Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Join Us and Contact Your Elected Representatives.
Support the continuation of higher conforming loan amounts to keep higher priced homes on the market and within reach for qualified buyers. http://reversemortgagedaily.com/2011/07/18/bipartisan-bill-aims-to-extend-high-conforming-loan-limit-for-two-years/
What Sells A House.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Fannnie Mae is offering a 3.5% incentive to buyers of its foreclosed properties.
Fannie Mae is sweetening the deal it’s offering on the foreclosed homes it must sell. Buyers can get up to 3.5% of their closing costs paid by the mortgage market giant. But do it quick, because the sale must close on or before June 30, 2011. http://www.houselogic.com/news/articles/fannie-mae-offers-35-incentive-home-buyers/
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
How to invest that tax refund...
Monday, March 28, 2011
What to do about those old cabinets?
The kitchen is one of the most important selling points in a home. And if you're a buyer and thinking the home would be perfect if it weren't for the expense of redoing the kitchen, let's get creative instead! One doesn't necessarily have to "spend and arm and a leg" to get a more updated look for old or tired kitchen cabinets, for instance. In years past, I've updated a kitchen by painting the old wood cabinets. "Almost" instant bright and new! You have to start with a good surface, of course. Follow instructions on your paint cans. And then put a waterproofing varnish over all.
Don't want to paint? Buy new cabinet doors to replace the old ones. Here, you'll probably have to sand and refinish the cabinet itself. You might also like the look of a dark wood for the bottom and a lighter, painted look for the top cabinets. There are many possibilities out there in cabinet doors available to order from your home improvement stores and online. Measure. Measure. Measure. I installed cabinet doors myself, including the new hinges. I can't say I did as well as a professional would, so here is where you might like a handyman if you can think of a few other things to do for you at the same time. Fitting is an art.
Discover some other ideas at http://www.houselogic.com/news/articles/ways-modernize-old-fashioned-kitchen-cabinets/. Happy new kitchen!
Don't want to paint? Buy new cabinet doors to replace the old ones. Here, you'll probably have to sand and refinish the cabinet itself. You might also like the look of a dark wood for the bottom and a lighter, painted look for the top cabinets. There are many possibilities out there in cabinet doors available to order from your home improvement stores and online. Measure. Measure. Measure. I installed cabinet doors myself, including the new hinges. I can't say I did as well as a professional would, so here is where you might like a handyman if you can think of a few other things to do for you at the same time. Fitting is an art.
Discover some other ideas at http://www.houselogic.com/news/articles/ways-modernize-old-fashioned-kitchen-cabinets/. Happy new kitchen!
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Young Buyers Predicted to Lead the Housing Recovery
Not only do they have strong opinions about the design of their home, but buyers between the ages of 31 and 45 will be the quickest to "get off the fence." Should we be surprised? We love this group of savvy buyers! See this report by the National Association of Home Builders. http://www.nahb.org/news_details.aspx?sectionID=122&newsID=12323
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Friday, December 17, 2010
Just which home remodeling projects bring the most return on your investment?
This and more in the latest Cost vs. Value Report. This report not only has bearing on homeowners looking to sell in the next few years, but also buyers who may have a little fixing to make a home they're considering meet their needs. Adding estimated remodeling costs with the purchase price will pay off more with certain projects. In others, it's best to look further for the ideal home rather than investing in that project. http://www.realtor.org/RMODaily.nsf/pages/News2010121601?OpenDocument
Thursday, September 30, 2010
I finally have some photos to show you of our project. I must first give credit to some of our contractors whose work you see below. First and foremost, our general contractor was Joseph Hauser of Hauser Houses. He is amazing! If any problem comes up, he creatively solves it. He's patient and so experienced in many different areas of construction, which turned out to be a real plus.
Our architect who made sure all structural integrity for the house was assured and helped us through the city permit process was Craig Bretthauer of Bretthauer Design Studio.
Our beautiful stone and tiles would not look anything so if it weren't for the excellent workmanship of a very fine mason, Matt Banks, of MB Masonry. The cabinets are not only beautiful to look at but like velvet to touch. We owe it all to the creative and multi-talented Bob Crouch. Our granite fabricator was Sunterra Tile and Stone.
