My favorite part of home ownership is being able to upgrade your home to fit you and your lifestyle. You can change the paint, the light fixtures, the landscaping – anything you can think of to make your atmosphere more you.

Of course, there are so many ideas on Pinterest, home magazines, and TV so its easy to want to renovate every aspect of your home! I’ve finished watching HGTV and had a HUGE list of everything I thought would be fun to do to my house, just speaking from experience.

However, when it comes time to sell your home… not all renovations translate into more money in your pocket!

Here are the top 5 home upgrades that WILL work in your favor:

1. MINOR Bathroom Remodel

Emphasis on the minor! Replace the tub/shower if its old or too big for the space, consider replacing the flooring or giving it a deep clean, replace the toilet, and a fresh coat of paint can go a long way. No need to replace the whole bathroom, move walls or replumb the whole room though!

2. Landscaping

You hear it all the time, “First impressions are everything.” When it comes to selling your home, this is absolutely true. You want your home to have a wow factor as soon as potential buyers pull up to it. New sod, fresh bark, shrubbery and a nice stone walkway can all increase the value of your home. You can also do simple things like pulling out the shears to trim the greenery around your home and adding a splash of color by planting flowers.

3. Kitchen Remodel

Just like a bathroom remodel, you’re going to want to stick to making minor upgrades in the kitchen. Upgrade your cabinets by changing out the hardware, consider replacing the countertops if they are worn, replace linoleum flooring if you have it and spruce up the light fixture. If you’re looking to increase your value even more, consider buying new appliances.

4. A Fresh Coat of Paint

I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve shown a home to prospective buyers and as soon as we approach the home the first thing we notice is chipping or faded paint. If the interior of your home has scuffed walls or chipping paint, buyers will notice. Giving your home a fresh coat of paint will make it instantly more attractive. Remember to stick with neutral colors when selecting paint. One quick note on paint- if your home was painted before 1978 you should always have it tested for lead before sanding or chipping it off.

5. New Flooring

One of the first items homebuyers update when purchasing a home is the flooring. New carpets in the bedrooms and hardwood or tile throughout the rest of the home. By upgrading your flooring before listing your home, you cross this item off your buyer’s list of things to do and increase your home’s value.

A couple of other actions you can take to get your home sold faster and for the most amount of money is to make repairs to anything that is broken, rearranging your furniture to make your space feel more open, and decluttering. By removing personal items, photos or knickknacks you help the buyers to envision themselves living in the home.

Bonus – if you’re looking for a free home valuation from our team of rockstar agents, you can request one here!

Welcome to the weekend, Fresno! I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but we’ve been sharing what we love like crazy on the blog!

Here’s a few things you may want to scope out today:

• Our Guide to Fun, Low Cost Summer Fun for the Kiddos + YOU!
• Our Insight Into DeCluttering Your Life…starting with your MIND!

Be sure to leave us a comment and let us know what your favorite tad-bit was…Now, onto the fun!

Friday

• Fresno Grizzlies vs. Sacramento- Chukchansi Park: 1800 Tulare St Fresno, CA 93721 @7:05pm Event Link
• JUSTIN Wine Festival Reserve Dinner- Justin Vineyards & Winery: 11680 Chimney Rock Road, Paso Robles CA 93446 @6:00pm-10:00pm Event Link
• Madera Country Fair- Chowchilla Fairgrounds: 1000 S. 3rd Street Chowchilla, CA 93610 Event Link

Saturday

• Beautiful Brunch Workshop Gianna Dinuzzo- Root: 1424 Fulton Street Fresno, CA 93721 @10:00am-12:00pm Event Link
• Fresno Pirate Festival- Kearney Park: 7160 W. Kearney Blvd Fresno, CA 93700 @10:00am-6:00pm Event Link
• Moonlight Special- Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad: 56001 Hwy 41 Fish Camp, CA 93623 @6:30pm Event Link

Sunday

• Fresno Vegan Brewing Company- Tioga Sequoia Brewing Company: 745 Fulton Street Fresno, CA 93721 @1:00pm-7:00pm Event Link
• Forestiere Underground Gardens Tours- 5021 W. Shaw Ave. Fresno, CA 93722 @10:00am-4:00pm Event Link

Have a blast! Thank you for reading!
-Jason

P.S. Here’s something extra cool you may want to check out:

As summer approaches and the school year comes to a close, many families wonder how they’ll fill the days with fun, stay cool and avoid over-spending in the process. FresYes is happy to help by providing you with our annual round up of free and low-cost summer activity ideas for families with young children. Mark your calendars, get out there and have fun this summer! (Tag us with #FresYesInsider so we can feature your splish-splash fun on our channels too, please! We love sharing in the fun)

Movies

Each summer, participating local movie theaters offer reduced admission on weekday mornings and show children’s movies as part of the Summer Movie Express promotion. In Fresno, Regal Edwards & IMAX in River Park (Herndon and 41) offers $1 movies at 10am on Tuesday & Wednesday of each summer week, beginning at 10am.

