Home Improvement Archives - Carmichael CA Realtor| Carmichael Dream Homes| Craig Diez

The Most Popular Home Upgrades Of 2020

January 12, 2021 by cdiez Leave a Comment

2020 saw people spending more time at home than ever—and, for many homeowners, all that time at home drove them to tackle a variety of home upgrades.

But which upgrades proved the most popular over the past year?

A recent article from Apartment Therapy asked designers and contractors to share their most-requested home upgrades of 2020. Some of the year’s most in-demand upgrades include:

Kitchen banquettes. Homeowners spent most of 2020 cooking and eating at home—and, as such, kitchen banquettes, which make for a stylish, personal, and cozy space to share meals, were among the most requested home upgrades this year.

Sanitizing stations. Because proper sanitation was so important in fighting COVID, 2020 saw many homeowners requested “sanitation stations” in their entryways—complete with storage for hand sanitizer, gloves, mask, and other sanitation essentials.

Functional closets. With many people spending the majority of their time at home in 2020, no one wanted to stare at a messy, disorganized closet—which is why renovations to make closets more organized, functional, and streamlined were among the most requested home upgrades in 2020.

So, what does this mean for you? If you’re thinking about upgrading your home, these in-demand upgrades are a great place to start—and if you’re thinking about buying a property in 2021, make sure to keep an eye out for these upgrades.

Home for the Holidays

December 17, 2020 by cdiez Leave a Comment

While the most wonderful time of the year is right around the corner, it’s safe to say that our holiday festivities might look a little different amid the growing pandemic. This year, we have been asked to forgo our large celebrations with extended family and keep within our immediate “family bubbles”. It’s easy to feel discouraged and alone during a time like this, but now more than ever, it’s important to appreciate the gift of health, our loved ones, and the magic of the holiday season.

I hope to bring some much-needed holiday cheer in this month’s newsletter, which covers everything from the best light displays, to family-friendly holiday activities, to socially distanced local events and happenings!

You can still make this holiday a memorable one while keeping yourself, your family, and your community safe with these local (and virtual) happenings in and around your area:

Virtual Philharmonic Performances
What: The Sacramento Philharmonic and Opera is offering a digital series, so you can live stream these amazing performances from your home! Concert links are available with a gift of $25 or more. The streams will go live at 7:00 pm the evening of the concert and will be available for up to 30 days afterwards.
When: Saturday, December 19th at 7:00 pm
Where: Donate online to the Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera to receive a link.

Curbside Shopping With Santa
What: Curbside Holiday is a wonderful opportunity for your kids to see Santa while shopping safely and locally. Shop online with local favorites like Capital Books, the Crest Theatre, the Kitchen Table, and more! You’ll select a pickup window and Santa will bring your gifts directly to your car!
When:
Saturday, December 19th from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm
Sunday, December 20th from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm
Where: Shop online at curbside holiday and pick up your gifts in the designated zone between 1011 and 1013 K Street.

A Christmas Carol Livestream
What: Manual Cinema is bringing a breathtaking reinvention of “A Christmas Carol” to audiences of all ages. This new take on a holiday classic is presented by the Mondavi Center at UC Davis.
When:
Friday, December 18th at 7:00 pm
Saturday, December 19th at 5:00 pm
Sunday, December 20th at 4:00 pm
Where: Get tickets from the Mondavi Center.

Outdoor Ice Skating
What: Treat your family to an afternoon of outdoor ice skating in Historic Folsom! To make sure you stay safe, please observe social distancing and wear a mask while skating.
When: Open now through January 18th.
Where: Purchase tickets online to skate at the rink located at 200 Wool Street, Folsom CA.
Dance Gavin Dance Tower Bridge Livestream
What: Tree City Sessions Volume 2 features Dance Gavin Dance performing a fan-voted setlist featuring hits and tracks that have never been played live, all from the bands hometown in Sacramento on the iconic Tower Bridge.
When: Saturday, December 19th, from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm.
Where: Purchase your tickets here for this virtual event.

Waterfront Wheel in Old Sacramento
What: Located at the newly activated Waterfront Park (in front of Rio City Café), a visually-exciting and whimsical 65’ Ferris wheel, operated by Brass Ring Amusements, Inc, will take center stage for the holidays. Rides offered now through January 31, 2021.
When: Rides offered now through January 31, 2021.
Where: Purchase your tickets here to ride the Waterfront Wheel at 1150 Front Street, Sacramento CA.

Wondering where you can catch a dazzling light display this year from the comfort of your car? Check out some of my favorite holiday light displays!

