dead flowers off of some species of flowering ground cover, like a basket of gold.
Ground cover plants can do a lot for your yard. They can spruce up your flower beds, fill in shady spots or replace grass to cut down on maintenance. Don’t keep struggling with your landscaping problems. Solve them with ground cover plants.
“It’s time to start thinking about winterizing your outdoor plants. Not sure what to keep and what to get rid of, or how to do it. Check this out for some great tips.”
Denise Buck & Ed Johnson
Originally published by American Home Shield
Love your plants, but they hate the cold? Whether you have an outdoor garden or potted plants, follow these tips to protect your blooms from the winter cold.
As the temperatures drop and the days grow short, you should be thinking about how to winterize your plants. What’s the best way to protect your greenery from colder weather?
Many of your established plants don’t need much special attention to survive the winter. However, for tender plants and new additions to your garden or landscaping, winterizing is essential.
You can ensure the survival of even your hardiest plants for many seasons to come by taking a few preventative measures.
Knowing your area’s average annual temperature extremes is essential to successful winterizing. This information is readily available from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s website — just look for your state and county.
The best way to begin the winterizing process is by mulching. Mulch insulates the soil and prevents frost heave, a condition that occurs when soil repeatedly freezes and thaws. Plant heave exposes plant crowns and roots to freezing air and drying winds.
When applying mulch, aim for a layer that’s three to five inches deep, or even deeper for colder regions. Use material that won’t compact. Good candidates are bark, leaf litter, clean hay, straw or even recycled rubber.
Also, while mulching, trim your perennials back and pull up the annuals to eliminate hiding places for pests and plant diseases.
Remove any weeds and place them in a sealed container for disposal, not in your compost pile. Weeds compete with desirable plants for precious natural resources and are often more difficult to eradicate once they re-establish themselves in the spring. Weeds are also often a sign of underlying issues with your soil. For example, soil needs air if it is to remain healthy. Soils compacted by weeds and their roots can become choked.
Before the first freeze, bring in any potted tropical and semi-tropical plants you’ve enjoyed outside during the spring and summer. Before doing so, however, it’s a good idea to apply a horticultural oil or insecticidal soap to remove pests and their eggs from the plants. Once indoors, give your plants as much light as you can, but be careful not to overwater. Plants grow slower during winter and consequently don’t require as much water. If a few leaves turn yellow and drop, don’t panic. The dimmer indoor light means the plants don’t need as many leaves as they would if they were outdoors.
Some plants grow from special underground structures known as bulbs. These bulbs contain the nutrients the plant needs to thrive on a seasonal basis. Most bulbs you’ll find in your yard flower in the spring and die back to ground level in the fall. Daffodils, tulips, crocuses and irises all grow from bulbs. Although bulbs have a reputation for being easy to maintain, they do have temperature limits and need protection from winter’s freeze.
Wait until the foliage yellows. Then dig up the bulbs, remove any clinging dirt and then set the bulbs out to dry. (Old newspapers are great for this purpose.) Bulbs need about two weeks to complete this process and enter dormancy. After two weeks, place the bulbs in a wooden or cardboard box. Take care to separate the bulbs as much as possible to prevent the spread of disease or rot. Cover the bulbs with peat moss, sawdust or sand until they’re ready to be replanted.
Tender shrubs should be wrapped in burlap or agricultural cloth to protect them from a prolonged freeze. Avoid using plastic as it does not breathe and can create greenhouse conditions that literally cook your plants. Remove the burlap or cloth when the temperature starts to rise to avoid overheating.
The bark of newly planted trees, especially fruit trees, is very thin. To protect the bark from cracking as day/night temperatures fluctuate, cover them with tree wrap or tree guards.
Don’t forget any empty clay pots left behind outdoors. Clay pots breathe, absorbing and releasing water, and that’s why plants grow so well in them. When they freeze, they develop cracks and can eventually shatter. Bring them indoors for the winter or store them somewhere outdoors where they won’t get wet.
“Most of us are looking for ways to extend our living space to outside. Creating an inexpensive shaded area is an easy way to to that.”
Denise Buck & Ed Johnson – DC Metro Realty Team
Not all shady deals are bad. These patio shade projects are each under $300. Read
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Copyright 2019 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®
“It’s never too late to start taking care of your lawn. Regardless of the season there are things that you should be doing to make a difference…start now!”
Denise Buck & Ed Johnson – DC Metro Realty Team
Lawn care basics for a barefoot-worthy yard. Read
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Copyright 2019 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®
“This is a problem that we all dread, but it can be taken care of.”
