Do Halloween Dangers Lurk at Your Entryway?

Is your front entryway ready for Halloween visitors?  Keep everything fun and accident-free with these seven safety tips. Everyone loves a good scare on Halloween — as long as it’s just a trick. To help you avoid any real-life scares — such as falls, fires, and traffic accidents — around your property this All Hallows Eve, play it safe while you’re setting up your Halloween lights and decorations. Here are seven simple precautions recommended by John Pettibone, curator of Hammond Castle, a Gloucester, Mass., mansion that draws thousands to its renowned 20-room haunted house every Halloween season.
1. Light the Scene Providing plenty of illumination ensures that your visitors can see where they’re walking, helping to avoid missteps and falls. Pettibone suggests using the highest wattage bulbs your outdoor lighting fixtures can safely take (check the label on the socket), and adding landscape lights every few feet along your front walk. “We use the solar-powered kind because there’s no wiring needed,” he says. “Just push them into the ground, let them soak up the sun during the day, and they’ll light up the walk after dark.” 2. Secure the Footing Clear your walk, steps, and stoop of any obstructions that could trip youngsters focused more on tricks and treats than watching where they’re going. That means moving potted mums and jack o’lanterns out of the way, and hammering down any nail heads protruding out of your steps. If you have a concrete stoop, which can get slippery when wet, apply friction tape ($16 for a 60-foot roll of 1-inch-wide tape) to ensure stable footing, says Pettibone. He also stocks up on chemical ice melt ($20 for a 50-lb. bag) just in case of an early freeze. 3. Tighten the Railings If your porch railings are wobbly or broken, family members and friends may know not to lean too heavily on them, but Halloween visitors won’t. So hire a contractor or handyman to fix the problem. It’ll make your home safer for guests all year round. Because more strangers come to your front door this night than the rest of the year combined, now is the time to take care of it. 4. Eliminate Fire Hazards Don’t put real candles into your carved pumpkins or paper lanterns. “That’s a fire waiting to happen,” says Pettibone. Instead, pick up a bulk pack of LED-bulb faux candles, which emit a yellowish, flickering, battery-powered light that looks amazingly similar to the real thing — without the danger. 5. Secure your Property To prevent burglaries and Halloween pranks — especially on mischief night the previous evening — make sure to keep all windows and doors (other than your main door) locked shut. You might have an electrician add motion-sensor lights around your property, so anyone who walks down your driveway or around into the backyard will be discouraged from intruding any farther. 6. Set the Scene In addition to spooky items like cotton cobwebs and half-buried skeletons, consider a few safety-related scene-setters. Pettibone suggests propping open the screen or storm door so it doesn’t get in the way when there’s a big group of kids congregated on your stoop. “We use yellow caution tape to tie open the door,” he says. “You can order it online and it works well with the Halloween theme.” A 1,000-ft. roll of 3-inch-wide caution tape is about $8. You’ll also want a working doorbell, so if yours is broken, either hire an electrician or handyman to fix it — or install a wireless doorbell in its place. 7. Enhance Street Safety Four times as many child pedestrians get killed on Halloween night than a normal night. So limit the danger as much as you can by clearing parked cars off the curb to allow better visibility and placing a reflective “watch for children sign” at the edge of the road. For for high-traffic roads in Halloween-intensive neighborhoods, consider posting an adult in the street with a hand-held traffic control light to help maintain safety.
Reprinted from HouseLogic.com with permission of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®.

Want Maintenance-Free Living?

You'll fall in love with this completely remodeled condominium at Hilltop Place.  You'll be saying WOW from the minute you open the door!  High ceilings, hardwood floors and open floor plan.  The fabulous kitchen is open to the living space, making for perfect entertaining.  First floor master bedroom, private guest suite upstairs.  Monthly Association fee is $698 which includes trash removal, cable, plowing, landscaping and shoveling.  One time buy-in fee of $3,500.  Walk to shopping.  Make Hilltop your home.  Offered at $238,500.

Sharon LaVigne, Listing Agent, 603-526-4116

Teamwork from the Team that works – Coldwell Banker Milestone Real Estate.

