March 2017

Spring is in the Air

Now that the weather is warming up, snowbirds will start making their way back to their summer homes. But the journey back isn’t necessarily going to be an easy one. Going back to your summer home will require just as much planning as leaving for the winter did. Hopefully you took the necessary precautions to ensure your summer home will still be in good shape when you get there before you left, but now that you’re heading back, you’ll need a new checklist of things to make the move easier.

Taking Care of Your Winter Home

Before you left your home, you probably prepared it for the time you’d be gone. One of the best things you can do before you leave your winter home is to arrange with someone to take care of your property. Although you don’t need someone to check up on your place every day, it’s good if you have someone who can maintain your house and take care of any emergencies.

For safety’s sake, it’s also best if your house still looks like it occupied, even if it isn’t. This means that the person you left in charge should help you remove snow after storms so it appears as if everything at your place is still being maintained as usual. Your property manager should also collect your mail and any other packages dropped off at your property. By making your place appear as if there’s still someone there, you’re deterring burglars – who might see your absence as the perfect way to break in without the risk of being caught.

You’re also helping to keep strangers out of your mailbox, which could help if there are any mischievous kids in your neighborhood who might steal mail for fun.

Renting Out

If you have a reliable property manager, one of the smartest things you can do is to rent out your summer home during the winter while you’re gone. A website like Airbnb is perfect for this, as most tenants will only want to stay for a short amount of time. However, renting out your summer home will mean you can’t switch off the water, which will mean extra maintenance for your property manager, so be sure you can get enough guests while you’re gone to make it worthwhile.

Remember, your place might not look special to you, but if you live in a small town, there might be many people who want to escape the hustle and bustle of the city over the holiday season.

Arriving Home

Once you arrive back at your summer place, you’ll have plenty of work to do. You’ll have to go through your house and check that there isn’t any maintenance that you’ll need to tend to. Check that the pipes are in order, that all your lights still work and that there aren’t leaks in your roof. Also check the walls to see that there are no areas where paint is chipping off that appear wet.

If no one was staying in your house while you were gone, test your freezer and refrigerator before filling it up. Only put a few things into your fridge and freezer and leave it for a few hours or a day to see that it’s still good.

Once you know that everything is still functioning properly, you can go to work cleaning away and dust and other dirt that built up in places while you were gone.

Getting Back Home

Hopefully you know what you should have done to ensure your home is still in good shape once you get back. And hopefully your house will feel just like home again within almost no time after you get there, but before you can think about everything you’ll need to do once you get home, you first have to plan how you’ll get there.

By this time, you probably have a set time for your return. You can return to your summer place either by driving back, or by shipping or car.

If you ship your car, you’ll need to book a flight. Use a website like Skyscanner to help you find the best time to fly back. By comparing different dates, you can save a lot on flying. Often times, flights that are only a single day apart have a large price difference.

However, if you were planning to drive back, it’s advisable that you check the weather in advance. Although the likelihood is far less, you might still get stuck in a snowstorm driving back north during April. If the weather isn’t playing along, it will be best to have your car shipped and book a flight.

An while you won’t be able to know what the weather will look like a month from now, staying up to date with what’s currently happening can help you make an informed choice. If you see a lot of stormy weather on the way you’ll be driving, it might still be the same by the time you’re planning to head back.

Remember, driving the distance most snowbirds travel is a long and tedious task, not to mention the mile you’re putting on your vehicle. Don’t get your feathers in a bunch with the stress of getting your vehicle home, let Suncoast Auto Transport return your car for you.

JonGSpring is in the Air
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Snowbirds: Tips to welcome you home!

Coming back from excursion is a conformity, much more so for seniors who spend the winter months in alternate atmospheres. When you get back, it’s not simply from another aera, it’s an entire other perspective. Here are a few tips that can help Snowbirds settle their quills as they rush back for the Spring.

Wash Away

When you return home, dump your excursion garments in the clothes washer. It’s the ideal typical approach to move from get-away to ordinary life. Once your summer-wear is spinning, reset your thermostat, pull on a sweater, and start taking stock.

Welcome Back to Winter

Snowbirds know the best thing about traveling south for the season is disregarding the ice and snow. Without an early warmth wave, in any case, you’ll likely experience a couple chips or bit of ice before Spring’s in full swing. Get reacquainted with the meteorologist. Dress for the climate. Liquefied, ice and snow can rapidly refreeze into hazardous conditions for drivers and people on foot alike. In the event that you do get hit with a late-Spring tempest or polar vortex, take after these tips to remind you how to remain safe out and about when it’s truly icy.

