March Newsletter 2023
Spring Cleaning
We love cleaning. We love spring.
Unfortunately, no one told the weather, as spring is taking its very sweet time arriving. No wacky, lingering winter will keep us down, so welcome to our March newsletter!
So, what are the most important things in getting our homes ready for spring? Let’s start with the outside first. One of the things we always forget about is our gutters. Of course, unless you are super handy, you might pay someone to do this since it involves a ladder and some courage.
How about the inside of your home? Well besides using Denver Concierge to keep it clean, we have some ideas to share.
The list we liked the most comes courtesy of Property Nest and their full Spring 2023 checklist can be found here.
Finally, from Family Handyman, another good list of stuff we forget.
As always, we appreciate you relying on us for the “big stuff” in terms of keeping your home spotless.
Meanwhile, let’s get those grills cleaned and patios ready, we promise spring will show up eventually. We might even have a summer behind it!!!!
Happy spring everyone!
Memory Boosters
How is your memory? If you are anything like us, it could be better.
We have certainly had times when we have gotten up and walked into another room, only to say, “What did I need in here again”?
Of course, as we age most of us expect some type of cognitive decline, hopefully within normal parameters.
But, what can we do to stave off the inevitable memory issues we will all face as we age?
New research by neuroscientists may hold the key, or at least some new habits for us to engage in.
For starters, how about food? Mushrooms, dark chocolate, and cinnamon have been identified as memory boosters. Of course so are vegetables of all kinds, according to a Harvard study.
Don’t forget friendships either. Neuroscience has shown that periods of social isolation can suppress brain function as well.
Finally, 10 ways to boost your brain health in 2023, courtesy of Harper’s.
Here’s to staying sharp as we age!
Larimer Square Future
Historic Larimer Square, Denver’s iconic “main street” is in jeopardy.
Bistro Vendome, Green Russell, John Atencio, and The Market, to name a few.
All are businesses with long and storied histories on our historic Larimer block, and all are closed. John Atencio was there for 39 years. Wow.
In December 2020, North Carolina–based investment firm Asana Partners purchased Larimer Square for $92.5 million, and to date, the reviews are not good.
On top of an absentee management style that seems to be alienating tenants, there are structural issues with many of the buildings as well.
The bottom line? Massive repairs and renovations are needed, but there are no outward indicators of Asana Partners’ plan to do so. Meanwhile, tenants are leaving, and our once vibrant part of downtown is lying dormant in many ways.
We certainly hope that a suitable solution can be found for one of our favorite Denver landmarks.
Odd Laws
Did you know that you cannot roll a boulder in Boulder? It’s called trundling and it is illegal.
You can, however, taunt, insult or challenge Boulder Police, until they “ask you to stop”. Very handy to know.
It is also illegal to utilize upholstered furniture outside. This may include upholstered chairs, couches, and mattresses in the front, side, or backyard, according to Colorado’s “General Offenses” under Title 5, Chapter 4, 5-4-16. We suppose yard sales are ok.
As many of you know, it is illegal to sell a motor vehicle on a Sunday in our fine state as well. That’s a misdemeanor, punishable by a $1000 fine. Of course, the penalty these days might be less for stealing one, but we digress.
Other odd state laws? You cannot grow dandelions in Pueblo, nor can you fire a catapult (or other projectiles) in Aspen.
It’s also illegal to ride a horse while intoxicated. It doesn’t say anything about whether or not the horse may be.
We love silly stuff like this and hope you enjoy it. For a fun list of silly laws in Colorado and elsewhere, check out this article.
Of course with Denver Concierge on the case, there shouldn’t be any need for vacuum swapping!
Stay legal Denver.
Property Tax Increase
Anyone out there know about the Gallagher Amendment? Don’t feel bad, we had no idea either.
The amendment to the Colorado Constitution was enacted in 1982 and it set forth the guidelines for determining the valuation for property assessment.
This amendment sought to protect homeowners from rising property taxes by maintaining a relatively constant ratio of residential and nonresidential property values in the statewide tax base.
It mandated that, regardless of the total amount of collections, state property tax revenue be comprised of 45% residential property taxes, and 55% non-residential property taxes
The unwelcome news for homeowners? It was repealed in 2020.
This is a complex issue, but many estimates have our residential property tax increasing by 25-40% if no relief is offered.
With property tax-limiting ratios gone and home prices skyrocketing since COVID, we have a perfect storm brewing.
County assessors in late April will mail out valuation notices based on property values as of June 30, 2022, which also happens to be close to when home values peaked in Colorado.
All we can say is that this issue is one all homeowners should pay attention to. Late April could be a big shock for most of us.
For a complete explanation of this amendment and the impact of the repeal visit Wiki here.
For those of you with a Denver Post subscription, they wrote a nice piece on this and it is here.
Monthly Award Winners
Our monthly award winners for February were Aurora Dominguez, Haydee Espinoza, Josefina Quinonez, Gabriella Barrancas, and Maria Zapata.
In the Team Leader ranks, it was Isela Mendoza and Juana Olivas.
We are so proud of our winners, and of all the folks that are in and out of your homes each week.
We are also very appreciative to be a part of your lives and your homes. You provide the platform for our teams to perform, and for that we are grateful.
Please join me in congratulating our best performers for the month of February.
Queen Bee Corner
by Angela
Accidents happen no matter what precautions are taken, and as house cleaners, we know this more than anyone.
We have safety rules in place to avoid the most obvious causes of concern.
What is the most obvious hazard in a house? Unsurprisingly, the staircase. It is known that in the United States about twelve thousand people a year fall and hit the ground and don’t get up again.
There are no specific statistics to say whether the fall was from a cliff, a tree, or a front porch, but stairs are second only to car accidents as a common cause of accidental death.
Everyone trips on stairs at one time or another and puts it down mostly to inattention. However, the construction and location of the stairs play a great part. Lack of good lighting, lack of handrail, busy design on the stair carpet, and width and height of the step all contribute to what could be a nasty accident.
Our cleaning ladies when they need to vacuum steep stairs or stairs with no handrails are instructed to have another person near as a spotter, as in gymnastics. We certainly don’t want to be part of the above statistics.
Our priority is a spotless house cleaned with care.
Bee