Christmas In May

This past Saturday our office had the opportunity to participate in the 13th annual Christmas In May event in Chaska. For the past 13 years the community has come together in the form of volunteers who work together to help make needed repairs on homes where the homeowner does not have the financial or physical ability to complete them on their own.

The repairs can be anything from landscaping to electrical and anything in between. This year between 40-50 volunteers joined together on our project which was just one of 5 projects going on that day in Chaska. Our project consisted of fixing a rotting wooden swing set, removing and replacing edging and rock around the entire home, cutting down tree limbs, and cleaning up a large lilac hedge among other items.

It was amazing to see about 50 people come together on Saturday morning to complete the majority of the work in about 2 1/2 hours. We started out removing old edging and sod, we then dug part of the trench for the new edging, we laid new weed barrier, and finished up by scooping rock into wheel barrows and pushing them around the back side of the home.

The day was extremely rewarding and it felt good to give back to one of the communities that gives us so much. An event like this truly shows what community is really all about. It also was great to use some muscles that do not normally get used throughout the work day!

If you would like more information on volunteering you can call 952.361.5350, if you know of someone who may need assistance with their home they can call 952.448.7715, or if you would like to make a financial or materials contribution you can call 952.556.1317.

Happy Mother's Day!

Home maintenance...

Gotta love it!

This weekend was a great reminder for me that I have to be sure to prep my first time home buyers for potential moments to come.

I came home late on Thursday night to find that my garage door would not go up. Of course this little hiccup was not the end of the world at all and in fact it is a minor inconvenience but why do these things happen when it is -5 degrees instead of 70?

So through playing around with manually lifting the door up (my wife pulled out her farm girl pipes to help out!) and mechanically putting it back down I eventually ended up with the results above. If you can't tell from the photo, the door is a bit kitty-wampus! (is that how you spell that?)

I found a couple of problem spots and tried some minor nuts and bolts fixes but still could not get the door fixed by myself. So now who do I call to fix a garage door? This is a question I thought other people might have as well so I thought I would share my thoughts and give you some options.

Your first option is to find the little bright orange tag still connected to the door track that has the installing company's name and phone number on it. That worked for me but what happens when you don't have that information handy?

I have a wonderful 2nd option for you! My company has a division called the Coldwell Banker Burnet Home Resource Center. The HRC can provide you with quotes or contact information from pre-screened contractors, handymen, moving companies, plus much more! Give them a call any time at 952-820-HOME (4663) or click the link above.

Here's to the convenience of working garage doors and remote openers!

Fall Clean Up

What a beautiful day it was on Saturday! The fall colors have been some of the best this year mostly I think because we haven't had the wind blowing all the leaves off of the trees. Even though I have really enjoyed taking in all the colors this fall, I seem to have lost track of time and finally realized I better get some outdoor tasks completed before the white stuff starts flying!

Tate helped me out this year as you can see by the "leaf angel" he was making. He was pretty excited that our front maple is finally big enough to produce enough leaves to make a pile!

We took the time to lower the mower deck and scalp the lawn, we planted two new bushes, we drained the hoses and put away the hose carts, and we raked some leaves. I still need to get the hedge trimmer out and give some bushes a haircut, put away sandbox toys, put the patio furniture away, and dare I say hang Christmas lights! But we at least got a start on the chores for fall.

Here is a brief list of some things you may need to do yet before Old Man Winter comes to your neighborhood:

• Winterize Sprinkler System
• Rake Leaves
• Drain Hoses and Put Away Hose Carts
• Lower Mower Deck and Mow Lawn
  
• Store Patio Furniture and Grill
• Trim Bushes
• Fertilize Yard
• Wash Windows
• Change Lawnmower Oil and Store
• Prep Snow Blower
• Hang Christmas Lights
  

Hopefully you have a few more things completed than I do but if not and this blog entry isn't enough to remind you that winter is coming, you probably got the message when you stepped outside yesterday and today! Not to worry, I hear we are in for a nice Halloween weekend this year.