DIY Fall Home Projects

Looking for a quick weekend project? From repainting your front door to creating a fall floral display, consider one of these DIY ideas:

Repaint Your Front Door

The original color of your front door might not last long, especially while it’s bracing different kinds of weather. If you find that your front door is looking a little dull, spruce it up with a repaint! It’s a nice way to make the entryway pop.

Fall Flower Display

Just because summer is coming to an end, it doesn’t mean you can’t still have some flower decor! There are plenty of flowers that bloom nicely in the fall, take for example chrysanthemums. They come in shades of red, orange and yellow, perfect for the new season.

Clean Up Your Home’s Exterior

Alongside fall comes an abundance of leaves covering every street corner. A great way to keep your home looking fresh is to clean out these leaves as often as possible! Power wash your windows and keep the lawn nicely raked. You can even apply a fresh coat of paint to any outer areas that seem chipped or damaged.

New Outdoor Lighting

Since evening comes around faster in the fall, be prepared to spruce up the outdoor glow of your home! Your choice of lighting can illuminate how your house looks at night, while also keeping you and your family safe from slips, falls, or intruders. You can get decorative, fall-specific lights to shine on your front porch or choose lanterns or LED floodlights for a more sophisticated look.

Fall Decorations

Many craft stores offer supplies for a DIY decoration project. You can make both indoor and outdoor decor to liven up your home. From simple autumn-themed wreaths to homemade candle holders, the options are endless.

At P.T.R.C., Inc., we’ve made it our mission to ensure our clients pay the lowest amount in property tax as required by law. Since 1990, we’ve been recognized as fair and honest, and our clients benefit from the close working relationships we’ve established with the assessing units over the years.

5 Money Mistakes to Avoid

To help you stay on track with your financial planning habits, avoid some of these common money mistakes:

1. Lack of a Budget

It’s important to budget your money so that you can create a spending plan. With a budget in place, you can put aside money for important things and long term goals — plus, it’ll prevent you from spending all your money at once!

2. Avoidable Fees

From overdraft fees to card replacement fees, there are many little things we can avoid having to constantly pay for. Don’t spend more than you have in your account and certainly keep close watch of your credit card. Also, simple mistakes like reading a street sign incorrectly or not paying the parking meter can add up over time!

3. Not Having an Emergency Fund 

It doesn’t matter how old you are or where you live, anyone can be affected by some kind of emergency. It could be anything from a medical issue to a sudden loss of employment, or even a natural disaster. If you aren’t prepared for an unforeseen situation, you could be facing some kind of debt. Avoid any stress and plan ahead for your safety and security.

4. Retirement Savings Delay

Retirement is something we all plan for in the long run, but some may plan a little later than others. The sooner you start saving in your retirement plan, the more your money will grow over time. Learn more about your retirement account options here»

5. Overpaying in Property Taxes

With your taxes increasing every year, it’s important to know what you, as a homeowner, can do. The first step is filing a Property Tax Grievance Application to assess and determine if your home is overvalued for tax purposes. The second step is leaving the rest to us!

Here at P.T.R.C., Inc., we are determined to help our clients pay the lowest amount of property tax as required by law. Contact us today to see how we can help you: info@ptrc.com

5 Common Home Related Superstitions

 

You may be wary of black cats and broken mirrors, but have you heard of some of these property-related superstitions?

In honor of  Friday the 13th, here are some property-related superstitions you might want to avoid — just in case.

1. Taking Your Old Broom or Mop to Your New Home

Old brooms or mops are said to hold negative energy. Since these items are used to clean filthy floors, it’s believed they retain “dirty” energy from your home. Taking these items to your new property means you’re also taking the dirt from your old place. You’re making a fresh start so get a new broom and a new mop for the occasion!

2. Choosing a Saturday or Friday to Make Your Move

Native American lore says Friday and Saturday are the unluckiest days for making your move. Thursday is actually said to be the luckiest day instead! But moving earlier in the week will mean dealing with less traffic, plus some moving truck rental companies may offer lower rates.

3. Lucky and Unlucky Numbers

Everyone has their very own lucky or unlucky number. Traditional Chinese culture believes the number eight holds a lucky background. On the other hand, some within the culture believe that the number four holds unlucky powers. Consider avoiding the number four while house searching and keep lucky number eight in mind!

