To Inspect or Not to Inspect, That is the Question!

Whether you are a first time home buyer or you have had many homes throughout your lifetime, not everyone is an expert at what you should look for when it comes to buying a home.  Sure, everyone knows about square footage, flow, design, and yes how many bedrooms or bathrooms, but what about the little things.  The things that may not be so easy to see on the surface but are clear signs that maybe you need to look at another property.  I am talking about the five little things that can have a huge impact on your home, electrical, plumbing, landscaping, foundation, and attic space.  When you look at a home, the number of rooms and bathrooms are easy to see if they meet your needs, and you can see if the rooms need paint or carpeting.  What you may not be able to see is if the home had issues within the walls and things were repaired and then covered up, or even worse, just covered up and never repaired.  This is why it is so important to have the house inspected before you purchase a home, so the expert can look at the things that you may have overlooked and who knows the signs of things that may need some attention in the near future. 

Everyone has heard the age old story of the buyers that purchased a home and then there were things wrong with it in the end.  Whether things start falling apart or the buyer decides to do some renovating and a whole bunch of hidden problems come to light.  The electrical work has been shoddy or evidence of previous electrical issues rears its ugly head, making the home a tinderbox in danger of an electrical fire.  What if the plumbing has had a leak within the walls?  The leak may have been repaired but nasty mold is wreaking havoc in the walls.  Sure, some cracks in a foundation are normal, but do you know the difference between normal and something that can ruin the foundation and thus lower the value of your home by $50,000.  The curb appeal of a home is important, but what if the landscaping is causing too much moisture to get into your foundation or worse, the roots of the trees are wreaking havoc on the plumbing and foundation?  The attic is one of the few places where everything that could be wrong is apparent, but if you don’t bother to look up there, all is for not.  What if there was a problem with the roof or all the insulation has been replaced?  These are things that a home inspector will look for and bring to your attention.  So before you fall in love with a home, make sure you learn the whole story.  

For No Mere Mortal Can Resist the Evil of the Thriller

Halloween is in just a few days and the last time Halloween fell on a weekend was in 2008.  You are ready for an all-out scare fest and giving away massive amounts of candy to every ghoul and goblin that comes your way.  You have thought of everything, the candy, the decorations, the jack-o-lanterns, and the scary music, what more could you possibly do to prepare for the best night of the year.  It turns out, a lot, if you also consider the liability that comes along with Halloween.  First off, the decorations certainly give an aura of fear but make sure that they do not go too far.  If your yard is covered with graves, spider webs, skeletons etc., make sure it is well lit so that those who come into your yard can see the possible hazards and won’t trip over anything.  Think like a kid who either runs up excitedly to get candy or away from anything too scary.  If someone falls and becomes injured you, could be liable since it happened on your property.    You may love the jack-o-lanterns, with their eerie glowing faces lit by flame, but they can be easily knocked over and many costumes and decorations can be highly flammable.  Try using a battery operated tea light instead of candles to make it safer for all. 

Besides all of the little visitors that may come knocking at your door, there are a few other critters that deserve your consideration.  If you have pets that will be out of sorts with all the activity going on at your home, it is best to keep them in a closed room or kennel, to avoid any possible mishap that can occur.  Also, it is safer for them to not be near any possible items that may inadvertently fall to the floor that can be poisonous to their constitutions.  Chocolate, I am looking at you.  Since Halloween fall on a weekend, you may have more guests over to your home than usual.  So many people I know are having costume parties, and not just for the kiddies.  If you are going to serve alcohol, please be responsible and limit the amount that people drink.  Better yet collect keys at the door, ensure everyone has a designated driver or be prepared for overnight guests who have drank a little too much witch’s brew.  You wouldn’t think it, but Halloween is one of the most dangerous nights when it comes to drunk driving, even more than New Year’s Eve.  If it is determined that your guest was served too much and caused an accident, you could be held responsible.  It is best to prepare yourself for a great night of scares and thrills and to keep all of your guests, whether little ghouls and goblins, or big witches and vampires, safe and healthy on this All Hallows Eve.   

