Home Tips: Winter Decor

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Christmas has passed and whether you still have your tree, garland, and stockings up, you may be itching to transition to some winter decor that is less Christmas and more winter-wonderland. Here are 5 winter decorating ideas from The Spruce that can help keep the winter spirit alive and well in your home.

DIY Tea Light Log

This DIY tea light log only requires three supplies: an interesting log or branch, a drill, and of course, tea lights. Check out the tutorial here!

Pine Cone Centerpieces

A simple winter touch for your dining room table, coffee table, or entry way table is to fill a bowl with some dried pine cones. Cluster the bowl with some candles or greenery and you have a timeless centerpiece that will last all winter long.

Sweater Wreath

Swap out your green and red Christmas wreath for this cozy sweater wreath and your front door will be dressed and ready for the cold of January, February, and March. Take a look at the tutorial for this DIY wreath here!

Keep it Evergreen

Even when the Christmas tree gets stowed away, some evergreen foliage is a great way to add some color to a white-washed decor. Snag some mini spruce plants to place on side tables and more.

DIY Snowballs

These DIY snowballs are simple to make and are easy to incorporate into any decor style. Grab a cute basket or tray and pile the snowballs to make a cute winter display. Here’s how to make the snowballs!

Here’s to crafting your home into the perfect winter wonderland!

At North Eastern Group Realty, we are prepared to assist our clients with their significant Fort Wayne real estate decisions. Our corporate commitment is to provide real knowledge, proven experience and professional, quality service. To search all Fort Wayne homes for sale or find a Fort Wayne REALTOR®, visit our website at NorthEasternGroup.com.

North Eastern Group Realty is Fort Wayne’s largest independent real estate company located at 10808 La Cabreah Lane, Fort Wayne, IN 46845.

North Eastern Group Realty to Host Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University this January!

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Planning for the future is hard when you’re still paying for the past! There’s a better way!
I’m so excited to announce that again this year we’re hosting Dave Ramsey’s legendary Financial Peace University at North Eastern Group Realty, starting January 14th!  Who do you know who’s been talking about Dave Ramsey and Financial Peace? Who would like the financial education of a lifetime?
PLUS, we’ve arranged a $30 discount, bringing the cost down to just $99 per couple! However, the class is limited to just 12 families. When it’s full it’s full.
Here’s the web site with all the details.  If you feel it’s a good fit, you’ll be able to enroll right from that page:

At North Eastern Group Realty, we are prepared to assist our clients with their significant Fort Wayne real estate decisions. Our corporate commitment is to provide real knowledge, proven experience and professional, quality service. To search all Fort Wayne homes for sale or find a Fort Wayne REALTOR®, visit our website at NorthEasternGroup.com.

North Eastern Group Realty is Fort Wayne’s largest independent real estate company located at 10808 La Cabreah Lane, Fort Wayne, IN 46845.

Home Tips: 5 Resolutions for Homeowners in the New Year

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Just like that, 2020 is just around the corner! With the new year (and new decade!) here are 5 resolutions that we think every homeowner should strive for!

Cut Down on Energy Usage

Making your home green isn’t just about shelling out thousands for solar panels. There are many simple ways to love the environment better in the context of homeownership. Learning to recycle properly, turning off lights when they aren’t needed, and turning off the running water while brushing your teeth are steps that seem small, but add up over time. Not only can you help our environment in these ways, but you’ll also see an improvement on your bills.

Stock Your Kitchen With Healthy, Whole Foods

While this resolution isn’t about taking care of your home per se, keeping your fridge full of healthy, whole foods will keep you and your family healthy and strong during the part of the year that you are most likely to get the common cold or flu. Whole foods give your body the proper nutrients to boost your immune system and fend off sickness.

Indoor Air Maintenance

Because we tend to hunker down indoors more in the winter, maintaining good air quality is a must. To avoid breathing in contaminants like dust and mold, change your furnace filters regularly and have your HVAC system serviced.

Fire Safety

With fireplaces burning frequently this time of year, be sure to check the batteries in all of your smoke detectors if you haven’t already. A great way to implement this check regularly is to always swap out for fresh batteries when the time changes for daylight savings. Changing the batteries in the fall when we “fall back” and in the spring when we “spring forward” ensures that you are checking your smoke detectors at least twice a year.

Get Organized

You don’t have to wait until spring to get organized! Take advantage of your time indoors by de-cluttering. Get rid of the things you don’t use anymore and organize things like closets, storage rooms, and cabinets. This way, you’ll be ready to deep clean in the spring without all of the extra “stuff” standing in your way!

Whether you have personal resolutions for the New Year or not, these simple steps are great for homeowners to adopt in the start of 2020!

 

Looking for more home tips? Check out the rest of our posts on our blog!