Denise Buck & Ed Johnson – DC Metro Realty Team
Originally Published by American Home Shield
Standing water can be caused by many things: soil that doesn’t absorb water, grading issues, etc. Try these drainage solutions to keep your yard above water.
Keeping your lawn green and pristine is a matter of pride. So it can be upsetting to find a growing puddle of standing water in your yard. Not only is stagnant water unsightly, but it can also kill your grass, damage ornamental plants, compromise your home’s foundation, become a breeding ground for mosquitoes and be symptom of larger problems.
What causes water to accumulate on your lawn? What are the best methods of eliminating standing water? Here’s what homeowners need to know.
When stagnant water forms on your property, it can be a sign of either easily correctable habits or more fundamental design flaws.
Be careful of overwatering your lawn. If your home is equipped with an automatic sprinkler or irrigation system, you may need to make certain adjustments to address a problem with standing water. Try watering your lawn less frequently and/or for shorter periods of time.
If altering your gardening and maintenance habits doesn’t correct the issue, further investigation may be necessary. The following are common culprits in cases of standing water.
Grading. Lawns should be graded (or leveled) to ensure proper drainage. The slope should trend away from the house and direct run-off down towards the street, alleyway or storm sewer. If your landscaping doesn’t take the proper angle, water may collect on your lawn faster that it can drain. Improper drainage can also cause natural low spots in your yard to accumulate more and more water with each rainfall.
Thatch. Proper drainage also depends on your lawn’s permeability. A permeable lawn allows water to seep into the earth instead of collecting on the surface. If grass clippings or leaf litter clog on your lawn, they can prevent the soil from absorbing water as it would under normal conditions.
Soils. Hard, compact soils and heavy, sticky clay soils are also less absorbent and prevent surface water from seeping into the ground.
Hard subsoil. Hardpan is a thick layer of impervious subsoil. Hardpan can be naturally occurring, or it can be the result of construction equipment densely compacting yards and lawns which are then topped with a layer of topsoil, disguising the issue. Once water percolates down to the hardpan, it has nowhere else to go and begins pooling.
High water table. As rain seeps into the earth, it becomes groundwater. This groundwater forms a water table, a completely saturated level of subsurface soil and rock. In some instances, however, the water table can rise very close to the surface, creating waterlogged conditions.
Fortunately, you don’t have to live with standing water. Depending on the ultimate cause of your standing water problem, you can take immediate action to boost your lawn’s ability to shed water.
Re-grade. Consult with a professional landscaper on re-grading the terrain around your home. Be sure to request that the landscaper provide a survey of your lawn’s low-lying points, natural channels and drainage outlets.
De-thatch. You can remove heavy thatch using a dethatcher, vertical mower, or even a simple lawn rake. Once you’ve removed the plant debris, pierce the turf with a garden fork or a lawn aerator. The small holes you make should be at least 4 inches deep and spaced 2 inches apart. Aerated soil is not only soil that drains properly — it’s also healthier soil.
Break it up. In order to make your lawn more amenable to water absorption, work organic matter into your soil. Garden compost, leaf mold and manure will all open the soil up and create more minute channels through which water can escape.
Dig. For hardpan problems, a shovel may be the best solution. If the hardpan is less than 2 feet thick, wait for a dry spell and then dig up as much as you can. If you can’t break up the hardpan yourself, consult with a professional contractor who specializes in drilling through densely packed subsoil.
Make accommodations. A high water table is a much more difficult issue to address. Instead, it’s a fact of life that you will likely have to work around. However, you can still improve drainage by increasing the depth of your lawn borders. You can also add layers of soil to create raised beds. Finally, you can landscape using more shallow-rooted plants capable of surviving wet conditions.
Install a French drain. A French drain (also known as a curtain drain) is actually a comprehensive drainage system made from rather simple materials. A graded trench directs the flow of water away from the home. The trench is then filled in with gravel, which lets gravity do the work of channeling the water into a perforated pipe that sits at the trench’s base.
Don’t let standing water keep you and your family from enjoying the outdoor areas around your home. By identifying the cause of your drainage problem and relying on good common sense, you can ensure that gray clouds don’t linger even after the storms have passed.
“It’s that time of the year when we want to get outside as much as we can to take advantage of the nice weather. Here are some ideas to make your deck just a little nicer!”
Denise Buck & Ed Johnson – DC Metro Realty Team
Want to upgrade your deck but watching your budget? Here are 5 easy deck makeover ideas, many well under $300. Read
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Copyright 2019 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®
“As Spring approaches you might be looking into a larger home project, that could cost several thousands of dollars. A Home Equity Loan might be a good answer for how to pay for it.”
