Simmons Homes

We’ve done spring cleaning, redecorating, and gardening. Now it’s time to get your home ready for the summer! Don’t worry, this is doesn’t need to be overwhelming! Just a few things you can do to keep your home up to date, and your appliances running smooth.

Below are a few things you should do to prepare your home for summer.

Check your air conditioning units

A air conditioner is one of those modern day amenities that by the time they are not functioning correctly, it’s too late!  By this, we mean it is much more simple to conduct a couple of simple maintenance steps, then have your unit not work correctly in the summer heat.  If you have central air, things can get a little tricky. You may want to hire a professional for servicing.

If you have a window air unit, you need only remove and clean the filters. You’ll also want to ensure that you clean all ceiling fans and other fans. You can use a damp rag. If your fans are high, there are ceiling fan dusters you may purchase to assist you as well.

Fire Prevention

At the beginning of EACH season, if not more often, you should check your smoke detectors to ensure they are all working correctly. It’s also time to deep clean your dryer vents. While the normal removing of lint is important, many don’t realize the importance of regularly cleaning the lint-trap with a dryer vent brush. You can find these brushes at most home appliance stores.

Beautify your outdoor space

Since the weather is generally dryer in the summer, it is a great time to check your gutters. Clean out any leaves, needles and debris and leave gutters completely clear. Anytime you are using a ladder, be sure to follow safety steps to lower your risk of injury.

This is also a great time to do any touches needed on your siding and/or deck. Doing these things towards the beginning of the summer can minimize the need to do these repairs in the grueling heat of the later summer months.

Maintain yard/garden appliances

Because gas becomes stale after a month, be sure to empty out any leftover gas from your lawn mower. You can do this by running the tank until it’s dry; or using a siphon pump to transfer the old gas into a gas can **If you choose this method, be sure to dispose of old gas appropriately according to your local hazardous waste disposal guidelines.

Cutting your grass with sharper mower blades can also help minimize your need to water more often. You can tell if your blades are sharp enough by taking a look at the grass, after you’ve cut it. If the cut edges of the grass blades appear ragged, it is time to sharpen your blades. Your local hardware store can assist you with instructions on how to safely sharpen your specific appliance.

These are just few things you can take care of, to prepare your family for summer fun. Simmons Homes wants to make sure your family is safe, healthy, and happy not only during the summer, but all year round!

Redecorating for the spring? Don’t miss out on this opportunity for some awesome new décor! Vintage Market Days is coming to Tulsa this weekend! Vintage Market Days is an indoor/outdoor upscale market, focused on vintage items.

At the event, you can expect a wide array of original art, antiques, clothing, jewelry, home décor, seasonal plantings, homemade pleasures, and even consumable yummies! multiple vendors. The event will run May 17-19, and is located at 408 N. Boulder Ave in downtown Tulsa.

Event Hours

Friday’s Early Buying Event* 6pm – 9pm
Saturday 9am – 6pm
Sunday 1pm – 4pm

*Have the first opportunity to find the treasure
you simply must have during the Early Buying Event

Admission

Friday’s Early Buying Event – $10
Saturday & Sunday – $5

Admission for children under 12 is free.
Cash only at the gate please.

Your ticket may be used all weekend.

Learn more about this event and buy tickets here.

When you think of using technology to sell your home, what comes to mind? Likely it’s Craigslist, Zillow, or other online sites designed to help you sell and market your home. A recent article from MSN, however,  depicts a new way people are using technology to sell their homes. Video! That’s right, video! One of the most important steps in preparing to sell your home is the “staging”. During the staging phase, you update things, paint, and try your best to allow the potential buyers to envision themselves living in your home/neighborhood. But are they really getting the FULL view? Of course not!

The buyer will likely not see how great the community is, or how cozy the house is from YOUR perspective…. Or will they? Video taping your home and community is a GREAT way to let potential buyers into the day to day operations of the house you call home. I’m not talking about a family skit or anything of the sort.  In fact, it’s very simple. You make your video from the standpoint of a realtor, selling your home on it’s best features.

If you’re still weary of posting the luxuries of your private home on Facebook and other social media, you are not alone. In fact, the article speaks about a man who serves as a church outreach director and felt uncomfortable boasting about his home to friends and family on social media. The awkwardness was soon dissolved when, just moments after posting, he began receiving many responses to his video. Just one day after posting, he accepted an offer made on his home by a person whose agent had seen the listing via Facebook!

It’s not necessary for you to be in school for film directing, or and extravagant actor/actress to make your video. It need only be the simple details that you feel would stand out to a potential buyer. Include your favorite parts of the outside and inside of your home, along with a few snippets from around your neighborhood. No fancy software is required. You can take a simple video directly from your smartphone or, if you feel comfortable, use one of the many free video editing programs available online to make edits to your video. Either way, your video will stand out from others in web searches, and likely entice many more potential buyers than your listing alone.

A few months ago, we posted an article released in the Fiscal Times, reporting that Tulsa, Oklahoma was rated the second best city in America for Young People to find jobs!

