Archive for month: January, 2017

One of the many upgrades or updates that is important when you list your home for sale is whether the garage has epoxy flooring.  Many buyers find this feature to be a definite plus when they are looking for homes.  This is due to its durability, its ease of maintenance and for its good looks.  But, as a homeowner, should you bother to have it installed if it’s good for resale?

There is no right answer to this question.  If you are planning on staying in your home for a while, and you think it will improve the quality of your day-to-day life, by all means, pull the trigger.  If you want to boost the value of your home, be sure to consult with me or another agent to make sure it makes financial sense to your bottom line.

Epoxy floors have come a long way, just in the past few years.  There are even more color options, as well as different types of special effects such as metallic and 3-D effects.  Epoxy flooring isn’t limited to garages, as even screened porches, laundry rooms or hallways can be quickly updated with a coating of epoxy.  Epoxy is installed over concrete, and results in a protective surface that is impervious to stains and moisture.

If your home is being built, definitely ask your new home builder to install it before you move in.  Otherwise, there are dozens of after-market installers in the Valley of the Sun.  If you consider yourself to be the handy type, consider installing it yourself to save money.  Whichever way you go if it’s not a new build, doing the prep work yourself will save costs.  The concrete slab needs to be prepared before the epoxy is applied: grinding or acid-washing the slab are two common ways of insuring the concrete is clean and free of contaminants.  Making sure the concrete is bone-dry is the very last step before install.

Are you considering selling your home?  Get started with a getting a free no-obligation home value estimate.  

Most citrus trees do very well in the desert landscape and environment here in metropolitan Phoenix, and will often yield sufficient fruit for you, as well as all of your neighbors.  However, some varieties of citrus grow better than others given the hot summers here in the Valley of the Sun.

Different types of citrus trees grow at different rates, and sweeter fruit grow slower than less sweet fruit.  Which is why you’ll often see an overabundance of lemons.   Valencia oranges and Arizona Sweets are more hardy than navel or blood orange trees.  Most citrus trees need to be five to six years old before they start producing a generous crop of fruit.

The care and maintenance of citrus trees isn’t complicated, but is very important.  First, citrus trees really aren’t trees, but are bushes that are trimmed to look like trees.  If they are left to their own devices, they grow big and bushy, and will produce more and better quality fruit.  But for aesthetic reasons, citrus trees are pruned to look like trees.  Another interesting fact about citrus trees in Arizona is that because they are pruned and their trunks are exposed, they are at risk for sunburn.  Therefore, the trunks of citrus trees in Arizona are often painted white for protection against sun damage (which cuts off the flow of nutrients and water to the tree).  There’s a fact with which you can impress out-of-state visitors!

The feeding and watering of citrus trees is critical to producing a higher yield of fruit.  A high-nitrogen fertilizer three times a year plus generous watering throughout the year are requirements or citrus trees.  Citrus trees require several hundred gallons of water about twice a week in the summer months.  If you are interested in conserving water, a dwarf citrus tree or a smaller container citrus tree will be perfect for your needs.

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