The $1 movies are popular, so it is recommended you arrive early to ensure a spot, however, enjoying free AC and super affordable movies are definitely worthy rewards for your patience. Two different movies are offered each week, so you could potentially attend Tuesday and watch one movie, and Wednesday and watch the other movie.

This summer’s movie list includes Lego Movie 2, Smallfoot, Lego Batman Movie, Kung Fu Panda 3, How to Train Your Dragon 2 and more! For a full list and for additional information, visit the Summer Movie Express website here.

Movies in the Park

Unable to attend weekday morning movies? No problem! Each year, Movies in the Park, which has typically been sponsored by PG&E and Comcast, are offered on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday evenings at three different Fresno parks. Though this year’s schedule is not yet posted – it should be up soon!

Movies and parking are typically free and food vendors are on site if you’d like to purchase food. You’re welcome to bring your own snacks and you’ll definitely want to bring lawn chairs or a picnic blanket to relax on. Movies start just after dark, and typically begin in mid-June and run through early August. Keep an eye on this page for updates!

Splash Parks & Public Pools

The City of Fresno Parks Department, in partnership with local high school aquatics complexes offers numerous splash parks and public pools (including both standard pools and learning pools) with admission costs being just $1 for kids and $2 for adults during the week, and free on the weekends. Swim lessons are also available at a discounted rate. For hours, locations and complete details, check out the Fresno Aquatics Info Page here.  

Summer Bowling Pass at Bowlero

Did you know you can bowl up to three games every day of the summer for one low cost? Bowlero Bowling on Sierra and Blackstone offers this awesome deal for just $36.95 for kids and $52.95 for adults. You can purchase your Summer Bowling Passes online here. Oh – and in case you were wondering – YES, shoe rental is included!

Story Time Around Town

There are three great local ways to enjoy a special, free story time.

1. ValleyPBS’s Clifford the Big Red Dog: Dog Days of Summer Library Tour: Each year, our local PBS station, ValleyPBS brings Clifford to visit a different Fresno County Library Branch each week, where Clifford and his helpers host a special story time and all guests receive a free Clifford book to take home. You’ll need to sign up in advance, but attending is free! For more information, contact ValleyPBS at 559-266-1800 or visit the webpage here.
2. The Book Barn’s story hour with Mother Goose (year-round): Mother Goose visits the Book Barn, located at 640 Clovis Avenue (in Clovis) every Wednesday morning at 10:00am to share a special story with her young guests. There is no purchase required to attend.
3. Barnes and Noble’s Saturday Story Hours (year-round): Offered every Saturday morning at 11am at Barnes and Noble on Blackstone and Nees. Snack/food items are also offered for attendees at a special discount. For full details and the weekly story list, click here.

Have fun, #FresYesInsider!

-Natali

As the kids exit out of school for Summer, many of us may feel a combination of emotions, perhaps excited and a little hesitant about two and a half months without a strict schedule. (Eek! No bedtime?!)

To make sure you can make the most of your Summer; whether you’re at home with kids, balancing work and fun or just trying to keep your kitchen clean – I did some research for you on how to DECLUTTER your life before the fun (or madness) begins.

It’s my goal to inspire you to examine four areas of your life this month: your mind, your house, your diet, and your garden. Each week, be on the lookout for the Health & Happiness blog where I’ll teach you a new area of your life you can simplify.

Today, we’re talking about your mind – which I felt was the BEST place to start as we’ve all got a little too much going on up there. Am I right?

Declutter Your Mind with Meditation

I chatted with a friend, Emily Sommerville, who has studied yoga and meditation for the past ten years.

Here’s what she had to say on how she teaches others how to sit still.

“Meditation can mean different things to different people. For me, meditation is about bringing awareness to the present moment, observing any thoughts that pass through without judgment, and finding peace and contentment that I can carry through my day,” Sommerville shares.

Many people ask Sommerville if they need to sit still and be cross-legged to meditate.

Sommerville states, “It’s important to be comfortable. If you’re not comfortable cross-legged on the floor, choose to sit in a chair. Find a comfortable seat where you can sit up straight, back is supported, and place your feet on the floor to feel grounded.”