It’s Not Easy Being Green

           

            I know I have talked about this before but one of the most important things to get people interested in your home or to look at if you are buying a home is the first impression the home makes on you, or in other words is the curb appeal.  If the outside of the home, including the landscaping, looks a mess and is unkempt, then there is a strong likelihood that the inside of the home will match.  Now this a broad sweeping statement and I know there are always exceptions, and in the past they were few and far between.  For example, some people may be able to handle things inside the home where it is air-conditioned, but the heat of working outside just may be too much for them.  With the recent drought conditions and water restrictions, we are seeing a lot more of these exceptions.  I drive through my neighborhood and at just about every other home; the people have let their landscaping go brown because of the restrictions.  So in a time when water has become so scarce, what are we to do to up our curb appeal and still follow the restrictions imposed on us?

I know I now sound like a broken record and seem to be repeating myself a lot, but when in drought, xeriscape.  This is by far the most drought conscious option out there, but this option may not be for everyone.  Don’t get me wrong, I am a huge fan of xeriscaping and think if you can afford, it is the way to go.  Replacing existing landscaping with plants and lawn that are drought friendly and help you to reduce your water usage is a smart idea.  Xeriscaping is also quite beautiful, whether you opt for a lush green environment with vibrant colors, or a rock garden.  The problem is that while xeriscaping will eventually save you money in the long run, not everyone can afford the initial outlay of money needed to enact such a change.  Another option that has recently made a rise in popularity because of the drought is lawn painting.  Your grass will be greener and you are still reducing your water usage.  How soon you need to reapply depends on how fast your lawn grows and how often you mow it.  It is a much more economical way to keep your lawn green and the paint used is nontoxic to the environment.  So, both options are great options to reduce your water usage and in the long run your water bills.  Also, they keep your yard looking good and boost your curb appeal. 

Keeping Your Bottom Line in Mind

            

       You are ready to move on up and out of your home and you are getting ready to put it on the market.  Sure you are ready to do whatever it takes to get that place sold so that you can get your future home of your dreams.  You will paint; do repair, stage, anything at all, just so long as it sells.  But, is what you are planning to do to get it sold, actually going to help or hurt your bottom line.   Many times, people are so eager to sell their home, that they begin to make mistakes or questionable choices that in the long run can decrease the value of their home or unintentionally turn off prospective buyers.   If you want the most bang for your buck and of course, your pick of offers, just keep in mind that you may want to rethink the direction you are going in.

           

    Sure, you want to improve the look of your home to entice the buyers of today that your home is the one they want to buy.  Your best bet is to avoid doing something too trendy.  One minute a color or décor is in and next minute it could be out.  Do you really want to be stuck in a design hell situation like the 1970’s, with its short-lived adoration of shag carpet, wood paneling, and a popcorn ceiling?  And exactly how long were the florescent colors of the 1980’s popular? When updating a home to sell, you want something that is on point with current design décor, but is also timeless.  Neutral paints with a few accent colors, not an entire room in an outrageous colors or décor.  You don’t want to leave prospective buyers calculating how much it will cost to change or even worse, running for the hills.   Also, don’t forget to maintain your home.  Besides cleaning, and landscaping, you also need to make sure everything in your home is in working order.  From your appliances to light switches, to even the medicine cabinet door, buyers want to know that you have taken care of your home.  If you neglect to change a bulb here or there, buyers might think that maybe you overlook other things in your home.  If the little things are not taken care of, what have you done about the bigger problems?  So, if you want your home to sell, avoid some of these common mistakes and leave buyers with the impression that your home is worth their time to look at it. 

Pumpkin Spice Latte to the Rescue!

