Tools homeowners need for basic repairs

When you own your own home, there are a lot of small repairs and similar tasks that you’ll have to do at some point. You may also want to tackle some DIY projects or make some changes around the house from time to time. Regardless of what’s going on, you’re going to need some tools to get things done.

Which tools should you get, though? A lot of homeowners opt for basic premade tool kits but find that they don’t always contain everything that they’ll need for various home repair and improvement tasks. Whether you’re thinking of getting a kit or wanting to build your own tool collection from scratch, here are some of the basics that you should make sure that you have.

Measuring Tools

One big thing that you should always have around the house is a few tools for measuring things. The most obvious tool for this is a tape measure, but there are a few others to consider as well. Pick up a level (or two, in different sizes) and a carpenter’s square so that you can always tell when something is level and when corners are actually squared off. A stud finder and a plumb bob should also be in your collection.

Hammers

When it comes to hammers, most of the time you can get by with just a standard claw hammer. Picking up a rubber mallet to supplement your tool collection isn’t a bad idea, though, especially if you plan on working outside or want to go camping. There are a few other specialty hammers that you might have specific need for, but you should only pick one of those up if you actually need it.

Screwdrivers (Plural)

Despite what most people think, screwdrivers aren’t a one-size-fits-all tool. You should have both flathead and Phillips head screwdrivers (and star and square head screwdrivers wouldn’t hurt), and ideally you should have at least two or three different head sizes to accommodate different screws. While the wrong size driver head will often work, you can damage both the head and the screw by not matching the tool to the job. Picking up a screwdriver with interchangeable head bits is a great way to make sure your needs are met.

Wrenches and Sockets

You’ll almost certainly run into bolts at one point or another, and having a wrench and socket set will ensure that you have what you need to handle them. Get a decent wrench set and a decent socket set, making sure that you have both metric and imperial options. In most cases you can find a tool set that includes both, along with Allen wrenches (which are sometimes called hex keys); get that set, since it’ll cover you on all three fronts.

Pliers and Channel-Locks

There are a few different types of pliers and adjustable wrenches out there, and it’s hard to say exactly what you’ll need from the beginning. Having a set of channel-lock pliers, a good adjustable wrench or two and both basic and needle-nose pliers will meet your needs most of the time. You may run into a few instances where you need more specific tools such as a pipe wrench as well, but that’s not a must-have when you’re still building a tool collection.

Clamps

Locking clamps or adjustable clamps are great to have; even if you don’t use them very often, they’ll be more than worth it in those instances where you actually need one. Other fasteners such as zip ties are also good to have on hand. If you’re planning on getting into woodworking or similar DIY projects, then you might want to pick up some extras.

Other Tools

There are a many other tools that you might consider, though whether you need them will depend on you and the sort of work you plan to do. A drill with a basic assortment of bits is good to have, and an electric sander can be useful on some jobs. Utility knives, wire cutters and other cutting tools can be handy as well. You may even find a need for a table saw or other larger power tools. Just make sure that you have a good reason for bigger purchases to keep from buying things you won’t actually use.

Is the Job Too Big?

Having the right tool for the job is important, but so is realizing when the job you’re facing is a bit too much for you to handle alone. If you hit that point, HomeKeepr can help. Sign up for a free account today to find the professional you need to get the job done quickly.

Are you ready for storm season?

As spring turns to summer, more and more focus is shifting to outdoor activities and enjoying the wonderful summer weather. Unfortunately, not all of the weather is going to be so wonderful. Depending on where you live, you may face several severe storms during the summer as well as the usual summer storms and rain. Now is the time to prepare for storm season to make sure that you aren’t taken by surprise when bad weather hits.

Clean Your Gutters

One big thing that you can do to get ready for storm season is to make sure that your gutters are clean and free of debris. This is the time of year when everything is in bloom, and that can produce seeds that have blown off trees and plants, ending up in a nice wet gutter environment. Add in dust, decaying leaves and other items that may have collected over the winter then washed into your gutters, and you’ve got a lot of potential blockages to deal with. Clear them out to help your gutters work properly, diverting water away from your roof and home to prevent leaks and flooding during storms.

Trim the Trees

Falling limbs and trees are one of the big causes of property damage associated with storms. A lot of this can be prevented with some forethought, however. Trim back or remove heavy or dying limbs that hang over your house, vehicles or power lines. Diseased, damaged or dead trees should also be removed to prevent them from falling as a result of heavy winds.

