Curb appeal is important in the home sales process, and this is because it will impact the overall first impression that potential home buyers have about the property. Some homeowners can easily spend a small fortune and a considerable amount of time improving curb appeal, but others may be looking for faster and easier results. The good news is that boosting curb appeal is easy and affordable to do when these three tips are followed.Spruce Up The Front DoorThe front door and patio area are focal points for those driving by the home, and this area receives even more scrutiny by those home buyers who walk up to the home to take a tour of the interior. Re-staining or re-painting the front door can be highly beneficial to dressing up the look of this focal area, and this can give the impre... 07/15/2021

When spring arrives, many people want to spend more time outdoors enjoying the fresh air and warmer temperatures. While you could lounge in a chair with a good book, you may find it more enjoyable to plant your own vegetable garden. This is an on-going project that will require you to spend time outdoors regularly, and it can be quite enjoyable to watch the fruits of your labor spring to life. More than that, you may love to sample and even share the tasty treats that you have grown on your own. If you are ready to get started planning and planting your vegetable garden, follow these preliminary steps.Choose the Plants That You Want to GrowAs a first step, think about the types of plants that you want to grow in your garden. These should ideally produce vegetables that you and your fami... 05/12/2021

At the flowers begin to bloom and the weather starts to warm up, everyone is thinking about spring cleaning. It is critical to make sure the house is ready for the warmer weather. What are the top spring maintenance tasks that have to be completed? Do not procrastinate on these tasks, as the price could be high.Prune The Trees Before They Start To BloomTake a closer look at the trees, particularly those that hang over the house. As they begin to bloom, the weight on these branches could start to increase. If that happens, branches could snap over the house, leading to serious roof damage. Prune these trees before they start to bloom. If they are too high, it may be better to reach out to a trained professional who can prune them safely. Always Look For Signs of Leaks And Water DamageChe... 04/21/2021

As a pet owner, you’re probably just as excited to see how your pet loves the new house as you are yourself. It’s fun to watch as your pets explore the new digs. But moving can be stressful for pets. Here are some tips for making the move as stress-free as you can for your furry loved ones!Acclimate Your Pets To A Pet CarrierIf you travel infrequently, your pets may not be used to being inside the confined space of a pet carrier. Help them get used to it by placing it on the floor near where they sleep. Put some of their favorite toys or blankets inside and encourage them to spend time in there. Once inside, bring Fido or kitty for a short ride in the family car; just once or twice around the block is plenty. Do this a couple of times a week and always reward them afterward with a treat... 03/12/2021

Are you a homeowner who is searching for ways to make your home a bit more eco-friendly? Equipping your home with “green” improvements can save a substantial amount of energy and money, especially over the long term.In today’s post we’ll explore a few projects that handy do-it-yourselfers can undertake in order to make a home a bit friendlier to the local environment.#1: Focus on the WindowsDepending upon the time of year, windows have an impact on both heating and cooling costs. In the summer, older windows can drastically heat up a home causing cooling costs to skyrocket. In the winter, older windows can leak cold air within the home and let out the heat, which causes the heating costs to rise as well.A simple replacement of older windows can save a homeowner as much as 30 percent on ... 03/02/2021

Many homeowners do not realize that the risk of a flood is a significant factor that plays a role in not only homeownership but also the closing process. Even though flooding is a major risk, many homeowners do not carry enough coverage. Without proper flood insurance, homeowners risk losing millions of dollars. Therefore, it is prudent for those who are looking for a home to factor flood insurance into their home search. This can streamline the closing process down the road.Exploring Options For Flood InsuranceWhen homeowners think about flood insurance, they are often directed to the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). While this is one option, there are also private options available that could provide better prices and more favorable terms. Private options exist in all 50 state... 12/17/2020

Are you thinking about buying a new home? Congratulations!Buying a house, condo or townhouse is an exciting and rewarding time which tends to be a lot of fun. However, along the way you’ll need to make a number of decisions – including whether you want to buy a pre-owned home or one that has been built recently and is brand new.Let’s take a quick look at some of the pros and cons of buying a new home versus buying pre-owned.New Homes Tend To Have Fewer ProblemsOne of the major upsides of buying new is that newly-built homes tend to have very few problems within the first few years of ownership.While you’ll still be required to make regular maintenance on a new home, when you buy pre-owned you’re buying a house that has seen years or decades of weather and regular wear-and-tear.New Const... 08/20/2020

