Tips for Caring for Your Outdoor Furniture Tips & Tricks In order to make the most out of your outdoor furniture and to keep it looking great for as long as possible, you will need to take some extra steps to ensure that it is well cared for. This is particularly the case if you are living in a four-season climate where, for a large portion of the year, you will not be using it. Outdoor furniture may be made from wood, metal or even plastic as is the case with many cheaper sets. The way you care for it will depend largely on what it is made of. Consider the following tips for extending the life of your outdoor furnishings. Protecting Outdoor Furniture during Winter There is no point in keeping your furniture outdoors during the months when you're not going to be using it. All that this will do is greatly increase the wear and tear and shorten its lifespan by many years. As soon as the time of the year comes when you know you're not going to be getting any more use out of it for some time, you should place it undercover. If you have some spare space in a dry outbuilding, then use it for storing your furniture. If not, stack it up somewhere out of the way and ensure that it is properly covered by suitable plastic or canvas sheeting. Keeping it out of the winter weather is a must since rain and snow will cause wear and tear very quickly. It is also a good idea to have some covers available so that you can cover it during the summer months at night and whenever it rains. Again, this will also greatly extend its life. Revitalizing Your Outdoor Furniture Wood weathers naturally and this does, in itself, lend to its character. Nonetheless, it is important to take steps to prevent rot. You should get into the habit of caring for your furniture every year when you take it out of storage. Thoroughly clean it with soap and water and treat it with varnish, stain or paint as necessary. It may need a couple of coats applied 24 hours apart. In order to prepare the surface, ensure that it is as clean and smooth as possible. Before treating the wood, be sure to check for any loose bolts and replace any as required. Metal furniture, typically made either from steel, aluminum or iron, is normally much easier to maintain. Just keep a look out for rust with certain types of metal furniture and, if you find any, sand it down and apply some rust-resistant paint. Outdoor furniture made from plastic or resin is even easier to maintain. Looking after such furniture is simply a matter of keeping it clean although it is still a good idea to keep it undercover when you are not using it. Sara Forkel Pacific Coast Title Company (909) 573-6384 SaraForkel@gmail.com If there are problems with how this message is displayed, click here to view it in a web browser Sara Forkel © 2016 — Powered by Elevated Network If you prefer not to receive further emails please click here to unsubscribe Write us at: 200 W. Glenoaks Blvd, 100, Glendale, CA 91202

5 Real Estate Trends

5 Real Estate Trends

THAT WILL DOMINATE 2016.

1. Normal Is Coming Expect a healthy growth in home sales and prices – at a slower pace than in 2015. “This slowdown is not an indication of a problem—it’s just a return to normalcy,” writes Jonathan Smoke, realtor.com®’s chief economist. “We’ve lived through 15 years of truly abnormal trends, and after working off the devastating effects of the housing bust, we’re finally seeing signs of more normal conditions.” New construction and distressed sales are expected to return to more historical levels, and home prices are expected to follow at “more normal rates consistent with a more balanced market.”

2. Generational buying trends shape up Young adults’ presence on the housing market has been largely predicted for years, but 2016 may finally be the year they make a move in a larger way. Millennials represented nearly 2 billion sales in 2015 – one-third of home buyers. They are expected to continue to be a major buying pool in 2016 with the majority of buyers between ages 25 and 34 expected to be first-time home buyers next year. But two other generations will also have a big presence in 2016: financially recovering Gen Xers and older baby boomers who are entering retirement, realtor.com® notes. “Since most of these people are already homeowners, they’ll play a double role, boosting the market as both sellers and buyers,” Smoke notes. “Gen Xers are in their prime earning years and thus able to relocate to better neighborhoods for their families. Older boomers are approaching (or already in) retirement and seeking to downsize and lock in a lower cost of living.”

