Preparing Your Home for Summer Heat
Summer is the season for spending long days in the yard, taking dips in the pool, and sitting in the shade to beat the heat. In the midst of these sun-filled adventures, though, lies the potential for heat waves, smoke, and wildfires. Every homeowner should be ready for these emergencies as well as the damaging effects they can have on their home. The following information will help you prepare your home for the hottest days of the year.
Keep your cool
Conditioned air can be a lifesaver during summer. There are two main options when it comes to air conditioning: either a window unit or central cooling. Window units are the least expensive option and offer portability. It’s important to choose a unit that is the right size for your home or the room you’re trying to cool. One that’s too big will quickly cool your space and then shut off completely. This can increase your energy bills and put unnecessary wear on the unit. An undersized unit simply won’t cool your home and will constantly run to try to reach the target temperature. With central air conditioning, homeowners can expect much higher startup costs. But once installed, central AC provides short- and long-term comfort and adds to your home’s value.
When temperatures change with the season, it’s a good time to check your HVAC unit’s air filters. This is especially true during summer. Before performing any maintenance, be sure to turn the unit off.
If any devices that give off heat are close enough to the thermostat that regulates the AC, they could generate an incorrect reading, which could throw off your air conditioning efficiency. For maximum efficiency, place these devices away from the thermostat.
Preparing your home for wildfires
The first step in preparing your home for wildfires is to have an emergency plan. Make sure everyone in your household is aware of what to do in the event of a wildfire. Pack an emergency kit to bring with you in the event of an evacuation. For homeowners who live outside a fire zone, consider buying an air purifier to protect yourself from smoke.
To give yourself the best chances of keeping wildfires from getting too close to your home, keep all flammable objects away from the house, preferably at least thirty feet. Clear your gutters of debris such as leaves, twigs, sticks, and the like. These materials are tinder for fire. Any flammable vegetation within five feet of the home should be cleared away, and any trees that overhang close to the home should be cut back to a distance of ten feet. Remove any dead plants or vegetation from your yard and keep your lawn short. Install mesh screens over exterior vents to prevent embers from entering your home.
This may seem like a daunting list, but these preparatory measures are worth it to protect your home and loved ones this wildfire season.
Late Summer Landscaping
The final stretch of summer is a crucial time for landscaping maintenance around your home. To make the most of the waning summer days and to prepare for the fall days to come, keep these tips in mind.
Keep an eye on your lawn
Keep your lawn looking fresh by sticking to a watering routine and keeping an eye out for weeds and crabgrass. Late summer is the time of year when these harmful plants can get out of control, so it’s best to get ahead of them now. Watch out for pests and fungal diseases that could harm your lawn as well.
Get a jump on hardscaping
Before the season changes, take advantage of the warm temperatures and jump on any hardscaping projects you had planned this summer. Any outside work on patios, walkways, and decks is best accomplished now. This avoids any potential delays in the project due to colder temperatures or rain—depending on your local climate—and also allows you to finish the task with some sunny days left to enjoy it.