Bayside Christmas Lights Drive-Thru in Roseville (Now through December 31): Join Bayside for its 5th Annual Christmas Lights Drive-Thru that is sure to delight the entire community. Round up your loved ones, jump in the car, listen to your favorite Christmas music, and enjoy a mile of spectacular lights! Free tickets are required to manage traffic flow and are limited. Click here to learn more.
East Sacramento’s Fab 40s Christmas Lights (Neighborhood Event): Grab your hot chocolate and bundle up while you admire this classic, established East Sacramento neighborhood for its beautiful homes and brilliant light displays. This neighborhood is transformed into a winter wonderland during the holiday season with lights and garland draped around the tree-lined streets.
Pebble Creek Christmas Lights in Rocklin (Neighborhood Event): This neighborhood has been attracting spectators for years with its popular Disney-themed homes and elaborate light displays! Stroll through the neighborhood by foot at a safe distance from others or bundle up in the car and roll down the windows for an impressive display of lights!

Please visit CaliforniaChristmasLights.com or SacBee.com for a full directory of homes displaying lights.

Are you going a little stir-crazy in your home this year? Relish in all that this holiday season has to offer by baking a dessert, playing a game with your family, or creating your very own DIY hot chocolate bar. Check out some of these festive ideas below.

Liven Things Up With Christmas Karaoke: There’s no better way to get into the holiday spirit than with some Christmas Karaoke! Liven up the party with Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” or classics like “Jingle Bell Rock”. Spotify has some great Christmas Karaoke playlists. Check them out here. YouTube also has a great selection of free Karaoke playlists.
Host a Gingerbread House Competition: Show off your decorating skills with this sweet holiday activity that the entire family will enjoy. Add an element of competition by having each family member create their own…winner gets to open the first present on Christmas morning! You can also include the extended family by setting up a Zoom call for an online competition. Purchase your gingerbread making kits here.
Plan a Christmas Craft Day: Entertain the kiddos with an afternoon full of holiday-themed arts and crafts like this fun DIY ornament making activity. Check out some other crafts ideas to make your home merry and bright here.
Create Your Own Candles for the Perfect Holiday Gift: Spread the holiday cheer with these DIY scented candles, which make the perfect Christmas gift! It’s surprisingly easy, plus there are dozens of essential oils that make delightful Christmas scents. Think frankincense, cinnamon, vanilla, and Douglas fir.
Host a Family Game Night: Christmas games are a fun way for the family to come together—and dedicating your evening to playing a few is an easy way to infuse a regular old Friday night with some holiday joy. There are tons of options including Christmas movie trivia, holiday charades, a kid-friendly scavenger hunt, festive Mad Libs, or a good old fashioned board game.
Whip Up These Adorable Snow Globe Cupcakes: These Snow Globe Cupcakes topped with edible gelatin bubbles are the perfect treat to serve up during the holidays. Check out the recipe here.
Set Up Your Own Hot Chocolate Bar: Any hot chocolate lovers out there? Make a big batch of hot chocolate and set out plenty of toppings—think marshmallows, whipped cream, sprinkles, and crushed peppermints—then let everyone in the family go to town. Learn how to set up a hot chocolate bar here.
Host a (Socially-Distant) Cookie Swap: For a socially-distant spin on the Cookie Swap tradition, invite 5-10 people to participate, and ask each person to drop a half-dozen cookies on the doorstep of each participant. Check out some delicious holiday cookie recipes here.

Wishing you and your loved ones joy, good health, and some much needed holiday cheer this Christmas season!

7 Amenities for a Winter Wonderland…

November 3, 2020 by cdiez Leave a Comment

Putting your home on the market this winter? Set the stage by evoking a warm and welcoming vibe that makes would-be buyers want to hang up their coats, kick off their boots, and stay awhile. The following are amenities that prove winter really can be the most wonderful time of the year.

1. Fire pit

Create a covetable outdoor space with the help of a fire pit. Whether it’s made of stone and serves as a permanent fixture or is a movable and affordable centerpiece for backyard S’mores-making, adding the element of fire ups the charm factor immediately.

2. Hot tub

Wait, is this a home or a five-star resort? Watching steam rise from a frothy hot tub on a chilly afternoon or evening makes anyone want to move right in! Giving a place the spa treatment, will remind home-shoppers that with this luxurious item on the premises, winter can last as long as it likes.

3. Home theater

Especially during the winter, playing up the ability to have a blast indoors does wonders for buyers’ peace of mind (more so if they’re parents). A home theater, even on a smaller scale (think flat screen and an old-fashioned popcorn maker), helps visitors envision themselves and their families spending time indoors and in style.

