8 Things You Should Never Say When Buying a Home

If you’re in the throes of house hunting, chances are you’re excited—whether it’s your first home or your fifth. It’s an emotional roller-coaster ride!

 

Seeing something you love (or hate) can often cause you to blurt all kinds of things, some of which you might regret. Because while you can (and should) always be upfront with your Realtor®, you might not want to be quite so candid around the sellers (or the listing agent working for them). The reason? Just like in “Law & Order,” what you say can—and will—be used against you.

 

So before you step into a home and stick your foot in your mouth, heed these top things never to say to sellers or their agents when you’re shopping for new digs.

 

‘This is my dream house!’

 

You ever play poker? Well then you should know that if you want to maintain a strong negotiating position, never tip your hand, advises Ryan Gibbons. Interested parties who express their unbridled passion for a home are shooting themselves.

 

“These are the kind of things that can help the sellers snag more money out of the buyers, because they really know how much this house means to them,” he notes. “All discussions about the house and any negotiating strategies are best left in private.” Not that you shouldn’t say a few nice things—just don’t gush. Gushing = bad.

 

‘That couch is hideous’

 

“Don’t tell the sellers—or any agent present—that they have poor taste in decor or furniture,” says Naveed Shah, a Realtor with Keller Williams. “Their style might not suit yours, but that’s no reason to insult them. If they hear you bad-mouthing their rug or curtains, then they might just pick another buyer.”

 

‘I can afford to spend X’

 

While it’s certainly a good idea for prospective buyers to find out just how much they can afford, they should keep that intel strictly between them and their Realtor.

 

“A prospective home buyer should never address with a seller or seller’s agent anything concerning their financing or ability to pay a full-price offer,” says Maryjo Shockley, a Realtor with Keller Williams. “This hampers the ability to negotiate the fairest price for the property.” If asked, just say, “Finding a fairly priced home is what matters to us more than the amount we can afford.” It works!

 

‘I can’t wait to get rid of that’

 

Even if you’re thinking, “This place will be perfect once I get my hands on it,” don’t let on, notes Betsy Bingle an associate broker with LintonBingle Associate Brokers.

 

“If the new buyers are going to renovate a home in which someone raised a family and has truckloads of memories, a buyer should never say ‘I can’t wait to rip that swingset out’ or ‘That wall color is horrible—can’t wait to repaint this place,’” she says.

 

“The seller can easily reject their offer or come back asking for more money upon hearing that someone wants to totally remake the place where they made lifelong memories,” she adds.

 

‘Why are you selling?’

 

Yes, you may very well be curious to find out why sellers have put their home on the market. Keep it to yourself! It’s considered poor taste to ask, and it may open a can of worms.

 

“Never ask the sellers why they are selling,” explains Realtor Klara Madlin of Klara Madlin Real Estate. “There may be personal reasons like divorce or job relocation or something worse—none of it your business.” Opening up a possibly uncomfortable situation will not help you down the road should a bidding war emerge.

 

‘What’s it really like to live here?’

 

Sure, you want the inside scoop, but that doesn’t mean you get to interrogate the townsfolk.

 

“Don’t ask the neighbors intrusive questions. By all means, talk to them and give them a chance to open up, but don’t push if they’re not talkative,” Shah says. If you do wind up moving into the neighborhood, do you really want your first impression to be that of a pest or a spy?

 

‘You’ll never get that price!’

 

Though you might be thinking “I wouldn’t give them X amount for that house,” as a buyer it’s best for you to keep your thoughts and opinions to yourself, notes Cara Ameer, a Realtor with Coldwell Banker. Even if a buyer thinks a home is priced on the high side, it could very well be within range of comparables in the neighborhood. Which leads to our next point…

 

‘I’ll give you [an extremely lowball offer] for this house, whaddaya say?’

 

“Don’t ask your agent to submit multiple lowball offers,” says Shah. “Take your agent’s advice when it comes to pricing”— because it’s never wise to insult the person whose home you’re trying to buy and you don’t want to appear as a not-so-serious buyer. Please, don’t insult the seller.

 

Think buyers are the only ones who need to choose their words carefully? Hardly—tune in later to hear what home sellers should never, ever say.

