Max Hahne - Home Sweet Home

705-441-5800 max.hahne@evrealestate.com max-hahne.homesweethome.digital

courtesy of: Max Hahne

Dear Homeowners,

The things that make a guest room feel ready mostly cost very little and take an afternoon. Inside this issue, we set out ten of them, including a few that borrow what the house already owns, so the people staying with you can find a towel or start the coffee without knocking on your bedroom door. The garden moves indoors this month. We cover which plants are worth the trip, the pest check and pruning that have to happen first, and how to make the move gradual enough that nothing goes into shock, along with the windowsill herb garden that keeps fresh flavor going through the winter. Thanksgiving is the one meal of the year with a guaranteed audience for dessert, so we bake four pies: two savory enough to carry a course of their own, two to close the meal, all with make-ahead notes that keep the morning calm. And because the garage is where a year of projects goes to pile up, we lay out eight weekend builds that work through it wall by wall until the car has its space back.

If home projects or future real estate plans are on your mind this season, I’m always here to help with guidance whenever you need it.

Max Hahne ENGEL & VÖLKERS

705-441-5800 max.hahne@evrealestate.com max-hahne.homesweethome.digital

Table of Contents The Welcome Details: Small 14 04

A Pie for Every Seat at the Table

Comforts That Make Guests Feel at Home

• Savory

Ten small things that decide how a guest room feels, most of them done in an afternoon: the WiFi password framed on the dresser, towels already out, a breakfast guests can serve themselves, a cleared spot for a suitcase, and a nightstand stocked so nobody has to knock on your door at midnight.

Spinach and Feta Pie Chicken Pot Pie Free Apple Crumble Tart

• Classic

• Gluten-

• Classic

Pumpkin Pie

Coming In from the Cold: Wintering Your Outdoor Plants Indoors

Reclaim the Garage Before Winter

The garage fills up all summer while the car waits in the driveway, and November is the month to take it back. Eight storage projects, from pegboard walls and PVC cubbies to a rolling dresser tool chest, lift tools, hardware, and gear off the concrete and into plain view. Work one wall at a time and an empty rectangle opens up in the middle of the floor.

Begonias, geraniums, herbs, and even a compact pepper or cherry tomato will keep producing on the right windowsill. What decides whether they survive the move is the preparation: a pest inspection, a pruning, fresh soil, and a transition made gradually enough to prevent shock. Closes with a windowsill herb garden and the four mistakes that kill one.

November 2026

HOME SWEET HOME Magazine

Most households do the bulk of their overnight hosting between Thanksgiving and New Year’s: parents arriving the Wednesday before the holiday, a college student home with a roommate in tow, the air mattress set up in the den. What makes those visits comfortable is rarely square footage. It is the small details. None of the touches below call for a renovation or even much extra space. Most take minutes, and a few borrow things the house already owns. What they give your guests is a quiet kind of independence: the ability to find a towel or fix an early breakfast without knocking on your bedroom door. That independence works in your favor as much as theirs, since a guest who can help themselves is a guest you can simply enjoy. Set these up before the first car pulls in, and the whole visit runs smoother. That Make Guests Feel at Home THE WELCOME DETAILS: Small Comforts

November 2026

1. FRAME THE WIFI DETAILS

One of the first things guests reach for is the WiFi, and few people enjoy asking for it. Write the network name and password on a small card and slip it into a frame on the dresser or nightstand. Guests can connect the moment they set down their bags, and you can skip spelling out the password from the kitchen while the potatoes boil.

2. LAY OUT FRESH TOWELS

Set a stack of clean, fluffy towels at the foot of the bed, or in a designated spot in the bathroom, so nobody has to hunt through your linen closet. Two sizes per guest, bath and hand, keep anyone from having to ration. To go a step further, add a small toiletry kit with shampoo, conditioner, and soap; bags packed in a holiday rush tend to be missing at least one of the three. A basket in the guest bathroom does the same work if the bedroom is short on surfaces.

