Home Ownership

How Residential Movers Can Remodel Their Homes To Sell

August 26, 2014 by apacheadmin Leave a Comment

Remodeling to Sell…Is it Worth It?

Trying to sell your home for a fair price is difficult, especially as you prepare to move. It can be difficult to decide whether to sell the house as-is or renovate. Homeowners often realize that they must invest into renovating or remodeling their property before it is ready to sell on the market. Choosing which projects or areas to put your time and money into is challenging, however. But with some insightful planning, it can be done with a limited budget to appeal to more potential buyers.

Use your money on smaller, affordable renovations that make an obvious impact. Door replacements, new coats of paint, or any upgrades to the exterior can be simple projects that will impress buyers.

Another area to consider upgrading is the overall efficiency of your home. Whether it’s the A.C. unit, kitchen appliances, or just adding insulation, improving the energy usage of the home will always be attractive.

Remodeling the interiors can be tricky for homeowners. Adding additional rooms or taking on costly renovations may not always pay off. However, adding modifications within your existing space can be great and affordable. Try putting in more storage space in rooms or even expanding rooms altering walls. This will allow potential buyers to visualize their own life within your house.

After you have remodeled and sold your home, it is time to celebrate and get ready to move into your new one. Residential movers can begin to relax here, because Apache Moving can make it a simple process. Call us at 512-452-4799 to find out how we can help.

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Filed Under: Blog, Home Ownership, Moving

3 Things to Know Before Buying Into a Homeowners Association

August 20, 2014 by apacheadmin Leave a Comment

Moving to Austin? Do Your Research…

When looking for a new home, there are countless factors to consider. One thing that often gets overlooked during a purchase of your new place is the homeowners association that goes along with it. So before you sign on the dotted line and call your local Austin moving company, it is smart to factor HOAs into your budget, lifestyle, and more. Here are 3 things to know before buying a house with HOA.

Member dues of homeowners associations are typically paid monthly, quarterly, or annually. Talk with the seller or realtor to get a clear picture of how much you will need to pay and add it into the cost of your new home.
Associations also establish strict rules about homeownership that usually regulate lawn maintenance, home design, parking, and more. You should carefully review the rules to ensure you and your family can follow.
If you like to be involved in your community or neighborhood, a homeowners association may be the perfect avenue for you. There are often opportunities to volunteer for a committee or serve on the board of directors, which will help you meet neighbors.

If you are ready to make the big move to Austin or within Austin, contact Apache Moving & Storage for a moving quote and a discount.

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Filed Under: Blog, Home Ownership

Getting Ready to Sell Your Home? Spring Cleaning Is a Must!

May 29, 2014 by apacheadmin Leave a Comment

A thorough spring cleaning is one of the best things you do for your home all year, and it shows your home at its best. It doesn’t matter if you’re setting the stage to sell your house or moving into a newly purchased one, there are several ways to make cleaning more effective.

Make Cleaning Part of Your Moving Checklist

Carpet Stains: The best thing is to flush the spill with cold water, as stains will be less likely to set, and to blot up the liquid quickly. A portable spot cleaner or wet/dry vacuum also does the trick. Lingering odor? Rinse again with a half-vinegar/half-water solution. As a last resort, you may just need to bring in professional carpet cleaners

Wall Stains: Try a clean cloth/sponge and water. If it’s still not coming off, use mild soap diluted in water (dip the cloth/sponge or apply soap directly to stain). In extreme cases, you may want to use an all-purpose cleaning product. Be sure to rinse the wall with water if you use any of these methods.

Tile Grime: Tile in your bathroom or kitchen can be cleaned with a water/baking soda mixture or a “neutral pH” product.

Mildewed and Scratched Countertops: Mildew and soap scum can be scrubbed away with 1/2 cup of ammonia in a gallon of water, while a few drops of ammonia and a small amount of peroxide do the trick with coffee or juice stains. Small scratches can be buffed away with “grade 0000” superfine, dry steel wool.

Read about more spring cleaning tips on House Beautiful.

We hope these cleaning tips get your home feeling spring-fresh once more. For more home ownership advice, like our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter!