 

http://www.realtor.com/advice/buy/eight-things-to-never-say-when-buying-a-home/

The 5 Biggest Bad Habits Dragging Your Decor Down

Always feel like your home just isn’t quite where it could be? Where it should be? Don’t want 2015 to be another year where your home doesn’t reach its full potential and you don’t meet your design and decor goals? Peruse this list of habits that might be dragging your decor down — you might just find you and your home get an uplift when you leave these bad habits behind!

 

1. You aren’t considering “home stuff” in your budget

No I don’t mean you’re not budgeting for utility bills and other emergency things — that’s stuff many of us have been trained to consider when working on our budgets. What we’re talking about is not considering how much money you want to invest into making your home better. Considering making room in your budget for these kinds of expenditures (whether decorative or functional, like storage solutions) ahead of time means you’re thinking about it — and that will help those who tend to go a little overboard control their spending better and those who tend to be a little too tight-fisted make sure they meet design goals (by allowing themselves to splurge on decor from time-to-time).

 

2. You’re not getting creative and thinking outside of the box

Before you buy anything and most especially before you buy anything that kind of works but not quite how you would like it to, ask yourself whether or not you can DIY something better or get a little weird and creative to fit exactly what you’re looking for. It’s about taking a moment (or three) to consider alternatives — not just jumping on the first/easiest/same as you always choose solutions that come to mind. Allowing yourself and your creativity to expand a bit in all directions, design choice by design choice, will make a marked difference on your home in the long run.

 

3. You’re trying to be like someone else

One of the biggest compliments you can get about your home is for someone to walk in and say “this looks like you,” because that means you’re expressing your true likes and dislikes and crafting a home that fits your personality. The benefit of a home like this? Not only will it be completely unique, but it’ll be ultra peaceful and recharging — you’ll find untold wells of strength in a space you don’t have to pretend to be someone else in.

 

4. You’re holding on to furniture and decor that no longer serves you

This can be a tough one because like, who out there is made of money and can throw away perfectly decent furniture? We’re not saying throw it away though. But don’t hold on to it if it just doesn’t work for you, either. Sell furniture that you no longer like, even if you don’t have something else you want to replace that hole with. Leaving a spot blank in your home will allow yourself to be open to whatever new and wonderful thing has been waiting to find its way home to your home. Trade furniture with friends if you both have matching needs met by the other person’s stuff. Or hack and saw away at furniture pieces, stripping them of their former styles and functions, to reshape them into powerful symbols of the new look you want to project with your home. The very last thing you want to do is live intimately with a piece of furniture that just only makes you go “meh.”

 

5. You’re not shaking up your style enough/often

Make no mistake — “shaking up your style” doesn’t have to mean wallpapering your ceiling or painting the baseboards red. We’ve all got our own definitions of what “wild” is. And wild isn’t even what we’re saying you should go for. What you should aim to do is push yourself — stagnant spaces don’t just suck, they suck the energy out of your home a little bit each day. Finding the places that you let fear hold you back or cling to comfort too tightly can help you bust through any self-imposed limitations to find new looks, colors, functions, storage solutions, styles and more that make your life infinitely better.

 

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/the-5-biggest-bad-habits-dragging-your-decor-down-215136

9 Party Hosting Mistakes You Might Not Even Know You’re Making

So you’re having a holiday party, and you want it to be perfect. Take a look at this list — and make sure to avoid these nine mistakes that even the most well-intentioned hosts and hostesses make.

1. Expecting guests to help themselves to food and drink.
Don’t expect that your guests will know to help themselves to the beer in the fridge, or that they’ll be able to find those cookies tucked away in the back of the kitchen. Guests may not be comfortable enough in your house to go hunting around, so make sure everything is in plain sight.

2. Not thinking about flow.
When you’re arranging furniture and thinking about where to locate food and drinks, consider how people will move through the house. Generally everyone is going to walk in the door and then go straight for the food and drink, so make sure there’s a clear path to the goodies. Think about places where bottlenecks will form and try to eliminate them by creatively moving furniture — if, for example, you have a small kitchen, putting out food in a different room will keep everyone from winding up uncomfortably jammed into a tiny space.

3. Thinking you have to provide seating for everyone.
Unless you’re hosting a dinner party, your guests will probably spend most of the party on their feet, chatting. Usually people will only sit down at the very end of the party, when most guests have already left, so provide one or two conversational groupings of chairs, but don’t feel like you have to have a seat for every single person. You don’t want to wind up with a whole roomful of people, awkwardly standing around a bunch of unused chairs.