3. STOCK A SELF-SERVE BREAKFAST

Thanksgiving morning is busy, and every other morning of a visit everyone keeps a different schedule. Solve both problems by stocking breakfast your guests can manage on their own: yogurt, fruit, and cold cuts in the fridge, bread and pastries on the counter. Early risers can eat when they wake, and late sleepers can take their time without worrying about waking you. Coffee is worth a briefing of its own: show guests where the mugs, grounds, and sweeteners are kept on the first evening, so the earliest riser in the house can manage a cup in the quiet before anyone else stirs.

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4. CLEAR A SPOT FOR LUGGAGE

Travel is tiring, and a suitcase with nowhere to land makes a room feel cramped within minutes. A folding luggage rack is the polished answer, and a cleared corner of the room works nearly as well. Either way, guests can unpack what they need instead of living out of a bag on the floor. Clear a few hangers in the closet and empty one dresser drawer while you’re at it. People settle in faster when there is somewhere to hang a coat and unpack a bag, even for a few nights.

5. LEAVE A HANDWRITTEN NOTE

A short welcome note on the nightstand carries a warmth no printed card can match. Say how glad you are to have them, then add a house tip or two, like where the extra blankets live. A few lines about favorite local spots give visitors something to look forward to between holiday meals. A small bulletin board in the room works, too, if the nightstand is spoken for.

6. OUTFIT THE NIGHTSTAND

Guests rarely ask for the small things. A bottle of water, a box of tissues, and a small bowl of snacks on the bedside table mean they don’t have to. An extra blanket folded at the foot of the bed belongs in the same category, since November nights run colder than most guests pack for. If you know a guest’s favorite snack or drink, set that out as well; being remembered so specifically is the sort of detail people bring up for years.

November 2026

7. HAND OVER A SPARE KEY

Holiday visits come with errands and last-minute runs for cranberry sauce. A spare set of house keys lets guests come and go without feeling they’re imposing on your schedule. Keep the set in a small decorative dish or on a hook near the door, and tell them plainly that it’s theirs for the visit.

8. SET OUT A MAP OR A LIST

Smartphones handle directions well enough, but a paper map or a local guidebook has a charm of its own, especially for guests staying through the long weekend. Highlight a few favorite spots, or jot down a short list of places worth a visit, and leave it in the guest room. It reads as an invitation rather than an itinerary.

9. BUILD A SMALL CHARGING STATION

Nobody packs enough chargers, and phones tend to arrive at half battery. Set up a spot in the guest room with a few cables and adapters so devices can refill overnight. It spares your guests the dig through their bags and keeps the kitchen counter from becoming the household charging depot.

10. GIVE THE LIGHTING A RANGE

Most of this comes together in a single afternoon. Pick a weekend early in the month, make up the bed and set out the towels, then walk through the room once as if you were the one arriving tired from the road. Sit on the edge of the bed, reach for the lamp, look for the water; whatever you find yourself wanting is what the room still needs.

Overhead light alone can make a bedroom feel like a waiting room. Add a bedside lamp with more than one setting, or put the main fixture on a dimmer, so guests can read late or find the door at midnight without flooding the room. A small nightlight in the hallway or bathroom finishes the job, sparing anyone the midnight search for an unfamiliar switch. Adjustable light lets each visitor tune the space to their own comfort.

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COMING IN FROM THE COLD: Wintering Your Outdoor Plants Indoors The outdoor growing season closes at some point wherever you live, whether that arrives as a hard freeze in November or as a run of nights too cool for tender plants. It does not have to end the growing. Begonias, geraniums, herbs, even a compact pepper plant can keep going all winter on the right windowsill, provided the move inside is handled with some care. Plants hauled abruptly from yard to living room tend to go into “shock,” wilting and dropping leaves no matter how attentively you water them afterward. A slower, better-planned transition spares them that ordeal. Here is how to choose what comes in, how to move it well, and how to keep it green until spring.

