If you remember nothing else but this you will have learned something about selling your home when the time comes; clutter will kill the deal. That’s right, most people cannot see past what you have out and they need to be able to envision their own furniture and personal belongings in the home. I have been in homes that we don’t get past the front door because of the clutter on the floor, on kitchen counters and in the hallway.
Most people assume all you need to do is clean the house, which is important but not everything. You need to create as much of a spacious and open atmosphere as you possibly can and remove extra books, CD’s and other items that are easy to have lying around. This also includes the appliances on the countertops and dishes in the cabinets. If it looks like there is a lot of space then they think there is a lot of space. So do not clutter up the house when you want to sell it; instead de-clutter it.
I have a heart for seniors who are making the transition from a home they have lived in for many years to a smaller, yet more practical place for them to live. I have lived through the process with my mother and know that one day I will have to do the same and hope my family has someone who understands the process when needed. It is a highly emotional time for the entire family and not just the senior or seniors involved.
There are memories attached to objects that have to be gone through and given away, thrown away or kept and this can be a heart wrenching process. Most know that this is the best thing they can do for themselves but few want to admit it. Having someone who understands their process and who is certified to help them do what they need to do for them is a great boost for the family and for their well being. Let’s face it; we will all have to go through this process so let us treat your senior the way you hope to be treated when it’s your turn.
I was talking to some friends of mine who started watching the TV show, The One Hundred Mile Challenge, on the Green Network. They were telling me about the challenge of eating foods that are grown within a hundred mile radius of where they lived in British Columbia. They cannot eat anything that is produced with ingredients made outside of the same 100 miles as well so they find themselves limited at best. As we spoke about this show we started talking about how “green” we all think we are as we buy the right light bulbs and talk about the changes that need to take place in order to make our world a better place.
The fact is that most of us, including me, don’t do much to be green. We drive the larger cars, use the same amount of energy and eat whatever we want without ever thinking how that impacts our world. We feel we are entitled to the things we have and want and will sacrifice as long as it really doesn’t affect us that much. So I ask you to level with yourself and those around you as to your level of green. Are you doing everything you can to make a change in your world? If so, great! If not, it may be time for you to access what else you could do.
For a while almost everyone I met that was looking for a home was considering a home they could renovate and eventually flip for a profit. Now that the housing market is somewhat topsy-turvy people are a bit more leery of buying homes to renovate. One of the reasons is the financing. It’s hard enough to get financing for a conventional and FHA mortgage and there are not many lenders loaning to renovate a home; that is unless the lender is doing 203K loans.
A 203K loan is a loan that is insured by FHA and is especially designed for properties that need renovating. The government has done several studies showing that almost half of the available homes in the market need some type of renovation to get it up to the current standards and even more to come up to the green standards of the future. Using the 203K along with updating energy systems and appliances will bring many homes out of their current state and ready for conventional use. Since renovations are a specialty niche, you will need to find a loan officer who has successfully closed these types of loans. I can help you with that when you are ready to tackle a renovation. Note that the 203K loan is for first time homeowners only and not available to investors.
It’s been said many times over the past couple of years that the mortgage rates are at “historic lows” and then they go back up a little bit and you hear they are still really low. While some people seem to perpetually “chase the rate” and hope to get it at an all time low, sometimes it’s just good to get a better payment and deal while you can.
Last week mortgage rates fell again to one of these almost to the all time lows and people were clamoring to see how much they could save on their payment. I talked to one of my lender friends and he told me one thing to always keep in mind when someone asks about saving money; are you looking to save money overall or just monthly? What people need to remember is it costs money to close even a refinance loan and those that tell you it is at no cost most of the time means it’s at no money out of pocket to you. The money comes out of the equity in your property and that will cost you at the time of sale.
Tennessee is one of the greatest places to live in work in the US and those of us who have lived here fro very long can certainly verify that is true. But what do people who don’t live in this fine state think about Tennessee? Well, in a recent Harris Interactive poll that asked Americans where they would live if they did not live in the state they did now, Tennessee was #9! As I looked through the list you saw the normal states that you always read about, California, Florida, Hawaii, Colorado, Arizona, Washington State and Oregon along with North Carolina, Texas and Tennessee.
I think it’s great that Tennessee is being recognized as a great state to live in and it’s really over due. The state has worked hard over the last to decades to become a forward thinking region that is well rounded for both work and play. We have a many industries from the new green sustainable industry to automotive, medical, insurance and of course music. This puts Tennessee in a great position to ride out and come out on top once the economy kicks back into gear, which is very good news!
