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Refrigerator Maintenance

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Your refrigerator doesn’t need a large amount of maintenance to continue to run effectively. Similar to your air conditioner outside, keeping the condenser coils clean in your refrigerator is essential. Cleaning them helps to keep it running smoothly.

Refrigerator

On most refrigerators, the condenser coils are located either on the top, on the back, or across the bottom of your fridge. These coils cool and condense the refrigerant, and when they are compromised with dust, dirt or debris they can’t function correctly.

Keeping the coils clean is a simple task as long as you periodically check back on the coils. We recommend cleaning the coils on your refrigerator every 6 months. One effective way to clean the coils is by using the vacuum cleaner with the brush attachment. This will ensure you are able to get in deep without worrying about cutting your hands on any of the metal. If you keep the coils clean, it will help keep your refrigerator clean and ensure the items inside stay cold.

Ice Maker

Another common household item that is found in your kitchen is the ice maker, these also have condenser coils that can get covered in dust. We recommend cleaning these coils every 6 months as well.

It should only take about 15 minutes to do both of these tasks. In the long run, it will save you the headache of having to worry about your food not staying cold in your refrigerator or not having ice in your ice maker.

Check out Chuck’s Maintenance Tips for more helpful tips!

Recognized in Crain’s as a 2019 Notable Residential Real Estate Broker!

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Crain's 2019 Notable Residential Real Estate Broker

The 134 brokers on this list are among the Chicago area’s highest-selling producers. Together, they form a cross section of the region’s residential real estate community, representing buyers and sellers in luxury markets, as well as in more modest neighborhoods. Some work independently, while others lead teams. They all have at least one thing in common: Each broker closed a minimum of $20 million in home sales in 2018, a year when the local housing market slowed and then dropped by double digits in December. A few of the brokers featured here ended 2018 on a more positive note by surpassing their career records for annual sales.

https://www.chicagobusiness.com/notable/residential-real-estate-brokers-2019

What to Expect in the 2019 Housing Market

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2019 Housing Market Outlook
Here’s What to Expect
Housing Market Outlook
Fed Rounds Out the Year with Yet Another Rate Hike
Rake Hike Timeline
Mortgage Rates
Housing Trends at a Glance
Existing-Home Sales increased in November
Housing Trends at a Glance
Housing Starts Jumped 3.2% in November
In August, Mortgage Delinquency Rate Fell to Lowest Level in 18 Years

4 Steps to Prep Your House for Your Winter Vacation

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Going on vacation to escape the cold weather? We don’t blame you! Winter prepping before you leave can be a chore. But it is essential for every homeowner to take these precautions before going out of town in the winter months. Here are 4 simple steps to prep your house before you leave for your winter vacation.

Turning off Your Water

A very simple tip from us to you is if you are going on vacation in the winter make sure that you turn off your water! Turning off the water main can lessen any worries about frozen pipes while you are away on your trip.

Draining the Sprinkler System

If you have an inbound sprinkler system, be sure that you completely drain the lines of any water. This will ensure that you don’t come back home to the headache of cracked lines and/or a broken system.

Setting your Furnace

Keep your furnace at about 65 degrees Fahrenheit. At this temperature, you won’t run up your electric bill, and you will keep your house warm enough to prevent any damage from the cold air getting into your house.

Stopping your Mail

Make sure that you stop your mail or have a close friend/neighbor pick it up for you. You don’t want your mail to overload in the mailbox. The foul weather could cause the mail to get wet and to potential intruders, that’s a sure sign that no one is home. An easy way to stop your mail is to go to www.usps.com and you are able to stop your mail right online.

We hope you liked these house prepping tips and we hope you have a great vacation!

Check out Chuck’s Maintenance Tips for more helpful tips!

5 Tips to Help Get Your Snowblower Ready for the Winter

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It’s getting to be that time of year again; soon enough SNOW will be on its way! Here are some helpful tips on how to make sure your snow blower is tuned up and ready for the winter.

