Real Estate Information Archive

It’s that time of year when people trade their light, fall jackets for an insulted, warm coat, and their fashion forward strappy sandals for knee high boots. It also means that when outside temperatures drop, homeowners can expect their monthly electric bill to rise. It happens each year, yet many people are still shocked when they see that first heating bill come their way. So instead of breaking out the extra blankets and sleeping with seven layers on, we have a few tips and tricks below that will help to keep your home warm and comfortable, without breaking your wallet with extreme heating bills every month!

The first tip we have for you may come as a surprise to many people as it involves your ceiling fan. Many people associate their ceiling fan with keeping cool in the warmer summer months, but many fan models can also be adjusted to spin clockwise to help keep you warm in the winter. How does this work you ask? With the blades spinning clockwise, the fan will actually drive the warm air that rose up to the ceiling back down to keep the temperature of the room warmer.  Next, you want to be sure to seal any ducts and/or cracks in windows and doors as that can account for much of the heat loss that can occur within your home. Fun fact – you can also save up to ten percent on your monthly heating costs just by caulking leaky windows and doors or installing weather-stripping throughout your house.

Our third tip is to make sure that you are keeping your chimney closed when it is not in use. You may also consider investing in a chimney balloon, which is an inflatable device inserted into the chimney to help keep the warm air in and the cold air out. Lastly, you want to always make sure that you are changing your air filters, as dirty filters can actually restrict airflow which in turns increases the energy use in your home. And did you know that just by changing your furnace or heating unit filter every three months can actually save you from four to six percent on your heating costs yearly!? If that isn’t a motivator to get those filters changed I don’t know what is!  

We won’t lie, there was a time when we thought fall was never going to come. But sure enough, it is finally here! And with the change of season brings cooler weather, shorter days and a reminder to check in on your home for any fall maintenance that needs to be completed. Not sure exactly what to look for? Well, not to worry because below we have listed a few fall maintenance suggestions for you to look into.

Starting with the exterior, you should check around the outside of your home for inexpensive maintenance projects that can be tackled quickly. Things such as cleaning the gutters, caulking, checking the roof for missing or loose shingles and trimming greenery to prevent damage are all things to keep an eye out for. While these may seem like small, tedious tasks, it is always best to fix the small issues before they turn into larger, most costly projects for you and your family.

You also want to be sure to keep an eye on your irrigation system and follow the manufacturer’s instruction, as to protect the functionality and integrity of the sprinkler system. Additionally, it is also important to realize that seasonal rainfall will hydrate the foliage around your home, and you may want to set (or reset) your system accordingly. Lastly, the colder weather can also bring with it little critters that are looking for refuge in the warmth of your home, particularly in the attic or basement. To prevent this, be sure to cover large holes in the walls of your home with hardware cloth, use caulking for smaller holes and be sure to always check on your attic’s insulation for damage from these pesky critters.

It may not be on your mind now, but there will probably come a day when you will think about selling your home - whether it be for a new neighborhood, a new job or simply a change of scenery. And when that day comes you may wish that you started some renovations sooner in order to give your home a little face lift and more appeal to potential buyers. Now we know what you are thinking, that all renovations and updates will cost you a fortune and a lot of time. But that is just simply not true! There are many DIY projects that you can do over the span of a weekend that are sure to give your home a little TLC and won’t break the bank. If this sounds interesting to you, then keep reading below!

One weekend project you can tackle are your bathrooms. It is no secret that buyers look at kitchens and bathrooms closely, and want modern updates and finishes. This can be easily accomplished with small swaps such as cabinets, tiles, hardware, countertops and light fixtures. Head to your local hardware store and find little updates that are sure to spruce up your bathroom in just a few hours! Next, you may want to think about repainting the cabinets in your kitchen. Seeing as how many families spend a lot of time in the kitchen, buyers want to see that it has been well maintained over the years. By simply repainting your old wooden cabinets and adding on some shiny new hardware fixtures you can give your kitchen an instant face lift and make the room more appealing.