November 2026

DECIDE WHAT COMES IN Start with a walk through the garden. Your home offers limited light, warmth, and humidity, so be selective; the bigger your summer garden, the more decisions ahead. Consider houseplants that summered outdoors, along with perennials, succulents, and herbs. Healthy plants only. Anything that struggled outside all summer is unlikely to fare better indoors, and a plant with known pests or disease should stay out entirely. Beyond that, choose the ones you would miss: plants you have invested real time in, plants that have grown well under your care, and plants that bring you joy. Begonias and geraniums both take to houseplant life gracefully. A few vegetables are worth saving too. Smaller tomato plants, especially cherry tomatoes, and pepper plants are tropical perennials that will keep producing fruit indoors as long as they get enough sun. You will need to hand-pollinate them, since there are no insects or breezes inside to do the job.

Whatever comes inside needs a pot. Some plants can stay in the containers they spent the summer in; others will need something new, and anything you dig straight from the garden bed will need a home of its own. Sort this out early so you can gather the right supplies in one trip. Set up a dedicated transplant station in one spot outdoors. Keeping everything in a single area puts every tool at hand and keeps the mess out of the house. Alongside containers in a few sizes, you may want a shovel, a trowel, pruners, snips, gloves, and the right soil for each plant making the trip. CONTAINERS AND SUPPLIES

CHECK FOR PESTS

Stowaway insects are the classic rookie mistake of the outdoor-to-indoor move. Aphids, mealybugs, and spider mites are the most common offenders, and they spread quickly from plant to plant once inside. Inspect each plant thoroughly: the surface of the soil, the tops of the leaves, and their undersides. Remove every trace you find. Sanitize containers as well, using a solution of one part bleach to 10 parts water, so nothing hiding in the pot rides in with the plant.

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Some plants need more than a soil refresh. Anything dug from the ground gets potted, of course, and container plants may need to go up a size or into something that suits the room they are joining. Look up each plant’s soil preferences and the container size it does best in before you commit. For plants keeping their current pots, refresh the soil instead. Scrape off the top inch or two, whatever lifts away easily, and replace it as evenly as you can with fresh soil. REPOT WHERE NEEDED Summer growth can leave plants leggy and untidy. Before anything comes in, trim off overgrown branches, dead leaves, and spent blooms. Grooming keeps plants presentable indoors, supports healthy growth through the winter, and removes hiding places for insects and disease. Whatever you cut, stay under one- third of the plant. PRUNE AND REFRESH THE SOIL

A DEEP SOAK BEFORE THE MOVE

Once everything is settled in its container, give each plant a long, deep drink while it is still outdoors and the water can drain freely. The soak helps plants establish in their new pots and releases nutrients in the fresh topsoil. It also serves as one last pest sweep: a garden hose does an excellent job of dislodging any insects that decided to hang on.

CHOOSE THEIR SPOTS INDOORS

Before a single pot crosses the threshold, decide where each plant will live. Confirm there is room for everything you plan to bring in, then match plants to places by light, warmth, and humidity. A plant that wants full sun belongs beside a window that faces the sun through the day; getting this right from the start does a great deal for its health and longevity.

November 2026

Now the plants come in, slowly. Slip a saucer under each container to catch soil and debris on the way. Rather than moving everyone at once, introduce plants to the house in stages: bring them in overnight, set them back outside in the morning, and stretch their indoor hours over one to three weeks, depending on the plant and the temperature. Another approach is to make the move on a day when indoor and outdoor temperatures roughly match, then keep the windows open for fresh air and sunlight while everyone adjusts. Skip the acclimation and plants can wilt, wither, drop leaves, or die outright, despite all the water, nutrients, and light you offer. MAKE THE MOVE GRADUAL

the pot regularly. Parsley is another sun lover and an easy grower. Rosemary does best when you start with a plant from a nursery. Thyme, sage, cilantro, bay, and peppermint also do well indoors. Setup is quick. Gather pots with drainage holes, seeds or seedlings, fresh soil, compost, gravel, and plant markers (tongue depressors cut in half work well). Fill each pot with ¾ inch of gravel, then fresh soil and a bit of compost. Dig a small hole, set the plant, press the soil gently around it, and add a labeled marker. Line the pots up in a tray along the windowsill, and rotate them now and then so every side gets its share of sun.

