Must Do Fall Maintenance Lawn Tasks
Mon, 22 Oct 2012 by Rose Anne Erickson Realty
While the cooler fall weather provides a long-awaited break from weekly mowing, the coming winter can be tough on your lawn. There are a handful of lawn tasks you can do now to ensure a lovely yard at your new home near Ft. Benning when spring returns.
Fall Gardening ideas and tips
Thu, 20 Sep 2012 by Rose Anne Erickson Realty
A wonderful thing about living in South Georgia is the extended gardening and growing season. From beautiful blooms to bountiful crops, homes for sale Ft Benning GA offer fall months you can enjoy outdoors. Below are a few tips for fall gardening from our team at Rose Anne Erickson Realty.
In your flower garden, now is the time to divide plants and get ready for next spring. Since the ground will be warm enough for root growth several more weeks, divide daylily, iris, monkey grass and hosta in September. Also, fertilize your salvia and chrysanthemums and they will continue to bloom well into the season.
Look for spring flowering bulbs to be on sale and snatch them up at a deep discount. They may not look like much but remember you’re paying for the bulb not the flower! In a few weeks when it gets to 60 degrees, you can place these in the ground at homes for sale Ft Benning GA and look forward to a full spring bed.
Pansies are a common fall flower, hearty enough to survive frost and with bright colors that pop against your fresh mulch. Plant them about 8 inches apart and drench with houseplant fertilizer to see them double in size in no time. Other fall blooms include the Red Spider Lilies, Goldenrod, Aster, Helenium with bright orange and yellow blooms and Mexican Sage with lovely green foliage and purple flowers.
In your vegetable garden there is still time to harvest a handful of plants according to UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Department. Mustard and Beets can be planted until mid September and take about 50 days to mature. You have until October to plant cabbage and it will mature in 70 – 120 days. You can also plant Romaine, Buttercrunch and Butterhead lettuce between now and October 1st then, give it 60 – 85 days to mature.
Although Asparagus does not mature for picking until the second year, November and December are the ideal times for planting at homes for sale Ft Benning GA! The best cultivars for Georgia, according to UGA include Jersey Knight, Jersey Giant, Purple Passion and Mary Washington.
Fun Summer Activities for Kids at Home
Mon, 30 Jul 2012 by Rose Anne Erickson Realty
For the kids in new homes Ft Benning awaiting the dog days of summer to be over, below are a few ideas for at-home activities to pass the time!
Plan an Obstacle Course – Here are a few great ideas to get started:
- Fill an inflatable pool and place it under a rope swing suspended from a sturdy tree. If you don’t have a tree, get a tiny pool and let them take a running jump. Kids are sure to land in the middle anyway just for fun!
- Make a zigzag obstacle and challenge kids to race through without dropping any water balloons. They can ride their bike with an attached basket filled with the balloons, pull a wagon or just fill their hands!
- Turn on the slip-n-slide and have a crabwalk challenge! Kids bend their knees, lean backwards and lock their elbows to walk like a crab as fast as they can toward the finish line.
Make Shirts – There are so many online tutorials available for DIY t-shirts and kids love getting messy and making things on their own! Summer is a great time for this type of craft because you can get outside new homes Ft Benning and avoid messes inside. Try a tie-dye design, fabric paint with home made stamps, or let kids adhere their own designs with iron-on material then you can help with the ironing. Start with old t-shirts or cheap finds from the thrift store. You can usually find solid color shirts pretty inexpensive as well from large department stores.
Beat the Heat Inside – If it’s too hot (or too rainy) these last couple weeks before school starts back, recreate their favorite summer activities indoor new homes Ft Benning. Make a sand-free sandbox using rice, dried beans, noodles or oatmeal in an under-the-bed box or aluminum-foil roasting pan. You can also play a mean game of hoops with balls of newspaper and a clean trash bin or empty box! Blow up balloons for a table tennis tournament or a game of keep-away.
If you’re looking for a place to settle in as the new school year begins, Rose Anne Erickson Realty is eager to help you find the new home you have in mind! Contact us today to learn more about available new homes Ft Benning.
Summer Entertaining Decor Ideas
Mon, 16 Jul 2012 by Rose Anne Erickson Realty
Summer entertaining is the highlight of the year for many homeowners of new homes Ft Benning. The long summer days spill into warm nights making it the perfect time to gather with friends and family over southern iced tea and al fresco dinners.
Here are a few décor ideas for your summer soiree from friends at Rose Anne Erickson Realty:
Start with color
Choose your palette for the party incorporating two or three main colors. This will help you choose everything from place settings, decorations, accessories and even your menu! By carrying the color theme throughout your space, it will also help guest identify designated areas where they’re welcome to relax or join in the fun.
Choose a theme
Beach or barn themes are easy and appropriate for this time of year! For a barn theme rustic bales of hay topped with folded quilts or cushions make great seating or stack them and top with trays for a drink station or dessert display. Use Burlap or painted canvas drop cloths as table runners and fold paisley bandannas over draped string in lieu of the popular fabric pennants.
