As mentioned in my last blog article, Ithaca area residents are fortunate to have a variety of services available to us so we can make informed and educated decisions when buying a home and then maintaining it.

If you're thinking of purchasing a home that may need some fixing up, or live in one that could use a bit of repair, Better Housing for Tompkins County is offering a series of maintenance classes that are hands-on. They suggest you come prepared to get dirty! The cost for each class is $5 and the facility is located at 950 Danby Road. All classes begin at 6:30 p.m. Here are their offerings:

These sound like extremely useful classes to me! My father alway said to have a healthy respect for electricity. Maybe I should attend that class to learn what I should NOT do. And who hasn't pounded a big nail in the wall to hang a picture, tried to spackle it in preparation for repainting, only to make it look worse? And have you ever stumbled across a tool made for a specific task that you sure wish you'd known about last spring when you were trying to make that repair?

Call 273-2187 to reserve your spot. Also, visit their website for additional information on buying and maintaining your home and  to find out about the other services provided by Better Housing for Tompkins County.