https://www.cardinalgroupofmaine.com/

Cardinal Group of Keller Williams Realty, Bath, ME (2026)

10/11/2022

Good lighting is important in many places in the home. When you’re working in the kitchen, though, having sufficient lighting to see what you’re doing is vital. Poor lighting in your kitchen can make cooking and other tasks a pain, especially if the lighting leaves shadows in areas that you use a lot. Fortunately, there are a number of options available when it comes to adding new lighting to your kitchen. Here are some of the best for you to consider.

Recessed Lighting
One popular lighting option for kitchens is recessed lighting. This is especially useful if you have relatively low ceilings, as you can have multiple light sources in the kitchen without having large fixtures hanging down. Recessed lighting can also be used to accent other lighting solutions as well, giving you more light where you need it while only taking up a small amount of space on the ceiling.

Under-Cabinet Lights
Cabinet space is a must-have in the kitchen, but if you have a lot of cabinets then they can actually block some light from reaching your countertops and stove. A great way to take care of this problem is to install under-cabinet lighting that can provide some extra light right where it’s needed. Similar lighting can also be placed under stove hoods or other overhead spaces to ensure that you have the light that you need in the parts of your kitchen that you use the most often.

Top Lighting Options for Your Kitchen, Lighting, Lights, Kitchen, Kitchen Lightingn

10/09/2022

CLOSED!

Sometimes it takes a little extra sweat to sell your home, and these owners really pulled out all the stops to makes sure their home sale was smooth. I always appreciate dedicated clients, and the Dudley's were no exception. CONGRATULATIONS you two!

Come and see the potential in this multi-level home! Set back from the road, and nicely situated on 1.16 acres this three bedroom, two and a half bath home has loads to offer. Down the drive, this home welcomes you with a brick walk-up and covered porch entry. Leave your coat and shoes in the tiled....

10/07/2022

Growing and tending a garden through the spring and summer can be one of the most fulfilling and rewarding of human experiences. The harvest in the early fall is simply sublime. But cleaning all that mess up? It’s much less poetry-worthy. Even so, there’s a certain art to putting the vegetable garden to bed, one that can increase your yields year after year once you’ve mastered it.

Compost, Mulch, and Cover Crops
The end of the gardening season is never pretty. Dried up plants, often broken or bent, are scattered across a once-fertile landscape in an almost post-apocalyptic scenario. It’s dark, it’s brown, it’s all kinds of heart-wrenching to know you’ve reached the end of the life cycle of your garden. But take heart! What you’re seeing is just another part of the cycle, the beginning of another stage of your garden’s life.

In the fall and winter, all the nutrients those vegetable plants used up to produce lovely vegetables and fruits have to be returned to the soil. Some of that comes in the form of spent vegetation breaking down, and some will come in the form of additives to the soil. Both work together to ensure that next year’s is a bumper crop.

Putting Your Vegetables to Bed This Fall,nVegetables, Bed, Fall

10/05/2022

STUDENT LOANS VERSUS MORTGAGES

According to the Brookings Institute, about 42 million Americans (one in eight) have a student loan, totaling about $1.5 trillion in student loan debt. Only 30 percent of Bachelor’s degree recipients graduating in 2011-2012 managed to escape without a student loan; another 30 percent accumulated $30,000 or more in student debt. All this adds up to a whole lot of potential borrowers who have to navigate the added complexities involved with buying a house with student debt.

WHAT’S YOUR STUDENT LOAN REPAYMENT PLAN?
If you have student debt, you probably were initially given a standard repayment plan. Many students, however, found quickly that they weren’t able to pay those payments reliably and risked default. For 8.1 million borrowers, not quite 20 percent of all student loan holders, those standard repayment plans were traded in for income-driven repayment plans. Although income-driven repayment was meant to help students successfully keep their loans in good standing, they also can create complications for getting a traditional mortgage.

Student Loans Versus Mortgages, Mortgage, Student Loan,

09/30/2022

here are a number of smells that can occur in your . Sometimes they’re temporary bouts of unpleasantness, and other times they stick around. A lot of smells and can seem , since even lingering mustiness or other odors can kind of fade over time as you get used to them. Unfortunately, just because you’ve gone somewhat “nose blind” to those smells doesn’t mean that other people have, and that can be a if you’re your home for .

If you’re trying to entice people to be interested in your home, you need to make sure that the first thing they smell when walking in the door isn’t some awful smell that you’ve just gotten used to. Unfortunately, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution to bringing the smell of your home around to work to your advantage. With that said, here are a few things that might help.

Smell
If there are unpleasant smells in your home, the first thing that you should do is work on getting rid of the source of those smells. sprays and other can reduce or eliminate the cause of many pet odors, even if your pets have had accidents on the carpet. Likewise, a mix of ice, rock salt, and white vinegar can help clean and odors from the garbage disposal. A can go a long way toward getting rid of musty smells by reducing the humidity to a level where mildew and mold can’t grow. A thorough cleaning can also help, especially if it involves both vacuuming and shampooing the carpets and plush furniture surfaces.

