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NOVEMBER 2023 HOW JOHN IS BRINGING HOSPITALITY TO REAL ESTATE A WARM WELCOME TO JOHN MCLEOD! 860.613.6290 WWW.ROBERTCWHITE.COM
Hey there! There’s no Luke in this month’s newsletter; instead, he’s letting me take the reins this time around so I can introduce myself. I’m John McLeod, and I joined the Robert C. White & Co. team in 2022! I’m thrilled to be part of such an incredible group of people, and I hope I can help you get to know me, even just a little bit! While I was born and raised in Connecticut, I roamed all over the northern region of the U.S. after graduating from Johnson State College. With a fresh degree in hotel hospitality, I began working in resorts all over, from Vermont to Jackson and finally to Park City, Utah! With a love for travel (and skiing), it felt right for me for almost 13 years. That was until small-town life started to feel a little too small. I knew it was time for a change, and when I met my wife in Peru, that transition swiftly started taking place! I was on a recruiting trip in the stunning mountainous country when I met Alina, and it was clear to me that she was the woman I wanted to start a family and spend the rest of my life with. In Peru, it also became clear the work-life balance a hotel career entails would no
longer work for me. Real estate had always been in my line of sight, and it simply felt right. I was still in South America when I began interviewing with Robert C. White & Co! I knew from the interview alone that they weren’t like anything I’d encountered. You know that feeling during an interview where you awkwardly have to sell yourself? That wasn’t the case here. It wasn’t just routine. Meeting the team felt authentic and natural. After being hired, I could tell by the tasks and training provided that Robert C. White & Co. cares about their clients and employees. Every action and procedure was created with careful intention and dedication to others. It didn’t take long to recognize the compassion I experienced ran deep in the company’s roots. Luke especially has taken great care in not just training me but teaching me something new every day and changing how I think. Every day is different, and I feel engaged and motivated to improve. I recently received my real estate license, and I look forward to leasing and selling homes for my clients. Ultimately, I want to help Robert C. White grow sustainably and become a leader who can continue our great culture here. Outside the office, you can find me with Alina, playing with our 3-year-old son, who’s also named John! He’s my little clone who looks like me and copies everything I do. Nothing makes me smile like seeing him learn something new and grow. I’m excited to hit the slopes with Alina and John this winter! As you can tell from my time in Wyoming, I love skiing, and it’s a family favorite I can’t wait to share with them. I also can’t wait to continue working here at Robert C. White and make lasting connections with my clients. A five-star Google review from a client recently had me on cloud nine! I hope to impact and help my community the best I can. Let’s meet soon!
–John McLeod
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Say Goodbye to Chronic Clutter
Brick Painting vs. Staining:
USE THE CORE 4 METHOD TO TRANSFORM YOUR HOME!
If you’ve attempted Marie Kondo’s famous “spark joy” approach to decluttering but still have too much stuff, you might want to try the CORE 4 Method designed by professional organizer Kayleen Kelly. Kelly specializes in tackling “chronic clutter” and designs her techniques to work for everyone , including people who are neurodivergent. Her CORE 4 Method has earned her millions of online fans because it includes just four steps anyone can follow to purge clutter! Here’s how it works. Step 1: Clear Out — First, choose one room of your home to work on. Then, grab a trash bag and several sturdy boxes. Use the bag to collect trash like food wrappers or broken items you never got around to repairing. Then, look for things that belong in other rooms of your home and toss them into the boxes, using a different box for each room. If you’re working in your office, for example, move extra sweaters to your bedroom box and the spare hammer to your garage box. Then, put the boxes in their corresponding rooms to deal with later. Step 2: Categorize — Sort everything left in your room into categories. In your bedroom, you might have one pile for clothes, one for shoes, and another for hobby items. Step 3: Cut Out — Assess the storage in your room and use that space to calculate how many items you can keep from each category. For example, if you have a category of books, figure out how many will fit on your bookshelf. That’s how many books you can keep! Then, choose a category and go through it item by item. Kelly recommends using the “3 Second Rule”: Give yourself three seconds to decide if each item is a “Yes’’ or a “No,” and consider anything you hesitate on a “Yes.” Repeat this cycle until you have the right number of items in each category. Step 4: Contain — Stash each category of items in its designated storage space. Kelly suggests keeping “like” items together and ensuring your regularly used things are easy to access. These four steps can help you tackle even the most cluttered spaces. With help from a few friends, you can organize an entire room in a single day!
Which DIY Method Is Right for You?
