America:Protect our Heroes!

On MSN’s blog ‘Listed’ they discussed a mind boggling event that is occurring for military families all over the country.  It seems highly unfair that America cannot protect the homes of our heroes.

Check it out here!

http://realestate.msn.com/blogs/listed.aspx

2275 Schaefer Drive

Must see to appreciate – one of a kind home with an endless list of special features and design details. Gourmet kitchen with custom cabinets & granite countertops, gas stove top w/ pot filler, subzero frig, conventional & convection ovens, pull out shelves, large pantry with dumb waiter from garage. Master suite with infrared sauna, slate tile & and walk-in closet. Surround sound throughout house. On-demand hot water heater, water softener & filter, air humidifier and purifier.

This beautiful home has 3 bedrooms and 2.5 baths and the asking price is 280,000.

Call for more details!

208-305-9670

Walk This Way

The Council of Residiential Specialists gives great tips and advice when dealing with buying, selling or just simple home improvements.  In this article it explains that when deciding to buy a home there are smaller details that American’s are starting to focus on; especially since gas prices have skyrocketed and many people just have to live within a tighter budget.

More Americans prefer living in walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods with easy access to local amenities, according to a recent Community Preference Survey by the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®.  More than half (56 percent) of respondents say they preferred living in a walkable neighborhood over one that requires more driving between work, home and recreation.  When considering a home purchase, 77 percent of respondents say they would look for locations that had abundant sidewalks, while 50 percent say they would rather see improvements to the existing public transit system than initiatives to build new roads.

While space is important to many homebuyers, some day they are willing to sacrifice square footage if it means less driving.  Nearly thee out of five homebuyers (59 percent) say they would choose a smaller home if its location promised a commute time of less than 20 minutes.

 

Information provided by www.crs.com

Pricing is Key

Can’t figure out why your house isn’t selling? You have designed and fixed your curb appeal, your location is ideal and everything in your home has been updated.. So what’s the deal?  The first thing to look at when your home just won’t sell is going to be the price of your home.  The number one reason for most homes just not being able to sell right away is because of the home’s price.  Many people end up listing their home too expensive and this just causes buyers to overlook their home, especially in today’ market.  Here are some steps to insure that your house is priced right.

• Check out the other listed houses in your neighborhood.  Look at houses that have sold within the last few months and are pretty similar to your own home.  That way this will give you an idea of the price of homes that are selling on your market.
• The next thing to do is to check out how your market is doing.  Your home needs to follow with the trend lines in order to sell.
• Days on the market is another very important tool to look at.  If you don’t want it on the market for too long then the price has to be lower in order to sell quicker.  This doesn’t mean that you have to keep dropping the price.  If you have time to spare do not worry about how long the house is on the market; as long as it averages about the same length as the other homes in or around your neighborhood.
• Ask your realtor what aspects of your house are key for buyers to look at.  Such as what kind of updates have been made and how much time or money you have put into the house to make it stand out  compared to other homes.

All in all just be realistic with your price range.  It is obvious you want this home to sell, and working with the market instead of against it will give you the best odds.

Wind Control

We can all agree that lately the Valley has looked more like the Windy City than the 90 degree weather that we are all so accustomed to.  With that being said houses are getting damaged and the new flowers, plants, trees etc. that were recently planted  have been damaged.  Here are just a few tips on how to keep your house safe and protect all of the new updates that you have made around your home this spring!

• First things first! Walk around your home and make sure that there aren’t any items that can fall or be damaged.  Such as flowerpots, the uncovered bbq, or gardening tools leaning up against the house.
• All of the outdoor furniture should be secure, especially garbage cans.  It’s never fun to be the neighbor running down the road picking your trash cans from other people’s yards.  Or watching your new outdoor umbrella blow up into the neighbors tree.
• If you have been out in the yard on the nice days you have probably noticed dead limbs or loose limbs that have been dangling  from the winter weather.  If you have an hour to spare go out and cut those down.  What’s  worse than having to pick up a trashed yard? Having to replace windows where giant tree limbs have crashed through.
• Once the yard is all picked up and loose limbs cut down it’s time to secure the house.  Make sure the screen door is shut tight. That brand new screen door does not want to be blown of the hinges.  Make sure all windows are shut and locked so debris doesn’t come flooding into the house.
• Also be prepared for power outages.  Keep those candles and matches handy.
• Last but not least fallen power lines are always a risk, so if you do not need to be out driving around try to stay indoors as much as possible.  If a powerline does fall on your property call 911 immediately.

Hopefully these tips will just be  a good reminder on how to not only keep your home and property safe during these nasty windstorms, but also to keep you and your family safe!

Garden Secrets from CRS

growing your own vegetable or herb garden can help trim the fat on your grocery bill- and your body.  Ready to start planting? HGTV experts suggest that you consider these tips before you let your garden grow.

Start by making a list: it’s easier to plot out garden beds when you put everything down on paper.  Write down the herbs you commonly use and look up their soil, light and water needs. Take note of a plant’s growing patterns, too- mint, a popular herb, tends to overtake gardens so is best planted by itself.  There are some hard and fast rules for growing vegetables as well: Potatoes are known to inhibit the growth of tomatoes and squash, and beans can slow down a patch of onions.

