August Is for Daydreaming—and Getting Your Berkeley Home Ready for Fall

August is a time to relax, think, and figure out next steps. If you are an old-timer like me, September feels like the year is just beginning.  August was the last gasp of idle summer.  It’s not true, and those of you with kids know school now starts in August, but back when I was a kid, hanging out at Codorinices Park in August, watching the clouds, and going down the cement slide, August was for make-believe games (Narnia was a favorite) and planning the future.

So, here in Berkeley, there is so much to do in August- everything from Cat Cafes to National Night Out and Poetry slams, museums to visit, plays to go see, trails to hike. Visit the Botanical Garden, or the Rose Garden. Visit the library.  The venerable SF Mime Troupe will be performing in Willard Park; David Byrne is gracing the stage at the Greek Theatre, and the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive is hosting events all month long. 

Let the slower pace of life help you to take the time to care for your garden, your home maintenance needs, and the tasks you have been putting off; servicing your HVAC unit, checking and clearing exterior gutters, sealing drafts around windows and doors, and testing smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Prune trees and shrubs: Cut back overgrown branches and dead wood to prevent them from damaging your home's siding or roof during autumn or winter storms. Clean gutters and downspouts: Remove summer debris so water flows freely away from your foundation. Inspect the roof: Check for lifted or missing shingles while the weather is still warm and dry. It’s also a great time to donate old clothes and things you don’t need- clearing out old attic treasures.  Places like the Berkeley Humane Thrift Shop could use your things, and you are doing a service to the community that way!

Also, now is a great time to take a good look at your insurance coverages- make sure they are high enough and that you have secured the best rate.  You can shop around for home insurance rates. Insurance costs so much nowadays that it is important to always be aware of whether there is a better rate available to you.

If you are considering selling, take care of all kinds of aesthetic upgrades in August.  After Labor Day, a new market starts, and it is great to be a part of what we realtors call the “Fall Rally”. 

Typically, the Fall Rally is when some of the most dramatic and beautiful homes sell.  Buyers who are not dependent on the school year for a purchase are out in droves, and sales are second only to the spring market.  Since COVID, all these time frames have been a little different- for example, we have had an extremely busy summer in July, and it shows no let-up, whereas generally August has always been a slower month. 

It is a little mystifying that the market is thriving, given interest rates and the stock market's roller coaster, but people still need places for all the reasons they move and buy. Not to mention an influx of newly minted millionaires from the AI sector of the tech market. Being ready in early September is a great way to catch the wave of higher prices seen in the Fall Rally.