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Archives for April 2019

The Property Brothers Reveal One Question Home Buyers Rarely Ask, but Should

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Lisa Johnson Mandell writing for Realtor.com gets some good home advice from the property brothers.

“Property Brothers” stars Jonathan and Drew Scott have met a lot of interesting clients, but a hunky firefighter who starred as Mr. February on a “Red Hot Firefighters” calendar? That may be a first!

“It was for charity,” Matt says with a laugh in the episode titled “Growing Boys, Grander House.”

Matt and his wife, Nicole, have three young boys—two of whom are twins—and suddenly the 1,200-square-foot starter home in Canada they bought six years ago feels more than a little cramped. Especially since it has three bedrooms and only one small bathroom.

Jonathan thinks he can rip the dated ’50s home apart and build it back up again for $70,000. If he can swing it, Drew estimates that their home can be sold for close to $800,000, rather than about $650,000 as is.

Meanwhile, the burning question for Drew is whether or not he can find them a new home with more bathrooms in a neighborhood that’s not too far from friends and family, on their budget of $925,000. It seems like a big ask, but if the Scott twins couldn’t stand the heat, they wouldn’t be in the kitchen.

Along the way, they come up with some smart advice for the buyer and seller in all of us. Take a look!

Give your kitchen island or peninsula an overhang for seating

When Jonathan and Drew walk into the family’s kitchen, they find a peninsula. But there isn’t really room to pull up a chair, because of the shelves below. Drew immediately resolves the situation by kicking out the shelves—now there’s plenty of space for his knees.

Color the kitchen

“I don’t want to do just a white kitchen,” Jonathan tells Nicole as he officially starts the renovation. “Now we’re seeing a lot more color trending.”

He advises using soft, subtle green undertones. But Nicole is not good with that—she prefers all white and neutral.

“Trust me,” he says. “We’re seeing greens and blues—that’s what’s trending.”

He promises her he’ll come up with something buyers will love, and he does—deeply dark blue lower cabinets with white, marbled quartz countertops. It is divine!

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Tips on Redecorating With a Budget

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Lindsey Patterson helps all of us homeowners with tips on redecorating on a budget.

Most homeowners have a desire to decorate in a manner that suits personal tastes while also being visually appealing. All those home magazines make it look so easy, but can also come with steep prices. When you are limited to a budget that’s somewhat smaller, you can still achieve the look you desire without breaking the bank.

Reuse

Before you start buying new furniture, bedding, and fixtures that will quickly eat through your budget, start by taking an inventory of what you already have. Think about ways that things can be reused. Simple furniture pieces can be painted or even just have the hardware changed out that will change the way a piece looks.

Many types of furniture can serve a different purpose. An unused dining table can become a desk. That old sofa table can be used as a mobile bar if wheels are added. Even a broken dresser can be salvaged and transformed.

Simple Appearances

Bigger is not always better. Sometimes a few simple changes can make a big impact, with minimal expense. Updating paint colors or just adding an accent wall is one way. You can also change out throw rugs and light fixtures. A small thing, like changing lamp shades or the glass covers on your ceiling fans or overhead lighting, can have a big visual impact as well.

Add covers to pillows and duvets to bedspreads. But what is a duvet? Think of the duvet like a pillowcase for bedspreads. You can put an existing bedspread inside the duvet and create an entirely different look. Duvets and pillow covers can be purchased in a variety of patterns and colors, but you could also make your own if you want something more custom.

Thrifty Shopping

If you still plan to make some purchases, consider used pieces. Second-hand or thrift stores are often great places to buy décor items without spending a fortune. Wholesale, liquidation, and salvage places can also help save some money. Remember to consider possible alternate uses for items as well.

Keep your eyes open for things that people are trying to sell, too. Visit yard sales and flea markets. You can find a wide variety of items that people are selling for low prices. Swap meets are also good places to locate what you might need, while giving you the opportunity to get rid of something that no longer suits your tastes or needs.

Artwork

An alternative to pricey reprints, or even more expensive originals, is to create your own artwork to display. Try your skill at painting or decoupage. Frame your child’s latest art piece. You can even find free artwork to print and use at home. Spruce up some old wooden frames. Things like foiling and sponging can help you turn drab frames into decorative displays.

One at a Time

The most important thing to remember is to take it one step at a time. Try not to redecorate every room at the same time. You may need to divide your budget into chunks for each room that you want to redecorate. If you go room by room, you may find that you have some money left over that can be used for other rooms. By going one room at a time, you can avoid getting overwhelmed because you have taken on too much at once.

There are numerous options for redecorating on a budget, regardless of how small that budget might be. In your redecorating efforts, you can make huge changes just as easily as you can make small ones, both impacting the final result of a room. In the end, your home can be a display of the things you enjoy in an atmosphere that best suits you.

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Our Spring Cleanup was a Success!

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We had a great time this past weekend cleaning up the parkway at the Sunrise Recreation Area with the help of over 100 volunteers! It was the perfect opportunity to spend the day outside in the sunshine for a great cause.

Wondering how you can help keep our parkways clean? The American Parkway Foundation will have more volunteer opportunities throughout the remainder of the year. Stay tuned for our next cleanup opportunity!

Save Money on Spring Cleaning This Year

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Jaymi Naciri writing for Realty Times passes on some tips to help reduce the cost of spring cleaning.

It’s spring cleaning time, but this year you don’t have to stock up on all those expensive potions and cleaners. The stuff you already have in your house might be even better at getting—and keeping—it clean.

