Items to Check Off Your Summer Maintenance Checklist

Today I want to talk to you about everything you need to do to keep your home and yard in tip-top shape this summer.

There are a variety of opportunities in the Central Pennsylvania real estate market for both buyers and sellers.
If you're a prospective buyer click here for a full home search, or if you're considering placing your home on the market, get a free home value report, right here.

With the change of each season comes a new set of maintenance tasks for your home. Now that summer's here, you'll want to prepare your home and yard for the onslaught of summer heat. From air-conditioner upkeep to hanging a clothesline, these simple chores will help keep your home happy and healthy:

Check detectors. Check your home's smoke and carbon monoxide detectors to make sure they're working properly.
Inspect air conditioners. If you haven't already, prep your air conditioners and fans for their busiest season. With the help of your spouse, install window air conditioning units. Also, remove and clean the filters before firing up the AC. If you have central air conditioning, consider a professional servicing. And be sure to clean all ceiling fans and other fans with a damp rag. If you have high ceilings, a ceiling-fan duster can help you de-grime hard-to-reach blades.
Enjoy a dry spell. Install an outdoor clothesline to dry your laundry in the summer sun; you'll save money and energy by skipping the dryer. Plus, who doesn't love the smell of air-dried sheets?
Clean your outdoor cooker. Give your grill a deep cleaning.

Deadhead both perennial and annual flowers to keep them productive.

Polish your porch. Thoroughly sweep painted porch floors; then mop them with an all-purpose cleaner. If there's a lot of built-up dirt on the floorboards, you may need to scrub them with a brush.
Analyze your deck. Look over your deck for signs of rotting and hammer in any nails that are poking up. Then, determine if your deck needs sealing. Sprinkle water on the deck's boards. If the water beads up, you're in good shape; but if it soaks right in, it's time to reseal it.
Wash your windows. If you didn't tackle exterior window washing in the spring, now's the time to get your glass clean.

Make much ado about mulch. Add a layer of mulch to keep weeds down and help the ground retain its moisture in the heat. It'll give your plants a chance to grow.
Be a leak detective. Check your hoses and exterior faucets for leaks—even a tiny drip can add up to a big waste of water. Pinhole leaks in hoses can be covered up by winding regular electrical tape around the (dry) hose in overlapping layers.
Primp your plants. Deadhead both perennials and annuals to keep them productive. If you have visible dead foliage from spring bulbs, pull it out to maintain a tidy look, but if the daffodil or tulip leaves are still green, leave them alone; they're busy nourishing the bulb to bloom again next year.
Plan your watering schedule. Train your garden to endure dry days by watering deeply a couple of times a week, instead of watering lightly daily. This style of watering will promote the growth of deep, strong roots.
Stop dirt at the door. Keep summer's mud and muck outside with not one, but two doormats at your main entry door. Place a coarse mat at the exterior and a softer, cloth one on the interior to catch the most dirt. Better still, instruct family members to remove their shoes upon entering. If you live near a beach, a tub of water for sandy feet placed by the door works wonders for keeping sand outside where it belongs.

I am sure you have already completed many of these projects, but I hope that I was able to share and encourage you with other projects you may not have remembered.

If you are thinking about a new home this summer, at Joy Daniels Real Estate Group, we have a team of qualified, experienced listing partners and buyers specialists who are ready to work with you to make every real estate process a positive experience. If you or someone you know is ready to buy or sell a home, give us a call today at 717-695-3177, email info@joydaniels.com or you can visit us online at www.joydaniels.com.

Why Hire the Joy Daniels Real Estate Group?

Just as doctors and lawyers specialize in different fields, so does each member of the Joy Daniels Real Estate Group. Although each agent is a licensed Realtor, their continuing education goes far beyond that- with exhaustive training and practice, giving them in essence the equivalent of a graduate degree in their field or specialty. Our specialists are the elite in their field and all of our firm's activities are done with a high sense of care over each seller and buyer that we come into contact with.

