Fall Is Here—Is Your Furnace Ready to Go?

Prime Heating and Air is a great, family-run business here in Syracuse. They recently gave me some great tips for homeowners that I want to share with you.

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I’m here today with Neal Carr of Prime Heating and Air to talk a little bit about his business and how they can help homeowners reduce energy costs when it comes time to turn their furnaces back on this fall. Prime Heating and Air is a family-run business that’s been in operation for just over three years now in the Syracuse area. Neal and his brothers have been very successful and have a lot of knowledge about heating and air systems. So what does Neal think are the biggest issues that homeowners have when it comes to their systems? The two biggest issues they run into are regular changing of furnace filters and getting yearly maintenance done on their furnaces. The filter in your furnace should be changed every 30 to 45 days. The filter will only cost a few bucks, but being diligent about replacing it could save you a ton of money in the long run by making sure your furnace is more efficient and works longer.

A filter only costs a few dollars, but can save you a ton of money by making your furnace more efficient.

As far as the yearly maintenance is concerned, Neal and his team will be able to come in, take a look at the furnace, and make sure everything is working in proper order for just about $80. The more preventative maintenance you do on equipment like this, the fewer expenses you’ll have down the road and the longer your system will last. Neal recommends the fall as a good time to get your heating system serviced. If you have any questions for Neal or need Prime Heating and Air’s help with your yearly maintenance, be sure to give them a call at (315) 802-4287 or send them an email to info@primeheatandair.com. If you schedule a furnace servicing with Neal and mention us, he’ll throw in a three-month supply of filters at no additional cost. If you have any other real estate questions for me in the meantime, don’t hesitate to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you.

Veterans: You Could Be Missing out on a Key Tax Exemption

30% of our nation’s veterans are missing out on the tax benefits they have earned.

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Are you a United States veteran? If so, I would like to share a statistic that may interest you. Did you know that 30% of veterans in our country are not taking advantage of their property tax exemptions? This equates to thousands of dollars left on the table. So if you or someone you know would like more information about this, please reach out. To hear my full message, watch my short video.

3 Things You Need to Know About Staging a Home

Home staging is an underrated way to boost your home’s sale price. Here’s how our friend and favorite home stager, Lorrie White, does her magic on homes.

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I was delighted to be joined recently by Lorrie White of Lorrie White Staging Company, aka “The Secret Weapon” to talk about what she does and to see her work in action. We’re at one of Coldwell Banker Properties 6797 Dutch Hill Road. in Dewitt, NY. This house has been on the market for a little while, and the owners have had Lorrie come in to stage the entire house. Watch the video above to get the full home tour after Lorrie and her team did their magic. Did you know that according to the National Association of Realtors, 80% of homes that are professionally staged and professionally photographed will sell quicker and for more money? According to Lorrie, these are the top three things people need to know about staging a house: 1. Staging is affordable. Many people are under the impression that staging is too expensive or not worth the money. It’s important to know that there are many different variations of staging. Lorrie is always willing to work with budgets, and some home staging is better than no staging at all. Even just working with a few key first-impression spaces can make a drastic difference in the presentation of the home during staging. Lorrie’s consultations typically take anywhere from one to two hours.

80% of homes that are professionally staged and professionally photographed will sell quicker and for more money, according to THE NAR.

2. Staging is not the same as decorating. Even the best-decorated home can sit stagnant on the market for a number of reasons. They may be a little too taste-specific or individualistic. Decorating is more of a personal thing for everyday living. Staging is done for marketing purposes to help a product appeal to the most number of buyers possible. 3. Square footage sells. It’s extremely important to your home’s value. Certain things in a space can make a home feel smaller (i.e. large area rugs, dark paint colors, and too much furniture). It’s all about opening up your home, which Lorrie did wonderfully as you can see above. If you have any questions for Lorrie or want to get in touch with her to see how she can help expedite your home sale, visit her website, follow her on Instagram, or give her a call at (315) 420.9291 If you have any questions for me in the meantime about home staging, the market, or real estate in general, don’t hesitate to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you soon.