Category Archives: About the house…

Cleaner Fireplace, Better Showings

About the house..., Seller Information

Your fireplace and chimney should be top of your spring-cleaning list, especially if you’re selling your home. Not only will your fireplace look (and smell) better, but it will be much safer to operate next winter.

Wood-burning fireplaces build up creosote which is highly flammable; one spark can turn into a chimney fire, damage the lining of the chimney, limit ventilation, and pollute the air quality of your home. Creosote, dirt, and other debris can accelerate carbon monoxide buildup and inhibit the release of toxins and smoke. Dirty chimneys can also keep oxygen from the fire and prevent the fire from burning in the right direction, filling the room with smoke. 

When you sell your home, the homebuyer will arrange an inspection of all operating systems—a clean chimney is not only easier to inspect, but it will send the right kind of message to the buyer. Remove all the fireplace equipment and instead put a decorative screen or urn with flowers to take your fireplace into spring and summer.

How to Avoid Becoming House-Poor

About the house..., Finance and Taxes

According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), affordable housing means that you should be paying no more than 30% of your gross income for housing costs, including mortgage principle and interest, property taxes, home insurance premiums, and utilities. In reality, home ownership costs much more when HOA fees, maintenance, and repairs are included. 

You can avoid becoming over-extended by taking the following steps:

Buy below your means. Your lender will qualify you for the maximum you can afford, so be wise and buy a less expensive, smaller home. Use the difference for savings and investments. You can always move later.

Plan for rising costs. Property taxes are based on sales prices, so you’ll only pay the seller’s rate until the next assessment which will be much higher next year. Home insurance, utilities, etc.  will rise in cost most years.

Plan for the long-term. It takes time to build equity in real estate. When you buy a home, plan to live there for at least seven years, then rent it out.

What Are the Advantages of ADUs?

About the house...

Accessory dwelling units (ADUs) are small stand-alone or attached homes built on lots occupied by larger single-family homes. Also known as granny flats, ADUs can allow aging parents to live close to family or give adult children a chance to save money to launch their lives. They can also be rented to small households or individuals for additional income.

ADUs can expand density in already-built neighborhoods replete with utilities, streets, schools, hospitals, etc., and there are those who resist ADUs for short-term rentals, due to more noise, traffic, people moving in and out, and, possibly, lower home values if ADUs don’t integrate well esthetically within the neighborhood. Fortunately, the opposite has proven true—ADUs can improve home values by as much as 35% in some areas.

Instead of restricting ADUs, a better idea is to improve zoning which limits the size (400 sq. ft. to 1,000 sq. ft.) and placement of units on a property. Other provisions can include design standards, minimum lot sizes, limits on the number of occupants, and off-street parking for vehicles.

 Prepare Your Outdoor Spaces for Fall and Winter

About the house...

Late October to mid-November is the perfect time to plant, weed, prune, and mulch, so your yard looks nicer and your plants will be protected during the winter.

  1. Trim trees of dead branches for your own and neighbors’ safety. November-March is an ideal time to prune trees to prevent branches from blowing against the house.
  2. Get rid of leggy shrubs and plant new ones. Plant new shade trees with leaves that change color.
  3. Clean out flower beds and re-mulch with a layer of “wood chips, tree bark, leaves or other organic material.”
  4. October-November is the ideal time to plant bulbs before the ground freezes. You can also plant pansies, ornamental kale, ornamental cabbage, and other cool-season annuals.
  5. Pull weeds from the lawn after a rain so they’ll be easier to pull out by the roots. They’ll be less likely to reappear in the spring.

20 things that don’t add to your property value

About the house..., Seller Information

Make your home as unique as you want it, but if you are considering selling in the not to far future or are already on your way to listing, staying away from these items might pay off when your offers start rolling in.