4. Fireplace

It’s almost impossible to resist the hypnotic allure of a roaring fire. If a home has this feature, by all means, strike a match and watch that property heat up!

5. In-home wine bar

Baby, it’s cold outside — so why leave the house? This wine bar is one way to keep spirits merry and bright. It also conjures up thoughts of hosting holiday parties and gatherings as new owners envision celebrating and showing off their place.

6. Hot cocoa bar

On the other end of the spectrum, but no less festive, a hot cocoa bar offers a sweet welcome all ages can enjoy. Placed in the kitchen, dining room, family room, or foyer, this treat station makes you feel comfortable and right at home.

7. Highlight energy-efficient upgrades

In addition to being comfortable temperature-wise, if a home is as energy-efficient as possible, that’s something buyers will definitely want to know — and remember. Creating a list of any upgrades to windows, doors, HVAC units, and the roof, as well as the installation of energy-saving appliances, means more money in buyers’ pockets and less going out the window.

Cozy Up Your Outdoor Space This Fall

October 20, 2020 by cdiez Leave a Comment

In the midst of the pandemic, many people in the US spent more time enjoying their home’s outdoor space than ever before.

But as we move further into the fall, how can you adjust your space so you can still enjoy plenty of time outdoors—even as temperatures continue to drop?

A recent article from realtor.com outlined different ways to make your outdoor space more usable in colder weather, including:

Add a fire pit…A fire pit will not only make for a warmer outdoor space, but the fire also adds a cozy ambiance that can make your space feel more inviting in the colder months.

…or heat lamps. If you don’t want to have a fire pit in your backyard, you can also add extra heat with a few strategically placed heat lamps. For maximum warmth, make sure to arrange heat lamps near your seating area.

Add extra lighting. It doesn’t just get colder in the fall and winter months—it also gets darker. There are less hours of daylight during the fall and winter, so adding extra lighting to your outdoor space is a great way to make it usable all year-round—including on those days when the sun goes down at 4pm.

Just because the days get a little shorter and colder, doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the outdoor portion of your home still!

Your October Newsletter is Here!

October 14, 2020 by cdiez Leave a Comment

Halloween will look a little different this year, but that doesn’t mean you can’t entertain your own ghosts and ghouls at home! Check out this month’s newsletter for some festive (and social distance approved) entertaining ideas, recipes, and tips that will haunt your loved ones for years to come…in a good way of course.

Enter if you dare! Try out these frighteningly fun decorating ideas to stop even the bravest member of your household dead in their tracks.

Attack of the Spiders

Spooky Apothecary Jars

Frightful Foyer

Bleeding Halloween Candles

Incorporate Spooky Plants

Monster Halloween Door

Tombstone Yard

Floating Witch Hat Luminaries

DIY Pumpkin Luminaries

Decorated Tree Branches

Buried Bannister

Specimen Jars

Plaster Hands

DIY Witch Leg Chandelier

Don’t leave your guests rolling in their graves all because of a bad music playlist…Try out one of the below Halloween playlists to match the occasion!

Y ouTube Halloween Hits from the 80’s

Disney’s “This is Halloween” Playlist

Spotify Halloween Playlists

Pandora Halloween Playlist

Grab the popcorn, cozy blankets and turn on your favorite Halloween flick on one of the below streaming services!

You don’t need a spell to whip up some delicious “boos”. These creative concoctions (and fun mocktails) will get everyone into the holiday spirit in no time!

Adult Cocktails –

Potion De Muerto Cocktail

Sweet Poison Cocktail

Smoking Blackberry Sage Margarita

Shimmery Liqueur Cocktail

Eye Ball Martini

The Vampire Cocktail

Halloween Pumpkin Punch

Black Sangria

Mr. Hyde Potion

Candy Corn Jello Shots

Bleeding Heart Martini

Purple Witches Brew

Shrunken Heads in Cider

Mocktails –

Hocus Pocus Halloween Fizz

Swamp Juice

Creepy Shirley Temples

Goosebumps Punch

Little Monster Mocktail

Pumpkin Butterbeer

Sparkling Pumpkin Pie Mocktail

Purple People Eater Punch

Slow Cooker Vampire Punch

Wondering what to brew up in the kitchen? See below for some serious food inspiration that will have your little monsters “dying” for seconds!

Jack-o-Lantern Pot Pies

Black and Blue Mac & Cheese

Spider Web Pizza

Eye Ball Pasta

Turkey Eyeballs

Halloween Stuffed Peppers

Pumpkin Bread Rolls

Pumpkin Chowder

Pumpkin Cannelloni with Sage Brown-Butter Sauce

Pumpkin Risotto in Hollowed-Out Pumpki n

Spooky Short Ribs

Cider Scalloped Potatoes with Smoked Gouda

Batty Chicken Wings

It’s all treats and no tricks here! From bewitching breadsticks to spider cookies, we have a delectable line-up of homemade appetizers and treats that are “to die” for.

