Some Spring Fun!

The temperatures are warming up and so is the real estate market! From late winter through mid-summer is the best time to buy or sell a house. Even though interest rates are slowly starting to rise, and home prices are expected to rise somewhat, the real estate market continues to look very good. Spring is a great time to get your home listed, so finish up those minor spruce-up projects now!

Here are a few fun facts about home care and the real estate market:

Have you ever wondered where the idea of spring cleaning came from? Several cultures complete spring cleaning as part of preparations for holidays such as the Chinese New Year of the Jewish Passover. Another reason that we spring clean may be due to simple biology. In the winter, when the days are shorter and we are exposed to less light, our bodies produce melatonin, making humans sleepy. In the spring when days are longer, less melatonin is produced, and we tend to have more energy to take care of things around the house. So, whether you’re getting ready to celebrate a holiday or are just ready to shake off the winter, it’s time to freshen up the house!

Speaking of sprucing up the house, it takes 570 gallons of paint to freshen up the White House and it is repainted every four to six years to keep it looking beautiful! President Teddy Roosevelt was the President that formally named the White House. Previous Presidents called it the Executive Residence, Executive Mansion, or the People’s House.

At one time it was customary for homeowners to put a cast iron eagle outside their home to celebrate the full payment of their mortgage. The presence of the eagle announced to the world that the house was owned free and clear and that the owner was free from mortgage payments!

If you’re shopping for a housewarming gift, think twice before choosing a knife for that gift! Superstition says that if you give a knife as a gift, you risk severing that friendship. The best way to give a knife as a housewarming gift is to tape a penny to the blade. This way, the recipient can take off the penny and hand it back to the giver. That way, they are “paying for the knife” and it’s no longer a gift. Clever solution!

Speaking of housewarming gifts, did you know that originally a housewarming came after the mortgage was paid. In the early days of home mortgages, the interest rates were quite high and the loan would be paid off with a balloon payment, like today’s down payment. This made paying off a mortgage a big event, and homeowners would celebrate with a party and burn their mortgage documents. Guests would bring gifts to help celebrate the home being owned free and clear, and this tradition evolved into what we now know as the housewarming party!