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Filed Under: Home Ownership, Moving

Using Your Tax Refund: Home Improvements That Add Value

April 10, 2014 by apacheadmin Leave a Comment

Home improvement is not just a classic 90s sitcom – it’s also how you choose to use your tax refund. The great thing about tax refunds is that they can be used any way you want. The number of things you can do with your tax refund is limitless, but using your money on home improvements that add value will be a great long-term investment, especially when you’re ready to move and sell your home. Think about why you bought your home in the first place. Were there changes you wish you could make? Now’s your chance!

Major Home Improvements

According to HGTV.com, 33 percent of homebuyers are more likely to buy a recently renovated home. The master bedroom is the part of a home which homebuyers will be excited to see. An expected luxury, it is much more inviting as a large, spacious room with tons of storage space and a great closet.

New windows may not seem like a valuable, or even a fun improvement, but they have a few benefits. Since 30 percent of energy leaks through the windows in an average home, energy-efficient windows will save energy and money in the long run. While reducing the cost of heating and cooling your home, this aspect will also be attractive to potential home buyers, if you ever decide to put your home on the market.

Small Home Improvements That Go A Long Way

With a fresh coat of paint, your home will seem like new to you. Scuffs, holes, and marks will disappear from your sight and memory with new walls. Another great thing about a brand new color scheme is that it isn’t difficult to do and one of the least expensive home improvements.

Returning to the idea of renovation, updating your bathrooms will be worth your while. If you have an outdated bathtub, sink, vanity, or tile, now would be a good time to make some new changes. Even changing small things like towels, accessories, and light fixtures will make a difference in your home improvement mission.

Begin Planning ASAP

The smallest changes can make the biggest difference, so we hope you enjoy thinking of ways to spend your tax refund on home improvements that add value! Tell us how you used your tax return to improve your home on our social media channels. Don’t forget to like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for more tips like these!

Source: HGTV.com

Filed Under: Home Ownership

DIY Home Projects: Affordable Remodeling

January 10, 2014 by apacheadmin Leave a Comment

Are you going trying to sell your house in the next few months in preparation for your move? Are a lot of people looking but not really falling in love with your house? According to the DIY Network, “Whether you’re planning a full-scale remodel or just looking to spruce things up, small changes can make a big difference — not to mention the money you save for the bigger-ticket items.” They suggest several upgrades that will give your home a charming lift:

Replace the front door
Give the kitchen cabinets a makeover
Add backsplashes, borders, and trims
Paint the walls…and the ceilings
Improve lighting (consider dimmers)
Refinish or replace old floors

If you’re going to focus on one room, remember that the kitchen is always the most important room in the house. It’s where people spend the most of the time. Essentially, it’s the heart of your home. Any upgrades you make in your kitchen will generally always give you a return on your investment, whether it’s for you to enjoy, or to help you sell your house for a higher price.

Getting your house fixed up for new buyers is one of the things you should consider as you plan your move. Have you selected a moving company to make that move happen? Contact Apache Moving & Storage for a free quote. We have daily service throughout Texas, including Austin, Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio.

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Filed Under: Home Ownership

Homeowners Insurance Advice

August 30, 2013 by apacheadmin Leave a Comment

How to Shop for Homeowners Insurance

When shopping around for homeowners insurance rates, be sure to mention any safety-related improvements that you’ve made, especially if it’s an older home. Simply installing a smoke alarm on each floor of your home will not only protect your life in case of a fire, it could save you up to ten percent annually on homeowners insurance.

If you have expensive landscaping around your home, consider purchasing separate insurance for it. Most basic homeowners insurance policies will not cover damage from wind or other environmental factors to landscaping. This means that if your expensive imported trees come down in the wind, your homeowners insurance policy will generally not cover it.

To protect your personal property in a rented residence, you need renter’s insurance. The landlord or property owner will have insurance to cover losses on the building, but not on the items inside your unit. This is your responsibility. Fortunately, renter’s insurance is quite affordable, and it’s available from most insurance companies and independent agents.

If you need to file a homeowners insurance claim, you’ll need to prove your losses. A good way to document your possessions is to take a video while walking through your house, describing the items. Then upload the video to a safe, non-public place online, so it won’t be destroyed if anything happens to your home. Scan receipts for your possessions, too.

