by Erin Romanski | Nov 17, 2021 | Homeowner Tips
Greater Lafayette, IN beautifully displays all seasons, and it’s one reason we think it’s absolutely an amazing place to build a home. For some, the chill of those winter months are intense! We think the secret is to be prepared. We want you to be able to prepare WELL, and we’re here to help you take care of you home to the best of your ability. It doesn’t have to be overwhelming! You’re not alone in this. Here are some small, helpful tips for your winter home prep to keep you and your home in tip-top shape! Furnace maintenance. Needs very depending on what type of furnace you have, but generally, your furnace needs cleaning and/or checked annually. Need HVAC recommendations? Try Blue Fox, JL Anderson or CamFlo.Pipes. Clear (and maybe even turn off the water to) exterior pipes. Drain and store hoses. If pipes are on exterior walls of your home, consider insulating those pipes. If temperatures throughout the winter drop drastically below freezing, be sure to run a drip of hot water through the nights. just a tiny bit of moving water can prevent bursted, frozen pipes! If you need to contact a plumber, we recommend Brenneco Plumbing. Schedule a chimney cleaning. Our friends at Certified Sweeps would love to help you, and they will do an amazing job!Reverse ceiling fans. Set all ceiling fans to the clockwise setting to rotate all the warm air to the floor and to keep your home working efficiently.Check batteries in smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. According to the U.S. Fire Administration, heating is the cause of 27 percent of structure fires during...
by Erin Romanski | Sep 14, 2021 | Homeowner Tips
Home maintenance is something that a lot of people enjoy. It’s a task that helps to preserve one of the biggest investments most will make in their lifetime. However, it can easily fall by the wayside if you allow it to. Life just gets going, and the tedious aspects to home maintenance tend to land in the section of the brain that says, “out of sight, out of mind.” Well, our hope here is to help make sure that doesn’t happen this Fall. There are many things you can and need to do around your home before the winter rolls around. Here are a few ideas to get you started. #1 Prepare your yard equipment for storage. This includes draining fuel from all gas-operated equipment such as lawn mowers, leaf blowers, and chain saws. Clean porch and deck furniture, and look for any needed repairs. Cover and store outdoor furniture and barbecues in a protected area. #2 Trim and prune trees. This prevents home damage from loose limbs during storms, but it is also great for the overall health of the tree! #3 Clean gutters. After leaves have fallen, clean out the gutters and downspouts, flush them with water, inspect joints, and tighten brackets if necessary. Clogged gutters are one of the major causes of ice dams. #4 Clear leaves from lawn, reseed patchy areas, and plant spring flowering bulbs before the first front. If deer are a problem, start deer-proofing by covering plants with netting and chicken wire. #5 Check for interior drafts. This will save your home’s efficiency, and it’ll save you money. While you’re at it, check for interior holes where...
by Erin Romanski | Apr 22, 2021 | Homeowner Tips
After spending an entire year inside, experts really have a new take on home trends in 2021. With top recommendations featuring ideas such as home office focal points, indoor plants, and lots of earthy colors and textures to make things cool and collected, we can see how quarantine shaped general views of what’s needed in homes. We’re about it! We love the idea of making your Greater Lafayette, IN space YOURS and a place you want to be with your immediate circle. Bring on all the comfy, cozy home vibes, 2021! Work from Home Space Whether your “work from home” time was brief, or the kids are still taking some E-Learning days, one thing’s for sure, the home office space needs an upgrade. From functional, aestheticly pleasing lighting to organizational, functional accessories and gadgets, there are many ways to spruce up your work area. Try a bright rug to tie the whole room together! It’ll feel good on your bare feet too while you work from home! Tile Textures Boho styles pull in this fun additive to renovations, and we are so thankful! Fun tile can change a kitchen as a backsplash or it can change an entire room if you make it your flooring! There are tons of options out there. Have fun pattern building too! Indoor Plants Another trend we can thank those boho lovers for- indoor plants! Not only do they look beautiful, but they can naturally purify the air quality inside your home. Here are a few suggestions of where to begin: Add a snake plant for air purification or a pathos if you have...
