Winter is coming...get your house ready!

November has officially arrived and although we're still enjoying moderate temps here in Hoover, AL, it's time to start thinking about winterizing the house. There's a lot to do outside, and face it, it's a lot less awful to do when it's 60 degrees out than procrastinating to a chilly day! Follow these simple ABC's and you'll be in good shape for our first cold snap.

Avoid wasting heated air! You’re paying for it, don’t let it just disappear. Install, or inspect and replace weather stripping around doors and windows. Caulk is another inexpensive option for filling gaps that let the hot air escape and cold air in.

Bring pets indoors. If it’s too cold for you to be out, it’s too cold for them.

Chimney inspections should be conducted annually by a professional before your first fire of the season. If you have a fireplace that you don’t use, look into a chimney balloon to stop drafts and pests coming in through the flue.  While we’re on the subject of burning things, enjoy your candles responsibly. Never leave them burning unattended or while you’re sleeping!

Detectors, both Smoke and Carbon Monoxide, will only protect you if they have fresh batteries. Replace the batteries now and again in the spring!

Empty outdoor water lines and protect with a cover. Locate the water shut off valve for the outdoor spigot, and turn it off. Then go back outside and open the spigot to drain any sitting water. Cover with a foam cover that runs about $2 at home improvement stores.

Fans need to be reversed. While they keep you cool in the summer, fans can also be valuable in the winter to force warm air back down off the ceiling. Make sure they are turning clockwise.

Gutter cleaning time! They are probably full of leaves and now’s the time to clear debris and blockage. This also prevents standing water from freezing in the gutter and causing both overflow and pooling problems. 

Are you getting ahead of the game this year? We'd love to hear about it here or on our Facebook page! 

Fix That Wet Basement - External Water Problems

This is the third and final post in our current series full of solutions to help you fix a wet basement. Don't miss the first post here and the second post here!!

Welcome back as we talk about fixing our soggy basements. Today we get to tackle the best way to defend your house from water that has an outside source.  Keep in mind three key areas it could be coming from:

1. Runoff around your house is being improperly directed
2. Soil that is high in moisture is surrounding your basement
3. Groundwater is seeping in from under your basement.

Runoff Water

Pay special attention to this section if your basement tends to flood during heavy rain! You might not have ever noticed, but the directional slope of your property is key to the way water will behave around your house. This can even change over time, as soil settles and creates an uneven barrier around your house that provides ample opportunity for water to pool and eventually leak in. Another source of water runoff that is not correctly directed is when rain gutters along the roof get too filled with leaves and other debris and the water overflows the gutter. Instead of sloshing into downspouts and harmlessly away, the water over saturates soil near the foundation and will starting to enter your basement!

• Look up! Check gutters and downspouts
• Look out! Check landscaping & slope of your property.  Home Repair.about.com suggests that at about 24 inches away from the house, the ground should fall or slope away by at least 8 inches.

These are some good points to check as preventative maintenance as well, not to mention it will help bolster your other efforts to keep water out. For example, as we move to the second source of water, high moisture content in the ground, think about this. Any runoff that you can help redirect won’t be soaked into the already saturated ground, and there will be less to seep into your basement. It all works together!

Water Coming Through the Walls

(Property of Home Depot.com)

High moisture ground surrounding your basement will eventually start to leach water through your walls. A popular recommendation in this case is to use a waterproofing coating to prevent the water from getting through.  It goes on a lot like paint and there are several different options. This is one highly rated brand from Home Depot that runs about $30/gallon, but be sure to look at manufacturers specifications to make sure you find the right fit!

Groundwater Problems

(Property of HGTV.com)

And finally, the basement with a perpetual pond in one corner, or a stream of ground water seeping up through the floor may need a bigger solution: the sump pump. This is usually not a DIY project to install, as it requires a jackhammer to dig a pit into the floor to collect water, which will activate the pump when it reaches a certain level. I suggest using a contractor rating website to do some research, and ask friends who have had one put in. Just don’t be intimidated; think about how worth it having a dry floor will be, and how much money in damage you will save when the water is being expertly pumped out!!

And that concludes our soggy journey through wet basements. Hopefully you are well on the way to being high and dry at this point. We’d love to hear your “water under the bridge” story about how your basement went from unintentional water feature to useful part of the house, leave a comment!

Fix that Wet Basement - Humidity Problems

This is the second post in our current series full of solutions to help you fix a wet basement. Don't miss the first post here!!

I’m giving you a virtual high five for taking that first step toward drying out your basement. Now that you know what you’re facing you can build a plan of attack. We’ll go over options for condensation based wet basement issues today and next time look at outside water sources. 

Okay, so there was condensation showing up on the outside of your foil. This means there is too much warm, humid air colliding with the cool walls, appliances, and other surfaces in your basement. Picture that tall glass of sweet tea you might enjoy outside on a hot day. As your glass sits in that scorching hot, sticky Southern summer air it begins to sweat. Beads of moisture drip down and when you grab it, your hand gets all wet. Bingo! Except that it’s not refreshing when your washer and dryer and expensive pipes that are damp and possibly starting to rust. This needs to be prevented!

Check the Small Things First

When you go down to the basement, and that damp air hits you, you might be tempted to go open any windows or doors and try to dry the place out! Hold on just a second though. If the air outside is warm and moist, opening the windows might actually be counterproductive. Keep those windows closed unless it’s a low humidity day, and run the A/C if the basement has one.  Also, make sure your dryer is venting properly to the outside and that the vent is clear. This will ensure that the warm air from the dryer isn’t spilling out into your basement. Finally, avoid hanging clothes to air dry, as all that moisture goes straight into the air and makes the problem worse.

