Kathryn Jean Keller

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Tips For Deciding The Value Of A Home

August 21, 2020 by Kathryn Jean Keller

Tips For Deciding The Value Of A HomeHomes are more than just a building. They are filled with memories of children taking their first steps, holidays that were celebrated with family members and friends, and Super Bowl parties filled with smiles and cheers.

These memories are priceless; however, people cannot let emotions cloud their judgment when they are trying to sell a house. Instead, it is important to focus on the building. There are a few tips that everyone should follow as they try to figure out how much their home is worth.

Be Reasonable

The first tip is not to price a home too high out of the gate. While it is tempting to start high and reduce when necessary, the reality is that a price that is too high is going to scare off potential offers. It is better to start with a reasonable price that will get people interested. Then, if the offers start to pour in, there is a bidding war. The price will naturally take care of itself.

Upgrades Don’t Always Lead To A Higher Price

It is tempting to follow in the footsteps of TV shows and pour money into renovations that might lead to a large return on investment. The sad fact is that this is not always the case. Even though the homeowners might love the renovation, this doesn’t mean that a potential buyer will. Do not renovate purely to raise the value of a home. Upgrades can go out of style just as quickly as they came in.

Don’t Price Out Of Necessity

Never price a home based on a dollar amount that has to be reached. It is always better to price a home relative to what the market indicates. Nobody is going to make an offer on an overpriced home purely because that is how much money the seller needs to make.

Leave Emotions At The Door

Finally, do not price a home based on emotions. Yes, a home is a special place; however, remember that the home is on the market, not the memories. Instead, always price a home based on what the comparables are showing. This will lead to a smoother selling process, a higher price, and a bigger return on the initial investment.

Mortgage Tips, Real Estate Tagged: Home Value, Mortgage Tips, Pricing Your Home

Home Renovations Are On The Rise

June 18, 2020 by Kathryn Jean Keller

Home Renovations Are On The RiseMillennials are among the most common demographic buying homes today. According to numerous reports that have been published, many homeowners are planning on conducting a home improvement project this year. In large part, this is due to millennials wanting to improve their homes.

Furthermore, home improvement projects may have bigger budgets this year when compared to prior years. It will be interesting to see what kind of home improvement projects unfold this coming year.

Types Of Home Improvement Projects

There are numerous renovation projects that homeowners are going to undertake this year. The most common are outdoor remodels. Many homeowners want to produce encompassing decks, providing a larger space for people to get together and hang out.

In addition to decks, people are looking to add patios as well. Patios can be made from a variety of materials; however, stone is becoming more popular. Homeowners are thinking about adding outdoor kitchens as well.

The most popular indoor renovation project involves the bathroom. People are starting to realize just how much time they spend in the bathroom. With new trends unfolding in terms of baths, showers, and toilets, many homeowners are looking to make an upgrade.

Finally, kitchen renovations are going to be popular as well. This comes as part of a push to generate an open concept among the kitchen, living, and dining areas. With new appliances coming out, there are plenty of opportunities for kitchen upgrades as well.

Reasons For Home Improvement Projects

Many experts are wondering why these home improvement projects are taking place now. The biggest reason is that homeowners are worried about the impression their house would make on their guests. Many homeowners are indicating that they have been planning these projects for a while; however, they haven’t had the time or money to carry out this project until now.

More Home Improvement Projects Are Coming This Year

With more people looking to carry out home improvement projects, expect to see a major jump in home values. Many homeowners enjoy a significant return on the investment they make in home improvement projects. This means that the value of their house may see a jump once the project is finished.  

Real Estate Tagged: Construction Loan, Home Improvement, Renovation

Low Maintenance Landscaping To Improve Curb Appeal

May 22, 2020 by Kathryn Jean Keller

Low Maintenance Landscaping To Improve Curb AppealAttractive landscaping is one of the first things that potential home buyers notice. They may see the landscaping in the photos of a home for sale or may even do a physical drive-by. The view of the property from the street is called “curb appeal.” It is important to make this be as nice as possible.

In many parts of the country, there are pressures on the water supply that make having a lush-green, living lawn very costly or even prohibited by the local regulations. Innovative technology and the use of natural ground covers, such as stone and rocks are replacing the green lawns that most people think of when considering landscaping a home properly.

Here is a guide to some landscaping that is attractive and worth considering to make a home look spectacular and require little maintenance:

Artificial Turf

Artificial turf has improved dramatically over the past few years. There is no longer the need to use the obvious green plastic covering of cheap fake grass. The newest artificial turf products look so much like real grass that it is nearly impossible to tell that they are not real. They can be installed over drainage rock and washed down with water like real grass.

Decorative Concrete

Molded concrete is now available in so many surface treatments, textures, and colors that it can represent almost any popular covering. For example, a nice European-style, cobbled-stone, street look is a popular choice for driveways and walkways. It is made out of molded, colored concrete, not stone, and installs easily.

