carmichael real estate agent Archives - Carmichael CA Homes for Sale| Carmichael Dream Homes| Craig Diez

Finding Down Payment Money for Your Home

August 6, 2019 by cdiez Leave a Comment

For my family, down payment and closing costs were the toughest part of owning our next home. Making the mortgage payment was not an issue. Having the money to get started and be able to look for homes with confidence and loan in hand were a challenge. We found our help through family. That was a good day.

David Reed helps us out with more ways to find a down payment for your home. It may be time for you to stop renting. Take a read and see.

One of the biggest challenges, if not the biggest challenge, is coming up with the money for a down payment on a home. Even if someone is taking advantage of the new conventional 3.0 percent down program or the FHA mortgage, most every loan requires some sort of a down payment. While 3.0 percent doesn’t sound like a whole lot, if you’re buying your first home it usually is. On a $250,000 home, that comes out to $7,500. That’s not even mentioning closing costs. But there are sources for down payment funds that might sometimes be overlooked.

The Bank.

Okay, this is the obvious source. From a checking or a savings account, accessing readily available cash from a bank account is the most common. Consumers can save up a little each month until the minimum amount of funds needed have accrued. The lender will ask for copies of the most recent bank statements showing available funds as well as documenting the source of those funds. Most often the deposits are from an employer via direct deposit. Self-employed borrowers who do not receive a regular paycheck on the 1st and 15th will be asked to provide business bank statements as well.

A Gift.

There are those fortunate few who do receive a financial gift from a family member. Gift funds must also be tracked to make sure the funds are coming from an acceptable source. Gift funds can come from a family member, relative, or someone in a committed relationship. Lenders want to make sure the gift funds aren’t a loan that must be paid back at some point in the future. There needs to be a signed “gift letter” included with the loan file stating the amount of the gift, the donor’s name and where the funds are coming from. Lenders won’t ask for bank statements from the donor but do want to know the funds came from an account in the donor’s name.

A Retirement Account.

If someone has a retirement account with an employer such as a 401(k), that person can take out a loan against the fund. This is allowable per lending guidelines but is also subject to the employer’s approval. Most retirement funds allow for someone to borrow up to one-half of the employee’s vested balance in the account. With an IRA, first time buyers can withdraw up to $10,000 without penalty. The withdrawal will still be subject to any income tax due.

An Appraisable Asset.

If someone owns something that can be appraised by an independent third party, the proceeds when selling that asset are an acceptable source. Selling an automobile is acceptable, for instance, because it has an appraised value. Even a highly prized baseball card is an appraisable asset. It’s important to document the transaction from the initial sale to the deposit in the account.

A Down Payment Assistance Program.

Down payment assistance programs are typically overseen and/or issued by a county or state agency. Such programs typically require the borrowers’ gross monthly income to not exceed certain limits and are often available to first-time buyers. These programs can also be geographically targeted to help low to moderate-income communities flourish. Down payment assistance can come in the form of a grant, which means there is no repayment required or a loan which can be forgiven after living in the property for a certain period of time, typically three years or more.

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How to Make your Home Smarter with these Smart Home Appliances

July 23, 2019 by cdiez Leave a Comment

In 2019, there are a lot of technology advances that make the home work just a little bit smarter. We have come along ways since the clapper came to turn our lights on and off.

James Stevenson gives us some highlights on making our home just a little bit smarter.

With technology developing, we now have so many gadgets and appliances which we can call ‘smart.’ The next step is to modernize our homes in the same style and make our lives that much easier.

A smart home is a place where appliances, lights, gadgets, security, – and pretty much whatever else you want – are all connected to one another. You can also control them remotely using a simple app. This kind of home gives owners comfort, security, and convenience. It may sound confusing. That is why you should read on to get the image of your ideal Smart Home.

Getting a smart system for your home can save time, money, and energy. Most homes aren’t built with these appliances, though. The easiest thing to do is to introduce these appliances into an already made home. Let’s see which devices today have their ‘smart’ counterparts.