Apps –

Puking Pumpkin

Mummy Dogs

Bewitching Breadsticks

Spooky Spider Deviled Eggs

Skull Veggie Platter

Elegant Meat & Cheese Board

Terrifying Skeleton Cheese Platter

Halloween Ghost Fruit Kabobs

Ghostbusters Green Slimed Popcorn

Halloweeno Poppers

Monster Munch Party Mix

Desserts –

Rice Krispie Treat Monsters

Dracula Dentures

Spider Web Cake

Hocus Pocus Inspired Smore Pops

Haunted Halloween Brownies

Jack O’ Lantern Bowls

Blood Drip Cupcakes

Mummy Apple Pie

Witch’s Hat Cupcakes

Graveyard Chocolate Cheesecake Dip

While large gatherings are discouraged during this time, you can still drop off some “parting” favors for your friends and family to remember for all of eternity… We’ve got you covered with some creative finds below.

DIY Halloween Smore Kit

Ghostly Grub Treat Bag

Witch’s Broom Favors

Monster Slime

Monster Cookie Kit

Bugs & Kisses Treat Bag (Include Hershey’s kisses)

DIY Candy Corn Hot Chocolate on a Stick

Trick-or-treating is going to look different this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, but that doesn’t mean you should hang up your costume just yet.

Trick-or-treating is not impossible under Sacramento County Public Health’s (SCPH) new guidelines. The county says that trick-or-treating with modifications will be the way to do it this year. Click here to learn more.

What your Credit Score Should Be to Buy a House?

September 24, 2020 by cdiez Leave a Comment

From my own experience, even what would be considered a “not great” credit score may still qualify to buy your dream home. What I have learned over the years is that each lender has different capabilities. There may be 10 lenders that won’t give you a loan based on a low credit score and another 10 that will.

Ashley Sutphin gives us a good update on credit scores and purchasing homes with a large range of scores.

What credit score do you need to get a home loan? While specifically, it can vary, there are certain things you should know before you apply for a mortgage to ensure you’ve put yourself in the best possible financial position.

Factors Impacting Your Credit Score

Before you explore specific loans, pull your credit report. You can look for errors that may need to be corrected and get a better idea of what you can do to improve it.

The factors that play a role in your credit score include:

• Payment history: This is the main factor of a credit score, making up about 35% of your score. Your payment history is simply whether you pay your bills on time or not. Any creditors you have will report your activity every month to major credit bureaus. One or two late payments probably won’t have a big impact, but a pattern of late payments will.

• Debt: The amount of debt you owe across the board makes up around 30% of your score. Debt is also called your credit utilization ratio, and it looks at how much debt you’re using versus what’s available to you.

• Credit age: Making up around 15% of your score is credit age. The longer you have accounts on your credit history the better, as long as they’re in good standing. If you have old accounts, keep them open if possible because this will affect your average credit age.

Other factors that are relevant in your score are your account mix, which is the type of credit accounts you have, and credit inquiries. Credit inquiries are pulls of your report that lenders do before extending financing.

Your credit score is important not only because it determines whether you get financing for a home, but also the interest rate you’re offered.

The following are typical ranges for credit scores:

• Anything below 580 is considered very poor• A fair score is one ranging from 580 to 669
• A good credit score might range from 670 to 739
• An excellent score is between 740 and 799
• Anything 800 and above is considered exceptional

Conventional Loans

If you’re applying for a conventional loan from a bank or a similar type of lender, you will usually need at least a 620 to qualify.

Conventional home loans follow Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae’s standards.

While 620 is the minimum, having that score doesn’t mean you’ll be approved for a home loan. An excellent score is usually considered 740 and above, and with an excellent score you’ll likely not only qualify for a conventional home loan but you’ll also get a competitive interest rate and you may have a lower down payment requirement.

VA Loans

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs insures VA loans. They’re available to certain servicemembers and veterans of the U.S. Military, as well as spouses of military members who died while on active duty.

The minimum credit score for a VA loan is likely to be around 620, although this can vary, and there’s no set minimum score.

FHA Loans

Insured by the Federal Housing Administration, FHA loans are less risky for lenders so you may find it’s easier to qualify. The minimum score for an FHA loan with a down payment of 3.5% is 580. If you’re paying at least 10% for your down payment, there’s no minimum required credit score.

If you have an FHA loan originated by a private lender, each will have its own minimum requirement for credit scores.

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