4. Serving food and drink that take a ton of prep on the day of.
If you have your heart set on on serving handcrafted cocktails at your party, hire a bartender (or enlist a friend to do the honors) — otherwise you’ll spend your whole party mixing and shaking, secretly resenting your guests for having such a good time. Pitcher drinks will make your guests just as happy, and allow you to enjoy yourself too. The same goes for food that requires elaborate preparation — opt for something simpler, or even better, supplement with some appetizers from the frozen food section. With some creative plating, your guests will never know the difference.

5. Not having a plan for music.
You don’t have to hire a band or come up with the World’s Most Creative Playlist — but you do need something playing when guests arrive. Music provides a little background noise to make people comfortable during those awkward introduction stages, and it also helps set the tone for the entertainment to come.

6. Forgetting to check the thermostat.
A bunch of people all together in a little room = lots and lots of body heat. If you’re having a large gathering, you’ll probably want to do something — turn of the heater, open up windows, maybe even turn on the A/C for a little while — to cool down the room before people arrive, so you don’t wind up with a sweltering apartment two hours later when it’s too late to do anything about it.

7. Leaving your guests to introduce themselves.
Especially if you’ve invited friends who don’t know anyone else at the party, don’t just welcome them and put a cocktail in their hand and then leave them on their own. Make sure to introduce them to one or two other folks at the party so they’re not floating around on their own.

8. Trying to do everything on your own.
Hosting a party is more than a one-person job. No matter how much you prepare ahead of time, you’ll probably find yourself scrambling to get things ready at the last minute. If you enlist help — a spouse, a family member, a close friend — you’ll be able to spend the first few minutes of your party greeting your guests, and not running around in the kitchen while they awkwardly stand about. (And chances are your friends will be happy to help.)

9. Forgetting to relax and enjoy yourself.
Which party would you rather go to — an event with perfect decorations, food, and drink, with a stressed-out, frazzled host, or a less closeup-worthy event where the hostess is relaxed and having a good time with her guests? Your guests feel the same way. You’re the host, and your mood will set the tone for the rest of the party — so relax, have a drink, and let the little things work themselves out.

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/8-party-hosting-mistakes-you-might-not-even-know-youre-making-213600?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=tk

4 reasons 2016 is the year to buy a home

If you’ve been on the fence about buying a home, 2016 is the year to take the plunge.

 

Mortgage rates have been bouncing around record lows for a while now. But even though they’re likely to start going up, you haven’t missed your chance to get a deal on a house.

 

A number of factors are coming together, making next year a good time to buy:

 

1. Home prices will finally calm down

 

Real estate values have been on the rise for a while, but are likely to slow their pace next year. Prices are expected to rise 3.5%, according to Zillow’s Chief Economist Svenja Gudell.

 

Buyers who’ve been stuck behind the wave of rising prices may finally get the chance to jump in.

 

And that could lead to a flood of buyers, said Jonathan Smoke, chief economist at Realtor.com.

 

“We have the potential for about six million home sales just through the months of April through September; that is basically impossible to do,” he said.

 

But not everyone will be in a position to take advantage.

 

Despite the slowdown, Zillow still expects home values to outpace wage growth, which can make it tough to afford a home,

especially for lower-income buyers.

 

Plus, prices in the country’s hottest markets — like San Francisco, Boston and New York City — aren’t expected to pull back as much next year.

 

2. More homes will hit the market

 

The slowdown in home prices will prompt more owners to list their homes, Smoke said, giving buyers more choice.

 

“Because of the price appreciation they have experienced, you will have more sellers put homes on the market next year,” he said.

 

The new home market is also expected to grow in the coming year with builders focusing more on starter and middle-range homes, which will also boost inventory and make it easier for buyers.

 

With more homes on the market, bidding wars will become less common and prices could ease even more.

 

3. Dirt cheap mortgages could disappear

 

The Federal Reserve is widely expected to begin increasing interest rates soon, which means the window for record low mortgage rates is closing.

 

While rates are expected to go up gradually, higher rates push up borrowing costs and monthly mortgage payments.

 

“You are likely to get the best rate you will possibly see, perhaps in your lifetimes through the majority of next year, but certainly, the earlier the better,” said Smoke.

