About Brazos County, TX

It's that time of year again! Wrapping up in warm clothes to take in the Halloween decorations and beautifully carved pumpkins with thoughts not too far from Thanksgiving feasts and Christmas lights too be strung. And although this is a time for seasonal change and anticipation of festivities to come, it is also a time for preparing your home for the cold and wet of winter.

Many of you may have already felt the first pangs of cold early in the morning when your feet first touch the floor or coming in from outside and you have that momentary shiver and burr.

For a second your thoughts go to turning the heating on, lighting the furnace, dragging out the space heater or just bringing in wood and lighting a fire.

There's a comforting feeling about the warmth from heating when it's first turned on after its summer hibernation. You start to think about socks and warmer PJ's, hot chocolate while watching a great movie and closing curtains too keep out the cold.

But consider for a moment, in your haste to snuggle up and celebrate the coming season, has your mind wandered to the source of all this anticipated heat?

Have you considered that whatever the source, if it's not adequately maintained and regularly checked your comforts of home may not be comfortable at all?

Is your home ready to not just take the heat but not lose it all through inadequately sealed windows and doors?

Are those gutters, precariously perched along the edge of your roof, clear and securely attached so that an overnight freeze doesn't cause them to come crashing down?

Did any of those birds that were flying around all summer long, busy making homes of their own, happen to make one in your chimney?

If you don't know the answers to any of these questions then you might want to take a look at a few suggestions about winterizing your home and protecting yourself against a winter of repairs and problems. You might be surprised at how simple some of these items are and how effective they can be.

• Put weather stripping or door sweeps on exterior doors.
• Chalk around windows.
• Use outlet gaskets on electrical outlets that share an exterior wall.

Hint: On an extremely windy day, walk around the interior of your home with a lit incense burner and hold it around doors, windows, electrical outlets, recessed lighting and any other place that air can get in. This will give you an indication of where to seal.

Sealing will also prevent insects from entering. Replace any cracked or broken glass panes.

• Seal any exposed entry points around pipes.
• Reverse ceiling fans. For winter, the blades should be turning clockwise.
• If your chimney hasn't been cleaned in a while, call a chimney sweep to clean out soot and creosote.
• Inspect the fireplace damper to ensure proper opening and closing. Keep damper closed when fireplace is not in use.
• Use a protective cap or screen on the top of the chimney to keep out rodents and birds.
• Store firewood in a dry place, away from the exterior walls of the house.
• Test and /or install smoke detectors. Use a small amount of actual smoke and not just the test button.
• Replace detector batteries.
• Replace detectors that are older than 10 years.
• Install or test carbon monoxide detectors.
• Drain gas from lawnmowers and trimmers.
• Trim branches of trees that hang too close to electrical wires or the house.
• Drain garden hoses.
• Insulate exterior plumbing pipes.
• Replace worn hot tub covers.
• Bring all electronic entertainment equipment indoors.
• Rake all debris and vegetation away from the foundation of the house.
• Remove all leaves and vegetation from gutters.
• Check all gutter fasteners are secure.
• Flush all downspouts with water to clear.
• Add downspout extensions if drainage is too close to the house.
• Check flashing to prevent water from entering the home.
• Replace broken or lose roof shingles or tiles.
• Have the furnace inspected and the ducts cleaned by a HVAC professional.
• Change furnace filters monthly.
• Bleed hot-water radiators by opening values until water comes out, then close them.
• Check that attic insulation is at a minimum of 12 inches.
• Locate water main in case of emergency and it needs to be shut off.

Now you can snuggle up and enjoy the winter festivities without having to overpay your utility bills had over the money for costly repairs.