by Erin Romanski | Feb 2, 2021 | Homeowner Tips, Selling a Home
As the winter days get a little longer, we’re reminded that Spring is just around the corner. Year after year, the Spring real estate market excels in a beautiful directions that challenge the rest of the year- in a good way. Is this the year to sell your home? With the current housing market in Greater Lafayette, IN, you’ll want to jump right in and sell to get the most equity out of your home. This is the time! Trust us. As we wait for the extra roar of the Spring market to roll around, here are a few things you can do to prepare for that time. Start with small updates and renovations. Light fixtures, an updated sink or faucet, repainting of cabinets and fresh hardware. These are all a few simple things that’ll go a long way, giving your buyers something trendy to catch their eye at first glance!Update curb appeal! An article from Forbes magazine suggests this, “If you’re going to spend serious money on anything, focus on the exterior of your home, since this is the very first impression buyers get of your home and it counts.” A new garage door or seal for the doorRoof updateLandscaping overhaulInviting front doorUpdate with fresh, neutral paint! Neutral is always best when it comes to a potential buyer coming in to your home. They need to be able to see themselves living in there! So, allow for that with basic whites, grays, and some other colors that could be considered neutral. Declutter. Clutter in your home will detour a potential buyer quickly. Remove items and put them into...
by Erin Romanski | Dec 31, 2020 | Homeowner Tips
It really is an amazing thing to have a warm, cozy home to welcome you and yours over the holidays and throughout Greater Lafayette, IN winter months. We take pride in our job of helping you find your match-made-in-Heaven of a home, and we never want to take that essential part of our life for granted! Our job’s not complete at the closing, though. We want to help you get the best out of your home in every way! Since there are so many aspects to maintaining a home, we’re right here to help keep you focused through the seasons on what you need. Plus, there are many 2020 circumstances that have us in our homes for long periods of time. So, why not enjoy and use it to the fullest? Here are some tips and tricks to help you conserve energy through the up and coming winter months. We found some of these tips from the informational website of energy.gov and from an article by justenergy.com. Check them both out for more ideas to save! Winter Energy Savers Close interior doors and vents to unused rooms and eliminate drafts from exterior doors and windows. Here are some helpful tips from an article from justenergy.com: “External DoorsDoors are a major trouble spot for drafts. If you have a drafty door, check the weather stripping and seals around the door frame. Replace any damaged or missing weather stripping and apply new caulk to any broken seals. WindowsWindows, especially in older homes, are a major source of drafts and heat loss. Insulate your windows in winter by sealing the frame with clear...
by Erin Romanski | Nov 17, 2020 | Buying a Home, Homeowner Tips
Are You Entitled to a Property Tax Exemption? If you purchased a house, changed the deed, or refinanced on your mortgage, you should make sure the correct exemptions are filed on your home. The Romanski Group of Keller Williams Realty wants to remind you to file your property tax exemptions by the end of the year! If exemptions aren’t filed or confirmed by December 31 your taxes could go up substantially. Below is a summary of common exemptions along with contact information for each county below. Homestead Deduction – If you own a home or are buying on a recorded contract, and use it as your primary place of residence, your home could qualify for a homeowner’s deduction. A taxpayer cannot receive the Homestead Deduction in multiple states as the homestead is considered the “principle place of residence”. The deduction is either 60% of your assessed valuation or a maximum of $45,000. Mortgage Deduction – If you are buying property on a recorded mortgage or a recorded contract, and you are a resident of the State of Indiana, you could qualify for a mortgage deduction. The value of the deduction may not exceed the amount of the indebtedness. The deduction is either one half of your assessed valuation or $3,000, whichever is less. A person owning more than one property may not receive mortgage deductions totaling more than $3,000. There are several other property tax exemptions that may be available to you as well which you may want to inquire about. Please find your county below and file your homestead and mortgage exemptions or verify and get proof in...
