Planning to Sell in June or July?
The spring real estate market is coming in hot, friends! So if you’re a homeowner looking to capitalize on the busy season for home buying in Spokane, here’s what you need to do NOW to be ready to list at the height of the market in June/July. Start decluttering now. And no, I don’t mean just casually getting rid of some junk. I’m talking you’re taking a full weekend or multiple to go through every drawer and back closet to purge the items you don’t want to move. And clean out the spice cabinet while you’re at it, everyone needs to get rid of some old, yucky spices! Host a yard sale to sell the items you don’t want to toss. I’m not kidding, before moving last my husband and I hosted a yard sale and made $800 in one day selling items we no longer wanted or needed Collect your most recent escrow statement to confirm your property taxes, home insurance payments are up to date Meet with a Realtor to game-plan and get a Seller's Estimated Netsheet. This is a given but often put off for too long. Have your Realtor run the numbers and draft a Netsheet for you based on a rough sales price for your home.Plan ahead and pick a weekend you want your house to go live. Then book a trip out of town, a hotel room for the weekend or plan a camping trip for that weekend so you can be gone and your Realtor can have that time to host an open house, schedule as many showing as possible and sell the crap out of your home.If your goal is to sell your home in June or July, time is of the essence to start prepping now. Drop me a line or comment “SELL” and I’ll send you a link to download my free Listing Guide to get you started 💃🏼
Answering the Hard Questions: Lead Based Paint... What's the Big Deal? Is It Even A Big Deal? AM I GONNA DIE?
ou may remember lead-based paint from all the times your parents told you not to eat paint off the walls (oh… just me?) or from a fun little form called the “lead based paint disclosure” that you might have signed when renting/buying a home built before 1978. But what the heck is it? Why do you have to sign a form about it? Is it going to kill you?????Don’t worry, it’s not nearly as dramatic as you may think so long as you stay informed! Let’s start with the basics.What is it?Lead-based paint (LBP) is exactly what it sounds like; it’s paint that contains lead as one of its main ingredients. Lead (pronounced led, not leed), is a heavy metal that is now understood to be highly toxic to humans if ingested or inhaled. Paint is… well you know what paint is. Put these two together and you have lead-based paint. Back in the day, lead was highly valued as a paint ingredient for its durability, bright color, and drying properties. Lead-based paint was the bee’s knees from the 1800s up to 1978. Think of the vibrant colors painted all over the 60’s & 70s… highly toxic but oh, so beautiful (and groovy). Why is it a big deal?Like I said, that heavy metal can really do a number on a human being. If you eat it or breathe it in, it can live in your bones and organs forever and disrupt your system. I won’t bore you with all the scientific details, but the presence of this lead throws a lot of things off in your internal ecosystem. Especially in children, it can hinder brain development and lead to cognitive delays, behavioral problems, cause anemia, kidney disease and cardiovascular disease. To sum it up… it’s bad news bears.What happened in 1978?In the 1970’s, scientists started to realize that something funky was going on with this paint and the general health of the population in the US, especially kids. The movement to ban this type of paint started to gain steam as it became more evident that children were becoming sick and having developmental issues after having themselves a little paint-chip snack from time to time (yummy). Everything came to a head in 1978 when the U.S. government banned the use of LBP in residential properties. Other nations followed suit shortly after.Why do I need to think about it now? 1978 was like seven hundred years ago.After 1978, LBP was no longer allowed to be used in residential properties but that doesn’t mean President Jimmy Carter was making door-to-door trips and removing all the paint off of everyone’s walls. In the decades that followed, the homes that were already built continued to have the presence of lead paint, but that paint started to get covered under layers and layers of lead-free paint. It’s still under there but unless you’re cutting open a wall, it’s almost like it wasn’t there to begin with. Believe it or not, that sloppy, thick Landlord Special paint job could actually be protecting you and your family. That being said, it is still important to know if there is any lead anywhere in your home. You could be at risk if you do renovations and start releasing that stuff into the air or have a child who just can’t help but lick windowsills, which are more likely to have exposed LBP (who is painting their window sills regularly?). Because of this risk still being present in these older homes, the government holds property owners responsible for disclosing any known presence of the paint to new tenants or future buyers.Should I be worried?Generally speaking, no. If you’ve made it this far, you are armed with enough information to understand the risks. To reiterate, as long as you’re not cutting into walls with LBP without a mask and freely breathing in a ton of lead or actively eating paint chips that you know have lead in them… you will be alright. If you are made aware of LBP when purchasing or renting a home, you can take steps to conceal it with non-toxic paints if not done so already. If your home is built before 1978 and you’re not sure, getting a lead test is quick and easy and will help you understand if there is any exposed paint to be dealt with. But overall, now that you know what it is and where it is, I’m fairly certain you’re gonna be fine. 🙂For more information on lead-based paint and how to stay as safe as possible, check out the EPA’s pamphlet “Protect Your Family From Lead In Your Home”
Neighborhood Highlight: Manayunk
Mana...what???If you're not local to Philly, this neighborhood name might throw you for a loop. It's up there with the likes of "Schuylkill", "Moyamensing", "Wissahickon", and "Passyunk". If you do spend a good chunk of your time in the City of Brotherly Love, then Manayunk likely rolls off the tongue without a second thought.My plan was to teach the non-native Philadelphians how to say Manayunk. My teammates had a different plan. We can't agree how to pronounce it! I say "Man-uh-yunk"Brittany says "Man-ee-yunk"Heidi says "Man-knee-yunk"Even Google disagrees! Google's vote is "Ma-nuh-yuhngk"What do you think?...So what IS Manayunk? Manayunk is a neighborhood in the northwest region of Philadelphia. It sits just north of the Schuylkill River (and the Schuylkill Expressway). Originally named the town of Flat Rock, Manayunk received its now iconic name at a town council meeting in 1824. The residents chose the name from the Lenape Indian word for the Schuylkill River “manaiung” which literally translates to “place to drink” in English. Manayunk certainly is a place to drink with plenty of local pubs, breweries, and bars lining the lively commercial center: Main Street. If coffee is your drink of choice, Main Street is still your place!While originally a separate town from Philadelphia, the city absorbed the neighborhood as part of its own. That being said, Manayunk has held its own independent identity. Historically working class, many German, Irish, Italian, and Polish descentants found this area a great place to settle down and work. Nearly every block is lined with row homes, most of which have relatively large grassy back yards compared to other parts of the city. Since Manayunk is built into the side of a hill that ascends from the river, you'll find yourself activating that parking break when taking advantage of street parking! It's no San Fransisco, but the hilly nature is certainly a hallmark of the area.Places to Drink:Jake’s & Cooper’s Wine Bar & Wine ShopPitchers PubDawson Street PubManayunk Brewing CompanyFat Lady BrewingPlaces to Drink Coffee:Artesano CafeValerio Coffee RoasterVolo CoffeehousePilgrim RoastersTrust me, these are not exhaustive lists. Take a walk down Main Street and you're guaranteed to find even more!If you have any favorite Manayunk spots that deserve a shoutout, let me know!! I am always looking for recommendations.
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