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Prepare Your Home For Vacation

Prepping Your Home for Your Summer Vacation

Thrive Real Estate Specialist Owner/Broker

Maribeth Lynch

Having recently returned home from a fantastic family vacation, I’ve found myself thinking about the fresh start I experience when I leave my house behind for a week or more. This summer, I was really organized in the days leading up to my departure. Amidst the packing and the planning, I also put my house in order in anticipation of redecorating my living room. I ordered new sofas that were delivered a few days after we returned from vacation – and it almost seemed that I was extending the vacation itself!

Leaving home provides me with a sense of rejuvenation. I always seem to be in a better frame of mind to make home improvements after I’ve been away for a while. I can see my house more clearly when I take a step away, and as a result, some of my most productive projects tend to occur immediately after I arrive home from vacation, feeling refreshed and with a new sense of purpose. I urge you to consider looking at your house with fresh eyes when you return from your summer vacation, and maybe you’ll be inspired to make some improvements. At the very least, you should find yourself able to look at your home with a new perspective upon your return.

Of course, there are also plenty of practicalities associated with leaving on vacation – particularly if you are going on a long trip or you will be far away. Here are a few considerations to tend to before you leave:

Clerical

  1. Hold mail with the post office or ask a friend or neighbor to periodically bring in mail and packages that arrive while you’re away.
  2. Make arrangements for pets. Ask a neighbor to look after the cat or book the kennel for your dog.
  3. If you’re unsure that you have airtight privacy settings on your social media accounts, refrain from advertising your absence via posts until you have returned home.
  4. Stock nonperishable provisions for your return so that an extensive trip to the grocery store is not immediately necessary; make a list of essential perishables to pick up during a quick trip to the store when you return.
  5. Notify your security company if you have a security service. You can also contact your local police department and notify them of your absence; in many communities, police are willing to patrol neighborhoods while residents are out of town.
  6. Leave emergency contact information with friend or relative and give a neighbor the key or alarm code in case of emergency.
  7. Lock the windows and doors!
  8. If you are wired to do so, monitor your home from a smart phone app.
  9. Although not strictly associated with your property, I would also urge you to contact your bank and credit card companies if you are traveling abroad so they won’t issue fraud alerts on your accounts when your bank cards are used in other countries.

Exterior

  1. Tend to the yard. Enlist a teenager from your neighborhood or hire a landscaping service to mow the lawn.
  2. Check pool pump settings and hire a pool service or ask someone you know to add water and chemicals as needed during your absence.
  3. Remove spare keys from obvious hiding places.
  4. Install motion-sensitive lights on the exterior of your home.

Interior

  1. Water houseplants and ask a friend to stop by to care for them periodically.
  2. Put lights and small appliances like radios or television sets on timers so your home will seem “lived in.”
  3. Turn up the thermostat to save on energy costs.
  4. Unplug small appliances.
  5. Turn off valves to sinks, toilets, the dishwasher, and the washing machine.
  6. Set your water heater temperature to “vacation” mode, which will cause it to run less frequently.
  7. Test your smoke detectors to make sure they are functioning.
  8. Clean out the refrigerator and finish off or toss anything that could spoil.
  9. Make sure kitchen and pantry are free of crumbs that could attract pests.
  10. Remove all trash from the house.

As a bonus, I like to clean my house before I leave so that I come home to a sparkling kitchen and spotless bathrooms, an empty dishwasher, laundered towels and clothing, and clean sheets on the beds. It makes me happier to return to a clean house so that I don’t have to dive back into chores immediately following my vacation. And once you return home, relaxed and refreshed, consider looking at your house with fresh eyes. It may just provide you with the spark of inspiration you need to make some improvements to your living space.

Bon voyage!

Posted in: Blog, Featured Blog Posts Tagged: Shrewsbury MA Real Estate Agents, Shrewsbury Ma Realtors

New Mid-Century Listings Offer Opportunities for Walk-to-Town Lifestyle

photo of the center of Shrewsbury MA

New Mid-Century Listings Offer Opportunities for Walk-to-Town Lifestyle

Maribeth Lynch, Thrive Real Estate Specialists

 
If you’re searching for a home right now, you’re sure to know that it’s a seller’s market and there is not a lot of inventory available for purchase. However, I’m very excited about several new properties I will be listing, and I want to share a bit of a preview with prospective homebuyers.
 