 

At North Eastern Group Realty, we are prepared to assist our clients with their significant Fort Wayne real estate decisions. Our corporate commitment is to provide real knowledge, proven experience and professional, quality service. To search all Fort Wayne homes for sale or find a Fort Wayne REALTOR®, visit our website at NorthEasternGroup.com.

North Eastern Group Realty is Fort Wayne’s largest independent real estate company located at 10808 La Cabreah Lane, Fort Wayne, IN 46845.

Home Tips: Winter Safety for Homeowners

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If you are a homeowner, this is your friendly reminder to get ready for the snow ahead this winter! We wanted to take a moment and put together a quick list of things to keep in mind for snow and ice that can keep you and others safe in and around your home.

Salt the Driveway

Black ice is a huge hazard when it comes to personal injury in the winter. Stock up on a bag or two of de-icing salt to sprinkle on your driveway, front path and sidewalks, porches, patios, and outdoor steps when things freeze over. If you have pets, make sure to grab a pet-friendly variety as salt can burn their paws. De-icing salt can keep you, your family, neighbors, visitors, and passers-by safe on slick surfaces.

Heating Cables

If your home is prone to collecting snow on the roof without sliding off on its own, it may be worth the investment to have heating cables installed. This will help to prevent leaks, water damage, and cracks.

Prevent Freezing Pipes

A burst pipe is a homeowner’s worst nightmare in the winter. Water that sits in pipes can freeze and expand, bursting the pipe and wreaking havoc on anything in its path. Pipes located in unheated areas of the home or that are exposed to the outdoors are most likely to freeze, but avoiding this from happening is easy. Here are a few tips:

  • Set up a space heater in unheated areas of the home, such as in the attic, basement, and crawlspace.
  • Set up an infrared lamp next to pipes behind walls and floors. The heat generated from the lamp will pass through the structural materials and prevent the hidden pipe from freezing.
  • Wrap uninsulated pipes with electrical tape or insulation.
  • Open kitchen and bathroom cabinets to allow warm air to circulate around the pipes below

Clean the Chimney

With fireplaces in use all season long, it is extremely important to have your fireplace inspected and cleaned annually. This will help prevent fire disasters in the home.

Prevent Gutter Collapse

With snow and ice build-up in gutters, winter snow storms can cause your gutters to become too heavy with debris and collapse. Before any storms arrive, ensure that water can easily drain from the gutters, without pooling in one area. This will help relieve your gutters from unwanted build-up.

While these steps may already be on your radar, we hope these reminders help prevent any unwanted hazards in the ice and snow this winter.

At North Eastern Group Realty, we are prepared to assist our clients with their significant Fort Wayne real estate decisions. Our corporate commitment is to provide real knowledge, proven experience and professional, quality service. To search all Fort Wayne homes for sale or find a Fort Wayne REALTOR®, visit our website at NorthEasternGroup.com.

North Eastern Group Realty is Fort Wayne’s largest independent real estate company located at 10808 La Cabreah Lane, Fort Wayne, IN 46845.

 

 

Home Tips: Winterizing Your Home

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If you haven’t already, here are a few reminders to preparing your home for the winter months. We love this simple checklist from Home Advisor! Check out their blog to read more in depth and learn how you can prepare for cold weather as a homeowner.

Home Tips: Warm & Cozy Drink Recipes

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With the first snowfall already past us and temperatures continuing to plummet, it’s time to cozy up under your best knitted blanket with a hot drink in hand! Here are a few hot drink recipes to try this season!

Keep It Classic

Spiced cider is always a crowd pleaser – and for good reason. This recipe is quick to make and easy to clean up – just throw everything into one pot! Get the recipe here!

Hot-Hot-Hot Hot Chocolate!

Who doesn’t love hot cocoa on a snowy winter’s eve? Add a festive spin to this age-old tradition. Try this peppermint hot cocoa recipe!

Taste of India

Not all chai are created equal. This recipe for Indian Masala chai will have your mouth watering. Although it takes a few extra steps – this recipe uses whole spices – it’ll be worth the preparation. Here’s the recipe!

Hot Toddy

Along with snow and Christmas festivities, winter tends to bring along the dreaded common cold and flu. This hot toddy recipe will ease your sore throat while keeping you warm. Here’s a simple recipe for this tried and true remedy.

Christmas Combo

What’s better than egg nog and hot chocolate at Christmas? Egg nog and hot chocolate combined! This rich and creamy Hot Chocolate Egg Nog will bring out your festive side.

Let us know what you think of these delicious holiday drinks!

At North Eastern Group Realty, we are prepared to assist our clients with their significant Fort Wayne real estate decisions. Our corporate commitment is to provide real knowledge, proven experience and professional, quality service. To search all Fort Wayne homes for sale or find a Fort Wayne REALTOR®, visit our website at NorthEasternGroup.com.

