Archive for the ‘Real Estate Articles’ Category

Top-10 List of New Year’s Resolutions for Your Home

Wednesday, January 4th, 2012

This is a great article about taking care of your home this year! Enjoy!
Julie

HouseLogic’s Top-10 List of New Year’s Resolutions for Your Home

By: John Riha

Published: December 30, 2011

When the new year arrives, promises and resolutions abound. Here’s the top-10 list of what the resolute home owner should accomplish this year.

Ready for 2012? Here it comes:

1. Lose weight (cut energy use)
2. Quit smoking (purify indoor air)
3. Get out of debt (budget for improvements)
4. Learn something new (educate yourself on home finances)
5. Get organized (de-clutter)
6. Volunteer (support your community)
7. Drink less (curb home water use)
8. Spend more time with the family (share home improvement projects)
9. Get fit (exercise your DIY skills)
10. Be less stressed (use maintenance-free materials)

1. Lose weight (cut energy use)

Your house is a glutton, gobbling energy like a starved elephant. Gain control by trimming energy use.

A good place to start is your HVAC ductwork. Ducts are notorious energy-wasters, leaking your heating and cooling air through holes and loose connections.

Sealing and insulating your ductwork can improve the efficiency of your heating and cooling system by as much as 20%, saving you $200 per year or more, according to Energy Star. You’ll make your home more comfortable, and a more-efficient system helps extend the life of your furnace, air conditioner, or heat pump.

Because ducts are usually hidden inside walls, ceilings, attics, and crawl spaces, sealing and insulating them may be a difficult and time-consuming DIY job. If you can’t reach all your ducts, concentrate on those that are accessible.

Use duct sealant — called mastic — or metal-backed tape to seal the seams, holes, and connections. Don’t use the confusingly named “duct tape,” which won’t provide a permanent solution. Be sure to seal connections at vents and floor registers — these are likely places for leaks to occur.

After sealing your ducts, wrap them in fiberglass insulation. Most hardware stores and home improvement centers have insulation wrap products made for ducts.

A professional heating and cooling contractor will charge $1,000 to $4,000 for the work, including materials, depending on the size of your home and accessibility to your ducts.

Insulating your ductwork may qualify for a rebate from your state or local municipality. Check the Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency.

2. Quit smoking (purify indoor air)

The EPA lists indoor air quality as one of the top environmental health hazards. That’s because indoor air is full of potential contaminants, such as dust, mold spores, pollen, and viruses. The problem is at its worst during winter, when windows and doors are shut tight.

You can help eliminate harmful lung irritants in your home with these maintenance and improvement tips:
Maintain your HVAC system and change furnace filters regularly. Use the highest-quality filters you can afford ($10-$20) and change every month during peak heating and cooling seasons.
Keep indoor air pristine by using low-VOC paints when you remodel your rooms.
Use localized ventilation in kitchens and bathrooms to remove cooking fumes, smoke, and excess humidity. Make sure ventilation systems exhaust air to the outside of your home, rather than your attic crawl space or between ceiling joists.
In fireplaces and wood stoves, burn real firewood rather than pressed wood products that may contain formaldehyde.
Use a portable air cleaner to help cleanse the air in single rooms. Portable air cleaner types include mechanical air filters, electrostatic precipitators, ion generators, and ultraviolet lamps.

Note that each type of air cleaner is designed to remove specific pollutants; no portable air cleaner removes all pollutants. Be wary of air cleaners that generate ozone — a known lung irritant.

3. Get out of debt (budget for improvements)

Creating a yearly budget for home improvement and maintenance helps prevent overspending, and encourages you to put aside money for major replacements — such as new roofing or a kitchen appliance — that come up every few years.

Protect your home finances by knowing how much you’ll probably spend each year. Data from the U.S. Census Bureau says that average annual maintenance and home improvement expenditures are about $3,300 per household. Leading lending institutions agree; HSH Associates and LendingTree.com place average costs of yearly maintenance and upkeep at 1% to 3% of your home’s initial price.

That means the owner of a $250,000 home should budget between $2,500 to $7,500 each year for upkeep and replacements. Have extra at the end of the year? Save it for more costly upkeep and replacement items down the road — you’ll probably need it then.

