Posts for Syndication

Have you filed your taxes yet?

We know — tax season isn’t anybody’s favorite time of the year (except, of course, for tax accountants). But if you’re expecting a refund, now is a great time to reinvest that money in your home. Whether you’ll be getting a check for a few hundred dollars or a few thousand, there are great ways you can put that money to good use.

Save it for a down payment

Are you hoping to buy a home in the near future? As you probably already know, you’ll be expected to put down a down payment — anywhere from 3.5 to 20 percent or more of the purchase price. If you’re expecting a refund in the thousands of dollars, adding it to your down payment savings account is a fantastic way to get yourself closer to home ownership. And if you manage to save more than 20 percent, you’ll eliminate the need to buy mortgage insurance, saving you even more money down the line.

Pay down your mortgage

Even if you have a great rate on your mortgage loan, making an extra payment will still help you save money in the long run. By paying off more of your mortgage early, you will pay less interest over time. You’ll build equity more quickly and will own your home outright sooner. You may also be able to eliminate the cost of mortgage insurance once some of your loan has been paid off.

Purchase additional insurance

An inevitable part of owning a home is also purchasing homeowner’s insurance. This protects you from liabilities should someone get injured on your property and sue you. Unfortunately, most homeowner insurance policies are not comprehensive. By purchasing umbrella insurance, you get additional protection once your primary insurance coverage limits are reached, and as an added bonus, it also applies to your vehicles. For around $300 a year, you get about $1 million in coverage. It’s a very small price to pay for peace of mind.

Audit your home’s energy usage

Leaky windows, drafty doors and energy-hogging appliances all needlessly eat up your money. If you’d like to find ways to cut your energy costs, consider using your tax refund for a home energy audit. While there are free programs available from many local power companies who will send out a professional to look at your home and offer advice about where to make changes, the biggest bang will be to hire a private firm to do a comprehensive audit of your home. While you’ll be paying more up front, the audit is much more detailed and could potentially save you up to 30 percent on your energy bills should you decide to implement their suggestions. Solar energy is a wonderfully sustainable way to power your home. Check out the products offered at Shop Solar Kits if you’re ready to use solar energy. You can also consider investing in a timberline solar shingle installation.

Make needed home repairs

If your refund is less than $1000, perhaps one of the best ways to use it is to make some needed home repairs that you’ve been putting off. You can repaint such as getting Residential Roof Coating Paint, do emergency plumbing, add some new landscaping, or buy a programmable thermostat. The money spent will go a long way to contributing to your overall enjoyment of your home.

While it may be tempting to splurge on a big treat, spending your tax refund wisely on your home can improve your financial health for the long haul.

Are you starting to feel a little bored with your house? Are you daydreaming about making some changes? At some point, most homeowners want to spruce up their home a little bit – and may even try to handle some of those upgrades on their own. But beware – there are certain projects you can DIY, and some that you shouldn’t.

Go ahead and DIY these projects

If you’ve got the itch to get your hands dirty and feel a sense of accomplishment (and not to mention potentially save some money), these home improvement projects fit the bill. They can be easily done with a little bit of know-how and some elbow grease, without requiring too much expertise or special equipment.

• Paint – If you want the biggest bang for your DIY buck, this is the best place to start. Painting a room, or even an accent wall or a piece of furniture, will quickly change the energy and aesthetic in a space without too much effort or expense on your part. The key to a good paint job is preparation – be sure to fill holes and sand them, and tape and protect anything you don’t want to find splattered later.
• Update hardware – If you want to give a new look to your kitchen or bathroom cabinets, and easy DIY is to change out the hardware. All you need is a screwdriver and some time. Be sure to buy new pulls or knobs that match the existing holes.
• Change out faucets – This is a great first-time plumbing DIY that can make a dramatic difference. If you have a wrench and know where to shut off your water, you can swap out a leaky faucet or upgrade to a more functional or designer model. Don’t worry – you can totally do this on your own, and think of how good you’ll feel when you’re done!
• Install a chandelier on a dimmer – Installing a chandelier with a dimmer switch is not as hard as you think and can quickly transform your room into a cozy and inviting space. Be sure to buy special dimmable bulbs and turn the power off at the breaker box before you start.
• Replace your showerhead – Replacing a showerhead is so easy you’ll wonder why you didn’t do it sooner. You can upgrade your shower experience by installing a new model with special features like mood lights or massaging jets. You can even save money by going with a low-flow unit.

