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Trouble Decluttering? Me too! I found this great article on Houzz
Why Would You Sell Your Home in Winter?!?!?
The sky is gray, yards look bleak, you just want to hunker down with a good book and a blanket. Why think about selling your home now?
Here are a few good reasons:
1. Housing Inventory is LOW
Unlike many other areas of the country, the Santa Clara County real estate market has seen prices surpass their 2007 highs with no end in sight. We have extremely low inventory and many well-qualified buyers desperate to find a home. I receive emails every day from agents begging for off-market listings for their buyers who have lost out on multiple offers. In most of my transactions this past year I have had buyers who were more than willing to tailor their offer to work with buyers’ needs, including rent backs, long escrows, short contingency periods, etc. This is a sellers’ marke
2. Low Interest Rates
Yes, the Feds raised interest rates at the end of last year. That being said, they are still ridiculously low. We expect them to go up as the year progresses, so take advantage of them now, while buying power is still strong. If you are not only selling your home but looking to purchase a replacement, this is doubly important.
3. Tax Benefits
Yes, this is still the largest tax break for qualified taxpayers on capital gains for the sale of their personal residence. Single taxpayers may exclude up to $250,000 on capital gains and couples up to $500,000.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. I also welcome opinions and personal testimonials.
Beautiful and Tasty Fall Planting-Persimmon Tree
There are so many reasons to consider planting a persimmon tree. First of all, it is a beautiful thing. The leaves look pretty all Spring and Summer and when the landscape is beginning to look bleak and the leaves are falling, it bears bright orange fruit that are great to eat and look like gorgeous ornaments. In fact, they need that first frost to ripen past their tart, lip-puckering stage.
The persimmon tree adapts well to various soils and is almost drought tolerant once established, which is why they are right at home in California. An easy-care tree, it doesn’t have many enemies, and requires little trimming, mostly to keep the branches from crossing.
There are mainly two types of fruits, the firm Fuyu type, that is eaten like an apple or sliced thinly and included in an Autumn green salad. The soft Hachiya type, which is used in baking, needs to be almost jelly-like when ripe. There is nothing like persimmon breads or cookies which are soft and sweet. I love walnuts in mine.
Getting Your Home Ready for El Nino
Are you Ready for the upcoming El Nino?
After the past 4 years of drought, I know I will be happy to see the rain! Before the celebrations begin, however, there are some important things to check around your house.
1. The first thing might be your roof. Check your roof to see if you can detect lifting shingles, exposed felt, deteriorating composition materials, flashing, etc.
If in doubt, hire an expert to come out and inspect it. Don’t wait for the first rain or you may be waiting for weeks to get someone to come out!
Make sure your gutters don’t leak and are clear of any debris. I don’t have any overhanging trees, but have found tennis balls and birds nests clogging mine!
Check downspouts and make sure they are clear and that the water is directed away from the foundation. We use a flexible extender at the end of ours, but there are many decorative and permanent ways to direct the flow. See below:
2. Check trees and large shrubs for weak or overhanging branches. Our trees have suffered from less water and may not be healthy enough to withstand hard rains and strong winds.You may want to consult with an expert.
3. Think about runoff in and around your house and yard. Most of us in the Valley have clay soil, which holds water and creates wet spots. Check for areas that puddle and consider a solution to drainage.
Check your impermeable areas (solid concrete patios and driveways, for example). Consider ways to direct the water to areas where it can soak in instead of running into the storm drains. It may be possible to make some areas more permeable with pavers, stones, etc. so the water has a chance to percolate into the subsoil.
Consider storing the runoff water for use in other areas of the yard.
Mulch early in the Fall to keep it from washing away with the first rains.
4. Consider your choice of plantings. Some plants that we have put in during the drought period may not stay healthy with too much rain water.
You may want to move these or remove them completely.
Think about “Summer Shade” and take this opportunity to plant trees and shrubs. They get time to establish themselves before they go dormant. This may also be a good time to put in native plants that are adapted to our climate swings.
Please don’t wait until the rains come or it may be too late! If you have any questions, consult with a professional. I would be happy to give some names of reputable companies I have used or go online and check reviews.
Good luck! Come on rain!
Interesting Article from Houzz about New California Landscapes-The End of Sprawling Lawns?
Water Saving Tips for any Household
Do You Know the New Water Restrictions in San Jose?