Sommerville says for the first 30 days of your new or returned to meditation practice start with just a minute.

“Stop what you’re doing and just sit. Set a timer for a minute. Close your eyes and notice your breath. When the timer goes off, sit a bit longer if you’d like. You can do this throughout your day and increase the time in small increments as you go along,” she says.

That’s all folks, just ONE minute can lead to more peace! Can you commit to a little silence every day? Let us know how it goes on Instagram – @FresYes!

Happy sitting,

Gabi

Welcome to the weekend, Fresno! I am writing this from Denver, CO – where I spoke on stage at BombBomb’s ReHumanize event. This event has been INCREDIBLE – I was able to meet some of the influencers I admire in person and hopefully inspire others to connect with their communities like FresYes does here in Fresno.

I started FresYes.com because I think that real estate is so much more than buying and selling homes. It’s all about the lifestyle, it’s about community…and it’s about YOU. So, just a reminder if you have a story to share about our lovely area – we now have a platform to share your voice.

Now, let’s see how we can connect with our fellow Fresnans this weekend:

Friday

• Succulent Workshop & Wine night- Kileen’s Garden Boutique: 7313 N. De Wolf Ave, Clovis CA 93619 @7:00pm-10:00pm Event Link
• Fresno Street Eats Vol. 5 Pizzafied- Chukchansi Park: 1800 Tulare St, Fresno CA 93721 @5:00pm-10:00pm Event Link
• Bass Lake Arts & Craft Fair- The Pine Village Bass Lake, CA Event Link
• Slice of Comedy Headlining Keith Carey- DiCicco’s Old Town Clovis: 408 Clovis Ave 93619 @8:00pm-10:00pm Event Link

Saturday

• Fresno Grizzlies vs. Albuquerque- Chukchansi Park: 1800 Tulare St Fresno, CA 93721 @7:05pm Event Link
• Sidewalk Astronomy- River Park: 71 E. Via La Plata Fresno, CA 93720 @7:00pm-10:00pm Event Link
• Theatre Under The Stars- Hyatt Residence: 4845 N. Van Ness Blvd Fresno, CA 93704 @7:00pm-10:00pm Event Link
• The Old Town Flea Market- Old Town Clovis: 780 Rodeo Drive Clovis, CA @8:00am-3:00pm Event Link (We wrote a guide to this event, check it out here!)
• Grizzlies Bark in the Park- Chukchansi Park: 1800 Tulare Street Fresno, CA 93721 @7:05pm Event Link
• Mother’s Day Run- Woodward Park: 7775 N. Friant Fresno, CA 93720 @7:05pm-9:00am Event Link
• Mother’s Day Sip & Shop- Tap & Cellar: 317 W. Bedford Ave, Fresno CA 93711 @12:00pm-4:00pm Event Link
• Chill A Night of Desserts, Shopping, and Food Trucks- Tioga Sequoia Brewing Company: 745 Fulton Street Fresno, CA 93721 @3:00pm-9:00pm Event Link
• Mother’s Day Tea- Storyland & Playland: 890 W. Belmont Ave, Fresno CA 93728 @10:00AM-2:00PM Event Link
• Mom’s & Mimosas Mother’s Day Brunch- The Falls Event Center: 4105 W. Figarden Drive Fresno, CA 93722 @10:00am-1:30pm Event Link
• Paint & Sip “Always & Forever”- Pinot’s Palette: 6763 N. Palm Ave Fresno, CA 93704 @2:00pm-4:00pm Event Link

Sunday

• Carrie Underwood: The Cry Pretty Tour 360- Save Mart Center: 650 E. Shaw Ave Fresno, CA 93710 @7:00pm Event Link
• Live Music Marie Wilson Solo!- Toca Madera Winery: 36140 Ave 9, Madera, CA 93636 @1:00pm-4:00pm Event Link
• Mother’s Day Restorative Mini Retreat- COIL Yoga: 292 W. Shaw Ave Fresno, CA 93704 @3:00pm-5:00pm Event Link
• Mother’s Day Sip N’ Shop- Ramos Torres Winery: 1665 Simpson Street, Kingsburg CA 93631 @12:00pm-4:00pm Event Link

Have a fabulous weekend, and Happy Mother’s Day!

Enjoy it,

Jason

P.S. I’ve got my blog on – check out the new JasonFarris.me – it’s a work in progress, but I’m excited to share more about my life with you.

Hey everyone!

This is my first official post. So I’ll give you a quick bit about me. I’ve been with FresYes since day one and have had a role here as an agent, a listing coordinator, and I’m currently the Director of Marketing. I’m going to be bringing you a real estate related post every week and may occasionally have a guest writer join in. Hope you enjoy.