If specific items such as a rug under the box or an old and musty pair of work boots are the source of the smell, get them out of the house or get rid of them entirely. Tossing things out may seem like a drastic , but unless you eliminate the source of an odor, it isn’t really ever going to fully go away. Plus, if something is stinking up your home that bad then you probably don’t really need it around anyhow.

Good Scents: Using Smell to Entice Homebuyers,nScents, Smell, Homebuyers,

09/29/2022

Growing a is the ultimate of faith. After all, you never know if your plants will thrive or if they will cease to be long before their full potential. Hopefully, with diligent , and a little luck, your will grow big, strong, and glorious. When it comes to growing climbing plants (often referred to as “ ,” “climbers,” or “lianas”), two of the most important parts of their are having the right kinds of things to climb and the right help to get started on their way .

WHAT IS A CLIMBING PLANT?
The term “climbing plant” is kind of a catch-all term that includes a range of plants with long, flexible stems, and some mechanism that allows them to reach great heights in their native environments. However, some climbing plants will also just become shrubs if they have nothing to climb, and others will climb for a while, then set roots where they land before shedding their climbing tools all together.

Trellising 101: Climb, Plant, Climb!,nPlants, Trellising , Vine

09/27/2022

Your home’s HVAC system works hard throughout the year. Unfortunately, this can cause it to experience problems over time, often at a time when you’d really rather it not fail on you. This is why yearly maintenance and inspections are recommended, since a little bit of attention now can save you a whole lot of problems (and money) later on.

There’s more that you can do to help your HVAC system stay in good working order than just having it inspected and maintained, though. One of the big things that you can do to help is keeping your ductwork clean. This helps to prevent blocked airflow, keeps dust and other particles from being recirculated into the air, and overall reduces the strain on your HVAC unit as it tries to push air through the entire ductwork system. If you’ve never cleaned your ductwork before, here’s what you need to know to start.

Cleaning Your Ductwork
There are a few things that you can do to clean up your ductwork. One that’s often overlooked is actually vacuuming it out to remove built up dust, dirt, and other particles. You obviously can’t do this to the entire length of your ductwork, but removing vent covers and vacuuming around the vent area still makes a huge difference. Dust and debris tend to pile up here because some of it is trapped by the vent cover itself, and it mixes with debris and other items that might get dropped down the vent by mistake. When the air kicks on, some of this loose debris is circulated back into the house, bringing with it mildew and mold spores and a variety of other things that will either be breathed in or clog up your air filter. Vacuum it out now to help keep this from happening.

Speaking of air filters, they are one of your best tools when it comes to cleaning up your ductwork. Changing them monthly keeps them in good working condition, preventing a lot of the dust, dander, and other unwanted particles from making it into your ductwork in the first place. Set a schedule to change your filter, writing it on your calendar or setting up some other reminder so that you don’t forget. Once this schedule is in place, you’ll be amazed at how much of an effect this consistency can have on the state of your ducts.

How to Keep Your Ductwork Clean,nDuctwork,nDuctwork clean,nKeep your Ductwork Clean

09/13/2022

For everyone out there looking at homes right now, there are three little letters that could make or break your purchase decision. They are “H,” “O” and “A.” Three of the most frightening letters of the alphabet, imposed over the largest purchase you’ll ever make — it’s a recipe for high anxiety.

But not every Homeowners Association is the nightmare that many home buyers imagine. As long as you do your homework and know exactly what you’re getting into, your HOA may be the best decision you ever made.

HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATIONS, MAINTENANCE AND UNIFORMITY
HOAs are often part of life for condo, townhouse and some single family homeowners. They’re not all good and they’re not all bad. Their purpose in this modern world is to maintain a sort of uniformity and authority that can not only help neighbors deal with disputes, but help the neighborhood as a whole keep a nice, shiny reputation.

When it comes to attached homes, like condos and townhouses, the HOAs also maintain the exteriors of buildings, including roofing, and common areas, like lawns. Single family HOAs often provide amenities like pools and common buildings that can be used for parties. The more the HOA does, the more the fees will be. And sometimes there will be fees even if they don’t do much.

What is a Homeowner's Association?,nHomeowner Association,nHomeowner,nHomeowners

09/12/2022

When natural disasters hit, the effects are typically much more significant than you might first suspect. Sure, there is the immediate impact and potentially some damage resulting directly from that, but in most cases, there is also a significant amount of clean up and recovery that’s required afterward. This is especially true in instances of flooding where it can take weeks if not months or longer to get everything dried out and cleaned up.

So what should you do if your home is hit by flood waters? There are a lot of potential answers to this question, depending in large part on how severe the flooding was where you live. After all, getting some water in your house or basement is a much different situation than heavy flooding that damaged your foundation or broke windows and damaged walls. Assuming your home didn’t receive significant structural damage from the flood, here are a few suggestions to get you started with the cleanup process.