 

4. Rents will still hurt

 

Rent prices are expected to continue to climb in the new year, which means in most cities, buying will be cheaper than renting.

Even though mortgages could get more expensive, buying might still be the better deal.

 

Interest rates would need to rise to around 6.5% for the cost of buying to equal that of renting on a national level, according to Ralph McLaughlin, housing economist at Trulia.

 

http://money.cnn.com/2015/12/04/real_estate/2016-real-estate/index.html?iid=Lead

Winterizing and Storing Garden and Yard Tools

With proper care and maintenance, your yard and garden tools can last forever. By winterizing and properly storing your tools, you’ll ensure your gear remains rust-free and in perfect condition, ready to go next spring. Here are a few tips to preserve and store some common yard and garden tools for the winter.

 

LAWN MOWERS:

 

Lawn mowers are an expensive necessity for every home owner. It’s vital to winterize your mower to avoid any damage during cold weather. If you have a gas lawn mower, empty the gas tank by running the lawn mower until it is completely drained. Clean underneath the mower and remove all grass, sticks, twigs, and mud. Sharpen the blade, change the oil and replace the air filter.

 

WEED WHACKERS OR ELECTRICAL TRIMMERS:

 

Sharpen and lubricate the blades and make sure to keep the electric charger in a cool, dry place. You might need to keep the charger inside your home instead of in the garage during the winter months. Run the trimmer until the gas tank is empty.

 

LEAF BLOWERS:

 

Use warm water and soap to clean the machine free of dirt. Check the exhaust vents and wipe out any accumulated dust and debris.

 

RAKES:

 

Clean off any dead leaves from the prongs. Remove sap by using spraying WD-40 and wipe clean with a cloth.

 

GARDEN HOSES:

 

Drain any excess water out of the hose. Garden hoses will freeze and crack if they are not completely drained. To do this, unhook the hose from the faucet. Then start with the end of the hose and hold it vertically, section-by-section, and watch the water drip out of the nozzle. Coil the hose, making sure there are no kinks, and store in the garage for the winter.

 

GARDEN TOOLS:

 

Use a wire brush or steel wool to remove any dried dirt. Residue speeds up the rusting process, so be sure to completely clean the tool. If any of your tools already have accumulated rust, use a piece of steel wool to scrape it away.

 

If your tools have wooden handles, you can use wax or linseed oil to prevent the wood from splitting during subzero temps. If the tool has a metal blade, sharpen using a file. Store the tools in a dry spot in the garage, away from any moisture sources.

 

Taking simple, preventive steps before winter hits can extend the life of your garden tools. You’ll save money and prevent the headache of shopping for new garden tools when springtime arrives. As soon as spring fever hits, you’ll be ready to tackle the outdoor chores!

 

Read more at The Gardening Channel

The Renovation Dilemma: What to Fix If You’re Selling

It’s always a Sisyphean task to set a budget for a renovation—or at the very least an ever-moving target—but if you’re planning to put your home on the market, you’ll have a way different set of calculations than a starry-eyed new homeowner.

 

Before you embark on a gut of your circa-1990 kitchen, consult with a Realtor® and a general contractor about which renovations will yield the biggest return on investment. How much work you’ll need depends on your home’s value, your market, and the comps in your neighborhood.

 

“In competitive markets where prices are through the roof, like San Francisco or New York City, you don’t really need to do renovations before selling,” says Mike Aubrey, a Realtor with Long & Foster Real Estate in Gaithersburg, MD. “But in other places where inventory is going up, your house needs to measure up to the other listings on the market.”

 

Committed to doing some work? Start by thinking small. Minor cosmetic upgrades go a long way in getting more buyers through the door for a quicker sale—and time on market is key to determining what you’ll net at closing.

 

Where to start? Here are some suggested upgrades (and some to avoid):

 

Walls and floors

 

Replacing or refinishing your flooring and painting the walls are the quickest and least expensive ways to give a house new life, Aubrey says. With these enhancements, you can expect roughly a 15% uptick in asking price.

 

Paint color matters. Shades of gray are in with buyers right now; stay away from tan and beige hues—they scream the era of Bill Clinton and Seattle grunge, Aubrey says. While you can certainly go the DIY route with paint, hiring a pro will get the best results. Expect to spend $2,000 to $3,000 for whole-house interior painting, Aubrey says.