Fall is in the air.  The leaves are turning, the air is cool, and the smell of wood burning in the fire place can be smelled from fires all around, except where I live.  One of the worst droughts in history is affecting my beautiful California and so the true signs of fall seem to have gone to the wayside.  The leaves have been brown for a while due to water shortages, the temperatures outside have been pretty much hovering between 90 and 100 degrees, and the smell of wood burning all around is courtesy of devastating wild fires, not fireplaces.  When faced with all of that, it is hard to even wrap my head around the fact that today is the first day of fall.  At least, I have Starbucks to let me know that autumn has begun, when it finally made their Pumpkin Spice Latte’s available.  This is usually the time of year that I like to tackle some of the bigger home projects that just seem too daunting to try in the heat of summer but definitely need to be done before the much colder weather of winter.  I go to my handy dandy Home Maintenance checklist and make a plan.  I know I have talked about my checklist before, but let me remind you that this simple list can be a real life saver when it comes to basic maintenance reminders for your home.  Keeping a schedule and checking off tasks as they are completed will only help you to keep your home in working order and keep you on task to fix any minor problems before they become huge headaches. 

So, pumpkin spice latte season is at hand, so look at fall on the list.  There are several things you can do that will help you prepare for the months ahead and make sure that your home is in tip top shape.  First, you should clean and inspect your gutters.  Remove any debris and look for any damage, as leaks can lead to damage to your siding or your roof.  While you are up there, you should then inspect your roof.  Any small damage that has occurred throughout the year can lead to major problems in the winter.  Get things fixed now or face the possibility of devastating damage by hail, ice or snow in the winter.  If you can, now is the best time to touch up any paint on the exterior of your home.  Besides giving your home a little more curb appeal, it will also protect your home from being beaten up by winter storms.  Speaking of winter, and possible colder temperatures, now is a great time to get your fireplace cleaned and in working order and to perform any maintenance to your heating system.  The last thing you want when it is cold outside is a home with no way to heat itself.  Also, to keep you and anyone who visits your home safe, test all of your outdoor lights to make sure they are all in working order.  Winter is expensive enough without having to pay for unplanned medical bills if someone slips and falls.  Lastly, keep your grass healthy so it looks beautiful in the spring by winterizing your lawn.  These are some of the things you can do in the fall, or pumpkin spice season, to prepare your home for winter, or as I like to call it, gingerbread latte red cup season, the best season of all.  

Who Needs an Exterminator? Plants to the Rescue!

With the end of summer at hand and fall just around the corner, now is the prime time for many an infestation into your home and garden.  With the right planning and tools at hand you can easily ward off those pesky invaders.  I know, Truly Nolan and Terminex are already on your speed dial, but there are other options.  Not only can you avoid the terrible chemical smells brought on by commercial bug spray, but you can make your home and garden look great and smell wonderful with nature’s natural bug repellant, plants.  There are many a plant out there that will do the same thing that bug spray can and they will make a nice addition to any area you add them too.  Some even have additional properties, such as medicinal or cooking potential, that make them have an even more positive impact.  While some plants are more appropriate for your outside garden, there are some on this list that will look and smell nice if you add a pot or two inside your home.  

If you live in area that has a huge problem with mosquitoes, plants that keep them at bay may become your new best friends.  Plants like lavender, mint, basil, rosemary and lemon balm can be used to repel those pesky critters that are bugging you.  Are flies flying around you like fresh meat? Laurel, citronella grass, as well as lavender and sweet basil again, will keep your space free from the buzzing by.  Have an ant problem?  Try growing mint.  But do keep in mind if planting in a garden, use sparingly, as it tends to be a bit invasive and can take over an area in the blink of an eye.  Are ticks ticking you off?  Try growing sage, garlic, or Eucalyptus.  The point is you have options other than bug spray to keep the pests away and make your garden and home look and smell good in the process. 

 

Pre-Washed, Pre-Soaked, Pre-Qualified, or Pre-Approved: What’s the Difference?

You want to buy a home and you go to look at houses.  The first thing the seller’s agent wants to know is whether you are pre-qualified or pre-approved for a mortgage.  A look of confusion passes over your face and it is like the agent is speaking a foreign language.  You’re thinking aren’t they the same thing and you wouldn’t be alone in believing that.  However, you’re in for a big surprise.  There is a huge difference between pre-qualifying for a mortgage and being pre-approved for one.  Pre-qualification is the first step in the mortgage process.  You provide your general financial information to the mortgage company which includes how much debt you have, your income, and any assets you have.  From this information, the mortgage company can then make a quick determination on an estimated loan amount you may be approved for.  This does not guarantee that you will actually be approved for that amount, but it gives you a general idea on the amount of home you can afford, basically a ballpark number.   This quick glance at your finances is usually done for free and in some cases can be done over the phone or internet.  They may even give you a letter of pre-qualification to provide to an agent.  They do not pull a credit report and are relying solely on the information you have provided to make a determination.  This is why many agents prefer that you get a pre-approval instead. 

