November Newsletter
Happy November! The leaves are falling, yummy things are baking in the oven, and it's a wonderful time of year to invite family and friends to gather in your home. To help you get ready for the start of the holiday season, this month's newsletter includes 5 speed-cleaning tips to prep your home for guests. And because Giving Tuesday is coming up, be sure to review the etiquette for donating used clothes to charity. Read on for even more!
And as always, thank you for being here.
-Katie, Olga, Teresa and Darcie
Autumn is a lovely time for welcoming people into your home. With the weather cooling outside, you can begin to turn your home into a cozy retreat; a place to gather with your favorite people.
Whether you’re hosting this year’s Thanksgiving dinner or inviting friends over to watch football, you’ll want your home looking its best. But nobody wants to spend an entire day scrubbing and tidying, so here are some speed-cleaning tips from Better Homes & Gardens to help you get your home guest-ready in under an hour.
1) Start with a quick decluttering of all areas guests will gather.
Grab a laundry basket, start at the entryway, and go room-to-room tossing clutter and displaced items into your basket. Stow the basket in your bedroom (or whichever room will be closed off to guests) and you’re done! Yeah, you’ll have to put all of that stuff away later, but for now, you have more pressing things to do!
2) Wipe tabletops, countertops, and other surfaces that guests will encounter.
While you’re at it, use your hand to brush crumbs off the surface of upholstered furniture (sofa, chairs, etc.) and use one of those sticky lint rollers to remove pet hair.
3) Run the vacuum.
Even if you don’t have time to mop or Swiffer, a vacuum will clean up the most noticeable dirt and debris. Focus on high traffic areas where guests will spend most of their time.
(Make sure you do this after—not before—dusting and wiping surfaces, so you can clean up anything that is swiped to the floor.)
4) Make the guest bathroom sparkle.
Stow countertop clutter in a drawer and give all of the surfaces a quick wipe with your go-to cleaner. Use glass cleaner on your mirror. Give your toilet bowl a quick scrub, then flush. Put out fresh hand towels and make sure you have plenty of soap and toilet paper. Place a fresh bag in the trash bin, light a scented candle, and call it a day.
5) Fluff pillows and couch cushions.
This will give them that nice plump look.
And if there happens to be a stain on your sofa you forgot to clean, that’s the perfect spot for a freshly-fluffed throw pillow or neatly-draped blanket.
And even if your home isn’t perfectly spotless before guests arrive, don’t sweat it. They’re not coming over to inspect your shelves for dust bunnies—they’re coming over to spend quality time with you.
Carpet - It’s cushy and cozy and oh-so-comfy—it’s carpet! If you want a soft surface for your feet, carpet may be the flooring for you. And carpet has come a long way over the years—many options today are stain-resistant and incredibly easy to clean. Another benefit? It provides pretty effective insulation to keep your room warm. That being said, if you suffer from allergies or have a pet that sheds, you’ll need a good vacuum cleaner and the diligence to run it frequently. The cost to install carpet will vary depending on density and the type of padding, but you can expect to pay an average of $3.50 to $11 per square foot.
Hardwood - Classic hardwood flooring is coveted by many, and if you find a home with existing hardwood, lucky you! Just be sure to treat it with care, wiping up spills immediately and padding the bottoms of chair legs to prevent scratches. Installing new hardwood can get pretty expensive, costing an average of $6-$22 per square foot. If you really want hardwood but don’t want to spend a fortune, you could have it installed in only a small portion of your home—or you could opt for laminate flooring that looks like hardwood but is much more durable.
Laminate - For low-maintenance flooring that looks like a million bucks but costs way less, consider laminate. Laminate flooring comes in a variety of different styles and can emulate the look of hardwood, tile, and even stone. Its durability makes it perfect for a home with kids or pets. Expect to spend somewhere between $3 and $8 per square foot.
Ceramic Tile - Whether terracotta, porcelain, glazed, or quarry, tile flooring can be an elegant addition to your home. It’s a popular choice for kitchens and bathrooms due to its exceptional moisture resistance. It’s on the pricier end (around $15 to $20 per square foot) and you’ll need to keep a good grout cleaner on hand, but it’s also very durable. And with so many different colors and styles available, you can create something really beautiful and unique!
Vinyl - Vinyl is another great waterproof option, especially for bathrooms. There are two ways to go when it comes to vinyl flooring. If you’re on a tight budget and looking for a quick DIY option, you might opt for sheet vinyl—it comes in a roll, there are a variety of styles to choose from, and it’s pretty easy to install yourself. If you want something more durable and elegant, do a search for “luxury vinyl plank flooring.” Similar to laminate flooring, you can get the look of hardwood or tile for a more affordable price.
To learn more, check out Moving.com's review of different flooring types.
If new clothes are on your holiday wishlist, you might want to clean out your closet before the gift-giving begins. And with the tenth annual Giving Tuesday coming up on November 29th, why not donate your gently used items to a charitable organization?
To ensure that your donation makes the
best-possible positive impact, follow these guidelines:
Research the charitable organization to make sure it's legitimate. Use Charity Navigator or Charity Watch, or reach out to your state's charity registration office.
Pay attention to which items are being accepted. If you donate items that aren't requested (such as out-of-season clothes) it can actually cause more harm than good—all you'll be doing is slowing the intake process and forcing someone else to dispose of your items.
Always wash clothes before donating. No one should have to touch your dirty laundry!
Only donate items that are in "new," "like new," or "gently used" condition (unless otherwise specified).
If clothes have holes or permanent stains, put them in a separate pile to be repurposed (into cleaning rags, DIY dog toys, etc.) or donated to a textile recycling program.
National Housing Market Update
As of mid-October, inflation is at a 40-year high and mortgage rates have risen above 7%, making affordability a challenge for many hopeful homebuyers.
“Rates started this year at 3%,” remarked CNBC’s Diana Olick, “so it’s no surprise mortgage applications from homebuyers are…down 39% from a year ago.”
The median listing price of for-sale homes is about 13% higher than a year ago, but price growth has been gradually slowing, and overall drops in pricing are expected in the next couple of years. Since the record-high median list price of $450,000 in June 2022, the typical asking price has dropped by about $23,000.
New listings were down 15% in early October compared to last year. This is due again to high mortgage rates; would-be sellers who also need to buy are struggling with the affordability of a trade-up home.
Active inventory is up about 31% compared to last year, although this number is still 40% below pre-pandemic months.
As for time on market, homes are still selling more quickly than they did in 2019 (more than two weeks faster) but we’ve seen growth in the last several months for time on market. Data from October shows an average increase of 7 days. “This means that buyers will have more time than last year or earlier this year to think through their options before missing out,” writes Realtor.com’s Jiayi Xu.