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HOMEOWNERS AND APARTMENT DWELLERS ALIKE NEED A BASIC HOUSEHOLD TOOL KIT.

You may have lots of tools for particular projects that you use infrequently, and they can be kept in a garage or workroom. But having basic tools handy in your living area makes it much more convenient to do simple home repairs.

You might keep these basic tools in a hall closet, a kitchen drawer, or in a handy toolbox or plastic box on a shelf in the entry or mudroom.

It doesn’t matter where you keep them, as long as they’re easy to get at for quick home repairs. You’ll save lots of inconvenient trips out to the garage or down to the basement.

Your in-home basic tool kit should include these basic do-it-yourself items.

Tape Measure

You may not think you need one, but a 25-foot measuring tape will work for most jobs. Whether you measure for a tablecloth or window treatment, or a whole room for new flooring, choose one large enough to measure your home’s spaces easily. A second smaller tape of 6 to 12 feet can be put in a pocket or purse for shopping trips or hanging pictures.

Screwdrivers

Two basic screwdrivers are a necessity. Choose both a good quality flat head screwdriver and a Phillips head screwdriver in a medium size. A set of tiny screwdrivers will come in handy when you need to tighten a pair of eyeglasses or fix audio or computer equipment.

Pliers

One set of pliers will not do. Get a small assortment of various sizes and shapes. You’ll use needle-nose pliers most frequently, but have heavy, grooved pliers for removing nails or large staples. Wire cutting pliers are good for wiring and craft jobs.

Level

You get what you pay for here. Getting an accurate level for accurate positioning is important. A good sturdy level will last a lifetime. (These are also called “torpedo levels” due to shapes of the tapered ends.) A level is a must for straightening up pictures, drilling holes in a level line, checking tabletop alignment, or mounting towel bars perfectly.

Hammer

Whether you’re hanging pictures or putting shelf supports up, a medium weight hammer will cover most household jobs. Consider other sizes if you’ll be doing either delicate projects or construction.

Vice Grip

This tool resembles pliers but has a locking mechanism that grips and holds things tightly. Use it to grip a screw you want to remove or use two to twist sticky things apart. They provide a slip-free hold when you need it.

An assortment of Nails and Screws

You might find prepackaged sets of basic sizes at a home center or get a small divided box and put together a custom assortment that will come in handy when you hang pictures or make minor repairs.

Wire Cutters

Save your scissors with this essential tool. A wire cutter makes it easy to snip wire for crafts, electrical repairs, and other household projects.

Pencils

You’ll probably need to mark a drill hole or record a measurement. Have pencils handy and write on post-it notes or bits of blue painter’s tape if you don’t want to write on the wall.

Blue Painter’s Tape

Even professional painters use this tape to mask off areas they don’t want to paint. It’s available in several widths and looks like plain masking tape. But this special tape is blue and can be removed from most surfaces without damage. You can use it for other household jobs besides painting. Mark stud locations with a small square when hanging a picture or installing molding. Tape off the edges of a door frame when painting a wall, or tape down runners of heavy kraft paper to protect floors from dirt and scratches when moving.

Cordless Drill

You may feel this is a luxury, but there are nearly endless uses for this handy tool. The obvious use is drilling pilot holes for nails and screws, but you can also insert screwdriver bits to help insert or remove screws.

Utility Blades and Holder

There are several varieties to choose from in knives. A fast, easy one has breakaway blades which are especially useful when doing a wallpaper or a delicate craft project. They are also handy when opening sealed boxes.

Metal Straightedge

Choose a heavy ruler, long level or angle. It can be used to measure or mark and serves as a cutting guide for heavy materials when using a utility knife.

Felt, Plastic, and Carpet Dots

Keep an assortment of these sticky-backed furniture protectors on hand. Felt dots can be applied to the bottoms of vases, candleholders, boxes, or any accessory that might scratch a table surface. Plastic or rubber dots applied to the bottom back corners of a picture can help keep framed pictures level. Carpet dots are heavier and thicker and used under chair and table legs to avoid scrape marks on hardwood floors.

Spackle

You’ll need spackle for filling nail holes in sheetrock before painting. Alternatively, you’ll need to spackle to repair small scratches, holes, or dents in walls. Unless you do lots of repair jobs, we’d recommend buying a small tub. Spackle dries out even if you seal the container well, and then it will not go on smoothly.

Putty Knife

To apply spackle, you’ll need a putty knife. Other uses include scraping up a bit of paint or smoothing down a corner of repaired wallpaper. Putty knives come in either metal or plastic and are very inexpensive.

Paint Can Key

This simple tool will come in handy when you need to open a can of paint, varnish, or stain.

Package Sealing Tape

Though it looks like wide Scotch tape, sealing tape is stickier and heavier weight. Use it to re-seal cardboard boxes, to tape together some slippery items (such as sticks of molding, etc.), or to prepare boxed gifts for mailing. Get a large tape dispenser which will let you apply tape with one hand if you’re moving and need to seal a lot of boxes.

Glues

A supply of super glue, carpenter’s glue, and white glue should cover most household needs. Follow manufacturer’s directions for best results.

Solvents

To remove scratches or sticky substances, paint smudges or tape residue, a small tube of “Goof Off” or “Goo Gone” is a good addition to a toolkit. Follow directions on the label for proper use.

https://www.thespruce.com/basic-household-tool-kit-1976251

Posted in: Real Estate Tips

Keeping Your Home Safe with Smoke Alarm Knowledge.

It’s that time of year again where we see on the news that our community members are going through a house fires. Here is a list of reminders when it comes to your SMOKE ALARMS and the safety for your home.

