1. Putting your home on the market during a specific season allows you to show your home with tasteful seasonal décor. Keep the décor simple so it complements the charm of your home.

2. Remove any holiday decorations for marketing photos so that your listing stays current for prospective buyers who are searching online.

3. Whether it is off-season or peak season, prepare your home for marketing by neutralizing its color scheme, getting rid of clutter, and organizing anything a buyer may be viewing.

4. You can benefit from being on the market during the colder and wetter months by creating an inviting warm and cozy environment in your home. Light a fire and offer some hot refreshments so prospects feel like settling in to experience their surroundings.

5. There are typically fewer competing homes on the market and more motivated buyers during the off-peak months. Take advantage of this by making your home memorable to every buyer who views your home.

6. Off-season marketing means you need to use every available means of exposing your home to prospective buyers. Use a professional photographer for all your photos and be sure to include a virtual tour.

Please contact me and I will show you how to further optimize selling your home in the off-season.

Environmental sciences professor Karen McGlathery and others oversaw the world’s largest seagrass restoration project in Virginia’s coastal waters, turning previously cloudy, sediment-filled bays into underwater forests teeming with life. Over two decades, the team scattered eelgrass seeds from a moving boat across the bays of Spider Crab, Cobb, Hog Island, and South, eventually sowing an incredible 75 million seeds.

Nine thousand acres of green seagrass now blanket the bays, and the tangible benefits for the entire ecosystem are there to see. The seas are now awash with crustaceans, fish, scallops, and more calling the seagrass home as well as clearer, purer water caused by the underwater greenery locking sediment and microplastic waste in place.

The project’s success doesn’t stop there, with the mammoth task being hailed as a game changer in the way conservation efforts are considered for the future. Restoration efforts elsewhere are taking inspiration from Virginia, such as the UK’s largest seagrass regeneration project, which is using the Virginia team’s blueprint for their own conservation efforts in the bays of Pembrokeshire, Wales.

In a small bowl, combine onion, garlic, tomato paste, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/4 tablespoon thyme, and water. Spread mixture evenly on baking dish. Arrange alternating vertical slices of potato, tomato, zucchini, and squash, starting at outer edge of the dish, working concentrically towards center. Drizzle with remaining olive oil, sprinkle with rest of thyme. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover with foil.

Bake until tender about 45 minutes. Optional: after 30 minutes, sprinkle with cheese and bake uncovered for last 15 minutes.

Here are a few ideas for environmentally friendly renovations to your house:

Make it a smart home. Installing smart home features can make your home more energy-efficient and environmentally sustainable. Automatic thermostats, hot water regulators, and lighting controls can limit the amount of energy you consume by ensuring you only use what you actually need as well as helping you to assess your overall energy usage and where it can be cut down.

Enhance your insulation. Even if you recently installed a smart thermostat, energy conservation efforts can be completely futile if the house isn’t properly insulated. Heat can escape through cracks and gaps in badly sealed windows or doorways, so make sure that you have a full checkup on the state of your insulation.

Modernize your windows. In tandem with insulation, outdated or poorly performing windows can significantly contribute to energy wastage within your home. Replacing outdated windows with energy-efficient alternatives serves a dual purpose, reducing both heating and cooling expenses as well as your carbon footprint.

Pick energy-efficient water fixtures. Adopting faucets, showerheads, and other water fixtures with a low rate of flow significantly contributes to a reduction in water usage without having to change any of your showering, bathing, or hydrating habits. Although it may take a while to get used to it, it really helps with overall water conservation, leaving your home greener and your bills lower.

If you’re planning a renovation to your home, call or email me today for tips on eco-friendly choices that may also increase your home’s marketability as well as its market value.

Set some boundaries. With so many tasks and people vying for your attention, it’s okay to say no to some things to protect your mental well-being. You don’t have to be available to everyone at all times.

Schedule regular time-outs. Allowing yourself a short period a couple of times a day in which you temporarily let go of your troubles and electronic devices can work wonders for a healthy mind. Switch off your phone and take a walk in the park, meditate, or read a book.

Have a nice hot bath. Few things are as physically and mentally relaxing as a nice bubble bath. Warm water on the skin has a physically calming effect on both the mind and body, while adding in some essential oils and nourishing soaps leaves you feeling totally rejuvenated.

Keep a gratitude journal. Regularly making a note of things you feel grateful for in life helps you develop an all-around positive mental attitude, keeping the joyous things at the front of your mind rather than the anxieties that try to seep in.

Stretch or practice yoga regularly. A surprising amount of our mental woes can begin as physical ones, whether it’s an achy back making you grumpy or a stiff neck grinding your gears. Practicing yoga, Pilates, or even just simple stretches on the regular can help eliminate those troubles, making you feel happy, energized, and able to do more with your body as well as your mind.