Remove Snow and Ice

5 Safety Tips to Remove Snow 

and Ice this Winter

Winter is coming and with it comes the snow and ice that many homeowners need to clear from their properties. Both snow and ice can create a safety hazard leading up to your home. This is particularly problematic, not only for those living there but also for anyone selling their home this season. Both heavy snow and ice can make it difficult to enter a building safely, and they can also cause damage to a home as well, potentially lowering its value. For this reason, it’s usually a good idea to tackle the snow and ice around your home in a timely way each snowfall.

There are a lot of ways you can go about doing this, from hiring a snow removal service to investing in special equipment. The following five tips for removing snow and ice this winter are designed to help you and your property deal with winter a little more safely. Start Early and Often

Snow becomes heavier as it builds up on walkways, steps, and your roof. And if it melts partially, then refreezes, it becomes ice, which is even more hazardous beneath your feet than packed snow. Removing fallen snow early and often makes it safer and easier to do. It also makes it less costly; by removing snow before it has a chance to build up, you can prevent issues such as having too much weight on your roof. 

Pay attention to what type of snow it is; wetter snow falling at higher temperatures is heavier than drier snow, and it will need to be removed more often.  

Use the Right Ice Melt

Ice melt and rock salt can help keep steps clear, helping to eliminate any leftover snow that melted and refroze, and in some cases helping to prevent refreezing from taking place. The wrong ice melt can be poisonous for pets and harmful to landscaping, however. When you coat your walkways or driveway with ice melt, the runoff will end up in your landscaping, and it could result in some dead or brown plants come spring. Pets and other animals crossing your driveway may pick up some of the ice melt on their feet. If they lick their feet clean later, this could poison them. Always use a pet-safe ice melt to avoid these issues, and make sure that you apply it frequently to prevent any refreezing. 

Push Snow, Don’t Lift It

It can be tempting to try to lift up big shovelfuls of snow and toss them aside to clear your paths. But doing so can quickly lead to fatigue, as well as to potential injuries to your shoulders and back. The recommended method of shoveling snow by the National Safety Council is to push snow, not lift it. 

If you’re shoveling often, so the snow isn’t building up and getting heavy, then it’s usually easy to push the snow along the walk or driveway and out of the way. If you struggle with this technique, there are two-handled shovels that are designed for easier pushing; they can clear a lot of snow in very short periods of time, without potentially harming your back. 

Get a Long Handled Rake

Having a little snow on your roof isn’t going to hurt it. But if you live in an area that sees snow storm after snow storm with little to no melting in between, then the built-up snow could start to cause some issues. Once snow reaches the weight of 20 pounds per foot, it can begin to be too much for the structure of your roof. If left in place, it can cause leaks and roof damage at a minimum and a potential cave-in at the worst. 

While you can hire someone to come and clear the snow off for you, it’s also easy to remove at least some of it yourself. Purchase a long-handled snow rake and use it to drag or pull the snow off of the roof. Even if you can’t reach all the snow, just getting the bulk of it off your roof can help prevent future problems. 

Make Wide Paths

It’s tempting when you start shoveling to clear a path just wide enough to pass through. The problem with this, however, is that as the snow melts and refreezes, as well as continues to fall, paths often start to narrow and become more difficult to travel. This can make it dangerous to walk through your property. By making your paths extra wide, you can eliminate this problem. Even if they shrink a little as the winter continues, they should still stay wide enough to allow safe passage to and from your front door.

Practice Snow Safety this Winter

Snow and ice can be a serious hazard for homeowners and for potential buyers, as well as for the home itself. Make sure that you practice snow safety and remove snow and ice in a timely manner this winter to avoid these issues yourself. 

As a current resident in Northern Colorado, I am fully aware of the current market trends and what it takes to get a great deal on a listing or get top dollar for your current home. When it comes to getting the job done right, you can count on me.

I have a lot of connections within the Northern Colorado area. Please don’t hesitate to call and ask me any questions you might have. This process is all about you and your needs. Real Estate is a big investment and I understand that. One thing you will get with me is a personal relationship, In the end, that goes a long way.
 

Northern Colorado is a great place to live! For more information, please give me a ring or email me today. I would love the opportunity to earn your business and partner with you in regards to your Real Estate needs.

LOOKING TO BUY??

If you are looking to purchase, I can save you a lot of money, as much as 10% on the purchase and finance of your home. 

Contact me today to learn about ALL of my strategies to get you the BEST price for your home in the shortest possible time! 