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Water Use Rules to Preserve Our Drinking Water The City of San José joins the Santa Clara Valley Water District and San José water service providers in asking all residents and businesses to do their part to preserve the drinking water supply during this drought. Please reduce your water use by 30 percent. These rules are established in the San José Municipal code or by local water service providers. View the full Ordinance, or Resolution. |
Outdoor Water Conservation Rules & Recommendations*
Outdoor water use is probably the easiest place to reduce water use since it accounts for roughly half of the average water bill. Please follow these rules:
- Be cool — water when it’s cool, by HAND held hose with an automatic shut off nozzle or irrigation system before 10:00 a.m. and after 8:00 p.m. With a SPRINKLER system, water before 10:00 a.m. and after 8:00 p.m. only on two designated days:
- Odd numbered addresses may water on Mondays and Thursdays;
- Even numbered addresses may water on Tuesdays and Fridays;
- Properties without an address may water on Mondays and Thursdays
Watering outdoors at other times is not allowed. Less evaporation occurs in the cooler evening and early morning hours — so you can use less water and your plants and landscape will absorb more of it.
- Be trendy — use gray water (used water from baths, sinks) to wash your car, take it to a commercial car wash, or leave it dirty. No car washing with potable water.
- Be local — use community pools or the beach. No refilling residential pools/spas more than one foot and no initial filling with potable water, except when existing pools are drained to repair leaks.
- Be quick — fix water leaks as soon as possible. Fix visible leaks as soon as possible. If notified of a leak in your system, fix it within 5 working days.
- Be in control — don’t let water flow into gutters or streets. Beyond minor splashing of surfaces, sprinkler and drip systems and hand watering that cause water to flow into gutters and streets or that make large puddles is not allowed.
- Be a sharp shooter — with automatic shut-off nozzles. Hoses are required to have a nozzle that shuts off automatically when the handle is released. This helps you aim and control the water and can save many gallons.
- Be a sweeper — sweep hard surfaces. Use a broom instead of a hose to clean patios, sidewalks, driveways, parking lots, or other hard surfaces. Note: Hosing is allowed when health and safety issues are a concern.
- Be frugal — water less often and consider rebates. Many plants can survive on less water, especially when the weather starts to cool. Consider replacing lawns and thirsty plants with drought tolerant landscaping and get a rebate from the Santa Clara Valley Water District!
- Provide customers with water only upon request. Food servers are to provide water to customers only when requested, not automatically.
- Hand dishwashing requires low-flow spray valves. Hand-held spraying fixtures for dishwashing must be fitted with low-flow spray valves that automatically shut off.
- Make daily towel and linen service optional. Hotels must offer guests the option to help conserve water by having fresh towel and linen service only upon request.
- Fire hydrant use. Use of fire hydrants by construction companies and watering trucks requires permission and a temporary water meter from the water utility where the hydrant is located.
More tips to preserve our drinking water
There are lots of ways to conserve. Catch shower water in a bucket while it warms up and water plants with it. When shaving, rinse your blade in a bowl of water instead of running water. For more tips and information on rebates, visit www.valleywater.org.
To report water waste
Report water waste to the Santa Clara Valley Water District by calling (408) 630-2000 or emailing drought@valleywater.org<i class=”alert”>For security reasons, you must enable JavaScript to view this E-mail address.</i>.
Low Water Plants CAN be Colorful!
First thing to know is that I love having colorful blooms in my yard all year long! I was afraid that I would end up with something like a desert landscape if I tried to use drought tolerant plants. I went online to look for some pretty plants that don’t guzzle water and found some that grow well in the Santa Clara Valley. Here are some of my favorites.
Lavender: Pretty flowers, smells great and comes in different shades of blue, purple, pink and even white.
Day Lilies: Pretty colors, blooms Spring and Summer, low maintenance.
Snapdragon: Variety of colors and different sizes. I have problems with bud worms though.
Hydrangea: Love these, but they do take a good amount of water to get established. Beautiful flowers in many varieties.
Agapanthus: Shades of blues or white, large or small plants and pretty when not in bloom. Snails do love them, however.
Coreopsis: Beautiful shades of yellow on mounding plants.
Willow Glen Farmers’ Market 2015 Opening Day – Willow Glen
First Weekend for Willow Glen Farmer’s Market! Don’t you just love this time of year when fresh fruits and veggies are hitting the local Farmer’s Market? This is an intimate market, but lots of great things to bring home. Don’t forget, Mother’s Day is coming and they do have flowers at the market!
Downtown Campbell 2nd Saturday | Downtown Campbell
If you are looking for something fun to do on Mother’s Day Weekend, try Downtown Campbell. They have a fun, family friendly event every month on the 2nd Saturday. This one just happens to be the day before Mother’s Day. Check it out!
Downtown Campbell 2nd Saturday | Downtown Campbell