You have been pre-qualified and now you are ready to go all in and get pre-approved for a mortgage.  This is when it gets real.  You fill out a mortgage application; pay the usual application fee and the mortgage company runs a credit report.  You will need to provide the lender with copious amount of documentation and they will take an in depth look at your finances.  Based upon all of this, the mortgage company can then determine the specific amount that you will be approved for.  They will provide you with a letter of pre-approval or conditional commitment in writing which can be given to agents.  This pre-approval gives you a better standing as a buyer and tells the seller that any offer you make is a serious offer that will not be contingent on obtaining financing.  Once you find a house, you finalize your mortgage application with the property in question.  Once you and the property have been approved, then you will receive a loan commitment and that is the final step in the loan process.  So remember, pre-qualification and pre-approval for a mortgage are not the same thing and relying only on the former may cause you to lose the home of your dreams. 

Common Seller Mistakes

Listing Your House too High

When you ask too much money for your house you are more likely to sell it for less than market value.  Most buyers ask their Realtor to comp a house prior to writing an offer. When you have to keep reducing the house price to get offers it is called chasing the market. This invites buyers to offer you less than the listed price.  Even if you receive an offer for the original price, the house must appraise for that value and if it does not, either you reduce the sales price or in most cases the buyer walks.

Not Making Repairs

What you can see in your house, everyone who looks at our house will also see.  If you don’t make some of the noticeable repairs it is likely that a buyer will offer a lower price and ask for money back for the work that needs to be done.  By making the repairs before you list the house you will add desire, and the higher the desire the higher the offers.

De-clutter Before Listing Your House

When a buyer walks through your home you want them to visualize themselves living in the property.  By leaving too much clutter it takes away space. In most cases less space will remove a buyer’s ability to see their furniture and belongings in the house.

Negotiating an Offer with Emotions

Negotiating offers should be conducted in a businesslike manner.  When you get too personal it could not allow you to see a solution and a deal that could be made might fall apart.

A Clean House Is a Sign of a Broken Computer

          

         I don’t know about you, but I really hate it when I go to visit someone’s house and they offer the proverbial “Please excuse the mess in my home” and you walk in and their house is completely immaculate.  Yes, I have used that phrase before too, but when I said it, there was dog hair on the floor, fingerprints on the microwave, and a few dishes in the sink.  What I mean is you stop by on a previously unplanned, but not unannounced, visit and there is not a speck of dust or bit of clutter anywhere in sight.  Their home is picture perfect like it is the cover shoot of House Beautiful.  How do they do it?  With today’s busy schedules and demands on your time both day and night, how do you keep your home looking ready for anything that comes your way?

            One of the best tips to keeping your home looking clean and ready for visitors at a moment’s notice is to keep it clean continuously.  It is easy to just have to do a quick touchup when someone is coming over rather than only clean because someone is stopping by.  If you take 15 minutes everyday and clean to the best of your abilities in that small amount of time, things don’t pile up.  That small amount of effort can make the difference between a quick wipe down of your kitchen counters when company is coming and having to spend hours deep cleaning and deodorizing.  Make a weekly schedule, either on paper or even on an app, and follow it.  Assign different areas of the home each day in addition to the general things that must be done everyday, like making the bed.  Another thing to keep in mind is the more stuff you have cluttering an area, the more you have to clean.  All the furniture, knick-knacks, or appliances piled into a room, the more areas there are to collect dust and grime.  Simplify cleaning by streamlining the amount of stuff you have in a room.  The less there is you have to move or clean off, the easier it is to clean an area.  One of the best ways to keep your house clean is to think strategically.  If you have to lug out the vacuum to clean the carpets in one bedroom, why not vacuum them all.  Since you have to clean the bathrooms often, keep all the supplies you need to clean it in each bathroom.  If what you need to clean is all there, you’re more likely to remember to do it right then and there rather than after you have to take ten minutes finding all the things you need.  Keeping your home clean, especially when you have dogs, kids, spouses, etc. can almost seem like an insurmountable task, but if you keep a clear head and a plan in mind, you too can be one of those that annoy the rest of us. 