SOURCE: REALTY TIMES / WRITTEN BY CRISTINA MIGUELEZ

Investing in Commercial Real Estate

7 Benefits of Investing in 

Commercial Real Estate

  For the longest time, Commercial Real Estate (or CRE) investing has been accessible only to more seasoned investors—those who have larger portfolios. Beginner investors, though, would find this particular market difficult to crack...but that was before. 

Today, thanks to the internet and online marketplaces, anyone can be an investor in real estate, even in CRE. In this article, we are going to learn what CRE investment means and its benefits. Let’s get started.

What Is CRE?

So, what is Commercial Real Estate Investing anyway? This is the procurement and management of commercial properties. These structures include (but are not limited to) retail buildings, office spaces, warehouses, and even apartments. 

The bigger question is why you should put your money there in the first place. Don’t worry. You’ll find the different benefits of investing in commercial real estate below.

The Benefits of CRE Investment

1. The Profit 

Of course, the first reason why anyone would want to invest in anything is the promise of profit, and for CRE, there’s actually a lot of it. You can get your ROI faster due to the influx of rental income. And since these are businesses we are talking about, you can significantly raise the rent compared to a residential structure. 

We also suggest adding amenities to the property to further boost your ROI. You can get these last-moment renovations done by getting a direct deposit payday loan. You won’t even have to leave your house to get your funds. They are quick and convenient.

2. Less Risk

Another reason why we love investing in CRE is that it is less volatile. You can secure long-term lease contracts from clients for as long as 3-5 years, sometimes even longer than that. By doing so, you are already ensuring your profit for the next half a decade or so, regardless of what economic swings the future might bring.

3. Tax Incentives

Maintaining a commercial property is a hard and sometimes expensive task. The Internal Revenue Service recognizes this so that’s why they offer tax incentives to its owners especially on expenses related to upkeep and maintenance. 

4. Conscientious Clients

Speaking of upkeep and maintenance, you will be pleased to learn that these chores are significantly easier compared to residential properties for two reasons. First, your clients are business owners as well so you can expect more professionalism. Second, since most of them are establishments that offer products and services, they’ll be concerned about maintaining their image as well and will surely try hard to keep the premises as clean and well-kept as possible.

5. Realistic Responsibilities

As property investors ourselves, one of the things we absolutely hate is emergency calls in the wee hours of the morning. Those who have invested in residential properties are all too familiar with these calls as well. 

You’ll be pleased to know that you will rarely experience this with commercial establishments since they have set operation hours. They will also be gone most of the night. To further make sure that this doesn’t happen, we suggest that you beef up your property’s security features and insurance. In this way, you will be able to sleep every night without worries.

6. Less Competition

Another thing that we don’t appreciate in residential property investment is the fact that it has a lot of competition! Due to their bigger structures, expect your competitors to be less in CRE. What’s more, is that CRE offers a great variety of different establishments. Think of them as niches. The more specific your niche is fewer competition and more clients you’ll have.

7. Increased Value Over Time

Finally, one of the secrets of success in real estate is making sure that your property appreciates its value over time. That can be difficult to do with residences, especially if you don’t have much space to work with.

CRES, though, well they’re another thing entirely. There’ll always be a new amenity that you can add or a feature that you can install. Plus, if you have secured a prime location where tenants will thrive, then other investors will surely fight over your property should you decide to sell it in the future.

Investing in Commercial Real Estate is a huge undertaking, true, but it also offers a lot of benefits. Not only does it have a faster ROI rate, but it also has fewer risks. The best thing about it, though, is that it’s fairly easy to triple its value with just a few tweaks. We welcome you to the wonderful world of real estate investment and bid you good luck!

As a current resident in Northern Colorado, I am fully aware of the current market trends and what it takes to get a great deal on a listing or get top dollar for your current home. When it comes to getting the job done right, you can count on me.

I have a lot of connections within the Northern Colorado area. Please don’t hesitate to call and ask me any questions you might have. This process is all about you and your needs. Real Estate is a big investment and I understand that. One thing you will get with me is a personal relationship, In the end, that goes a long way.
 

Northern Colorado is a great place to live! For more information, please give me a ring or email me today. I would love the opportunity to earn your business and partner with you in regards to your Real Estate needs.

LOOKING TO BUY??

If you are looking to purchase, I can save you a lot of money, as much as 10% on the purchase and finance of your home. 

Contact me today to learn about ALL of my strategies to get you the BEST price for your home in the shortest possible time! 

