Green Home!

Archive for March, 2010

Before a buyer considers your home seriously, it must meet his needs in many ways. It must be a suitable neighborhood, commuting distance, size, layout, etc. If most of these needs are met, the buyer will move toward making an offer for your home. The purchase decision is an emotional and intellectual response, based on a level of trust in your home. So, it is logical that in preparing your home for sale your goal should be to enable the buyer to build trust in your home as quickly as possible. Your first step should be to address apparent and hidden repair issues.

Make a Complete List

Keep in mind that potential buyers and their real estate agents do not have the fond personal memories and familiarity that you have with your home. They will view it with a critical and discerning eye. Anticipate their concerns before they ever see your home. You may look at the leaky faucet and think of a $10 part at Home Depot. To a buyer this is a $100 plumbing bill. Walk through each room and consider how buyers are going to react to what they see. Make a complete list of all needed repairs. It will be more efficient to have them all done at once. Use a handyman to fix the items quickly. If your house is a fixer-upper, keep in mind that most buyers will expect to make a profit that is substantially above the cost of labor and materials. When a house needs obvious repairs, buyers will assume that there are more problems than meet the eye. Take care of repairs before marketing your home. Your home will sell faster and for a higher price.

Get an Inspection

It is a good idea to have your home inspected by a professional before putting it on the market. Your may discover some issues that will come up later on the buyer’s inspection report. You will be able to address the items on your own time, without the involvement of a prospective buyer. You do not have to repair every item that is written up. For example, due to building code changes, you may not meet code for handrail height, spacing between balusters, stair dimensions, single glazed windows, and other items. You may choose to leave items such as these as they are. Just note on the inspection report which items you have repaired, and which are left as is. Attach the report to your Seller’s Disclosure, along with any repair receipts that you have. A professional inspection answers buyers questions early, reduces re-negotiations after contract, and creates a higher level of trust in your home.

Offer a Service Contract

A home service contract may be offered to the buyer for their first year of ownership. For a fee of about $350 a third party warranty company will provide repair services for certain systems or components in the house for one year after the sale. These policies help to reduce the number of disputes about the condition of the property after the sale. They protect the interests of both buyer and seller.

Should You Remodel?

Our clients often ask if they should remodel their house before marketing. I believe the answer to this is no – major improvements do not make sense just before selling a home. Studies show that remodeling projects do not return 100% of their cost in the sales price. Normally, it does not pay to replace cabinets, re-do kitchens, upgrade bathrooms, or add space prior to selling. There is a fine line between remodeling and making repairs. You will need to draw this line as you review your home.

Repair Decisions

Countertops are outdated: If other components of the house are up to date, the kitchen may be greatly improved by new, modern countertops. Although this is an upgrade, not a repair, it may be worth doing because the kitchen has a significant impact on the value of your home.

Carpet is worn or outdated: Carpet replacement almost always worth doing. Sellers often ask if they should offer an allowance for carpet, and let the buyer choose. Do not take this approach. Choose a neutral shade, and make the change yourself. New carpet makes everything in the house look better.

Wall texture is poor: You may have an outdated texture style or acoustic ceiling. In most cases, it does not make sense to strip and re-texture the walls. Just repair any wall damage or minor texture problems.

Walls need paint: This is a must do! Freshly painted walls greatly improve the perception of your home. Don’t forget the baseboards and trim. Use neutral colors, such as cream, sage green, beige/yellow, or gray/blue. Stark white, primary colors and dark colors do not appeal to a wide market, and may be a negative factor.

Bathroom caulking is dirty: Put this on the must do list. Cracked or stained caulking is a turn-off to buyers. It is easily replaced. Make sure the tile grout does not have voids.

Drainage or leak problems: Address any drainage issues or leaks in plumbing or roof. Use professional help to correct the source of the problem and check for mold. Fully disclose the repair on your sellers disclosure, but avoid giving a personal guarantee of the repair.

Structural and trim repairs: Fix any sheetrock holes, damaged trim, torn vinyl, broken windows, rotten wood or rusty fixtures. Homes sell for more that show a reasonable level of maintenance.

Overgrown shrubs and weedy beds: Repairs to the yard are some of the most cost effective changes you can make. Mow and edge the lawn. Add inexpensive mulch to flower beds. Cut back any shrubs that cover windows. Trim tree branches that rub against the roof. Buy new doormats. Replace dead plants. Remove any trash.

Check HVAC, plumbing and electrical systems: These systems need routine maintenance. Have the heat/AC system serviced and filters changed. Check for plumbing leaks, toilets that rock, corroded water heater valves, and other plumbing problems. Replace burned out bulbs and electrical fixtures that do not work. Check your sprinkler system and pool equipment for problems.

Make Needed Repairs

If you are planning to sell your home, your first step should be to discover and make needed repairs. By making repairs you will answer buyers questions early, build trust in your home more quickly, and proceed through the closing process with fewer surprises. Your home will appeal to more buyers, sell faster, and bring a higher price.

Are you in the habit of backing-up your important data and files? If you aren’t, then you should. Have you ever heard of the term “you won’t miss it until it’s gone”? This is very true in the computer world. I had to learn this the hard way when a couple of years ago, my hard drive on my desktop computer died on me. There was no warning before it happened. It simply died one day. I was already aware of the limitations of hard drives even before it happened but I never took it seriously because I kept thinking it would never happen to me; but it did. I lost a lot that day. All my files were gone in the blink of an eye. Important files such as family pictures, work related stuff, school related stuff, mp3’s (there were a lot of those) and other important files that I don’t even remember were lost forever. In my hopeless attempt to revive my hard drive, I resorted to all sorts of “possible” remedies. I tried freezing the drive, hitting it with a hammer, dropping it, running it upside down, etc. but none of it worked and it left my hard drive in an even worse condition. In the end, I accepted it and moved on.