HERB GARDEN PITFALLS

SETTLE INTO A WINTER ROUTINE

Four mistakes account for most windowsill herb troubles:

Indoor life runs by different rules, and every plant reads them differently. Learn what each of yours needs to stay healthy through the winter months, starting with light, humidity, and water. Sun lovers belong close to windows, and clean glass makes a noticeable difference in how much light actually reaches the leaves. Watering is where habits most need to change: indoor plants drink far less than outdoor ones, so water only when the soil feels dry to the touch.

Crowded pots . Give each seed or seedling its own container rather than clustering one type of herb into a single pot.

Old soil. Soil from the backyard has no place indoors; fresh potting soil works best.

Too little light. Most herbs are happiest with about six to eight hours of sun a day, so don’t underestimate what they need. Overwatering. Herbs are sensitive to how much water they get. Let the soil dry out between waterings, and treat yellow leaves as a sign the pot is staying too wet.

PLANT AN INDOOR HERB GARDEN

A windowsill herb garden rounds out the winter nicely, either alongside your transplants or as a project all its own. The kitchen windowsill is the natural home for one: the herbs get the sun they need, and the sink keeps water close at hand. Chives are among the easiest herbs to grow indoors; snip them for cooking once they reach six inches. Basil needs moist, well-drained soil and the sunniest spot in the house. Oregano also needs strong light, and grows evenly if you turn

THE PAYOFF

The reward arrives in stages. In January you will snip fresh chives over soup, and by February the geraniums will be stretching toward the lengthening light. When the nights turn reliably mild again, everything goes back outside, rested, groomed, and a season stronger.

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November 2026

A Pie for Every Seat at the Table SAVORY AND SWEET PIES FOR THE THANKSGIVING TABLE

This month we are baking four pies for the Thanksgiving table: two savory pies sturdy enough to stand in as a main course, and two desserts to close the meal. Every recipe starts with a pre-made crust, which keeps the workload manageable on a morning when the oven is already busy with the turkey. The savory spinach and feta pie gives the vegetarian at your table a real main dish, and it can be assembled the night before, refrigerated, and baked while the turkey rests.

Classic chicken pot pie is the make-ahead workhorse of the group; the filling holds in the refrigerator for up to two days, so it also covers dinner on a houseguest weekend. For dessert, the gluten-free apple crumble tart takes care of guests who avoid wheat, with an oat and brown sugar topping that bakes up crisp over tender apples. Classic pumpkin pie rounds out the table, and both desserts can be baked the morning of and served at room temperature with softly whipped cream on the side.

HOME SWEET HOME Magazine

SAVORY SPINACH AND FETA PIE SERVES 6 Ingredients: z 1 lb. fresh spinach, chopped z 1 cup feta cheese, crumbled z 1 onion, diced z 2 cloves garlic, minced z ¼ cup olive oil z Salt and pepper to taste z 1 pre-made pie crust Instructions: 1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.

CLASSIC CHICKEN POT PIE

SERVES 6

Ingredients: z 2 cups cooked chicken, shredded z 1 cup mixed vegetables (peas, carrots, corn) z ½ cup butter

z ⅓ cup all-purpose flour z 1 ½ cups chicken broth z 1 cup milk z Salt and pepper to taste z 1 pre-made pie crust Instructions: 1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.

2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until translucent, 4 to 5 minutes. 3. Add the spinach in batches and cook until wilted, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain off any liquid the spinach releases and let the mixture cool for a few minutes. 4. Stir in the feta cheese and season with salt and pepper. 5. Spoon the filling into the pie crust and spread it evenly. 6. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Let the pie rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

2. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes to make a roux. 3. Slowly add the chicken broth and milk, stirring continuously, and cook until the sauce is smooth and thickened, about 5 minutes. 4. Stir in the chicken and vegetables and season with salt and pepper. 5. Pour the filling into the pie crust. 6. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the crust is golden. Let the pie rest for 10 minutes before serving.