4. Learn something new (educate yourself on home finances)

Want a little education that goes a long way toward your financial health? Learning how to improve your insurance score can help you keep your home insurance premiums from getting out of hand. Here are a couple of easy lessons:
Letting credit card debt build up is a black mark on your credit history — and an indicator that you’re likely to file an insurance claim. The more claims, the higher risk you appear to be to insurance agencies, which lowers your insurance score. Low scores mean higher rates for home insurance.
Keep payments on loans up-to-date. Don’t miss payment deadlines; if you do, notify your lender that your payment is forthcoming. Delinquent payments signal insurers that you can’t manage your money — resulting in a lower insurance score.

Need some Home Owner 101? Any time is a good time to bone up on basic home maintenance skills.

5. Get organized (de-clutter)

No excuses — that clutter has got to go! Start by creating more storage space so you can stash stuff easily.

At wit’s end for new storage space? You’ve probably got storage solutions you didn’t know you had. Put up a high shelf between the walls of a narrow hallway, and tuck storage in out-of-the-way nooks, such as under-stairs spaces and between wall studs.

If your small home is pinched for space, don’t despair: There’s still room for storage. Shoe organizers ($20) do more than hold shoes — use them to store keys, notepads, and cell phones. At about $300 per drawer, have a cabinetmaker install drawers in the toe kicks of your kitchen cabinets for napkins, cookie sheets, and appliance manuals.

More: Resolution: Put Your House on a Diet

6. Volunteer (support your community)

In a world that often seems topsy-turvy, a little altruism helps restore balance. You can volunteer your time and energy to help others, and at the same time help promote safety and preserve the value of your neighborhood.
A neighborhood watch program fosters a sense of community and helps stop crime. Set up a meeting with neighbors to discuss concerns and priorities. Gather facts to present at the meeting: What kinds of crimes happen nearby? Are there patterns? Ask a local police representative to come to your first meeting to answer questions.
Start a community garden. Bring together neighbors for bonding, eating healthier, and saving on groceries. A 4-by-16-foot raised bed garden plot provides $200-$600 worth of food annually. As the organizer, you can expect to spend 20-30 per month for six months getting your community garden going.

7. Drink less (curb home water use)

Our houses are thirsty. The average household uses about 400 gallons of water each day, or almost $700 per year in water and sewer costs. Making a few simple changes, such as installing EPA-certified WaterSense products, could trim up to $200 from your annual water bill. Add to that energy savings from reduced costs to heat water, and your yearly savings could reach $300 or more per year.
Low-flow showerheads include technology that reduces the amount of flow yet keeps pressure up, resulting in shower streams that are powerful and satisfying. They cost from $10 to $150, and installation is an easy DIY job that takes only minutes.
Replacing your pre-1994, water-guzzling toilet with a low-flow toilet prevents $90 worth of water costs from being flushed away. HE (high-efficiency) toilets use compressed air and electric water pumps to flush with less than 1 gallon of water; older models required up to 8 gallons.

8. Spend more time with family (share home improvement projects)

Spending quality time with your family takes quality planning — but it’s worth the effort. Rally your family around these fun-to-do projects to make every minute count:
Plant a tree. Pile the clan into the family wagon and shop for a tree that’ll become a new member of your family. Have your kids name it and help care for it. You might have to dig the hole, but everyone can take turns adding mulch and watering it. A bonus: planted where its shade will protect your house from summer sun, a $50-$100 tree cuts your yearly energy bill by $100 to $250.
Make a home emergency preparedness kit. Make a scavenger hunt of gathering up all the necessary supplies, such as flashlights, toilet paper, and duct tape, and assemble your kit during an evening together. It’s a good, non-scary way to teach small children about what to do if there’s an emergency.