– –

You hear it E V E R Y W H E R E: Buying a home is one of the best investments you can make. But where do you start? Is it just like the TV shows make it seem? You look at three homes and pick the one you like best?

Here’s your guide on where to start, helpful tips, and who to call (hint: it’s not Ghostbusters 😉)

1. Know what you want.

There are so many options out there. More than you may realize. When purchasing your first property, decide if you’re looking for a single-family home, condo, townhouse, in the heart of town, in the country, etc. Each option has its benefits and drawbacks, so before getting too far in the process, make sure to narrow down which options best suit your lifestyle.

2. Let’s talk money.

How much do you want to spend? How much of a mortgage payment can you afford? These are major questions you need to answer before searching for a home. There are numerous ways you can go about this including talking to your bank or credit union about their mortgage options, reaching out to local lenders, shopping online, asking a real estate agent who they recommend or asking a family member / friend who they used. Again, there are benefits and drawbacks to each option. I always tell homebuyers that using a local lender is their best bet and its ok to “shop” multiple lenders. Using a local lender allows you to meet with them in person, you won’t get lost in a stack of loan applicants, and they are familiar with our real estate market.

3. Look at all the costs you’ll incur monthly.

Mortgage payments are important, and likely the largest expense, but don’t forget about other expenses such as utility bills, on-going maintenance, insurance, and taxes to name a few. You’ll want to make sure you have a pretty good estimate of your expenses before locking in on a mortgage payment.

4. Find a great agent.

There are so many agents out there! In fact, in the Fresno area alone there are over 2500! Of course, I recommend going with a FresYes agent every single time! When looking for an agent you want someone who is knowledgeable about the area of town you are interested, knows the schools, the restaurants, the shopping options, the best food trucks, etc. Experience in the home buying process is obviously important but don’t you want to know what it is like to live in that area? FresYes agents are local experts and provide six-star service every day.

5. Go house shopping!

So, I’m going to be plain honest with you here- It’s 99% NOT like the TV shows make it seem. Chances are you’re going to look at more than three homes. Chances are you’re going to put in a few offers, and you’ll get more rejections than you’d wish for. But with the right agent and lender, your home buying process is going to be great and you’ll be in your new home ready to make memories and grow your wealth through your purchase.

That’s it in a nutshell! Make sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram, and subscribe to the FresYes Insider to keep up to date with all our real estate tips and guides as well as read about all the great things happening in our community.

Have a question for me? Shoot me an email at luis@fresyes.com or find me on Instagram.

BONUS

Here’s a couple of tips from our agents:

“Talk to a lender, decide how much you want to spend, and how much of a payment you are comfortable with. Don’t be afraid to ask as many questions as you’d like. Buying a home is a huge investment and you have every right to ask as many questions as you’d like” – MacKenzie Hartung

“Find a good agent. Who you work with matters. You wouldn’t let just anyone watch your children, walk your dog, or take care of your car. You should be picky about who you work with and feel free to interview agents!” – Manuel Bettencourt & Johanna Mott

“You don’t pay your agent anything for representing you in the purchase of your home, the seller pays them. Your agent will have your best interest in mind and will do everything they can to get you the best deal at the terms that work for you.” – Jon Williams

“Don’t start looking at homes before you’re pre-approved. There’s nothing worse than getting your heart set on a home and then figuring out you don’t qualify for it or the payment is more than you would like to pay. Always start with a pre-approval for a mortgage” – Sarah Clark

Kombucha: History, Benefits, and How-to

Have you heard of kombucha yet? It’s exploded in popularity over the past few years and went from being the drink of hardcore health nuts to available in just about any grocery store aisle.

But reading the nutrition facts label had me confused. Is it actually an alcoholic beverage? Is this part of a healthy diet or just another fad?

Of course, I had to know more before I jumped on the kombucha bandwagon.

Here’s what I found out:

What exactly is kombucha?

Kombucha is basically sweetened tea that has been fermented. A special kind of culture called a SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast) is placed in a jug of sweet tea and it goes to town eating the sugar up and leaving a vinegary drink behind.

This drink is full of probiotics and if you haven’t heard yet, probiotics are essential to maintaining gut health. And there’s so much research to indicate that the health of our guts is essential to the health of our entire body.

The more diverse probiotics from fermented foods we consume, the stronger our gut flora becomes. This is precisely why kombucha has been regarded as a health potion for thousands of years.

Where did kombucha come from?

Kombucha has been around for so long that there’s some disagreement on where it originally came from.