North Eastern Group Realty is Fort Wayne’s largest independent real estate company located at 10808 La Cabreah Lane, Fort Wayne, IN 46845.

 

 

 

Home Tips: Winterizing Your Home

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We hate to admit it, but winter is just around the corner now that we’ve entered fall. With cold and inclimate weather in the future, it’s so important to prepare your home for the changes to come. Here are a few simple reminders of how to winterize your home this year!

Window Caulking

Keep the warm air in and the cold air out by simply making sure that the caulking around each of the windows in your home is up to par. Checking for cracks and replacing caulking is key to ensuring that you don’t have any unwanted, chilly drafts in your home this winter. We recommend doing a walk-thru each fall to check for the windows that need a little updating!

Insulation Update

If it’s been a while since you last checked the insulation in your attic and crawl spaces, now is the time to do so. Insulation deteriorates over time, ultimately affecting the way your home retains warmth. Another tip we recommend is adding an insulation cover over your attic opening to trap in the heat!

Change Furnace Filters

Dirty filters mean your furnace has to work much harder to keep up, ultimately driving up the cost of your bills each month. Plan to change yoru furnace filter about once a month in the winter season and have your furnace serviced to ensure that your furnace is more efficient.

Weatherstripping

Much like caulking helps keep warm air in and cold air out, take a look at each of the doors leading outside from your home. If you can see any light around the edges of the doors, that means you need new weatherstripping. A small weatherstripping costs five to six dollars, but has the ability to save you hundreds of dollars in electrical bills.

Update Your Thermostat

The latest thermostat models have the ability to learn your family’s habits, setting themselves to keep the house cooler when everyone away, and warmer when people are home. Prices vary based on each model, but even the most basic models can help you save money in the long run with a little more cost up front.

While winter isn’t here just yet, now is the time to add these tasks to your weekend to-do lists in preparation for the cold months to come. We hope these tips help you to get started! For more tips on winterizing your home, check out this great checklist from Lowe’s!

At North Eastern Group Realty, we are prepared to assist our clients with their significant Fort Wayne real estate decisions. Our corporate commitment is to provide real knowledge, proven experience and professional, quality service. To search all Fort Wayne homes for sale or find a Fort Wayne REALTOR®, visit our website at NorthEasternGroup.com.

North Eastern Group Realty is Fort Wayne’s largest independent real estate company located at 10808 La Cabreah Lane, Fort Wayne, IN 46845.

 

 

Fall Curb Appeal

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Now that we have officially entered the fall season (as of September 23 to be exact), it may feel like we are on the downhill slide into winter when it comes to lawn care. But for sellers, fall is the perfect time to spruce up the exterior of your home and boost that curb appeal before listing.

Here are a few tried and true tips to keeping your home looking spick and span, and drawing in buyers.

Don’t Leave Those Leaves

The brilliant colors of fall may look great when they are still hanging from the trees surrounding your house, but as soon as they fall to the ground, they can crowd the eye and take away from the beauty that your home holds on its own. Rake the leaves up frequently as they fall and you’ll be glad you did – waiting until the ground is completely covered  becomes a big to-do and if you’re selling, it’s likely you have enough on your plate already.

Pops of Color

While summer blooms have quickly faded, falls colors are in full swing – especially when it comes to mums! Mums are a cheap and simple way to bring some color back to your front beds, especially to frame your front door and porch.

Front Door Focus

A simple way to highlight your home’s entryway and draw the eye in is to add a simple and tasteful wreath to your front door. Bonus points if you can tie in the colors of any fall flowers you’ve potted or planted!

Squeaky Clean

Now that it isn’t  blazing hot out anymore (at least most days, anyways) fall is the perfect time to get outside and clean the gutters, power wash, and touch up chipping paint. You’ll be amazed at what these tasks can do to sprucing home your curb appeal. Trust us, it won’t go unnoticed by buyers.

Light the Way

Now that the days are shorter, it’s like that any potential buyers coming to view your home may arrive in the evening when it is starting to get dark. Always light up the front of your home by leaving on your porch lights, adding some lights to the path to the front door, or placing a few cozy lanterns out on the porch or steps.

If you’re still planning to list this fall season, we hope these tips  – in conjunction with the advice and tips of your North Eastern Group Realty REALTOR® – help to increase your curb appeal and draw many potential buyers to your door!

At North Eastern Group Realty, we are prepared to assist our clients with their significant Fort Wayne real estate decisions. Our corporate commitment is to provide real knowledge, proven experience and professional, quality service. To search all Fort Wayne homes for sale or find a Fort Wayne REALTOR®, visit our website at NorthEasternGroup.com.

North Eastern Group Realty is Fort Wayne’s largest independent real estate company located at 10808 La Cabreah Lane, Fort Wayne, IN 46845.

