Is Your Fridge Working Too Hard? | A Shot and a Chaser for Your AC | We All Scream for Local Ice Cream

by Jen Ward

The days are getting longer, the lawn needs mowing, and school children are driving their teachers crazy. Are you ready for a break for some summer fun? I am! I love to travel and there's nothing quite like taking a break, going away, and relaxing or experiencing something new.

National Parks Trip Planner

Many of you know that I have a goal to visit every state in the US. South Dakota and North Dakota are the last two states on my list, and this summer I'm finally checking them off. I've been using the National Parks Trip Planner to map out the route — if you haven't used it before, it's worth bookmarking before any road trip. See the link below.

Prep Your AC for the Summer
Years of working with home inspectors has let me pick up a lot of useful tips. With the weather getting warmer, I want to share my favorite air conditioning tip -- the shot and chaser (my phrase, not my inspectors). Dust, mold, and debris can accumulate in the air handler and this is a good way to clear the PVC condensate drain on the AC unit.

Make sure your AC is turned off/unplugged. Locate the AC drain line access point. Pull off the cap and remove any large debris by hand. Pour a cup of vinegar or hydrogen peroxide (shot) down the PVC condensate pipe of the AC unit, and let it sit for 20-30 minutes. Chase the cup of vinegar or peroxide with a gallon of water (chaser) to clear out the pipe. For detailed instructions, check out this article.

Baltimore's Housing is the 17th Oldest of Large Metros
Did you know that the Baltimore metro area (Baltimore-Columbia-Towson) has housing with a median age of 1976? If you are looking in Baltimore City's Fed Hill neighborhood, you'll find houses built in the 1800s. As you move out to Columbia, you'll find houses built in the late 60s-70s due to development of the Columbia Association. If you head north to Lutherville-Timonium, you'll find clusters of mid-century homes due to the construction of I-83/JFX. With a certain age, you'll find specific styles, layouts and building materials were popular.

Are you a Maryland Non-Resident?
A resident is considered someone who has lived in their property for the last 2 of 5 years. If you have not lived in your property for the last 2 of 5 years, you are a Maryland Non-Resident. When you sell your property, a MD Non-resident withholding tax is subtracted from your net sale. The Non-Resident Withholding rate has been increased to 8.75% for individuals and 8.25% for entities on the sale of property as of January 1, 2026.

Bring it on, summer!

Jen

One More Thing: Shop and Eat Local

It's that time of year when you may feel like wandering your local farmer's market. Why not eat seasonal food items grown by local farmers and producers? Whether you are looking to make it part of your regular routine or you are out on the road in another part of the state, you can visit a farmer's market. It's a wonderful way to support local, small businesses to keep our economy growing!

Love ice cream? Here is a link for creameries across Maryland! And if you are ambitious, have you completed Maryland's Ice Cream Trail? Fill your ice cream passport as you taste ice cream around the state. If you live in Baltimore County, you can check out the Summer Scoops map. This is a summer worthy goal of consuming ice cream and snowballs across the county.

Articles:

TrailVerse — Explore America's 470+ National Parks & Sites

Is your refrigerator running? Then you better go clean it!

Last Call for Rain Barrels and Compost Bins