Monthly archives for November, 2009

8 Ways to Improve Curb Appeal

Nov16
2009 3 Comments Written by Shanna

curb appeal

Remember when you were a house hunter? You may have driven through neighborhoods to get a feel for the types of homes in the area or how close they were to schools, shopping, highways. And right after location, the #1 thing you were noticing was how the place looked outside.

When done right, curb appeal has the power to pull potential buyers in, implying that the interior of your home will be just as impressive as the façade. When done wrong, it can turn buyers away and eliminate any interest they had.

So what can you do to improve your property’s curb appeal? Here are eight quick areas to work on:

  1. Landscaping: A manicured lawn, trimmed bushes and thriving flowers can do wonders for a home’s overall appearance. Don’t have time to plant? Potted plants can be just as beautiful, set near the entryway or on a front porch.
  2. Driveway: Repair any cracks or stains in your driveway and look for ways to upgrade it such as adding flagstones or staining the concrete.
  3. Exterior/Façade: Repair any damages to your home’s façade, and give it a fresh coat of paint, if applicable. Another important thing to notice is the condition of your gutters: do they need to be cleaned or replaced? Now is the time!
  4. Front Door: Sometimes a fresh coat of paint or new staining can dramatically improve the look of your entry; choose a color that will pop, and you turn your front door into a real focal point. Other updates include new hardware, new house numbers and/or a new outdoor light fixture. Maybe even add a wreath!
  5. Roof: A new roof isn’t just good for curb appeal; it also is vital for the weatherproofing and insulating of your home. A quality roof can actually reduce heating and cooling costs, which is a benefit that communicates easily to buyers. Plus, for information on green roofing options, see this Buy Owner Blog article!
  6. Lighting: Landscape lighting heightens the drama of your home’s curb appeal by adding ambiance. Consider using solar lighting for a green option!
  7. Mailbox: Ideally, your mailbox should complement the rest of your home’s style and be in mint condition. To dress yours up, consider fresh paint or new staining, depending on its materials.
  8. Decorative features: From seasonal flags to attractive birdbaths or sculptures, there are many options for completing your home’s look. One goal to keep in mind is symmetry.
Posted in Selling Tips, Tips and Ideas - Tagged , , ,

Time Period Decorating

Nov13
2009 Leave a Comment Written by Alicia

vintageroom

Need decorating ideas? Feeling uncreative? If you find yourself in a decorating funk, here’s an idea that’s always available: decorate for a certain time period. This type of decorating is popular because it brings history alive in our everyday lives, the choices are abundant, and the décor can’t ever go out of style.

To begin, choose a time period that interests you most. Do you like the dark, dramatic décor of the gothic period; the artistic flare of the Roman period; the fun of the 1950s or the bright and flashy colors found in the 1960s? The time period that you choose is completely up to you. Here are ideas for a select few eras:

• To decorate within the colonial period, which was roughly from the time of American settlement to the mid 1800s, specialize in a simple English décor. This style shows off crown molding, windows with small panes, hardwood flooring, elaborate fireplaces, exposed wooden beams on the ceilings, mahogany wood furniture and an overall country atmosphere.

• To decorate in a gothic style, use lots of accessories rather than wall colorings. The walls should just be painted gray or blue, or with a faux stone apperance. Use lots of dramatic fabrics, such as velvet, silk and suede in bold colors. Stained glass, gargoyles and wood or stone flooring are all good accents.

• You can also decorate within a certain American decade. The roaring 1920s brought numerous changes to the household décor, which included rich colors in flooring, doors and window frames, oriental-style carpets and lamps, old-fashioned stoves, china tea sets and lots of built-in furniture.

• Decorating a room in a 1960s appearance means using bright, gaudy objects! Bright colored walls, metal furniture, patterned area rugs and artworks, floor lamps and neon lights with words or images all make acceptable attributes to a 60s room. Don’t forget a peace sign!

Use these tips to decorate one of your rooms in this time period, or just use them to get the creative juices flowing!

Posted in Home Improvement, Tips and Ideas - Tagged , ,

Tax Credit Extended!