Historical home lovers cringe at the thought of painting or staining original brick, but there’s no shame in it! In fact, it’s one of the easiest ways to give your home a facelift. However, deciding to refresh your brick facade or fireplace comes with a question: Should you paint or stain? Painting vs. Staining Painting or staining brick is very similar to painting or staining wood. Paint will sit on the brick’s surface and transform it with a bold, solid color. Stain will sink into brick and act more like a tint, adjusting the color to a lesser degree. Brick painting hides flaws like discoloration and crumbling, while staining lets the brick’s original texture show through, imperfections included. If you paint your brick, you can choose from a rainbow of colors — everything from neon green to lavender is on the table! Brick stains are more muted but still come in various shades, including light blue, warm yellow, gray, brown, and charcoal. The Application Process With either method, you need to clean your brick first. For indoor areas, spray the brick with a 1:1 mixture of water and vinegar, let it sit, and scrub it clean. Experts recommend power washing outdoor bricks. If you paint, you should prime the surface with masonry primer or use a 2-in-1 paint. Whether you paint or stain, you’ll need to apply multiple coats to achieve your ideal shade. Some bricks absorb stain more easily than others, and bricks that are sealed or painted won’t stain at all. You can test this by spraying water on your bricks. If the water sinks in, they’ll absorb stain! Whether you plan to paint or stain, a paint sprayer will deliver the fastest, easiest application. If you don’t own one, try renting from your local hardware store!
Pro Tip: Dampness on your bricks can prevent paint from sticking, so let them dry completely before painting.
The Maintenance Painted bricks can flake or peel easily, so experts recommend repainting them every 3–5 years. Brick stain, however, doesn’t need regular retouching. While costs of paint and stain vary, this difference in upkeep makes brick staining the more affordable option. Good luck, and happy renovating!
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Gutter Guards: WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW BEFORE BUYING
It doesn’t take much for your home’s gutters to clog. Whether a rainstorm washes debris down your roof or tree foliage sprouts inside your gutters, you may find yourself cleaning them out regularly. If not, clogged drains can lead to a host of issues, including water damage, sagging gutters, and even flooding. Gutter guards come in different shapes and sizes, but the primary purpose of these tools is to catch the residue and grime that falls off your roof to keep your gutters unclogged and functional. While gutter guards seem like a simple solution, they can also be another headache. But the benefits might outweigh the hassle. Benefits to Consider It’s easy to see why homeowners should consider gutter guards. Your gutters must be blockage-free to stream water away from your home effectively. Yet, aside from keeping your gutters unclogged, these helpful guards can also ensure: • Fewer gutter cleanups: Spend less time unclogging your gutters since your gutter guards are catching most of the debris. • Insect infestation prevention: Wet foliage and stagnant water can be breeding grounds for mosquitoes and other insects. When your gutters are clear, this won’t be a problem! • Delay in gutter rusting or erosion: With less water blocked in your gutters, you can increase the lifespan and minimize the need to replace rusted or eroded gutters.
• Freeze and ice dam prevention: The sun can melt snow and ice that drips into your gutters before re-freezing and causing a blockage. Guards can help ensure that water is constantly flowing away from your home. Some of the Drawbacks The main drawback to remember is that no gutter guard is a one-stop solution. They will in no way allow you to stop cleaning your gutters. Even with gutter guards, you must check and clean your gutters regularly. These guards won’t catch everything, and clogging can still occur with them in place. Cleaning your gutters with guards can also become more time-consuming than without them. While you will need to maintain and clean your gutter guards, they are still helpful in minimizing blockage and debris from damaging your gutters. Whether gutter guards suit your home and schedule is up to you!
Everything- Seasoned Dinner Rolls
TAKE A BREAK
Inspired by RealSimple.com
No need to make rolls from scratch this season. Instead, dress up store- bought rolls with delicious everything bagel seasoning!
Ingredients
• Cooking spray • 20 frozen dinner rolls • 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp honey • 2 tbsp everything bagel seasoning
Directions
1. Coat a 13x9-inch baking pan with cooking spray and arrange frozen rolls in the pan to thaw according to package instructions. 2. Preheat oven to 350 F. Then, melt butter and honey together in the microwave or on the stove. Once the rolls thaw, brush butter mixture over the rolls and sprinkle seasoning on top. Bake for 15–20 minutes, or until golden, and serve these tasty rolls straight out of the oven!
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INSIDE
1
Meet John, the Newest Member of the Robert C. White & Co. Team!
2
Brick Revamp: To Paint or Stain?
Tackle Clutter With the CORE 4 Method
3
Are Gutter Guards Worth the Investment?
Everything-Seasoned Dinner Rolls
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Easy and Affordable: Transform a Pumpkin Into a Centerpiece!
IMPRESS YOUR GUESTS WITH A DIY PUMPKIN CENTERPIECE
Are you hosting Thanksgiving this year? Here’s an easy and affordable way to wow your guests: Turn a pumpkin into a centerpiece in just four steps! 1. Choose a vase. Look for one with a flared top and narrower base that can hold the ideal size of floral arrangement for your table. 2. Purchase a pumpkin. Make sure the pumpkin is roughly the same height as your vase or a little bit taller. 3. Cut a hole in the top of your pumpkin and hollow out the inside. The hole should be big enough for the thickest part of our vase to fit through. After hollowing, drop the vase inside. Its rim should line up with the hole you carved.
4. Fill the vase with fall foliage. You can gather leafy branches, twigs, pine boughs, and pine cones outside or purchase fake ones! Stick to a fall color scheme of browns, reds, oranges, and yellows, or find items that match your table linens. Have fun and be creative!
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