Is Your Home Ready for the Holidays? November 2009 is finally here, and that means it's a count down until the guests arrive. Thanksgiving, the biggest shopping day of the year, and the infamous game between Texas A&M University and TU are just around the corner. So much to do, so little time! Dealing with the pressure of knowing that people are coming for dinner in a matter of days is similar to the feeling you get when you are just about ready to put your home on the market for sale. Where do you start? It is time to clean, finish the minor house repairs and stage for the holidays! I'll never forget my clients that wanted to list their home on Thanksgiving weekend. As I walked up to the front door the husband greeted me on the porch. "Thanks for coming to talk to us about selling our home," he said. "Please don't step on the yellow mat. It is covering up a hole in the floor and we don't want you to fall through!" The first question, when it comes to home cleaning, is deciding if the best use of your time includes grabbing the mop and bucket or simply picking up the phone and calling someone else to do it for you. There are many great and highly reputable cleaning companies in town, and if you need a Ritz Carlton clean at a Wal-Mart price, another option is for you to call your Realtor. No, we don't clean houses, but with all the sales we do, with clients moving out and not having anytime to make the home ready for the new buyer, we always have a good house cleaner that is on call in a pinch, knows how to clean from top to bottom and is extremely reasonably priced. The key to a good clean for the best price is to make sure you have supplies ready and that the home is picked up and free of toys, counter top clutter, and pets that can prevent access to the entire home. I got a call once from a service provider that told me "Raylene, the rest of the home is fine, but we couldn't go into to the master bedroom closet, because there is a large live boa constrictor hanging from the ceiling." When getting the home ready for visitors, be sure to remember to clean where it will be most noticeable to guests: ceiling fans and return air vents are the areas most commonly overlooked. And when cleaning that return air vent, might as well change the air filter while you are at it. If you are one of those folks who dust and dust yet seem to be getting no where, an item to add to the Honey Do list before the guests arrive is to buy a tube of clear caulk, climb in the attic, and seal your return air vent on both sides. Often, little bits of insulation dust can be brought into the home from the attic. Sealing the return air vent on both sides with eliminate the problem and result in more free time between house hold dusting. Just remember to wait for the caulk to dry before placing the air filter back in place. And of course, when you are in the attic, watch your step! "Yes, Raylene...um this is the Heating and A/C Company. We completed the repair you requested on the furnace for the closing this afternoon and the return air duct is all sealed up. Unfortunately, our guy fell through the ceiling on his way out." When the home is ready, it's time for the fun part! Shopping and staging for the holidays. Guests love walking into a home and getting the nice, warm fuzzy feeling of Holiday Spirit. A good starting place is to find a holiday scent you like and sticking with it throughout the home. Evergreen and Peppermint are popular ones, as long as they are not overwhelming. My mother always told me "the way to a man's heart is though his stomach," and I don't think you can go wrong with a scent of pumpkin spice, sugar cookie or ginger bread. The key is to not mix scents and to try and stay away from smells that are fruity or overpowering. Scents that smell like fresh sweet cooking also complement the holiday, and guests might even think the great smells came from your kitchen! Many of the stores in Bryan-College Station are great with providing holiday accent pieces for home decor. Always check the paper for the latest deals of the day. If you are like me, and want your home staged and looking it's best for guests, confusion erupts when walking into a store and deciding what to buy. (Personally, I want it all!) A great option to eliminate the buying confusion is to hire a holiday stager. This is very different from having an interior decorator or designer come in, and is just a fraction of the price. For roughly $200.00 - $400.00 depending on what you want done, you can have a stager go with you to pick out floral, art, and accent decor. These folks are also great at finding the best deals in town and are highly creative at getting you the look you want in-budget. You can also hire your stager to dress up the home with items you provide and / or rearrange furniture to make the home look its best. For more information on Staging, you can go to www.stagingbcs.com As always, don't forget the point of the November holiday season is to be thankful and enjoy time you have with your close friends and family. This can easily be accomplished, no matter what state your home is in. "Mrs. Smith, I am so glad you are thankful to your husband for surprising you with this Master Garden Jacuzzi tub as an early Christmas present! I know you are going to enjoy it. Now, if you don't mind, can you please get out of the tub so we can finish the final walkthrough of the home? I'm afraid we may be late to the closing."

Raylene Lewis, Realtor

Century21 Beal, Inc.

979-218-2235 Cell

979-764-2100 Office

979-764-0421 Fax

www.BuyInCollegeStation.com

www.raylenelewis.thecenturytreereader.com

Happy Fall!

A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of attending Be Green in Bryan's Greening Your Home 101 workshop, upstairs at the Bryan Public Library. Taught by Mary Strauss, the City of Bryan's Sustainability Program Coordinator, the workshop provided ten realistic, helpful suggestions that will help our environment and save you money.