Rock And Stone

Replacing areas of grass in the front yard with decorative rock and stone makes a nice look. It is better not to use wide swathes of this ground covering in big blocks. Instead, for a better aesthetic appeal, use natural rock and stone to create unique, eye-catching areas. For example, surrounding a wishing well with a nice circular area of rock pebbles creates a nice look.

Artificial Trees And Bushes

Advancements in the manufacturing of artificial bushes and trees developed very convincing products that are durable enough for exterior installation. Some best looking ones are the evergreen bushes.

They come in perfect heights of various sizes. They never need watering or trimming to make them look attractive. The only maintenance that they need is the occasional spray washing to remove dust and things that might fall on them like leaves from neighbor?s trees.

There are many to choose from. The modest-sized bushes are very inexpensive and usually less than $50 each. At the other end of the spectrum, are the exotic 11-feet tall artificial cheery trees that have built-in LED illumination. These are very dramatic and cost many thousands.

Summary

With these interesting ideas to consider, take a look at landscaping in a new way. Even though artificial landscaping requires an upfront investment, it can last for many years and may reduce overall maintenance costs significantly. If you ever want to sell the home, there will be much less landscaping needed to get it ready for sale.

Real Estate Tagged: Home Improvement, Landscaping, Real Estate

How Will Coronavirus Impact Our Real Estate Economy?

May 20, 2020 by Kathryn Jean Keller

How Will Coronavirus Impact The Real Estate IndustryWithout a doubt, the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic has impacted every part of the economy. This is a dangerous virus and has left many parts of the country on lockdown orders to prevent it from spreading rapidly. The question many people are asking is how much the real estate is going to be impacted by the virus as well.

People Are Not Looking For Houses

One of the biggest impacts of coronavirus is that some people simply aren’t out looking for houses. Stay at home orders and social distancing measures have prevented people from touring homes that they may be interested in buying and sellers postponing the listing of their home for sale.

In some parts of the country, the new listings available for homes have dropped drastically. This includes areas of the country that have been hit the hardest by the virus such as New York and California. Even web traffic to various real estate sites such as Zillow has dropped as well. Without a doubt, the rate of weekly mortgage applications has been impacted as well.

The Impact Of International Trade

In addition, for those who want to move, they might find a slowdown in international shipping and trade challenging. Many of the items that people need to furnish a home such as couches, tables, stoves, washers, dryers, ovens, and more are made overseas. Many home building materials are also manufactured and shipped from abroad. This creates a challenge for home builders and remodelers to effectively source the materials they need. It may take some time for the supply chain to reset and catch up with pent up demand.

The Response Of The Federal Government

Right now, those who currently own homes can find some relief from monthly mortgage payments if they are struggling financially. The government has put a moratorium in place on foreclosures. They have also told mortgage servicers to offer forebearance options for many mortgages.  While these grace measures will expire eventually, they may be helpful for the time being.

Looking Forward

The impact of COVID-19 on the nation’s real estate market is already apparent; however, the real question is how long the market is going to take to recover. The most recent report from National Association of Realtors states that 2020 is forecast for a 15% overall decline in the real estate industry. Many analysts believe that the real estate industry will be one of the fastest segments to recover across the country. Once the market does open up, the demand should increase quickly.  

Real Estate Tagged: COVID19, Economy, Pandemic

3 Ways To Make Your Home Safer

May 19, 2020 by Kathryn Jean Keller

3 Ways To Make Your Home SaferIn the wake of the recent news reports, you might be looking for ways to make your home safer. Some of the most common accidents and events that take place in homes include poisoning events, falls, and even burglaries. The good news is that there are ways to improve the safety of your home. You might even be rewarded with a lower home insurance premium!

Invest In An Alarm System

It is not easy to figure out exactly how many burglaries are prevented every year by having an alarm system; however, even having a sign in the front yard could be enough to scare off potential intruders. If you are looking for a quick and easy way to make your home safer, invest in a home alarm system. 

The price of a home alarm system from vary from provider to provider. Homeowners can tailor their security services to meet their needs. This is a great way to keep burglars at bay.

Purchase A Video Doorbell System

There has even been a rise in the frequency of porch pirates, or those who steal the packages of others from their front door! If you are someone who buys a lot of stuff online, then you should get a video doorbell to watch your packages when they get dropped off.

Furthermore, you can even use this video doorbell system to see who ringing your doorbell when you aren’t home. In some cases, you can even communicate with them, providing them instructions, or asking them to leave when necessary.

Buy Automatic Outdoor Lighting Systems

Lights are often enough to scare people away. There are plenty of motion sensor lights that you can purchase for your driveway, porch, and front door. These lights can even be set to turn off when the sun comes up to save energy. 

Keep Your Home Safe

These are a few of the easiest ways that you can make your home safer. If you take steps to keep burglars at bay, not only will you protect your home but you might even save some money on home insurance! 

Real Estate Tagged: Home Improvement, Home Safety, Real Estate

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