Relax

It’s energizing to see family and companions when you return, visit most loved places, and return to your causes and clubs. Despite the fact that there’s no place like home, settling in is both a perspective and body, so allow yourself to adapt upon your arrival. Take a couple days unwind before observing the grandkids or coming back to work or volunteering.

Come back to Normal

Most Snowbird timetables vary extraordinarily from life at home. Abstain from feeling lost or unsettled by taking control and making an arrangement for getting back ready. Before you attempt to handling that heap of mail or empty ice chest, composing and organizing a schedule will help you feel more in charge and less overpowered.

Settle a Meal Plan

It’s enticing to request takeout when confronted with a chilly stove and a void refrigerator, however it’s ideal to get on the correct path quickly. Make a dinner arrangement (before setting off to the market). Colder climate and less movement can change your craving and make you more slanted to nibble. An arrangement will guarantee you eat ideal, as well as on time, and have a lot of sound munchies close by for desires.

Security First

Check or change the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide finders. Actually, Spring is the ideal time to test anything that keeps running on batteries, for example, medicinal alarms, electric lamps, radios, timekeepers, and remote controls. A couple of hours in the wake of restarting hardware, feel all attachments and outlets for warmth; any radiating warmth ought to be checked by a circuit repairman.

Home Sweet and Clean Home

Dust accumulates whether you’re home or away, so a decent wipe down of all surfaces is an absolute necessity. Before turning on warmth or fans, vacuum vents to dispose of amassed tidy and flotsam and jetsam that could blow around and shake your sinuses and skin. Run spigots to clear dormant pipes and wipe down all sinks and tubs. Clean your dishwasher by running it discharge with a quarter measure of bleach. De-odorize your waste transfer by dropping in salt, ice cubes, and a cut-up lemon. Wipe plastic seals and edges with baking soda and a damp sponge.

Continue Moving

Wintering in hotter climate makes it less demanding to remain dynamic. Try not to lose that force when you return home, regardless of the possibility that it’s still icy out. Wrap up and go for a walk, or discover a place to practice inside. After a long get-away is likewise a decent time for your standard physical or to get any “little issues,” looked at.

Soak up the Sun

Daylight is the main reason Snowbirds rush South. Back home, don’t quit soaking up no less than a couple beams each day, regardless of the possibility that despite everything you need to wrap up to go outside. As it gets hotter, recollect to drink a lot of water and wear sunscreen.

Everything’s Riding on It

Regardless of whether it wintered with you in the South or stopped at home, Spring is the ideal opportunity for auto TLC. Sitting in the carport or reviling along the footpath both effect your vehicle, and even a little winter driving can be no picnic for your ride. Salt from the expressway or seashore oxidizes after some time in wheels and under chassis, creating rust. A decent wash is the initial step to preparing your auto for Spring. The second step is to put on the pressure. Temperature influences tire weight, so make a point to check your swelling against the prescribed level(s) for your vehicle (recorded on a label inside your entryway). You ought to do essential auto upkeep each three or four months in any case, so Spring is the ideal time to clean or supplant wiper sharp edges, get an oil change, check your brakes, liquid levels, arrangement as well as have your tires pivoted, analyze hoses and belts for splits, and check your treads (for points of interest, look at this realistic, Everything You Need to Know About Tire Safety), and inspect your outside for chips and rust spots.

Hidden Treasure

Clean under your seats. You’ll likely discover that lost earring or the cause of that funky smell. Even the cleanest vehicle will collect sand from the beach or green under the floor mats, capture crumbs and wrappers in crevices, or need a wipe down after the winter months. Keep it clean with this simple trick to make a garbage can out of a Tupperware, or if you frequently spill, try this trick, the cup holder sponge coaster. Pull out and clean your floor mats, vacuum or wet-vac the interior, and wipe down the entire interior, from dashboards to windows, for the perfect Spring shine.

Welcome back, Snowbirds! Or if you and your car are still in the South, consider shipping your car back rather than taking the risk of driving.

JonGSnowbirds: Tips to welcome you home!
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Life-sized LEGO Batmobile unveiled at Detroit Auto Show

Chevrolet unveiled its LEGO Batmobile, which the company said in a news release was inspired by Batman’s vehicle in the soon-to-hit-theaters The LEGO Batman Movie. Of course kids there could hardly contain themselves, some adults too!

“Look at Batman!” 10-year-old Malachi Julian, of Washington Township, said once he spotted LEGO Batman hanging out on a wall near the soon-to-be-unveiled LEGO Batmobile. Malachi, whose uncle works for the company that designed and built the booth for the exhibit, was front and center as 17-foot-long, nearly 1,700-pound LEGO Batmobile was revealed.
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JonGLife-sized LEGO Batmobile unveiled at Detroit Auto Show
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