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Weekend Warrior: Five bargain renovations that add value
Do you have grand visions of gutting your dated kitchen, or maybe blowing out the bathroom walls to create a spa-like retreat? While major remodeling projects such as these can bring value to a home, budget-friendly projects can also deliver a fresh look – and real value for you and potential buyers.
"Something as simple as replacing the hardware in the kitchen can give you a whole new look," says Paul Wyman, a regional vice president with the National Association of Realtors. Wyman is also an expert at determining if a remodeling project will add value to a home.
Curious which simple projects will give your home the most value? Keep reading to learn about a few affordable facelifts and bargain renovations that could boost your home's value and add appeal. Read on here.
Weekend Warrior: Cheap Ways to Prepare Your Home for Winter
The Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star program says the average household spends more than $2,200 a year on energy bills – with almost half of that going toward heating and cooling.
To add insult to injury, you could be throwing money out the window if your home isn’t energy-efficient. Leaking windows, poorly insulated water heaters, and clogged air filters are all budget busters.
But you might be able to fix your home’s energy deficiencies yourself for cheap. Here are five do-it-yourself winterization projects that can be completed with supplies from a hardware store. Read on here.
Mid-Century Modern Home :: Open Sunday, Dec 9th 1PM-4PM
13249 6th Ave NW Seattle WA
Mid-Century Modern Home for Sale
Built in 1965 and refreshed for 2012.
Design, function and structure, it is all here in this remodeled modern home. Set down a private road in Seattle's coveted Broadview neighborhood, this five bedroom, three bath home awaits you.
Custom built and originally designed by architect Donald M. Wilson to experience nature inside and out,. This Zen-like Northwest Contemporary home is situated in a natural setting surrounded by sylvan views. Stunningly remodeled and updated with modern conveniences and style, the living spaces flow from one open room to the next . Enjoy entertaining in beautifully appointed interior spaces or outside in one of the many outdoor living areas. This is the modern oasis at the end of the road that you have been waiting for. This truly is a one of a kind home with nothing more to do than move in and enjoy.
Contact Steve Hill or Sandra Brenner for a private tour of this spectacular home.
Windermere Real Estate/FN
Seattle-Northwest
206-552-9577
13249 6th Ave NW, Seattle, WA, 98177 :: Open Sunday, December 9th 1PM-4PM
13249 6th Ave NW Seattle WA Mid Century Modern Home for Sale
Built in 1965 and refreshed for 2012.
Design, function and structure, it is all here in this remodeled modern home. Set down a private road in Seattle's coveted Broadview neighborhood, this five bedroom, three bath home awaits you.
Custom built and originally designed by architect Donald M. Wilson to experience nature inside and out,. This Zen-like Northwest Contemporary home is situated in a natural setting surrounded by sylvan views. Stunningly remodeled and updated with modern conveniences and style, the living spaces flow from one open room to the next . Enjoy entertaining in beautifully appointed interior spaces or outside in one of the many outdoor living areas. This is the modern oasis at the end of the road that you have been waiting for. This truly is a one of a kind home with nothing more to do than move in and enjoy.
Contact Steve Hill or Sandra Brenner for a private tour of this spectacular home.
Windermere Real Estate/FN
Seattle-Northwest
206-552-9577
Off-season sellers: Make your home more enticing
Off-season sellers: Make your home more enticing
There's little doubt that the housing market is finally showing signs of a measurable recovery. The latest S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index, which tracks the selling prices of homes nationally, showed a 3% increase in home prices compared with September 2011. The authors of the report cited stabilizing housing markets and slight increases in household wealth as reasons for the encouraging data. This is positive news for the real-estate market, but it’s of little value for homeowners still struggling to sell their home. Homeowners face stiff competition from the many other similar properties on the market. How do you make your home stand out?
6 Easy Tips to Cut Back on Utility Costs
With rising utility costs and overall living expenses, people everywhere are looking for creative ideas on how to reduce spending. One of these major areas that can have a significant impact on your bottom line long-term is with heating, cooling and electric bills.
Therefore, it is important to take strides whenever possible to help alleviate this financial burden. We have devised a checklist of 6 items for you to review and determine where you can start cutting back expenses and improving efficiency in your home:
- Maintain your furnace and air conditioning units: This is one area that homeowners can tend to disregard. Yet, just like conducting routine repairs on your automobiles; likewise, it is just important to keep up with these items as well. And it’s only necessary once per year!