4. Burying a Statue of St. Joseph in The Garden

If you’re looking to sell your house some recommend burying a statue of St Joseph in your garden. It may sound strange but this superstition’s backstory says it will help you sell your property in no time. Just don’t forget to dig him back up after it’s sold! You can use the statue for decoration afterwards.

5. Don’t Walk Under a Ladder

While you’re moving into a new place you may still have some construction going on around the house. There may be the occasional ladder here and there. But, based off of a very popular superstition, you should not walk underneath one. If you do accidentally walk under one just walk back under it the opposite way to try and undo the bad luck!

Do you believe any of these superstitions? If so make sure to tell us about it on our Facebook Page! Have a lucky Friday the 13th!

At P.T.R.C., Inc., we’ve made it our mission to ensure our clients pay the lowest amount in property tax as required by law. Since 1990, we’ve been recognized as fair and honest, and our clients benefit from the close working relationships we’ve established with the assessing units over the years.

6 Quick Ways to Make Extra Money

Looking for ways to bring in extra cash each month? You’re not alone! In addition to grieving your property taxes, consider one of the below options:

1. House Sitting and Dog Sitting

Most people are uneasy about leaving their pets and homes unattended. If you have any neighbors or co-workers looking to go on vacation who don’t have anyone to watch their house, be that person for them! While they’re out of town, you can be the person they trust to check the mail, water plants, take care of their pets and haul the trash out. If there is no one in your neighborhood range looking for these services you can take a look at TrustedHousesitters and Rover. Both of these websites make it easy to switch between finding pet sitting jobs and house sitting jobs. 

2. Taking Online Surveys and Joining Focus Groups

Companies are eager to pay you for your opinion and in many cases, you don’t even need to leave the comfort of your own home! Take a look at sites like SwagBucks or InboxDollars for online surveys. And for those who don’t mind the commute to the city, check out Focus Pointe Global's Focus Groups for in-person opportunities.

3. Freelancing

If you are a writer, designer, photographer or programmer, you’re in luck! Consider offering your services to the masses, by freelancing. You’ll be able to choose how much or how little you’d like to work and set your pricing. Websites like UpWork or FlexJobs can help you find new opportunities.

4. Have a Garage Sale

Chances are that you have an abundance of stuff lying around your home. Try collecting some of your unused or old items and selling them for some extra cash! Promote your garage sale with an exciting flyer or through Craigslist to spread the word.

5. Sell Clothes Online

Perhaps you spent a little bit too much at your local department store's sale and have a lot of new or used clothes just sitting in the back of your closet. If so, check out sites such as Poshmark and Ebay to sell these clothing items. These sites allow you to personalize your prices and chat with anyone interested in what you’re selling!

6. Reduce Your Property Taxes 

Even though this may not be the quickest way to make money, it will still help you in the long run. And when you work with us, you won’t need to lift a finger! We’ll handle everything for you to help reduce your property taxes. With P.T.R.C., Inc., you’ll be in good hands!

Contact us today with any questions and find us in our new office in Plainview!

Find P.T.R.C., Inc. In Plainview!

Attention all P.T.R.C., Inc. clients — we’ve moved offices! That’s right, we’ve left our humble abode in Jericho and moved a short, 6-mile drive away to Plainview.

You can now find us at:
255 Executive Drive, Suite 210
Plainview, NY 11803

Rest assured, all email and phone contact information has remained the same:
Phone: (516) 484-0654   /   (631) 484-0654
Email: info@ptrc.com

We’re looking forward to serving you better!

And remember, it’s almost time to start submitting your tax grievance applications — and we’re the name to trust. Since 1990, we’ve saved millions of dollars in property taxes for Long Island homeowners, successfully handling over 310,000 assessment challenges.

When you work with P.T.R.C., Inc., you get a top-of-the-line service advantage:

• You’ll only be charged a fee on successful cases
• You get to work with one of the leaders in property tax challenges on Long Island
• You’ll benefit from the close working relationships we have with the assessing units
• You’re able to reach us at anytime, customer service is our priority

We believe that no one should pay more than their fair share of property tax — so we helped one of our clients get a 16.9% tax reduction (or an extra $1,500 in their pockets). For another homeowner, we’ve helped him save over $3,000! Even if just a few hundred dollars, it all adds up and now you have extra money to put into other bills, savings, or travels!

Just take a look at how much your neighbors have saved by working with us, then be sure to give us a call.