Even though Joy and her team have won numerous awards and been multi-million dollar producers for many consecutive years, her true "joy" is in serving her customers and clients. Joy and her team recognize the importance of maximum convenience for her customers and accessibility to her clients. Joy and her staff have developed and applied new techniques of marketing property and assisting customers and clients that other agents in Central Pennsylvania just can't offer. Whether you are moving across town or to another state, you've come to a site that will help your moving experience be smooth and hassle-free.

Joy Daniels
The Joy Daniels Real Estate Group
2793 Old Post Road
Harrisburg, PA 17110
Phone: 717-695-3177
Fax:717-695-0025
info@joydaniels.com

Joy Daniels Testimonials

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testimonials from happy clients

Jessica - "Both my husband and I are very happy with the results. We actually sold 2 homes through the Joy Daniels Real Estate Group and both of them went off without a hitch! We had some issues with the well at our home and when we were on vacation it needed to be run for an extended time over and few days and Joy made sure that it was taken care of by the time we got back so we were ready to go for settlement."

Gary - "We’ve worked with Joy for several years now. She aided us in buying the current house we’re living in and also the house that we just sold. Joy and her whole team just have their act together. I was in the business for myself and I know how hard it is to get a team to click and she just seems to be able to do that."

Mitzi - "They helped me sell my home even through some of the wrinkles that my ex-husband caused. They had peak traffic through my house and they did a very good job with the marketing aspect. I just always felt comfortable with her. They really helped me through the closing and even after the sale when I had breast cancer and couldn’t mow my grass, my Realtor Nick came out a couple times to help me with that which was above and beyond! It was just a really good experience and I recommend Joy all the time!"

Ed - "When we were looking for a real estate agent, we wanted to work with someone who was willing to work around our schedule. Joy and her team quickly exceeded our expectations in helping us find a home. They were there for us, they walked us through many homes, and were even chipper and brought us coffee when we’d go look at homes at an unholy hour on a Saturday morning. I never had to wait longer than 30 minutes for them to return a phone call and they were also involved in the community, which shows a commitment to the community at large. Joy has sold over 3 homes for my family and when she sells my current home in the spring, we look forward to working with the best team in Harrisburg and Central Pennsylvania! "

Jennifer - "Being that she’s the president of the company, we felt honored that Joy wanted to work with us. Twelve days after the house went on the market, we got an offer! I think the communication was great. Everyone that we talked to was professional and happy. We could tell they all love their jobs! It was just an all-around positive experience."

Shelby - "They were absolutely amazing. There was never a period of time that went by that we didn’t have some sort of update from Joy or her assistant Heidi. They were readily available, and basically in constant contact with us!"

Leslie - "We worked with one of her agents named George. He was very helpful. We were looking for a new home rather than an existing home sale. He was helpful with the valuation of the lot, the features that would be useful for resale purposes as we were planning the home, and neighborhoods with the best resale values. We appreciated his insights and he worked with us a little bit in the process during our initial walkthrough when the builder has a different inspection times, and he offered insights during those times as well. It was good to have him. He had been involved with the builder before and was a new home specialist. On one occasion, he traveled with me from Harrisburg to Lancaster. He went with me to the design center and was very helpful with advice concerning buyer interest, home trends, and other things we should be thinking about when making decisions about features we should put in the house."

Linda - "It was perfect, from day one until we sold the house, our agent was excellent. Everything he told us, he said we would sell our house within two or three days and we did. Everything just went perfectly. We got the amount we wanted for our house, and we didn't have any problems at all. Any questions we had, we contacted our agent and it was just perfect. No matter what paperwork, anything like that. If we had any questions about anything. Now we had a homeowner's association, and we had to get a letter from them saying we were moving out. Our agent did all that for us. We didn't have to do that. He was really right on the ball, doing everything we needed to have done. It was just perfect. I would recommend Joy Daniels to anybody. In fact, I've already done that with a couple people that I've talked to. We've had other real estate companies, but this one was just a ten. That's all I can say, it was perfect."

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Items to Check Off Your Summer Maintenance Checklist