Here is the top ten from that poll.
- California
- Florida
- Hawaii
- Texas
- Colorado
- Arizona
- North Carolina
- Washington state
- TENNESSEE
- Oregon
One of the common threads when discussing foreclosures is they happen only to the lower end buyers so you will have to settle on a lower end home if you are shopping for a foreclosed property. However, that is not backed up by the facts that state as recent as this past June, 30% of the foreclosed properties were located in to top 33% of the housing values. These are mainly prime loans and not from the sub-prime market where the massive foreclosures started. This is following the normal pattern where hard times hit first in the lower property tiers and then move up to the higher property tiers.
This is mainly due to the fact that jobs are being lost throughout the middle and upper income workers and some of those are now unable to afford the payments on their homes. Though there are some institutions that are working with homeowners to modify their loans, many still are not. Another problem is that independent business owners are still having trouble getting adequate credit to run their businesses as well and many of them are being run out of business by lack of funding or poor sales.
This could negatively impact the overall housing market especially in those hard hit areas such as Florida and California. The could potentially create additional pressures on a housing market that is just now showing signs of stabilization.
The idea of Green Remodeling is becoming more and more popular throughout the United States. However, much of the public either doesn’t know or understand how to effectively convert their homes into a Green or Sustainable home thus saving the planet and money. Here are 4 Tips to help you turn your current home into that sustainable home of your dreams.
One of the best things you can do is buy and install energy efficient appliances. These appliances have ratings to show the impact on the environment and electricity. By buying these types of appliances, you are effectively saving energy and lowering your carbon emissions on the planet. You can also keep the fridge full as it puts less of a strain on the cooling system in a refrigerator.
By installing thick insulation between each wall in your area you can eliminate the use of excessive air conditioning and heating since insulation traps the heat and the cold during the year. This keeps your house significantly cooler or warmer depending on the season. By keeping it warmer or cooler, there is less of a need to use Air Conditioning or heating throughout a home.
This one hasn’t caught on in Nashville as of yet but if you install artificial grass and optimize your irrigation system for gardens and flowerbeds you will reduce the amount of water need substantially. The artificial grass helps conserve water, since you never have to water it, and can save you hundreds over the span of a year. It also stays green and lush all year and some cities may even send you a rebate. Optimizing an irrigation system to water for 10 – 15 minutes maximum twice a week, helps save water and reduce water waste if you must keep your current lawn or have gardens and other planted beds.
One of the easiest things you can do is install water efficient toilets and shower heads. By installing these types of toilets in ones house, less water is wasted on flushing. Likewise, water efficient shower heads also save water by lowering the amount of water released during a shower.
If you can’t do all 4, you should at least do what you can to reduce your impact on the environment.
One of the greatest things we have as humans is the use of humor to help ourselves and each other over the bumps and hard times. That’s why many say when the economy slows down the entertainment industry gets a boost; especially those funny channels such as The Comedy Channel or those funny movies that allow you to escape for just a little while.
It’s also why funny get well cards are perfect to lift the spirits when you are recuperating! I was lucky enough to be able to recoup my good spirits as well as a new hip from getting the love and laughter from cards and well wishers for the last 5 weeks. I am still getting those quips of love as I hobble down the halls on my cane and enjoy the laughter it all brings. I believe it has helped me heal faster and I know I have healed funnier and will be ready to run away from my walker very soon!
Thanks so much to all who have called and written and I will be back in full force the next time you turn around. May you all have the love and support that I have had.
Let’s face it; it’s hard to protect our kids and grandkids from just about everything these days. Once, kids were allowed to ride their bikes up and down the road and even to the store or across town, but these days that is not allowed. It’s not that there are any more “bad” people “out there” than there ever were, it’s just that we know about them, where they live and what they’ve done. We can’t even leave them in the company of clergy without thinking twice!
While we keep closer tabs on the whereabouts and actions of our children, that sometimes means keeping them inside when they would be better served being in an activity outside. New statistics show that our children and grandchildren will more likely be overweight, out of shape and lacking in Vitamins and Minerals that can only be gotten from being out in the sun and dirt. So by protecting them from the “bad people” we are not giving them what they need to grow up healthy. It’s tough being a parent and just when you think you have done the right thing you find out it may not have been the best thing.
