Winter is almost here and few things are as comforting as the smell of wood burning in the fireplace of you Santa Cruz home.  Before you light the first fire of the year, there are a few things you need to do.  Here is the short list for fireplace safety:

Clean Out the Chimney

Everyone wants to get out of the cold weather, including birds and squirrels.  Have a chimney cap installed at the top of the chimney to keep out small animals looking for shelter.  The cap will also keep debris from clogging the chimney.

Have a professional clean out any creosote residue.  Creosote is the build-up of carbon from burning wood.  It is flammable and needs to be removed every year.

Creosote is hazardous to your health.  It can cause respiratory problems, so don’t…

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It’s that time of year again, when the temperatures fall and the costs of heating your Santa Cruz home go up.  Do you worry about the increasing cost of heating oil and the rise in energy prices?  Then you may want to try these suggestions for saving on your home’s heating costs:

• Check all your home’s air vents to see that they are clean and free from any blockages.  Replace your furnace filters to keep the system running efficiently.

• Weather Seal your home.  Look around all the door and window frames on your house for obvious gaps and spaces that could let cold air into your house.  Fill in the gaps with a silicone caulking, sold at all hardware stores.  For high traffic areas like the doorway, you may want to apply a vinyl or metal…

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Do you have a competitive nature? Do you always have to have the last say? Do you always feel you have to win? If you have a home for sale in Santa Cruz, you may have “competed” yourself right out of a buyer. Please, read on to find out how NOT to make this mistake.

Who Calls the Shots?

You’ve probably heard “it’s a buyer’s market” many, many times already. With the number of people who have a home for sale in Santa Cruz, this is something you can’t afford to ignore. This is especially true considering that the longer your house sits on the market the more it depreciates.

A competitive nature is all well and good, but, when dealing with potential buyers, you have to rein it in. Winning, in this case, is not getting the last word, but selling your…

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If your Santa Cruz home for sale isn’t selling, you’re probably wondering if you’re missing something. Well, here’s a list of things you might not know that could make all the difference:

1. If the location of your Santa Cruz home for sale isn’t great, the price and terms are the only thing that will sell it. Make them outstanding!

2. Attractive, competitive terms may help you get a higher price. For instance, if you’re allowing the option of owner financing, and also allow a smaller down payment (say, $20,000 - $30,000), you may be able to sell your house for a higher overall amount.

3. Because of the current high competition, your home has to be in the best condition at a competitive price. Check out the competition, accept that yours might need…

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