Apartment Living Blog | Prospect Hall Apartments

Renting 101: How to Prepare Your Apartment for Cooler Weather

The average winter temperature in Maryland is 34.1 degrees . Nothing is worse than sitting in your apartment, shivering. The time to address and prevent this is before winter when temperatures are still warm. That way, there's plenty of time for you to prepare your apartment. When winter arrives, you'll be able to sit back and welcome it, knowing that your apartment is ready. This guide will show you how to prepare for winter so you can snuggle into your apartment and feel warm and happy. How to Prepare for Winter Preparing your home for winter when you live in an apartment is less about changing your home's physical structure and more about adjusting your creature comforts. While you want to look for improvements to the building, you'll need to communicate these to the landlord and let them handle it . Tasks to Leave for Your Landlord Check the windows for drafts and confirm that they close completely to seal out the cold air. If there are drafts, your landlord will need to have them sealed or even replace the windows. Look for holes or cracks in the walls, floors, and ceilings. These are the perfect places for rodents and bugs to come in to escape the cold. Your landlord can seal these to prevent you from spending your winter with creepy crawlies. Check your heating system to confirm that it's working. Doing this early will give your landlord more time to have it serviced. It will also ensure that it's ready when the temperatures drop. Tasks You Can Do Start by changing out your bedding from your lightweight cotton summer sheets to thicker flannel sheets. Then consider adding indoor plants to your rooms. Winter can be depressing for some with the reduced sunlight and lack of green outside. Adding indoor plants improves your indoor decor, reminds you of warmer seasons, and helps freshen the air. Speaking of fresh air, reverse your ceiling fans. There should be a small switch on the side of your fan that changes the direction your fan spins. this will pull the cool air up and push the warm air down, helping the room feel warmer. If you find your skin feeling rough and dry or your congestion and allergies flaring up, then consider using a humidifier. Cold air holds less moisture, so you can relieve these common winter symptoms by having a humidifier in your apartment. Finally, look for ways you can add warmth to your apartment. While you could run the heating system, this can get expensive. Instead, you could add a plush rug to the floor, thick throw blankets to the couch and chairs, and insulated curtains on the windows. Prepare Your Home for Winter As you can see, several checks may result in you submitting a maintenance request to your landlord. This makes it necessary to know how to prepare for winter early. That way, your landlord has the most time possible to address the issues. While you let your landlord handle the building preparations, there are several things you can do to make your apartment more enjoyable. This will create a warm and inviting space. Instead of preparing your current apartment for winter, consider a change and find your dream apartment today .