Do you want to make your ceilings look higher and rooms feel slightly larger? If so, then we have two words for you: crown molding. Crown molding helps to draw the eyes up, which in turn makes the ceiling feel higher than they really are and also adds a little design touch to the room. This project is perfect for living rooms, master bedrooms, bathrooms and kitchens. Lastly, you want to make a good first impression with potential buyers. Knowing this, what is the first thing they see when they pull up to your home? That’s right, your front yard. Incorporating flattering landscaping to the front of your home will give it the curb appeal it needs to draw in potential buyers and give them a positive impression before they even step foot inside your home.

When you think about all the ways you can increase your property value, have you ever thought about just how important landscaping is in the equation? If not, you are not alone. Many homeowners overlook the fact that landscaping is one of the quickest, easiest and most important ways in which you can increase the value of your property. In fact, a beautiful and well thought out landscape design has the potential to increase your home value by five to eleven percent (and possibly more!). We are pretty sure we have your attention now! Below we have listed a few tips and tricks to help get you started on your landscaping journey, and help make it your homes greatest and most valuable asset.

The first thing you want to do is to come up with a design while always keeping a strategy in mind. So with this, balance is key. You do not want to have just grass without accent landscaping around, but at the same time you do not want to have clutter and too many high-maintenance plants around your yard. You should try to incorporate a healthy mixture of perennials and shrubs, and have a unformed look that also has enough diversity to keep things interesting and eye catching. On that same note, you always want to make sure to match your landscaping to the style of your home. For example, if you have an old-fashioned Victorian home, arguably the worst thing you can do is to incorporate a Japanese garden. In this case, you are better off featuring a country or cottage-style landscape that will blend and enhance the features of your home.

Another tip when looking to increase your property value through landscape is to plant trees. Now we understand this may seem like a simple action, but the truth is that, well, people love and are drawn to trees! Many see them as a stress reliever and think they are closer to nature having them on their property. They also provide shade and can help to keep homes cooler by blocking direct sunlight into the home. Lastly, edging your lawn can also help to increase your property value. Edging garden beds, driveways and sidewalks demonstrates to potential buyers that the property has been property kept up, and therefore easily assumed that the inside of the home has probably been well maintained as well. It also helps to give the yard an easy-to-maintain and manicured look – which is always a bonus for buyers!

If you are a homeowner then you understand just how much it can cost to not only maintain the condition of your home, but also to make repairs when needed. But what if we told you of a few tips and tricks that could help you avoid spending extra, unnecessary money on upkeep? Do we have your attention yet? If so, then keep reading! Below we have listed a few ways in which you may be forking out unnecessary money each month and expensive mistakes that you could be making in your home.

The first topic we are going to be talking about is a leaky faucet. The next time you see a leaking faucet, we want you to picture money running down the drain instead of water because that is exactly what is happening! To give you an example, if you were to have a leaky faucet in your home that drips one drop per second, over time that can lead to over 3,000 gallons of water per year! And depending on where you live, that could be adding on a ton of money each month to your water bill. So be sure to replace or fix your faucet the next time you see it leaking to avoid the unnecessary increase in your water bill! On that same note, if you have grass throughout your yard, you want to avoid over watering your lawn. Keep an eye out for broken sprinklers, as well as ensuring that your sprinklers are pointing in the direction you intend and not accidentally watering the gravel nearby.

Next, we are going to be talking about lighting. Are you still using traditional light bulbs throughout your home?  An incandescent light bulb, over its life span, can use about $180 worth of electricity, as opposed to a CFL or LED bulb which can use between $30 and $40. So yes, just simply switching out your light bulbs can make a huge difference in your electricity bill, and ultimately help to keep a little more money in your pocket each month. On that same tune of electric bills, leaky doors and windows are another way to spend unnecessary money each month. During the winter, a window or door that is not properly insulated will allow the cold air to come in, and vice versa during the summer months. Instead of fixing the issue, many homeowners will feel the cold or hot air coming in and jack up with heat or air conditioning, utilizing more electricity and in turn increasing their bill. You can easily fix this by putting a rubber seal around doors or caulking leaking windows to ensure you are keeping your home insulated from the outside temperature.

