Thanksgiving Home Safety Tips

This Thanksgiving, you plan to host friends, family, and their children for the annual feast. Your to-do list includes keeping your guests happy, staying on top of the mess, and cooking up a feast with all the fixings. You might feel overwhelmed and forget a few tasks that can put your guests in danger. Follow these tips to keep your family and home safe this Thanksgiving. 

Cooking a turkey is a science. This big bird can take up to 5 days to thaw so make sure you are prepared! Keep the turkey in the refrigerator until it is time to place in the oven. A turkey should reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees to ensure the meal is safe from bacteria. Once dinner is over, make sure to put all leftovers in the refrigerator. All leftovers must be refrigerated within two hours of serving. 

The number of kitchen fires triples on Thanksgiving Day. Take some simple precautions to make sure your home doesn’t become part of this statistic. “Stand by your pan” encourages homeowners to never leave food, especially grease, cooking on the stove top unattended. Keep all pets and children away from hot stoves and pans. Make sure all handles are facing inwards so they are not knocked over by guests. If you have a grease fire, do NOT use water or a fire extinguisher to put it out. Turn off the heat source, cover the flames with a pot or pan if possible, and dump baking soda and/or salt on the flames. 

Clogged drains can be expensive, time consuming, and stinky for you and your guests! Once a drain is clogged, homeowners can either call a plumber or run to the store for a bottle of Drano. Proper drain maintenance can avoid clogs, here are a few easy steps! 

1.     Lift any pop-up stoppers in sinks, remove gunk that has collected around the stopper and place it in the trash. Rinse the stopper and place it back in the drain.

2.     Remove the shower drain and use a wire, a croquet hook, or a Zip-it to remove hair and other waste. Place the waste in the trash and rinse with hot water.

3.     Grind up a combination of ice and salt in your garbage disposal. This will help remove grease.  Once finished, rinse with cold water and grind up half a lemon or lime to leave it smelling fresh and clean.

Alaska Management Group provides management services and solutions as well as association-specific websites that can help companies share information and communicate effectively. Complete our management request form to find out how Alaska Management Group can assist you in maintaining the value and comfort of your home association. 

The Neon Pink House on the Block: The Benefits of Homeowners’ Associations (HOAs) vs. Restrictions

“Why can’t I raise goats in my backyard?” “Turn the rooms of my home into an inn?” “Paint neon pink murals on my siding?” Homeowners’ associations (HOAs) can sometimes be viewed by the individual homeowner as stifling expression and creativity. In reality, the main goal of an HOA is to maximize property values and create a positive neighborhood environment based upon shared understanding.

An HOA is a community association that serves the greater interests of a neighborhood and its residents. As such, having an HOA can give a community more political advocacy and power, as well as be a collective force for maintaining stability in resale value, community, and structural integrity. Alaska Management Group has been working with and managing homeowners’ associations in the Anchorage area for decades, and as we say in our mission statement, the goal is to “ensure a safe and comfortable lifestyle while maintaining the value of the community for all residents.”

HOAs will have agreed-upon CC&R’s (covenants, conditions, and restrictions) to meet their goal of maintaining home values, neighborhood amenities, and property stability among their residents. These will usually include:

- Fees and membership dues.

- Ordinances and rules, such as architectural, usage, parking, and noise restrictions.
- Responsibilities of the homeowner and the association.

Although HOA’s will most likely put an added layer of restrictions on the individual homeowner, on top of the local government’s zoning and neighborhood ordinances, an HOA serves the collective interests of its community. HOAs can be a powerful voice for the greater interests of their residents, and allow homeowners to have access to amenities as a group that they would not be able to afford individually. Many homeowners appreciate the added stability and the financial protection of assets that an HOA provides. Finally, HOAs can create an added sense of community and neighborhood identity. For more benefits of an HOA, visit here.   

Alaska Management Group is the longest-running association management company serving communities in Anchorage, as well as surrounding cities such as Palmer, Wasilla, and Eagle River. We provide exceptional management services and association-specific websites that facilitate shared information, communication, and access between residents, Board members, and our team. We provide both full service and financial management as well as Board of Directors consultation services. Let us know if we can assist you in maintaining the value and comfort of your home and association by completing our management request form.