Keeping Pets Safe in Your Yard
It gets hot in Arizona in the summertime, and your pets are probably even more aware of that than you are. When the hotter part of the year rolls around, make sure you’re doing everything you can to ensure the safety, health, and happiness of your furry friends. There are a lot of simple things you can do to improve their experience during the summer even when you need to keep them outside in the yard for a little while.
Keep Pets A
way from Pools: When it’s hot out, you’ll surely be tempted to get your swimming pool ready for the summer months. This is fine, of course, but if you’ll be keeping your pet out in the yard, be sure there’s some way your furry friend cannot get to the swimming pool. Even if your pet is a great swimmer, accidents can happen. Especially if you have an older or disabled pet, put a fence around the pool or around the part of the yard where your pet will be kept.
Offer Lots of Water: Making sure your pet has lots of water during the hot summer months is key to a safe and happy pet. You can purchase special waterers that can be installed on your garden hose spigot and will allow your dog to access fresh, clean drinking water whenever he or she needs it. If you don’t want to go this route, however, you can always just be sure to put out several bowls of water and keep them filled. Some pet owners even fill small shallow kiddie pools with water for their animals.
Be Sure There’s Shade: Shade is almost just as important as water for your pets. Pets can’t regulate heat the same way humans can, so it’s important that they can get out of the hot sun whenever possible. If your pet is shorthaired or hairless, you might also want to provide ample shade to reduce the risk of sunburn.
Never Leave Your Pet Unattended: This is a good rule no matter what the situation might be. However, when you’re keeping your pets outside during the hot summer months, you should never go away from home and leave them there. You never know what could happen while you’re not at home to check in on things, and if your pet runs out of water or gets stuck somewhere that he or she can’t get to the shade, this could be disastrous.
Don’t Spray Pesticides: This may not have to do with the heat specifically, but as summer gets geared up, you’ll be tempted to spray pesticides in your yard to make the outdoors more enjoyable. If you keep your pet outside much of the time, however, skip the pesticides, as they can be very toxic to pets. If you must spray your yard, plan to keep your pet indoors only for a few days.
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Are you thinking about buying or selling a home in the Scottsdale area? Either way, you may be interested in finding out what can increase the value of the property. There are quite a few different things that can make a difference in the value of your home, but below, we’ve listed our top five choices that can help you either sell your home for a good price or buy the perfect home at a great value.
Whether you’re looking for a new home, considering selling yours, or just wanting to make an upgrade to your living space, the kitchen is a great focal point to pay close attention to. Picking kitchen design trends that are up-and-coming or have just become popular in the past couple of years is an excellent way to ensure that your kitchen is going to stay modern for as long as possible. It can be difficult to keep up with ever-changing styles and ideas, though, so it’s important to keep an eye out for any new trends that might be on the rise.
If you’re planning to sell your Scottsdale area home, there are a lot of things you need to keep in mind. You may start to feel pretty overwhelmed with all the ins and outs of selling a home, and you might overlook one of the most important steps: staging your house before you ever start showing it. Home buyers are much less likely to purchase a messy home that hasn’t been properly staged, so putting a little effort into the look and feel of your house is sure to go a long way toward helping you make that sale quickly. Below are our top 4 tips for perfect home staging, even if you’re working on a budget.
Are you a first-time homebuyer feeling more than a little confused about what you need to focus on during the first year of your home owning experience? Have you just bought a home for the first time in a long time and need a refresher on what this first year might bring? Either way, you’re in the right place! Buying a home is an exciting (and sometimes overwhelming) experience, but in the calm following the process, you may find yourself at a loss for what to do next. Should you dive right into remodeling? Should you save money? Below, we’ve listed our top 5 tips for the first year of homeownership, whether this is your first experience or you’re a pro.
Now, which plants should you incorporate into your home décor? Given that many people claim to not have a green thumb, here are some plants that are considered to be pretty indestructible, as they don’t require a lot of care and maintenance. The Corn Plant is a beautiful specimen that thrives in low-light areas, and are perfect for the corners of a room. They can grow up to six feet tall, so they are perfect for adding height and dimension to any room.
Taking a few simple steps to update and maintain your home’s exterior will invite potential home buyers to come closer to check out all that your home has to offer. First, take a closer look at your front yard’s landscaping. Nothing says deferred maintenance like a desert landscape riddled with weeds and overgrown trees. Pruning and trimming all trees and shrubs will allow potential buyers to actually see your home, and will also demonstrate that the current homeowners care about their property, which is a good sign. Placing fresh flowers or desert plants in pots near your walkway or front door is also another quick and inexpensive step to freshen up your home’s exterior and landscape.
Whether you are listing your home for sale, or seeking to update your current home, environmentally friendly features are updates that will only increase the value of your home. One simple step to go green is to replace your older appliances with energy-efficient versions. Appliances with the Energy Star certification are 10-50% more efficient, on average, than traditional appliances. Energy Star refrigerators, for example, use 40% less energy than refrigerators produced in 2001, for example. And, while you are updating these appliances, make sure they are stainless steel (silver, black or slate are all on trend and will stay on trend for years to come). Motion sensor light switches in all bathrooms and closets are another easy way to update your home while increasing both the value and the efficient use of energy.
Homeowners’ Associations, or HOAs, don’t necessarily have the best reputations nowadays. From the overzealous curb appeal checks (leaving your trash can out a minute too long is a no no!) to the fines for fading paint on your home’s façade, it can certainly be argued that HOAs aren’t every homeowner’s cup of tea. However, there are some very solid arguments regarding the benefit of these HOAs.
If you’re interested in visiting some of the iconic Old West sites, there are definitely some places worth paying a visit in Arizona. For example, a kid-friendly attraction, Rawhide is a fun destination. This theme park is styled after a real Wild West frontier town, complete with a general store, a saloon, a blacksmith, and a photo emporium. There are also attractions such as a petting zoo, hay rides, gold panning, a shooting gallery and live-action stunt shows. While there is no charge to enter Rawhide, there is a price per attraction (or you can buy an all-inclusive wristband). Rawhide closes for the summer, but is now open during the fall, winter and spring seasons.