When considering which fruits and vegetables to plant, it’s important to remember there are cool- and warm-season crops.  Cool crops include cabbage, lettuce and peas; warm crops include peppers, cucumbers and melons.

And finally, size matter.  Novice gardeners should begin with a plot no larger than 11′ square, which will allow for nine 3 x 3 areas and enough walking space among the crops.  Trying to take care of a large garden with little experience can be challenging, but a smaller, well-maintained area is more likely to yield success.

information provided by www.crs.com

CRS May Newsletter!

Grill Master

Few things are better than a barbecue on a warm, sunny day. Keep those burgers and hot dogs coming by keeping your grill in tip-top shape.

The National Barbecue Association recommends that you always start with a clean grill.  Break up tough charred food and ashes from the last barbecue session with a metal-bristle brush or a steel wool pad. If the food is still difficult to remove, consider closing the grill’s lid and cook on “high” for an additional five or 10 minutes. The grill residue will turn to ash, which is easier to clean off.

     To prevent food or ash residue in the future, lightly coat the grill grate with vegetable oil. Two things to keep in mind: always apply oils with the grill off, and never spray directly into an open flame. Another simple approach is to rub down the grates using tongs with a paper towel dipped in oil for an even application. While cooking, try to avoid using sugar- or tomato-based sauces until the last 15 to 20 minutes of grilling time; they tend to cause meats to char.

     After you’re done cooking, allow the grill to cool. Once it cools down, remove all coals and liquids accumulated from inside the grill. These remnants can affect the taste of future meals and can collect moisture and impede the airflow within your grill, causing it to rust.

information provided by www.crs.com

Downsizing may be an upgrade

In these economic times there is free advice being handed out left and right.  People may be wondering what advice to take, and what advice to throw back.  However, there is one idea that I believe all American’s can agree on during this times.  Smaller homes = less $$$!

Smaller homes seem to be the trend throughout the United States these past few years.  The idea of “owning” a home was always the “American Dream.” So that leaves us to the questions of, “What if I can’t buy a home? I can’t afford an outrageous mortgage? Don’t fret! There are answers to these questions.  It’s a simple thing called, living within your means.

People all across America are buying small 2-3 bedroom houses just big enough for their family.  The two extra living rooms and three bathrooms are being slowly weeded out. when you buy a home within your means you are facing the reality of a small mortgage or even no mortgage at all! People are realizing that lesser mortgage payments = more money in their pocket.  Instead of worrying about retirement funds, or getting kids through college people are being able to save a few extra bucks a month to put into savings, and after twenty years that money adds up!

For some reason American’s have had this visual of huge luxurious homes.  However, in many countries people live in much smaller places that may almost remind most American’s of tiny rental homes.  It works for them and these people are in far less debt. We need to learn from this. Downsizing may be hard, but it is going to save you money in the long run, and let’s face it, we all want to retire.  We want to see our children succeed and many people are starting to realize that family and a roof over their head is enough for happiness and a full pocket of  extra cash!

Spice up your home

It isn’t a secret that buyers are looking for homes that look neat, up-to-date and well, just overall nice.  Sure you can put some new trim on the house or even actually water the plants this year.  However there are actual quick and easy steps to take when you want to spice up that curb appeal!

For example, yard work is key in preparing your home for oncoming buyers.  You know that beautiful 100 year-old tree out front? Maybe you think it adds character, but to some it just may look sloppy.  Now you don’t have to go cutting the tree down, but DO trim it up! Make it look neat and tidy so that tree will still provide that must needed shade and bring charm to the house without it overtaking the house in branches and yard work!

Yard work example 2: Flower beds; flowers add color and an overall sunny feel to a home.  What about the twigs, leaves and little weeds growing between the beds? That just adds mess.  Take a Saturday afternoon and clean up the mess.  Kill the weeds and maybe even plant some flowers that will come back each year without much needed maintenance!

Yard work example 3: Yards; now not all yards are going to be beautiful and green, but what they can be free of, as stated earlier are branches, leaves, acorns, weeds etc.  Just a simple mow or raking of the extra “stuff” that clouds yards over time will get the job done.

Last but not least is the exterior of the house.  You must replace torn shingles and clean out those messy gutters.  A simple afternoon you can knock off both.  Even a simple washing of the windows will give your house the shine it has been lacking all winter long.  Make sure your house presents itself as a house that people feel invited in.  A warm well-kept home makes people feel comfortable, and makes it that much more inviting!

Be Prepared

We all know that living in Lewiston and Clarkston we are all pretty safe from most natural disasters.  Hurricanes and tornados usually never cross our minds.  So why on earth would anyone need a “safe room”?  Most safe rooms are designed for states that have tornados, hurricanes or even earthquakes.  Just recently our southern states have faced true tragedy with a tornado that has injured and taken over a hundred lives. It is devestating not only for their communities but as a nation to see loved ones homes, families and posessions taken away. 
MSN shows how these above ground safe rooms work, and how they save lives.  Please check into these for your own home or families who are in natural disaster zones.  These can also work for intruders into your home and can be used as a closet, laundry room, cellar etc. Check it out on MSN.com
http://realestate.msn.com/article.aspx?cp-documentid=26188372