Home Pricing Guide
Here are the average three-bedroom home sale prices in some of the neighborhoods served by Windermere. Data from November 1, 2020 to April 30, 2021.
Alameda
Alamo
Albany
Alpine
Anaheim
Antioch
Bakersfield
Baldwin Park
Beaumont
Berkeley
Big Bear
Big Bear Lake
Blackhawk
Brea
Brentwood
Burbank
Calabasas
Cardiff by the Sea
Carlsbad
Carmel Valley
Carson
Castro Valley
Cathedral City
Chino
Chino Hills
Chula Vista
Clayton
Cloverdale
Concord
Corona
Coronado
Costa Mesa
Covina
Dana Point
Danville
Davis
Del Mar
Desert Hot Springs
Diamond Bar
Discovery Bay
Dublin
El Cajon
El Cerrito
El Sobrante
Encinitas
Escondido
Fairfield
Fallbrook
Folsom
$1,311,000
$1,741,000
$1,546,000
$741,000
$685,000
$506,000
$275,000
$568,000
$419,000
$1,542,000
$472,000
$654,000
$1,621,000
$829,000
$692,000
$1,100,000
$2,450,000
$1,788,000
$1,085,000
$1,440,000
$612,000
$998,000
$436,000
$589,000
$824,000
$638,000
$896,000
$440,000
$718,000
$617,000
$1,876,000
$1,080,000
$652,000
$1,853,000
$1,318,000
$688,000
$2,190,000
$298,000
$771,000
$793,000
$1,092,000
$639,000
$1,268,000
$677,000
$1,591,000
$662,000
$501,000
$689,000
$575,000
Fort Bragg
Fresno
Fullerton
Gilroy
Granite Bay
Hacienda Heights
Hayward
Hollywood
Huntington Beach
Imperial Beach
Indian Wells
Indio
Irvine
La Canada
Flintridge
La Jolla
La Mesa
La Quinta
La Verne
Lafayette
Laguna Beach
Laguna Niguel
Lake Arrowhead
Lake Elsinore
Lakeside
Livermore
Lodi
Long Beach
Loomis
Manteca
Martinez
Merced
Modesto
Monterey
Moraga
Moreno Valley
Morgan Hill
Murrieta
Napa
National City
Northridge
Novato
Oakland
Oakley
Oceanside
Ontario
Orinda
Palm Desert
Palm Springs
Palo Alto
$805,000
$340,000
$795,000
$856,000
$861,000
$665,000
$816,000
$792,000
$1,172,000
$761,000
$1,001,000
$418,000
$1,077,000
$1,789,000
$2,176,000
$722,000
$722,000
$761,000
$1,530,000
$2,454,000
$1,141,000
$683,000
$421,000
$627,000
$939,000
$463,000
$870,000
$758,000
$479,000
$742,000
$284,000
$389,000
$1,150,000
$1,385,000
$422,000
$1,032,000
$497,000
$986,000
$549,000
$851,000
$763,000
$1,072,000
$570,000
$639,000
$507,000
$1,506,000
$635,000
$906,000
$2,898,000
Pasadena
Paso Robles
Piedmont
Pinole
Pleasant Hill
Pleasanton
Pomona
Poway
Rancho Bernardo
Rancho Cordova
Rancho Cucamonga
Rancho Mirage
Rancho Santa Fe
Redding
Redlands
Richmond
Riverside
Rocklin
Roseville
Rowland Heights
San Bernardino
San Clemente
San Diego
San Dimas
San Fernando
San Francisco
San Jose
San Leandro
San Lorenzo
San Mateo
San Ramon
Sacramento
Salinas
Santa Clara
Santa Rosa
Santee
Solana Beach
Sonoma
Spring Valley
Stockton
Temecula
Tustin
Ukiah
Vacaville
Vista
Walnut
Walnut Creek
Whittier
Yucca Valley
$1,096,000
$520,000
$2,346,000
$682,000
$922,000
$1,261,000
$519,000
$792,000
$861,000
$429,000
$656,000
$803,000
$2,194,000
$380,000
$579,000
$633,000
$545,000
$547,000
$521,000
$668,000
$380,000
$1,405,000
$845,000
$719,000
$670,000
$1,546,000
$1,105,000
$836,000
$782,000
$1,626,000
$1,216,000
$451,000
$655,000
$1,442,000
$732,000
$626,000
$2,530,000
$924,000
$592,000
$381,000
$693,000
$886,000
$417,000
$522,000
$669,000
$832,000
$1,247,000
$669,000
$349,000
Arvada
Aurora
Boulder
Castle Pines
Castle Rock
Centennial
Cherry Hills Village
$558,000
$431,000
$1,145,000
$697,000
$533,000
$527,000
$2,486,000
Denver
Englewood
Evergreen
Fort Collins
Golden
Greenwood Village
Highlands Ranch
$573,000
$498,000
$847,000
$527,000
$740,000
$1,438,000
$545,000
Lakewood
Littleton
Lone Tree
Parker
Thornton
Westminster
Windsor
$516,000
$562,000
$1,028,000
$540,000
$443,000
$462,000
$447,000
Big Island
Hilo
Kohala Coast
Kona
Puna
$443,000
$886,000
$1,062,000
$298,000
Maui
Haiku
Kahului
Kihei
Lahaina
Wailea/Makena
Wailuku
$1,162,000
$748,000
$1,096,000
$1,924,000
$3,775,000
$764,000
Boise
Caldwell
Coeur d’Alene
Eagle
Grangeville
$523,000
$363,000
