Other than vacations, summer is the time of the year most popular for home improvement. The long days and warm, sunny weather make a great time to work on repairs and renovations without much of the hassles and delays that rain and other elements bring.
Following are tips and projects—both large and small—for homeowners looking to spruce their homes up this summer.
Patios and Decks
What better way to enjoy the warm days than by creating an outdoor living space for the family to enjoy.
Decks and patios are among the most popular summer remodeling ideas. There are various factors to take into consideration when deciding on whether a patio or deck is the most appropriate project to undertake. Such factors include soil condition and consistency, site terrain, use, capacity and privacy, as well as the cost and maintenance you are willing to put up with.
Home Maintenance
Throughout the seasons, your home has taken good care of you and your family and now is the best time to give back.
Go through your property to evaluate and create a checklist on areas that need mending or replacement. This list is a crucial preparation before calling a contractor or handyman for maintenance/repair services. Some common maintenance and repair include:
•Waterproofing the basement
•Re-caulking and replacing weather-striping
•Cleaning and sealing wooden decks
•Trimming bushes and trees
•Realigning downspouts and gutters
•Repairing the roof
•Cleaning the pool
•Mending the fence
•Sealing cracks along driveways, foundation, walkways, etc.
•Maintenance of HVAC systems
Energy-Efficient Renovation
When it comes to summer remodeling, there's no better way to invest your hard-earned dollars than by making your home energy efficient. An energy-efficient summer remodel is truly a worthwhile endeavor as it will result in years of savings on your energy bills. Some of the common items you can buy and integrate into your energy-efficient renovation include:
•Insulation systems and materials
•Roofs that resist heat gain
•Biomass-burning stoves
•Energy-efficient windows
•HVAC systems with the highest efficiency tier
•Solar panels
•Fuel cells
•Geothermal heat pumps
•Wind energy systems
Taking on one (or more!) of these projects is a great way to give back to your home this summer…and, in some cases, save you a bit of money, too.
Call me if you need any references to professionals that can help!
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Friday, August 6, 2010
Short Sale and Foreclosure Insights
Fannie Mae has just released a website to provide help for homeowners who are struggling to stay in their homes. Check out www.knowyouroptions.com
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
What Matters Most in 2010?
This is a tough question to answer, isn’t it? I am sure if I asked you what mattered most to you in your life, you would be able to tell me very quickly. But, if I watched you throughout your days, weeks, months, would the way you prioritize your time truly reflect what matter’s most to you?
If you are like most people (including me) , there is so much competing for our attention that it is easy to get caught up in the “tyranny of the urgent” putting out fires and rushing from thing to thing. Then we are left with a feeling of disappointment or emptiness because we haven’t truly focused on our heart’s priorities.
I’d like to share a few ideas for helping you find your way to What Matter’s Most.
1 – Make a list of all the areas of your life: Family, Personal, Spiritual, Physical Health, Career, – general categories will do just fine.
2 – Write down one single personal, heartfelt priority in that area for you. For example, under Family, your singular priority may be to be to have a happy, cheerful home. A Physical Health priority might be to exercise in some form or fashion three times a week. Yes I know there’s lots to choose from, but for the purpose of this exercise, choose the one priority to speaks to your heart.
3 – Have your list of priorities? Great! Now for the next week, every time a choice must be made about how you spend your time, I want you to consult this list. If it does not fit under one of your priorities, I want you to take a minute to evaluate it. If you feel compelled to do it, are you willing to forfeit another priority on your list in order to do it? So often we “think” something is a necessity when it really isn’t.
4 – Now that you’ve developed a more conscious attitude toward your time commitments and how they reflect your priorities, use this new found knowledge to help you get to What Matters Most and leave the Urgent But Unimportant behind.
This is not a foolproof exercise. Really it is just a way to help you make choices (one of my favorite words!) about what matters most to you. It is also a way to help you become more conscious about how you spend your time. If you find that the way you spend your time is in conflict with what really matters to you then you have some decisions to make. You can either change what matters to you or change how you spend your time. That sounds simple I know, but those are really the only available options.
