It’s no secret by now that the real estate market is down. You can’t sit back and wait for someone to take your home as it is anymore. It is much easier to sell it if you take an aggressive approach. Here are 5 proactive steps from Popular Mechanics you can take that will help you beat the market:
1) Enhance the curb appeal. 2) Beautify the interior. 3) Clear out the clutter. 4) Inspect your kitchen and bathrooms. 5) Hire a home inspector.
Do you have any suggestions for fellow readers on ways you beat the market and sold your home? Please include your ideas in the "Comments" field below.
Home improvement projects are great. After all, who wouldn’t want to improve the beauty and value of their home every once in a while? The trouble is, updating a home can really put a dent in your bank account. Making an educated and economical decision is everything when it comes to home improvement. Here are seven smart home improvements provided by one of our favorite blogs, the Money Pit:
1) Replace kitchen countertops (Recycled and composite surfaces are available) 2) Remodel your bathroom for comfort and safety 3) Paint! 4) Construct a deck or patio 5) Improve your front yard landscaping 6) Improve your home’s energy efficiency 7) Organize your home
These steps are both easy to do and cost efficient. Each one can be completed for under $1,000. So, whenever you are ready to take your home to the next level, remember these seven tips. Your home will be forever grateful.
Moving into another home can be a really exciting time. It’s a new beginning and a fresh start. It’s also a breeding ground for some serious stress. In order to experience the smoothest transition possible from home to home, you’ve got to be smart about packing. Even if you have insurance, one of the most important steps you can take is to create a separate pile of valuables. You should take these items to your home; they should not be included with the boxes the movers are handling. Charles and Hudson, one of our favorite blogs, has a succinct list of items you should keep with you:
1) Computers (or at least the hard drive) 2) Sports Memorabilia 3) Hobby Collections 4) Jewelry 5) Photo albums 6) Firearms (include permits during transport) 7) Instruments
These things are simply not worth getting lost or stolen. Your moving experience will definitely benefit from keeping them safe.
Who wins with the new housing bailout bill that is expected to pass in the next few days? Pretty much everyone (except, possibly, the U.S. taxpayer). The massive giveaway applies not only to overextended borrowers and their mortgage lenders but also to first-time homebuyers, longtime homeowners, returning veterans and senior citizens. How can you see if you are included? This New York Times article has a great breakdown of who is eligible for what. It's debatable if this bill is the panacea it promises to be (economists on both sides of the political spectrum hate it), but you would be foolish to not take advantage of the benefits it offers.
With troubled mortgage businesses Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (owners of about half of the mortgages in America) dominating the news, people are asking, "Yes, but how is this going to affect me?" This New York Times article provides a good primer on the role Fannie and Freddie play in the complicated world of mortgages and the potential ramifications of their failure. While no one can predict the future, many mortgage experts are expecting a rise of a quarter to a half percentage point in interest rates. Short-term, that's not much of a spike, but over the long term, "a dysfunctional Freddie and Fannie could send mortgage rates higher than they would have been otherwise." Yikes. So, if you are shopping for a mortgage, now may be the time to lock in your rate.
...That big businesses can think green, too. It takes more than saving the planet one home or office at a time; we must band together and demand change. Now even resort companies are stepping up to the plate and finally building to meet the demands of an educated consumer who cares about the planet. Starwood Vacation Ownership is building a 390 luxury villa resort in Maui that will be LEED certified. Hopefully, this is just the start of building more properties that utilize green building ideas.
A vexing problem with the foreclosure wave sweeping the nation is abandoned swimming pools are becoming breeding grounds for mosquitoes, which can carry deadly diseases. Now many towns in foreclosure epicenters such as Florida, Arizona and California are turning to a novel solution—stocking the pools with fish known as "mosquito fish" that eat the larvae. The fish can eat up to 500 larvae a month and save the town the expense of repeated spraying of toxic pesticides. The solution is not without its critics. The fish breed are known to harass the California red-legged frog, a threatened species, so towns should be wary not to transfer the fish from swimming pools to local ponds. But many applaud the application of an environmentally sound solution.
