Now that summer is beginning to wind down and cooler weather is on its way, it’s time to get some of the routine home maintenance out of the way before it gets too cold. If you don’t prepare your home in the fall season, and clean up the yard, when spring comes along, you could be left with an unsightly mess. Lisa Udy, a Realtor in Utah offers the following tips to prepare your home for the cold months ahead.

Clean out the rain gutters – If you have rain gutters on your home, fall is the best time to get them cleaned. Cleaning rain gutters isn’t that difficult of a task, it’s just a tedious one. The easiest way to get rid of the junk is to use a high pressure hose, and then use a small trowel to get rid of the rest of the debris. Once you have gotten rid of all the debris, give your gutters a final spray.

Take care of your pots and planters – If you’re like most homeowners, you have some planters or potted plants sitting around the yard. Before it gets too cold, be sure to empty the dirt out of any pots or planters and put them in a place where they won’t freeze. If you don’t empty or store your planters, there’s a good chance they will either crack or fall apart.

Rake the leaves – Keeping your yard free of leaves is an important task for homeowners. If you have numerous trees in your yard and piles of leaves that you don’t take care of, you might find that your grass is dead once spring arrives. Leaves can smother your lawn and replacing a lawn can cost a lot of money, so it’s a good rule of thumb to get rid of the leaves in the fall.

Weed and feed the lawn – The best time to weed and feed the lawn is in the fall. If you add weed killer in the fall, the weeds will store the poison in their roots during the winter season, and will prevent a breakout in the spring. By feeding your lawn with fertilizer in the fall, you are promoting healthy root growth, and this will help your lawn grow greener and faster in the spring.

Give your tools a tune-up – Once you have finished your fall maintenance chores, make sure you clean your tools and store them in a dry place so they will be in working order once spring arrives. Be sure to store metal shovels with the head upwards, as this will help detour rusting when it dries. Sheers need to be oiled up, wheel barrels should be left upside down and don’t forget to spray off the underside of the lawnmower.

Originally posted by RisMedia/Lowes

Are you a gearhead that scrutinizes the inner-workings of a home and analyzes utility bills? Or are you more interested in the spa bathroom and stylish accent walls? Are you looking for a down-and-dirty deal, or willing to pay top dollar to acquire a hot address?

Find out what type of homebuyer you are with this quiz, and learn how to work your strengths and balance your weaknesses!

Plus, click on the House Hunter IQ Boosters to get valuable tips and advice when searching for a home.

This scam is going on right here in Topeka. Please beware of this tactic if you are planning on renting a home. This is a great article and explains exactly what to watch for. If you questions whether a deal maybe too good to be true, be sure to consult with your REALTOR for advice.

Source – WyomingNews.com
By Baylie Evans
bevans@wyomingnews.com

CHEYENNE — A real-estate scam is causing frustrations for local home sellers and renters.

Employees at Assist 2 Sell, a real-estate company here, said their clients have been affected, and they suspect that clients at other companies have been as well.

The scam works like this: A real-estate company puts listings for homes for sale on a Web site that is viewable by the public.

Then someone who is probably living overseas somewhere looks up the houses and finds the names of the homeowners using public information.

That person then posts a “for rent” listing on Craigslist, a classifieds Web site, for that address, using the real owner’s name, at a very low rent.

When potential renters contact the scammer about renting the home, the scammer has them fill out an application. The person then “approves” the application and asks the renters to send the first month’s rent and a security deposit in order to receive the keys.

This is all done by e-mail, and without the renters having seen the inside of the home, just photos from the real-estate site.

Of course, when the renters send the money, they never receive a key.

Jennifer Trainer, a real-estate broker with Assist 2 Sell, said people have been sending as much as $1,500 to this person.

“People have been falling for it like crazy,” she said.

And it seems to be getting worse, added Wendy Miller, a broker’s assistant at Assist 2 Sell.

“It seems like every week there’s another one of the houses on Craigslist,” she said.

Often, the scammer tells the potential renters a sob story.

In one e-mail correspondence, the scammer identifies himself as a pastor working as a missionary overseas.

In another, he says he and his wife moved to west Africa after winning a bid for petroleum land there.

And in another, he says his telecommunication company has moved him to England for two or three years.

But in all of them, he pleads for the renters to take good care of his home and apologizes that he can’t be there to show them the inside. And then he asks them to send money for rent and the security deposit.

In one correspondence obtained by the WTE, the renter tells the scammer she is desperate to find a home for her family, and she jumps at what seems like a perfect opportunity — though the correspondence ends when she asks to speak to the person over the phone.

And the problems aren’t only felt by potential renters. The real owners of the homes being used in the scam also are affected.