Inspect the Roof

A roof is easy to ignore until it starts leaking, but at that point a significant amount of damage may have already been done. To help you get ready for storm season, take some time to walk around your home and see if you notice any visible damage such as missing shingles or notable divots in the roof material. You might also consider bringing in a roofing crew that offers roof inspections as part of your storm preparations. The more potential damage you find now, the easier it will be to avoid leaks and other damage when storms hit.

Secure Everything

Wind can do a lot of damage during storms. Double check any shutters, downspouts or other wall fixtures to make sure that they’re well secured, tightening screws or replacing securing straps as needed. If you have items in your yard that could be moved by the wind, such as a trampoline, consider getting straps and pegs to secure it to the ground as well. The more secure everything is, the less chance that there is for property damage to occur in strong winds.

Mind Your Electricity

Between high winds and lightning, storms can spell bad news for your electrical power. Installing a lightning rod or a full-home surge protector can help protect you in the event of lightning strikes or power surges, and hooking critical electronics up to an uninterruptable power supply (UPS) can keep them running for a little while even if your power drops out. If it’s in your budget, you might also consider getting a home generator that you can switch on if the power goes out.

Check Your Insurance

If you have homeowner’s insurance, it’s worth double checking to see what is and isn’t covered by your policy. While insurance might cover several common forms of storm damage, a lot of policies don’t cover flood damage unless you take out additional coverage. By understanding what is covered, you can get a better feel for what additional coverage you might need to be secure even in the worst of storms.

Get Storm Ready

If you need to do some work around the house to really get it ready for storm season, HomeKeepr is here to help. Sign up for a free account today to find roofers, electricians and other home pros who can hook you up with everything you need to protect yourself from the storms.

June Steve & Jack's Home News

Welcome to June and the official start to summer. This has been more than a strange spring. From a global pandemic, to protests and riots, to killer hornets, locusts in Africa, and the 7-year cycle for some species of Cicadas, it can seem rather biblical. We certainly hope this e-mail finds you and your loved ones safe, healthy and happy. Those can seem rather elusive right now. If there is something you need that we can help support you or your business, please let us know. We are absolutely happy to help however we can to support you.

On the health front, as of right now COVID-19 has significantly subsided with most hospitals reporting very few, if any COVID-19 patients. We certainly hope that the numbers continue to drop and that we are at the predicted zero cases by July 1st and by July 4th we are able to safely get back to our 'new' normal, which may even include a parade and fireworks, if we are lucky.

As for our family, Tali has been out of school for 3-weeks now and Ana just finished a week ago. Tali will be a 5th grader and Ana a sophomore at Guerin. It is hard to believe! Ana has to take PE and health this summer since she started Guerin in the 2nd trimester and missed the first trimester of it. While she isn't looking forward to it, it will be good to get her moving in the mornings as she is like a typical teenager and can sleep until noon, if you let her. She is going to play soccer for Guerin this fall and will be practicing all summer as well and will also sing in one of Guerin's choirs and will be going back to Indianapolis Children's Choir Master Chorale since she graduated from the youth program this year. She has also been doing such a great job as Chef Ana cooking Sunday dinners all from scratch. They are so absolutely delicious and we love enjoying her cooking.

Tali is going to horse camp in Zionsville for a few weeks and absolutely loves it! On top of that, she decided to quit competitive gymnastics after four years and is instead doing competitive cheer at ICE and has already started practices, which are kicking her butt!

Brigid is still at home as Merck will not allow any reps to go out for a few more weeks. The good news is that she still has a job, full pay and benefits, so we are extremely grateful there.

Steve's parents Jack and Mary Anne are getting back out again, but did cancel their trip to Branson last week, per the urging of Steve and Michelle. They are enjoying seeing some of their friends and family again and we enjoyed having them over last week for a belated Mother's Day celebration.

Kylie's big news is that Carmel finally took them off of well water and hooked them up to city water. She has been waiting for this for over a year as their well was going out. Her dog ripped a big gash in her hands and she is recovering from that now.

Patti is enjoying getting jobs done around the house and now that Ron is retired, he is able to do work during the week.

Thea is in final preparations for her wedding to Michael on June 20th in Cleveland. Her plans for a wedding here in Indy have been cancelled due to COVID-19 and will instead have a small wedding with family and then have a delayed reception next summer here in Indy. We can't wait!

