Rose Cottage Ltd

For those who own real estate:

Spring is upon us, and whether you still have a bit of snow on the ground or not, now is a good time to get ready for Summer 2014.

Think about lawnmower, trimmer, etc., maintenance now – before equipment repair people get too busy. My lawnmower required a new blade for the coming growing season. Done! If weather permits, now is also a good time to get some mulch down to control weeds, apply any of those “pre-emergents” to get rid of the annoying crabgrass, etc., and to begin organizing any larger outdoor/landscaping projects you are planning to accomplish.

If you have any minor renovations to do or have decided to do some painting – inside or outside – do it now. You won’t have bugs (and maybe snakes,) or as much humidity to deal with as you will in a month or two.

Winter is also a slow time for many home improvement contractors. If you have work planned, get them out now for an estimate or to get your project started. They’ll have more time to devote to your project now than in June or July.

If you don’t own real estate, now is the BEST time to get looking!

Most families who are planning to sell want the deal over and done by mid-Summer so they can get organized for the next school year. You’ll usually find many new homes on the market in the next month – and maybe get some bargains too! Plants and trees are beginning to bloom in most areas of the US so you can get a better idea of what your new location will look like in summer.

For those who don’t own and won’t own real estate this year…

You can still buy a nice plant! Garden centers at places like Lowe’s or local nurseries are LOADED with plants for small spaces. Get yourself a exotic plant or even a small, flowering tree. If you are saving to buy a home of your own, you can still enjoy playing in a little dirt while you’re saving for your big purchase.

Whine for the week…

I see a LOT of homes where I know a couple of teenagers reside, and where I see hired landscaping service trucks and workers. You might be amazed at how good it feels to get outside and do some chores yourself once and awhile. It’s a way to get a little exercise, some fresh air, and often I find it reduces stress I might have lingering from the work week.

If I had kids over the age of 5, you’d also see THEM out doing something on a bright sunny day – even if I had to make something up for them to do. Younger kids usually enjoy planting something new and then being responsible for its watering, etc., and they can’t wait to see things grow and bloom. Older kids may require a swift kick to get them going, but once they do, most can get with the program and be reminded that a little work won’t kill them!

Happy planting!

Before the next rain, snow, sleet event!

The sun was too bright for a great picture and this little female Cardinal looks like she could use a pair of sunglasses! Nice to see trees budding though. I’m really ready for some color around here!!!

Happy Spring! 70 degrees in NC this weekend and then…a high of 37 and SNOW on Wednesday! This winter is holding on for dear life! Last week I was wondering if I’d have to cut the grass soon!

Here are a few good “finds” for this week:

++ Ponds from tires?

++ 6 Seller Secrets For This Spring’s Real Estate Market

++ Million Dollar Listing New York – starts April 2nd!

You’ll either love it or hate it. And speaking of Bravo TV, I’ve watched my last Jeff Lewis “Flipping Out.” I’m sorry to say that I am just not interested in the mundane mutterings of his domestic and I am tired of watching half the show where captions are required. More design and less Zoila would have kept me watching.

++ 7 Most Expensive Homes in the World

++ Looking for rural land, a farm, or lots of acreage?

++ Need a property with room for horses? (I’d love to!!)

++ Homes with fireplaces in HOT real estate markets

++ February 2014 US Trends in Real Estate

A great and FREE resource for your real estate research. Find out what’s going on in different areas of the country – before you move, list or purchase!

Beware the Ides of March! If you haven’t a clue of what that means, here’s the quick answer.

Before Julius Caesar made his fateful last trip to the Senate, a seer standing in the crowd basically told him it was NOT going to be a good day and to turn around and head home. His actual warning was, “Beware the Ides of March” – which was that day, March 15th 44 BC. Caesar either felt invincible or just ignored the warning, and was stabbed to death by Roman Senators not 30 minutes later.

You can read more on that here, but basically, the senate decided Caesar had become a tyrant – making decisions and laws without consulting the senate or the people of Rome. Hmmmm…

There are some things going on in the US right now that are shouting “Beware” to anyone who is paying attention – particularly if you own your own property and even MORE particularly, if you own a larger and/or rural property. Here’s the latest:

Wyoming welder faces $75,000 a day in EPA fines for building pond on his property

I’m not going to rehash the article here but in my opinion, this is just WRONG and part of a very frightening trend. Less than a month ago I wrote to tell you what the EPA was doing regarding the very wood stoves they had “EPA Approved” less than a year before – EPA: Hands Off Your Wood Stove.

