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Spring cleaning is synonymous with warm weather, sparkling windows, organization and a fresh start. For those who are short on time (or the desire) for a deep cleaning that takes over an entire day or weekend, we’re happy to announce a new series – 6 Weeks of Spring Cleaning. Each week, professional organizer Amy Langle shares her expertise and advice to get organized and tackle spring cleaning projects around the home.
Do you have any must-have spring cleaning tips to share? Be sure to let us know in the comments!
Step 1
Clear a space close to the pantry to work with. Using the kitchen table, counter or even the floor will make tidying up the pantry a quick and easy task.
Step 2
Have your garbage and recycle bin ready, as well as a box for donation items.
Step 3
As you remove items from your pantry, sort them into groups. Organize your items into categories – canned fruit, pasta sauce, cereals, etc.
Step 4
Rid your pantry of long-expired food. The five cans of green beans you intended to use for Thanksgiving years ago are taking up space!
Step 5
Let go of anything you don’t use on a regular basis and have no plans to use in the near future. For example, the dry bean soup mix you received in a gift basket for Christmas. If making it sounds more tedious than enjoyable, it’s taking up unnecessary space.
Step 6
When returning to the pantry, keep the items in categories. If you are inclined, use a label maker to name each section. This will help you stay organized and save time when making your favorite meals.
Step 7
Pack everything you are not going to keep into a “donate” box. Donate your non-perishable foods to a local food bank or soup kitchen. Just go to foodpantries.org to find one in your area.
Professional organizer and event planner, Amy Langle, was born to organize. From companies looking to streamline to busy moms wanting to simplify, Amy loves helping clients organize their lives. Learn more at amylangle.com.
myLennar’s unique design keeps you organized by putting your preferences, selections and connections right at your fingertips. Whether you want to keep track of your favorite homes, submit a service request, or use our online Lennar Scrapbook to collect memories and milestones in your new home, myLennar is where you’ll find all the info you need to manage the process of shopping, buying and enjoying your new Lennar home.
We’ve created a handy checklist to help you take full advantage of your myLennar account, no matter where you are in the home buying process. Purchasing a home just got easier with myLennar – an extra special, simple, and rewarding homebuying experience.
The experts from PetRelocation share tips and advice for transitioning pets into a new home. Visit myLennar Scrapbook to share your pet’s special new home moments and see what others are sharing from Lennar neighborhoods across the country.
Moving to a new home is a physically draining and often emotionally challenging experience, and anyone with a pet knows that furry family members can feel the stress of a relocation, too. Whether moving across town or across the world, it’s important to help your pets settle in so that your new place can start feeling like a warm home as soon as possible.
Here are a few tips to keep in mind during the transition to a new home.
Before you start attending to smaller details, make sure you have the big basics covered. To prevent escapes, secure the perimeter of the yard if your dogs will be spending time outside. Because cats tend to be a little more skittish after a move, consider keeping them confined to one room at first and then gradually opening the rest of the home to them as they become more relaxed.
Take dogs on a leashed walk as soon as you can in order to let them get the lay of the land and start to feel connected to their new territory. If your cat is used to being outdoors, supervise the first few outings to make sure they know where home base is. These activities may also provide the chance to meet your new neighbors.
Help your pets settle into your new digs by placing plenty of familiar objects (such as their beds and toys) in common areas of the home where they can easily come across them and benefit from their familiarity. Make sure potential comfort zones are cleared of boxes and easily reachable – discovering a sunny window perch or a cozy corner could make all the difference to a cat or dog looking to find security in their new surroundings.
Place food and water bowls in a place that makes sense to your pets and establish a regular feeding schedule. Devote plenty of time to walking, exercising and playing to help nervous dogs and cats burn off extra energy. Try to stay as consistent and engaged as possible as you work towards building a predictable family routine.
As soon as you can (ideally even before you move), find out about local pet stores, vets, dog parks and vaccine rules as necessary. Knowing exactly where to go for your preferred pet food and being prepared to stay in line with local health ordinances will help you take good care of your pets while at the same time reducing your own stress.
Though moving can be a challenging experience for your pets, you may be surprised by how quickly they start to feel settled when you exercise patience and embrace a few smart practices.