Hire a pro for these projects

Once you’ve gotten a few projects under your belt, you might feel like there isn’t any home improvement project you can’t DIY. However, there are certain things that should always be left to the pros, including:

• Knocking down walls or building a new addition.
• Repairing faulty wiring or other electrical work.
• Repairing plumbing, clogged drain, Hydro jet pipe cleaning or replacing a faucet. You can contact pros like this drain cleaning contractor for that.
• Installing new vinyl siding.
• Replacing windows.
• Hooking up a new gas appliance or conducting a gas line repair.
• Installing new tile.
• Refinishing a hardwood floor.
• Repairing the roof.
• Installing a new fence.
• Anything that requires a permit, unless you are a professional. This could lead to serious problems when you try to sell later.

Once you understand what you should and shouldn’t attempt on your own, have fun! Tackling small DIY projects around your home will refresh and re-energize your space and make it feel like new again.

Compliments of Virtual Results

You’ve spent countless hours and energy getting your home just perfect. You’ve labored over the right paint, the best furniture and even invested in some art. But have you put in enough thought about how you are protecting your home? While you can invest in a state-of-the-art system, there are plenty of ways to improve your home security systems without breaking the bank. Here are six that we recommend.

1. Install a surveillance system. While it may seem like it would be expensive, there are deals to be had on DIY home security systems. If you’re willing to spend a couple hundred dollars, you can outfit your home with a camera system that you set up yourself that constantly monitors your property. If peace of mind is your biggest priority and you have a little cash to spare, this is one of your best options.

2. Trim back the bushes. If your property has thick bushes or tall hedges, it offers more places for a burglar to hide. By keeping your trees and bushes trimmed and tidy so that you can see your neighbors, it also means that they can see you if anything suspicious happens on your property. While it’s nice to have a little privacy, don’t completely wall yourself in.

3. Light it up. Don’t give a criminal a leg up by providing lots of dark places in which to hide. Strategically place exterior lighting around your home, concentrating on walkways, entrances and garages. If you don’t want the expense of installing new lighting, considering swapping out some of the bulbs with motion-sensor lights that will alert you if there’s any activity in the area.

4. Beware of dog. There are plenty of reasons why dogs are man’s best friends. One of them is certainly because they tend to be protective of their owners. Dogs will often alert you if anything seems out of the ordinary and will deter most would-be thieves from breaking in for fear of being bitten. Don’t have a dog? You can still post a “beware of dog” sign in your window or on your gate or put a large dog bowl by your back door. Sometimes the suggestion itself is enough to scare off a potential burglar.

5. Make friends with your neighbors. While having a nosy neighbor can sometimes be a headache, use it to your advantage. Neighbors are usually the first ones to notice if something is amiss, so make sure to tell them when you are going to be out of town. It also helps to know your neighbors so if someone unfamiliar is snooping around they can be easily identified. If your community has a neighborhood watch program, join. Neighborhoods are stronger and safer when people come together and are all invested, so make sure to join your community’s Property Watch Association. You may also want to Start a Home Watch Business if you are serious and passionate about neighborhood watch.

6. Use common sense. The best home security doesn’t cost you a dime – it’s good, old-fashioned common sense. Be sure to close your garage door when you aren’t inside. Lock the gate to your backyard when not in use. Don’t leave valuables sitting outside unattended. Close and lock windows when you leave. Stop mail and newspaper deliveries when you are out of town so they don’t pile up. The best defense is always a good offense.

Compliments of Virtual Results

Nobody wants to smell pet odors when they’re looking at a potential new home. Nor do they want to see piles of pet hair on the carpet. But are there ways to actually use your pet to your advantage when selling your home? Here’s a look at how best to deal with pets when your home is on the market.