Some claim it is from China, others Japan, and still others insist it is Korean in origin. There’s evidence of the drink in histories of all three countries.

From what I found out, it’s pretty universally accepted that kombucha was first brewed in Asia, and then was distributed worldwide as soldiers in World War I exchanged cultural customs, including fermentation processes and cultures. (I trust if you’re sipping this at you’re the office, you won’t be pop quizzed, but just in case you were curious.)

Can you make your own kombucha?

It’s quite easy to make kombucha at home. It’s much healthier to do so as well, some of the brands that you can buy at the store add in fruit juice after fermenting and this adds sugar to the beverage.

And, of course, the last thing you want to do is drink sugar when you’re trying to do something healthy for your body.

So if you want to get started brewing this at home you’ll need some simple supplies:

1. A large glass or ceramic jar, preferably with a spigot
2. Cheesecloth, paper towel, or coffee filter
3. Rubber band
4. Tea — green or black
5. White sugar
6. SCOBY (Details on this below)
7. Airtight swing top bottles — optional

First, you need to either procure or grow a SCOBY.

There are several places online to purchase a SCOBY, they are shipped in airtight, leakproof packaging with a bit of what’s called “starter tea.” This is the easiest and fastest way to get a batch of kombucha going.

You can also use a bottle of store-bought kombucha and grow your own SCOBY. This will take several weeks. Start by brewing some sweet tea — about a ½ cup of plain white sugar to 6 cups of tea — use about 4 tea bags or 1 tablespoon loose leaf tea. Then dump half the bottle of store-bought kombucha and your cooled brewed tea into a glass container. Cover the top of the container with cheesecloth or a coffee filter and secure the top with a rubber band. Put the mixture in the pantry or cabinet and leave it alone for several weeks. After some time, you will notice a small white, rubbery substance floating in your tea mixture. This is the SCOBY.

Once you have the SCOBY, you need to brew some tea.  

Use one cup of sugar to a strong batch of tea, about 8 bags or 2 tablespoons of tea and 14 cups of water. Once the tea is brewed, be sure to allow it to cool to room temperature. If it’s too hot, you will kill the SCOBY.

Add the tea to a large glass pitcher, preferably with a spigot. Then, place the SCOBY in the tea, along with about a cup of the starter tea that either came with your SCOBY or that you brewed with your store-bought kombucha. You can use your clean hands to move the SCOBY. Cover the top of the container with cheesecloth and secure with a rubber band.

Allow the kombucha to ferment. You can leave the mixture on the counter, put it in the cupboard or the pantry. It will ferment faster the warmer the air is in your house. You’ll notice the SCOBY growing and getting larger and thicker as time goes by.

After about a week, test the kombucha (this is where the spout comes in handy). It should have a slight vinegar taste to it. If it’s not quite ready, just leave it for a few more days and taste it again. Once you’re satisfied with the taste, you can successfully say you’ve made kombucha.

It’s really that easy.

If you want to get fancy with it, you can opt for a second fermentation.

If you have the swing top airtight bottles available, pour the kombucha into them. Again, this is where the spigot works wonders.

Add in a couple of berries or slices of ginger, maybe a touch of honey, to each bottle. You can get as creative as you’d like here.

Close up the bottle and put it in the pantry for another week or so. Now you will have that flavored, fizzy kombucha like you would buy at the store but without the added sugars, and at a fraction of the cost.

At this point, store the bottles in the refrigerator for best results — this will stop the fermentation process and help ensure that the alcohol content of the kombucha doesn’t increase.

**Fermentation of any kind does produce trace amounts of alcohol. Please consume with caution**

When you drink your batch of kombucha, be sure to leave at least a cup of the old batch in the original container.

Then, all you have to do is make another batch of strong sweet tea, let it cool, and add it to the container with the starter tea and the SCOBY in it and wait for the fermentation process to complete again.

You can do this an unlimited number of times.

Your SCOBY will continue to grow, it might even produce a child SCOBY, and you will need to cut it and give the excess goodness away to friends who want to try their hand at brewing this ancient health drink. You can put the pieces of SCOBY along with some starter tea in a jar and it will keep indefinitely in your pantry.

Give it a try and be sure to let me know how it turned out for you. You can also tag us on Instagram, or Facebook while you’re creating using the hashtag #FresYesInsiders.

I have a feeling you’ll be having all your friends over to try your batch of Booch, like:

Have fun!

~Gabi (@IamGabiGarrett)

P.S. You don’t have to make your own – most of the great local spots in Fresno serve Kombucha, some even on tap! Eureka! has a delicious version of G.T’s Kombucha which is served with an edible flower. (Yummy)