Remember: to pets, home is wherever you are.
Caitlin Moore works for PetRelocation, a pet travel company that provides door-to-door pet transportation services to countries around the world.
There’s no doubt, moving everything you own and everyone you love from one home to another is a BIG deal. There are a lot of things to remember, a lot of efforts to coordinate, and a lot of emotion when you move. But if your moving adventure is well-planned and well-organized from the start, you’ll be able to fully enjoy one of the most special experiences of your lifetime. Experience the joy of moving day with these tips for a stress-free move.
1. Sort, purge, sell
Before packing begins, sort all items, including toys, clothes, and furniture. Determine what needs to be tossed, donated, or packed up to make the move to your new home. Hold a garage sale before the big move, especially if a long-distance move makes transporting large items difficult. It’s also great way to get rid of unneeded items and make some extra money!
2. Get organized
Bundle all moving and packing essentials together, including a folder with important papers, phone numbers, and confirmations. This is also a great place to keep a copy of Lennar’s Moving checklist. Save time and headaches by grouping tape, labels, scissors, markers and other packing necessities in one location.
Well in advance of your expected moving date, visit websites of moving companies you are considering and sign up for email updates. Get notified of special incentives, pricing and packing tips, plus learn more about companies to know which is right for you. {Learn more: Choosing an interstate moving company}
Organize all documents for your mortgage and closing day in a safe and easy-to-access location. Keep your New Home Consultant’s contact information on hand for any last minute questions, concerns or scheduling conflicts.
3. Keep children and pets comfortable and safe
Assign a special box for the kids with their most important items. Fill with their favorite toys, games, snacks, medicine, a blanket, and change of clothes. Moving can be an overwhelming and uncertain time for children, especially the first move. Having easy access to familiar and favorite items will make them feel more comfortable.
When moving to a new area, a pet can get disoriented and lost if they become separated from the family. Make sure they can easily return home by updating tags and microchips with your new address. This is also a great time to organize vet records and store medicine, food, and treats together in a clearly labeled box.
4. Arrange for services
Take advantage of myLennar to contact service providers in your community to arrange set up of utilities, phone, Internet, and TV. Before your move, submit a change of address to have mail forwarded to your new home. Having all services connected before or soon after moving day will make you feel right at home. {Learn more: Set up services}
5. Pack a survival box
Unfortunately, accidents do happen, and at the most unexpected times. Make your first aid kit the last thing to pack and the first thing to unpack so you don’t find yourself rummaging through boxes to locate a much needed bandage or antibiotic ointment.
It’s also helpful to pack a “survival” box with all the necessities you’ll need right away at your new home, including:
Now you’re home! Once the big move is over, settle in and start planning that house warming party, meeting the neighbors and finding your new favorite take-out place.
For more tips, visit Lennar’s Resource Center!
Outstanding savings available this weekend only.
Just in time for Fiesta San Antonio, Lennar San Antonio celebrates with “up to $20K your way” on select move-in ready homes during its Fiesta Frenzy Sales Event this weekend, Friday, April 17th through Sunday, April 19th.
You can receive up to $20,000 off the price on select homes in communities across the greater San Antonio area. Whether you’re a first-time buyer or moving up to a newer, bigger home, Lennar San Antonio has over 95 available homes ready for move-in right now.
“During our Fiesta Frenzy sales event this weekend, homebuyers can find their dream home in quality communities in sought-after areas of San Antonio.” Tony Cerna, III, Director of Sales and Marketing for Lennar San Antonio, said. “With move-in ready inventory homes in a wide spectrum of prices—from the $180s to the $330s—we have something for a variety of lifestyles and needs.”
With Lennar, Everything’s Included, so you don’t have to worry about adding what you really want to your home. Lennar’s homes include the most desired, high-quality features and upgrades in every home at no additional charge, like landscaping, blinds, appliances, and more. Every price range includes features not found with other builders, providing ease and peace of mind during the homebuying process.
“Value is already built into your new Lennar home, and now is the perfect time to maximize that value during this remarkable sales event,” Cerna said. “These exceptional deals are only available for a limited time on homes that can close by Friday, May 29th, 2015, so hurry in for the best selection.”