November 2026

GLUTEN-FREE APPLE CRUMBLE TART SERVES 8 Ingredients:

Instructions: 1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. 2. Arrange the apple slices in the tart crust in an even layer. 3. In a bowl, mix the oats, brown sugar, melted butter, and cinnamon. 4. Sprinkle the oat mixture evenly over the apples. 5. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the topping is crisp and the apples are tender. Serve warm or at room temperature.

z 4 cups sliced apples z 1 cup gluten-free oats z ½ cup brown sugar z ¼ cup butter, melted z 1 tsp. cinnamon z 1 gluten-free tart crust

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CLASSIC PUMPKIN PIE SERVES 8 Ingredients: z 1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin puree z 1 cup sugar z ½ tsp. salt z 1 tsp. cinnamon

Instructions: 1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. 2. In a large bowl, mix the pumpkin puree, sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. 3. Beat in the eggs, then stir in the evaporated milk until the filling is smooth. 4. Pour the filling into the pie crust. 5. Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350°F and bake for 40 to 45 minutes more, or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for at least two hours before slicing.

z ½ tsp. ginger z ¼ tsp. cloves z 2 eggs z 1 ½ cups evaporated milk z 1 pre-made pie crust

November 2026

HOME SWEET HOME Magazine

Reclaim the Garage Before Winter EIGHT WEEKEND PROJECTS THAT GIVE EVERY TOOL A PLACE AND PUT THE CAR BACK WHERE IT BELONGS. After a summer of projects and practices, sports gear, gardening supplies, and half-sorted hardware have taken over the space where the car belongs, and the car spends its mornings in the driveway taking whatever the weather offers. The fix is a wall-by-wall reset. Each of the eight projects below lifts one category of clutter up and off the concrete, into storage you can see and reach without digging. Finish them this month and the car spends the winter indoors.

November 2026

1. Line a wall with pegboard

2. Add PVC cubbies for tools that won’t hang Hacksaw blades, files, and paint stir sticks slide right off a hook. Give them cubbies instead. Cut a length of PVC pipe about two inches in diameter into short segments, then slip each piece over a pegboard hook. Every segment becomes an open slot that holds slim tools upright, visible, and within reach of the workbench. 3. Put everyday containers on hardware duty Loose screws, nails, and washers scatter across a work area faster than any other category, and three containers you may already own can bring them to order. Start with a heavy steel muffin tin. Fasten it beneath a shelf with a quarter-inch by one-and-a- half-inch flat head screw, countersinking the hole so the screw head sits level with the shelf. Set fender washers above and below the tin’s rim, then lock the threads with a thin jam nut tightened against a second, thicker nut so nothing loosens over time. Fill each cup with one kind of fastener, and the whole tray swivels out from under the shelf to the cup you need. A label at each opening speeds things along. Glass canning jars handle the next tier of small parts: screw the lids to the underside of a shelf, sort hardware into the jars, and twist each one into place, marking the glass with a bright paint pen. Rinsed plastic bottles round out the system. Drill a hole through each cap and secure an eyebolt with two nuts, one inside the cap and one above it, then cut a round opening in the shoulder of the bottle, fill, label, and hang. The same thinking rescues an old tennis racket: drill a hole in the handle, mount it beneath the workbench with a single screw, and let the head corral pencils and a measuring tape. It swings out while you work and tucks away when you’re done.