But notice that while the EPA is happy to immediately fine this landowner over his pond ON his OWN PROPERTY, the EPA has yet to fine Duke Energy for the massive coal ash spill in North Carolina. This spill was huge, leaking coal ash into the Dan River and polluting water for miles in several directions. The NC Department of Natural Resources has “threatened” fines AND has found out that Duke Energy did NOT have proper permits BEFORE the spill, but nothing has really been done.

So once again, pick on and harass the “little guy” which is you and me – while turning a blind eye to corporations that are doing widespread environmental damage. Just wrong.

I’ve done the work of managing a large pond on a 7-acre property. To keep the pond clear and clean to provide a better environment for both yourself and for wildlife, isn’t cheap and it’s hard work. To have some out-of-control government agency come along and change the permitting requirements mid-stream (pun intended) is just WRONG.

Government agencies, beware, the little people have had enough…

And a little something to brighten the way to the weekend!

Only 6 more days until Spring!

Here is a handy list of foods that increase acid levels in the blood (bad!) and foods that decrease it (good!)

In case you didn’t know, if your body pH is high enough, many diseases simply can not thrive so add alkaline to your diet and work on getting your pH as high as you can.

Growing some of the vegetables listed above on the “alkaline” side – in your own home garden, will add to their quality…

Having had more than one goose at my lake deciding to follow me as if I was their own personal human…

Here’s a link if the video won’t play.

This LA couple seem to be getting along just fine.

Weather has certainly been multitasking this season. Here’s an example:

20+ degree swings from day-to-day have been the norm this winter. This past Thursday it barely reached 40 degrees. Yesterday – close to 70.

Watching people out and about sure has proven interesting. While some people still have on turtleneck sweaters and sweatshirts on the “warmer” days, others will take the first day above 50 to break out sandals and shorts. Guess this ties into one of my prior posts about what is “cold” or “hot” depends on your location, and your own personal physiology. 40 degrees in Raleigh is not perceived the same as 40 degrees in Miami.

Only 11 more days until the official start of Spring – March 20th. Lord knows what spring will bring us this year!

Don’t forget to push your clock forward one hour tonight or you’ll be running “late” before you even get out of bed tomorrow!

Series News: Those wacko guys from “Million Dollar Listings – New York” will be back again starting April 2nd.

Here’s one to give budding real estate investors some motivation:

++ 20 Richest Real Estate Tycoons – Forbes Billionaires List

And if you think R.E auctions and online auctions are not “big business”

++ Google Invests $50 Million in Property Broker Auction.com

No – All are NOT equal”

++ Questions You Need to Ask a Real Estate Agent

Looking for a Baltimore, Maryland estate?

++ Tyrconnell

I’d need them to define “weekend” first!

++ 10 weekend projects to improve your home’s value

Want to buy property from the US Government?

++ Properties for Sale by the USDA-RD and USDA-FSA

My birdfeeders are going crazy right now. There is often “standing-room-only” and I may need to look at adding additional feeders for Spring 2014. Duncraft Wild Bird Superstore has a LOT of options – sizes, shapes and colors. Look for your feeders there – many products made in the USA!!

++ Duncraft – USA made products. Wild Bird Feeding Solutions!

Compliments of Weather Underground, a good site for weather info if you’ve never used it.

The “Great Snow of 1717″ finally came to an end on this date in 1717. Nearly 4 feet of new snow fell on Boston, Mass. while snow drifts 25 feet high were observed in Dorchester, Mass. Snow depths were so deep that traveling from town to town was impossible for 3 weeks.

They also have some informative links about weather in general, and severe weather:

++ Tornadoes

++ Hurricanes

++ Weather Videos

++ US: Today’s Severe Weather Map
North Carolina is NOT in for the greatest weather today!!

If you have your own weather station and/or web cam, you can set up your own local weather reporting via Weather Underground.