As for the real estate market, we are getting asked daily how it is doing right now. Fortunately, it is recovering very nicely. We have been ranked as a Top 10 city to recover fastest from the pandemic and we are seeing that. Activity has picked up a lot and is getting close to where it usually is for the spring. We are hoping the spring market will shift into the summer and fall. We are in dire need of inventory right now. We are near an all-time low of 1.6 months right now. A balanced market is around 6 months. We have lots of buyers, but no homes to show them. If you know of someone thinking of selling, please give us a call. We would love to consult with them about their options, which include selling at the highest prices in history in the shortest amount of time.

Here are some numbers from MIBOR for April 2020 vs. April 2019. May numbers will come out in a week.
Median Sales Price-$210,000-UP 0.7%
Closed Sales-2,522 units-DOWN 14.9%
New Listings-2,782 units-DOWN 23.9%
Pending Sales-2,866 units-DOWN 9.1%
Days on Market-38 days-No change
Price per s.f.-$120-UP 1.7%
% of Ask Received-98.3%-UP 0.4%
Active Inventory-3,967 units-DOWN 1.7%
Absorption Rate-1.6 months-UP 14.3%

It will be interesting to see where May's numbers come in, but these could have been MUCH worse, as you can imagine.

We truly hope that you stay safe and healthy, especially now. We also hope that you will take time to celebrate all of the wonderful dads out there for Father's Day this month. We wouldn't be who we are without you!

A few updates and reminders:
Thank you to everyone who attended our May virtual Happy Hour! We had a great time and gave out some fun prizes for best dressed (Rhoda Israelov) and winner of our May trivia challenge on our call (Gene Ziobron). Please join us next week for our June virtual Happy Hour on Thursday, June 18th from 5-6:30pm. Bring your favorite drink and come ready for some fun trivia questions and your chance to win some prizes. Here is the link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9756645504. We hope this is the last virtual Happy Hour and we can go back to seeing you all in-person in July. Stay tuned for updates.

Wow!!!! We had over 400 cars for our Shred Day a couple of weeks ago!!! This was an all-time record...by a LOT! We filled up one entire truck and had to call a second one! The recycling truck was also full. This was so popular that we are going to do another one in July. Mark your calendars for Thursday, July 16th from 10AM-12pm at our office again. Anything you want shredded or electronics to be recycled can be disposed of. This is absolutely FREE for our clients and referral partners.

A lot of people have asked us for our preferred contractors as so many people are getting house projects completed. Please call or e-mail us any time and we are happy to get you some names of great contractors you can trust to handle all of your projects...big or small.
If you have a mortgage and you haven't checked to see if you should re-finance, you may want to take some time to look into it. Rates are at or near all-time lows and if you have a 30-year fixed conventional mortgage, for example the rate is around 3.25%. Call or e-mail us today for our preferred loan partner who will be happy to help you figure out if it makes sense to refinance or not.
So, what did you think of our video intro last month? Did you like it? We would love your feedback on how we can improve. Let us know.

Click here for our June video

Click here for our June newsletter

Click here to visit our website full of real estate resources

Click here to access coupons and discount at places you shop every day

Click here to watch a 1-minute video about this month in real estate

Click here to read reviews of what other people are saying about us and our service

Click here to download the BRAND NEW and most powerful real estate app available

Enjoy summer!!!

Your Friends in Real Estate,

Steve, Kylie, Thea, & Patti

P.S. Please don't keep us a secret.

Virtual Staging questions answered

Virtual home tours and showings are increasingly popular in real estate. They allow prospective home buyers to view the property on their own time, reducing unnecessary contact and helping them to avoid homes that they aren’t really interested in. A greater focus on virtual viewings can be a double-edged sword, however; still photos and walkthrough videos don’t always capture the heart of a property the way that being there in person can.

Proper staging can go a long way toward fixing this problem. The rules of staging are a bit different when planning for virtual visitors than they would be if you were prepping for an open house or other in-person tour, though. Here are a few things to keep in mind when staging your home for a virtual tour to help ensure that online home shoppers are suitably wowed by your property.

Start at the Door

When a potential buyer comes to your property for a tour or an open house, the first thing they’ll see is the door and front of the home. Start your virtual tour the same way. Touch up the paint on your door, make sure that any flowers or other decorations are well cared for, and clean up any messes that might be in the front yard. Starting at the front provides a bit of familiarity and gives viewers the same first impression that they and their visitors will see if they do decide to buy the house.

