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Home Buyer Characteristics: Most vs. Least Likely to Buy for the First Time

18 Monday Jul 2016

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HomeBuyerCharacteristics

Posted by | Filed under Infographics

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Less-Mess Grilling

04 Monday Jul 2016

Posted by in Barbecue

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Dear Homeowner,BBQ

If you’d rather replace your old grill rack than clean it, try these hassle-free tips for less-mess grilling.

Before grilling
• Spray the cold grill rack with a nonstick vegetable spray coating.

• Line the inside of the firebox with heavy foil. When you’re finished grilling and the ashes have cooled, you can bundle up the foil and throw it all away. Heavy foil is stronger and less likely to tear.

After grilling
• Remove the rack after you’re done cooking as soon as it cools down. Fill a large tub with hot, sudsy water and put in the rack to soak. An alternative is to cover both sides of the rack with wet paper towels or newspapers and let stand while you eat. Later, the burned-on food should wash right off.

• To remove stubborn burned-on food, sprinkle dry baking soda on a damp sponge and lightly scour the grill rack. You can also scrub with an abrasive-type cleaning pad, crumpled foil or a stiff grill brush. Read your grill’s cleaning and care instructions before using any cleaning products or abrasives.

For gas grills
• Clean the inside of your gas grill by turning on the gas burners to the high setting. Close the hood and let the grill self-clean about 15 minutes. Let the grill cool, and then wipe off burned food particles.

• Once a year, remove the grill rack, briquettes and rack from the gas grill so you can brush out the bottom.
For more home-and-family tips, call Val Ogletree at (209) 559-5725 or email at valo@valogletree.com

Great Grilling Gadgets

27 Monday Jun 2016

Posted by in Barbecue

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Dear Homeowner,MHC_bbq

Today’s grilling gurus’ use much more than the basic tongs and spatulas. Whatever you want to grill, chances are there’s a new advanced tool designed to help you cook it.

Grids
• Stainless-steel or enameled porcelain grids sit right on top of the grill rack for easy grilling of vegetables, fish and burgers. Small holes prevent bite-size pieces of food from falling through while the smooth surface is perfect for cooking delicate fillets. Some models have a raised edge to push the spatula against — making turning easier.

• Grilling woks are designed to sit atop the grill rack for stir-frying vegetables. These woks have tall, sloping sides for quickly tossing vegetables over the coals.

Wire baskets
• A hinged wire basket is a good investment for cooking smaller cuts of meat, seafood and vegetables. A long handle makes turning the basket easy; a small clasp locks the basket closed so food stays in place. Baskets come in many shapes and sizes. Chrome and nonstick finishes are available.

Accessories
• Flip, turn and skewer in style with an array of top-notch tools. Long handle barbecue accessories protect the cook from the grill’s searing heat. Wooden or plastic-coated handles stay cool to the touch.

• Still, it’s a good idea to use heavy-duty oven mitts while wielding tools over a hot grill. Two-prong skewers grip kabob pieces so they won’t rotate around the skewer, ensuring even cooking time for each side.
For more home-and-family tips, call Val Ogletree Real Living Sugar Pine Realty at (209) 559-5725.

Promoting Your Garage Sale

06 Monday Jun 2016

Posted by in Garage Sales

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Dear Homeowner,00437994

If you want your next garage sale to be a huge success, put some time and effort into promoting it.

  • Plan your advertising strategy well in advance and spend your advertising money wisely. Shopper-type publications, community television stations and your local paper are generally good bets. Call these companies early to get policies, prices and deadlines.
  • Look for free advertising sources such as bulletin boards in local businesses and friends’ company newsletters. Create a sale flier and distribute it around your neighborhood to boost attendance.
  • Arrange for your ads to appear the days of the sale as well as the day before. The ad should cover the basics including the date, time and address of your sale. If your home is hard to find, include directions. Adding certain words like huge, bargains, antiques, consignment-quality and designer will help your ad grab shoppers’ attention.
  • Make signs and post them along important access routes on the days of the sale. The signs should be written in a simple block style and have letters large enough to read from a passing car. They should point the way to your house and include the date and time.
  • On the sale dates, folks driving by are basically window shopping. Using flags, balloons, promotional signs — anything that can make your sale stand out — will attract attention and invite people to stop.
  • Keep a consistent look with the decorations on your signs so that your house is easily identifiable.

For more information on holding a garage sale, call Val Ogletree Real Living Sugar Pine Realty at (209) 558-5725