The article boast how Tulsa has added over 10,000 jobs in 2011 alone, landing itself on the list of 10 Best Cities to find a a job! And guess what?!?! The good news doesn’t end there! Not only is Tulsa rated one of the best places to FIND a job…it’s also the best place to CREATE your job!

A few more statistics in the article were:

• Tulsa reported an unemployment rate of only 4.5 percent for people ages 25-34 years of age.

• Tulsa added over 10,000 jobs in 2011 alone, with 4,000 of these jobs paying salaries of  $50,000 a year or more!!!

In a recent article in Forbes Magazine, Tulsa was rated the No. 1 City for Young Entrepreneurs! The total of businesses per 100 Residents was reported as 10.7.

If you are in the market for buying a new home, your first priority may be selling the home you have. While it might seem a little overwhelming at first, we’ve rounded up some tips that will have your current home sold in no time! This will alleviate that hurdle for you, get top dollar for your home,  and have you able to turn your attention to making your new house a home for you and your family.

Start from the Inside Out

If you plan on getting potential buyers in the door, you’ve got to first have a bit of curb appeal! The first impression is everything! Does the exterior of your home, feel like home? It should give potential buyers that “warm and fuzzy” feeling inside, that will allow them to picture themselves and their family there. This doesn’t have to be a huge remodeling expenditure. Just put a little love into it. Think: beautifully manicured lawn, inexpensive shrubs, a few plants lining the walkway…whatever fits for your home.

Stay on your game!

You’re preparing your new home, working, taking care of the children…all while trying to sell your current home. Chances are, you feel like kicking back and relaxing at the end of the day. That’s great, but don’t get too comfortable on the bench! Your home should ALWAYS be ready for an impromptu showing. This means keeping the dishes out of the sink, the counter tops and mirrors clean, and your house tidy day in and day out. Cleaning may be the last thing on your mind right now, but in the end, it could make or break a potential sell!

Go Neutral

Does your home have that adorable room that you painted just for your little girl? Or the office dedicated solely to mom’s scrapbooking?? May be time for a spruce up! While you might find these things endearing, and possibly sentimental, a potential buyer may not feel the same. Rooms should be gender neutral, and allow ANY prospective buyer to envision using it the way THEY need to…not in a way that fits your family. Don’t let a quick paint spruce up block a potential sale!

Hide the Creatures!

While your pets are a part of your family, they are not a package deal with your home. Therefore, they do not need to be included in the showing. Before opening your homes for showings be sure to have a game plan for securing your pets. In fact, many articles suggest sending your pets to a friend, family member, or even a pet hotel for the day when getting ready for viewings. Not everyone is a pet lover, and some may even have allergy aversions to your pets that would persuade them from buying your home.

Know the Focal Points

When remodeling your home to sell, focus your attention on the kitchen and bathroom areas. These are the areas that sell homes. It is much easier for people to imagine themselves doing the updates they prefer in other parts of your home then it is for them to imagine themselves updating the kitchen and bathroom. These are two rooms potential buyers prefer to be updated, modern, and of course clean finished when considering purchasing a home.

Summer brings about lots of fun! Simmons wants to make sure you and your family are safe and enjoy your summer activities to the fullest. We’ve made a list of a few summer safety tips that can help protect you and your family from some of summers most common injuries.

Water Fun

Many take advantage of the summer months, to take a warm dip in the pool, or go fishing at the lake. These activities are great, when done safely. Be sure to use life jackets (especially for children) around large bodies of water.  One think many forget to do is check the weather for the location you will be enjoying. Sudden changes of weather can be dangerous to both you and your family.

Tetanus

When people think tetanus, they usually think “rusty nail”. It is important to know, however, that tetanus is also found in soil, dust and animal feces. It can form when bacteria enters the body via wounds. This is especially important to know if you’ve got children that love to play around and rough house outside during the summer months. While you may associate getting shots updated with going back to school, it may not be a bad idea to get them a little early.

The Lawn Mower

Lawn mowers are a normal part of spring and summer, but can actually be quite harmful when not operated properly. David Bishal, of the Bloomberg School has identified a few safety tips to avoid injury by lawn mower.

• Wear goggles, long pants and closed-toe shoes with soles that offer good traction.

• Clear the yard of debris before mowing.

• Wear protective gloves when servicing the mower or changing blades.

• Never service the mower while it is running.

• Do not carry passengers on riding mowers or tow anyone behind the mower.

• Do not allow children younger than 16 to operate a riding mower.

• Store lawn mowers in an area that has minimal traffic and that children cannot access

Lightening

Summer can bring nice weather, but can also bring about storms as well. Lightening can be frightening, and potentially damaging to your home. It is a good idea to know the precautions you can take to protect your home. MSN has a great article that identifies ways to prepare your home, should lightning strike.

Ladders

Summer is a great time to catch up on some of the outdoor home shores, some of which may require the use of a ladder. There are few things to keep in mind, in order to protect yourself while using a ladder.