Nov12
2009 2 Comments Written by Shanna

calculator As of last week, the $8,000 home buyer tax credit has been extended, ending next spring instead of at the end of this month. Plus, there’s a new credit for qualifying existing home owners.

What does this mean for you?

FIRST-TIME BUYERS: You have more time to find your first home and still qualify for as much as 10% of your new home in the $8K credit. Condition: This extension only applies to homes purchased for more than $800,000.

EXISTING HOME OWNERS: If you’ve lived in your primary residence for at least five of the last eight years, you also qualify for a special credit of $6,500.

Other special conditions: There are some income limits that apply. For more information, see this Wall Street Journal article.

Posted in Market News, Tips and Ideas - Tagged , , ,

What Not To Do

Nov10
2009 Leave a Comment Written by Alicia

housemoney1

An overload of advice is offered to you, as a homebuyer, on what you should do before and while you deal with the process of purchasing a new home. Did anyone ever tell you what not to do? The most important advice, which is best laid out at realestateabc.com, is to keep your finances in order. What does this mean?

First, it means to deal with one life-changing purchase at a time. In the process of buying a new home, don’t feel the need to purchase anything else new. Now is not the time to purchase a new car, plan an expensive wedding, buy all-new décor, plan a vacation and the list goes on. Unless, of course, your finances are in good enough shape to handle more than one life-changing purchase at one time.

Secondly, don’t move your money around. The process of reviewing a potential homebuyer’s finances is more closely analyzed than ever before. While a loan lender or a mortgage underwriter is reviewing your finances, make the process as simple as possible. This means not moving large sums of money from one account to another, opening a new account or changing banks. The last few months of bank statements and liquid assets will need to be reviewed, so the more changes you make now, the longer the process will take and the more frustrated you’ll become.

Bottom line: keep your finances in order, and keep your funding decisions simple until the review process is complete.

Posted in Buying Tips, Tips and Ideas - Tagged , ,

Remodel or Move?

Nov09
2009 Leave a Comment Written by Alicia

House

If you are currently in the need for more living space or you are tired of your outdated home, it’s a tough decision to know if you should spend the money to remodel, or if you should altogether move to a new house and location. If you are dealing with this tough decision, here are some factors to take into account:

• What changes do you need and what changed do you want? Make two separate lists, first the “changes needed” list, and research how much these changes will cost in renovation. If you still have savings left after considering these costs, move onto the “changes wanted” list.

• If you cannot figure out a way to renovate your home to make these changes possible, or if the cost is much higher than you expected, consider moving. Though the cost of moving is substantial, you also receive a revenue from selling your house. With a renovation, it’s money out of your pocket now, and no return investment, although a renovation might help increase the sale of your home in the future.

• How much do you enjoy your location? If you need a larger home, but you absolutely love your neighbors, your children’s schools or your quick commute to work, you might want to add onto your existing home. Don’t give up everything you love for the sake of extra space.

• According to an article from bobvila.com, many houses provide the space that is needed, but are just configured incorrectly. Walk through each room and consider how you could rearrange furniture or purchase new furniture in order to utilize the room better. For an improved judgment, ask an outside family member or friend.

• With remodeling or add-ons, once you receive a cost estimate from construction firms, contact a lender if you will need a loan. Will you want to move in the near future? Taking out a loan now might postpone future move plans if you have too many loan payments at once.

All in all, here are the considerations that it should come down to:

• Remodeling considerations: How much of your personal time will need to go into this project? How long will the whole process take? Is the weather suitable enough for this project to be completed in a timely manner? Will the noise of construction and inopportune walls being knocked down distract you from your work done at home? Do you have space to add onto your home, and will you mind space from your yard disappearing? Will you need extra air conditioners, water heaters, etc. to fill the added space? Will the upgrade add to the value of your house? When it’s all said and done, is the outcome worth the price and time?

• Moving considerations: Would a new layout benefit you more than the one you have? Could you still commute to work from a new location? Are there good schools, convenience stores, etc. in the new area? Is the price doable? Can you afford the higher taxes that go with a larger home? Is your house in a condition to sell? Is your credit in well enough condition to receive a loan? Is every family member on the same page with moving? Do you have the time that goes into cleaning up the home, decluttering, hosting open houses, packing up and unpacking somewhere new?

