Summer is the best time to sit on your deck, hanging out with family and friends and enjoying your favorite beverage. For those very reasons it is important that you keep your deck looking as nice as possible. As your deck is constantly exposed to the elements it is not always easy to maintain a stunning deck, but following the tips below will get you started in the right direction:

Avoid buildup of moisture. Standing water will lead to wood decay and stains. Make sure that water is able to drain freely from your deck. It’s important that the gaps between the boards are free from dirt and other debris so that the water can get through. Install drainage vents if you are still having problems with standing water.

Protect against water stains. There are usually drain holes on the bottom of most pots. Setting the pot or planter on the deck surface will leave a stain and might promote wood decay since the moisture between the deck and the pot can’t evaporate.

Avoid spilling candle wax. Candle wax buildup not only looks bad, it can also have some degenerative effects on the quality of your deck. When using candles, you should put them on a level area to avoid spills. Place a container under the candle. If you do have a spill on your deck, use a putty knife to remove the bulk of the wax. You can apply hot soapy water and blot it up.

Keep pests and birds away. Woodpeckers can be problematic for anything made of wood. Other birds will often drop little, not-so-nice surprises onto your deck. Try placing a plastic owl or rubber snake on your deck to frighten these winged nuisances away.

The Kissing Camels formation sits at the very top of North Gateway Rock. These lovestruck camels are often said to be engaged in the longest kiss on record. In fact, their rock-bound flirtation has given rise to the Legend of the Kissing Camels, first published by Laura Mecum in 1926. Laura attributed this legend to what she called the translation of hieroglyphics found in a hidden cavern in the Rockies.

The Kissing Camels

The story centers around two young lovers named Alpha and Omega, each of whom belonged to a different warring tribe. One day the pair were caught in each other’s arms. They were carried to the top of North Gateway Rock, where they were burned to death in separate funeral pyres.

“And in the morning,” so the legend ends, “when the sun looked on the smoke blackened cliff, there was seen the kneeling figures of two camels with lips pressed together in a deathless kiss of love.”

Chubb Corporation is one of the contributors to this information.  A Chubb executive was on my PBS television show several years ago as an insurance expert.  I believe this is probably accurate information.  Chubb a premier insurance company and one of the largest in the world.

Water and Mold Damage Statistics

• Water damage and freezing pipes made up over 21% of ALL insurance claims in 2003.*
• On average, individual water damage claims cost insurers $4,925 in 2002. **
• A 1/8-inch crack in a pipe can release up to 250 gallons of water a day.
• A small water pipe leak inside a wall or under a slab may go undetected for months.
• Damp wood and sheetrock provide excellent conditions for toxic mold.
• Water damage and mold damage cost insurers $2.5 billion nationally in 2002.*
• Almost 90% of copper pinhole leaks occur on horizontal runs of pipe.
• Recent improvements in water quality contribute to accelerated corrosion and failure of copper pipes.
• Some insurers now refuse to cover mold claims under existing policies.
• Lack of early detection of water leaks can reduce your ability to collect from your insurance company. Insurance claims for water damage are frequently denied if the cause of the damage has existed for more than 24 hours.
• 37% of all homeowners claim they have experienced losses due to water damage.***

* Insurance Information Institute
** Insurance Information Network of California
*** The Chubb Corporation

If you’re in Colorado on May 1st – join us for Dine Out For Life; an event from Project Angel Heart, in which over 350 restaurants will participate in.

Have Breakfast, Lunch of Dinner at one of the participating restaurants and they will donate 25% of their proceeds from May 1st to Project Angel Heart.

Check out all the participating restaurants – from Boulder to Colorado Springs. Hope to see you out, about and dining out on May 1st – for a good cause.

According to an article by the Gazette, Dyad, a Texas petroleum company is planning to drill two test wells in the Monument Area, near Mount Herman, possibly within a quarter mile of the homes there.

This prompted the formation of the “Front Range Environmental Resource Coalition”, a group of approx. 200 people, who are concerned about potential effects on water and air quality of the area, in addition to the visual havoc that 90 foot drill rigs would cause.

The Background on Dyad:

Dyad bought the rights to the oil and gas underneath 20,000 acres + of Pikes Peak National Forest about 10 years ago. They have kept it pretty quiet since. However, their application to drill is expected to go public in April, giving the community a 30 day period in which to respond.

Are you concerned? Have questions? Get Involved!

Contact the Gazette – comment, post, ask questions in their Hub section.

You’ve seen the shows, you’ve heard the buzz – home improvements will dramatically increase the value of your home! Really?

Don’t believe everything you hear – home values are no longer ‘jumping’ 25% just because you added new hardware or painted the interior. If you think about it – there are really just two reasons to do home improvement (and neither has to do with hoping for a huge increase in house value…):

There are two reasons for pursuing home improvement projects:

1. Just Want To Do It: You want some new features in a home to improve your family’s quality of life, but you don’t want to leave your current home.
2. Really Need To Do It: You want to make your home more marketable to maximize return (or minimize loss) and speed up the sale process.

In the right market conditions, a project might fit into both categories. Other times, though, the two approaches will conflict:

Just Want To Do It: In situation A, the project is perceived as a necessary or worthwhile improvement to your family’s lifestyle. Say you have two or three teenagers in the family and the morning bathroom situation is completely out of control. It doesn’t matter if an additional bath generates a 150 percent return on investment or actually decreases the value of the home (unlikely, unless you’re a completely incompetent do-it-yourselfer with a bizarre design sense). The economic impact just doesn’t matter. If you have the money for a new bath and you don’t want to move, you add the bath. It’s that simple.