Time to Dehumidify!

The next thing to consider is purchasing a dehumidifier for your basement. Nothing fancy or intimidating, these portable appliances are easy to buy with a stop at your local home improvement store and will set you back from $180+. I’m not endorsing this particular model, but a quick search on Home Depot’s website shows a 50 pint model with high customer ratings goes for about $220.

A good reference point to determine the capacity you should look for is this chart from the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers, and they also offer a list of recommended units. As you can see, a 50 pint machine should take care of just about any home basement need. Be sure to follow all the directions included with whichever model you buy, for most efficient and safe results!

Stay Tuned

Although these suggestions are specifically targeted to resolve humid basement problems, that doesn’t mean you won’t see improvements from suggestions on the next post. Some of the landscaping tips we’ll cover may be very helpful if you live in a place with high moisture content in the ground surrounding your basement. .

Do you have any experience with dehumidifiers to share with us? Leave a comment if you have a suggestion & we'll be back Monday!

New series - Fix that wet basement!!

I think it’s safe to say that we’d all love to have a house with an indoor swimming pool or a private sauna. Of course, I think it’s also safe to say any water related features in our homes should be intentional. Walking down to your basement and seeing water running across the floors is nobody’s idea of a good time, I know from experience! Today we’ll cover identifying the source of your wet basement problem, and in subsequent posts we’ll cover solutions for each of the 3 main sources of wet basements.

You’re Not Alone!

Losing belongings to water damage and dreading heavy rain showers is a nightmare, not to mention the potential for mold that could be damaging to your health. Here in Birmingham, Alabama we see wet basements a lot, and it’s not just a local problem. The American Society of Home Inspectors estimates that 60 percent of homes have wet basements. Sixty percent! Are you ready to stop worrying about both the visible and hidden damage potentially taking place in your home today? Good!   

The First Step

Before you can fix the problem, you absolutely must identify what the water source is. Now, if there is a constant river running across your floor, or water pooling in a certain area, that is one thing. But what if your basement smells musty & just feels damp? You need to narrow down if you have a humidity problem, or water actually coming through your basement walls.  We’ll start with this today, and dig into the solutions on Friday. 

A tried and true test is to take a piece of foil and tape it straight to the concrete block wall. Secure all four sides and leave it alone for a couple days. When you come back, notice if there’s water on the outside of the foil. This indicates a condensation (humidity) problem. Remove the foil from the wall, and note if there is water on the inside.  This means water is seeping in through the walls. 

Assignment time!

Go stick that foil or plastic wrap to your wall & when you come back Friday for our next post, you will know what kind of moisture problem you are dealing with. Share a comment with what you find and get ready to tackle condensation problems first!

10 Steps to Giving Your House a Facelift

Good Monday Morning! Today we're going to talk about what you need to consider to help your house make that winning first impression.

When people are house hunting, you have to think about how many houses they are seeing for the first time. Would your house linger in someone's mind? For a good reason?

Here are my top ten things you should do to give the exterior of your house a facelift:

1. Mow and edge the lawn every Friday or Saturday.
2. Keep the bushes trimmed.
3. Also keep the trees trimmed up six feet or so. 
4. Mulch around the bushes and flower beds with bark - not pine straw. You can buy this at Home Depot, Lowes, most hardware stores and of course at all garden centers. Don't skimp and save a couple of bucks but then have it look halfway done.
5. Does the house need pressure washing? You can rent this equipment at the rental stores very inexpensively. When does this, be careful not to have the pressure too high which might flake off the paint! Do the walks and driveway need pressure washing? Set the pressure on high for this task.
6. Look at the roof, is it in good shape but just unsightly? It can also be pressure washed! If you are going to take pressure washing the roof yourself, be very careful. Tie yourself on safely and have someone on the other side hanging onto the rope or have it tied to the chimney or other secure place. Better yet, hire a pressure washing company to do this which should cost less than $150. Make sure they use very low pressure or they will wash the granules off the shingles and shorten the life of the roof.
7. Are all the exterior lights working? Bulbs are cheap to replace.
8. Buy a couple of flowering potted plants to set on each side of the front doorway.
9. Check the front door. Does it stand out and way "Welcome"? Maybe a quart of paint, a new brush, and 30 minutes will really make your house stand out.
10. Does the mailbox at the street need replacing? Can you read the house numbers? These are cheap and easy fixes. 

Does this list seem overwhelming or maybe you're just too busy to make it happen? Remember, if the house is in or around Shelby County, Alabama we will buy your house as-is! It could be the perfect solution to help you avoid more upkeep headaches. Visit our website, fill out your information, and I'll give you a call to see if we can help. 

Until next time,

Cliff 

A Warm Welcome From Seeds Properties!

Well hello there! I see that you have found the new blog home of Seeds Properties. I want to personally give you a warm welcome, and take a minute to introduce myself.

My name is Cliff Seeds and I am the President here at Seeds Properties, Inc. I have been rescuing homeowners in tight spots for over 40 years. I buy your property located in or close by to Shelby County, Alabama as-is and get the deal closed as quickly as possible. A few weeks may be all that stands between you and cash in your pocket, so give me a call today at 205-862-2955 and let me see how I can help you.

Don't have a problem property right now? Don't go just yet. I'll regularly be sharing valuable insight from my own experience as well as from sources around the internet about all things related to home ownership, real estate, and selling your house in general. In fact, leave me a comment telling me what topics you'd like to see covered, and I'll make it happen.


I'm going to sign off for now, but stay tuned - the Seeds Properties blog is just getting warmed up!

Until next time,
Cliff

P.S. Don't forget to visit us on Facebook and give us a "Like"!