When most people talk about real estate, they envision buying an already-built house on already-landscaped property. However, buying vacant land and building a new home is a great way to ensure that you get the home that you want in the location that you want.It’s also a major undertaking, which is why you should take these three considerations into account before you buy any land for your new home.Location, Location, Location: It’s More Important Than You ThinkPeople often hear the phrase “location, location, location” and it’s a very prudent maxim with buying land. The parcel of land that you buy should be in a good geographic location and on stable ground – which means there shouldn’t be any major water sources nearby (like a swamp) and hills should be minimal. You’ll also want to co... 07/22/2020

Before you make a major structural change to your property, it is important to consider how this will affect your resale value. While there are many steps that you can take to improve your property, the addition of a detached garage may be beneficial to you and may drastically improve your resale price when you are ready to sell.You can contact a trusted real estate agent today to obtain customized information about how the addition of a detached garage may affect your property’s value.Adding Square Footage to Your HomeAs a property owner, you may be well aware that one of the most common ways the value of your property is determined is by the market rate for price per square foot of homes in the area.While factors such as age of the property, condition of the property and amenities in ... 07/15/2020

Whether you’re a buyer or a seller, a home appraisal is a critical component of the home selling process. An appraisal is also required in situations where a home is gifted to a family member, so it’s important to have a clear understanding of what it entails. What Is A Home Appraisal?A home appraisal is an unbiased estimate of a home’s fair market value conducted by a professional appraiser. All 50 states require that appraisers be licensed and/or certified and demonstrate knowledge of the specified area. The purpose of a home appraisal is to determine whether the home’s asking price is appropriate based on its location, condition, size, and amenities.Appraisals are done in almost all purchase, sale and refinance transactions, with the exception being when a buyer uses cash and doesn’t... 04/24/2020

Think of backyard space as “in-between” or transitional space that is a bit like being inside while being outside. Sunrooms, screened-in covered patios, outdoor kitchens, spas, fire pits and more, are all becoming very popular ways to make more use of the backyard. Making use of the outside area is not limited to only the times of the year that have nice, warm weather.Sitting around a fire pit, with a blazing fire in it, is a perfect way to spend a chilly winter evening under the stars. This is a bit like camping out, without having to leave the comfort of your home.Here are some tips about how to turn your backyard space into a comfortable and functional transitional area.LandscapingInstall shade trees, cobbled paths that invite exploration, and water features that are mixed in with at... 03/25/2020

There are many options when it comes to taking out a loan on a new home. One of the options that people might have heard about is called owner financing. In general, the property owner takes the place of a traditional lender.Instead of someone taking out of a loan from a bank or a credit union, they take out a loan from the owner of the property. Similar to a traditional loan, the buyer will make payments to the seller over a period of time with a certain interest rate.The Structure Of Owner FinancingIf someone elects to go with owner financing, there are several terms that will specify the repayment structure. The most common structure is called a note and mortgage.This is a secure form of financing. It is also the closest in structure to a traditional mortgage from a bank. The seller ... 10/30/2019

Residential real estate developers in America are responding to a national slowdown in new home construction by building smaller homes that are more modestly priced. The demand for smaller, less expensive homes is growing, while the overall demand for new custom homes is declining. Prices decreased slightly, by about one-half percent, from the price levels in 2018 for newly-constructed homes.Lower Profits For BuildersThe median price for a newly-constructed home in America is $372,900. The median sales price of an existing home is $309,700.American construction companies are feeling the pressure to build lower-priced homes along with the increased costs for imported building materials due to the tariffs and a labor shortage. This is lowering profits for the construction companies, yet c... 09/17/2019

When viewing a potential home, how much consideration should you give to the surrounding land?In many ways, the land should be carefully regarded, since land is the thing that is hardest to alter. You can rip up carpet, paint walls and even knock down walls, but it takes a lot more effort to change land. Mature Landscaping Mature landscaping is typically cited as a benefit, but what if you’re the type who enjoys looking out at wide open spaces? It could also be that the mature landscaping – older trees – are situated dangerously near the house.Weakened trees could lose heavy branches in storms and cause damage your roof. Mature trees also have vast root systems that can damage or destroy septic lines.Downward SlopeIt’s charming to stand at the top of the street and look down upon your f... 08/14/2019