Claudia Rennekamp is trying to sell her home in Cheyenne and has been subjected to strangers knocking on her door or constantly driving by to look at the house. She has to tell them the house is not for rent and that they are the victims of a scam.

“It’s scary,” she said.

There’s not much anyone can do to stop the scam, since the person is overseas and no one knows a real name or address.

“Our best bet is just to avoid becoming a victim,” Lt. Mark Munari with the Cheyenne Police Department said. “Folks need to be very cautious about Internet postings.”

Legitimate business is not done over e-mail, and people need to be aware that these types of scams are out there.

Any information about the situation could help police, he added, but it’s impossible to file charges against someone living overseas.

The old adage holds true, he said: “If one of these things sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”

PARSIPPANY, N.J. – Sept. 17, 2009 – Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC ranked highest among real estate companies in satisfying home sellers according to the recently released J.D. Power and Associates 2009 Home Buyer/Seller StudySM.

“This recognition is a testament to the brand’s legacy as an industry leader, our commitment to innovation and, above all, our powerful network,” said Jim Gillespie, president and CEO of Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. “With unsurpassed local knowledge, expertise and work ethic, we at Coldwell Banker have always felt that our network of professionals is the greatest in the industry, and we’re pleased J.D. Power and Associates recognized it.”

The independently administered study measured customer satisfaction of homebuyers and sellers among the largest national real estate firms. The study incorporates more than 3,100 evaluations from 2,801 respondents who bought or sold a home between April 2008 and June 2009. The survey was fielded between April and June 2009.

J.D. Power and Associates examined four factors in the home-selling experience including: agent; marketing; office; and package of additional services. Among home sellers, Coldwell Banker Real Estate ranked highest with a score of 815 and performed particularly well in all four factors.

Coldwell Banker Real Estate also ranked particularly high in the home-buyer segment. The brand ranked second with a score of 801 on a 1,000-point scale, performing particularly well in the office factor.

Complete results for the study can be found here.

About Coldwell Banker®
Since 1906, the Coldwell Banker® organization has been a premier full-service real estate provider. In 2008, Franchise Times magazine’s prestigious Top 200 issue ranked the Coldwell Banker system No. 1 in real estate for the ninth straight year and 12th among franchisors in all industries. The Coldwell Banker System has approximately 3,500 residential real estate offices and approximately 100,000 sales associates in 47 countries and territories. The Coldwell Banker System is a leader in the industry in residential and commercial real estate, and in niche markets such as resort, new home and luxury property through its Coldwell Banker Previews International® division. It is a pioneer in consumer services with its Coldwell Banker Concierge® Service Program and award-winning Web site, www.coldwellbanker.com. Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC is a subsidiary of Realogy Corporation, a global provider of real estate and relocation services. Coldwell Banker® is a registered trademark licensed to Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. Each office is independently owned and operated.

About J.D. Power and Associates
Headquartered in Westlake Village, Calif., J.D. Power and Associates is a global marketing information services company operating in key business sectors including market research, forecasting, performance improvement, Web intelligence and customer satisfaction. The company’s quality and satisfaction measurements are based on responses from millions of consumers annually. For more information on home building and home improvement, car reviews and ratings, car insurance, health insurance, cell phone ratings, and more, please visit JDPower.com. J.D. Power and Associates is a business unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies.

With the credit crunch and huge amount of competition from distressed properties, “normal sellers” have had a tough time getting their properties sold. If you must sell in this market, it’s absolutely critical that you price your property right.

Get the full story here

This “Two Minute Expert” video from This Old House highlights 5 weekend updates you can make to your home to help boost your home’s value.

You’ll find that homes on the Topeka real estate market definitely benefit from these types of updates. With a good selection of homes currently on the market, take advantage of anything you can do to make your home more appealing over your competition.

Toni Shenk is this year’s winner of the YWCA Entrepreneur and Excellence Award. The honors were handed out Tuesday afternoon at the Ramada Hotel. This top-flight realtor with Coldwell Banker shares her thoughts about Topeka, and what makes her an award winner in this interview with Ralph on “13 News at 4.”

Topeka, Ks. – Carol Ronnebaum with Coldwell Banker American Home Services has been awarded the Seniors Real Estate Specialist (SRES) designation by the Seniors Real Estate Specialist Council of the National Association of Realtor (NAR).

Carol Ronnebaum is one of just over 16,000 real estate professionals in North America who have earned the SRES designation. For any residential real estate needs from 1st time buyers to mature senior generation moves, you may contact Carol Ronnebuam, SRES by phone, 271-0341, by e-mail, (Carol@CarolRealtor.com), or by visiting CarolRealtor.com.

The Topeka Chamber of Commerce recently created and published a video about the quality of life in Topeka. It is such a great video, we wanted to share it with you.

Visit the Topeka Chamber of Commerce.

Check out the Chamber’s Relocation Guide.