Denise Buck & Ed Johnson – DC Metro Realty Team
A home equity loan allows homeowners to borrow against the equity they have in their home, or the difference between what they owe on their home and what their home is worth.
So, you need some money – and a lot of it. Maybe you have medical bills to pay, or college tuition bills for your children. Maybe you need to update, renovate or make repairs to your home. Whatever the reason, you’ve been wondering whether a home equity loan is right for you. Such a loan could let you borrow a large amount of money, and because it would be secured by your home, it’d be easier to get than a personal loan.
But, before you call your mortgage broker, you need to know the ins and outs of these financial products. What are home equity loans, and how do they work? What are the pros, cons and alternatives? And what are the best ways to protect yourself and your family when you take out a home equity loan? Read on to learn the answers to these questions, and more.
A home equity loan is basically a type of mortgage. Like the mortgage you took out when you purchased your home, a home equity loan is secured by the home itself.
Homeowners can and do use home equity loans to fund repairs, updates, renovations and improvements to the home. If you use a home equity loan to fund certain home improvements, you may be able to deduct the interest from your taxes. However, once you have the money, you can do whatever you want with it – pay for your kids’ college, start a business, or buy a second property, for example.
A home equity loan usually allows you to borrow between 80 to 85 percent of the difference between what you owe on your home and what it’s worth. For example, if your home is worth $300,000, and you owe $100,000, you should be able to borrow up to 80 to 85 percent of the difference – or about $160,000 to $170,000.
However, a home equity loan is a second mortgage, and it’s structured just like a purchase mortgage. You’ll have to put in an application and your lender will assess your ability to repay the loan. You’ll pay closing costs, and your home will secure the loan. You’ll make monthly payments over a fixed number of years, but your interest rate should be fixed for the life of the loan. Home equity loans are amortized, which means that each payment will reduce both some of the interest and some of the principal of the loan.
Like any other loan product, home equity loans have their pros and cons. It’s generally pretty easy to get a home equity loan, because they’re secured by your home. Interest rates are typically much, much lower than they are for credit cards, personal lines of credit and personal loans, and if you’re currently paying a low mortgage rate, you don’t have to jeopardize that with a cash-out refinance. Payments are the same every month, so they’re easy to fit into your budget, and closing a home equity loan is faster than a cash-out refinance.
However, home equity loans can be inflexible – you have to take a lump sum of money at once, which can be inconvenient if you need to use the cash incrementally, such as for college tuition payments or a renovation project. You’ll pay interest on the money even if you’re not currently using it. Home equity loans can also represent significant debt, and they come with closing costs and fees. Of course, because your home secures the loan, you could lose your house if you don’t pay it back.
As an alternative to traditional home equity loans, many banks now offer home equity lines of credit, or HELOCs. Instead of receiving a lump sum in a specific amount, you can get approved for a maximum amount of available credit, and just borrow what you need against that amount. A HELOC offers more flexibility if you need to spend the money incrementally, or if you otherwise need to borrow multiple times. That way, you only pay interest on the money you actually spend. You may even be able to make smaller monthly payments in the beginning.
Cash-out refinances are another option for homeowners who find that their home is worth much more than they owe. This involves taking out a mortgage for more than you owe and pocketing the difference. It’s a good idea if you need a large sum of money for renovations, home improvements, college tuition, or other expenses, and it can be especially beneficial if you’re able to secure a lower mortgage rate.
A home equity loan can be a wonderful tool, but a wise homeowner uses caution when wielding it. Just as with a mortgage, you should shop around for the best rates before choosing a lender.
Before you take out a home equity loan, make sure you understand the terms. Don’t borrow more than you can pay back, and don’t sign up for high monthly payments that are unsustainable. If you choose a HELOC instead of a home equity loan, be careful; some HELOCs require the borrower to borrow a minimum amount, whether they need it or not. Of course, you could still make such an arrangement work for you, as long as you have the discipline to pay back the difference between what you need and the minimum loan amount.
Most importantly, don’t treat your house like an ATM. It can be tempting, especially with a HELOC, to just keep borrowing money. Your home should be a means of building wealth, and continually borrowing against your home equity undermines that. Use your home equity in ways that can help you grow or protect yours and your family’s wealth (such as by funding improvements, renovations, repairs, or the purchase of more property) or your potential to create wealth (such as by funding higher education, or starting a business).
If you’re a homeowner, you could be sitting on a source of cash to cover major expenses in the form of your home’s equity. But, while home equity can be a great resource, it’s vital to know exactly what you’re getting into with a home equity loan, so that you don’t end up regretting a second mortgage.