• Finding Your Affordable Dream Home in Bryans Road, MD,Shawanda Robinson

    Finding Your Affordable Dream Home in Bryans Road, MD

    Welcome to your new home at 6118 Lands End Ct in Bryans Road, Maryland! This charming townhouse in the South Hampton Townhouses community is just waiting for your personal touch and a little bit of TLC. With a listing price of $310,000, this 3-bedroom, 2-full-bathroom, and 1-half-bathroom home spans three inviting levels and offers the perfect blend of comfort and convenience. One of the standout features of this property is the newer HVAC unit, which ensures that you'll stay cool during those hot summer months and cozy during the winter. Additionally, the washer, dryer, and dishwasher are also included, making your daily household tasks a breeze. This move-in ready home is just waiting for you to add your own personal flair and make it your own. But it's not just the house itself that makes this listing so enticing. Living in South Hampton Townhouses means you'll have access to a variety of amenities, including schools, shopping centers, and more. Plus, with its proximity to the renowned National Harbor and Washington, D.C., you'll be just minutes away from world-class entertainment, dining, and cultural experiences. If you work at one of the military bases in Indian Head, MD, or Washington, D.C., you'll appreciate the convenience of living close by. If you're worried about financing, this property may be eligible for a zero down payment USDA/Rural Housing loan, provided you meet the credit, income, and other requirements. This makes it an excellent choice for first-time homebuyers or those looking for an affordable yet well-maintained starter home. Don't miss out on the opportunity to call 6118 Lands End Ct your own. Book your showing today and discover the potential and value that this gem has to offer. Make South Hampton Townhouses in Bryans Road, MD, your new home and start experiencing all that this vibrant community has in store for you. Your dream home awaits! https://www.shawandasoldit.com/listing-detail/1128567001/6118_LANDS_END_CT-Bryans_Road-MD

    MORE

  • Tips to Prepare Your Home for Hurricane Season,Shawanda Robinson

    Tips to Prepare Your Home for Hurricane Season

    Hurricanes are massive storm systems that bring high winds and heavy rain. Before Hurricane season, ensure that your home and family are protected by planning ahead with the following safety measures to help your home withstand any major damage. Have an evacuation plan—Decide where you will go for safety and how you will get there. Ascertain that the location is a safe enough temporary shelter. The best protection is a windowless, sturdy building on higher ground you can move to before a flood reaches you. If you cannot leave your home, find a centralized room away from outside windows and doors. Make sure at least one family member knows first aid and CPR. Contact your local emergency management authority to see if they have an evacuation route or a system with other organizations to house evacuees temporarily. Secure your home’s exterior—Trim large bushes and trees and bring patio furniture and other outdoor items inside. Tie down larger, stationary items with rope and burlap, such as grills or propane tanks. Protect windows from shatter with storm shutters, plywood, and impact-resistant glass. Landscape your yard to ensure flood water is redirected away from your foundation. Clean out drains, gutters, and downspouts. Consider installing backflow preventers and flood vents. Other considerations are purchasing a sump pump with battery backup and stockpiling sandbags. Move your cars—Park in the garage or move to higher ground. Do not park near power lines, and never drive through flooded roads. Prepare for power outages and protect major appliances—If recommended by authorities, turn off breakers to avoid power surges. Make sure all electronic devices are charged and have extra fuel ready. Prepare an emergency kit—Gather flashlights, batteries, warm clothing, non-perishable food, water, cash, toiletries, and medicine. Store important documents—Take inventory of all personal and valuable items such as art, jewelry, legal documents, certificates, and photos, and secure them in a safety deposit box or waterproof safe. Keep emergency phone numbers handy or program them into your cell phone. Protect pets and care for the vulnerable—Your pet should have a collar, tag, or microchip. Keep a leash or carrier near the exit. Prepare a disaster kit for your pet’s needs, such as food and water. Get advice from your local hospital, public health department, or police on special accommodations for children and older family members. Obtain flood insurance—Explore coverage options with your homeowner’s insurance agency and have them determine your flood risk. Due to a waiting period before flood policy coverage goes into effect, it’s important to act early or it may be too late. Stay informed—Stay updated with weather reports through radio, TV, or the internet during early signs of an upcoming storm. Sign up for free emergency alerts from your local government. Have a battery powered radio as a backup. Natural disasters like hurricanes can strike at any time. The best way to minimize damage is to be

    MORE

  • Is Your Home Ready for Climate Change?,Shawanda Robinson

    Is Your Home Ready for Climate Change?

    With the planet growing increasingly warm, the climate is changing rapidly. It’s not just getting hotter, it’s also getting colder, and stormier, and drier, and more extreme in every dimension. As a homeowner, you’re going to have to make sure your house can keep up with all that nature is trying to throw at it, no matter where you live. Is your home ready? Here’s a short list to check. Do You Know Your Climate Risks? Before you can get your house ready for the weather, you need to know what risks you face. The normal weather hazards you grew up with may be changing dramatically as some areas get warmer and wetter. If you were once in an area that was prone to dramatic weather shifts, watch for even more dramatic weather, and keep track of the new challenges that seem to repeat. These are the hazards to prepare for. Long-term weather forecasting can help somewhat, but those models can’t always account for things like drought and wildfires. Insulate and Weatherproof Your Home No matter what kinds of climate shifts your area experiences, there’s absolutely a benefit to adding insulation and sealing the cracks in your home. Insulation works both ways: it keeps the warm in where it’s cool and it keeps the cool in where it’s warm. Sealing and weatherproofing further help you spend less on energy on extreme weather days and can help keep pests out of your home too. Consider a Household Generator When the weather gets dramatic, the true fragility of the power grid starts to show. Whether it’s an ice storm in January that pulls down branches and power lines, extreme heat that taxes the power grid so much that rolling blackouts are required to keep things going, or wildfires or hurricanes that temporarily, and unpredictably, cause power outages, a household generator can be a good solution. Because they run on propane or natural gas, you don’t need electricity to keep your house powered through the worst kinds of weather, just enough gas to run the motor and generate electricity for your home. Add Big Drains for Big Rains If you’re seeing more rain than usual, a quick and dirty solution can be adding a sump pump under your home or in your basement. Even if you never use it, having a sump pump and a drain to match will ensure that you’re not going to be underwater when torrential rains dump inches and inches of water on the ground. Sump pumps might be no match for dramatic flash flooding, but adding yard drains and ensuring that your yard is properly graded can help you move water away from your home faster, no matter how much is pouring from the sky. Protect From Wind and Flying Debris Tornadoes and hurricanes are terrifying, especially in areas that don’t normally see these kinds of wind events. If you’re starting to hear more about high winds in your area, it’s time to protect your home from flying debris. Although covering windows with plywood will work in a pinch, permanently installed storm shutters are even better. You can close them over your windows in no time, and reopen them when the threat has passed. A storm shelter can also be a good thing to have around if you’re in a storm-prone area. Although storm shutters are great to protect glass from flying debris, in case the roof comes off in a storm or a tree falls on your house, you still need to be somewhere safe. Storm shelters are great for homes without basements, especially where tornadoes and fast-moving but short-lasting, winds are a problem. Need Help Making These Changes? If you’re needing help getting your home ready for more extreme weather, it’s ok! Just ask your friendly HomeKeepr community for recommendations for all the best shutter installers, weatherproofers, tree trimmers, and generator experts in your area. They’ll be happy to help, and you’ll know you’re getting the very best team in your area.

    MORE