Home owner

Well, it’s official! October, the haunted season, is here and before we know it, it will be time for Christmas. People are already starting to decorate their homes in true haunted styles, and we at New Home Resource love to see how creative people can get. While decorating your home is great fun and the trick-or-treaters love being spooked-out on their candy-hunting adventures, it is important to be safe while doing it. Here are 5 things to remember when decorating your home for the holidays!

1. Check all lights and electrical items for damage before using them for decorations. Look for exposed wires, cracking insulation, and discoloration. If they are damaged, it’s time to switch them out for new ones. Using damaged electrical goods can electrocute someone or start a fire, both of which can have severe consequences.
2. Of course, homes are not designed with decorating the outside of the home in mind, so many of us use extension cords. Invest in quality and heavy duty extension cords that can handle the wattage of the electrical goods into which you’ll be plugging. Using light duty ones can cause fires if you overload and overuse them. Don’t run cords across doorways, under rugs or carpet, or use staples to pin them to the wall. Instead,  use cord clips to run them around doorways and along walls.
3. With the Fall season comes the delicious pumpkin, cinnamon, and other Fall inspired scented candles that we all look forward to. While we are all tempted to light them all over the house, be careful about where you leave them as they can be a fire hazard if lit near flammable materials, or left on an unstable surface. If you leave the room, be sure to blow out all of the candles.
4. If you’re going to go all-out and decorate the entire house from top to bottom, it’s important to use proper equipment and safety tools. Drainpipes are not meant to hold the weight of a human being, so make sure you use a ladder, and have someone hold it steady to avoid both you and the ladder toppling over.
5. Lastly, ensure that your porch and front yard are lit appropriately with the path way clear for trick-or-treaters. The last thing you want is for your neighbor’s children dressed in their spooky outfits to trip in your front yard.

So have fun, embrace the holiday season, and be safe!

If you’re looking for a new home or wanting to sell your current one, contact a NEW HOME RESOURCE professional Realtor® today at 702-365-1000. Joanna Piette, Denise Moreno Thrasher, Evelyn “Beng” Kern, Jessica O’Brien and Lance Partin are at your service!.

With a season change readily approaching, it’s time to start thinking about the seasonal maintenance needed on your home. Yes, we live in a desert, and while most people think that we only have one season: summer, we do in fact have four seasons. Granted, we are blessed with beautiful weather and minimal rain for most of the year. With that in mind, here are a few home maintenance tips we at New Home Resource suggest for the fall season:

1. Schedule a tune up: Having a technician come and tune up your heating system will ensure that everything is in order and will work during the colder months ahead. They will also check for carbon-monoxide leakage as well. Spending the money now will ensure that you’re not stuck with a broken heater and a 3 day wait for someone to fix it.
2. Reverse the air: When it comes to turning on the heater it’s time to reverse the ceiling fans. Why? Reversing the ceiling fans to a clockwise spin will help to circulate the hot air, distributing the heat more evenly and cutting down the need to turn up the heater.
3. Hit the roof: Checking the roof for any missing or broken tiles now could prevent water damage and save you a fortune when it rains. And we all know in Las Vegas that when it rains, it pours.
4. Fill in the gaps: Caulking or weather stripping all the windows and doors will not only stop drafts but also help keep your heating bills down.
5. Gut it: Clearing out your gutters of any debris will make sure that during Las Vegas’ infamous flash floods the gutters will work efficiently. You can cover the top half with a fine mesh to help prevent the leaves and debris from building up in the future.
6. Test your sump pump: You should test your sump pump every few months especially after a long dry season, for which Las Vegas is famous. You can do this by slowly pouring several gallons of water into the sump pit to see whether the pump turns on.

If you are looking for a new home, please contact a New Home Resource Realtor® today at 702-365-1000. Broker Joanna Piette, and agents Denise Moreno Thrasher and Evelyn ‘Beng’ Kern are all here to help!