9. Get fit (exercise your DIY skills)

Looking to trim a little of the old spare tire? Routine home maintenance and repair is a double win — you’ll burn calories while keeping your house in tip-top shape. Try these essential fix-ups and improvements from CalorieLab:
Building a fence: 340 calories per hour
Caulking windows and doors: 280 calories per hour
Cleaning rain gutters: 272 calories per hour
Installing ceramic tile: 238 calories per hour
Interior painting: 136 calories per hour
Chopping firewood: 340 calories per hour
Mowing the lawn: 306 calories per hour
Planting shrubs: 238 calories per hour
General gardening: 204 calories per hour

10. Be less stressed (use maintenance-free materials)

If you want less to worry about, install low-maintenance materials and products designed for durability and long, trouble-free service.
Fiber-cement siding lasts for 50 years or more. It’s weather-proof, and resists dents, fire, insects, and rot. It’s exceptionally stable, even with changes in humidity, so that paint jobs last longer than on wood and wood-fiber siding products.
LED bulbs last a phenomenal 20,000 to 50,000 hours between changes, or about 18 to 46 years when used for 3 hours each day. Although the initial cost is high (about $40 per bulb), LED bulbs pay for themselves in energy savings in about 10 years.
Classic ceramic tile comes in many colors and textures, but at its heart it’s incredibly tough, stain-resistant, and impervious to moisture. You can count on ceramic tile’s good looks to last for decades on floors and walls without needing repair or replacement.

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NEW LISTING! Popular Lakeshore Subdivision

Monday, June 27th, 2011

3 bedrooms, 3 baths, updated kitchen, designer colors and newer carpet throughout!
Big fully fenced backyard. Minutes to schools, shopping and Lake Zorinsky!
Listed at an incredible $185,000 for a quick sale!

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Home Inspections give Sense of Security

Monday, June 14th, 2010

When buying a home, an inspection is a critical step when deciding if a home is right for you. A home inspection will give you a sense of security by knowing exactly what you are getting in a home, both good and bad. This is not to say that, as the buyer, you should complain about the pink fuzzy wall paper in the master bathroom or the orange shag carpet. The issues looked for in an inspection include those that are health and safety concerns, or major repairs.

Home inspections require a professional – not your best friend who once re-did their kitchen. I would recommend an ASHI (American Society of Home Inspectors) certified inspector to do the job. They’ve gone through training and have to adhere to specific guidelines when performing home inspections.

Here is a short list of things that are of high importance when inspecting a home –

Roof and attic – construction, structure and gutters

Furnace and Air Conditioner units – age, condition, lifespan expectancy

Structural – construction of walls, ceiling and foundation

Plumbing – drainage, waste and vent pipes and water heater

Electrical – main panel, circuit breaker and types of wiring

Appliances – dishwasher, smoke detectors and garbage disposal

Again, this is a brief list and a home inspector would know all the specifics and details of what needs to be looked over. The best idea for a buyer is to hire their own home inspector and have the inspection done within a few days of an accepted offer on a house. If safety issues arise, or major repairs are needed, the buyer can ask the seller to make the repairs, or the buyer and seller can negotiate the cost of repairs together.

It’s important to remember that no home is perfect and each buyer and seller should expect to have to repair something when purchasing a home. Buyers can also ask sellers for a home warranty to ensure that any major issues will be taken care of, at least for a short period of time.

So even for you do-it-yourselfers, a professional home inspection is highly encouraged when purchasing a home. A home shouldn’t be an impulse buy and should be handled by taking each necessary step to ensure a quality and comfortable purchase.

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Fresh Scents for a Fast Home Sale

Monday, May 10th, 2010

People selling their home often spend a significant amount of time cleaning and decorating for a showing, making sure everything LOOKS great. But just because they’ve vacuumed up all the dust bunnies and washed all the dishes doesn’t mean there isn’t a lingering odor that could deter a potential buyer from closing.

According to the Sense of Smell Institute, odor recognition is linked to memory and moods. So while a seller cannot make every potential buyer fall in love with a home based on a freshly baked chocolate chip cookie scent that reminds them of grandma, it is sure worth a try.

Here are a few basic tips to keep a home smelling fresh for a showing –
• Take out the trash
• Definitely don’t smoke in your house, but avoid smoking outside the house, as well
• Avoid cooking anything that may leave a lingering smell
• Set up a couple potpourri pots around the house or heat some apple juice in a pot on the stove and throw in apple slices, orange slices, lemon slices or lemon juice, cinnamon and nutmeg
• Run some lemon wedges down the garbage disposal
• Odor eliminators are good to just cover-up smells, but consider investing in carpet, furniture and drape cleaners
• Burn a candle or use an electric ceramic crock to keep the scent without the flame
• Smear a drop of real vanilla extract on all the light bulbs – this will smells like cookies
• Use a dehumidifier in the basement to eliminate a damp smell
• Open the windows and let the air circulate

These are just a few short suggestions; a detailed list is at the National Realtor Magazine.

