Frank Helderle

Getting Your Home Ready For Spring

The H Team

Get your timers and clocks set ahead one hour. Daylight saving time is just around the corner and you'll need to adjust any timers on household gadgets, indoor and outdoor lights, and those regulating the thermostats on your heating system.

Plant kitchen herbs inside and transplant in May when all signs of frost disappear. Basil, chives, dill, parsley, and fennel can be started from seeds. Oregano, rosemary, sage, savory, and tarragon do better if you start them from small plants or cuttings.

Change the batteries in your smoke detectors. In addition to testing batteries regularly, you should change these twice a year without fail.

Wash your windows. Clean the residue left behind by winter storms by tackling the job while the weather is still cool to prevent streaking. Start indoors before installing your screens, then finish the job outside on a dry day.

OUTSIDE:

Clean the deck to remove grime, pollen, fungus, and mildew. Scrub the surface with a deck cleanser or this homemade cleaning formula: Add one cup of powdered laundry detergent to a gallon of hot water, and add 1/2 cup of chlorine bleach to kill moss or mildew.

Check shrubs and trees for winter damage and prune accordingly. Remove deadwood or broken branches. Replant any shrubs that have heaved out of the soil during a freeze-thaw cycle, before the roots dry out.

Bring your garden hose out of storage. Check for cracks and leaks and replace the rubber or plastic washers at the connectors as well.

Service Lawn Mowers & Equipment Now is the time to inspect mowers and trimmers. Change the oil, replace spark plugs and sharpen the blades. If a unit needs repair getting it to the repair shop early will insure an early return

Spread Fertilizer and Weed Preventer Apply before the spring showers hit. Read manufacturers suggestions on application and warnings.

I got up this morning and it suddenly dawned on me it’s a New Year, and a New Year means “New Business” Think about it for just a few moments; after the parties, the noise makers, the party hats there are a million different kinds of calendars out there. What a way to remind a client or potential client that it’s a New Year and maybe time for a New Home? Yes, I know we all do the promotional calendars but like the one I sent my number two brother, “Hot Rod Cars” or the one I sent to my Doctor “Joke For A Day”, it’s better than a picture of me hanging on their wall. Who would of imagined how many different calendars are out there and guess what, you can get them for 50%. A twitter friend from Connecticut suggests appointment books also. A New Year also brings resolutions and new goals. Looking at Amazon. Com. Three of the top ten best sellers deal with health or financial well being. I’ve noticed on television over the last two days at least 3 ads for weight loss surgery and at least 5 for gym memberships. I long for the political season to return. Those ads at least were comical. Putting your financial and health goals on the front burner is great to start with, but another great goal for 2009 is to purchase a new home. Regardless of what the boo-hoers are saying now is the greatest time in 20 years to buy a home. Inventory is up, sellers are motivated and interest rates are at a historical low. Why not consider moving up and getting that extra bath and bedroom you’ve needed for so long. Or as many first-time home buyer’s have discovered home ownership is still the greatest investment they can make. And with a basement or extra bedroom they could purchase my hardly ridden exercise bike and start their own in home gym. As a Realtor it’s time to get out there and start drumming up that “new business”. Everyone else it’s time to consider getting that new home, setting goals and staying on track towards those new resolutions. To begin the search for that new home visit The H Team and search the MLS.

Unmarried couples are becoming an up and coming group of home buyers. Last year unmarried couples made up seven percent of home buyers, according to the National Association of Realtors ®, making up the second-fastest growing buyer segment in America.
Such arrangements make sense in that there are two people contributing to the down payment and monthly expenses, and both parties can take advantage of the tax benefits of homeownership.
However, there are numerous factors that an unmarried couple must consider before finalizing the purchase such as a plan in case one owner dies or wants to sell. Experts recommend that each buyer have a will stating that his/her share of the property goes to the surviving owner upon his or her death. They also should consider including joint tenancy with the right of survivorship in the deed. The parties also must understand that obtaining a mortgage requires full financial disclosure, meaning that their past credit histories will be out in the open.
Moreover, buyers must understand that in the event of a breakup, the mortgage must be refinanced for it to be removed from one's credit report. These complexities make it extremely important for unmarried couples considering purchasing to have the benefit of expert advice, including a real estate agent, a mortgage expert as well as a lawyer.

The Mo Depatment of Conservation has a program called Go Fish. It was created to teach children about fishing and conservation. I enrolled my two grandchildren Jacob and Alex. The program is free and consits of 7 classes each 2 hours long. The first 30 minutes of each class is a training/teaching time and the last hour and a half is fishing time.

Jacob and I went to Basic Fishing I at Suson Park across from The Kennedy Rec Center on Wells Road. The teaching part was on safety, fish handling and casting. Jacob hit the target first throw, (Granpa's chest was sticking out). Down to the lake the children went. The coaches were amazing, removing the fish, baiting the hooks, untangling lines. It was a joy to really see people who were having as much fun as the children. They were very busy, Jacob actually caught 20 Hy-breds, a fish who's mommy was a sunfish and who's daddy was a blue gill, (Grandpa's can learn too.) The coaches attempted to convince the children to remove the fish and bait their hooks, but Jacob would do neither. At the end of session one, each child was given a free tackle box.

Jacob, Grandma Laurie, Aunt Mandy and myself attended Basic Fishing II. Lesson time was on safety (always hold your pole up while walking), fish handling, ( by wetting your hands before handling the fish it protects the fish from bacteria) and how to tie two different types of knots. It was amazing to see how many parents and grandparents took hooks and lines and practiced tying also. Off to the lake the children went. It was raining but it didn't hamper the attitudes of the children or coaches. Class was called off when it started lightning. Jacob managed to catch 6 fish. Altough Jacob touched a few of the fish today, he still would not take them off, but he did finally start baiting his hook. The attendees recieved hooks and bobbers today

Jacob and myself went to Basic Fishing III. Todays lesson was again on safety, fish handling and a very interesting class on fish idenification. The group grew to about 10 or 11 and extra coaches were there too. It was a beautiful day and Jacob actually did all his own baiting and some fish removal, although he did catch a few that had swallowed the hook and had to have the line cut in order to release them unharmed. It has been amazing to see how quickly he has taken to fishing. We have gone fishing a number of times but between untangling, baiting, retying hooks and keeping them from falling into the water I have to admit I wasn't the best of coaches. Today the children received needle nose pliers and weights.

Class IV was lure fishing. Class was a little longer today but very informative. Not only did the coaches have books with pictures of different lures they had examples the children could handle. They also demonstrated how to bait plstic lures and demonstrated how various lures work as they are pulled thru the water. Alex finally made his first class. As a pre-teen his excitment level is much lower than his brothers. As today's lesson went much longer than most I could see it in his eye's 'I go to school 5 days a week", but he hung in there and got to fish with a pink plastic worm catching one fish. Jacob caught 5 plus the first snake for the class. Today the children receieved plastic lures.

We only have 3 classes left but I can't wait til Alex, Jacob and I go fishing. BTW, Alex plans on going to the final 3 classes and we will sign him up for the upcoming Basic I, II and III which starts again on September 14.

To learn more on the Go Fish program visit Mo. Department of Conservation