Minimize the negative

Not every potential buyer is going to feel the same way about your pets as you do – especially if your beloved pet is something other than a dog or cat. Follow these tips to best minimize any negative consequences of pet ownership while you’re selling:

• Repair any damage caused by the pets, including carpets, hardwood flooring, walls, furniture and outdoor areas. Your home is not ready for showing until these issues are addressed.
• Remove pet stains and odors by having carpets and floors professionally cleaned. You may hire a professional carpet cleaning service to do the carpet cleaning. I highly recommend the carpet cleaning near me so check them out too.
• Tidy up the yard, especially if you have a dog that spends a lot of time outside.
• Relocate your pet during showings. Ideally, your home should be shown by an agent while you are away, but don’t leave your pets behind. Either have them boarded during the duration of the selling process, or at the very least take them with you when you leave for a showing. This is doubly true if your pet is something like a snake or lizard that may potentially scare a buyer. Visit https://SanDiegoFastCash.com/sell-my-house-fast-for-cash-carlsbad-ca for buyers that will purchase a house in any condition.
• Clean, clean, clean. It cannot be emphasized enough – if your pet is not being boarded while you are selling, be sure to thoroughly clean and vacuum the house before each showing. Potential buyers could have allergies, or there could be lingering smells that you don’t notice because you’ve lived with them for so long. Smell has a powerful effect on our emotions, and you don’t want to lose a sale simply because the odor in your home left a buyer with a negative feeling.
• Remove litter boxes, food and water bowls, and pet toys while the home is being shown. You can also bring your pets to the best dog boarding in Melbourne if you don’t want the potential buyers to be distracted during their home tour.

Maximize the positive

Conventional wisdom has always been that evidence of pet ownership put off potential buyers. But many experts are now challenging that idea. Sellers are beginning to find ways to use their pets to their advantage. After all, many people today share their home with their pets, and knowing that they’ll be able to do that in their new home could be a selling point. Here are some ways that you can maximize the positive:

• Pets can help make an otherwise sterile home feel cozy and lived in. Sometimes including a cute and well-behaved pet in a photo will help make a space feel more livable. If strategically placed, a pet can even draw attention to a home’s best feature, such as a fireplace or picture window.
• If your pet is exceptionally well-behaved (like a therapy dog), they can boost the perception of your home during a showing. But the pet needs to be calm and reassuring, and you should limit it to one pet.
• Dogs and cats should be the only pets you might consider including. It is not advisable to include snakes or other types of pets that might make buyers uneasy.

Ultimately, the decision to include a pet should be discussed with your real estate professional. They understand your local market and will have a better idea of whether or not your pet could potentially be a selling point.

Compliments of Virtual Results

Getting older isn’t something most of us want to think about. We like the idea of always being active and youthful. We even think of our parents as remaining healthy and spry.

When we’re out shopping for a new home, however, we need to take into consideration the length of time we plan on owning that home. Do we see ourselves living in this area for years to come? Will we be raising our children here? Is it possible that our aging parents would come to live with us in this house?

If we answer “yes” to any of these questions, we need to think about stairs!

When we first have children, we think about the danger to them of stairs as they are learning to crawl, climb and walk. Some families wait to move into a home that has stair until after their children are old enough to negotiate the stairs.

A great many family homes these days incorporate beautiful stairways with living areas on the main floor and bedrooms above. We don’t really think about those stairs as we are aging in place because we use them every day. In fact, the majority of the nation’s homes are built with two or more stories, or they are set over a basement. Many of those homes also do not have a bedroom or full bath on the main floor. It is only when something happens to our health … we break a leg, have surgery, an older parent comes to live with us … that we rethink having stairs.

As you age, the stairs once more become a danger zone that can slow you down or reduce your quality of life. If you are unable to negotiate the stairs, they become an obstacle in your home or even a hazard due to potential falls.

Ranch-style houses, so popular in the middle of the last century, have fallen out of favor. They do not have the curb appeal of a two-story structure and sometimes they get a bad rap for having less space, or for having a larger footprint so that there is less available yard space. For ease of living and convenience, however, a single-story structure can span the decades much more easily than a multi-story townhome or two-story home over a walk-out basement.

While you certainly should buy the home of your dreams, when you are looking for homes, consider adding in these options to your quest:

• No stairs, OR
• A bedroom on the main living floor
• A full bath on the main floor
• A limited number of stairs at access points such as the front or back entry or from the garage into the house.