 SOURCE: REALTY TIMES // WRITTEN BY JIM HUGHES

Home Improvement Decisions

The Home Improvement Decisions 

you will Never Regret

When it comes to home improvement, homeowners have a myriad of options at their disposal. However, this is not to mean that all of these options are the best. While some fixes and renovations in a home can turn your home into a perfect setting, others end up causing more harm than good. Right from landscaping to wiring and kitchen renovation, home remodeling needs careful consideration to avoid future regrets. 

What to Avoid

While some home remodeling options may look trendy on the surface, they may not be ideal for a long term engagement.  For instance, one of the trends you would not want to get involved in is specialty finishes on hardware. While most homeowners find specialty finishes on the bathroom or kitchen trendy, their relevance does not last long. Furthermore, they are expensive to have them installed or changed. So considering their up-charges and the fact that they are a thing of the moment, it may not be worth the effort.

In most cases, homeowners would try to do all they can to improve the overall outlook of their bathroom. However, some of these additions may be unnecessary. For instance, while adding a veined marble wall to your bathroom is a beautiful endeavor, going overboard can prove overwhelming since, in a few years, it will look outdated. The same applies to graphic tiling that seems trendy at the moment. At this age, Pinterest and Instagram, soon everybody will be going for it, and it will not be desirable in a few years to come.

What to Focus on in Home Remodeling

So you have everything figured out and are set up to make your investment in home renovation. Before starting your renovation project, make sure to budget all your expenses. With a detailed budget, you will know, whether is it better to consider a personal loan for home improvement or to use your savings and pay with cash. 

Where do you start? With funds ready, you ought to go for priority aspects of your home remodeling. The following are some of the notable areas to lay your emphasis.

Storage

Come to think of it; a building is essentially meant for storage apart from being home. This fact explains why one will go to great lengths to create several rooms of various storage purposes.  Over time, we accumulate a lot of stuff, and it only makes sense to create enough space for the same. Consider both your current and future storage needs when creating these spaces. This applies to both the interior and exterior storage.

Infrastructure

Apart from location, the home’s infrastructure can become a make or break point for your home remodeling design. By building a custom home, you have the autonomy to decide where each of the main features will be located. This is in addition to the assurance that whatever is used under the floor and behind the walls is high quality. Some of the notable infrastructural considerations in home remodeling include electrical systems, cooling systems, siding, plumbing, insulation, and windows. Work hand in hand with your architect or designer to ensure each of these works to improve the overall performance

The Kitchen

Kitchen remodeling is a worthy endeavor, but this comes at a price. However, there are changes you can make that will not only cost you less but also stand the test of time. For instance, you may see the need to stick to white in your kitchen. Apart from reflecting light, white makes small kitchen spaces seem larger. For flooring, hardwood takes the day. This is because hardwood can blend well with any kitchen style, whether contemporary or traditional. For cabinets, go for shaker-style versions as these give your kitchen backdrop a timeless look.

Lighting

Lighting is often overlooked when it comes to home renovation in place of other design aspects. It shouldn’t be the case as lighting makes a strong statement about the overall look of your property. This is especially so for interior design, as it affects every detail in the room. In this case, take your time to study each room in terms of its components and how best to accentuate them. Use ‘accent lighting’ to highlight some of the aesthetically pleasing fixtures in the room. While at it, consider the need to have sufficient sources of natural light into space.

Home remodeling doesn’t have to be a complicated process; the simpler, the better. The rule of thumb, in this case, is to go for options that stand the test of time. You do not want to incorporate features that will lose value or appeal in a few years.

As a current resident in Northern Colorado, I am fully aware of the current market trends and what it takes to get a great deal on a listing or get top dollar for your current home. When it comes to getting the job done right, you can count on me.

I have a lot of connections within the Northern Colorado area. Please don’t hesitate to call and ask me any questions you might have. This process is all about you and your needs. Real Estate is a big investment and I understand that. One thing you will get with me is a personal relationship, In the end, that goes a long way.
 

Northern Colorado is a great place to live! For more information, please give me a ring or email me today. I would love the opportunity to earn your business and partner with you in regards to your Real Estate needs.

LOOKING TO BUY??

If you are looking to purchase, I can save you a lot of money, as much as 10% on the purchase and finance of your home. 

Contact me today to learn about ALL of my strategies to get you the BEST price for your home in the shortest possible time! 

SOURCE: REALTY TIMES / WRITTEN BY LIDIA STARON