Here are a few of our double-duty (or triple or more!) products:

Mr. Clean Magic Erasers

Dirty baseboards. Scuff marks on sneakers. Crayon or pen on painted walls. Shower scum. What do they all have in common? They can be cleaned with a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. They’re good in a pinch and also as a regular addition to your cleaning regime, so do like we do and buy them in bulk!

Dryer Sheets

The sheet that keeps static cling away from your clothes while they’re drying can also be useful in a few other areas of your home. Have company coming over and just realized you’re out of Swiffer Dusters? Run that Bounce over your surfaces, instead. The bonus: If you have scented dryer sheets, they’ll leave a fresh smell behind. You can also use them to wipe window casings, baseboards, and doors that tend to collect dust and dirt in the grooves.

Sponges and Dishwashing Gloves

Forget those pots and pans. Sponges and dishwashing gloves can also help clean dog hair off of upholstered surfaces. This tip could come in very handy for a last-minute cleanup when you don’t have time to vacuum. For regular cleaning of dog hair on a stubborn surface like a low-pile rug, try a dog brush. The short, stuff bristles make it easy to gather the hair.

White Vinegar

It’s not just for salad dressing! Vinegar is a multi-purpose cleaning agent, and one you can feel good about if you’re looking to stay away from harsh chemicals and commercial cleaners.

“If you could invent a green-cleaning ‘wonder’ product, it would probably end up being a lot like white vinegar,” said The Spruce. “Safe, readily available, and really cheap, there are perhaps hundreds of uses for vinegar. There are at least two great uses for vinegar in your automatic dishwasher. First, it can be used as a cheap, effective rinsing agent to get your glasses, plates, and other dishes sparkling clean. Second, it can help to clean the dishwasher itself: Once a year or so (more if you have hard water), pour a cup of white vinegar into an empty dishwasher, then run it for a short cycle to get rid of the lime and soap build-up that can prevent your dishwasher from working at peak efficiency.”

White vinegar is also great for cleaning tile and caulk, “windows, hardwood floors, carpet stains, fireplace bricks and irons, CDs and DVDs, shower curtains, upholstery, mattresses, wood furniture (when combined with olive oil), and glassware. If it’s in your house, you can probably clean it with vinegar.”

Lemon

Pick up a few extra lemons at the market because you’ll get more use out of them than just as a squeeze in your water. “High in citric acid, lemon juice is one of the best natural cleaners due to its low pH and antibacterial properties,” said Networx.

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Is It Time for a Laundry Room Makeover?

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Adam Beasley of Lazy Guy DIY poses the answers to improving your laundry room look.

Basements are out of sight and out of mind a lot of times. It’s easy to let the space get away from you.  There’s not enough light, little organization and a whole lot of monsters hiding in the deep, dark corners.  We let our basement get the best of us. So, we decided to partner with The Home Depot to take back our neglected space and turn it into a place that we enjoyed spending time in with a laundry room renovation.

We had water damage from old gutters and an overall bad habit of piling stuff in corners that had to be addressed.  (Check out how we fixed the water damage and prepped the space prior to the update) When our decades old washing machine started to smell like it was burning, we knew it was time for a change. We wanted to go with something with high efficiency and high capacity since we just increased to a family of four.

Our old laundry set up did not have a single surface to fold laundry on.  We addressed it a few ways.  First, we added a butcher block workbench top by Edsal over the top of our new washer and dryer.  It’s a perfect fit,  durable and gives us a designated folding space that would combat the all too common “lost a sock between the washer & dryer” epidemic.  Plus we added these great teal Macklin metal baskets to capture the rest.

Next we brought in two Gladiator workbenches and the Gladiator free standing garage cabinet (with wheel kit) in white. The hardwood top and the white metal legs flowed perfectly with our lighter colored theme. Most importantly, it would hold up to the water we’d inevitably get in the basement.

Lastly, to make our lives a little easier, we picked up two of these bottomless Seville canvas laundry hampers. Now we can shuttle our laundry from washer to dryer without losing a sock or two along the way!

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First Time Homebuyers are Doing Alright!

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Andrea Riquier from Real Estate News gives us a fresh update on first-time homebuyers.

How many first-time homebuyers are there in the housing market?

That’s an important question. A smaller share of first-timers suggests that the market may be too competitive or too expensive – and ultimately not very inclusive. A bigger share suggests market conditions may be a bit easier, and that more Americans are getting a shot at attaining upward mobility.

But it is surprisingly difficult to pin down exactly how many home purchases go to first-timers, and a new set of research reports from the New York Fed attempts to correct that.

The National Association of Realtors, the trade group that’s responsible for what may be the best-known measurements of the issue, publishes an annual survey of characteristics of home buyers and sellers. NAR conducts that survey on a monthly basis and those results are tracked in their existing-home sales release.

Another measure comes from the mortgage industry. Within the mounds of paperwork any borrower must fill out, there’s one form known as the Uniform Residential Loan Application. It asks whether the borrower has had “an ownership interest in a property in the last three years.”

The inclusion of that question in the application process dates back to 1992 when Congress passed legislation known as the Federal Housing Enterprises Financial Safety and Soundness Act. The legislation established a new regulator for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and also set out targets for the two mortgage giants to ensure they were serving all would-be home buyers equally and fairly.

Many analysts who focus on the role of Fannie and Freddie in contributing to the housing bubble of the last decade point to the affordable housing goals of the 1992 legislation as the beginning of that slippery slope. Other analysts, of course, focus more on the role of lenders or believe that there’s blame to go around.

Putting that thorny question to the side for a moment, the historic accident of the URLA’s treatment of a “first-time buyer” as someone who hasn’t owned property within the past three years is still with us.

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Craig Diez

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