Accent With Art

For the most part, you want to remove as many personal effects as possible when staging a home so that potential home buyers can see the potential of the space as something they can make over. With virtual tours and online showings, though, this just comes across as bare walls. You should still remove family photos and personal effects so that viewers don’t feel like they’re peeking in on someone else’s life. Replace them with pieces of art or other items that break up the monotony of bare walls or empty floors. A wall-mounted TV, modular fireplace or other accents can also work well for this purpose.

Cut the Clutter

Decluttering is important when showing a house. When viewing in person, potential buyers tend to overlook if your home is still being lived in. But because things come across differently in still photos and video tours, clutter usually makes a home look less appealing online. Even if you have to rearrange things between photos and move certain items off camera, do everything you can to provide a clean, clutter-free view of your home.

Use Positioning to Your Advantage

Angles are important when taking photos or making videos for online showings. Showcase the space available in your home by placing tables or other large pieces of furniture in one corner of the shot, letting the photo show off how open the dining room is or how much area there really is in the living room. You can also show off your favorite views from within the house by taking pictures from the same angle you’d be sitting at, letting viewers see the home in the same ways that you enjoy.

Let Viewers in on the Secret

Do you have any hidden, obscure or otherwise “secret” areas in your home? If so, be sure to include them in your virtual staging plans. You might provide just a peek at a hidden closet or a special play-space in your flower garden, or you could choose to elaborate on the secret and give viewers a great view of everything it has to offer. Regardless of how you do it, showing off the secrets in your home will help to give it more personality and get potential buyers that much more interested.

Ask for Help

Staging a home can be a big job. Don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need it. HomeKeepr can connect you with seasoned pros who can help you in staging your home perfectly for both online and in-person showings. Sign up for a free account today to get a jump start on your staging.

How will a recession affect my purchase?

It’s well known that the housing market is heavily influenced by the economy — especially local economies. When the economy is strong, people have more money for large purchases and investments in real estate. When things are tighter, though, a lot of prospective homeowners may start to ask whether they’re really ready to take on such a potentially large debt.

If you’ve been thinking of buying a home, you might be wondering about this yourself. How will economic problems, or even a recession, affect your home purchase? Will the local housing market all but grind to a halt? While it’s good to keep questions in mind so that you aren’t taken by surprise, the chance of a recession or other economic downturn having a profound effect on your home purchase is relatively low.

What Is a Recession?

First things first: just what is a recession? It’s a term that’s been tossed around a lot in the last decade or so, but there usually isn’t a whole lot of explanation provided with it. Essentially, a recession is a downturn in the economy that lasts for at least six months. Typically during a recession you’ll see both trade and industry take a hit, and the gross domestic product (the value of the goods and services produced over a period of time, usually called the GDP) fall for at least two quarters in a row.

A recession can last for quite a while and can result in a significant slump in the economy that takes months or even years to recover from. An example of this would be the Great Recession which lasted from 2007 to 2009; its fallout lasted for years in some places and caused a number of significant problems for several sectors of the economy.

The Economy and the Housing Market

The economy and the housing market are pretty strongly connected. When the economy is in a slump, this can drive the housing market down. While this generally applies at the national level, this is especially true at the local level. When business is booming and the economy is doing well, the housing market usually gets a boost as well. This can run the other way, too; problems in the housing market can drag the economy down with it, while a strong housing market can help to lift up an otherwise shaky economy. Issues with the housing market contributed to the Great Recession and led to economic problems in other countries around the world.

Will the Housing Market Collapse?

Just because there is a link between the housing market and the economy at large doesn’t mean that a recession will bring the housing market down, however. A downturn in the economy might slow housing sales in some areas, especially early on as both buyers and sellers wait to see whether the economic turmoil is going to last long-term. In most cases, though, this slowdown will only be temporary and will not affect all parts of the country equally. In some cases, it can even result in unmatched opportunities for buyers who are willing to act.

Inform Your Decisions

Any time there’s economic uncertainty, it’s always a good idea to consult professionals who will help you find options to protect your investment and avoid paying more than you have to for a home. Fortunately, HomeKeepr is here to help. Sign up for a free account today to connect with the pros that can help you achieve your dreams of home ownership even in uncertain economic times.