If you have ever been in a relationship, you understand that the ‘honeymoon phase’ does not last forever. The excitement and sparkle of anything new tends to fade over time, and your feelings towards your home are no exception. This is especially true if your home has not been well maintained over the years and things are fallings apart and/or outdated. But, with a few simple tips and tricks that we have listed below, you may just find yourself getting that sparkle back in your eye and falling back in love with your home!

Our first tip for you is to have some fun with interior design. Now we understand that the phrase ‘interior design’ can seem a little daunting for some people. And no, you do not have to have a college degree in the subject to dabble in the creative process. Simply finding the right accent pieces and changing things up a bit may be all you need to transform your space. You do not need to break the bank to accomplish this either, as few staple pieces in a few key rooms may do just the trick! You may be surprised just how fresh your home will feel by simply incorporating a few new design elements.

Our next suggestion is to do a little fall cleaning. There is nothing that will make your home feel cluttered than having too much ‘stuff’ around. Take a weekend to donate, recycle and/or throw out items that you no longer need, and spend some time organizing the items that you kept. Also, a deep cleaning never hurt anyone – whether you break out the Clorox and do it yourself or hire in a cleaning service. Regardless, your decluttered, clean home will make you look at your space in a whole new light. Lastly, decorating for the holidays will make your home feel festive and lift your spirits every time you walk through the door. Simply hanging a wreath on the front door, lighting scented candles and having a few decorations throughout your home is just enough to fall in love with your space once again.

Is it time for a little face lift for the outside of your home? Are things starting to look a little worn down and dated? If so, today’s blog post is for you! We understand that the maintenance on the outside of your house can sometimes get pushed to the back burner, especially since you may only notice it in passing when coming/leaving. But with a few quick exterior updates, you can give your home a little curb appeal and have it back in tip-top shape in no time.

Dressing up the front door is a great place to start! If your front door is looking a little outdated, splashing a fresh coat of paint on it and adding a decorative wreath will do wonders. You can also incorporate some additional touches such as a welcome mat or festive doorbell cover. Next, if you think that people do not take notice of your mailbox you may want to think again. Sprucing up your mailbox with a fresh coat of paint and/or personalizing it with your last name is a fun and easy way to add a little life to the front of your house.

Another way to bring some flair to the exterior of your home is to add some window boxes underneath the windows in the front of your house. You can purchase a variety of colors and styles of window boxes, as well as plant vibrant flowers such as daises, petunias and marigolds within them. This is a wonderful way to incorporate natural beauty and color to the front of your home without breaking the bank. You also want to be sure to clean out the gutters on your house to make sure that excess water is able to flow away from your home. Spraying them down with a power washer will help to restore the gutters to their original color and make them look new again!

There are some that will say it’s just a bathroom, but to you, it’s a luxurious sanctuary that you can escape to. Well, at least that is what you are planning on turning it into! We understand that a bathroom renovation can be a large undertaking, but if it is done right, it can completely transform the room and in turn increase the home’s appeal to future buyers. And while there is a lot that goes into any DIY renovation, bathrooms in particular can quickly become an overbearing and quite expensive project. So to assist, we have listed below a few tips and tricks to help you successfully tackle your bathroom renovation this summer.

The first thing you will want to do is crunch the numbers. It doesn’t matter if it is a large or small expense, you want to ensure that you have everything budgeted out and that you know you can afford to proceed with the project. An average bathroom remodel costs around $10,000, but there are others that cost upwards of $22,000. So knowing exactly what you want to do with the bathroom, how much everything will cost and budgeting accordingly will help to keep everything on track. Next, you want to drum up some design inspiration through magazines or online websites such as Pinterest. Sure, you may not be able to afford the lavish luxury of some of the high end bathrooms you see, but you will be able to get a feel for what style and colors you are looking for. This will help keep you focused and able to make quick and efficient decisions when looking at materials and décor.