Models are open daily in every community from 10am-7pm (opening at Noon on Fridays and Sundays).
For more information on the San Antonio area communities participating in the Fiesta Frenzy Sales Event, visit lennar.com/SanAntonio or see one of Lennar San Antonio’s New Home Consultants.
Sales Event promotion and incentives are subject to certain terms and conditions, including the use of designated lenders and closing agents, and are subject to change at any time without notice.
Lennar is one of the nation’s leading homebuilders with 60 years of experience building homes and communities all across the country. Founded on the continuing principles of quality, value and integrity, Lennar builds homes for first-time and move-up buyers, as well as retirees. Lennar San Antonio offers new, energy-efficient homes currently from the $160’s to the $410’s and ranging from 1,308 sq. ft. to more than 3,300 sq. ft. in 17 communities in the greater San Antonio area. For more information on Lennar, visit Lennar.com.
One of the nation’s leading homebuilders is excited to announce the Grand Opening of their new masterplanned and privately gated Willow Heights community in Diamond Bar on Saturday, April 18. From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. everyone is invited to tour the community’s nine professionally decorated model homes located within the three distinct neighborhoods featured at Willow Heights. Guests are asked to park at nearby Diamond Bar High School and take a complimentary shuttle to explore Lennar’s exciting new community.
“We are very excited for the Grand Opening of Willow Heights in Diamond Bar,” said John Baayoun, Division President for Lennar California Coastal. “The three unique neighborhoods featured in this community were designed to meet the needs of a wide variety of homebuyers. If you are in the market for a new home, whether it be a single-family, townhome or detached home, you need to see what we have in store at Willow Heights!”
Conveniently located along South Diamond Bar Boulevard and Brea Canyon Road, the sprawling community features beautiful luxury homes with Tuscan, Spanish and Italian flair. Each neighborhood offers buyers a different style of home to meet their needs and fit their lifestyle. At Olivecrest, buyers will find 62 luxury townhomes with anticipated pricing from the upper $500,000’s. These homes offer three-stories and approximately 1,502 to 2,008 square feet of living space. With four different floorplans to choose from, townhomes at Olivecrest range from two to four bedrooms, two and one-half to three and one-half bathrooms and a two-bay garage.
New home shoppers in the market for single-family detached homes won’t want to miss Sage at Willow Heights. This neighborhood offers 73 single-family detached condominiums with three unique floorplans. These solar homes range from approximately 1,786 to 2,035 square feet and showcase four bedrooms, three bathrooms and a two-bay garage with anticipated pricing from the $700,000’s.
Luxury homes with sprawling and open floorplans are waiting at Viridian. This neighborhood offers elegant single-family homes ranging from approximately 3,143 to 3,169 square feet of living space with four to five bedrooms, three to four and one-half bathrooms and two to three-bay garages for ample storage with anticipated pricing from the low $1 millions. All of the 47 homes available at Viridian are powered by state-of-the-art solar systems provided by Sunstreet Energy Group™. With two floorplans to available at Viridian, buyers can choose a luxury home that matches their style with the space they need.
In addition, all homes at Willow Heights include Lennar’s signature Everything’s Included® package that offers upgraded and energy-efficient features all included as standard. Gourmet kitchens with slab granite countertops, beautiful cabinetry and stainless steel appliances are included in all homes at Willow Heights, but each of the three communities are equipped with their own unique Everything’s Included® package that perfectly compliments individual home designs. The Everything’s Included® package also features home automation by Nexia™ Home Intelligence, tankless water heaters, low VOC paint, radiant barrier roof sheathing and other features that greatly enhance the quality of the home while reducing energy costs.
Just steps away from their new home, residents will love the access to the 4.7-acre park at Willow Heights. The park features lush natural habitat with exceptional views, walking trails and a rain garden. Other amenities featured at Willow Heights include a picnic area, pond, tot lot and more.
With only a limited number of homes available at Willow Heights, interested homebuyers are encouraged to act fast. Joining the interest list is the most effective way to track floorplans, pricing and updates and the sales priority list is forming now. For more information or to register for the priority list visit www.lennar.com or call 888-220-5502 for more information.