Or say you’re a barbecue fanatic and the only feature missing from the dream home you’ve just purchased is a sprawling backyard patio with a natural-gas grill custom-built with flagstone and river rock. Again, return on investment just isn’t going to be a critical question. The improvement becomes more comparable to purchasing a depreciating asset that you feel is a necessity for your lifestyle, such as an automobile. When the barbecue aficionado adds a deluxe patio to a home that’s already the most expensive property in the neighborhood – perhaps destroying the entire backyard in the process – there’s a good chance that very little of the cost will be recouped in a subsequent sale.

An even better example might be a pool. If you’re a person who simply has to have one- fine. Put in a pool. But it’s probably worth checking with a real estate professional first, just to make sure you fully understand that adding the pool might actually lessen the property’s value and make it more difficult to sell should you later decide to move. That’s the reality in many markets. That doesn’t necessarily mean you shouldn’t do it, especially if you’re planning to live in the home for the rest of your life. It just means it’s worth knowing the cost and salability impacts at the front end – even if they’re not going to deter you from pursuing the project.

Really Need To Do It – The “type-B” home improvement project is pursued primarily to increase the property’s salability. In turn, this often increases your return on investment (Sells your home at value instead of below). A good real estate agent can advise you of possible improvements that will attract more potential buyers and also pay for themselves either through increasing the home’s value or through shortening the time it takes to sell the home.

Here we’re typically talking about projects such as: painting – either because the existing paint is in bad shape or is an unusual color; replacing carpets – again because of age, color or style; repairing or resurfacing a cracked driveway or sidewalk; refacing kitchen cabinets; and trimming or removing overgrown or unattractive landscaping.

Consult with an experienced real estate agent to learn what improvements will make your home more marketable in comparison to similar properties that are now – or recently have been – on the market in your area.

When you are buying a home, there are many problems that the seller is obligated to disclose. But, these disclosures don’t always paint the entire picture of the home. Here are six questions you may want to ask that can offer additional insight about the prospective home before you make a final decision.

Why is the seller selling the house? This question may help you evaluate the “real value” of the property.

How much did the seller pay for the home? This question can, in some instances, help the buyer negotiate a better deal—maybe even get the seller to carry part of the loan.

What does the seller like most and least about the property? By asking the seller what he or she likes most and least about the property, you might get some interesting information. In a few cases, what a seller likes the most about a home might actually be something the buyer is looking to avoid.

Has the seller had any problems with the home in the past? Even if it is something that has already been fixed, it is important to know the history to ensure the issue was properly repaired.

Are there any nuisances or problem neighbors? Use this answer to find out about any noisy neighbors, barking dogs, heavy airplane traffic or even planned changes to the neighborhood, such as a planned street widening.

How are the public schools in the area? – Because the value of a neighborhood is usually greatly influenced by the public schools in the area, finding out the buyer’s perception can give you some insight about the quality of the area’s schools.

Are you ready to look for your new home? Contact me.

Spring is on its way – you can feel it, you can see it in the buds on the trees and the crocus’ blooming. Mother Nature is getting ready to “go all out”. Are you?

Ready to take care of your yard? Keep these tips in mind!

Don’t over water!- Horticulturist, Mitch Hoyles of Western Garden Nursery says the biggest danger at this time of year is over watering. “Now is the time when we have to start watering, and most people water way too much,” Hoyles said. Roots need air in order to grow. Clay soil must be allowed to dry between watering, so the water can be replaced by air to nourish the roots.

Watch your step – Make sure you don’t walk on delicate flowerbeds when they are saturated. Wait until the soil dries. If you compact the soil by stepping on it when it is wet, you run the risk of damaging new growth.

Spring-cleaning, for your yard – Pick up old leaves, broken branches, and debris accumulated during winter. Cut back any perennials that you have. Trim shrubs, and any other excess growth.

Tune up your tools – Sharpen mowers and clippers so everything is ready when things start to grow. Make a note of what’s missing and order tools for the new season of growth.

Check on your soil – Check soil pH with a Home Soil Test Kit, taking several samples from different planting areas for an accurate reading. Enrich soil as necessary. Add dolomitic lime to raise the pH, or elemental sulfur to lower the pH.

Don’t forget to fertilize – Apply balanced fertilizer (6-6-6 or 8-8-8), fish emulsion, or other soil enhancements suggested by soil-test results around trees and shrubs when new growth appears. Spread high-acid fertilizer and pine-needle mulch around acid-loving shrubs like azaleas and camellias. Begin fertilizing perennials when active growth resumes.

Ready to get started? Have questions? Check out your local Nursery! We’ve got some great ones in the area!

The Tri-Lakes Center for the Arts,

located at 304 Hwy. 105, in Palmer Lake, (phone: 481-0475),

trilakesarts.org, presents the annual Artist Member Show & Silent Auction, through Jan. 19th, 2008.

Come and check it out!

Whether you’ve been living in the region for a while or are just getting ready to move here – there are a variety of attractions waiting for you! Check them out – be a Tourist in your own town!

Cave of the Winds – Tour the underground cave either on a “regular” or a lantern tour and learn about it’s History.

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo – This is America’s only Mountain Zoo and offers almost 700 animals from around the World. A perennial kids favorite – feeding the giraffes.

Garden of the Gods Trading Post – Located within the part, part of it’s heritage, but vastly expanded over the years – offering an amazing art gallery, gift shops and a Cafe.

Seven Falls – Located in South Cheyenne Canyon, with hiking trails and a 181 foot waterfall.

Pikes Peak - America’s Mountain: You can drive the Pikes Peak Highway all the way to the summit, take the cog railway or hike up the 14,110 ft. Mountain.

For more things to do – check out:

Colorado Springs Visitor Center