When I do this exercise – and I do it fairly regularly – I often find that what I am devoting the lion’s share of my time to has nothing at all to do with what matters to my heart. Then I face to challenging but doable task of re-aligning my time with my values. Sometimes the choices are difficult, but the reward is a happy spirit and a fulfilled heart. And that is what makes this life worth living!
If you are like most people (including me) , there is so much competing for our attention that it is easy to get caught up in the “tyranny of the urgent” putting out fires and rushing from thing to thing. Then we are left with a feeling of disappointment or emptiness because we haven’t truly focused on our heart’s priorities.
I’d like to share a few ideas for helping you find your way to What Matter’s Most.
1 – Make a list of all the areas of your life: Family, Personal, Spiritual, Physical Health, Career, – general categories will do just fine.
2 – Write down one single personal, heartfelt priority in that area for you. For example, under Family, your singular priority may be to be to have a happy, cheerful home. A Physical Health priority might be to exercise in some form or fashion three times a week. Yes I know there’s lots to choose from, but for the purpose of this exercise, choose the one priority to speaks to your heart.
3 – Have your list of priorities? Great! Now for the next week, every time a choice must be made about how you spend your time, I want you to consult this list. If it does not fit under one of your priorities, I want you to take a minute to evaluate it. If you feel compelled to do it, are you willing to forfeit another priority on your list in order to do it? So often we “think” something is a necessity when it really isn’t.
4 – Now that you’ve developed a more conscious attitude toward your time commitments and how they reflect your priorities, use this new found knowledge to help you get to What Matters Most and leave the Urgent But Unimportant behind.
This is not a foolproof exercise. Really it is just a way to help you make choices (one of my favorite words!) about what matters most to you. It is also a way to help you become more conscious about how you spend your time. If you find that the way you spend your time is in conflict with what really matters to you then you have some decisions to make. You can either change what matters to you or change how you spend your time. That sounds simple I know, but those are really the only available options.
When I do this exercise – and I do it fairly regularly – I often find that what I am devoting the lion’s share of my time to has nothing at all to do with what matters to my heart. Then I face to challenging but doable task of re-aligning my time with my values. Sometimes the choices are difficult, but the reward is a happy spirit and a fulfilled heart. And that is what makes this life worth living!
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Monday, May 17, 2010
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Q&A: Can You Get a Loan Today?
QUESTION: Changes in the housing and mortgage industries have prompted many people to wonder: "Can I get a loan today?"
ANSWER: The answer is simple: Yes!
Despite the negative headlines over the past year, there's actually plenty of money available for loans. In fact, reports indicate that over $2.7 Trillion in loans were originated in 2009. That's over $1 Trillion more than 2008.
However, mortgages must make sense in today's terms - not the looser standards permitted by lenders a few years ago.
What does this mean to borrowers today?
Lenders have returned to a pre-2000 mindset - a kind of "common-sense lending" that seeks long-term success versus short-term profits. That means lenders need documented evidence that a borrower is creditworthy and is likely to repay the loan. This creditworthiness is based on the four tenets of lending: the borrower's ability to pay, willingness to pay, equity in the transaction, and the property itself.
With interest rates still near all-time lows and home prices at extremely affordable, low levels, it's worth the time and effort to find out if you can benefit from common-sense lending in today's real estate market.
ANSWER: The answer is simple: Yes!
Despite the negative headlines over the past year, there's actually plenty of money available for loans. In fact, reports indicate that over $2.7 Trillion in loans were originated in 2009. That's over $1 Trillion more than 2008.
However, mortgages must make sense in today's terms - not the looser standards permitted by lenders a few years ago.
What does this mean to borrowers today?
Lenders have returned to a pre-2000 mindset - a kind of "common-sense lending" that seeks long-term success versus short-term profits. That means lenders need documented evidence that a borrower is creditworthy and is likely to repay the loan. This creditworthiness is based on the four tenets of lending: the borrower's ability to pay, willingness to pay, equity in the transaction, and the property itself.
With interest rates still near all-time lows and home prices at extremely affordable, low levels, it's worth the time and effort to find out if you can benefit from common-sense lending in today's real estate market.
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