How to get the most return on your remodel investment. What upgrades are worth it.

Remodeling Magazine and the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) recently released their report comparing remodeling cost vs. value. The results vary depending on multiple factors including: region, quality of work, value of homes in your neighborhood, and when you plan to sell your home in relation to the completion of the project.
According to the overall findings, to boost the value of your home, start by upgrading the exterior. Replace your front door with a steel or fiberglass entry door to add curb appeal and value. Give your home a facelift and dramatically improve your facade by upgrading your existing siding. New garage doors will enhance your home aesthetically and functionally. The report also mentions that new windows save owners in energy costs and often add to resale value. When possible, the addition of a wood deck to outdoor living space is definitely a sought after amenity by potential buyers.
As for interior remodels, convert unused space into living areas. Finish the basement or convert the attic to a bedroom. Also, minor kitchen updates such as counter, cabinet, floor and sink upgrades are always big selling points.

How to Make Your Home Feel Larger!

How to Make Your Home Feel Larger!

Ever feel a little crowded in your own home? Rearranging your home for a more roomy look is sometimes much more difficult than it seems. Hiring someone to redesign is just costly and inefficient. So how do you completely change the feel of your home with the same stuff in it?

Here are seven great ways to make your home look and feel bigger without having extra cost to hire someone:

De-Clutter Your Entryway and Living Area: Built-in shelves/drawers is an effective method to declutter your entryway. Extra shelves and furniture could make your place look cramped and cluttered, so go with built-in instead! It’s a relatively cheap way to create more space to organize and make the first thing a visitor sees in your home look spacious. Built in bookshelves, windows with a window seat and cushions, storage cabinets, etc. are a great thing to invest in for your home.

Open Up Doorways: Renovating and rejuvenating your doorways is a fantastic way to open up your home. Making these as wide and tall as possible, up to the ceiling preferably, amplifies your entryways. You can also use wide molding, transom windows or side lights to add to the effect.




Take Over a Wall: Whether you are adding a “hidden wardrobe” to your wall or just going to Ikea to get a ceiling to floor type shelving, this will save you space! Often times it’s when you have multiple pieces of furniture for your clothing, like an armoire and a chest of drawers, that things look cluttered and the room looks smaller.

So open up your bedroom with some well hidden cabinetry or one large piece of furniture that will hold everything you want it to!

Entice All the Senses: Go with a color theme and different textures to enliven a room! Add a table made of mirrors to your living room to enjoy an interesting medium. Or have a smooth tiling in one room and change the texture by adding a throw rug or runner carpet. One of my favorite tricks of the trade to add space and life is to have plants. Plants of all kinds liven things up and adds a different dynamic to a room. A small pot of succulents will turn interest and a vase of fresh flowers will add scent and beauty. Opening doors and windows to the outside also makes a room look and feel bigger and more enjoyable (and screens come in handy to keep any unwanted bugs out).

Choose Large Scale Flooring and Tiling: Using a larger scale tile for your flooring and the walls in your restroom will make it look more spacious and inviting. Also try changing up the pattern from floor to wall. For example choose a square foot size tile for your flooring and install them on a diagonal and choose a slightly smaller and different textured tile for the walls and shower and install them on a straight line. This will attract and please the eye and make your space look larger.

Use Space Under Furniture: If you’re running out of space for linens, shoes, winter coats and clothing or even art supplies, utilize the space under your bed and any other furniture with a gap under it. Buy some cheap plastic bins that will fit under your bed or just use some old painted shoeboxes or filing boxes.

Be Sure to Utilize the Backs of Doors: Hangers for the back of your door are highly underrated in my opinion. These can be great for shoes, jacket and coats, summer sweaters, jewelry, a mirror etc. It will give some extra space in your closet or wall space for other things.







So whether you’re doing a Summer Cleaning and need to de clutter or are just feeling a little claustrophobic for this sunny season, utilize these simple steps! It will make all the difference.

Home Maintenance Tips For Fall

As summer fades into fall, see our checklist to preserve the health of your home.
1. Clean the gutters: As you clear leaves, dirt, and pine needles from gutters, examine downspouts for damage. Check the flashing around your chimney and look for damage to the roof that may lead to leaks
2. Change the filters: Change the air filter in your central air conditioning system or if you have a window air conditioning unit, remove from the window or place a waterproof cover over it to prevent damage. Change filters in stove vents, clothes dryers and room fans if applicable.
3. Drafty days: Evaluate the seal and caulking around the window frames to prevent losing heat in the winter.
4. Fix leaky faucets: Avoid broken pipes in cold winter months and repair leaky faucets in your kitchen, baths, and laundry room now.
5. Clean sweep: Examine and clean your fireplace damper and ensure the flue is operating correctly. A professional chimney sweep may be necessary.
6. In hot water: Often, if you live in an area with hard water, extra amounts of sediments build up in your hot water heater. Drain and make sure rust is not developing.

Start Building Your Nest Egg Now

Great Rates Mortgage interest rates remain very attractive and are now at or near 40-year historic lows.