Your Realtor, of course, will be more than happy to help you set up a successful home sale. However, these small, often overlooked, details you can do personally are what can really make the difference for a fast home sale.

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Nebraska Property Tax – Why is it so High? What are you paying for?

Friday, April 23rd, 2010

One of the biggest concerns for people moving into Nebraska from out of state is the high property taxes. Many current Nebraska residents even consider property taxes a huge burden and the excessive costs are often considered unreasonable.

The biggest question is why? Why are Nebraska’s property taxes so much higher than everywhere else?

Essentially, towns collect most of their operating revenue from property taxes and, therefore, establish a local rate, determining the tax levy.

Just to give you an idea of the Omaha property taxes, a $146,000 home, which was recently sold, will include a yearly payment of $3,258 per year in property taxes. And a $200,000 home in West Omaha has a yearly property tax of $4052.88 attached. In Council Bluffs, Iowa, a similar $200,000 home would cost around $500 less per year in property taxes.

In comparison, a house on the North Fork of Long Island in the Town of Riverhead, priced at $200,000, would have an approximate $3,705 property tax. Meaning, you will pay around $300 less per year in taxes for a home on the coast.

The catch here, however, is that in on Long Island, $200,000 would get you something equivalent to a tool shed. The cost of living is certainly a factor when purchasing a home. You’d have to consider how much more or less the market value of the home is, what your cost of groceries would be and even the possible cost of insurance.

The question of “why?” still remains. Consider the services you receive from the town in which you live. Are you satisfied with the fire department, community colleges, school districts and the work of your town employees? Essentially, this is what your high property taxes pay for.

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Create Curb Appeal for a Quick Home Sale

Friday, April 9th, 2010

The warmer weather has finally melted the 46-plus inches of snow and is now exposing the matted-down grass, sand covered driveways, snowplow-mangled curbs and rusted garden decorations.

And if you’re trying to sell your home you may not have even considered the fact that your curb appeal could be driving prospective buyers away; and a touch of Miracle Grow and a pink-flowering bush may increase the chance of selling your home 100-fold.

In all seriousness, you probably need more than flowers to give your house that little extra pizazz to sell, but sprucing up your yard can make all the difference. After all, springtime is a sellers market.

Let’s start with grass –
You first need to start with a consistent effort to cut it – obvious, yes, but difficult for many. If all you have is a push mower and time is an issue, then get little Johnny down the street to do it for $20. Also, mow diagonally and edge the lawn along driveway and sidewalks – this shows you pay attention to small details. Early spring is also a great time to begin the first round of fertilization and to begin weed prevention.

Yard Debris –
Don’t let overgrown vegetation block the windows or path to the entrance. By cutting bushes and tree limbs and cleaning out all the soggy leaves you can showcase the exterior of your home.

Planting –
Though perennials are best planted in May through June, it’s never too early to start planning. When the ground is warm enough, start planning by removing large rocks, old roots and dead plant material from your garden. Then loosen the soil and add two to three inches of well-composted organic matter to get your beds ready for planting. Spring is also a great time to plant rose bushes, berry bushes or fruit trees so they can begin their spring growth.

Driveway and sidewalk repair –
Primarily, you want to start by repairing any cracks or uneven cement that may cause potential buyers to trip as they are coming in for your open house. But small potholes and numerous patchy repair jobs in your driveway won’t flatter the exterior of your home.

If need be, calling a landscaper to improve the appearance of your home is always an option. However, these are just a few easy tips you can do yourself. So grab your kids and some gardening gloves and get your yard in shape for a quick sale!

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Congratulations to Prudential Ambassador Real Estate!

Monday, March 22nd, 2010

The Omaha office for Prudential Ambassador Real Estate is one of the top two offices in the Prudential Network for the 4th year in a row! Prudential Ambassador Real Estate was named the winner of the Pinnacle Office Award and Round Table Award. The Pinnacle Award goes to the Top 10 offices for closed residential units out of approximately 2,000 offices in the Prudential Real Estate Network. Prudential Ambassador won the Round Table Award for the Top Office in both residential units and residential gross commission income in the Central Region, which consists of 17 states.