– Check that your smoke alarms are working properly. You should be checking them once a month.

– A closed door may slow the spread of smoke, heat and fire. Install smoke alarms in every sleeping area. Install alarms on every level of the home. As much as you want to keep the air moving for your child while they are asleep remember it is safer for them if their bedroom door is shut.
-Smoke alarms should be interconnected. When one sounds, they all sound.
-Large homes may need extra smoke alarms.
-There are two kinds of alarms. Ionization smoke alarms are quicker to warn about flaming fires. Photoelectric alarms are quicker to warn about smoldering fires. It is best to use both types of alarms in your home.
-When the smoke alarms sounds, get outside and stay outside. As a family you should be practicing what to do in those situations. How can you practice? Well when supper is cooking and it get a little black you should use this as a great time to practice. (Every parent should google why is it bad to just swing the kitchen towel to get the smoke alarm to stop sounding. You would be shocked to know that we are making it a normal sound to our children so when its real they can sleep right through it.)
-Replace all smoke alarms in your home every 10 years.

Please use this information and if you have questions please contact your local FIRE DEPARTMENT. Have a great day everyone.

Posted in: Real Estate Tips, Residential, Uncategorized

DIY Bathroom Projects for the Weekend

Are you looking to freshen up your bathroom and do some minor or major changes? Check out some of these DIY Bathroom ideas…

New lighting can give your room a fresh look. The LED lights are hit in many homes these days and they save on the energy bills. Always remember lighting above the mirror is a buyers must have. We want to see ourselves when we are getting ready.

Pedstal sinks are the way to go in smaller rooms. It takes up less space giving you the look of a larger room by opening up the floor space.

Buy or Convert to Dual Flush. You don’t need to buy a whole new toilet you can buy just a dual flush converter kit. These kits can take less than an hour to install. If you need a new toilet go with the dual flush. Why dual flush well of course it helps to save on the water bill.

Have you checked out ways to get creative with storage? You need to search ways and think outside the box. You don’t always need to have a closet or cabinet to store those bathroom towels and washcloths. Use a wooden barrel that has been sliced into four circle pieces and hung on the wall for shelving.

When you get up in the middle of the night do your have problems finding the light switch due to being half asleep? Well why not install a Toe-Kick Nightlight. You an do this by adding rope lighting to the underside of the bathroom vanity and it will illuminate the floor.

Re-tile the shower. This will give you the feel of being in a high end hotel bathroom. You do not always have to go with the most expensive and all the same tiles. Look for what may be on sale and mix and match those tiles.

The bathroom sinks and fixtures can get expensive to replace. Look for what quality will last in your home and always pick these items to match any color paint color. This will help you save money in the future if you want to change out the colors.

Have a happy and safe weekend. If your redoing the bathroom I hope these tips will help you think outside the box.

Posted in: Organize, Real Estate Tips, Uncategorized

Staging & Decorating Your Listing on a Tuesday

Are you looking to list your house? What are things you need to do to get your property ready to list?

First and foremost DECLUTTER!!! The best thing to do is get rid of clutter. Too much furniture in a small space can make the room look cluttered and hard for a buyer to see what the room actually looks like. It is hard for buyers and their agents to look past too many Knick Knacks and wall hangings so pack them up.

Depersonalize…. When a home looks and feels like the seller’s house it is hard for the buyer to see themselves living in the home. Take out any of your personal belongings and pack them up.

Furniture Groupings… There is a belief that furniture pushed up against the walls make a room feel larger, but that isn’t the case. You should instead place furniture in cozy conversational groups also keeping in mind you must keep traffic flow. This will help make the room look cozy and larger.

Home Lighting… Having great lighting can make your home look warm and welcoming. To do this increase the wattage in lamps and fixtures. Make sure to have ambient lighting, task lighting and accent lighting. Dark corners can really scare a buyer.

Neutral and Appealing… All rooms of a home should be a neutral fresh color. This will tone down any dated finishes. By neutral color that does not mean only a beige color. Keep in mind Bold colors have a way of reducing offers.

For more ideas of what to do to get your home ready for listing you can call one of our agents today.

Posted in: Organize, Real Estate Tips, Residential, Uncategorized

Happy Thursday in Real Estate

Happy Thursday to all!!! Tomorrow marks the end of the 1st week back to school for our children. Let’s keep praying our children are having a safe and happy 1st week back to school.

The days are cooling off and its a reminder that we need to start prepping for fall and winter. Here are some helpful tips for all you homeowners…
-Cold weather brings on freezing so start covering exposed pipes with insulation. You may also want to think about your septic systems and making sure those are protected as well from the freezing temps we get in our Northern Minnesota winters.
– Clean out the Gutters. When leaves and other debris freeze in our gutters we can really end up with some big problems in the spring thaw.
-Put all those kid toys, adult toys away, garden hoses and lawn furniture to prevent them from breaking in the freezing temps.
-Seal up any windows or doors that you may feel some cold air creeping in. This will help you on your heating bills.
-One big thing inside the home is to make sure that your CO & Smoke Detectors are all working correctly. As you start turning on your heat sources you will want to protect your family.
-Clean out the Chimney.
– Make sure all of your snow removal tools, snowblowers, plow trucks and four wheelers are serviced and ready to go.

Its easy to put these honey to do lists off but wouldn’t you want to do it now before it is cold outside and you can’t stand to be out in the cold! Happy Thursday everyone.

Posted in: Real Estate Tips, Seasons, Uncategorized

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Perrella & Associates
1932 E 2nd Ave
Hibbing, MN 55746
Phone: 218-262-5582
Fax: 218-262-5584
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