Dry It Out
Your first priority in dealing with flood cleanup is getting everything as dry as possible. Use pumps, buckets, wet/dry shop vacs, or other tools to remove as much water as you can, then wipe up or mop areas that still have a little bit of surface moisture on them. Set up fans to keep air moving to aid with the drying process, and open windows if possible to give water-laden air a place to go. For rooms that don’t have good ventilation, set up dehumidifiers to help remove moisture from the air. Getting as much water as possible out of your home quickly will help you avoid mold and mildew growth that is quite common after flooding.

If you’ve got mud, sludge, and other debris in your home, use a shovel or similar tool to scoop it up and remove it from the house. Try to get as much of it as possible while it’s still wet, because it will be much harder to remove once it starts to dry. Getting this sort of debris out of your house as soon as possible is also important to keep unwanted smells out of your home; mud and other debris can contain fungi, mold spores, and other materials that will break down and decay, so you want to get it out quickly if you can.

Food Clean Up Tips, Food, Foods, Food Tips

09/09/2022

What Kinds of Banks Issue Mortgages?

When you’re shopping for a mortgage, it can be tempting to just talk to the first person you meet, sign the loan documents, and be on your way. But before you do that, it’s actually pretty important that you ask what type of financial institution you’re dealing with, because they’re not all the same. Here’s a quick rundown of the main differences.
Traditional Banks
Traditional banks are exactly what you imagine when you think of banks. They’re big institutions that collect deposits, notarize things, and sell bonds to the public. With the funds from these activities, they also may lend their own money for the long term, or they may sell their loans to a secondary loan buyer like Fannie Mae to free up more cash.
With a traditional bank, you’ll often get a pretty good deal when it comes to fees, since there are no middlemen to pay, and a competitive lending rate. However, if you’re looking for special homebuyer programs, you’ll find that banks can’t always offer the same ones, and you may have to go to the specific bank offering the program you’re after. They can also be pretty picky when it comes to borrowers, and may not be willing to overlook blips on your credit report.

What Kinds of Banks Issue Mortgages?, Mortgages, Bank Issue

09/07/2022

SHOULD YOU SELL OR SHOULD YOU REMODEL YOUR HOME?

Your home, as they say, is where your heart is, and for so many homeowners, it’s a lot more than a saying. Their home is a place where they made so many memories with family and friends, and considering selling it can be extremely painful. But what do you do if your home is no longer meeting your needs? Can you simply remodel your home into the house you need? It’s a hard decision to make, to be sure, but there are some major considerations that can help you decide which is the right choice for you and your family.

HOW CLOSE IS YOUR HOME TO PERFECT?
Sometimes, the changes you need to make your home right for today are small. For example, if you’re planning on aging in place, but all the bedrooms are upstairs, you might be able to add a small bedroom suite to the back or side of your home on the main floor, depending on the layout. This would allow you to continue to stay in your home, even if trips up the stairs were increasingly infrequent as you aged.

On the other hand, if your remodel is more about a totally whole new look or going from a space that’s largely compartmentalized to entirely open concept, that’s a huge change to a house that will require a considerable amount of time, effort, and money. In those cases, it’s usually better to find the house you want and sell the one you’re in.

Should You Sell or Should You Remodel Your Home?,nSell your home?, nRemodel your home?

09/06/2022

Smart Switches 101

As smart homes become more common, some homeowners are going beyond basics like smart bulbs and assistant hubs like Google Home and Amazon Echo. This can take a number of forms, from the addition of smart electronics and security systems to sensors throughout the house that can recognize when people walk into rooms and adjust the lighting and other resources accordingly. One increasingly popular option is the installation of smart switches in lieu of simply relying on individual smart bulbs to control lighting.

So what are smart switches, anyway? How do they work? Can you install them anywhere, or are there specific things that your home needs? If you’re curious about smart switches and whether they would be a good addition to your home, here are some of the basics that you should consider.

HOW SMART SWITCHES WORK
At their core, smart switches operate like most standard light switches and can turn lights or other connected devices on and off. Given that the switches are smart devices, though, they can do significantly more than that. Smart switches allow you to control the lights remotely using either an app or voice control through a digital assistant or a third-party hub. Depending on the bulbs that you use with your smart switch, you may also be able to control the brightness of the lights (similar to a dimmer switch) or function as a three-way switch. It’s worth noting that unless the bulbs are designed for it, smart switches can’t give you the ability to control the light’s colour the way that standard bulbs can.

Perhaps the greater benefit of smart switches is that they allow you to tie your lighting into a larger smart ecosystem without having to pair each individual light bulb to the network. This gives you greater control of your home as a whole and allows you to incorporate lighting into smart home routines without having to program a bunch of individual components. You can also pair your smart with remote controls, giving you a portable switch that lets you control your lighting even without accessing your overall smart home controls.

Smart Switches 101, How to Inslall Smart Switches?,

Cardinal Group of Keller Williams Realty

10/11/2022

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