Are you planning to decorate your Central California home for the holidays? Many families partake in the annual tradition of decorating their homes with twinkling holiday lights, wreaths, garland, yard figurines and more, for an extra special, festive feel. If you are one of them, as your Central California real estate agent, I’d like to offer you some safety tips to keep in mind when doing so!

• Never decorate alone. When hanging lights on the roof or in trees, always have a spotter handy to hold the ladder, to hand you lights, and to support you if necessary.

• Avoid electric hazards. Check for the location of overhead power lines and be sure to not come anywhere near them when hanging lights. If power lines are located near any of your trees, forego hanging lights in those trees.

• Inspect holiday lights. Before hanging lights, inspect them for frayed wires, broken or clogged sockets, burnt out bulbs, or any other signs of wear and tear. This could prevent a fire hazard down the road. If replacing a bulb, make sure the strand of lights is unplugged at the time.

• Avoid overloading extension cords. Limit the number of light strings you connect to one extension cord or wall socket. Typically, you shouldn’t attach more than five strands, although LED lights allow you to attach more. Check with a local hardware store on what is a safe amount for the wattage you are using.

• Keep cord in safe place. It’s a good idea to move cords out of the way of walkways, inside and outside, so that no one trips on them. But it’s also a good idea to avoid placing cords near heat vents or under rugs or furniture, where they could get overheated.

• Use LED lights. LED lights are the safest holiday lights on the market right now. They are shatterproof and they produce almost no heat, so they have a much lower risk of causing a fire. Also, these consume 75 percent less energy than incandescent bulbs, and last 25 times longer, so they save you money, too!

• Turn lights off. Don’t keep the lights running all the time. Turn them on once it gets dark outside, and turn them off before leaving the house or before going to bed. Better yet, purchase a timer, so the lights will automatically turn on and off each night, in case you are out or forget to turn them off.

Stay safe inside your Central California home this holiday season, but have fun decorating and making your home a festive place to hang out! If you decorate your home, share a photo of it on my Lake Nacimiento Facebook page. As your Central California real estate agent, I’d like to see and share photos!

Ready to buy a Lake Nacimiento home or to sell a Lake Nacimiento home? Contact me, your Central California real estate agent! I’m here to help, no matter what time of year it is!

From Grace Borzini
grace@oakshoresrealty.com