Summer is right around the corner which means our kiddos are home on vacation from school or in our current case, since COVID 19, home with no schoolwork. Entertaining kids can be stressful because you can entertain them for a day, maybe 2, but almost 3 months of entertainment is a bit of a challenge. Creating a list of possible ideas to do with the kids can be a good idea; it can be your go to when you are stuck and have no idea what you can do with them. You can even create it with the kids to get their input on some things they would especially like to partake in. We are here to save the day and give you some starter ideas!

1. Make homemade popsicles         

What kid doesn’t love a popsicle? Especially in the summer heat! So, why not make some fresh and healthy popsicles at home? It is super easy, and kids will like taking part in making them all while using just 6 ingredients. Here is a recipe:

1/2 cup Blueberries

2 Kiwis

2 Peaches

5 Strawberries

1 32 oz bottles Water, flavored

1 Popsicle mold (comes in different mold amounts/this recipe is created based on 6 popsicle molds)

All you have to do is cut up the fruit and evenly distribute it into the molds and then add a bit of water, filling just one half of the mold and put the sticks in, then freeze away!

2. Go indoor camping                            

If camping outside is not an option, you can always do it inside! All you need to do is use a tent (either you have one or you have no problem buying one), but if that is not an option, you can make one using blankets and chairs. Just make sure you create an empty space for all of this. Then, if you’re able to get outside in a yard or garden, challenge your children to find interesting leaves, rocks or pebbles or have them complete an obstacle course or scavenger hunt.

You can even make smores inside! Here are the ingredients you will need: 32 miniature graham crackers or 8 regular size graham crackers, broken in 1/2

2 milk chocolate bars, the kind that can be broken into squares

8 marshmallows

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Lay 1/2 of the graham crackers on a cookie sheet. Top with chocolate pieces to cover. Use kitchen scissors to snip the marshmallows in 1/2 horizontally if using miniature crackers and place 1/2 a marshmallow on top of each graham cracker. If using regular size crackers use a whole marshmallow.

Bake until the marshmallows are puffed and golden brown, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and top with the remaining graham crackers, pressing down slightly to make a sandwich. Serve immediately, while still warm.

3. Plant a flower or vegetable garden       

Here are 5 steps to take when planting either a flower or vegetable garden. Kids will need supervision because they do not know the process, but it will be a great learning opportunity for them.

1. Let them pick the plants: Take a trip to your local grocery store or farmer’s market and let the kids pick out their favorite fruits and veggies. I am sure most kids do not want to grow broccoli and the least they can do is pick a plant they actually like to increase motivation and enthusiasm.
2. Prep Your Bed: Before planting, start at the beginning of the process by explaining the uses for different garden tools. Encourage kids to pick the spots for their new plants. Ask them to check the plant tags for information on spacing and sunlight and then determine the best spot.
3. Plant: Most kids love digging holes. Once they have accomplished that task, it’s time to plant. Demonstrate how to gently remove plants from the container and loosen up the roots before planting.
4. Add nutrients and water: Just like people, plants need healthy nutrients to grow big and strong. Choose a fertilizer and then water the plants.
5. Create a schedule: Get kids involved in maintaining the garden by creating a monthly chart that includes days to water and feed. Chart when plants should be ready for harvest and create a countdown for your favorite plants.

These are just some of the hundreds of ideas you can do for your kiddos right in the comfort of your own home. We know going out and engaging in a multitude of activities is not an option at this point, once again due to COVID 19, but these activities will be fun for the whole family to engage in without having to go far. Here is a link to many more ideas! 

https://funcheaporfree.com/100-summer-activities-for-kids-free-printable-included/

Last week, we featured Thornton Park as our neighborhood spotlight and this week we are doing the same! We gave you the scoop on some must go to places, some background information about the community, and the different types of events Thornton Park likes to host. This week we want to give you more of a visual on what we talked about and outline the upcoming events within the next few months. Think of this as an extension of information; by the end of today’s blog you will be a tell all expert on Thornton Park while also hopefully giving you some future plans! Here is a fun video the Thornton Park District put together to show you what they're all about.

Thornton Park District - You Down With TPD? from Team True Media on Vimeo.

Here are the upcoming events: 

•  Thornton Park District's 6TH ANNUAL PUTT N' POUR PUB CRAWL on July 25 from 12-4PM EDT.          

Location: The Abbey; 100 S. Eola Drive Orlando, FL 32801

Admission: &15 per golfer (if purchased in advance) and $20 per golfer if you register on the day of event. Groups of 4 can purchase at $50.