  1. DIY Home Improvements – while they may save you money, if not done professionally, it will be obvious to a prospective buyer, which might cost you in property value more than you invested in improvements.
  2. Garage Conversion – When it comes to home buying, buyers care about their garage space and size, you cutting into that with a garage conversion that might not match the rest of the house might be something to consider before taking the plunge.
  3. Solar Panels – If you decide to lease solar panels instead of buying, keep in mind, that future home buyers might not want to take on that responsibility.
  4. Quirky Wallpaper – it may look cute, and you might think it adds character but with quirky wallpaper, the odds of others not holding them as fondly as you do are very high. Consider investing in temporary wallpaper instead and removing it before selling if you have your heart set on it.
  5. Custom Luxury Upgrades– They may be just perfect for you, but that’s just the thing, they probably won’t be for others, and the more custom you go, the likelihood the cost will go up for replacing the upgrades. Make sure you think through these decisions.
  6. Wine Cellars– With so maybe individuals who don’t drink, or hate wine, or are simply committed beer drinkers, wine cellars take up a lot of square footage. They are expensive and difficult to renovate into a different space.
  7. Remodeled basements and attics –If you are looking to add on a bedroom, using this space, there is a lot to factor in. There are ceiling height, closet, and emergency exit requirements that can end up racking up quite a cost so if you are thinking of doing this make sure you do your research and the math beforehand.
  8. An oversized home addition –If you expand the home too far, it will start to look unplanned and not give the added appeal you may be thinking it will have.
  9. New windows – If these are old windows we’re talking about, then they may add to your property value, but you need to check your local market to see if houses with new windows are going off the market faster than ones that haven’t made the upgrade, especially with windows being such a large investment.
  10. Swimming pools – Swimming pools often scare aware new family buyers who have little ones around to worry about, while they may seem fun, keep in mind your target buyer before installing.
  11. Lavish lighting fixtures– These can go wrong in so many ways, they can go out of style fast, dates themselves and your home, and aggressively tell other people your style and how much it’s not theirs.
  12. Too much wallpaper – Once again, it’s hard to envision a space of your own, in a room with a distinct look because of the wallpaper. Solid color walls give homebuyers more room for imagination.
  13. Textures on the wall and ceiling– Textured walls can go in and out of style, people who want this in their home will make the investment to do it themselves but for others who don’t want them, they may be discouraged by the mess of having them removed.
  14. Overbuilding for the neighborhood – A house that doesn’t match the neighborhood, can stand out and make people feel it’s out of place.
  15. Inconsistent high-end upgrades – This creates more work for the buyers to make the home more cohesive and it can sometimes give the impression that your home upgrades weren’t thought out.
  16. Invisible improvements– If it’s not something you need to be done and not something homebuyers would see or ask about, it likely will be a good deed unrecognized, save your wallet the stress.
  17. Quirky tiling – It is pretty hard to work with tiling if it is already setting the tone of the room all on its own. Try picking tiling that can mess well with many different design tastes, homebuyers often are interested in ripping up and replacing tile right after purchase.
  18. Too much carpeting– Carpet can age fast, wear down and get messy. It may make sense in some rooms like the bedroom but with the market changing, committing to most of the rooms with carpet is a big no-no, especially in the bathroom! Not that we should have to say this.
  19. Bright or bold paint colors – If new buyers cannot imagine themselves in your home because you have left so many traces of your design style that they might not agree with, they are going to be less likely to see it as their dream home.
  20. Large Gardens – Gardens are amazing, but depending on the property price range, large gardens can be expensive and time-consuming to maintain, and not easy to get rid of if the new owners don’t share your green thumb.

How to Prevent Carbon MonoxidePoisoning in Your Home

About the house...

With fall and winter approaching, it’s essential to have your home’s heating systems inspected and serviced, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. A trained technician can check chimneys, central heat, gas heaters, heat pumps, electric heaters, and more to ensure they function properly and don’t produce dangerous carbon monoxide (CO). They can also install CO detectors throughout the house to ensure occupant safety.

Carbon monoxide is odorless and colorless, making it undetectable without alarms. CO poisoning symptoms can be mild or severe and are often mistaken for the flu. Low-level exposure can cause headaches, fatigue, shortness of breath, nausea, and dizziness. High-level exposure can lead to confusion, vomiting, loss of coordination, unconsciousness, and even death.

To prevent CO poisoning, the CPSC and Environmental Protection Agency recommend:

  • Installing interconnected CO alarms that all sound together.
  • Never using portable generators indoors; keep them at least 20 feet away from the home.
  • Not using cooking appliances for heat.
  • Opening the fireplace damper before and after use.
  • Avoiding barbeque grills in semi-enclosed spaces like garages.