Bring the seaside to new homes Ft Benning by filling buckets with sand and using for pillar candleholders. Use large seashells for serving spoons, adhere starfish or other beach themed pieces to your napkin rings and suspend beach balls from the ceiling instead of blowing up balloons.
Create Comfort
Repurpose indoor furniture for your outdoor party. Use chests and toy boxes covered with printed sheets or table cloths as additional tables or ottomans, bring out woven and jute rugs to define sitting areas in your back yard or on your deck. Throw mix-matched seat cushions on your benches and chairs to add comfort and an eclectic flare.
Final Touches
Fresh fruit and flowers make the easiest décor for summer. Use a tiered dessert stand to display clipped fresh flowers in glass votives. Add small clear cups of fresh fruit for a functional, decorative display. Set out a basket of dollar store or hand-made paper fans to keep guests cool. Don’t forget citronella tea lights or candle sticks to ward off pests while adding to the ambiance!
Our team at Rose Anne Erickson Realty has the inside scoop on Real Estate in the Columbus GA, Ft. Benning, and Phenix City AL areas and we’re excited to let you in on the best locations, designs, and value new homes Ft Benning has to offer. Contact us today to learn more.
Spring staging tips for your home for sale
Sat, 26 May 2012 by Rose Anne Erickson Realty
Spring is the best time to sell and proper staging can help move your home more quickly. When buyers walk into a clean, well thought out space they are better able to see themselves in your home and feel confident you have been a good caretaker. Rose Anne Erickson Realty is ready to list and sell your home! Below are a few spring staging tips from our professional sales team. Contact us today to learn more.
Less is More
If a professional stager came in your home they may remove as much as half your furniture! Take a look at the rooms in your home for sale in Columbus, GA and reorganize to create quaint sitting areas, relaxing bedrooms with plenty of floor space and deliberate displays on bookshelves and walls. Tidy up closets by packing away winter clothes, extra blankets and loose toys. Clean out your kitchen cabinets and pantry too. The less items in your storage spaces, the larger they appear!
Picture Perfect
We’re not talking about a flawless house, just one in which your potential buyers can ‘picture’ themselves. Remove most of your family photos and personal collections. For the items you choose to decorate with, remember accessorizing in odd numbers is most pleasing to the eye. Take advantage of the season and replace personal items with spring bouquets in your home for sale in Columbus, GA. The fresh flowers will add color and fragrance throughout your home.
Paint Pick-Me-Up
A simple coat of paint can transform any room into a clean, inviting space. Keep it neutral in your living areas. If you have a small kitchen and family room open to one another, one continuous color can make the space appear larger. Also consider faded shudders, outdated tile and old cabinets. New color on these items in your home for sale in Columbus, GA can really make a difference!
Outside
Buyers are shopping online and narrowing their selections based largely on photos and descriptions they find. However, if you neglect the outside they may drive by without ever coming inside. A fresh coat of paint on your front door, a live green plant on your porch and a small bed of colorful spring blooms will go farther than you think! Weed your beds, replace faded house numbers and give your windows a good spring-cleaning.
Arbor Day and Reducing Your Carbon Footprint
Mon, 23 Apr 2012 by Rose Anne Erickson Realty
Looking for a new home in Columbus, GA or Phenix City, AL is the right choice for environmentally aware buyers. Columbus, GA was actually the first city in the State of Georgia to earn the Tree City USA designation and Phenix City, AL was just a few years behind!
National Arbor Day is April 27th and since planting trees is an excellent way to offset your carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, it’s our number one recommendation on ways to celebrate the day and reduce your carbon footprint. CO2 is one of the major contributing elements to the greenhouse effect. Trees trap CO2 from the atmosphere and give us oxygen in return. Mature trees can absorb roughly 48 pounds of CO2 a year and release enough oxygen to sustain two humans.
Another excellent way to reduce your carbon footprint is by eating more locally grown, organic and in-season foods. Shopping for foods that have traveled shorter distances to reach you at places like your local farmer’s market can save big when it comes to the environment. If you own a new home in Columbus, GA or Phenix City, AL you can easily do this by visiting Market Days on the 1000 block of Broadway from 9am – 12pm on Saturdays. You’ll find local farmers and other vendors selling locally grown and handcrafted goods. Join them Saturday, April 28th for the next Market Days!
There are a few more easy ways to reduce your carbon footprint. You can install compact fluorescent bulbs throughout your home, which use 75% less energy, and last up to 9 years longer. You can also change the filters in your air conditioner monthly during the summer when you are using it most and raise the thermostat when no one will be home for a few hours. Recycling may be one of the easiest and most affordable ways to reduce your personal CO2 emissions. Recycle your glass, paper, plastic, aluminum and electronics as well as other items that may seem like trash to you. Having a yard sale is a great way to recycle some household goods, make a little extra money to spend at Market Days and meet the neighbors at your new home in Columbus, GA or Phenix City, AL.