Part pub crawl, part miniature gold tournament. It is an opportunity for participants to visit ten Thornton Park district bars and restaurants to be challenged by holes designed and built by each host location while enjoying drink specials and prizes. Scorecards will be stamped at each venue when golfers play the hole; contestants with all nine holes completed can submit their scorecard at the after-party to be entered to win prizes. At the end of the crawl, golfers and spectators converge at The Abbey for the official post party complete with live music, drink specials, awards, and a costume contest! Tickets include entrance, including 9 holes of golf in the participating venues, a commemorative gift bag, drink specials at each participating venue and admission to the after-party at The Abbey.

• Orlando Farmers Market on August 2 from 8-4PM EDT.

Location: Lake Eola Park; 512 East Washington Street Orlando Florida 32801

Admission: Free

The Orlando Farmers Market is much more than your traditional farmers market. Bringing the best in fresh produce, baked goods, crafts, gifts, jewelry, plants (indoor and outdoor), artwork, and handcraft items like jewelry, pottery, and soap. They are dog friendly, so bring your pup along for the experience.

Parking: Free on-street parking – including metered spaces – is available within walking distance of the market. Paid parking garages are located on South Osceola Avenue and North Eola Drive.

• Wine and Art Walk on August 13 from 6:30-9:30 PM EDT and set up starts at 5PM.

Location: The walk is from Washington St. and Hyer Ave., down Washington St. to Summerlin Ave., Down Summerlin Ave. to Central Blvd., and down Central Blvd. to Osceola Ave. and back. The place where the patrons pick up their cups to do the Wine Walk changes to a different business every month. And everyone walks the entire thing regardless of where it starts.

A fun night of displaying, creating, and selling your creations. Creations to bring include:  Paintings, drawings, photography, mixed media, pottery, sculpture, illustrations, prints, jewelry, crafts, wood worked items, handmade anything pretty much, etc…All items being displayed and/or sold must be made by the vendor or by an artist that is represented by the person at the table. There is no buy/sell merchandise allowed. That means that you cannot bring items that you bought to resell.

Admission: It is $15 to set up. Please send in your payment ahead of time by mail or through square. If you are sending in the payment through mail use cash, check, or money order. If you are writing a check or sending a money order, make it out to Thornton Park District. If you are using square please email thorntonparkorlando@gmail.com
Please mail all payments to
Thornton Park District
101 S Eola Drive #STE 200
Orlando Fl 32801

For more information on any of the events, go to https://www.thorntonparkdistrict.com/ 

A very essential decision to make when deciding on selling your home is how you want to go about the selling process. Do you want to sell on your own or go through a real estate agent? Selling your home means making a ton of decisions, but one of the first decisions is this. It is the most important because the selling process will depend on it. The majority of homeowners go through an agent and only about 11% of homeowners will sell on their own. According to Zillow, about 36% of homeowners do attempt to sell on their own initially until they run into challenges and bumps in the road that lead that decrease in the percent of people that successfully do sell on their own. Whether you choose to sell on your own or go through an agent, there are benefits. It is a matter of being knowledgeable because a lot of people don’t know much about the process of selling their home simply because it may be their first time or it could just be that they haven’t been through it enough. We will outline the benefits of both options.

For Sale By Owner (FSBO):  

1. You can manage and schedule showings and open houses: You are essentially the complete boss through the selling process, pretty cool right? You call all the shots. You get to decide when you want to show your home. You don’t have to scurry and clean last minute before a showing or show your house when it does not fit with your schedule. No need to wait on an agent and work with his/her schedule just to show your home. When you call the shots as the seller, you can choose whether you want to show it today, tomorrow, next week, or next month. 

1. You will have control of the listing price: As the seller of your home, you decide on the listing price. Your home is an asset, so do your research and set an appropriate price. With an agent in the picture, the ultimate decision cannot just be made by you. When selling on your own, you can even hire an appraiser to give you a value on your home to lead you into the right direction.
2. You will avoid paying commission: When a seller decides to work with an agent in selling the home, they must pay commission to the agent. The commission is percentage based on the price of the home. Typically, real estate agents make about 4-6% of the home’ purchase home.

Ultimately, the main pros in selling on your own is sole decision making, saving a bit of money, and working on your time. If these things are most important to you, then selling on your own is probably your best bet.

Selling through a Real Estate Agent:  

1. They understand the market: This goes back to that decrease in percentage of sellers that sell on their own. Understanding your local market as well as pricing strategies is particularly important when selling your home and it’s okay to say that you may not be so knowledgeable on the area as well as real estate experts would be. This is their expertise after all. You want to make sure you are making the best financial decision when selling your home, and with the help of an agent, you can do that.

1. They know their paperwork: Whether you are buying or selling a home, you are dealing with a lot of contracts and paperwork. There is a lot of documentation, and most of all, there is a lot of accountability. One wrong move, and things can get very messy. Real estate agents know their paperwork, so they will share their knowledge and guide you. They are there every step of the way.