Trading land like a billionaire relies on three simple premises. The first one is to acquire the land for cheap. The second one is to never intend to sell it. The third one is, if you trade it, trade up.Howard HughesBillionaires that start with an inheritance have an advantage. Howard Hughes was born into wealth. His father invented an oil drill that penetrated difficult, hard rock, which made Howard Hughes one of the richest men in the world from his inheritance.Hughes visited Las Vegas during WWII for the first time. Then, in the 1950s, he traded some parcels of desert land that he owned in Northern Nevada for 40 square miles (26,500 acres) of federal land. This property, managed by the US Bureau of Land Management, was in the northwest of Las Vegas.Hughes died on April 5, 1976. Well ... 05/08/2019

Your carbon footprint is the measure of your impact on the earth’s natural resources. This number describes the amount of fossil fuel it takes to support your lifestyle. In the United States, each person produces an average of 19.78 tons of carbon dioxide every year. A high carbon footprint means your daily habits are a quickening drain on our finite resources. Homeowners can use these DIY projects to reduce the effect of their lifestyle on the environment.Try Solar SolutionsA residential solar system gathers photo-voltaic energy from the sun and converts it into usable electrical current. Once installed, any energy your system produces is essentially free. However, the initial investment for a residential solar system to power your entire home can be prohibitively high. There are some ... 04/05/2019

Home ownership is highly valued in our culture. However, buying a home isn’t the best decision for everyone. Examine the differences between owning and renting your home to help you decide if now is the time to buy.Effect On FlexibilityRenters enjoy more freedom than homeowners. After the leasing period ends, renters are free to walk away and find a new place to live. Homeowners, on the other hand, are at the mercy of the market. Depending on the conditions, owners might have a hard time selling their property quickly. It also takes a lot more paperwork to sell a home than it does to end a lease.Those who don’t have plans to stay settled for at least a few years might be better off renting their homes. If circumstances suddenly change, they have more options than heavily-invested homeow... 04/02/2019

Now that you have a beautiful new home with a garage, the fun of organizing can begin. When your garage is well organized, everything is much easier. You can get home projects finished faster, get out the door quicker and better enjoy all your sporting activities.Here are some tips to organize your new garage. Make Use Of The WallsA lot of homeowners overlook the wall space when organizing the garage. If your garage has exposed studs, this is actually a benefit in terms of storage space. You can easily create shallow shelves in between the studs using 2 x 4 and shelf brackets. Use these shelves to store smaller items that tend to get lost on larger shelves. You can also create an effective space for hanging garden tools. Screw extra large hooks onto the outside edge of one of the 2 x 4s... 02/13/2019

Obstacles facing home builders have caught up with high builder confidence according to the National Association of Home Builders Housing Market Index for November. Builder confidence dropped eight points to an index reading of 60, which was the largest month-to-month drop in builder confidence since 2014. November’s decline in builder confidence was greater than the largest month-to-month decline during the housing crisis.Housing Market Index readings over 50 are considered positive, but analysts said that long-standing headwinds caught up with home builders’ outlook on housing market conditions and sub-categories used to comprise the overall Housing Market Index reading.Obstacles Impacted November Home Builder Confidence in Housing MarketBuilders have long cited shortages of buildable... 11/29/2018

Savvy home buyers often get great deals on new home constructions by asking for deals and discounts and doing some up-front research. Home builders often dislike offering steep discounts in sales prices because they want everyone in the community to feel like they bought their property at a fair price. Maintaining sales prices also helps with future home appraisal values. It helps all of the buyers in a neighborhood to keep sales prices consistent and growing. Fortunately, you can still get great discounts that can reduce the cost of your new home.Ask the builder if they can do the following:Settle Closing Costs Closing costs vary depending on your state. On average, the costs can be as high as $10,000. In Colorado, for example, a standard closing is about 3 percent of the selling price... 11/01/2018