National Good Neighbor Day: Top 10 Ways You Can Be a Good Neighbor Today

Getting along with your neighbors can make your community a happier place to live and to live in a good community, you have to be a good neighbor. Neighbors do not have to be your best friend, but it is nice to have some sort of relationship with, in case you need an egg or borrow a baking pan. Creating a positive and consistent relationship with your neighbor is going to make living in your community that much better. Here are 10 easy ways for you to be a good neighbor today. Be Welcoming Moving into a new neighborhood can be stressful. A new place with new people and not knowing what the neighborhood will be like is stressful. Everyone knows what this feels like so take the stress of your new neighbors by going to say “hello”. A simple introduction will make them feel welcome and more comfortable. Strike Up a Conversation Do not be afraid to say hello! Good relationships can only be maintained through communication. Whether it is a quick, passing conversation when you see them at the mailbox or a small get together on a Friday night, staying in consistent contact will making living near them much better. Be Respectful and Considerate Be respectful and considerate if you are having a large get-together or a small party. Remind your guests not to park in front of your neighbor’s driveways and only park on one side of your street. It is not enjoyable to have blasting music in your backyard when they are trying to relax or go to sleep, so keep any noise level at a minimum. Giving your neighbors a heads-up that people will be coming could be beneficial to you and them as well! Take Care of Your Lawn and Garden Keep your lawn and garden mowed and tidy. No one wants to see a jungle of branches and overgrown grass at the house next to them. Try to clean up any toys and items in the front yard to keep organized. By mowing your yard regularly and having a well-kept yard, this will keep your neighbors happy. Be Responsible with Your Pets Follow the local laws of having pets in your neighborhood. Make sure that they are vaccinated, licensed, and on a leash when you walk them. If they do their business in your neighbor’s yard, remember to pick it up and dispose of it properly. Be Responsible with Trash No one likes a mess. Make sure to keep your property clean by being responsible about where and how you manage your trash. Be sure to take note of when and how your trash is to be disposed of and to do so properly. Respect Boundaries and Abide by the Rules Whether it is trash, recycling, or parking permits, abide by the rules of the community. However, balance is important, so do not be to nosey and watch them vicariously. Respect property lines and no matter how close you might to your neighbors, it is important to have some space. Everyone should be comfortable in their own home and on their own property. Offer Help A home can be a lot to maintain. It can often be difficult and expensive work to do so. Make sure you let your neighbors know that you are willing to help whenever or however you can. This will help with your relationships with your neighbors, and in turn, result in them being more willing to help you should you ever need it. Have a Party A great way to make a lasting relationship with your neighbors is to get everyone together for a party or barbeque. It does not have to be too fancy or expensive, and you neighbors will likely bring food, drinks, and whatever else you might need. A good neighborhood party will be appreciated by all who attend. Handle Conflict Responsibly Sometimes, conflict with your neighbor can be unavoidable. Should this be the case, make sure you take the time to think over what you need to talk to your neighbor about and ensure it is something that needs to be brought up. Also, make sure you go over with a level head. You will likely be dealing with your neighbors for some time. Starting a feud with someone who lives right next door should definitely be avoided.

Curl Up With a Great (Apartment) Book

As the weather turns cooler and we start heading back indoors, it seems like the perfect time to curl up with a good book. There are a number of great books out now that can help you transform your apartment into a dream living area, even if your space is limited. Today, our team at Rachuba is highlighting our favorite apartment decorating guides that will give you something good to read and some design inspiration to help you transform your home. Small Space Decorating by Better Homes & Gardens helps you create space where you thought there was none. Maximize your space stylishly with creative and decorative ways to organize your belongings. Apartment Therapy by Maxwell Ryan and Janel Laban offers apartment-specific decorating and design advice, just like their informative and inspirational website . Learn how to create a cohesive look throughout your apartment or townhome that will look like you hired a professional interior decorator. Homebody is the hit design book created by famed designer, Joanna Gaines. Homebody is divided into chapters by room so you can easily envision and design your apartment, room by room. Take a look inside a variety of homes and learn how to create your own unique style to be tastefully showcased within your apartment. The New Bohemians Handbook: Come Home to Good Vibes is the boho guide to DIY. If you love a variety of eclectic designs and maximalist design, this is the book to help you harness bright, colorful designs into a beautiful, coordinated look in your home. Styled: Secrets for Arranging Rooms, from Tabletops to Bookshelves by Emily Henderson helps you get your furniture and decorative objects situated in ways that don’t look cluttered or haphazard. Give your home a new look without spending a ton of money with her creative arrangement techniques. Amazing Furniture Makeovers by Jen Crider helps you upcycle your existing furniture or secondhand fines into works of art and conversation pieces, even teaching you how to make minor repairs to broken furniture.