Great Timing
The economic stimulus package recently signed into law provides a significant benefit to potential homebuyers and sellers. With the conforming loan limit increase from $417,000 to as much as $729,500 in some market areas, more buyers can get lower interest rates. If you saw a dream home you couldn't afford last year, look again. First time homebuyers have even more to help them.
Great Long-Term InvestmentHome equity is the largest single source of household wealth for most Americans.2 From 1972 to 2007, the median home price appreciated at a compound annual growth rate of 6.4%.3 To put that in perspective, a $25,000 investment back in 1972 at the same rate of return would be worth approximately $233,000 today. Maybe that's why nearly two-thirds of Americans agree that renting a place to live is like throwing money away.

Growing Demand
Last year, a home was sold in this country every 4.9 seconds on average .5 Although no one can predict the future, rest assured – demographics will continue to drive long-term demand. Looking ahead through 2015, 14.6 million new households are expected to form in this country.6 And all these people will need a place to live. Getting the jump now – when rates are low, inventory is plentiful and home prices are compelling – is a great strategy for building your own nest egg and personal wealth. Remember, the early bird catches the worm. Too bad for the worm, but potentially very good for you.
If you're considering a move, or hear that any family, friends, neighbors or colleagues are, please feel free to contact me.

Rent vs Buy What's the story??

Buying beats renting in 98 of 100 metros (2/12)

Buying beats renting in 98 of 100 metros (2/12)Thanks to nationwide price declines and rising rents, buying a home is now cheaper than renting one in 98 of the nation's 100 major metropolitan areas, according to a rent vs. buy index from real estate search and marketing site Trulia.

In the two remaining metros, San Francisco and Honolulu, renting often beat buying, but buying could be a better deal for those who plan to stay in their home for at least five years and take advantage of the mortgage interest tax deduction, Trulia said.

The rent vs. buy index is based on a price-to-rent ratio of asking prices to asking rents for properties on Trulia.com between Dec. 1, 2011 and Feb. 29. 2012, after adjusting for property and neighborhood attributes, the site said.
A price-to-rent ratio of 15 or below indicates it is less expensive to buy than to rent in an area; a ratio of 20 or higher indicates renting is less expensive than buying; and a ratio between 15 and 20 indicates buying could be cheaper than renting depending on individual circumstances, including tax considerations.
In the San Francisco Bay Area, San Francisco County (which is one and the same as the city) had the highest price-to-rent ratio, followed by Santa Clara and San Mateo counties, both home to Silicon Valley. In all but San Francisco County, buying was less expensive than renting.

San Francisco Bay Area
Price:Rent Ratio
San Francisco 17.2
Santa Clara (San Jose) 14.5
San Mateo 14
Alameda (Oakland) 12.1
Contra Costa 10.8

Source: Trulia

Surprise!!

Bidding Wars Catch Buyers Off-Guard Home buyers are unexpectedly finding more competition this spring in landing their dream home. Bidding wars are increasingly being reported in markets across the country, from California to Florida, The Wall Street Journal reports.

"It's a little surprising because we thought bidding wars were done with," Andy Aley, a home shopper in Seattle, told The Wall Street Journal. Aley says he was outbid on a home earlier this year, even though he offered to pay $23,000 above the listing price and also waive inspections and other closing conditions.

Home buyers are frustrated and caught off-guard about the bidding wars re-emerging, real estate professionals report.

"We're writing a record number of offers, but we're not seeing a record number of closings and that's because it's so competitive," Glenn Kelman, chief executive of Redfin Corp., told The Wall Street Journal.

Why are things getting so competitive? Many housing markets are seeing a drastic decrease in the number of homes listed for-sale, leaving home buyers with fewer options and more bidding on the same house. Housing analysts say the shortage in supply is from sellers unwilling to take much less for their home than what they originally paid for it and pulling their homes off the market. Also, a surge in investors has made the market more competitive, as investors snatch up homes in bulk in all-cash deals.

“The bidding wars caused by tight inventory provide the latest evidence that housing demand is starting to pick up after a six-year-long slump,” The Wall Street Journal reports.

Indeed, the National Association of REALOTRS® reported late last week that pending home sales in March reached their highest level in nearly two years and are up 12.8 percent from a year ago.

Source: “Stunned Home Buyers Find the Bidding Wars Are Back,” The Wall Street Journal (April 27, 2012)

Top 5 Things That Can Scare Buyers!

It is vital for sellers to make their home attractive to potential buyers.

When listing your property, consult with your meto determine an accurate and fair price.  If the local competition has a substantially lower listing price, your property will most likely remain on the market.

Curb appeal is crucial, so the facade of your home should be inviting, not alarming. Remove clutter from the yard, spruce up the landscaping and freshen up the entryway with new paint and exterior lighting. Make sure the walkway to the home is not hazardous; any cracks in the steps, pavement or concrete should be repaired.

Also, proper exterior lighting is essential, as some showings may be at night or dusk.

Don't let the odor of smoke or pets deter buyers. If necessary, hire professional carpet cleaners before your first open house and employ scented candles or air purifiers. Buyers will be anxious to exit, rather than stay and tour a home that has offensive odors.

As buyers explore your home they shouldn't have to visualize the space without clutter. Excess furniture, trinkets, family pictures, toys and other items tend to detract from the existing space and totally obscure any attributes of the home. Remember, everyone appreciates a clean house. Stains, fingerprints, dust and laundry will likely send buyers to the next house on their list.