1. They have access to market exposure: Real estate agents create a platform for themselves, both in person and online. They want people to look for them, so the only way to do that is by exposing themselves. When they work with you on selling or buying, given the access to listing portals and the local MLS, they will make connections and create a presence for your home giving it the exposure it needs the same way they do with themselves. They represent you.

Ultimately, when working with a real estate agent, you are getting a truly knowledgeable partner. Not everything is on you and any questions or concerns you have; they are there to answer them. The seller and agent work together, but also make decisions together. When selling your home, chances are you are emotionally attached, and making decisions on the home is one thing, but now having to share the decision making with someone else might be a bit difficult. If you can put your feelings aside and make decisions best fit for your home and be open to the help, then going through an agent might be the best fit.

People who are selling their home for the first time tend to feel similar emotions as those buying a home for the first time. The one major question that comes to mind is, “where do I start?” Anyone doing anything for the first time will feel overwhelmed because it is in fact a new experience. The typical homeowner lives in their home for about 13 years, (not necessarily the case for everyone), but this is the average. Also, homeowners like to stay for at least 5 years to build up enough equity. So, let us just say a homeowner lives in their home between 5 to 13 years. That is a long time for someone to be in the same place, so you can imagine the topic of selling your home being a farfetched idea. The point behind this statement is that homeowners tend not to think about selling their home until they reach that point and decide they want to sell their home. When that day comes, the, “where do I start” question happens to pop up. Last week, we outlined questions to ask yourself and some things to consider when buying your first home, and this week we will do the same with selling your first home.

1. What is your motivation in selling?

This question is an important one. For one thing, you want to make sure you are selling for the right reasons and ultimately when breaking down the reasons for selling, you might find that maybe now is not the time.  Selling your home is still expensive, so make sure you are certain. Upon doing this you will want to do a few other things:

• Make a list of reasons you want to sell and what will you gain upon selling and moving or selling and buying a new home. For instance, selling because you got a higher paying job in another part of town may be a standard reason to sell. Selling because you’ve been there too long may not be a good enough reason. This is not to say that you cannot move simply because you want to, but just make sure you are prepared mentally and financially as well as know what you are getting yourself into.
• Make a list of deal breakers or must haves upon selling; things like sale price, time frame for moving, budget for prelisting home improvements, etc.
• Call your loan servicer to discuss the remaining mortgage balance. That is the first step in seeing how much equity you will have upon selling.
• Figure out if this is the right time to sell in your area. This is done by researching and understanding the state of your local market. Nationally, the best time of year to sell your home, both to maximize your profits and to minimize time on market, is the first half of May. Homes listed for sale in this window sold six days faster than average and for $1,600 more, according to Zillow research. If you have any flexibility on when you want to sell and get into your new home, then waiting might be your best bet.

These points will help you determine whether you really want or need to sell and whether you want to wait and hold off for a better time. A better time might be later because you realized you do not know how much you want to sell for, or you do not have that home improvement budget ready. It can also be because you realized you are not doing it for the right reasons.

2. Have a representation strategy.

This is where you, the home seller, ask yourself whether you want to sell your home on your own or go through a real estate agent. About 10% of home sellers in the last year have decided to sell their house on their own. That statement concludes that most sellers do go through a real estate agent. This is not to say that one is better than the other because each has its pros and cons and preference is another factor to consider. (Tomorrow’s blog will list out the pros and cons!)

3. Stage your house.

Once you’ve come up with a sale price, contacted your loan servicer, and figured out how you want to go about selling your home, you then want to stage your home for potential buyers when they come see the house. Presentation is everything. You are showing potential buyers how great this house is, but they can not see that if there is clutter. Think of yourself going to look at a house for the first time, you saw the pictures online and it looks great. Then, you go see it and it did not meet your expectations simply because it was messy; there was no appeal. You would not want that, so buyers looking at your home probably will not either. Some tips are rearranging furniture to create more openness, declutter, clean, and depersonalize. Potential buyers want to experience the home as if it will be theirs and they cannot do that with your stuff all over. This is still your home after all and you are not expected to remove your belongings, but you intend to pass this home to someone else and you want to give them the space to visualize themselves in it. Below is an example of a non staged room versus one that is. (For more information on staging, blog post will be featured next week!)

Our one and only just sold property spotlight this week features 7317 Mandarin Dr., Orlando, Florida 32819. The property is located in Tangelo Park. This 3-bedroom, 2 bathroom is a wonderful ranch style fixer-upper in an established neighborhood. It is also within walking distance to shopping, public transportation and centrally located to major attractions.

                                                   Situated on a spacious corner lot

                                                   with a large fenced-in back yard,

                                                   perfect for family gatherings and barbecues.

The area of the home is 1,833 sq ft.  

Features a large bonus room with wet bar for entertaining, storage and wood floors through most of the home.