How Can You Vet Contractors?

About the house...

When you choose to remodel your home, it’s crucial that you hire the right contractor for the job. You can get referrals from friends, family, or your Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices network professional. But there are other ways to get information so you can make the right choice.

It’s a good idea to interview at least three contractors, including your referrals. Depending on your state’s licensing rules, you should know the rules and regulations for licensing professionals. The purpose of licensing is to ensure that “the contractor meets the city’s, town’s, or state’s requirements for working on residential and commercial construction projects.” Not all states require contractors to be licensed, and some focus only on specialties such as plumbing, electrical and HVAC, which makes it harder to ascertain a contractor’s expertise.

Angi.com offers a convenient state-by-state list of contractor license requirements and a license check tool with “links to the regulatory agencies’ real-time license verification websites” so you can confirm the contractor’s status before you hire. Some states also provide certifications that show the contractor has completed educational and work requirements for their specialties. Some regulators require contractors to carry general contractor insurance, provide references, financial statements, and proof of registration.

Ask for references and to see a portfolio of completed jobs. The contractor should agree to provide a written, detailed contract outlining the work to be done, the costs for each step, quality of materials to be used, completion dates, payment and inspection schedules, warranties, and means of communicating.

Home and auto insurance coverage is steadily increasing

About the house..., Finance and Taxes

The severity and frequency of insurance claims, along with the cost of goods and services are why carriers are raising their base rates…and your coverage may not be keeping up with inflation. Rising replacement costs means that what used to be covered by your policy may no longer be sufficient.

Attached are two flyers from the Hanover Insurance Group that explain why rates are increasing and underwriting is tightening up.
Understanding Trends Impacting Homeowners Coverage

Why you may need more home and auto coverage.

Why You Should Test the Air Quality of Your Home

About the house...

If you’re wondering if those sniffles and low-grade headaches you or your family are experiencing could be due to air-borne allergens, you may be surprised to learn that there could be another cause. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 90% of our time is spent indoors, so breathing problems could be caused by poor air quality in your home. If you test the air quality in your home, you may get some surprising answers.

Purchase air quality sensors that test for the following:

  • Humidity: can increase the potential for mold and mildew growth.
  • Temperature: high temps can cause insufficient humidity and health risks.
  • Volatile organic compounds: chemical pollutants can come from building materials, carpet, and other installations.
  • Particulate matter: dust mites and other allergens are airborne.
  • Air quality index: this measurement is provided by the EPA for both indoor and outdoor air quality.

Air quality sensors test for toxins, harmful gases, and pollutants as well as specific problems such as carbon monoxide, a toxic gas. The sensors take in air, run algorithms to capture the number of particulates, store the data and prepare it for analysis and read out.

The EPA recommends that you monitor your health symptoms for a few weeks to identify improving or worsening symptoms. If you’re nauseous and confused, carbon monoxide may be present, while allergies tend to present with a scratchy throat or watery eyes. Lastly, buy a good air purifier to help remove particulate matter from the air.

Will Your HOA Allow Your Home Business?

About the house..., Buyer Information

Homeowners’ associations (HOAs) are formed by the owners of units within a community to manage, maintain and improve quality of life for residents and increase their property values. And there are four things all HOAs hate—strangers, traffic, safety issues, and anything that might cause declines in property values, such as home-based businesses.

Out of 32.5 million small businesses, about 19 million are home-based or began at home, according to The U.S. Small Business Association. Following the pandemic, many workers found that they want to be their own bosses, but this is a growing issue for HOAs that prohibit homeowners from using their properties for commercial purposes.

While it’s fine to have a home office business such as accounting or search engine optimization, your HOA won’t allow you to use your home for obvious commercial use such as manufacturing, storing large equipment, or making or receiving frequent deliveries. HOAs don’t want people coming and going to your house, or for trucks and cars to crowd the streets and parking spaces. It makes your neighbors feel put upon, inconvenienced, unsafe, and less confident in the security of their community.

As an existing homeowner, you should have a copy of your HOA’s governing documents and by-laws, covenants, conditions, and restrictions—so you can see where your HOA stands on the issue. If you’re considering choosing a home in an HOA-managed community, make certain you review the association documents as a condition of your inspection.