Shower Better: Save Water, Energy, and Money

October Newsletter "GREENworks" from the NH Department of Environmental Services, Concord, NH   Are you tired of bugging your teenager to take shorter showers?  Do you want to save on water and energy costs?  Instead of showering less, you can “Shower Better” with WaterSense. Whether you’re singing or just washing up, the shower represents the quintessential “me time.”  The shower is a place to wake up and get ready to tackle the day, as well as to wind down. How do we maintain this important “me time” and also reduce water usage? The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) set out to find a solution that allows you to enjoy your shower, save water, save energy, and save money. The solution:  WaterSense labeled showerheads – brands that you know and models that you can trust to shower better. WaterSense labeled showerheads are independently certified to meet EPA’s performance criteria including spray force, water coverage, and water efficiency.  You’ll enjoy the same level of coverage you’ve come to expect, while saving at least 4 gallons of water per shower.  For an average family that’s equal to 2,900 gallons of water savings a year—the amount it takes to wash more than 70 loads of laundry. In addition to water savings, a WaterSense labeled showerhead can also save the amount of electricity it takes to power the average family’s home for 13 days and reduce annual water and energy costs by more than $70 per year! Sustainability you don’t have to sacrifice for. Consider your options with WaterSense. October is energy efficiency month. Celebrate by replacing your old showerhead with a WaterSense labeled showerhead and feel great knowing that each time you shower you will save the amount of electricity it takes to light a 60-watt light bulb for 8 hours.  WaterSense makes shopping for a new showerhead easy – just look for the WaterSense label in your local home store or online store and start showering better. For more information about WaterSense and for a list of WaterSense certified products go to http://www.epa.gov/watersense/products/.

Real estate markets are local, and we have the real scoop on ours.  Coldwell Banker Milestone Real Estate

 

Looking for an Affordable Home Close to Skiing?

This new, 3 bedroom ranch is just a few minutes from Mt. Sunapee for skiing and the State Beach on Lake Sunapee for summer fun. Large eat-in kitchen with laundry closet, formal dining room, large living room and master suite. Finish the basement for potential living space, or make it your garage. Come get settled before the snow falls! Offered at $228,000.

Come Home to the Quiet Life!

  • Oct 18, 2013

You will be surprised by all the living spaces in this well-loved 3 bedroom home.  The living room boasts a beautiful stone fireplace accented by a barn board wall and beamed ceilings.  There is a huge family room with high ceilings and pine floors; perfect for just hanging out together.  But wait, there is more!  The finished lower level sports a brick fireplace and more lounging room and a perfect spot for the pool or ping pong table.  Tucked away and surrounded by trees, it provides privacy for your personal oasis.  Used as a vacation home, however, you'd be happy here all year round as well.  Offered at $200,000.  For more information and photos, visit www.OneFloorLivingNH.com

Donna Forest, Listing Broker, 603-526-4116

You’ll be moving in the right direction with Coldwell Banker Milestone Real Estate.

Get Your Pumpkins Race-Ready!

The Great Pumpkin Race is this Friday, October 18, 2013 and all are welcome!  It will be held on Gould Road in New London, behind the Town Green.  Registration is at 5:30pm and the race is 6:00pm.  Take two axles, add four wheels and you're ready to race.  There are a few rules: The Official Pumpkin Race Rules have been established to promote fair play and inspire good old-fashioned American Ingenuity. All Pumpkin Racers must design and race their Pumpkin Races according to these few important rules to ensure that the Pumpkin Race is fun and fair for everyone.

  • RULE #1 Craft your Pumpkin RaceCar using a single pumpkin.
  • RULE #2 Insert two independent axles through your pumpkin and attach wheels to the axels. Spice up your racer with style.
  • RULE #3 You may not attach your pumpkin onto a pre-fabricated chassis of any kind (skateboard, stroller, Tonka truck, etc., etc...) A.K.A. The "Anti-Stealth" Rule.
  • RULE #4 NO EXPLOSIVES or PYROTECHNICS.
  • RULE #5 No pushing or "helping" your Pumpkin Racer on the starting line. Our Race Officials have seen it all - the last minute shove, the hidden thumb flick, the early release, the remote control chassis, etc. etc. See Rule #6.
  • RULE #6 NO CHEATING. Feel great about being honest and fair. Don't be tempted to be a Cheater Pumpkin. Use the honor system and obey the spirit of these rules. Our Race Officials have a keen eye and the Mallet-O-Justice ready to bring a Cheater Pumpkin down

WITH YOUR RIGHT HAND ON YOUR MOUSE, REPEAT THE SOLEMN PUMPKIN RACER PLEDGE: "I pledge to always do my very best and play by the rules because Cheater Pumpkins never prosper." This is the Pumpkin Racer PledgeCongratulations, Pumpkin Racer.  Get out and enjoy the fun!

“Word of Mouth” is the best advertisement, and we love it when you refer your friends and family to Coldwell Banker Milestone Real Estate.