If you are building your new home and intend to live there well into your retirement years, and, you love the look of a beautiful staircase, take care to design in such a way that you can add a lift and step treads to the stairway if necessary. Or, configure the design so that you have a full bath and bedroom suite on the main floor. In fact, in a program created by the builders association and AARP, builders can earn a Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist designation. Certified builders can look at your home to determine if there is a way to increase the access in your home as you age.

As always, let your real estate professional know your needs and concerns so that we select homes specific to your requirements to fall in love with.

Compliments of Virtual Results

If you,

• Are lured by the shiny new home in the brochure and it calls to you, or
• Pass by the fluttering flags of that new sub-division, and your car automatically turns in, and
• A walk through model homes every weekend is your idea of relaxation

You may be in the market for a new-built house.

After all, when the house is new, you can specify some of the materials, fixtures or appliances; assure that the home meets current energy-efficiency standards; and, you know that no one has lived there before you with their three dogs, six cats and a host of other pets you might be allergic to. In addition, newly built homes come with a warranty. Some new home warranties offer protection for costly components such as heating and air-conditioning units and appliances for as many as ten years.

In fact, the advantages for customization and participating in the design choices may be a great part of the draw for you. Surveys show that nearly twice as many people in the process of looking for a home to buy prefer a new home. The “work” is done for you … there’s no donning of painter’s clothes or trips to home-improvement stores for replacement fixtures. You move in to that “new home smell.”

On the other hand, you may be drawn to the complete customization that a remodel or re-design of an existing home offers you, the charm of older architectural elements, or the sheer excitement of taking something old and remaking it into your perfect vision.

If you:

• Detour through mature neighborhoods on a regular basis, and
• Avidly follow home-improvement shows on the cable stations, or
• Look for open house signs on the weekends in your favorite neighborhoods

You’re probably a candidate for a pre-owned home.

When you buy a previously owned home, your priority often is the stability of the neighborhood, the maturity of the trees and landscaping, the nearby schools that have a history of high achievement, and other intangibles that come from the community. Existing homes often have a lower price tag and, since the neighborhood infrastructure already exists, they often have a lower tax obligation.

Of course, with an older home you will have to make updates to appliances, carpeting, and roofing sooner than with a new home, but you can request a home warranty from the seller as part of your purchase negotiation. Check with your real estate professional about home warranties.

You’ll find conflicting information on whether new homes are larger than older homes, and vice versa for the same dollars. The trend at the beginning of this century certainly was toward larger homes, but in recent years buyers seeking energy efficiency or homes nearer to their work, restaurants and nightlife are opting for the smaller existing homes in neighborhoods meeting those requirements.

Before you decide which is best for you, let your real estate professional show you the homes available in both categories — existing pre-owned or new-built, or even recently built (within the last five years) — so that you can make a truly informed decision.

Compliments of Virtual Results

You just moved.

You started your new job.

You super busy unpacking and getting settled.

You get sick in the evening or on a Saturday and need to see a doctor.

This scenario is quite common. Getting unpacked into your new home, getting kids situated in their new schools and you learning the best routes through traffic to get to your new dream job on time leave can set you up for unexpected emergencies.

Furthermore, you’ve been so busy at work and getting settled at home, trying out new restaurants and seeing local sights that you haven’t even looked at your Maryland Medicare Advantage insurance paperwork, found a doctor or located the nearest hospital or urgent care.

Here is our guide for locating the necessary things before they’re needed:

Medical Emergencies

• Pick a couple of hours to dedicate to finding the nearest urgent care (for minor crises), hospital emergency room (for major crises), twenty-four hour pharmacies (for late night medical needs), and map the best routes for getting to them from your home. You can search your favorite online maps, Yelp, or sites dedicated to the medical profession such as ZocDoc (which even offers a filter by your medical insurance). However, one of the best health care programs, 340B comes at no cost to taxpayers. You can click here to learn how the program benefits and works!

• Now, locate and map routes from your place of employment and each of your children’s schools and activities. You may find that the urgent care facility near your children’s schools is different from the one you would go to nearest your home, so note which is which on your list.

• Don’t forget to find an emergency dentist. Sometimes, a knocked-out or broken tooth can be saved by a good dentist like Edmonton Dentist specializing in emergency dental procedures. If tooth pain wakes you in the middle of the night, you may not be able to wait for an appointment with your regular dentist either. An emergency dentist can get you some relief. If you just moved to San Francisco, California, you may visit sites like https://www.gentrydentistry.com/root-canal-therapy to look for your new dentist.