-Never step on the top of the ladder

-Don’t lean on the side while working. Instead, keep your body centered at all times.

-Be sure the ground is firm and level beneath the ladder

-Be sure your ladder has slip resistant feet and steps

Spring is here! And what better way to kick it off then by ramping up your garden. Not all of us were naturally born with a green thumb, but…there’s hope! The Tulsa Garden Center’s annual event is coming up THIS WEEKEND!!! April 12-13^th, they will be holding the SpringFest Garden Market and Festival 2013 at 2435 Peoria from 9am -4pm.

This event features plant sales, arts, craft vendors, and lawn items.  There was also be food and fun for the ENTIRE family. If gardening hasn’t been your thing in the past, the Tulsa Garden Center will be happy to help you get your project started.

Be sure to bring the little ones! This even offers a Children’s area with many children’s activites, vendors selling various arts and crafts projects for your home and garden, and even a food concession

You will also have the opportunity to visit the Linneaus Teaching Gardens afterwards! This is a state-of-the art demonstration garden in Woodward Park offering an array of ideas for the home gardner.

For more information about this event visit The Tulsa Garden Center’s Website.

A common concern among parents is, “When is the best time to move to a new home?” There’s no solution that will work for everyone. It depends on the children and their ages and personalities.Moving in the summer allows families to settle into a new home during a less hectic time period. The kids can use their vacation months to explore the neighborhood and maybe take part in summer camps and activities where they can meet classmates.

But there’s also something to be said for moving during the school year. You automatically integrate your child into a school where they meet classmates the very first day—as opposed to sitting around the house or yard and feeling isolated because they’ve left their friends behind. By starting out your new home experience during the school year, your children also jump right into the many activities happening in this time—clubs, sports, scouts, and field trips. They quickly make friends as they settle into their new community and routine. A teacher will often take a little more time getting new kids acclimated in the middle of the year than at the beginning, when all students are new to her class. She might be more aware of a youngster’s unease and pair the child with someone else or encourage others to include the newcomer into their activities.

By moving when the most activity is happening, your child will make friends sooner and then have the summer months to build on those relationships.

Moving with children is always a challenge. If you have any tips or experiences about moving a family, we’d love to hear from you!

There’s many reasons why buying a new home is just better….but one of them might be quite appealing to your pocketbook. That’s right, buying a new home saves money! Many people think that buying a new home will automatically mean less spending money in their pockets. Fortunately, this is not the case. In fact, buying a used home will leave you shelling out much more “dough” in the end.

Energy Savings

Due to increased energy efficiency in new homes, especially Energy Star Certified Buidlers such as Simmons Homes, you will find yourself paying much less on your monthly utility bills than you would in a use home. Not only does that leave you with extra money, it’s also better on the environment as well. An added security for your finances, as well as the world we’re leaving for your children.

Reduced Maintenance Cost

If you have ever watched any television show on HGTV, you know that buying and remodeling a used home always comes with risk. That’s the thing about a used home, you can only see what you can see. Many times hidden expenses and even dangers (i.e. mold), can be hidden out of sight. Add to this the extra maintenance cost of keeping up and replacing when needed older fixtures and such, and you can end up getting yourself into a money pit quite quickly. With a new home, you know what you are getting from day one. Your home has been built from the ground up with the latest techniques. Nothing “hidden” within the walls, beneath the structure, or on the roof. Reduce cost, and peace of mind.

Spring is here, and many find this the perfect time of year to clean house. Your home is meant to be a place for you to relieve stress and decompress at the end of the day. Is your home feeling fresh and breezy?? If not, below are a few tips to help you out.

Organization is key

The change of a season is always a great reminder to get rid of clutter. Winter, especially, can bring lots of clutter into the home. If you are like most you say “If only I had the time!” Worry not. This does not need to be an entire weekend event. In fact, setting aside just 10 minutes each day to pick a room in your house and reduce clutter will prove to be a stress free way to tackle the task. If you’re open to suggestions, Martha Stewart has some GREAT IDEAS for organizing your home.

Add some green to your environment

Plants are a great way to reduce stress. It is actually proven that plants help to reduce blood pressure! If you missed out on the “green thumb” gene, worry not. There are plenty of very easy, low maintenance plants that are quite manageable. Check with your local greenery for recommendations on these plants targeted for your specific region.

Switch it up a bit

Inexpensive light dimmer switches and the use of lamps can help you switch from bright lightening to a more serene dim light at the end of the day when it’s time to wind down. This helps your body to jump into relaxation mode and unwind at the end of the day.

Freshen up a bit

It’s a proven fact that different aromas effect your body in different ways. Be sure to fill your house with an aroma that is both warm, inviting, and relaxing. While the smell should fit your preference, it’s a nice idea to choose something that isn’t to harsh or overwhelming to the senses for those that you live with, or who visit your home. Many times, if a sent is too strong it can have the exact opposite effect of soothing you!