On our most recent airing of Your Real Estate Today, Paul Jamison of the Jamison Family of Companies speaks with Marty Ivey of Ivey Exterminating and Sandy Dickinson of Cross Country Mortgage about carpenter bees, carpenter ants, termites, snakes, raccoons, and home staging.
Carpenter Bees
Carpenter bees are out in full swarm. They are buzzing around, boring their holes into any wood they can find, and basically doing their bee thing. The males may see their reflection in a window and think it’s another male. They can get quite aggressive as they try to defend their turf and stake their claim to the female in the immediate area. Don’t worry though…they do not sting.
These bees, however, can bore a serious hole in only 30 minutes! That hole, or at least the area around the hole, needs to be treated immediately with insecticide, or else woodpeckers may get into those holes to eat the larvae inside. All of a sudden, a little hole can quickly become a very large problem.
Carpenter Ants
Some people may confuse carpenter ants with termites. Carpenter ants swarm this time of year, too. However, unlike termites, carpenter ants rarely do any damage to the good wood on a property. They usually get into damaged wood where condensation may already be an issue. You may see a pile of sawdust laying around as a clue that you have carpenter ants.
Termites
Termites do their mating flights this time of year. They will swarm around Easter time and for the next three weeks or so after that. Most of them (90%) are eaten by predators, such as birds, ants, and other insects. The ones that do survive to become worker adults are extremely efficient, hard workers who keep busy every day throughout the year. You might see wings and/or dead termites laying around the sunny side of the house as an indicator that you may have a termite colony.
Snakes
Hardly anyone likes snakes! Even though most snakes are harmless, it can still be quite alarming to see one in your yard or in your garage. Black snakes are beneficial and non-poisonous. Copperheads are quite poisonous (even deadly!). They are often mis-identified king snakes or rat snakes. But, don’t take chances. Never take a risk when you see a snake. Just let it go about its business, and it’ll most likely be on its way shortly. You may spray water from your hose onto the snake in the hope that it will go away. Snakes can be found in crawl spaces, and they can even crawl up downspouts and find their way into attics! Trim all trees at least 3 feet away from the house in order to keep snakes and other critters from getting onto and into the house.
Raccoons
Keep raccoons out of your yard, so they’ll stay away from your house. Bungee cord your trash cans if you have to. Do whatever it takes to keep them off of your property, away from your house, and out of your crawl space and attic.
Home Staging
Professional stagers know how to make the home stand out from the competition. They use furniture and other items to showcase the home’s best features, and make it look well cared for. Following are some of the benefits of staging a home for sale:
● Faster sales time
● Higher sales price (may be 10-11% more than a non-staged home!)
● Professional image for print and advertising photos
● Great market differentiator
● Attract a broader range of buyers
● Buyers and home inspectors view staged homes as well cared for
● Appraisers are more likely to appraise staged homes at full value
● Staging may be tax deductible (please consult your tax advisor)
Things to avoid when staging
● Too much furniture or using worn hand-me-down furniture
● Furniture that does not fit the room
● Grandmas furniture that smells like Grandma
● Too many knick-knacks
● Excessive dark paint
● Drastically different paint colors throughout the home
● Pushing all the furniture against the wall
● Lack of light
Despite economic uncertainty and craziness in the banking world, now is still a very good time to buy a home. So, go ahead, get your pre-approval letter in hand, and go out and get that dream house!
We’re to Help!
To discuss property management,property investment, property maintenance, selling, buying, the local real estate market, and all things real estate related, contact the expert team of trusted advisors at Jamison Realty at (704) 846-3663. To learn more about property investment in particular, purchase Paul’s book, Opportunity is Knocking, which is chock full of information and tips to get every new investor well on their way to success.
We will be with you every step of the way. Also, listen to Your Real Estate Today radio show every Saturday afternoon on WBT for fun and interesting real estate information and special guests!