Easy Gardening

Why winterizing your fence is an important part of home maintenance.

(ARA) – Winter rain and storms take a toll on metal gate hardware. Inexpensive gravity latches function fine when new. However, as soon as rust sets in or gates fall out of alignment, these latches no longer close without manual assistance.

A well-maintained fence can protect your home and possessions, prevent young children and pets from venturing out of your yard without your knowledge, and keep unwelcome intruders out. Read more…

This is a continuation of fall maintenance tips from our home page.

• CHECK GUTTERS AND DOWNSPOUTS: While you are checking out the roof, clean out those gutters and downspouts. When winter comes with all that snow and ice, you want your gutters and downspouts to be clean so that the run-off will flow away from your house and not into it.

  First, scrape out all the leaves and debris that are in the gutters. A garden hoe is good for this.

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How to be a SAVVY citizen

Times are tough.

And those tough times have resulted in a significant increase in the number of vacant homes and commercial properties.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of vacant homes in the U.S. rose from 14 million in 2008, to 19 million by the first quarter of 2010.  The number of vacant commercial properties also has risen significantly in the past few years. 

Home and business owners can reduce their chances of  property damage by taking  measures ahead of time to protect their unoccupied house or business, according to the Institute for Business & Home Safety. 

The IBHS has put together some tips for property owners who have to leave homes vacant for an extended period. They

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