If you’re still torn, consult with a construction firm to find out a cost estimate for remodeling. Then, figure out the market value of your home and what type of new house you could afford, and visit www.BuyOwner.com to shop around, and attend open houses. It might be easier to start with a new layout, and plan your new extra space accordingly. Though it’s a hard and complicated decision to make initially, no matter which choice you make, the end result should suit your needs perfectly.

Posted in Selling Tips, Tips and Ideas - Tagged , ,

Thanksgiving Decorating Tips

Nov06
2009 Leave a Comment Written by Alicia

pumpkinFALL

Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and though we’ve previously discussed how home sellers should keep holiday decorations to a minimum, there is nothing wrong with adding fall flare to your home or with adding warmth and coziness to your layout.

Wow your dinner guests with homemade or purchased decorations that not only show off the vibrant colors of fall, but that also celebrate the coming together of friends and the beginning of our founded nation. In the hype of winter holidays to come, Thanksgiving décor is sometimes forgotten, but it just as lovely and important as any other holiday.

To decorate for your Thanksgiving, try to incorporate some of these ideas:

• Show off some cornucopias! Place a few medium-sized examples around the home, or just display one large example as your table’s centerpiece. Fill this treasure with real or fake fall leaves, acorns, pine cones and twigs, or fill it with brightly colored flowers, fruits or vegetables! As a goody bag for your guests to take home, Disney’s FamilyFun.com suggests filling sugar cones with multi-colored hard candies and writing each person’s name on a cone with cake icing!

• Dedicate a table or a corner of the room for pumpkins and an array of uniquely shaped and colored squash and gourds! These can be found in your local grocery store, or you could make a day out of choosing some at a local pumpkin farm. You could even serve the squash as part of the meal! One popular fall recipe includes cutting an acorn squash in half, scooping out the seeds, placing some butter and brown sugar in the middle, and cooking the squash in the microwave for 10 minutes.

• To promote green living to your family and friends, host a green Thanksgiving, using only eco-friendly decorations! Our Green Thanksgiving blog provides you with an abundance of options, which include serving soup in hollowed-out baby pumpkins or adding an autumn scent with candles made out of recyclable goods! You can read all kinds of eco-friendly decorating ideas.

• Remember the pilgrims and Indians that made this day possible? Decorate with wheat stalks or cornstalks, to celebrate the harvest. Hang Thanksgiving stickies on your windows that display a pilgrim and Indian setting. Fill a vase with colorful feathers. Surprise your guests with homemade Indian and pilgrim hats! For instructions on how to make these hats, visit ziggityzoom.com. You could even tell everyone to dress up in costumes, or as the host, dress up alone!

• No matter what side dishes you decide to serve, every Thanksgiving meal has one thing in mind: turkey. Celebrate this common element by displaying stuffed animal turkeys, window stickies with turkeys, or just drawings of turkeys. One renowned way of creating an artistic, personal turkey is to trace your hand, draw the face in your thumb, and color your fingers different colors for the feathers.

Thanksgiving decorations should be quick to set up and quick to take down. After the last guest finishes his or her slice of pumpkin pie and heads out the door, you could quickly toss the hollow pumpkins and homemade turkey drawings, take down the window stickies, fold up the Indian costume and store away the cornucopia for next year. Keep things simple!

Posted in Home Improvement, Tips and Ideas - Tagged , ,

Going Green Might Help Sell Your Home

Nov05
2009 Leave a Comment Written by Alicia

greenpeopleplanet

Not only does living green provide a healthier lifestyle and lower electricity and utility bills, but according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), 90 percent of home buyers have said that energy efficiency is a significant factor that they are looking for in a new home! Now that you know it could improve the interest of your potential buyers, here are green improvements to consider:

• Add insulation where it’s needed. Outside, walk around the exterior of your home and look for cracks in the construction. On a windy, cold day, head to the attic and/or basement to listen for whistling sounds that might be making their way through cracks. Pay attention to drafts anywhere in the house. For more information on energy-efficient insulation, click here.