Don’t automatically assume that your homeowners policy will reimburse the full replacement or retail cost of your valuables if they are destroyed or stolen. To be covered, they must be included on your policy in the form of an endorsement. A qualified appraisal must be obtained and an amendment added to your policy to ensure full protection.

Make sure you have adequate additional living expense coverage on your homeowners policy in case you are unable to live in your home due to a claim. This coverage provides funds for temporary housing and expenses due to an insured property being uninhabitable because of a claim. These living expenses can mount quickly, so carrying enough coverage on your homeowners policy can save you expense and worry should a disaster occur.

Clearly, you can do several things to get great savings on the insurance coverage you need most. Letting your insurance lapse is never a great idea. Make certain that you’ve always got enough coverage.

Keep up with more practical tips for homeowners by “liking” Apache Moving & Storage on Facebook.

Filed Under: Blog, Home Ownership

Easy Organic Gardening Tips for Beginners

August 15, 2013 by apacheadmin Leave a Comment

easy organic gardening texas You need to have some knowledge of what to do and what to expect from growing and maintaining an organic garden, especially in Texas where the weather can be extreme and pests can really “bug.” You need to know what resources are available to you and who can provide you answers as to what you need. The organic gardening tips below can help you get a start!

To maximize your enjoyment out of your garden, plant a variety of plants – plant herbs next to vegetables. By planting a variety of plants, your garden will be more exciting, and as a bonus it will be far prettier…plus it will help keep certain pests away.

When selecting bulbs, you should know that most bulbs are sold during their dormant period. Buy them as early as possible before they start to produce roots. Most spring flowering bulbs will begin to grow roots by early fall, and by planting them early, you will ensure that they have time to establish themselves. Bulbs will deteriorate if kept out of the ground too long. Don’t buy any bulb that is soft or mushy, or appears to be diseased.

When your summer blooms have bloomed and faded away, remember to dead-head the flowers. This means pinching off the flower heads. This will encourage new flowers to bloom longer next year, and it will also strengthen the plant. Since the flower heads have seeds, you can also save the flower heads that you have pinched off for planting at another time.

For areas with high alkaline, mix coffee grounds into the soil. This is an easy and inexpensive method to increase the acidity of your soil. With it, you will find that your greens and vegetables will be more vibrant and tasty!

Think about asking friends or family for cuttings from their existing plants. Many plants will grow from cuttings so that you do not have to purchase a whole plant yourself. It takes only minutes to learn online which part of the plant you should cut off to replant, and using cuttings can save you hundreds of dollars in landscaping and gardening costs.

A great way to keep insects and pests at bay in your garden is to spray your plants with a dish soap and water mixture. A mixture of one quart water and one half teaspoon dish detergent will kill off those pesky parasites. Be sure to respray every fourteen days.

As you have seen in the above tips, there is a lot of knowledge you can acquire before starting to grow your own garden and it is this knowledge that can help you. Do everything you must, in order to figure out what will work for you, in regards to your gardening needs.

Get more tips on organic gardening and maintenance on your new Texas home: “like” Apache Moving & Storage on Facebook.

Filed Under: Blog, Home Ownership

Pest Control Tips Before Moving Into Your New Home

April 30, 2013 by apacheadmin Leave a Comment

When a pest is driving you up the wall, what can you do? Keep reading to learn how to get rid of your problems once and for all, especially when it comes to bugs and insects in your new home.

Make sure that you do not have any candy lying around the area of your home. Candy is made of sugar, which can attract a wide assortment of bugs. Therefore, the best thing that you can do is eat in the kitchen and make sure that candy does not get into other areas of the house.

If you are seeing a large number of bugs indoors, slowly circle the perimeter of your house. Try to find any small openings where bugs could get in. Look closely near your chimney and the siding. If you locate a hole, buy silicone caulk and get the area fixed to the best of your ability.

Ask your exterminator what the risks of using their pesticides are. Everything comes with some level of risk, and some chemicals can be very dangerous for children or pets. If your exterminator is unsure you should find out before you let them proceed. It is definitely better to be safe than sorry.

Do not assume that pests are completely gone just because you have not seen any. If your exterminator wants to come back for a follow-up, you should follow their advice. There is a good chance that there is still a small population in your home that could have come from eggs, so listen to the professional and stick to the follow-up appointment.

