Tag: real estate how-to

Top 5 Work from Home Tools

Posted on Mark Griggs

Here at Lake Homes Realty, working remotely is nothing new for us. Our company has always operated as a distributed enterprise. Our hybrid company operates through LakeHomes.com, our national lake real estate shopping website, and traditional locally based brokerages in 29 states.

Unlike traditional only real estate brokerages, Lake Homes has full-time real estate agents located in local lake markets across the country. Our agents have always worked from their home offices using technology to stay in constant communication with our corporate office in Hoover, Alabama.

We have a few tips for all you first timers out there who are now working from home:

Email

Email is your lifeline! Few technologies work better than email to stay in touch with work, friends, and loved ones. The ability to quickly send messages and files is invaluable to stay connected. Almost everyone has email, but just in case, you can find free email accounts at Gmail.com, Outlook.Live.com, or Yahoo.com, to name a few.

Zoom

Zoom has become a must-have for the mobile workforce. The video conferencing tool has soared in popularity as everyone from TV news personalities to late-night hosts use the platform to broadcast their TV shows. Not only is it an excellent tool for work but staying in touch with family is greatly enhanced by in-person sessions where you cannot only keep in contact but see each other in real-time! You can download the free version of the app at Zoom.us.

Slack

Photo source: slack.com

Slack is an instant messaging app that is invaluable! Our corporate staff uses it in the office and from home offices. Quickly contact teammates, make voice and video calls, share files, and connect the services to apps you use a lot for even more functionality. If you haven’t used Slack, you should! The basic program is free. You’ll find it at Slack.com.

Dropbox

Photo source: PCMag.com.

Dropbox lets you save data in the cloud and share files seamlessly with others. Upload documents directly from your computer to Dropbox. It’s a great way to share or receive large files. If you are a Windows user, you also have OneDrive, which works much the same.

Smartphones

Mobile smartphones have nearly become ubiquitous, but there are a few folks who haven’t made the jump. A good smartphone is more affordable than ever, and most can run all the apps we have previously mentioned in this article! Your smartphone is an invaluable tool for working remotely.

These are a few of the top tools we use every day for business and personal communication. Most of them have free versions, so try them out without spending any money in this time of conservation. We know you will find all these tools as valuable as we do! 

Repairing a Hole in Drywall

Posted on Staff

man repairing drywall on ceiling

Holes in drywall can be repaired fairly easily, with a minimal amount of equipment and work. Most homeowners can accomplish this with just a few tools.

Drywall is also referred to as plasterboard, wallboard or sheetrock.

Follow these steps in order to repair and conceal drywall holes of all different sizes.

Repairing a Large Hole: 4 to 6 Inches

You can get ready-made patches for drywall. These are available in different home supply centers and hardware stores.

Most offer a “peel-and-stick” type and most patches also have metal backing for additional strength.

If the hole was caused by door knob or other high-speed object, a patch can certainly hide it. However, it may not be strong enough to hold up if there is another impact. If that is the case, then you will need to get a new piece of drywall.

To install a drywall patch, follow these steps.

  1. First, clean the edges around the hole. Trim away any loose or frayed pieces using a utility knife.
  2. Shape or cut the patch carefully in order to fit your hole. Be sure to leave a border of extra backing around the patch in order to attach it to the wall that surrounds the hole.
  3. Clean and then dry the hole, to allow for maximum adhesion. If there are any greasy areas, you can clean them with some tri-sodium phosphate, found in the paint section of a hardware store. You can also just use soapy, warm water. Get the drywall damp enough to clean, but not soaking wet.
  4. Apply the patch to the wall, and smooth out the taped edges with a putty knife.
  5. Use a wide blade putty tool in order to spread a very thin layer of compound over the area.
  6. After it is dry, gently sand the patch to blend it into the wall and repaint.

Repairing Medium-sized Holes: 2 to 4 inches

If the hole is small, you may not need to use a patch. Instead, you can just use some joint compound, also found at a hardware store.

To apply:

  1. Clean up the area using a utility knife, and then trim away or press back any loose bits that are hanging down.
  2. Wet the repair area using a spray bottle. This will help the compound stick to the wall. This step can be skipped if you are using a non-water-based compound.
  3. Once your wall is clean and just a bit damp, apply a good amount of the compound onto a putty knife. Using a wider putty knife will produce a smoother result. Fill the hole and make sure there aren’t any gaps. It’s fine it it sticks out a little – that’s what the next step is for.
  4. Smooth out the compound using a putty knife. Hold the blade at roughly a 30 degree angle from the drywall, and pull it towards you in just one steady motion.
  5. Sand gently afterward, and repaint the section of wall if necessary.

Repairing Small Holes: Less than 2 inches

Smaller holes are very easy to repair, and can be unnoticeable if done correctly. You can use either non-shrink drywall compound or spackle.

  1. Clean up the area that needs to be repaired. Trim away the edges.
  2. Wet the area very lightly.
  3. Using a liberal quantity of the compound or spackle and a putty knife, cover the small hole and fill it in.
  4. Ensure that you smooth out the edges to blend it to the wall.
  5. Sand it down and paint over as needed.