Hubs

If you want your doors to unlock, your lights to turn on, and your kettle to start working the moment you approach your house, this is the device for you.

A smart home hub is the first step towards a smart home and the heart of the network. It is a hardware or software that connects devices in a house and controls communication among them. Plus, it enables the user to control the entire place by a single app.

Another useful feature is that you can control your devices while you are away from home via this device so, you can go out anytime you want.

Speakers

Imagine the world where you don’t have to get up to play music, find the remote, and turn on the lights. Now you can say a command, and have it done in an instant.

Smart speakers are wireless speakers with voice-control. They tend to have artificial intelligence built into them. They are usually found in voice-controlled personal assistants.

This gadget has many applications, playing music being just the tip of the iceberg. You may set alarms, and have your questions answered, for example. It is able to interact with other devices in the house, making the possibilities truly endless. So amazing!

Lighting

Convenience, comfort, and looking cool are all connected by this device. Smart lighting consists of light bulbs, all connected to adjacent ones by a network, and controlled by a hub.

You manage smart lighting with a simple app. It allows you to change the brightness of the bulbs, and even the color if your light bulbs have LED lights. Now you can have the perfect lighting for every situation and switching between them is a tap of your finger away.

Some of these systems may also have useful features, such as dimming and motion detection.

Plugs

This is the perfect device to ‘smartify’ your non-smart appliances. It is an excellent investment, and a significant first step towards a smart home.

A smart plug’s function is to allow remote control over whichever appliance you have plugged into it. For instance, you may check on your oven from across town if you get anxious about leaving it on.

Besides letting you manage your devices, you get the option of creating a schedule. Wave the worrying away and get one today!

Doorbells

Now you don’t have to peer through the spy hole to see who is ringing your doorbell. This device’s first concern is safety, and convenience comes as a strong second.

You will get a notification to your smartphone when somebody is at your door. It has a camera and sends a live video recording of your visitor. Also, you can have a two-way conversation via a smart doorbell.

Sensors

Getting a smart sensor for your home means not getting up on every sound you hear at night. It also means not having to hire a house-sitter for your vacation. Safety meets convenience with this handy new device.

Smart sensors have systems which perform specific actions as a response to environmental input. They can notify you about an uninvited intruder, about a window or a door that is accidentally open, and to turn on the lights when you enter the room.

The main point of all these devices is to make your life easier. You can definitely live without them, but you don’t have to anymore. There are more and more affordable options. You don’t need to buy every single one, either – but it will be hard to choose with so many fantastic options!

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Purify the Air, Drown out Traffic, and Reduce Stress, All by Adding a Fountain

June 28, 2019 by cdiez Leave a Comment

Let’s face it. The steady sound of running water can be quite relaxing. Jaymi Naciri gives us the 411 on the advantages of adding a fountain to our yard.

We just got back from a lovely vacation to Costa Rica, and, truth be told, we’re already looking to go back. Being on vacation in such a tranquil environment is a pleasure, and coming back to “real life” is…well…all too real.

Until the day comes when we can surround ourselves with hammocks and tropical flora and wild monkeys and Pina Coladas on a permanent basis, we’re on a quest to make our home environment as peaceful as possible. And today we’ve got fountains on the brain.

While fountains are super pretty to look at, there are a number of additional advantages to adding one to your home. Here are a few reasons why you need one immediately.

They can help reduce stress.

Sitting outside watching the fountain bubble and flow is naturally calming. Bring it inside and you’ll get an extra dose of relaxation-inducing properties.

“How exactly do fountains decrease stress? Because not only are you providing soothing sounds of water flow, but you are also filling the air with negative ions, which can help to improve a person’s mood and energy,” said Kinetic Fountains. “Many fountain users report that simply installing a fountain nearby helps them to attain peace of mind, calmness and a certain ‘serene’ feeling.”

They can help drown out the sound of traffic.

If you live on a busy street or have other environmental noises that detract from your happiness or peacefulness, a fountain is a great solution. “You will be amazed at how even a soft flowing water sound can drown out other sounds around you such as traffic, voices in the next room, that dog that always barks at the same time every night and the neighbor in the upstairs apartment who walks loud,” said Serenity Health.