Read the label of any pesticide prior to using. This is especially important if you have babies or pets! Different pesticides and treatments cause different issues in human beings. There are some that are extremely harmful to pets. Know what it is you are putting in your home prior to its use.

Remember that as much as your houseplants might bring life to your home, some of that life might be pests. If you suspect that they are infested with aphids, spray your houseplants regularly with a solution of soap and water. That should be enough to manage the pest problem without exposing your plants and home to insecticides.

Once you have it all under control, you’ll be able to relax and enjoy life again.

“Like” Apache Moving & Storage on Facebook for useful home ownership tips and tricks!

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Filed Under: Blog, Home Ownership

Home Security Tips and Tricks

March 30, 2013 by apacheadmin Leave a Comment

It is up to you as a homeowner to make sure you keep your home safe. While you might think that getting an alarm is all you need, think again. There are many things you can do to make your house secure. Here are some home security tips and tricks:

It is crucial that you change the locks as soon as you move into a new residence. You don’t know who might have a key. To make sure you are the sole person with access to the home, engage the services of a locksmith. In addition, replace your locks if your keys ever get lost.

Do not hide your key in a mailbox or other well-known location. Instead, put your key in paper or aluminum foil and place it in a small container. After you do this, bury it in a spot in your yard where people would not think to look. This can help keep your home safe from unwanted guests.

Sit your family down and create a fire escape plan depending on what region of the house you are in. This is crucial, as it will serve as the quickest plan to leave the house safely and effectively in an emergency. Practice your plan with your family as these few hours can save lives.

Keep your external home wiring under cover. You don’t want your wiring to be obvious to the wrong types of people. Not only does it invite the risk of a criminal cutting your phones and electricity, it also is often something thieves seek out! Copper (often in wires) can be sold for a decent price.

Motion-sensor lights can alert you of a robbery before it even happens. These are lights that turn on whenever any living thing gets too close to your home. You will be alerted to movement, but most importantly, it will deter burglars or at least make you aware of their presence. Just remember to change out the bulbs every so often so the lights remain in working order.

While it might seem like a lot of work, it is imperative that you do all you can to ensure the safety of your home and your family. Follow Apache Moving & Storage on Facebook for useful homeowner tips and tricks.

Filed Under: Blog, Home Ownership

DIY Pest Control in Austin, Texas – Keep the Exterminator Away

March 15, 2013 by apacheadmin Leave a Comment

Being a homeowner requires you to learn much more than how to paint or clean. You must learn how to deal with any pests that invade your space. If you do not, you will find many unwanted guests and a big bill from the exterminator. Keep reading to learn how to rid your home of pests with these DIY pest control tips.

One effective approach to control your pest problem is to vacuum every rug in the house. Vacuuming gathers up all of the ants from within the rooms, as well as small pieces of trash or food that may attract more outsiders. Make sure to throw the bag away when complete.

Keep your home as clean as possible. Even though this will not keep pests away, you at least will not be giving them an incentive to stick around. Many pests can smell food from a good distance away. If you want to do whatever you can to reduce your pest problem you should be diligent in keeping your house tidy.

You should regularly inspect the plumbing of your home and make sure you do not leave any traces of water, for instance under the pots you use for your plants or on your kitchen counter. Humidity can lead to a fungus infestation and leaks will provide pest with the water needed to survive.

Be preventative, not just reactive. Yes, you need to kill whatever pests you have in your home, but be sure to also treat how the problem began in the first place! Is there a crack in your flooring that brought pests in? Get it fixed. Is there a habit that food is left out? Change the practice. This will keep these pests from coming back again and again.

Bugs and other types of pests love clutter. It gives them lots of shelter and places to hide. When you reduce the amount of clutter in and around your home, you are reducing the habitat for these pests. Remove old clothes, books, boxes, and other clutter from around your home to reduce your chances of an infestation.

Knowing how to tend to this issue on your own will save you quite a bit of money over the years. It will also make it quicker and easier to get rid of them. You will not have to worry about strangers coming into your home to get rid of the other unwelcome pests you are dealing with.

For useful tips on pest control and other homeowner issues, follow Apache Moving & Storage on Facebook.

Filed Under: Blog, Home Ownership