I'm about to throw a lot of links at you. Most go to information located on BeGreenInBryan.com, which is a site worth visiting. On that site, if you click on the symbols on the left side of the page for a wealth of information on each subject.

Ten things YOU can do in the home to help our environment and save money.

1. Cut junk mail. Americans pay $320-$370 million per year to dispose of junk mail. Save 1.5 trees/person/year by visiting http://optoutprescreen.com or http://mailstopper.tonic.com.

2. Stop accepting or using plastic grocery bags. We throw away 100 billion polyurethane bags annually. Despite appearances, these bags are so cheap that they offer nothing to break down, and actually end up in landfills. If you have extras, the Brazos Valley Farmer's Market is happy to take and reuse them.

3. Reduce, Reuse & Recycle - On average, American consumers purchase 500 million beverage bottles and cans every day. Only one in three get recycled. Bryan's drop-off recycling center is located in the Wal-mart parking lot. You don't even need to get out of your car!

4. Rid your home of pesticides - Over 80% of human contact with pesticides occurs indoors. 90% of those tested had traces of 5-16 pesticides in their bodies. Check out http://beyondpesticieds.org.

5. Green the Garden - Use compost instead of synthetic fertilizers. The Bryan Compost Facility sells compost for $21/ton and mulch is FREE! Concentrate on native plants and perennials. You can find a selection at the Brazos Valley Farmer's Market.

6. Turn off lights and unplug appliances when possible. Reduce phantom power or energy vampires - Up to 40% of the power used by home electronics is consumed while the products are turned off. Standby power consists of 10% of our total power consumption.

7. Replace standard light bulbs with CFL's and LED's - CFL's use 50%-80% less energy and last up to ten times longer. Some LED's have a 60,000 hour useful life.

8. Look for EnergyStar Appliances - These appliances use 2-10 less power than their conventional conterparts. Check out http://energystar.gov.

9. Reduce Water Consumption - Look for leaks, and make sure all faucets have aerators for indoor conservation. Consider low-flow toilets. Catch rainwater for outdoor use.

10. Replace household cleaners - Over 90% of reported poisonings occur at home, with the leading reported cause being household cleaners. Many chemicals found in household cleaners are known carcinogens. Natural alternatives are in most stores. Why? They are more economical, biodegradable and more healthy for you!

    

Now, some of these suggestions are easier said then done, but the point is to work on what you can, when you can, and keep moving in a more sustainable direction.

To help us along the way, Mary had the back of the room set up as an organic household cleaner factory, complete with ingredients, fragrances and delivery systems. We got to see and feel how to make these very inexpensive cleaners, and knew what to look for when shopping.

I give the City of Bryan credit for having Mary on board. She is an expert in her field, and charged with several different tasks, all benefiting both the environment and our pocketbooks.

This workshop was the third in a series of five for 2009. I missed the first two, Rainwater Harvesting 101 and Worm Composting 101. There are two more:

• Home & Energy Efficiency 101 on Nov. 5
• Green Living 101 on Dec. 1

You can view the flyer and register here.

Sustainability makes sense. We can do small things that make a difference. I'll visit more about this later.

Blue skies,

Sam White
SamWhiteRealty.com
979.446.0031

Bryan's Green Team

Great location for stidents and working professionals, 2 bedrooms and one bath, totally updated with tile, granite counters, new light fixtures, kitchen, etc. Kitchen appliances convey with accepted offer. Furniture is negotiable. This property is ready for move-in. To directly access this property, use this shortcut: http://www.fizber.com/texas-buy-condo-townhome-co-op-home-11649100.html

Last week two underdogs surprised the world!The Texas Aggies trumped Texas Tech and Iowa State licked Nebraska. Today the 2 underdogs that whipped up on the big boys meet at Kyle field in College Station, at 2:30 pm. Why is this game important? Because both teams are going to be really fired up coming off similar victories over major teams. I expect this to be an exciting game with lots of xtra effort being put forth. We will be there for all the action and I hope the world recognizes that there is talent out there other than Texas and Oklahoma. Gig em Aggies!