They improve the ambiance.

“An outdoor water fountain can turn any backyard into an oasis,” said Good Changes Now.

They can purify the air.

Add a fountain to your indoor space and it can work to improve the air quality. “In today’s electronic world there are many gadgets that emit negative ions in our homes and offices,” said Serenity Health. “Indoor water fountains can improve the air in your home with negative ions, reducing air pollution. Dust is attracted by the negative ions so your water fountain is actively working to purify the air. The continuous moving water in a fountain will not only relax you with its water sounds but will also rejuvenate you with negative ions.”

They are natural humidifiers.

Let’s face it. Humidifiers are ugly and loud, and can stand out in a room for all the wrong reasons. But, “Dry environments are a catalyst for poor health and irritating for those suffering from dry skin conditions,” said Water Gallery. A fountain makes a great—and much better looking—substitute.

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2019’s Housing Market Is Likely to Be Stronger Than We Thought

May 10, 2019 by cdiez Leave a Comment

Clare Trepasso writing for Realtor.com has insight on what will be a great housing market for the rest of 2019.

Despite a real estate slowdown gripping the nation, this year’s housing market is expected to be busier than realtor.com® economists originally predicted late last year. That means more home sales—and higher prices—are on the way.

The anticipated uptick in activity is due to lower mortgage rates, which make homes more affordable for buyers. The economic team expected rates to climb to 5.5% in 2019, but instead, they have hovered around 4%. (They were 4.17% on 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages as of April 18, according to Freddie Mac data.) Economists say rates are now likely to rise a little to 4.5%, still well below what buyers were dreading.

However, it’ll be nothing like the feeding frenzy of recent years.

“It’s still going to be a lukewarm year for the housing market,” says Chief Economist Danielle Hale of realtor.com. “We’re going to see higher prices and slightly higher home sales than we expected. But home sales are still going to decline slightly as a result of the housing slowdown. There’s a gap between what sellers are looking for and buyers are hoping to pay.”

The downside for buyers—and upside for sellers—is that prices are expected to rise more than Hale’s team originally forecast, going up 2.9% in 2019 instead of 2.2%. That’s because the swelling ranks of buyers motivated by those lower mortgage rates will increase demand—and therefore prices.

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Is It Time for a Laundry Room Makeover?

April 12, 2019 by cdiez Leave a Comment

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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Do you Paint your own Kitchen Cabinets or Pay the Professional?

April 5, 2019 by cdiez Leave a Comment

Jaymi Naciri of Realty Times poses the answer to the question of painting your own kitchen cabinets?

Thinking of painting your own kitchen cabinets? You can find dozens—hundreds even—of tutorials and tip lists to show you how. They’ll list out the supplies needed and show you the proper techniques for the best outcome. And many of them even get real about just how intensive and interminable the process can be.

Preparation is key when painting your cabinets, and the number of steps you’ll need to follow to achieve a quality finish can seem impossible. You’ll want to remove the doors, drawer fronts, and hardware. Fill in any holes and smooth out any gouges. Degrease, sand, vacuum, wipe, sand some more, vacuum some more, wipe some more. And maybe then you’ll finally be ready for priming—but not painting on the actual color, because that comes after priming.

Frankly, every step is important, and if you miss one, you could end up with a result you’re unhappy with, or a finish that doesn’t hold up. If you’re the type who isn’t likely to finish what you’ve started, perhaps you shouldn’t embark on this paint-your-own adventure. Your old, dated cabinets are still better than half-old-and-dated, half-done cabinets. But if you still want to go for it, at least be prepared for a few realities:

You’re never going to get a look as good as the professionals

You may come close, and you may fool your friends, but there’s a reason you pay professionals a couple to several thousand dollars for something verging on perfection.

Your arms will hate you

Which is not such a bad thing, really. You can skip a few “arm days” at the gym if you really put your effort into it.

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