It's Mini Golf Day! Our Top Spots for Mini Gold in Frederick, MD

The excitement of trying to get a hole-in-one while dodging obstacles on the course never fades. It is a fun activity for all ages and a great spot for a date. In honor of Miniature Golf Day being on September 21 st , Rachuba challenges you to go show your skills and play a round or two of mini-golf at these courses near you! I-70 Golf Range Located right off I-70, outside of Frederick, the I-70 Golf Range is a convenient, well-kept facility to go play a round of mini-golf or pick up a bucket of balls and practice on the driving range. The classic mini-golf course is well-shaded with trees and a pretty setting to play on. The driving range is nice and open with a beautiful view. Monster Mini Golf This course glows in the dark! This course is conveniently located in Gaithersburg, MD, and was designed to make each visitor have their own stimulating and unique adventure. While mini-golfing, visitors can interact with animated monsters that wiggle and squawk and listen to both vintage and modern musical classics. It is fun for people of all ages with excitement everywhere you look Gaithersburg Miniature Golf Course at Bohrer Park Whether it is daytime or nighttime, go play a round of 18-hole mini-golf at Gaithersburg Mini-Golf Course. This well-maintained course is located right next to Gaithersburg High School and contains challenging holes, blue water, and animal statues. If you get hungry after working hard in your round of mini-golf, pack a snack for after and sit in the comfortable picnic area. Adventure Park USA Adventure park USA has not one, but two mini-golf courses to choose from. These 18-hole golf courses, Thundering Falls and Dry Gulch, are designed to be enjoyed by people of all ages. They are decorated with waterfalls, hills, riverbeds, and canyons. If you play a round of mini-golf and still want to continue the fun, Adventure Park USA has many more attractions such as bumper boats, go-karts, and much more.

Tips for Creating a Virtual Learning Environment at Home

With the start of school approaching and some families undertaking the task of virtual learning, back-to-school looks a little different. Remote learning at home may seem daunting, but creating a learning area at home may be easier than you think. Here are some quick tips to create a positive and effective learning environment. Consistent Learning Space Having a specific learning spot is the first step to make remote learning seem more like school. Consistency is key to making this space successful. The area can be as simple as the dining room table or a desk and chair in a bedroom. By giving students a place to focus, it limits possible distractions and gets them in the school mindset. Declutter Decluttering the area that will primarily be used for learning also can help reduce distractions while working. Too many books, toys, and supplies can make it feel crowded and overwhelming. Decluttering the space will make it more comfortable and less stressful while you are trying to focus. Scheduling Create a daily schedule to keep you or your student on task. Post the schedule on the fridge or a bulletin board to keep it visual and have it as a reminder. Keeping it similar day to day will also make it predictable so that there can be cues for what the next activity is (i.e. after lunch it is time to do reading comprehension). Once students get into the routines of their schedule, it can foster independence. Well-lit Area The lighting of a room is actually an important factor in the effectiveness of learning. Having a brighter room to work in makes people be more attentive and stay on task. A darker room can cause drowsiness which can lead to a lack of focus. Have Fun With It Make your learning environment personal. Allowing your student to pick a few decorations or items that play into their interests can encourage them to learn and increase their desire to be attentive. Having your student be accessible to their own supplies during class time may give them a similar feel as to when they would be in classroom learning. Remote learning can be a stressful situation to figure out, but using some of these quick tips will help ensure that you have a successful and productive virtual learning environment.

How ValetLiving Improves Life at Prospect Hall

Valet living waste removal is a perk that a lot of apartment and townhome communities are starting to offer. It is when a valet worker comes by tenants’ apartments and picks up their trash. It provides an alternative mode of getting waste out of apartments, instead of tenants having to walk it to a dumpster or dispose of it themselves. Here are the benefits of valet living waste removal that is offered at Prospect Hall . Convenience Having the benefit of valet trash removal makes getting rid of waste much more convenient. You do not need to bring trash up or downstairs to put it in designated trash are. It also eliminates the need for designated trash areas which prevents trash pile-ups. Valet trash removal is usually on a specific schedule making it predictable. This allows you to plan ahead if you think you will have more trash than usual one week. Easy and Environmentally Friendly Valet trash service makes living in apartments easy. The service fee for it is included in rent and it is available to all residents. It also makes being eco-friendly much easier. Dumpsters and designated trash areas often result in a lot of solid waste being left behind. Having valet waste removal ensures your trash is separated and disposed of in a proper way. At Prospect Hall, we care about our community and do our best to protect the environment. Keeps the Property Clean Valet waste removal at Prospect Hall keeps the property clean. It prevents any trash from being left out on the property that could attract bugs, insects, or any animals. Overall, valet waste removal keeps the property safer and looking nice. Taking the trash out is a common most hated chore, but it will become the least of your worries with a valet waste removal system put in place. This system makes things easier, cleaner, and better on the environment.