 

Home Tips: Fall Decor

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The temperature may still be warm, but the daylight hours are shrinking and there is a hint of color change appearing in the trees…fall is in the air! Bring on the pumpkin spice, cozy blankets, and bonfires! Here are a few of our favorite ways to add some fall spice to your home decor this season.

Mad for Plaid

For whatever reason, plaid blankets, place mats, and throw pillows bring out all of the fall feels – we think it may have something to do with the classic color combinations that plaid prints often display. Try re-purposing your lighter weight plaid blankets as layered table cloths or grab a few throw pillows (we love these from Target!) for a subtle, yet timeless nod to fall and its changing colors.

Wreath Refresh

Who says wreaths have to be round? If you are a DIY-er then this wreath is for you. Cluster your favorite fall items (corn husks, dried flowers, etc.) into a bouquet and secure to a burlap sash for a fresh take on an old favorite.

Harvest Table

Pumpkins are a fall favorite, so of course we are including these in the mix. Create a beautiful display – perfect in an entryway! – by gathering things like mini pumpkins, gourds, pine cones, and even a branch or two of colorful leaves. Play around with placing your fall objects in whatever vases, jars, or pots you already have on hand! Don’t yet have an entryway table? Here are a few we love from Pottery Barn and Target!

Keep It Classy

Not a huge fan of reds, oranges, and yellows in your decor? We love these beautiful recycled glass pumpkins from Pottery Barn. Fill them with dried foliage, light strands, or candles – they’re both elegant and versatile!

“Gather” ‘Round

For a simple twist on pumpkin decor, swap the carving knife for a paint brush. We love fall-themed words and phrases like “Gather” and “Warm & Cozy”, or a “Welcome” pumpkin for the front step, but have fun and be creative!

We hope these simple ideas get you started on cozy-ing up your home decor for fall!

At North Eastern Group Realty, we are prepared to assist our clients with their significant Fort Wayne real estate decisions. Our corporate commitment is to provide real knowledge, proven experience and professional, quality service. To search all Fort Wayne homes for sale or find a Fort Wayne REALTOR®, visit our website at NorthEasternGroup.com.

North Eastern Group Realty is Fort Wayne’s largest independent real estate company located at 10808 La Cabreah Lane, Fort Wayne, IN 46845.

Home Tips: Backyard Activities for Kids

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Are you a homeowner with little ones running around? We know that coming up with fresh ways to keep your kiddos entertained during the summer months can become a little bit exhausting, so we’ve compiled a list of outdoor activities to keep your kids engaged and entertained this season!

Backyard Picnics: Why stick indoors for mealtime on a nice, sunny day when you can get outside and enjoy some Vitamin D? Have your kids help “pack” a picnic basket, grab a blanket, and get snackin’! One of the best parts about taking mealtime outside is that clean-up becomes a breeze!

Backyard Camping: A fun way to enjoy some extended backyard time is to plan a backyard camping “trip” with your children. It’s less stressful than taking a real camping trip (if you forget something, just run inside to grab it), and it’s much less commitment than packing up the whole crew to go to a camp ground in another location.

Water Balloon Baseball: When the weather is hot, water games can keep kids cool and entertained for hours. We love the idea of combining your typical water balloon fight with a game of whiffle ball. Just swap the ball for filled balloons and grab the whiffle bat, and you’ve got a game that is sure to keep little ones smiling and laughing!

Painting Rocks: It may seem a little less than thrilling, but for those with artistic little ones, painting rocks is a fun (and cheap) way to get their creative juices flowing. And when you keep this activity outdoors, it makes for much easier clean up. Just throw down some old newspaper if you’re painting on a deck or patio, go hunting for the perfect rock “canvas,” and get to painting!

Plant a Butterfly Garden: If you want an activity that is both educational and rewarding, this idea is a winner. Here’s a list of flowers that can attract numerous species of butterflies. A great benefit to this activity is that it allows an opportunity to teach your kids about responsibility when it comes to watering the plants in the long run, and it shows them that hard work is often rewarding, when the butterflies begin to show up!

Egg Drop: For those of you with a second story to your home and kids that are a little bit older, an egg drop is another fun activity that can go for hours and also has an educational component. Give your kids the opportunity to think outside the box by providing them with a few eggs and cardboard boxes, old box packaging (bubble wrap, packing peanuts, etc.), tape, string, and more – really, whatever you have laying around the house or garage. Have them build something that will protect an egg when dropped from the second story window! For safety, we recommend supervising this activity, especially with young ones.

We hope that these ideas help keep your kids’ outdoor activity list going and, let’s face it, help to keep you sane while you wait out the summer months before your kids head back to school in August! For more summer activity ideas, check out this extensive list provided by Unicef!