With COVID19 cases rising and signs of more restrictions in the horizon, this summer will be limited with all the activities that will be available. That is why staycation ideas are important this summer! Check out our list and we hope that it will help keep you all busy and entertained.

Build a fort. Back yard forts and tree houses inspire imagination and active play. If you don’t have a backyard or tree house no problem! The living room with some pillows and blankets make great forts!

Create an outdoor fire pit. Have the woods or beach fire experience without leaving your backyard. Fire pits are a great night time gathering opportunity with your family. Make smore's and share stories around the fire.

Backyard Camping. Pitch a tent in the backyard and change the scenery. Sometimes getting outside of the house even if its just in the backyard is very helpful to clear the mind. Kids love camping in tents and they find it exciting if it is in the woods or a few feet away from home.

Set up a hammock. Relax, make a drink, and play some chill music while swaying on a hammock. Set one up on a porch, backyard, front yard, or even in your home if you have the room. Once inside a hammock with eyes closed you can imagine yourself where ever you want to be.

Create your own water park. Go to your nearby store and find fun fixtures for your garden hose to spray water. This will entertain the kids for hours and you can add more fun with water balloons and water guns.

Create Your own Movie Theater. If you are tech savvy and have a projector, you can set up a fun backyard theater for the family to enjoy. Find a place to set up your projector. You can rig up a projector screen or aim toward either towards a backyard fence or the back of the home. The set up can be part of the fun as well.  

Game night. Go to your nearby store and buy some new board games. This is the time to discover new games or to share your favorite games with close friends and family. Have virtual game nights on Zoom, Google hangout, or Facebook. For all of you who are 21 and older put a little twist on all the games and make some drinking game rules. This can be a fun way to start a new family tradition.

Curb appeal is essential!

You want buyers to drive up to your home and immediately fall in love before stepping inside. You can accomplish this by having amazing curb appeal. Give potential buyers a great first impression by mowing the lawn at least twice a week, trimming the shrubs, and sweeping the entrance free from any debris.

Stay clean and tidy

If you will be living in your home while trying to sell, it is important to keep everything clean and tidy. You do not want to turn away potential buyers because of a messy office or dirty countertops in the kitchen. If the home will be vacant then make sure the floors are clean and if you have carpet then vacuum once a week. Do not give a buyer any reason to walk away from your home with a negative impression.

Sanitation station

Due to COVID19, listings will need to have hand sanitizer and shoe covers available in the homes. To accomplish this, prepare sanitation stations near the entrance. This will help visitors to stay safe and prevent the spread of the virus. Also, if your required to have these items you might as well make the station look presentable and welcoming.

Let the light in

Take advantage of all the natural light in the summer and have blinds and curtains open during showings. People love natural light and it makes your home feel open and bright. 

Do you have AC?

If you have AC in your home use it! You do not want buyers to walk in and have the heat push them out fast. You want them to feel comfortable and want to stay inside longer because it's cooler than outside. 

Want to go Above and Beyond?

• Stage furniture inside and if you have a nice backyard stage some outdoor furniture. Help your potential buyers imagine what it will look like hosting parties in the backyard or deck.
• If you have fun amenities nearby show them off! Make info sheets, pamphlets, or a booklet containing all the fun activities nearby for your listing. Let buyers get excited by making them look forward to what they can do once moving in.
• Get a pre-inspection to reinsure buyers that the home is in good shape. This might also encourage buyers to not perform their own inspection when marking an offer.
• If you have made any upgrades to the home please let visitors know. You can do this by placing nicely designed labels at the locations where you remodeled/renovated. You worked hard making your home great, make sure your potential buyer knows it.

Are you thinking of renting out your home? In that case, you need to ask these 10 questions to anyone wanting to rent your house:

1. When are you planning to move in?

This is the question that shapes the rest of your engagement with the potential tenant. The answer here will help you determine whether or not the tenant’s timelines synchronize with yours. If, for example, a tenant wants to move in a month from now but you want to rent it out sooner than that, then there is no point in engaging the person any further.

2.  Why are you relocating? 

If the tenant is moving into your property after falling out with their previous landlord, you need to know what led to the fallout. Was it because of dishonoring their rent obligations? Was it because of neglecting their other tenant responsibilities as per the lease agreement? The answers they give will tell you whether or not to let them rent your property. In the same vein, ask them how long they have lived in the previous apartment and how long they intend to live in yours. If you establish that they have a habit of hopping from one apartment to another within unreasonably short durations, politely decline their application.

 3. Have you ever been evicted for any reason?

This question seeks to clarify the #2 question even further. Maybe they weren’t evicted in their immediate former home, but you cannot conclude that they have never been evicted in the past. Ensure that they give you sufficient details about their journey since they started renting.

4.     How stable are you financially?

If they are unstable, chances are that they will give you problems with the rent. Experts say that a good tenant is the one whose monthly rent doesn’t exceed 40% of their total monthly earnings. That is to say that if you expect the tenant to pay $1000 in monthly rent, they should be earning at least $2500 per month. And because monthly income isn’t a perfect indicator of financial stability, make a point of running a credit check to determine how much debt the tenant is in. If your new tenant is in the Gig economy, you might want to ask more questions if they are financially stable.

5.     How many people will you be living with?

The last thing you want is to rent your house out to an individual, only to realize later that he brought in his extended family and some of his friends to live with him. There is nothing wrong with housing a needy friend or relative, except that more people mean more wear and tear to your property. Besides, overcrowding in homes is listed by most fire departments and health professionals as a major health and safety risk.

6.     Do you own any pets or support animals?

If yes, how many do you have? This is important to know if you have a renting policy that doesn’t allow pet ownership. If you have a set monthly/annual deposit for pets or a limit as to how many pets a tenant can have, make it clear to them beforehand.

7.     How clean is your criminal record?

As a tenant’s credit history is significant to your property’s financial future, so is their criminal history to your - as well as your other tenants' - security. Don’t underestimate the number of ex-convicts looking for rental homes in the US today. In 2015, a tenant screening by SmartMove showed that at least 22% of all tenants-to-be had a criminal record. Even if you don’t have a problem renting out to an ex-convict, having this information with you is necessary when planning your rental unit's overall security.

8.     Are you prepared to pay all moving costs upfront?

Some landlords require tenants to pay a security deposit, one month rent deposit, and first month rent in full upon signing the lease. If you are such a tenant, or if there are other moving costs attached to your house, then let the tenant know beforehand.

9.     What kind of a neighbor can you describe yourself as?

A new tenant can be so unruly that they force their neighbors to end their lease earlier than intended. If they like to play loud music or bring home too many friends, you need to know so that you can append a rule within the lease that will keep their unruly behavior in check. 

10.   Do you have any follow-up questions?

This sounds obvious but it is very important. You need the tenant as much as they need your property, so you will be wrong not to give them the chance to ask you the follow-up questions they could have. This presents you with the opportunity to appeal to the tenant.