3. New-home construction focuses more on affordability. Builders have been faced with higher land costs, limited labor, and concerns about the demand of the entry-level market. As such, they have shifted to constructing more higher-priced homes, which has caused new-home prices to rise significantly faster than existing-home prices. In 2016, they likely will shift to more affordable product to cater to the entry-level buyers. “We are already seeing a decline in new-home prices for new contracts signed this fall,” notes Smoke. “In addition, credit access is improving enough to make the first-time buyer segment more attractive to builders.”

4. Higher mortgage rates. Mortgage rates will likely be volatile in 2016. But the recent move by the Federal Reserve to guide interest rates higher should push mortgage rates higher in the new year than the historical lows they have been at for years. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage will likely end 2016 about 60 basis points higher than today’s level. “That level of increase is manageable, as consumers will have multiple tactics to mitigate some of that increase,” Smoke says. “However, higher rates will drive monthly payments higher, and, along with that, debt-to-income ratios will also go higher.” The markets with the highest home prices will see the effects from the higher rates the most.

5. Rents to go up even higher. Rental costs are skyrocketing, and the costs are likely to only go up in the new year. More than 85 percent of the nation’s markets have rents that exceed 30 percent of the income of renting households. “Rents are accelerating at a more rapid pace than home prices, which are moderating,” Smoke says. “Because of this, it is more affordable to buy in more than three-quarters of the U.S. However, for the majority of renting households, buying is not a near-term option due to poor household credit scores, limited savings, and lack of documentable stable income of the kind necessary to qualify for a mortgage today. Article by: DAILY REAL ESTATE NEWS

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5 Flowers for Shady Gardens

5 Flowers for Shady Gardens Tips &Tricks If your garden is located in the shadow of nearby buildings, trees, an overhead canopy, or your house, you might think there's no way you could get flowers to grow. After all, many flowers prefer the sun. There are, however, a number of hardy plants with beautiful flowers that can brighten up your garden, even if it's shady! 1. Bleeding heart - Well-known for its distinctive row of arched, drooping flowers that resemble bleeding hearts lined up along the branch, this flower is a perennial and doesn't mind being in a shady spot. It grows native in woods, and various species will bloom either in the spring and early summer or all season. It looks wonderful in a bed, border, or corner, and some may need support or something to climb on. 2. Calla lilies - For an elegant perennial that will pop against a shady background, try planting calla lilies. They are often found in white, pink, or yellow, and will bloom from spring to autumn. It doesn't need much attention or care, though will need to be watered along with your other plants and won't tolerate dryness. 3. Primrose - The colorful and whimsical-looking primrose loves the shade, and can be found in many bright tones to match any garden: red, pink, purple, yellow, and white! They are among the first plants to bloom in the spring, and do well when planted under a taller, all-season plant or a bright jewel-tone plant. You can also try filling a corner with one or tucking them under shrubs. 4. Lily-of-the-valley - Known for their fragrance and elegance, lily-of-the-valley flowers provide tiny dots of color to draw the eye anywhere you wish in your garden design. They don't need much maintenance and thrive in the shade, enough so that they can spread if you don't carefully monitor them. Some people like this effect and deliberately introduce it to a natural-style garden. 5. Foxglove - If you have enough low-growing plants and want something tall for a change, foxglove draws the eye up and provides clusters of fascinating cup-shaped flowers. They come in many bright colors and need as much shade as possible, especially in the heat of the summer. You'll need to be careful to keep the soil moist. Don't deadhead the plants if you want them to regrow from dropped seeds next year. These are just a few of the possibilities for bright contrasts to the green foliage-based gardens most people think shady spots require. While different shades of green can look certainly elegant, there's nothing like a white or bright flower to make you smile as you enjoy your shady spot. Sara Forkel Pacific Coast Title Company (909) 573-6384 SaraForkel@gmail.com If there are problems with how this message is displayed, click here to view it in a web browser Sara Forkel © 2016 — Powered by Elevated Network If you prefer not to receive further emails please click here to unsubscribe Write us at: 200 W. Glenoaks Blvd, 100, Glendale, CA 91202

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