Let the Entertainment Begin!

Friday evenings at the Sunapee Community Coffeehouse.  This Friday, October 18th, listen to the sounds of the double neck guitar played by Ian Ethan Chase.  His strikingly-unconventional, self-invented approach to the double-neck guitar is both magical to hear and fascinating to watch.  And while his performances are visually intriguing to say the least, it is not showmanship but rather the sincere desire to accurately communicate the harmonically rich, multi-layered music of his composing.  Shows are held downstairs at the Sunapee Methodist Church, 17 Lower Main Street in Sunapee, NH.  All Events start at 7PM.  Pass the hat donations for the musician.  For more information, visit their website www.sunapeecoffeehouse.org

Looking for an Affordable Lakefront Home? New Listing

  • Oct 02, 2013

Rare waterfront on Eastman Lake with year-round water views.  Take a morning paddle to soak in the serenity of calm waters.  For a more active lifestyle try tennis, golf, hiking, or time at the fitness center and pool at Eastman.   Do as little or as much as you want!  Open concept floor plan allows a free flow of living to the outdoors.  This beautiful, sun-lit home is warmed by rustic, natural materials from the floor to ceiling slate fireplace to the maple kitchen cabinets to the hardwood floors.  Immaculately maintained and move-in condition.  4BRs, 3 baths and plenty of space to accommodate all your guests and tons of storage for all the fun toys you will have.  Come discover your waterfront retreat!  Offered at $417,900.

Donna Forest, Broker Associate, 603-526-4116

Known for service, trusted for results – Coldwell Banker Milestone Real Estate.

Do You Know about the "First Fridays" Program by the Center for the Arts?

All events are free and open to the public, whether it be music, poetry, art exhibitions, etc.  The next event will be held at the New London Historical Society meetinghouse, Little Sunapee Road, New London, NH from 5-7pm on October 4th.  There will be an oral and musical presentation on the art of fiddling by Jaqueline Laufman and Dudley Laufman, known as the "Two Fiddles".  They have been playing at New England barn dances since 1986. Click here for their web site to see other upcoming events.

You’ll be moving in the right direction with Coldwell Banker Milestone Real Estate.

What do you do with Your Lawn Leaves?

In this month's newsletter, Greenworks, a publication of the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services in Concord, NH, you'll find you have some choices. . . As autumn’s leaves start to fall, so will begin our annual raking routines. While many of us have carried on this tradition for years, how many of us think twice about where the appropriate place is to put the leaves? If the leaves are put in the wrong place, they can have negative environmental impacts. In an attempt to rid their lawns of leaves, some people rake their leaves into the road, often around storm drains. This can pollute local water bodies. When it rains, those leaves get washed down the storm drains and eventually into rivers and streams. The nutrients in leaves increase the phosphorus levels in water as they decompose. Algae then feed on the excess phosphorus, creating blooms which take much of the necessary oxygen fish and other organisms need to survive, thus hurting water bodies. Excess leaves can also clog culverts and storm drains, fill ponds or the back sides of dams, all of which can increase the risk of flooding. If your town or city picks up leaf piles in the street, be sure to time your raking as close to the scheduled collection date as possible. Instead of getting rid of your leaves, they can be used around your own property as either compost or as a mulch. Composting is an easy way to create organic fertilizer. Adding either raked or shredded leaves to grass clippings and your kitchen fruit and vegetable wastes to your compost pile will help to create a nutrient rich soil for next spring’s landscaping. According the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, food scraps and yard waste make up 20-30% of the waste stream. Making compost keeps these materials out of landfills, where they take up precious space. Leaves can also be used in quicker fashion as mulch, which provides a protective covering for flower beds or gardens. Gardening experts recommend using a lawnmower with a mulching blade and bagging attachment to shred and collect the leaves. Adding the mulch to your flower beds can protect them from severe winter weather and provide moisture and nutrients for your flowers in the spring. Finally, my Dad was always a firm believer in using his lawn mower to mulch the leaves and leaving the shredded leaves on his lawn as a natural fertilizer. This method works well as long as the leaves are not too deep or wet when they are mowed. Otherwise, you may end up with large clumps of shredded leaves that can choke out your grass. By recycling your leaves in your yard, you are not only benefiting your flower beds and lawn, but you may also be helping to keep our water bodies cleaner. Source:  Greenworks, a publication of the Department of Environmental Services, Concord, NH

Known for service, trusted for results – Coldwell Banker Milestone Real Estate.