 

The same goes for new carpet. A sturdy, builder-grade fiber in a neutral color that doesn’t compete with your wall color is the way to go. While most buyers prefer hardwood floors, they’re pricey to install. If you have existing hardwood floors, refinishing them will bring back the luster.

 

If you live in an area where ceramic tile is the standard (hey, we’re looking at you, Florida), a less expensive and durable option is DuraCeramic, an engineered tile that mimics the look of ceramic without the high cost, Aubrey says. You can find it for less than $3 per square foot.

 

Doors

 

According to Remodeling magazine’s 2015 Cost vs. Value Report, replacing your existing front door with a new steel door will net you a 101.8% return on resale for a minimal replacement cost of about $1,230. Who knew? But think about it: It’s the first and last thing you’ll touch on your home visit. It makes an impression.

 

Installing a new garage door has an impact on buyers, too. Even better: It offers an 88% return at resale and costs an average of about $1,600 to replace, according to the Remodeling report.

 

Roof and siding

 

Adding a new roof and replacing your home’s unsightly vinyl siding will also yield a high ROI, Aubrey says. His assertion is backed by the Cost vs. Value Report, which found that homeowners recouped 72% and 80% of the cost, respectively, for those upgrades. Another benefit: When it comes time for inspection and appraisal, having those repairs done will not only increase the value of your home but also reduce the likelihood of being forced to make fixes or adjust pricing later in the process.

 

Kitchens

 

A modern kitchen is a top draw for buyers—but don’t try to overhaul a dated one, which could cost mucho dinero. Buying new cabinet drawer pulls, painting or refacing old cabinets (white is in right now), and installing sleek light fixtures are all low-cost upgrades that will make your kitchen sparkle.

 

New appliances, which can run about $10,000 for a whole-kitchen replacement, are an easy way to add value. While the upfront cost might be hard to swallow, new stainless appliances make your kitchen more attractive to a wider range of buyers, says Ashley Oakes-Lazosky, a Realtor with Vegas Homes and Fine Estates in Las Vegas.

 

Granite or quartz countertops are also hot, but they can be pricey, depending on your kitchen layout.

 

“You need bids from professional remodelers to figure out how much new countertops will cost—and if it fits your budget and timetable for selling,” says Robert Criner, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders Remodelers and owner of Criner Remodeling in Newport News, VA.

 

A less pricey alternative is simply adding a clean, white ceramic tile backsplash to create visual appeal, Criner adds.

 

Upgrades to skip

 

Thinking about finishing an attic or basement? Adding a deck? Well, don’t. Those upgrades tend to be pricey, and buyers will likely prefer to remodel those areas to their own tastes.

 

Other areas to avoid doing a major renovation: bathrooms, bedrooms, and home offices, according the Remodeling report.

 

In other words, if it ain’t broke, don’t renovate it!

 

http://www.realtor.com/advice/sell/how-much-should-i-renovate-before-i-put-my-house-up-for-sale/?identityID=5518632b4148c7238f0003ed&MID=2015_1120_WeeklyNL&RID=2915073782&cid=eml-2015-1120-WeeklyNL-blog_2_renovatingtosell-blogs_sell

The Great Clutter Challenge: Overcoming Attachments

Walk past my cubicle, and you’ll be greeted by quite the tableau:

an empty bootlegger’s jug topped by a hand-knit, mohawked ski hat; a misshapen elephant mug; a San Francisco Giants gnome; a Snoopy calendar; a sparkly fake bird; three plants (one living, two dead); and not one, but two signature-covered casts—a memorial of that time last year when I broke my wrist.

 

I suppose some might say that I have a “problem.” But, the thing is, each tchotchke is special! Each object occupies a place in my heart and so, accordingly, I want to allot it space on my desk. And this has all worked fine here in Menlo Park, where my desk is 14 feet long and 3 feet deep. Somehow, I suspect that it will work less well at my desk in Oakland, which will be 6 feet by 2 feet.

 

And so, when Kyle and Cary came to tutor us in New Minimalism, I paid attention. With my epic tchotchke collection in mind, I listened especially carefully when they shared tips on dealing with emotional attachments to objects. Here, my favorite ideas:

 

1. Forgive yourself for letting things go

 

Perhaps you spent a lot of money, time, or effort acquiring an object. (I think, here, of my shoe-shaped landline phone, the phone that I earned selling gift wrap about twenty years ago.)