• Once you’ve located the potential facilities, add their telephone number and address to your contacts, or create a portable document and place it in an accessible location. For digital access, think GoogleDocs, DropBox, Box, SugarSync or another file-sharing cloud server that has an app for your smartphone. Give a copy to each member of the family of driving age.

• Finally, plan to locate the actual facilities as you run general errands, while shopping, or coming and going from work or school. Specifically take time to locate the emergency or late-night entrances so that you do not lose precious time during an emergency trying to locate the emergency driveway or entrance.

• For your furry friends, locate a 24-hour pet hospital or clinic or a veterinarian that makes house calls.

• Good to know: If you believe your child or pet has ingested something poisonous, the American Association of Poison Control Centers’ number is 1 (800) 222-1222. Put it in your phone. Post it on your refrigerator. Teach it to your babysitters and pet-minders.

If you need assistance locating reputable service personnel or have other questions about your neighborhood, your real estate professional can guide you.

Compliments of Virtual Results

Organic

— denoting a relation between elements of something such that they fit together harmoniously as necessary parts of a whole.

— characterized by continuous or natural development.

Some people are born organizers…others of us struggle with the concept our whole lives…many of us fall someplace in-between the two. When it comes to keeping our homes organized, we often fall prey to the beautiful, matching organization systems at The Container Store or local Target gracing shelves and weekly advertisements during January. As if failing at our other resolutions wasn’t enough, now we see how much we are failing at keeping our home organized, too!

Whether you’re moving into a new home, or preparing your home to sell, becoming organized might be at the top of your list, but if you’re not a natural-born organizer, the task you’re taking on might be daunting.

Rather than trying to implement all of the numerous ideas floating around the Internet or gathering dust in a folder you started last January, consider allowing your home organization to come more, well, naturally. That is, make it match organically how you live rather than changing how you live to match it.

Here are some ideas to get you started:

• Use your trashcan — natural born organizers think nothing of throwing things away that they don’t need. Those of us on the less organized side worry that we might toss something important or even trivial (sales bills and coupons) that we might want to retrieve. Instead of tossing everything … have a trash bin handy near the place you sort mail and start by just tossing those items you consider to be junk mail.
• While you’re at it…put a wastebasket in every room so that throwing things away is easier while you’re thinking about it.
• Use storage tubs — while you may long for those beautiful cubbies with shoes snuggly nestled in matched pairs, if your kids are anything like mine, a large plastic tub holding all of their shoes may be the best you can hope for. So start there! Give each child (and you and your spouse) your own storage bin for all of your shoes, backpack and other daily necessities. This moving and storage nyc company can help your moving journey easier and provide adequate storage for all your things.
• Use hooks liberally — have coat hooks near the garage door so coats are easy to grab on the way out and easy to hang on the way in. Have more hooks above the coat hooks for hats or caps. Hang hooks on the sides of closets for belts and scarves. If your family has trouble hanging towels in regular towel bars, just use hooks in the bathroom for the towels. Choose eco friendly products like towels from Bamboodetective.
• Place a charity box in the laundry room. Whenever you launder items that family has outgrown or no longer wear, put them in the box. When the box is full, you can make a trip to your favorite charity or use one of the collection bins in a nearby parking lot.

If your home is on the market, give each family member a storage bin with a lid…whenever the house is being shown (or before they leave for school each day) have the collect everything loose and put it in the bin and place it in their closet. Now your home will be ready in a snap.

If you want to begin the process of selling your home, contact your real estate professional for guidance.

Compliments of Virtual Results

Whether you’ve just moved into a new house or are preparing to sell, don’t let the fact that it’s cold outside stop you from getting started. Here are some projects you can tackle even if the snow is piling up outside!

Change the Paint

During the winter months the inside of your home typically is drier making it the perfect time to brighten up those walls with a coat of paint. Your paint will dry more quickly and you can get the affected room put back into place sooner. Since you will have less ventilation during the winter, make sure to choose low voc paints that have lower odors and fumes. Paint a whole room or create a chalkboard wall in your kids’ playroom.