This unfortunate experience doesn’t have to happen to anyone else if all readers follow this simple advice, “backup or else”. Don’t wait until tomorrow, next week or next month. Don’t come up with lame excuses to delay this. Hard drives are sensitive devices which mean anything can happen anytime. This is most especially true with hard drives in laptops which are subject to frequent vibrations. So if you have a backup drive such as an external hard disk, do it now before it’s too late.

To make sure your data is properly backed up, visit PriorityElectronics.com.

Air mattresses can be a great add-on to any house. You can use them for everything from camping to using it as an extra bed. Many of the air mattresses today come with their own pump, making it very easy to inflate and/or deflate the mattress for quick use. Also, the air mattresses today are much sturdier and made out of heavier material than they were before so the chance if one popping is less likely than it has been.

If you are looking to buy an air mattress to use while camping, you are probably best off by going with a mattress that fits these criteria; first, make sure that your tent is able to fit the air mattress you want inside of it. Second, get the size mattress or mattresses that will be able to fit all of the people on it. Choose the amount of loft you want because there are many options when choosing an air mattress. Be willing to spend a little extra cash to ensure the durability and quality of your mattress. Remember, you get what you pay for! Also, consider looking into purchasing a self-inflating air mat. These are much lighter and easier to carry around than air mattresses.

No matter the number of regular mattresses you own already, an air mattress is always a good addition. They come in very handy when you are having relatives or friends stay over for the holidays and can also make a children’s sleepover go easier. If you are primarily going to use your air mattress for indoor purposes only, it is wise to spend a little more money for a higher quality. It is never a good moment when you take down your air mattress that has been in the closet or attic for a few months only to find that it has a hole. The most durable air mattress to buy is one that comes with a bed frame. These will last the longest and also provide the user with a more comfortable night’s rest. And the bed frame will also protect the air mattress from foreign objects puncturing the mattress.

There are many different types of mattresses on the market today; memory foam is by far the most popular and is also the most comfortable to sleep on. A latex foam mattress has different “zones” and will also last you a long time. A waterbed mattress is still popular but has also changed over the years. There is a new type of waterbed, called a soft side. The softsided water mattresses are easier to clean than the traditional waterbed mattress and they also come with a tub system on the side of the mattress. You have the ability to move the tub from side to side and it will allow you some extra room and will also make it much easier to upgrade to these softside water mattress from the traditional waterbed mattress.

When buying a new mattress, always lay on it first before buying to ensure the quality and to determine if it is a good fit for you.

Home window tinting is now becoming a trend in most neighborhoods nowadays. This is not just because of the style of windows a house gets when the family decides to get their windows tinted, it is more so because of what is now known as safety window tinting.

Safety window tinting refers to the use of window security film used by home window tinting companies to provide security to those who live inside the house. In times of disasters such as hurricanes or earthquakes, there can always be broken glasses or windows, and thus there can be shreds of glasses getting inside the house. With window security film used in home window tinting, these shreds of glasses can be prevented from flying around precisely because it is thicker than any other window tint.

Aside from this, home window tinting is generally a good idea because it prevents the extreme heat of the sun from reflecting inside. It does not only cool the house interiors, it also prevents glares from television screens and other glasses. It also prevents the fading of home carpets and other home furniture.

With these advantages, it is then not that hard to answer why most families rely on home window tinting for the protection of their houses. If you are interested, you can search for the best home window tinting company online and check out their services offered. With the emergency of small companies providing the best tinting services, there are usually a lot to choose from.

Soft, light and beautifully elegant silk has for centuries been a symbol of ultimate luxury and sheer opulence. From Chinese Emperors to European Kings, silk has always been displayed for the admiration of others. Today, very little has changed. When someone mentions a silk dress, suit or even silk bedding an image of luxury and wealth springs to mind. This is because over the centuries even with all the technological advances in fibres and synthetic yarns, silk is still the fabric of choice for the ultimate luxury items.

Silk bedding is no exception to this rule. Being stronger and harder wearing than cotton bedding, silk bedding can far outlast synthetic rivals. Silk is naturally strong, and silk bedding made using long-fibre mulberry silk is extremely strong. This is because the long fibres found in mulberry silk have a cumulative effect on the finished article, giving it both more flexibility and combined durability than shorter fibre silk products. This strength is part of silk bedding’s attractiveness when it comes to durability. When silk is cleaned using a silk detergent, the silk fibres rejuvenate giving the silk elasticity and strength that far outlasts cotton and polyester, making silk bedding both a luxurious and wise long-term investment.

Something quite new on the bedding scene in recent years is a silk filled duvet. These duvets, as one would expect are filled with silk rather than the more traditional fillings of down and polyester. Sleeping under silk brings a whole new experience, one that Chinese Emperors have allegedly enjoyed for generations. Silk, being a natural fibre is healthier than sleeping under synthetic polyester. Dust mites find silk an inhospitable environment to live in which makes silk filled duvets very attractive to anyone who suffers from hay fever and dust mite related allergies.

Silk duvets are unlike other duvets in that they help our bodies to regulate their heat throughout the night. Long fibre mulberry silk duvets are layered by hand placing the silk in an intricate grid pattern. This allows some of the heat we generate throughout the night to escape, and this in return keeps us cool. Because our overall temperature is kept regulated throughout the night, we sleep better. Simple and yet such a clever idea. Why we haven’t we been using these duvets for years is a good question, but they are here now and after using one going back to conventional duvet is simply impossible.