With hundreds of communities nationwide and homes designed for first-time, move-up and luxury homebuyers, Lennar has grown to become one of the nation’s leading and most respected homebuilders. Lennar has a longstanding history of building homes of enduring quality in only the most well planned and desirable locations throughout the country.
Operation: Coming Home, along with homebuilder Lennar Homes, announced the recipient of the nonprofit organization’s eleventh Hero Home during the 2015 ACC men’s basketball tournament on March 11th. Fans in the coliseum celebrated the service and sacrifice of the veteran as he was surprised at the game with the announcement that he will receive Operation: Coming Home’s eleventh Hero Home, built in collaboration with Lennar Homes.
Operation: Coming Home’s eleventh Hero Home will be built by Lennar Homes in Wake Forest, North Carolina. The home is part of Lennar Homes’ commitment to give back to America’s veterans. A groundbreaking ceremony for the home will be hosted this summer.
ABOUT OPERATION: COMING HOME:
Operation: Coming Home is a joint volunteer project by the Home Builders Association of Raleigh-Wake County (HBA), and various area nonprofits and businesses. The project builds and donates homes for disabled combat veterans who have served in the Middle East, after a selection committee interviews candidates to determine the best fit. For more information, visit http://operationcominghome.com.
Come visit one of Lennar’s 20 communities in the Raleigh area and see why they are the #1 builder in the Triangle. Featuring townhomes from the $180’s to single-family homes from the high $400’s, Lennar offers a variety of floorplans to fit your lifestyle built in the perfect location. Lennar has grown to become one of the nation’s leading and most respected homebuilders and proudly remains steadfast in their commitment toward quality, value and integrity. Lennar has a longstanding history of building exceptional homes in the most well planned and desirable locations throughout the country.
Our Welcome Home Centers are open from 10:00AM to 6:00PM Tuesday-Saturday and 1:00PM-6:00PM Sunday-Monday. To schedule an appointment, please call 919-337-9420 or visit lennar.com/Raleigh.
Let us illuminate you on what Lennar Nashville is featuring in our new homes.
While featuring several energy efficient products, Lennar Nashville is excited to showcase LED lighting in our new homes. When used properly, LED lighting can be more efficient, durable, and longer lasting than some traditional lighting sources.
A fairly new product, LED lights work when an electrical current passes through a semi-conductor material. This in turn illuminates the tiny light sources called LEDs. Unlike incandescent and fluorescent bulbs that shine light everywhere, LED lights shine in a more direct and specific path. According to EnergyStar.gov, “LED lighting is able to use light and energy more efficiently in many applications. However, it also means that sophisticated engineering is needed to produce an LED light bulb that shines light all around like an incandescent A-shaped bulb.”
The longevity of the LED bulb is also worth mentioning. Incandescent bulbs have a tendency to burn out over time. LED lights instead depreciate in light and shift in color as they end their lifespan. The lifespan of the LED light is approximately 50,000 hours vs 10,000 hours for a CFL light and 1,200 hours for an incandescent bulb. Not only are they more durable, as LED lights become more popular, the price has become more affordable.
LED bulbs are available in a variety of colors. The light temperature, which is measured in Kelvin scale, determines the color of light your bulb will emit. Understanding the color you like and where this falls on the Kelvin scale will insure that you are happy with the bulb you purchase for your home.
We are very excited to showcase this wonderful detail in our new homes. We believe this Everything’s Included® feature is just one of the many offerings that set the Lennar home above all others.
Lennar offers new homes in the Nashville area from the mid $200s. To learn more, call 615-465-4333 or visit lennar.com/nashville.
We warmly welcome Colleen Kuerth from Indian Land, SC to the Lennar family and are excited to have her share her home buying experience with us. Having recently closed on her own Lennar home, Colleen shares her tips and insights for a stress-free closing. Visit Lennar’s Resource Center to learn more about the closing process.
Buying a home is a truly exciting, and sometimes stressful, experience. Having gone through it twice now, once with an existing home and once with a new build, I can tell you that the new build experience was quite different. Before your closing you will have your final walk-through, going over a checklist of any items you indicated you would like fixed from your first walk-through. This is typically a pretty quick event. Make sure you have a copy of the items you wanted fixed so that nothing is forgotten. It will give you peace of mind so you can focus on the actual closing.