5 Tips to help get Your Snowblower Ready for the Winter

1. Drain the Old Fuel and Replace with Fresh Fuel

Drain the fuel from your snowblower’s tank or have your local small engine maintenance shop take care of this. If you decide to do it yourself, use extreme care! Work in a well-ventilated area with no open flames or sparks in the surrounding area. Fresh, clean fuel is necessary because old gas absorbs moisture when it sits for long periods of time. A tip for next year: one way to prevent gas that sits from going bad is using a fuel stabilizer. Otherwise, gas typically goes bad in 6 months.

2. Check the Fuel Filter, Fuel Line, and Spark Plugs

These all are recommended to be checked and changed accordingly before each winter season. The fuel filter could be clogged and need to be replaced. Be sure to inspect the fuel line to make sure there are no cracks and that it is still flexible and soft. If you have changed your spark plugs last year or you missed a year of replacements, you’ll probably want to replace them this year.

3. Check the Oil

Be sure to check your snowblowers oil, the oil is essential to the lubrication of the engine. If you’re changing your oil at home, take your old oil to your local oil recycling station.

4. Check Your Tires

Check out the tires to make sure there are no cracks or holes, replace if necessary. After that be sure to inflate the tires to the proper PSI for the upcoming season.

5. TEST IT BEFORE IT SNOWS.

Nothing would be worse than seeing that fresh coat of snow, going outside to start your snowblower and realizing that it doesn’t work. After giving it a fresh tank of gas, take it outside on the driveway start it up and test out all of the controls.

We hope with these 5 tips you’ll have a snowblower that is ready to work hard this winter season. For more helpful home tips, check out our Maintenance Tips page!

 

6 Reasons Why You Should Clean Your Gutter

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Cleaning your gutters isn’t the prettiest or most enjoyable household chore, but it is necessary when owning your own house. Gutters control the flow of rainwater and they are the main defense for your roof, walls, foundation and landscape. Material that can get into the gutters include leaves, branches, dirt and other foreign objects. When these begin to accumulate it can cause a stoppage and your gutters can overflow. Here are 6 reasons why you should always be sure to add “clean the gutters” to your list of to-dos.

What if You Don’t Clean Your Gutters

1. Cracks in your Foundation

If your gutters don’t get cleaned out, they can overflow and begin to pool along your home’s foundation. If that water doesn’t get a chance to drain and freezes it can expand and cause cracks in the foundation. According to HomeAdvisor.com the National Average to repair a foundation is $4,026 with a low end of $450 and a high end of $11,434.

2. Damage to Fascia

Your fascia is the board that runs right behind and underneath your gutter. This board is typically made out of wood and if the water overflows into the fascia board it can deteriorate and rot away. Replacing your Fascia board can cost anywhere from $15 to $25 a linear food if you get it installed professionally.

3. Roof Damage

Similar to the fascia board, if your gutters overflow with water, your roof can begin to rot. Replacing a roof can cost anywhere from $1,000 to $8,400. This is an expensive, labor-intensive job that can come along with not cleaning your gutters.

4. Damage to Gutter Brackets

The weight of the debris that falls into the gutter is something people don’t typically think about. If enough debris falls into the gutter, it can be too much weight for the gutters brackets to handle. This can cause them to break and potentially knock down a large portion of your gutter.

5. Driveaway Damage

Water not draining properly can cause mold to grow on your driveway, or in the winter it could freeze and become ice. This can be a safety concern for anyone leaving the house before the ice has had time to melt or the mold has been cleaned off.

6. Landscape Damage

Plants need water to grow but unfortunately getting an overflow of water is just as detrimental as not getting enough water. Plants that are in the way of a waterfall that comes from an overflowed gutter can be killed because of the water pooling up around or even underneath them.

How to Clean Your Gutters

Doing it yourself

Cleaning your gutters seems simple, but it can be a dangerous job. Climbing a latter up to the first or second story is a lot higher than you may think. Be sure your latter is sturdy and have someone hold it steady from the bottom. When you’re up there don’t reach too far to one side and be sure to use gloves and safety glasses.

Professional Cleaning

Professional cleanings can cost anywhere from $75 to $225 for an average sized home. The professionals will remove debris from the gutters and downspouts and repair any loose gutter brackets.