Upgrade the Fixtures

This simple upgrade can give new life to kitchens, baths and doors. Changing out faucets, doorknobs, outlet covers and light fixtures can upgrade your home and give you a whole new outlook. Consider switching round knobs for lever-style so that children and elderly family members can operate them more easily. Simply switching out the bathroom vanity light fixture can change the entire appearance of your bathrooms.

Trim the Walls

Add pizzazz to your walls with crown molding or chair railing. Even if you don’t have a garage full of power tools, you can cut foam molding — molding that is not made of wood and can be cut with a simple saw and miter box—and create beautiful designs on your walls and ceilings.

Scrape the Textured Ceilings

If you’re very ambitious, you can scrape the “popcorn” or “cottage cheese” texture off your ceilings. Before you begin this project, check to make certain the texture is not made of asbestos. Homes built prior to and in the first few years after the 1978 asbestos ban often had asbestos fibers mixed into the texture. After the ban, paper, Styrofoam or other products were used to create the texture. If your home is affected by asbestos texture you should consider having a licensed professional handle the removal since the asbestos must be disposed of properly in accordance with prevailing laws.

Install New Flooring

Winter is an ideal time to have new carpet or hardwood installed. Your professional carpet layer is only too happy to have winter work when construction typically slows down and the controlled indoor heat speeds up drying time for flooring adhesives.

Modernize Your Thermostat

If you haven’t already done so, winter is a great time to change out your old thermostat for an energy-saving programmable model. In fact, according to the US Department of Energy, you can save up to ten percent (10%) on your energy bills in both summer and winter by programming your thermostat to match your family’s lifestyle. You can set your heating and air conditioning unit to adjust upwards or downwards when you are sleeping or away from home at work and school. In addition, have your heating unit serviced by a heating repair technician to maintain or improve its efficiency.

If you have questions about which upgrades will improve your home’s market value, consult your real estate professional for guidance on the most appropriate options for your home’s market.

Compliments of Virtual Results

For many of us, bright, beautiful colors bring joy to our lives. When we make our homes our own, we tend toward the colors that make us happy. When we think about selling our home, however, we need to understand just how subjective color is. While cool greens make cause you to think of shimmering tropical waters, those same colors may remind a potential buyer of the walls of a hospital or school they didn’t enjoy.

While not everyone’s reaction to color is this extreme, there are ranges of colors that can cause potential buyers to be unable to see themselves living in your home. In fact, some people see colors differently. Of course you’ve heard of color blindness in the red/green spectrum (either deuteranopia or protanopia), but there is also blue/yellow color blindness (tritanopia) where a person confuses blue with green and yellow with violet.

Many people do not realize they are color blind … they’ve always seen colors in the same way, but the wall that is a lovely shade of yellow to you appears as a garish shade of violet to them.

“Well, they can just repaint,” you say.

That’s true, and for people that are able to fully utilize their imagination, they can see the new color on the walls or cabinets and imagine themselves enjoying life in your house. For others, the current color clouds their mind and they cannot visualize it being different. This is especially true of bright or deep colors such as reds and pinks, or deep blues and greens, but even a yellow kitchen, for instance, can be off-putting to someone unable to enjoy that color.

Enter the neutrals

Because of the potential for a color to detract from a home’s resale value, sellers used to be encouraged to paint everything white. While this no longer is the case, most real estate professionals will encourage you to consider repainting in a modern neutral.

What are modern neutrals?

Each year, paint manufacturers develop colors that add warm or cool undertones to white and range from off whites to cool grays and beiges. They come up with beautiful names for these colors and sophisticated palettes that give walls color, depth and dimension without overwhelming the ability to imagine them as other colors.

A trend that seems to evoke a pleasant response is a warm form of beige or gray with white trim, but shades of greens, blues or golds with the correct undertones with less “weight” and “dominant presence” work as neutrals in many situations. Modern neutrals allow for a mellower backdrop to brighter furnishings and window coverings, while giving a cleaner canvass in which potential buyers can imagine their own furnishings and décor. An immobilien visualisierungen can be beneficial when selling a home.

Regional preferences may mean that certain neutrals appeal more in certain areas. As your real estate professionals, we can advise you about the colors and tones that seem to be more appealing to local buyers.

Compliments of Virtual Results