Something else that is different about a new-build purchase is your property tax assessment. Typically the county will have only assessed taxes based on the value of the property before a home was built on it. The following year they adjust it according to the new value with a home. Our loan processor and closing attorney went over all of this with us at the closing, but be sure to ask about your taxes and escrow payment if it is not addressed.
Here are some other tips to help ensure your closing goes smoothly and is stress-free:
TACKLE ONE THING AT A TIME
Once you sign the dotted line on your Purchase and Sales Agreement, it might seem like you are immediately bombarded with loan processors asking you to send them your entire life’s financial and work history. Every time I received an email asking for a piece of documentation I added it to an list I had on my computer. I looked at the list and identified what items I knew I could locate quickly and were easily accessible and started with those first. Just tackling one document at a time was less stressful than attempting to locate everything all at once, especially since some items would take me longer to locate.
DON’T PROCRASTINATE
Following from the tip above, fight the urge to ignore and put off those document requests. The sooner you send in your documents and paperwork, the sooner you can sit back and breathe a sigh of relief that your loan application is complete. Because there are so many steps that must be completed before a loan is approved, it is in your best interest to try and get that done as far in advance from your closing as possible. That way you avoid scrambling at the end to get something important that could hold up your closing and delay everything.
ASK QUESTIONS
I cannot stress this one enough. I consider myself a fairly intelligent person and there were many times that I was confused and did not entirely understand some portion of the loan application process. If there is something that doesn’t make sense to you, ask your loan processor to clarify it for you. If they are not the correct person to answer your question, they will direct you to someone that can. Knowing what you are signing, as opposed to just going through it blindly, will make you more confident in your decision and may help ease some frustration you have over the complication of today’s mortgage lending process. Remember, there are no stupid questions.
TRANSFER YOUR FUNDS EARLY
A week or so before your closing (or maybe earlier), you will be informed exactly what funds you are expected to bring to the closing. Most closing attorneys will require that the funds are wire transferred into a special account. Once you know that amount and the wire transfer information, get the process started. Make sure you ask your bank how long wire transfers take, what options they have for transfers, and any fees associated with those option. There can be quite a big difference in a fee for a three day wire transfer and an overnight wire transfer. Once you have set up the transfer, after the allotted time your bank requires for it to process, contact the closing attorney’s office to make sure that it went through.The last thing you want is to think that everything is all set just to find out the day of the closing that they never received your funds. That would result in having to delay your closing until the funds were received. It is ultimately your responsibility, not the attorney’s or your lender’s, to make sure that your funds are there.
TAKE THE DAY OFF
Or at least take the rest of the day off, following your closing. Most people will probably do this, as they will be moving in right away, but even if you are not it is a good idea to free up your day. Your closing may take longer than you think, or it might start later because of a delay at the attorney’s office. You just never know what might come up, and you don’t want to be sitting in the closing thinking about how you need to be back to work in fifteen minutes. You need to focus on the, very important, task at hand- which is essentially making one of the largest purchases you ever will make in your entire life. Eliminate any other distractions. Which leads me to…
HIRE A BABYSITTER
We moved over 1000 miles away from our families and didn’t really know anyone yet in our new town, so we did not have anyone to ask to watch our two small children during our closing. I actually thought, for a brief moment, about bringing them with us. I mean, it was just signing a bunch of paperwork, right? Yeah, bad idea. Unless your kids are older and have the capacity to sit still and silent for longer than 30 minutes, you should definitely not bring them to your closing if you can avoid it. Fortunately, I had previously joined an online childcare service and had hired some sitters for other events and the occasional date night. I made sure to secure a sitter for the day of the closing well in advance. That way they did not have to come to either our final walk-through or the closing itself, allowing us to just focus on all the important legal stuff and not entertaining our kids.
Even though it is very official, and at times redundant, your closing is an exciting event. You don’t want to be tense or anxious about last-minute aggravations. So, do whatever it takes for you to feel confident and prepared for the big day, leaving more room for happy dances and champagne toasts.
Colleen Kuerth recently moved to Carolina Reserve, a Lennar neighborhood in Indian Land, South Carolina, with her husband and two young sons. She is a Graphic Designer and Blogger at kuerthcreative.com.
