By 
Even though the first day of summer is June 21st, us Texans have already started feeling the heat. With the longer days, not only is it a great time to catch up with family, friends, and neighbors, it's also time to catch up on your home. Completing a few of these projects sooner rather than later can save you time and money in the long run. Consider some of these summer home improvement projects:
Declutter and Depersonalize: As your REALTOR, any time you have downtime, I highly recommend you declutter and depersonalize. By taking a few moments out of your day to go through a pile, stack, or box, will save you so much time later on. By doing this, you will be able to donate to those in need, keep the items that make you happy, and get rid of the stuff that you never touch!
Organize your closets, pantry, and attic: Summer is a great time to take the fall clothes out of the closet, go through them, and keep the items you want for next fall. Although, as an East Texan, I highly recommend you keep at least one sweater or jean jacket in the car for the movie theater (it's always freezing in there). In regards to your pantry, sometimes canned goods get stuffed in the back of the pantry. Then when it comes to the canned food drive, we just take the cans out we haven't used... and half the time they are expired. So, take a moment to go through your leftover food in the pantry, and keep only items that are current.
Change out ceiling fans: Instead of pulling out the old noisy box fan, how about changing out your light fixture (or old ceiling fan) with one more your style. Do you have to replace every light fixture...nope! You can just change one ceiling fixture a year if that makes it more budget friendly.
Switch your light bulbs to LED: Not only will this help your energy bills, but you will not have to light bulbs as often.
Clean out gutters: You may have seen my husband, Travis, on a social media video attempting to clean out our gutters. We have a 30 ft tall ladder, and our home was much taller than this. THINK SMART AND BE SAFE. If you can not safely, clean out your gutters, then hire a professional.
Install better window treatments: When my family moved to Texas in 1997, we believed it was the hottest summer ever. We didn't have blinds on all of the windows, so we ended up using bed sheets to block out the sun. Take some time and consider blackout curtains, blinds, or other various window treatments.
Have a professional perform a check up on your Air Conditioning: How ideal does this sound? You wake up at 3:00AM in the middle of summer... and your AC has stopped working. Not ideal at all. I suggest you contact a professional to check up on your AC now so it doesn't go out.
Power wash your home’s exterior: With all the rain, pollen, dirt, and weather we have had lately, so your exterior some love! This is a quick way to make the outside of your home look fresh and clean.
Consider a smart thermostat: Not only can you control this from your phone, but certain ones can also learn your living patterns to save your money.
Clean the windows: What a great way to showcase your beautiful home with clean windows!
Paint the siding and trim: This is another great way to freshen up your home. With the weather we have had, there may be chipped paint. I would definitely paint after power washing.
Have a pest inspector perform a mosquito treatment on your home. Now that is an idea that doesn't bite!
Repair wood rot on the home: Take care of this before it gets out of hand, and your paint will look better also!
Re-stain the deck and fence: Just make sure you have proper sun protection on!
Clean Your Home With This Daily Cleaning Schedule:
Morning Chores:
- Make Bed
- Unload dishwasher
- Clean up breakfast
Everyday Chores
- 15 minutes of laundry (gather, sort, fold load)
- *INSERT DAILY CHORE*
Evening Chores:
- Load and run dishwater
- Clean kitchen (dishes, counters, floors)
- 10 minute quick clean
Monday Daily Chore: Bedrooms (Pickup, Clothes, Clean Blinds)
Tuesday Daily Chore: Clean Bathrooms
Wednesday: Clean Floors (Vacuum and Mop)
Thursday: Refrigerator and Pantry
Friday: Clean surfaces, declutter, and dust
Weekend: Wash Sheets
Kelly Raulston
“Reliable and Ready” REALTOR® since 2016. I was born in Monroeville, Pennsylvania, but was raised in Texas since 1997. When I found out we were moving to Plano, Texas, I remember looking forward to riding a horse to school and a brand-new pair of cowboy boots! Growing up in Plano prepared me to be competitive, quick, and to have a strong work ethic.
I graduated from Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas. Axe’em Jacks! That is where my love for East Texas began. The nature, warm smiles, football games, and community values can't be beat! I graduated summa cum laude with a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies. I was a middle school math teacher in Tyler, Texas. I met my husband, Travis, in Sunday school, and we have been married since September 2016.
I love being a REALTOR® in East Texas! Relationships are genuine, the area is beautiful, and the market is rockin’! I am an involved REALTOR® to better the community. Some of the organizations I am involved with are: The Professional Development Committee, Texas Real Estate Political Action Committee, and Tyler Educational Networking Group. Some awards I have won were “The Hustle Award” in 2016, and “Rookie of the Year” in 2017.
When I am not working with my clients, I like to spend quality time with my friends and family doing the following: running, target practice, read and participate in book club, and playing with my dachshund Greta.