$577,000
$884,000
$304,000
Hayden
Lewiston
Meridian
Moscow
Nampa
$548,000
$292,000
$492,000
$329,000
$400,000
Post Falls
$419,000
Sun Valley
Hailey
Ketchum
$525,000
$1,725,000
Bozeman
Hamilton
Helena
Missoula
$753,000
$279,000
$365,000
$447,000
Boulder City
Henderson
Las Vegas
North Las Vegas
$439,000
$424,000
$358,000
$319,000
Albany
Ashland
Astoria
Beaverton/
Sunset Corridor
Bend
Canby
Cannon Beach
Cascade Locks
Clatskanie
Corvallis
Cottage Grove
Creswell
Dallas
Eagle Point
Eugene
Florence
Gearhart
Gleneden Beach
$348,000
$556,000
$433,000
$550,000
$598,000
$467,000
$1,127,000
$254,000
$366,000
$477,000
$323,000
$385,000
$462,000
$383,000
$409,000
$394,000
$546,000
$865,000
Grants Pass
Gresham
Happy Valley
Hermiston
Hillsboro
Hood River
Jacksonville
Klamath Falls
Lake Oswego
Lebanon
Lincoln City
McMinnville
Medford
Milton-Freewater
Molalla
Monmouth
Newberg
Newport/Seal Rock
$419,000
$417,000
$570,000
$291,000
$448,000
$654,000
$644,000
$254,000
$826,000
$340,000
$473,000
$412,000
$369,000
$238,000
$418,000
$389,000
$468,000
$474,000
Portland
North
Northeast
Southeast
West
$510,000
$525,000
$476,000
$644,000
Prineville
Redmond
Rogue River
St. Helens
Salem
Sandy
Scappoose
Springfield
The Dalles
Tigard
Tualatin
Vida
Warrenton
Wilsonville
$355,000
$457,000
$419,000
$350,000
$366,000
$481,000
$424,000
$370,000
$349,000
$530,000
$531,000
$259,000
$440,000
$546,000
Bountiful
Coalville
Layton
$417,000
$398,000
$403,000
Midvale
Orem
Park City
$509,000
$391,000
$1,556,000
Provo
Salt Lake City
West Valley City
$393,000
$557,000
$398,000
Aberdeen
Allyn
Anacortes
Arlington
Auburn
Bainbridge Island
Belfair
Bellevue
Bellingham
Bingen/White Salm.
Birch Bay/Blaine
Bonney Lake
Bothell
Bremerton
Brinnon
Burien
Camano Island
Camas
Cathlamet
Centralia
Chelan
Chewelah
Clarkston
Cle Elum
Colville
Deer Park
DuPont
Edmonds
Ellensburg
Entiat
Enumclaw
Ephrata
Everett
Federal Way
Ferndale
Gig Harbor
Goldendale
Granite Falls
Issaquah
$232,000
$474,000
$653,000
$522,000
$508,000
$1,206,000
$439,000
$1,282,000
$589,000
$710,000
$526,000
$471,000
$731,000
$423,000
$269,000
$597,000
$641,000
$531,000
$386,000
$336,000
$679,000
$224,000
$279,000
$747,000
$231,000
$397,000
$437,000
$777,000
$440,000
$474,000
$511,000
$237,000
$553,000
$484,000
$517,000
$696,000
$316,000
$490,000
$1,004,000
Kelso
Kenmore
Kent
Kettle Falls
Kingston
Kirkland
Lake Forest Park
Lake Stevens
Lake Tapps
Lakewood
Leavenworth
Liberty Lake
Long Beach
Longview
Lopez Island
Lynden
Lynnwood
Maple Valley
Marysville
Mazama
Mercer Island
Mill Creek
Monroe
Moses Lake
Mount Vernon
MountLake Terrace
Mukilteo
Newcastle
Normandy Park
Ocean Shores
Olympia
Omak/Okanogan
Orcas Island
Packwood
Port Angeles
Port Ludlow
Port Orchard
Port Townsend
Poulsbo
$323,000
$900,000
$515,000
$249,000
$614,000
$1,165,000
$805,000
$564,000
$726,000
$444,000
$740,000
$458,000
$357,000
$348,000
$1,086,000
$470,000
$645,000
$630,000
$476,000
$717,000
$1,803,000
$769,000
$598,000
$243,000
$498,000
$607,000
$815,000
$876,000
$868,000
$358,000
$470,000
$245,000
$1,340,000
$406,000
$372,000
$590,000
$457,000
$516,000
$567,000
Prosser
Pullman
Puyallup
Quincy
Redmond
Renton
Republic
Sammamish
$366,000
$320,000
$446,000
$315,000
$1,043,000
$650,000
$225,000
$1,244,000
Seattle
North
Northwest
West
Downtown/Central
Southeast
$910,000
$1,048,000
$826,000
$1,241,000
$791,000
Sedro Woolley
Sequim
Shelton
Shoreline
Silverdale
Snohomish
Spokane
Spokane Valley
Stanwood
Stevenson
Sumner
Tacoma
Tri-Cities
Twisp
University Place
Vancouver
Vashon
Walla Walla
Wenatchee
Westport
Whidbey Island
Winthrop
Woodinville
Yakima
Yelm
$445,000
$502,000
$356,000
$705,000
$502,000
$686,000
$330,000
$350,000
$574,000
$581,000
$474,000
$436,000
$351,000
$542,000
$544,000
$449,000
$946,000
$357,000
$419,000
$439,000
$571,000
$604,000
$1,034,000
$320,000
$403,000