In the coming weeks, I will be listing five mid-century properties that were built in the 1940s and 1950s, during the era that is sometimes called “mid-century modern” or “contemporary.” These homes are enjoying a resurgence in desirability due to their simplicity; they are functional and lack the affectation and embellishment that characterized the rise of the McMansion.
 
There are some features that characterize mid-century architecture and décor, such as an uncluttered look achieved through sleek and uncomplicated lines – a home that is not fussy with detail provides a new homeowner with a clean canvas on which to apply his or her personality. These homes often incorporate a harmony between indoor space and outdoor space that might include screened-in porches, large or sliding glass doors, and small but established lots with plentiful opportunity for gracious landscaping that blends well with the lines of the house.
 
The popularity of mid-century homes may be due to a move toward a back-to-basics style of living characterized by a lack of pretension in architectural style. But if you ask me, another desirable feature of many of these homes is their location. There is a preponderance of mid-century homes clustered near Shrewsbury’s town center, and that location provides a nostalgic and highly-sought walkability that has begun to dwindle in towns as suburban sprawl has dictated a reliance on automobiles. Homes lining the streets near the town center feature mature trees and established landscaping, creating neighborhoods perfect for walking.
 
I’ve written before about the benefits of living near the town center. Easy access to our gorgeous new public library is just one such advantage, and if you haven’t visited this state-of-the-art building with its community feel and many amenities, I highly encourage you to do so. Our town common, too, is a beautiful place to spend time, flanked by the First Congregational Church and the Shrewsbury Historical Society, with the older sections of historic Mountain View Cemetery just footsteps away. Dean Park and Prospect Park are also close to the center of town and provide residents with a wealth of recreational opportunities.
 
I am fortunate to have served on the committee to develop Shrewsbury’s Master Plan, a document created to look forward toward the town’s future growth and development. Included in the plan is a proposal concerning the redevelopment of the downtown area to provide vitality and accessibility to residents. The goal is continued pedestrian-friendly access to gathering places, shopping, and services. Living near the center of town will only become more desirable as this redevelopment unfolds. I expect Shrewsbury’s center to enjoy a resurgence in vibrancy – that’s just one of the reasons that my office is located in the heart of town.
 
Keep an eye on my website and Facebook page, or contact me directly to find out more about these great new properties as they come on the market. I anticipate that they will generate a lot of interest and I look forward to working with clients who are interested in all that they have to offer.

Posted in: Featured Blog Posts, Home Buyers, Homes for Sale and Just Sold, Homes for sale in Shrewsbury MA Tagged: homes for sale in Shrewsbury Ma, Shrewsbury MA Real Estate, Shrewsbury Ma Realtors, Walk to town properties in Massachusetts, walk to town properties in Shrewsbury MA

Open House 61 Hillando Drive Shrewsbury MA Sunday 9-27-15

Homes for Sale Shrewsbury Ma- 61 Hillando

Open House in Walnut Ridge Estates in Shrewsbury

Sunday, September 27, 2015 from 12:00-2:00pm

 


This Walnut Ridge Estates home has just about everything you are looking for! Bright and sunny with french doors leading into the formal dining room just adjacent to a cozy sitting room-both with hardwood floors. The family room features a brick fireplace and opens into the kitchen. Designed for cooking and entertaining, the kitchen is filled with cabinets and offers access to the large deck and first floor laundry. The second floor welcomes you with a large master, two more ample bedrooms and even a small office. The partially finished lower level offers a slider to your outdoor “living room”, tucked under the deck with views of a beautiful wooded backyard. Speaking of your backyard… while sitting on your large deck or outdoor spaces you will enjoy the soothing sound of a backyard waterfall complete with pond. All of this with gas heat, central air, a walkable neighborhood and Shrewsbury’s award winning schools!

View more photos here

Call or Text Maribeth for more information 508-641-9323

Click Here To View the full listing for 61 Hillando Drive Shrewsbury MA

Posted in: Blog, Home Buyers, Homes for sale in Shrewsbury MA, Market Updates, Properties, Shrewsbury MA, Shrewsbury MA Real Estate Tagged: homes for sale in Shrewsbury Ma, Open Houses Shrewsbury MA, Shrewsbury Ma Realtors

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      Thrive Real Estate Specialists
      Maribeth Lynch
      26 Maple Ave.
      Shrewsbury, MA 01545
      Direct: (508) 641-9323
      info@ThriveRealtors.com

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