Electrical expert, Craig Sullivan, of CDS Electric, really knows how to wire for a modern home. Dan Hume of Hume and Company knows how to keep dry rot and termites away from the beginning.
I'll be giving more kudos to other contractors on the project as you see more photos of the progress. Joseph Hauser steered us in the right direction for top notch professionals at every turn. Now, a few photos:
Our architect who made sure all structural integrity for the house was assured and helped us through the city permit process was Craig Bretthauer of Bretthauer Design Studio.
Our beautiful stone and tiles would not look anything so if it weren't for the excellent workmanship of a very fine mason, Matt Banks, of MB Masonry. The cabinets are not only beautiful to look at but like velvet to touch. We owe it all to the creative and multi-talented Bob Crouch. Our granite fabricator was Sunterra Tile and Stone.
Electrical expert, Craig Sullivan, of CDS Electric, really knows how to wire for a modern home. Dan Hume of Hume and Company knows how to keep dry rot and termites away from the beginning.
I'll be giving more kudos to other contractors on the project as you see more photos of the progress. Joseph Hauser steered us in the right direction for top notch professionals at every turn. Now, a few photos:
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| Our former master bath and shower was in a big need of updating. The tile was no fun to clean either. |
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| Ooops. Dry rot is discovered. What a mess. From ceiling to floor to bath below and deck nearby. |
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| Dry rot continued to adjoining bedroom deck. |
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| Eventually most of the back side of the house was removed. |
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| Rebuilding the master shower area. All new wood in the entire project is treated by Hume & Company to prevent dry rot and any termite infestation. |
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| Our Fabulous new brown sugar-colored travertine shower with ocean view. MB Masonry made it perfection. Our new fan and heater are on timers, an excellent suggestion by our electrician since they are so quiet you forget they're on! |
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| Glass tile accents in the floor. MB Masonry made it a designer's dream come true. And Webster Glass did a highly professional job of designing and installing the frameless glass shower doors. |
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| My design for a new master vanity cabinets was exactly as imagined. Bob Crouch was a beautiful craftsman, matching my Barely Jade paint swatch and glazing the crevices with the perfect metallic bronze. |
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| Rusty old sinks and corroded faucets were replaced by sparkling recessed sinks and oil-rubbed bronze faucets that are a joy to touch. The amazing Emerald Glacier granite has emerald green, metallic copper and gold swirls. I found it at Bedrosians and fabricator was Sunterra Tile and Stone. |
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| The upper cabinets were added for more storage. Lighting was added behind the crown throughout the entire bath. Electrical wizadry was performed by CDS Electric. All the lighting is on dimmers, of course! |
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| New trim and wide baseboards were added by our master General Contractor, Hauser Houses. |
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| A new, deeper storage cabinet in shower area was made possible by moving the opening to the area about 6 inches. |
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| A beautiful new cherry bi-fold door, stained and varnished by Bob Crouch, leads to shower area. |
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| Our former guest bath had a worn tub and a floor that was tile floor that was hard to clean. It was a bit dated too. |
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| Voila! A brand new shower/tub combination. Beautiful mosaic tile trim and an easy care porcelain tile for the walls and floor. No more ugly shower curtain. Now we have an oil-rubbed bronze glass door that's easy to clean and beautiful. |
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| The rusty old sink was replaced and the too-small faucet was updated with a perfectly arched oil-rubbed bronze one. A new framed mirror and pedestal lights replaced the plain, worn mirror and canned lights. |
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| In the powder room, we replaced our pedestal sink for my design for a more functional a pretty vanity. Now I have storage and a countertop for a candle and other items. Bob Crouch, our cabinet maker, had some really good ideas to make it work. He also built me a new matching storage cabinet about the toilet. What a difference the extra storage has made! Just as in all of the above, the photos do not do justice to the beauty of the cabinets or the tile and granite. |
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Remodeling and Surprises: The Early Stages
Our remodeling project became a rehab project too, because of the major structural damage caused by dry rot. That repair along with our addition of a new deck to the project, required our getting an architect and a building permit. Our general contractor, Joe Hauser of Hauser Houses, recommended Craig Bretthauer of Bretthauer Design Studio in San Diego. He was the perfect choice for the somewhat smaller project compared to other architectural needs. Both Joe and Craig helped my ideas become reality and pass through the city in a fairly short amount of time for the securing of a permit.