In fact, the amount of money you can save in the long run by avoiding more significant maintenance hassles or losing a unit well before it’s time makes this step well worth it. Additionally, you will maintain a higher efficiency and experience cleaner air too.
- Standby power: Did you know that many items around your house such as your TV, entertainment system, Wii, computer, microwave, etc. are constantly drawing electricity even when they are not powered on?
In fact, items throughout your house such as these typically can account for approximately 10% of your total energy consumption! Simply by having certain items plugged into a power cord that can be switched off when not in use may have a significant impact.
- Consider investing in a programmable thermostat: Installing one of these can be fairly inexpensive and is extremely useful for families that are always on the go! Simply set the meter to fluctuate a few degrees during key timeframes, and the savings will really start to add up.
- Decrease your water heater’s temperature: By switching the temperature down to the lowest setting can impact your energy bills from 5-10%. You will still have plenty of hot water and can enjoy some extra cost savings as well.
- Change you appliance settings: Many dishwashers, washers, and dryers have advanced settings that could also be increasing your utility bills. Consider turning off those extra bells and whistles such as the heated dry, automatic sensor settings, or wrinkle shield. Also, you can wash with cold water and only do larger loads when necessary.
- Dimmer switches and motion detectors: Another tip is to replace your current fixtures or switches with these energy efficient alternatives. You will be able to consume far less energy and your family will only use light when necessary. Even if you do not install these items, get in the habit of shutting off the lights in any room that is not occupied.
By following these 6 simple steps, you will begin to save more money and consume fewer resources. There are so many other ways that you can improve energy efficiency as well, so we encourage you to take the time to research what may be beneficial for you. Be sure to bookmark our page for regular updates and other free real estate related tips. Also, please don’t hesitate to refer us to a friend or family member! Thanks for stopping by. ~Steve and Sandra
Shrinking pool: First-time buyers battling loan requirements
First-time homebuyers are a shrinking pool, making up less of the housing market.
Typically, they represent about 40 percent of buyers, but today their numbers have dropped to about 31 percent of buyers, according to housing data by the National Association of Realtors.
First-time buyers are the only group of buyers whose share of home purchases has not increased over the last five months, CNBC reports.
FHA mortgages, with low downpayment requirements, are a popular choice among this group of buyers, but the recent rise in FHA mortgage insurance premiums is hampering purchases.
Some sellers are also even refusing to accept offers from first-timers that include FHA financing, real estate agents report.
First-time buyers also face steep competition when targeting lower priced properties. Investors have flooded the market, snagging lower priced properties in all-cash deals that first-time buyers would typically be drawn to.
– Tom Kelly: Real Estate Today at MyNorthwest.com
It’s the most wonderful time of the year…
You may or may not realize this but "it's the most wonderful time of the year" to buy real estate…
While everyone else is occupied with the Holidays, you can sneak in and grab a great deal on a Seattle area home. In all seriousness though, this truly is a great time of year to be a buyer, so if you (or somebody you know) has been thinking about it, then we should probably talk so call or text me at 206-769-9577. ~ Steve
5 Tips To Staying Healthy on Thanksgiving
Turkey. Pumpkin Pie. Stuffing. Mmmmm mmm. The memories and smells already make the mouth water. The holiday season is not only a time for feasting on heavenly food, but also a moment where we can stop and breathe from our busy lives and enjoy time with family, reunite with loved ones, and watch a mean football game. Still, with all those buttery snacks around it’s important to keep yourself from overeating and loosening up the belt at the dinner table. Here are some tips to help you stay healthy this holiday season. Happy Feasting! Read on here.
It’s a family affair at 40-year-old Windermere
Family credits collaboration, not competition, among partners as key to Windermere’s longevity and success.
Even when they are on a family vacation together, the three principals of Windermere Realty admit to talking shop.
“For the family members not involved in the business, it does sometimes reach an ‘enough already’ point,” admits Jill Jacobi Wood, daughter of Windermere’s founder, John Jacobi, and president of Windermere Services and Client Services.
“It’s not a day job for us,” says John’s son OB, president of Windermere Real Estate. “It’s a 24/7 ongoing conversation of how can we do things better and succeed.” Read on here.