Vince Leisey, president of Prudential Ambassador Real Estate, said: “Our organization is extremely excited to be one of the top two most productive offices in the Prudential Network. It is an honor to be recognized for the achievements this past year. I’m extremely proud of all of our agents. It is a tribute to all of the agents for helping our Omaha office to continue to out-perform the Omaha area marketplace, which helped lead us to be one of the top 2 offices in the Prudential Network four years in a row.”

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Realtors – Not Your Typical Salesman

Friday, February 19th, 2010

Many people use the terms Realtor and real estate agent interchangeably, not knowing there is a significant difference between the two.

Realtors are members of The National Association of Realtors, and therefore adhere to its Code of Ethics. Most people are not even aware that such a code exists, and in fact consider Realtors to be glorified used car salesmen who are just trying to sell something. But the importance of The Code of Ethics should not be undermined. It enforces lawful and quality practices that clients consider essential when trusting someone to assume the responsibilities related to buying and selling a home. This is not to say that real estate agents do not strive to observe these same practices, but there is no “higher power” that holds them responsible.

If buyers and sellers know and understand this Code of Ethics, they can better understand their Realtor’s practices and establish trust in the quality work they contend with. Clients can ask their Realtor about the Code of Ethics at any time and failure to comply with the code will result in disciplinary action toward the Realtor.

The seventeen articles in the code were created to ensure that the client’s best interest is at heart in all business dealings either with the client or with real estate agents. Duties to customers and clients include disclosure of any fee or financial benefit from a recommended product or service, integrity when dealing with funds and contracts and honesty with all facts relating to property or transactions.

To the general public, Realtors must maintain equal and professional service despite age, race, religion or handicap and be honest about their knowledge base, consistently striving to keep up-to-date on real estate trends. The code also enforces truthful advertising and representation of themselves and their properties.

Finally, the Realtors have a responsibility to one another, outlined in the code as speaking well of one another, respecting the exclusive representation of brokerage relationships of other Realtors and to mediate financial disagreements.

Take a look at a summary of the code yourself. Everything outlined in this document is most likely what the general public hopes and expects of their Realtor or real estate agent.

Knowing a Realtor is held to these standards should give clients a sense of security as they make important decisions concerning their home; and trusting in a Realtor – in their guidance and value of moral law – buyers and sellers should truly know they are in good hands.

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Effective Pricing Ensures More Efficient Home Sales Process

Wednesday, February 10th, 2010

Ineffective pricing is a primary reason why homes do not sell. If a home is listed above fair market value, it won’t get showings; and with few showings it’s not likely to be sold. The seller must see their home from the perspective of a potential buyer and realize it is only worth what someone else is willing to pay for it.

A key aspect of pricing a home effectively is to price it fairly at the beginning of a listing. Sellers run a risk when having their home on the market for an extended period of time, since the bulk of buyers will show interest when a home is first put on the market. If the asking price is initially too high and the home doesn’t sell, potential buyers down the line may wonder why no one wanted the house months earlier.

If, however, a home sells at an above market price and the comparable sales for the last six months and current market conditions do not support the price, the house may not appraise and the sale could fall through. The buyer and seller can renegotiate the price, but there is always a possibility the house will go back on the market.

The best way to ensure your home is priced effectively is to look at current market statistics. Many Realtors do a comparative market analysis (CMA) to analyze homes that have sold, are pending and are active on the market within the last three to six months. Comparing square footage, number of bedrooms, lot size, year built, amenities and several other factors, will help determine a realistic price range.

Research put out by Prudential Ambassador Real Estate shows homes priced within fair market value are likely to attract 60 percent of buyers. The same study also shows that homes priced just 5 percent above the fair market value only attract 30 percent of perspective buyers and homes at 10 percent above only attract 2 percent. Even a small percentage over the fair asking price can cut the chances of selling a home in half.

It’s often difficult for sellers to value their home because they don’t have experience looking at the market. A Realtor will be able to help sellers effectively price their home to make it marketable to potential buyers. Again, a home is only worth what a prospective buyer will pay for it.

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