Then it was time to start re-building the back end of our house. When all the new wood was in place, we hired a company we had great experience with for dry rot issues on one of our front decks. Hume & Company actually treats new wood with a green-friendly substance that is non-toxic to humans and pets. You can touch it right after it is sprayed. When new wood is treated, it is impervious to termites and to any future threats of dry rot. This treatment can result in a far less expensive building project than using pressure-treated wood. Hume & Company also treats for both termite infestations and dry rot.
Our favorite electrician, also a Craig, with CDS Electric in Carlsbad, has been on top of our project from the beginning. Craig has been a terrific source for ideas, recommendations and knowledge of the current code requirements for our area.
Joe Hauser and his assistant will soon have our floors and walls ready for tiling and painting. Next, the roof over the master bath will go down and then the stucco on our outside walls. As that transpires, the tile will go down. I found some beautiful granite, travertine and glass mosaic tiles for the master bath at Bedrosians in Vista and in San Diego. For the guest bath, I found some "rectified" porcelain tile that looks like limestone and some mosaic tiles with the gray, black, cream and tan tones I was looking for at Arizona Tile.
Then it was time to start re-building the back end of our house. When all the new wood was in place, we hired a company we had great experience with for dry rot issues on one of our front decks. Hume & Company actually treats new wood with a green-friendly substance that is non-toxic to humans and pets. You can touch it right after it is sprayed. When new wood is treated, it is impervious to termites and to any future threats of dry rot. This treatment can result in a far less expensive building project than using pressure-treated wood. Hume & Company also treats for both termite infestations and dry rot.
Our favorite electrician, also a Craig, with CDS Electric in Carlsbad, has been on top of our project from the beginning. Craig has been a terrific source for ideas, recommendations and knowledge of the current code requirements for our area.
Joe Hauser and his assistant will soon have our floors and walls ready for tiling and painting. Next, the roof over the master bath will go down and then the stucco on our outside walls. As that transpires, the tile will go down. I found some beautiful granite, travertine and glass mosaic tiles for the master bath at Bedrosians in Vista and in San Diego. For the guest bath, I found some "rectified" porcelain tile that looks like limestone and some mosaic tiles with the gray, black, cream and tan tones I was looking for at Arizona Tile.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Getting Ready to Paint
So, now, in our Remodeling and Surprises, I know one of my favorite ways to save a little money is to do the painting myself. I really do like to paint the walls. And it's good exercise, believe it or not. I have lots of paint swatches out and I've decided on a color for our bedroom walls. I'll be painting in the next week or so, I'm sure. Even though I've painted walls for years (including several different "faux" treatments), I ran across some helpful hints and painting ideas this morning that I checked out. You might learn something too, because I sure did. http://www.diyideas.com/howto/Paint/index.html
Friday, June 25, 2010
Remodeling and Surprises
We're in the middle of a home remodel and rehab right now. It didn't start out that way. We had sold some real estate and thought we'd put some money toward remodeling our master bathroom to meet today's buyer standards and trends. With the beautiful tile, granite, custom cabinets and all the plumbing fixtures chosen and ordered, what was to be finished in six weeks opened up a "few surprises."
Our shower wall, roof, and floor had major structural damage due to a roof leak and a plumbing leak. We had no idea about the former and took care of the latter as soon as it was discovered, but with opening up the walls, we must have discovered that leak long after it started.
