About Turlock's Turlock And Surrounding

If you have an alley next to your house it may your responsibility to keep it clean and free of weeds and trash that can somehow mysteriously just happen to appear out of nowhere! Last I checked someone had left a pair of black sweatpants right by the gate leading to my alley!

A clean and weed-free fence line is good for safety, weather it'd be fire hazards, trash to be hidden such as old junk people throw away. An un-kept alley may also give the appearance that no one ever looks back there and may invite idle minds to cause trouble.

With July 4rth around the corner and temperatures rising, it is a good idea to inspect and correct any thing needing attention. This will lessen the chance of a fire getting started.

If you are not sure if you are responsible for keeping your alley clean, contact your local police dept and they will be able to guide you to the right dept. I know that because it was my city's police dept who send me a notice asking me to clean my alley.

I knew of one side I was responsible for, but then I discovered that I was also responsible for another side between my house and an empty lot next door. The weeds were thriving there! I also found other trash that had been discarded there who knows how long ago. The accumulation of trash/weeds contributes to faster decaying of fences and can also block view of anything going on back there.

Best time to clean is in the morning or in the evening when it is not too hot. Wear long sleeves, pants instead of shorts, and gloves. Some weeds have long thorns that can really hurt!!

Here are some samples of what to expect.....AND try to get your dog to help!!

When you're selling your house you have to think of it as a "product" that buyers would want to buy. It will be a pruduct that will be competing with other houses on the market.

The way we live in our homes and the way we sell them are two different things. You prepare the home by de-personalizing it and preparing it for the unknow buyer.


Studies show that staged homes sell in the average for more money and in less time. Staging does not have to be costly and it can be done with items already in the home. If there is a cost to stage, it is always less than your first price reduction!! Staging is not really a cost, it's an investment.


Staged homes send the message of well-cared for homes. Photos are more appealing to buyers and allow them to see the potential of the home and will be more likely to want to come see the inside.


As a Staging Realtor it is one of the best tools I can recommend is ALWAYS stage BEFORE putting a house on the market if at all possible. Staging is a marketing tool every seller and agent should be using in today's market. The goal of putting photos of your home online is to ATTRACT buyers. Putting photos of a cluttered house will do the apposite!

Staging helps the buyers "picture themselves" living in the house. That's the goal......get them to mentally move in!!


Here is simple sample of what very little staging can do:
Here all personal photos on the end table, dresser ( excpet for one) & on the all were removed. Simple drapes & curtain rod added along with some greenery from the yard. A round metal grate from the garden was place on wall. On the bed some pillows and a throw were added for color. A large print to anchor the bed and a smaller lamp that's more to scale with the room. The small table by the dresser was removed and really openned up the space leading the to bathroom.

Which version looks more inviting?

BEFORE & AFTER

Any gardeners out there bugged down by the "June bug"???

This bug is something new to me. I moved to the CA Central Valley a year ago and discovered that [especially] my light colored roses were being devoured by this very hungry and most unsightly little critter of a bug!!! A friend of mine, Eleanor, who used to own a flower shop told me that the best thing to get rid of most plant bugs is to spray the plant with soapy water. Well, that sounds too easy, doesn't it!?!?

So, I am trying it to see if it works for this particular bug. I looked up info online as to how to get rid of it but didn't find any 'easy' remedies. This bug apparently is present in areas with sandy soils, which is the case here but not in all gardens for some reason. I had been visiting my parents here for the last 12+ yrs and I'd never seen this in their garden, which also has many rose bushes and it appears be a sandy-type soil.

I will keep you posted as to the progress, or lack there of! Meanwhile if you have any suggestions please do share, won't you?