With kids careening toward summer break, now is a great time to teach them the joys of deep cleaning and home maintenance! By no means is this a comprehensive list, but it will give you a good start to keeping your home sparkly clean.

I have mentioned previously that decluttering and neutralizing are great ways to get your home ready to sell.

This December will be different, with some things that normally are open for the holidays closed or allowing fewer visitors because of the pandemic. The silver lining is that for those things that are normally extremely crowded, with social distancing practices in place and limited numbers of visitors at one time, we'll have more time and space to see and appreciate the things we are able to do. Here are a few of our favorites:
 
1. Drive through River Oaks to see killer lights displays (and maybe meet Santa!).
2. Visit Dewberry Farm in Brookshire to see the Trail of Lights, to capture some great holiday photos, and to find and cut your perfect Christmas tree.
3. Support local businesses by shopping at Holiday on 19th Street in Houston Heights.
4. Go ice skating or enjoy an evening of Christmas carols at Discovery Green in Downtown Houston.
5. Visit the animals of the Houston Zoo and see fabulous lights displays during the annual Zoo Lights.
6. Drive through the Pin Oak subdivision to see great lights displays, especially the Christmas Katy Story timed to music.
7. See the outstanding Franck Christmas Light Show in Copperfield.
8. Schedule a time to meet with me to discuss buying a house, selling your current house, or both!

Need to make your small space look larger?

Draw the eye upward with vertical lines and floor-to-ceiling curtains and bookshelves. Use furniture with visible legs and glass tops. Use a monochromatic color scheme, featuring mostly white. Rather than adding several small accent pieces and knick-knacks, choose one large accent piece, like an over-sized piece of art or extra-large, tall headboard.

With interest rates at near-record lows, it's a great time to buy! And with inventory low, it's a great time to sell!

Plus, I'll throw in a home warranty for my buyer clients and a landscaping service for my seller clients.