 

Or perhaps the object you’re thinking of letting go was one of the many well-intentioned gifts you’ve gotten from friends, family members, or colleagues.

 

No matter why you’re hesitating about getting rid of something, remember that letting go is okay. Give yourself permission to let go of the things you don’t really need.

 

2. Donate, donate, donate

 

You’ll feel better about getting rid of things if you donate them. For instance, our Garden Editor, Kathy, hated the idea of parting with some of the beautiful books at her desk.

 

“If you donate those books, think how much joy they’ll bring the person who finds them at the library,” Kyle and Cary reminded her.

 

Kathy agreed. You see, a donation is a win-win: as the donor, you’ll gain space and sanity, while you’ll be connecting someone else with something they need.

 

3. Separate the gift from the giver

 

When someone gives you a gift—be it a book, a toy, a sweater—the object is just that: a gift. That means that it’s up to you, the recipient, to decide what you want to do with it. So if someone gives you, say, a pair of earrings that aren’t really your style, that’s okay. You can snap a photo of yourself wearing them, thank the gift giver, and then donate the earrings to someone who can’t wait to wear them. Win, win.

 

On the other side of the coin, as a gift giver, be truly generous—give gifts free of expectations.

 

4. Digitize

 

With a finite amount of space, it’s often simply not possible to keep every sentimental object that you’ve ever owned. And that’s okay! As you sort through your objects, evaluate.

 

When you pick something up, think: Do I really need this object to make me happy? Or would a picture be just as good?

 

If a photo would suffice, snap the photo and regift or donate the object.

 

5. Let one stand for many

 

As Cary, Kyle, and I reviewed my sizable tchotchke collection, I came to a sad conclusion: not all of my prized trinkets would be able to come live on my new desk, in Oakland. (But that doesn’t mean that none can!)

 

Cary and Kyle suggested that I think minimal, and choose one object to stand for many. So, perhaps, much as it pains me, I will need to choose my favorite cast, snap a photo of the other, and let the one stand for many (and serve as a talisman against future casts).

 

6. It’s okay to let go slow

 

My colleague Margo, our Food Editor, keeps menus. Lots and lots and lots of menus. Each reminds her of the meal, the place in time, the food she ate, the person that she ate with. When Margo mentioned her difficulties in sorting through and paring down, Cary and Kyle reassured her.

 

“Minimalism doesn’t have to happen all at once,” they said. “You can walk up to the edge, look over, take a step back, and do what feels right.”

 

Rome wasn’t built in a day; your office doesn’t need to be cleaned in a day either.

 

– See more at: http://westphoria.sunset.com/2015/11/18/the-great-clutter-challenge-overcoming-attachments/#sthash.g2hM1DTl.dpuf

Questions to Ask About the Neighborhood

Where you live should reflect your lifestyle. These questions will help you find the best community for you.

 

Is it close to my favorite spots?

Make a list of activities you engage in and stores you visit frequently. See how far you would have to travel from each neighborhood you’re considering to engage in your most common activities.

 

Is it safe?

Contact the police department to obtain neighborhood crime statistics. Consider not only the number of crimes but also the type and trend. (Is crime going up or down?). Pay attention to see where in the neighborhood the crime is happening.

 

Is it economically stable?

Check with your local economic development office to see if household income and property values in the neighborhood are stable or rising. What is the ratio of owner-occupied homes to rentals? Apartments don’t necessarily diminish value, but they indicate a more transient population. Are there vacant businesses or homes that have been on the market for months? Check news sources to find out if new development is planned.

 

Is it a good investment?

Ask a local REALTOR® about price appreciation in the neighborhood. Although past performance is no guarantee of future results, this information may give you a sense of how a home’s value might grow. A REALTOR ® also may be able to tell you about planned developments or other changes coming to the neighborhood — such as a new school or highway — that might affect its value.

 

Do I like what I see?

Once you’ve narrowed your focus to two or three neighborhoods, go and get a feel for what it might be like to live there. Take notes: Are homes tidy and well maintained? Are streets bustling or quiet? How does it feel? Pick a pleasant day if you can, and chat with people working or playing outside.