Pegboard is the workhorse of garage walls. Hardboard is the most popular material and the easiest to find at a home improvement store. Metal pegboard gives a workshop a clean industrial look, and its L-shaped edge flanges provide the wall spacing and durability to carry long-handled tools such as shovels, rakes, hoes, and edging shears. Plastic panels come prefabricated with quarter-inch holes and slide-in connectors, so you can join sections to fit the wall exactly. Installation starts with a stud finder: locate and mark the studs, then mount one-by-three strips at the top and bottom of each panel location. Add a strip every 16 to 24 inches on large runs, and fasten a vertical strip to each stud wherever heavier items will hang. Attach the panel with washer-head screws, then load it with hooks, bins, baskets, and small shelving for pieces that resist hanging. One finishing touch takes the system further: paint the board in colored squares so each zone reads at a glance, a green block for screwdrivers, a red one for wrenches.

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4. Sort sandpaper in an acrylic magazine rack A vertical hanging magazine rack, the acrylic kind with four pockets, makes a tidy sandpaper station. Assign each pocket a size or grade so sheets stay flat and sorted. A clear rack lets you spot the grit you need at a glance, and new racks are stocked at office supply retailers if you don’t have one waiting in a closet.

5. Mount a rack for fishing rods

Rods store best on the wall, and two materials hold them: a foam pool noodle and a length of PVC pipe three inches in diameter. Cut slits along the noodle, then position it flush against the wall so at least two slits line up over studs. Pull the foam apart at those slits, tuck in a fender washer, and drive two-inch screws through to the framing. Below the noodle, drill one-inch holes every four inches along the PVC pipe and screw it to the wall at a height that lets the rod handles rest in the openings. The upper sections sit snugly in the noodle’s slits, and every rod stays untangled until spring.

November 2026

7. Stretch tension rods across unused gaps The slim spaces between shelving units, and even the bays between wall studs, hold more than they appear to. Spring a sturdy tension rod into each gap, add S-shaped shower hooks, and hang whatever needs a home, from paint rags and cleaning cloths to lightweight gardening tools. There are no brackets to drill and no holes to patch later, and every item comes up off the ground. 8. Roll an old dresser into service as a tool chest A dresser with rows of small, shallow drawers converts into a tool chest sized to your collection; a vanity style, or one built with jewelry drawers, works far better than a chest with deep drawers that swallow everything. Remove the drawers and measure each interior, then fit dividers cut from quarter-inch plywood or premade dividers matched to those dimensions. Cap the top with a butcher block counter or a piece of plywood cut to size, and you gain a work surface along with the storage. Rolling casters underneath and a hand pull on each side finish the piece, so the whole chest travels to wherever the project is happening. Set aside the next dry weekend and start with the wall farthest from the door. Work inward, one project at a time, until an empty rectangle opens up in the middle of the floor. By the end of the month, the car parks inside again and mornings start without a detour through the driveway.

6. Turn a bifold door into a gardening station Gardening comes with a long supply list, and a repurposed bifold door can hold most of it on one vertical panel. Choose a combination of knobs and hooks in a finish you like, then lay them out on the door until the arrangement suits your tools and supplies. Mount each piece in its designated spot, and fasten the finished door to the garage wall studs. Everything hangs in plain view, and the floor beneath stays open for the car.

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Is Now The Right Time to Sell?

To Request a No Obligation Housing Market Report: Call me at 705-441-5800 or Email max.hahne@evrealestate.com .

This is all 100% free with no obligation. After you submit the online questionnaire, you will receive my free report with information that will help you determine your home's value. I recommend printing it out and taking a drive to see the homes I've identified as comparable to yours. See how your home measures up. This will help you get an even more accurate idea of what your home is worth.

An appraiser would charge hundreds for this service, but I will provide one at no cost.

If you would like my free, professional opinion on the value of your home, I'd be glad to help. We can talk on the phone, or we can meet in person. I look forward to helping you!

Max Hahne ENGEL & VÖLKERS

705-441-5800 max.hahne@evrealestate.com max-hahne.homesweethome.digital

What's your next move? My recent book outlines the principles behind my own success and how I help others succeed in a quickly changing market. Learn strategies, secrets, tips, and much more from an industry insider!

Read it now or request a free copy at maxhahne.bestlocalexpert.com

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