He’s a Foodie, She’s a Foodie, Wouldn’t You Like to Be a Foodie Too?

With the arrival of the “celebrity chef” like Emeril, Wolfgang Puck, Gordon Ramsay, Nigella, Mario Batali and even going all the way back to Julie Childs, is it a wonder that more and more people are interested in cooking and food.  Because of the Food Network, Cooking Channel, and shows like Master Chef, the Chew, and The Taste, people want to experience the joy of creating such masterful pieces of art and share these unforgettable bites with others.  These days, a lot of people want a kitchen to be the showcase of their home and to fill it with good food, good wine, good friends, and good cheer.  But when you look at your kitchen, if all you can picture serving is tuna noodle casserole or fast food, maybe you should think about making a few changes to make your home a happier place and maybe even attract a new breed of buyer, the foodie. 

While a gourmet kitchen is any foodie’s greatest dream, even making a few simple changes to your existing kitchen can attract even the most discerning of them.  If your kitchen is looking like you just stepped out of the 70’s and an avocado or mustard is not just a color but a way of life, it is probably time to upgrade.  If your appliances were last updated during the Ford administration or are in disrepair, you will need to replace them.  While stainless steel still seems to be the most popular these days, there are still other options out there.  If you still have Formica countertops, consider replacing them with the myriad of options out there, from granite to quartz, and even to concrete.  Simple clear counters with plenty of work space are more important, as well as plenty of storage space.  If your kitchen does have an island, but has room for one, consider getting a rolling work table to add to the available counter space to the room.  Remember, to a foodie it is all about the illusion of being able to prepare beautiful meals there, so form and function are the most important.   Don’t worry about all the latest gadgets, as any good foodie will probably bring their own to their new home.  Fabulous lighting is always important and can really open up kitchen, making it more inviting.  Also think about adding a little warmth to the space by incorporating edible plants, such as herbs in small planters throughout the room.  Not only will it bring some life to your kitchen, they will fill the room with the scents that will entice any foodie at heart.   

There’s No Place Like Home

            You have been renting for years but now you have just bought your first home.  Life is perfect and you have lofty visions of you and your family living there for years.  But now what?  What do you, as a new homeowner, need to keep in mind now that you are calling all the shots?  If you truly want to lord over your new domain, take a look at some of the things successful homeowners do, or don’t do in some cases, in order to fulfill that dream.  First of all, be yourself.  Find your style and go with it.  You don’t have to worry about a landlord, so make your place your own.  If you want to go completely crazy decorating, who is to stop you?  Just keep in mind that you may need to tone things down if you ever plan on selling your home again, but until that time, carpe diem.  Total bonus, you are in charge.  The downfall, you are in charge.  If there are repairs to be made or things to be fixed, you can no longer call the landlord to help, it is all on you.  The best thing to remember is to not ignore small problems and take care of things right away.  A small easily fixed issue can transform into a huge very expensive problem in the blink of an eye, so you better keep yours open. 

             Whether things are still small problems or the huge and expensive variety, know when you can handle it yourself or when you should call in a professional.  If you have never had to repair things for yourself before, it makes sense to bring in someone who has the experience you may be lacking, or you could easily turn the former into the latter.  Also keep in mind that while it may be more fun to go shopping for new furniture or renovating a perfectly adequate kitchen in to your dream gourmet spot, you may want to instead spend your money on something that will improve your home and save you money in the long term.  Things like roof repairs or solar panels may not seem like fun, but having them will let you put more money back in your pocket for the more enjoyable improvements later.  One of the best things that a successful homeowner can do is to become part of the community.  Use what your neighborhood has to offer and as well as your neighbors.  Many of them can offer advice, help, or even refer you to the best professionals in your area.  In some cases, they can become your life-long friends or family you never knew you wanted.