Spring Checklist, by Sharmen Roos, State Farm

As we approach Spring there are a few things you can do to keep your home and your personal belongings safe and in good order. Here are my Top 3 Spring To-Do’s.

Spring is a great time to de-clutter and it’s also a good time to create a home inventory record. Back in the old days people would literally write down all the contents in each room of their house. This way, if there was ever a fire and all your things were destroyed, it would be very easy to tell the insurance company what you had and what needed to be replaced. Nowadays, it’s much faster and far more efficient to create a personal property inventory record. Start by opening all the doors, drawers, and cabinets in each room of your home. With your cell phone, stand in the middle of each room, turn around in a slow circle and film all of your contents.  Once you have done this in each room, send the videos to yourself by email. Why email it to yourself? If you have a fire in the middle of the night, you want to get out immediately. You may not have the time nor presence of mind to grab your cell phone.

Twice a year, check the smoke detectors in your home. I do mine in March and September because that’s also when the time changes. Even though we don’t change our clocks here in AZ, we’re usually aware of it because just about everyone else does. Did you know that 60% of home fire deaths, that’s 3 out of every 5, were due to non-working smoke detectors? Just a few minutes and maybe a couple dollars every 6 months could save you and your family’s life.

Now that temperatures are starting to rise, get your AC unit serviced.  If you wait until summer, it can cost you two to three times more and units are not usually covered by insurance because when it breaks down, it’s typically a maintenance or age issue. The last thing you want is to have your AC go kaput when it’s 100+ degrees out. In the summer in AZ, it can take days, if not weeks, to get a service company out. Once they do, if they don’t have the parts on hand it can be several more days to get the parts in and the unit fixed. Being proactive can save you time and a lot of suffering, so schedule that AC maintenance appointment today!

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

I'm a sucker for Phoenix in the Spring. I love everything about it. Spring Training, the first of many pool days, hiking in the sunshine, and spending an afternoon playing yard games or dining al fresco on a patio are my favorite Arizona activities. This Spring took a little longer to get here and I am ready for it.

We recently remodeled a home and while the interior has been completed for a couple months, the outside is just finishing. The rain and frost are likely over, so we can start planting and go from being cooped up to hosting cook outs. During this remodel, we tried to maximize out outdoor entertaining while minimizing maintenance. For us, this meant fake grass and a long bocce ball court filled in with decomposed granite. Hopefully, this keeps us active with lawn games and not active with lawn care.

If we do leave the house in our downtime, it will likely be by foot or by beach cruiser. For me, enjoying our sunshine and great weather on the way to a patio is as fun as relaxing on one. Look inside this newsletter for some of my favorite patios and bike safety tips.

Let me know what your favorite Springtime activities are by connecting on social media. I look forward to seeing you out and about, enjoying the Phoenix Spring weather!

- Kerrie Kruse