Summer Cleaning Checklist

School is almost out for those of us local to Rancho Santa Margarita who have children in school!  Summertime means lazy mornings, messy homes, vacations and keeping the kids busy and out of the house as much as possible.  With all the busy summertime schedules, it is hard to keep up with the chores and maintaining a tidy home. 

Martha Stewart has come up with a daily checklist of a few basic tasks to keep your Summer house cleaning a little more manageable.  By spending a few minutes a day on these items, your home will be a much more peaceful one to come home to at the end of a busy day.

Print a copy and laminate it so you can check off the boxes with a dry erase marker as you complete the task!  

Community Garage Sale in Rancho Santa Margarita

As your local neighborhood Real Estate specialist, I am hosting the 2nd annual Community Garage Sale in the "Serenada" community in Rancho Santa Margarita on June 28th from 7am-1pm.  Clean out your garage, closets, cabinets and kids rooms and get rid of the things you no longer use or need.  

In preparation for the garage sale, I will provide the following services:

1) Free advertising in local papers

2) Deliver a garage sale "care packet" upon sign-up

3) Place directional signs leading to your garage sale

4) Arrange for a donation delivery truck to pick up your unwanted items after the garage sale

5) Morning snack delivery on the day of the garage sale

If you are interested in participating, you can register one of two ways:

1) Call Lisa Piltz // 949.292.5528

2) Email Lisa Piltz // Lisa@LisaPiltz.com

Those looking for directions on how to get to the community garage sale to shop, you can view this area map below.  The major cross streets are Rancho Santa Margarita Parkway and Avenida de las Flores.

Drought Tolerant Gardening in Southern California

As you probably know, Southern California is in a drought state of emergency.  According to the California Department of Water Resources, 2013 came to a close being the driest year in history in many areas of California.  We are being urged to conserve as much water as we can.  One easy way to help with water shortages is to plant drought tolerant gardens that don't require much water ... or much fuss.  These plants are still beautiful and come in a variety of shapes, textures and colors.  Some even attract butterflies!

Sunset and Better Homes & Gardens have both compiled a list of drought tolerant plants that are suitable for the Southern California region (as well as many others areas).

You can view the lists of drought tolerant plants, as well as other garden related articles here:
SUNSET // http://www.sunset.com/garden/flowers-plants/low-water-plants
BETTER HOMES & GARDENS // http://www.bhg.com/gardening/gardening-by-region/southern-california/top-drought-tolerant-perennials-for-southern-california/

*Photo credit to Sunset.com

Annual Air Conditioner Maintenance Tips

The Summer heat is quick approaching here in Southern California!  We've already had glimpses of what's to come, with temperatures over 100* recently.  To get your air conditioning unit ready for regular use, Apartment Therapy has compiled a list of 5 action items on how to keep your air conditioners running efficiently and in tip-top shape.  Keeping up on annual maintenance can save lots of repair dollars in the future.  Setting up calendar reminders through Google or alerts on your phone can be an easy way to help you stay organized with your annual home maintenance to-do lists!

The basics are:

1) Change the filter.

2) Clean the vents.

3) Check to see if you're blocking the condensing unit.

4) Check your freon levels.

5) Check all other components.

You can find the list in detail on Apartment Therapy's website here.

Family Handyman has a step-by-step tutorial (with pictures) on how to clean your air conditioning unit with just a few simple tools and about an hour of your time.  You can find that article here.

Things to Consider for First Time Home Buyers

This is an amazing graphic full of great information for first time home buyers.  It lists out some common mistakes people make when planning to buy a home, as well as how to make your first purchase a success.  Grab a pen and paper and start making lists so you can be prepared for what's to come in your journey to owning your own home!

If you have specific questions or would like a consultation, please contact me at Lisa@LisaPiltz.com. I also have a network of highly recommended lenders that I would be happy to share with you to become pre-qualified to purchase a home.

Fishing in Rancho Santa Margarita

Annual Fishing Derby

Saturday, June 14th

7:00-10:00 am

Lakeshore Park and Amphitheater

SAMLARC is hosting it's annual Fishing Derby at the Rancho Santa Margarita Lake.  Along with fishing, there will be games, prizes, music and face painting!

Registration is on the morning of the event.  More information for the event and contests, you can visit www.samlarc.org or contact Kristi Alanes at kristi.alanes@fsresidential.com.

Parks and Trails Map for Rancho Santa Margarita

Summer is almost here and school will be out before we know it!  Below is a Map of community trails, parks, pools and recreation facilities in Rancho Santa Margarita that may be helpful for your Summer activity planning.

This map, along with many other helpful resources and links can be found on www.samlarc.org.  You can view the full size PDF map here.