 

What’s the school district like?

This is especially important if you have children, but it also can affect resale value. The local school district can probably provide information on test scores, class size, the percentage of students who attend college, and special enrichment programs. If you have school-age children, visit schools in neighborhoods you’re considering.

 

Read more: http://realtormag.realtor.org/sales-and-marketing/handouts-for-customers/for-buyers/questions-ask-about-neighborhood

6 Ways to Supersize Your Small Kitchen for the Holidays

With Thanksgiving around the corner, odds are you’ll soon be spending plenty of time in your kitchen. (Maybe even way more then you want!) Adding to the holiday stress levels: if your culinary workspace is tight, turning out meals for a crowd may be a real challenge, especially with more helpers (aka family members) around. Don’t panic! You still have time for some kitchen-organizing hacks that can bring some order to the chaos. Plus, you can get inspiration for how to maximize your small space for next year.

1. Plan where everything will go

Before you head to Williams-Sonoma and start swooning over gravy boats shaped like roasted turkeys, take stock of what you already own and plan out how you’ll organize everything, says Susie Kurkowski, owner of Items of Interest, a home decor boutique in Brooklyn, NY.

You may have to do a holiday-specific reorg—as usual, the items you’ll use most (such as dishes, cups, and mixing bowls) should be within arm’s reach, but you’ll also need to get out your heirloom casserole dishes and other items for serving. After the big meal, those special-occasion dishes can go back into storage where they’ll be safe but won’t get in the way of your daily routine.

You’ll also want to limit the number of small appliances (just stick them in a closet, if there’s nowhere else) on your countertops, to free up prep space. And again, when the festivities are over, you may want to rethink what you put back out. The Keurig you use daily? Yes, that can remain. The dusty waffle maker you got as a wedding present and haven’t used since 2009? Say adios!

2. Pimp out your cabinets with custom inserts

Whether you inherited an antique kitchen with equally outdated shelving or you’re starting from scratch, it’s smart to buy custom inserts to organize each nook and cranny, Kurkowski says. You’ll be able to put away more things—without putting them out of reach. She recommends Rev-A-Shelf’s products, which include pullout inserts, Lazy Susan spinners, tray dividers, and door storage.

“Sometimes store-bought cabinets come with weak shelving and inserts that don’t last, so it’s best to buy those items separately,” Kurkowski recommends. “Position like items such as dishes, bowls, and cups close together to make them easy to access, and use the inserts to store all of your small appliances, spices, and other necessities to keep them out of sight and off your counters.”

3. Invest in new appliances

Switching out appliances is one of the easiest ways to bring style, increased efficiency, and a higher resale value to your petite kitchen, Kurkowski says. Although stainless steel has been the preferred choice for the past decade, white appliances are coming into vogue. Certain sizes are considered the standard, but you can opt for smaller appliances to gain more storage inches in your cabinets. Just pay attention to the height, width, and depth. Most modern appliances are deeper than what you probably have now, and you don’t want new appliances to stick out past your countertops.

4. Go easy on color

If you want to add a touch of style, just know that small kitchens are not the place to let loose with dramatic hues. Choose a more subtle color, says Allison Petty, an interior designer with Homepolish. Just like with other small spaces, keep darker colors at the bottom of your kitchen and use lighter shades higher up. More and more homeowners are opting to paint lower cabinets a darker shade, like gray, and the uppers with a creamy white for contrast, Kurkowski says. The effect is dramatic: It brings the eye up and makes your kitchen appear more spacious.

That said, be careful with the backsplash, which is already in shadow. A white subway or hexagon tile goes flawlessly with most kitchen designs instead of dark granite or mosaic tile, Kurkowski says. Adding a backsplash is an inexpensive and dramatic way to add some visual pop, as long as you keep colors neutral.

5. Open up your space with light

Your kitchen is no place to skimp on lighting. Use bright lights over workspaces, Kurkowski says. If you’re blessed enough to have an island, invest in a showstopper light fixture. Hudson Valley Lighting has plenty of beautiful options. Recessed lighting for the rest of the kitchen works fine, but Kurkowski thinks track lighting is even better.

“If you put a track in a suspended rectangle junction box in your kitchen, you can have up to 12 lights on one track and point them at different areas in the kitchen,” Kurkowski notes. “It is less expensive than installing several fixtures that each require their own junction box.”

