How Chimney and Duct Cleaning Can Factor into Home Sales

Thanks to Clean Sweep for this episode of Tips from the Pros on energy efficiency matters.

Energy prices have increased across the board. Many homebuyers are thinking about the cost of heating and cooling their dream homes. You can prepare for this new reality by learning new ways to showcase energy efficiency features throughout the average home.

Clean Chimneys Are the Most Efficient

Sellers can schedule a chimney inspection and professional cleaning before listing. This ensures that there are no issues with the safety of the chimney or repairs that should be made. A properly-cleaned chimney will be as energy efficient as possible...

The real estate market has changed so much over the past two years and continues to do so! This month I am sharing details on some of the interesting real estate trends we are seeing for 2023.

Some people are using existing properties in new ways. Some are investing now to make money later. Rental competition is strong. Many millennials are finding themselves renting instead of owning a home (or living with boomer parents).

If you have any questions on these or any other real estate-related concerns, please feel free to reach out to me. I’ll be happy to help you understand the real estate trends.

In addition, if you need help buying or selling a home, or know someone who does, please contact me.
Oh, by the way, I’m never too busy for any of your referrals.

How I get a jump start on my summer flower garden

Thanks to the University of Maryland/Maryland Grows this informative article about winter sowing.

Winter sowing is a technique gardeners can use to start growing seeds outdoors during the winter months. If you have limited space for starting seeds indoors,winter sowing might be an option for you, depending on what you want to grow.

I first tried winter sowing last year with several types of flower seeds. Winter sowing works best for plants that are cold tolerant or even require a period of cold in order to germinate...

Thanks to Clean Sweep for this episode of Tips from the Pros answering the question why fireplace smokes blows back into your home.

Fireplaces are a gorgeous way to add ambiance to your home. However, that warm and cozy feeling can quickly evaporate if smoke is coming back in instead of out. There are many different reasons why fireplace smoke might blow back into your home. Here are some of the most common ones.

Look at the Firewood

One of the biggest reasons why smoke blows back into the house is the firewood being used. If you use low-quality firewood, there is a much higher risk of issues. Make sure that you purchase seasoned wood that was allowed to dry completely for 12 months or longer...

Thanks to L. K. Benson for sharing this blog about taxes and more financial news.

It’s Almost Tax Time

We are hard at work preparing for another busy tax filing season. If you are a tax client, you will be receiving an email from us soon. It will outline our normal processes and procedures.

New Retirement Savings Bill

We first told you about a new retirement savings bill that had overwhelming bipartisan support back in July 2021. It took Congress far too long, but they finally passed the legislation, dubbed the SECURE Act 2.0, in late December. It might not have the same level of impact as the original SECURE Act, but there are a significant number of changes. these include another delay to the RMD start date, increased Roth options, and much more. Chris has a summary of som...

Thanks to Clean Sweep for this episode of Tips from the Pros on common chimney issues that can come up during a home sale.

When you are preparing to help your buyers and sellers make any home transaction, the inspections are often one of the most important parts. If buyers find out about an issue that will take thousands of dollars to fix, it could compromise the entire sale. Scheduling a chimney inspection ahead of time is one way to avoid this. What are some of the most common chimney problems that can pop up as your sellers list their homes?

Creosote Accumulation

Creosote is a dangerous substance that naturally accumulates in chimneys as fires are lit. When creosote is present in a client’s chimney it does not necessarily mean that they did anything wrong...

Need a last-minute gift? Thanks to the University of Maryland/Maryland Grows for this blog. This article suggests holiday gift ideas for gardeners.

Can you hear them? Tiny little elves are softly singing carols. The holidays must be around the corner.

Need Gifts?

If you’re scratching your head for gift ideas for the gardeners in your life, the Master Gardeners and I can help. Here are a few suggestions to make smiles wider and green thumbs greener.

Tools are cool. Yes, we say we really don’t need yet another tool. We lie. Our eyes light up at the flash of steel and the smoothness of a wooden handle. 

A Hori Hori soil knife – a multipurpose tool with a serrated edge and slight curve that digs, plants, cuts, weeds, and more – is a perennial favorite.

This month I am sharing some fun ideas for kids’ winter crafts projects. They are great ways for the little ones to use their imaginations and create items that can be displayed or given as gifts.

Give the kids something constructive to do while the weather is too cold to play outside for very long. The crafts include:

• homemade snowmen
• craft stick ornaments
• citrus fruit bird feeders
• homemade greeting cards

Pass these ideas on to your family and friends who have kids, too. They will appreciate it! These gifts can become family treasures that are saved for many years, especially the craft stick ornaments.

Thanks to Clean Sweep for this episode of Tips from the Pros on how to prevent chimney fires.

Every year in the United States, there are over 25,000 chimney fires. While not all of them lead to severe damage to the rest of the home, some of them leave people without a place to live at all. The good news is that there are many small ways that you can decrease the chances of having a chimney fire at your home.

What Leads to Chimney Fires?

Before you can prevent a chimney fire, it’s important to understand what the root causes of them are. One of the biggest causes is creosote accumulation. Creosote is a natural byproduct of using your chimney, although certain types of wood and behaviors can lead to more rapid accumulation...

Thanks to L. K. Benson for sharing this blog about retirement planning.

Retirement Planning

Webster’s dictionary defines retirement as “a withdrawal from one’s position or occupation or from active working life.” For generations past, that was probably a pretty accurate description of retirement. You worked hard, often for one company, got your gold watch, retirement dinner, and your pension, and then lived a life of leisure (typically not for too many years after retirement). 

But today, our perspective on retirement has changed dramatically. Most Americans no longer have a company pension to rely on in retirement. The average life expectancy for a male did not increase to over age 65 until the 1950s. Now it is close to age 80...