So we're rehabbing that whole side of the house, the roof and an adjoining deck. In the end, what started as a bath remodel will have turned into "two" bath remodels since it affected the bath below and, well, we might as well redo the powder room as long as we're at it. Plus, we really didn't like that the deck was accessed off our bedroom, so let's build a deck from the family room over to the re-built deck. Just tear open a few more walls. Oh, add some stairs down to the back yard from the deck too. Gee, as long as the walls are opened up, we should "plumb" for an outdoor kitchen. Hot and cold water, lots of electricity, move the gas line. You know. We'll have to fix up that patio now and get rid of the water feature for one easier to maintain.
I must mention I also designed family room cabinets for the new room configuration to allow for a door out to the deck and bedroom cabinets (as long as we're at it) to give us an armoire-like closet and more storage (You know, shoes and stuff.). Don't you love remodeling?
Luckily (we feel lucky enough to win the lottery to pay for this), we have a super contractor. And patience. And you know, I love projects like this for helping clients with home buying and selling "and" for us.
But not everyone is ready to remodel for one reason or another. So, my advice: MAINTAIN. Get that roof maintenance professional there every five years to check things out and keep your roof leak proof. Keep an eye out for any signs of leakage in your pipes. (Although, in our case there were none because there was no mold.) But, mold will be one of the warning signs. Water damage is easy to spot in the walls and ceiling. If you can catch these things early enough, you may avoid the structural damage we incurred and some remodel "surprises."
Six weeks to three months. I'll post some finished photos when we're done. We'll have added to our home's value and marketability, and we know to the enjoyment of our home for years to come.
Our shower wall, roof, and floor had major structural damage due to a roof leak and a plumbing leak. We had no idea about the former and took care of the latter as soon as it was discovered, but with opening up the walls, we must have discovered that leak long after it started.
So we're rehabbing that whole side of the house, the roof and an adjoining deck. In the end, what started as a bath remodel will have turned into "two" bath remodels since it affected the bath below and, well, we might as well redo the powder room as long as we're at it. Plus, we really didn't like that the deck was accessed off our bedroom, so let's build a deck from the family room over to the re-built deck. Just tear open a few more walls. Oh, add some stairs down to the back yard from the deck too. Gee, as long as the walls are opened up, we should "plumb" for an outdoor kitchen. Hot and cold water, lots of electricity, move the gas line. You know. We'll have to fix up that patio now and get rid of the water feature for one easier to maintain.
I must mention I also designed family room cabinets for the new room configuration to allow for a door out to the deck and bedroom cabinets (as long as we're at it) to give us an armoire-like closet and more storage (You know, shoes and stuff.). Don't you love remodeling?
Luckily (we feel lucky enough to win the lottery to pay for this), we have a super contractor. And patience. And you know, I love projects like this for helping clients with home buying and selling "and" for us.
But not everyone is ready to remodel for one reason or another. So, my advice: MAINTAIN. Get that roof maintenance professional there every five years to check things out and keep your roof leak proof. Keep an eye out for any signs of leakage in your pipes. (Although, in our case there were none because there was no mold.) But, mold will be one of the warning signs. Water damage is easy to spot in the walls and ceiling. If you can catch these things early enough, you may avoid the structural damage we incurred and some remodel "surprises."
Six weeks to three months. I'll post some finished photos when we're done. We'll have added to our home's value and marketability, and we know to the enjoyment of our home for years to come.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Sheryl's Property Tips: Increase your property's appeal.
Sheryl's Property Tips: Increase your property's appeal.http://www.houselogic.com/articles/smart-options-decking/
Increase your property's appeal.
A new deck can add value and give you a pretty good return on investment. See http://www.houselogic.com/articles/smart-options-decking/
Friday, May 28, 2010
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Thinking of selling your home but it needs a little "sprucing up" first? Check out this website for some great Do-It-Yourself ideas. http://www.diyideas.com/?sssdmh=dm17.438926&esrc=nwdiy&email=1982030748
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
http://www.houselogic.com/articles/drawbacks-home-equity-loans/
Thinking about getting a home equity loan or putting a second mortgage on your house? Here are some things to consider first.
http://www.houselogic.com/articles/drawbacks-home-equity-loans/
http://www.houselogic.com/articles/drawbacks-home-equity-loans/
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Monday, February 1, 2010
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