• Install new energy-efficient windows, or add a screen or an extra pane of glass to the windows or sliding glass doors. The more layers, the more efficient against wind and cold temperatures. Keep the curtains open so that the sun can shine through in the cold, and keep them closed to keep the heat out in warm temperatures. For more information on windows, click here.

• Purchase new Energy Star appliances that are the most energy-efficient options out there. They are expensive, but they are a huge selling point for the kitchen, which is one of the most popular rooms that a buyer pays attention to. For more ways to create a green kitchen, click here.

• Invest in a tankless water heater, and/or add energy-efficient, low-flow water fixtures to your sinks or showers. Show potential homebuyers your water or heating bills to prove how much money these mechanisms will save them. For more information on tankless water heaters, click here.

• Fill the home with natural or eco-friendly lighting by adding a skylight, adding dimmers to light switches, or replacing all of the lights with fluorescent bulbs. For more information on skylights, click here.

Loads of more green, eco-friendly advice is available in our archives, which you can browse here. Knowing that 90 percent of potential homebuyers are interested in eco-friendly aspects should aspire you home sellers to look further into the suggestion!

Posted in Green Living, Tips and Ideas - Tagged , , ,

Best Investment Right Now

Nov03
2009 Leave a Comment Written by Alicia

moneyhouse

The housing crisis is finally showing slow signs of improvement. Commercial and retail properties have suffered in all areas of the country, but according to an article from Realty Times, apartment rentals have remained the strongest sector.

Of all building rentals, multi-family apartment units have held up the best. Buildings have stayed full, and rent has remained stable or even increased. Particular cities with the lowest vacancy rates, around 5 percent, include Pittsburgh, San Diego, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., San Jose and Albuquerque. Areas where vacancy rates are higher, reaching up to 12 percent, include Tucson and Phoenix. Still, the average for the country is 7.4 percent, which is lower than it has been in past recessions.

What’s the reason for this? It could mean that people are afraid of the real estate meltdown and are resorting to renting instead of purchasing. It could mean that in order to find jobs, college graduates have moved to where the jobs are, forcing them to move into housing that they can afford. It could mean that people losing their homes through foreclosures are moving into apartment buildings. It could just mean that apartment living is always going to be needed, no matter what the economy or the real estate market is looking like.

Whatever the reason, it definitely means that if you’re looking for extra revenue, apartment buildings may be the smartest investment purchase you could make. To search for buildings available in your area, go to BuyOwner.com and search under Multi Unit or Apartment Building listings.

Posted in Buying Tips, Tips and Ideas - Tagged , , ,

Holding an Estate Sale

Nov02
2009 1 Comment Written by Carrie

PackingBoxes

Estate sales are commonly run by professionals on behalf of a deceased property owner. However, you may hold your own estate sale for many reasons:

  • if you are downsizing
  • if you are moving to a facility where you are unable to keep your belongings (assisted living, retirement home, etc)
  • if you want to get rid of unnecessary items to avoid foreclosure

Why hold your own estate sale?

The bottom line is that running your own estate sale saves you money. Not only must you pay a professional for his/her services, but you’ll also have to fork over a pretty penny for advertising, research, security, refreshments and other fees. The professional will often take a percentage of the profit, as well, which could run anywhere between 20 and 50%! If there has been a death in the family, it may be too overwhelming for you to conduct the estate sale of your loved one’s belongings. However, if any of the abovementioned reasons apply to you, it would be a great idea to run the sale by yourself.

What are the logistics?

Depending on the amount of items you want to sell, estate sales last from one to three days. There is often a price reduction at the end of the last day, to ensure that every item has been sold. The advantage of hiring a professional is that he/she will do extensive research in order to accurately price your precious pieces. However, professionals are sometimes more stringent on bargaining with patrons, so you might end up giving quite a few things away for free in the long run if you cannot sell them within the first few days. By attending some estate sales in your area, you can get a sense of how things work and how to price your items. And don’t forget to advertise. Post a free listing on Craig’s List or print up some flyers to hang about town in super markets and other businesses with high amounts of foot traffic.

Posted in Selling Tips, Tips and Ideas - Tagged , , ,
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