Our next tip for you is to have a back-up bathroom ready. This is especially true if your home only has one working bathroom or if you are planning on renovating multiple bathrooms in your home at once. It may not be a bad idea to arrange to use a neighbor’s bathroom for a few days if the need arises. Lastly, which can prove to be difficult for some, you will want to make sure to stick to the plan. This holds true especially for your budget, as it is always easy to go overboard with spending when it comes to home renovations. You may want to add one last minute thing here and there, and before you know it you are completely over budget. So setting a plan and a budget, and sticking to it, will help you have a successful renovation all around.

Have you been thinking of revamping your home and find yourself wondering what aspect to focus on? Whether you are remodeling to put your home on the market or just updating areas that are outdated, you always want to think about what you are improving, what you are spending your money on and how that will affect the salability of the home in the future. And while it is thought that kitchens and bathrooms should be prioritized when considering return on investment, what many people don’t realize is that paint color can have a large impact on how buyers see and judge the home. And yes, that is exactly what we are going to be talking about in today’s blog post!

Now you may be asking yourself exactly which paint colors will get you the most bang for your buck and will appeal the most to potential buyers in the future. In Zillow’s 2018 Paint Color Analysis, over 135,000 images of homes that were sold across the country were examined. These images were examined to see how colored walls affected selling price of the home compared to plain white walls, and the results are quite intriguing. It was found that homes in which feature black or charcoal gray doors sell for more than $6,200 than expected. And, as you may imagine, yellow exterior paint ranked on the lower end, and those homes sold for $3,400 less than what was expected. When it comes to living rooms, the color taupe with peach, tan or pink undertones tend to be more appealing and on average the home sells for over $2,700 than expected.

When it comes to kitchens, you want to be especially picky because home buyers see themselves spending a lot of time is that particular part of the house and therefore judge it more closely. It was found that the most popular color combination in kitchens is white cabinets paired with dark navy blue or black islands. Homes that features tuxedo cabinets, which refers to the lower and upper cabinets being a different color, sell at a $1,550 premium. And when it comes to bathrooms, using colors such as periwinkle blue or a light blue paint with a gray-blue tint can increase the home’s selling price by over $2,700. So if you are wanting to upgrade your house and put a little life back into it, putting a fresh coat of paint may be just the trick you need. And if you incorporate the information we talked about above, you have a good chance of not only increasing your home’s appeal to future buyers, but in turn get a higher selling price!

Do you have a small bedroom in your home that makes you scratch your head every time you think about decorating and/or furnishing the space? We understand that small bedrooms are less than ideal and can feel stuffy and claustrophobic if they do not have the right design. But lucky for you, we have some tricks up our sleeves on how to completely transform these small spaces. In today’s blog post we are going to be talking about styling solutions that can drastically change the way you look (and furnish) small bedrooms forever.

The first thing you will want to consider when styling small bedrooms is incorporating built-in shelving or bedroom furniture. This simple design hack is ideal for adding storage to the room without taking up too much space and making the room feel cluttered. And while headboards can be a beautiful and decorative focal point for most bedrooms, it is best to leave them out when it comes to small spaces. This will not only open up the space, but it will allow you to keep the simple and de-cluttered feel that you want to achieve for the bedroom. Because we all know that clutter in a small bedroom can lead to the space feeling even smaller and more closed in than it already is – and no one wants that! A great alternative for a traditional bed with a headboard is opting for a daybed, which can save space and double as a couch if needed. Win-Win!

When it comes to lighting, it is always best to use mounted lights (such as sconces) whenever possible. Having your lighting mounted will ensure that lamps do not take up unnecessary room on the floor, which again is not ideal in small spaces. And a great way to make your bedroom appear larger is to incorporate mirrors in the room, as they draw in light from different angles which can brighten and broaden the space. And when it comes to bold wallpaper, we never shy away! Instead of using just one shade of paint on your walls, try incorporating a pop of color that brings pizazz, personality and a little spark to your small space. There are endless options of eye-catching wallpaper available, and is a great option when trying to add a bold feature to the room without breaking the bank.