6. Give old cabinets and countertops new life

Don’t have the funds for a complete gut and reno? No worries: You can transform your outdated cabinets with paint, Petty says. A popular option with avid DIYers is Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. Another low-cost, eye-popping transformation is to change out or add new knobs and pulls, which can update the look of your kitchen without breaking the bank.

There’s no beating around the bush: Countertops are expensive to replace—even in small spaces. You’ll spend at least $4,000 for engineered quartz (a hot option right now). If you don’t have the money for a complete upgrade, consider painting laminate surfaces with Giani Countertop Paint (available at your local home improvement store for under $100).

Read more: http://www.realtor.com/advice/home-improvement/super-size-small-kitchen-for-holidays/?identityID=5518632b4148c7238f0003ed&MID=2015_1120_WeeklyNL&RID=2915073782&cid=eml-2015-1120-WeeklyNL-blog_1_holidaykitchen-blogs_trends

Why You Should Never Buy the Best House in the Neighborhood

When you’re house hunting, finding an amazing house in your location of choice that doesn’t require much additional investment seems like a huge score.

But is it really? Before making an offer on that picture-perfect home, take a look at the surrounding houses. If they’re all in disrepair—or just obviously less nice than the one you’re considering—you might be buying the most expensive house in the neighborhood.

Maybe that seems awesome because you’ll get bragging rights and price of place! But more than likely, it’s going to hurt you. Here’s why.

Someday you’ll need to sell it

When you’re in the throes of buying a home, it’s easy to forget that the place you’re busy buying will someday be the place you’re selling. And when it comes time to sell, unloading the priciest home on the block will be a challenge.

“A lot of buyers forget a home is an investment,” says Brendon DeSimone, a real estate expert and author of “Next Generation Real Estate.” “The world changes. Things happen fast. People transfer, people lose their jobs. Now imagine yourself as the seller of that home.”

So you’re hanging by a thread: As it is, someone might buy it—after all, you did—but there’s no way to increase your equity in the home. With your house already significantly nicer than its neighbors, any upgrades (however minor) will send it into the stratosphere. That quality mismatch between your home and the surrounding homes will lead most buyers to pass on it. If they’re going to spend that much money, why wouldn’t they buy a home in a more desirable neighborhood?

The best you can hope for is your home holding its value. The worst-case scenario: You can’t sell it.

“You can change your house, but you can’t change your location,” DeSimone says.

You need to leave room for improvement

As we said before, a home is an investment—and the best investments have the most room for improvement. Ideally, you’ll be adding to the home during your ownership, building equity in hopes of a payoff when you (eventually) sell.

That’s why DeSimone actually recommends buying the worst house in the best neighborhood. Yes, you read that correctly.

“You can add value on your own,” he says. “If you’re choosing between an awesome house in a crappy location or an awful house in a great location, I would choose the latter.”

Note that “improvement” doesn’t necessarily entail a complete renovation. Even the small changes that happen when you—a responsible person—move in will increase its value. We’re talking about things such as regular maintenance, refreshing the paint, and fixing the odds and ends that might go ignored by another occupant. But if your home is already priced well above the rest of the neighborhood, those tiny changes won’t make a lick of difference.

You can’t bet on the neighborhood to improve

If you’re buying the nicest house on the block hoping the neighborhood will improve, you’re putting a lot of stake in a volatile market—and you’re more likely to be disappointed (and possibly even go broke).

Ideally, the chain of events goes like this: You buy your nice home in an up-and-coming neighborhood. Over time—thanks, gentrification—the homes around you improve until all of your neighbors are pretty much on the same footing. Because the area has improved so drastically, your home’s value will still increase.

It’s a wonderful idea, and it is certainly realized occasionally. Too bad Magic 8 Balls don’t really work. For each time this strategy works, there are a dozen others in which homeowners end up with an overpriced, unsellable home in a middling neighborhood.

If you’re eager to live in a neighborhood with potential, “buy a bad house,” DeSimone says. “At least you can improve the interiors and make it more valuable. If that neighborhood doesn’t actually ‘up-and-come,’ your expensive home is already as viable as it can be.”

Sometimes, betting on your home can pay off—but risking your home? That strategy might sacrifice everything.

Read more at:  Realtor.com – by Jamie Wiebe