Living Smart: Preparing your home for fall weather

Experts say that unless you enjoy reseeding in spring, you shouldn’t leave leaves on the lawn over winter. So another seasonal question worth asking is whether to take the time and risk the blisters to do the job yourself or hire some help.

Top-rated lawn pros tell our researchers that leaves left to pile up can form a heavy mass that can kill or damage grass and ornamental plants. Matted leaves block sunlight and reduce water evaporation, which can cause fungus, mold and disease. These alone can wipe out a lawn in a year or two.

Experts say that smaller leaves that decompose quickly or blow away — such as those from honey locust, dogwood, ginkgo and birch trees — can often be left on the ground if they don’t get too thick.

There are two main ways to clear leaves: Running a mower over them, sometimes repeatedly, to reduce them to small bits that can be left on the lawn as added nutrients, or raking and gathering them.

Because leaves are a natural material that, in the right setting, biodegrade into a wonderful soil amendment, you may want to avoid bagging them and having them taken to a landfill. At the least, consider paper bags, which decompose more quickly than plastic.

Most landscaping companies offer leaf removal services. A common method the pros use involves mobile vacuuming to remove even the smallest leaf bits from your lawn. Or, they may rake leaves onto a tarp, and haul them away on a trailer.

If you’re thinking of hiring a lawn pro to help with leaf maintenance, you may want to wait until almost all your leaves are down before calling, or you may prefer to have them come out several times. One top-rated lawn pro told our team that most customers request two leaf clearings: one before Thanksgiving and another before Christmas.

Prices range widely. Some companies will charge a flat fee to cover the cost of coming out and using equipment, with an additional hourly charge to cover labor. Top-rated service providers said price ranges start at about $100 and can rise to about $375 for a 10,000-square-foot property.

For recommendations about reliable lawn companies, talk to neighbors and friends and consult a trusted online source. Get several bids and ask for and check references. Make sure the company you hire is appropriately licensed for your location.

When hiring, ask for a free estimate and find out where the company takes the leaves. Some take them to a recycling facility, where they’re composted over winter and sold to landscapers in spring as a soil amendment. Companies may also chop leaves and apply them to your garden or compost pile.

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ABOUT THE WRITER

Angie Hicks is the founder of Angie’s List, a resource for local consumer reviews on everything from home repair to health care. Follow her on Twitter at @Angie_Hicks.

Home Sales Are Up Again

A month-over-month dip in home sales last month caused real estate watchers to ponder—gasp—a potential cooling of the market. But on Thursday the National Association of Realtors® reported that sales are up again.

Existing-home sales—completed sales of single-family homes, townhomes, condominiums, and co-ops—rose 4.7% from August to September, reaching 5.55 million. That’s the 12th consecutive month to see year-over-year growth, and the second-highest peak since February 2007, when sales totaled 5.79 million.

The median existing-home price for all housing types was $221,900 in September, 6.1% more than September 2014. This is the 43rd consecutive month that we’ve had year-over-year gains. Single-family home sales increased 5.3%, with a median price of $223,500, while condo and co-op sales remained unchanged, with a median existing-condo price of $209,200.

All-cash sales rose, too: They represented 24% of transactions in September, up from 22% in August. Short sales stayed on the market for an average of 135 days, but short sales and foreclosures are still down from a year ago—7% now and 10% then.

Why the reversal on sales in general? These are seasonally adjusted numbers, so they don’t reflect the typical fall slowdown. August sales, however, were affected by the stock market dips that shook buyers’ confidence.

Please, Mr. P

   “Sales are impacted by major stock market declines, since at least one in five buyers funds at least a portion of their purchase with stock or retirement funds,” said realtor.com® chief economist Jonathan Smoke. “But barring stock corrections that reflect real economic downturns—which we are not experiencing—homes sales typically return to the prior trend after stock values stabilize.”

But not all numbers were up: Inventory decreased 2.6% and is 3.1% lower than a year go. There’s a 4.8-month supply of unsold housing—in August, it was 5.1 months.

Maybe it’s counterintuitive—how can there be more sales when there’s less inventory?

It’s all that pent-up demand. Unfortunately for first-time buyers, all that competition has driven house prices up; you’re more likely to buy a home if you already have one.

“First-time buyers fell to 29% of sales in September after climbing to their highest share of the year in August (32%),” according to the NAR. “A year ago, first-time buyers represented 29% of all buyers.”

That’s the biggest surprise, Smoke said, but “despite that decline, we estimate from the monthly sales data this year that first-time buyers have been responsible for 45% of the growth in sales over last year.”

Whether the rise in existing-home sales continues depends on one thing: jobs. The 6% rise in prices is just about double the pace of wages. We need more, and better-paying, employment to keep sales up. That’s complicated by the fact that most future job growth is rooted in the relatively low-paying service sector. Sales may be up, but we’ll need inventory to rise with them.

Regional breakdown

Northeast: September existing-home sales rose 8.6% to an annual rate of 760,000, 11.8% above a year ago. The Northeastern median price was $256,500, 4% above September 2014.

Midwest: September existing-home sales rose 2.3% to an annual rate of 1.31 million, 12% above a year ago. The Midwestern median price was $174,400, 5.4% above September 2014.

South: September existing-home sales rose 3.8% to an annual rate of 2.21 million, 5.7% above a year ago. The Southern median price was $191,500, 6.2% above September 2014.

West: September existing-home sales rose 6.7% to an annual rate of 1.27 million, 9.5% above a year ago. The Western median price was $318,100, 8% above September 2014.

By
Lisa Davis  Realtor.com

This week in real estate

 

	Solid domestic consumer demand helped 3rd quarter GDP estimates to increase 1.5%. Strong economic news can lead to higher rates.

	As expected, the Fed did not raise policy rates at this month's FOMC meeting. However, the statement contained language making a hike in December possible.

	The four-week average for jobless claims is the lowest since 1973. A strong labor market helps strengthen the economy and could lead to higher rates.

	New home sales fell in September after two straight months of gains. However, the drop is seen as temporary, and demand for housing remains strong.

	In fact, the homeownership rate rose between July and September, the first rise after 7 quarterly declines. Buyers under 35 years old had the highest increase.

	First time homebuyers are depending less on gift funds for down payments. More young buyers are using personal savings for down payments and closing costs.