Ugly Home Features Buyers Can’t Overlook

Ugly Home Features Buyers Can’t Overlook

Home shoppers can get hung up on cosmetic issues of a home, even though often times the problems are relatively inexpensive to fix.

“Cosmetic issues are a big problem for a lot of home buyers,” Linda Sanderfoot, a real estate professional with Coldwell Banker in Neenah, Wis., told realtor.com® in a recent article.

Buyers can easily get distracted by flaws or minor repairs, like the carpet or dated light fixtures. They may even let a sale fall apart because of it.

Realtor.com® recently featured several potential home features that may jeopardize a deal, but really shouldn’t.

Ugly kitchen cabinets

Sure, the average kitchen remodel could set you back up to $62,158, according to Remodeling magazine. But most kitchens don’t require a full renovation. “As long as the cabinets aren’t 20 or 30 years old, repainting and adding new handles is relatively cheap and can change the entire look of the room,” says Sanderfoot. Refinishing an existing cabinet will cost about $1,400 to $3,500, according to HomeAdvisor, a home services marketplace.

Wallpaper

Wallpaper covering the rooms may make some buyers want to run. But removing and hanging wallpaper is a relatively easy DIY job. Or, hiring a contractor for professional wallpaper installation costs about $500 per room, according to HomeAdvisor.

Tacky paint colors

Bubble-gum pink, anyone? Try to help buyers overlook distracting colorful walls. Have them imagine it painted a color to make the room even look larger, like gray or a cool blue. After all, paint tends to be an easy fix, either as a do-it-yourself job or done professionally. Professional painters typically cost from $380 to $790 for a 120-square foot room.

Carpet

“Buyers always focus on old or dirty carpeting,” says Sanderfoot. But a good cleaning can bring new life to worn carpet. Shampoo vacuums cost $90 to $200, a professional-grade carpet cleaner can cost $400, or you can rent one from a hardware store for about $25 to $30 per day. Professional carpet cleaning companies tend to charge a minimum of $75 to $109, according to CostHelper.com. For home purchasers who just can’t get past the carpet, they may want to budget for installing new carpet at about $2 to $5 per square foot for middle-grade carpet material, according to HomeAdvisor (often 1,200 square foot of new carpet will cost about $2,400 to $6,000).

Source: “6 Off-Putting Home Features That Shouldn’t Be Deal Breakers,” realtor.com® (Aug. 3, 2017)

Quick Fixes Sellers Should Avoid

Quick Fixes Sellers Should Avoid

It’s often a mad dash when sellers are working to get their home on the market or even to just clean up ahead of a showing. But some common cleanup tools can actually do more damage than many people realize. HouseLogic identified a few common products that can create big problems, so you can be the expert your clients need and help them protect their investments.

1. Bleach is a common cure-all, but this caustic chemical can eat through the sealant on stone surfaces, discolor laminate and grout, fade enamel and acrylic tubs, dissolve linoleum, and corrode seals in a garbage disposal. While it does kill mold on nonporous surfaces, it can create a future feeding ground for mold on absorbent and porous materials, such as grout. Instead, advise clients to use water and vinegar or a commercial antifungal product for major cleanup jobs.
2. It may seem obvious to note that glass cleaner is for glass, but many home owners use it for a multitude of surfaces. This can lead to what’s known as “black edge” on mirrors, where the liquid seeps beneath the reflective backing and lifts it. Instead, a lint-free microfiber cloth dampened with warm water does wonders to clean and protect mirrors in expensive installed items such as vanities and closet doors, as long as homeowners avoid the edges and dry immediately with a second cloth.
3. Mulch offers a simple alternative to weeding, but it’s easy to overdo it. A layer thicker than three inches can suffocate plants and prevent water from reaching roots, so encourage homeowners to spread thoughtfully.
4. Slow drains are an annoyance, but a busted pipe could derail your sale. Caution sellers against using drain cleaners that contain hydrochloric acid and sulfuric acid, which can erode plumbing. Even the old baking soda-and-vinegar medley can create cracks, as the chemical reaction causes a build-up of pressure. Old-fashioned “mechanical” methods—plungers, drain snakes, or a handy $2 gadget called the Zip-It—are safer and more effective, according to Consumer Reports.

Source: “You Could Be Wrecking Your Home — And Not Know It (Yet),” HouseLogic

5 Questions to Ask a Home Inspector

5 Questions to Ask a Home Inspector

Home buyers would be wise to interview a home inspector before they hire one. But what should they ask? Here are a few questions to consider.

1. What do you check?

A home inspector will look at everything from the roof to the foundation and in between, Frank Lesh, executive director of the American Society of Home Inspectors, told realtor.com®. But they are restricted to visual, general inspections. A specialist may be needed for further investigation on some items. Buyers will want to get a clear understanding of what the inspector will and will not be checking. For example, will they scrutinize the inside of the fireplace or the well and septic systems?

2. What do you charge for an inspection?

Home inspections typically cost between $300 to $600. That will depend on the size of the house and the market area, however. Lesh cautions buyers about choosing an inspector based on a low price alone. “That’s often a sign they’re having trouble getting customers,” he says.

3. How many inspections have you done?

You can’t discount a home inspector just because they’re new on the job. That doesn’t mean lower quality. But experience is also important, especially if your home is an older one or something with unusual home features, realtor.com® notes.

4. Can I come along during the inspection?

Inspectors should want you present during the inspection. They’ll be able to explain the home’s system and how it works. The opportunity also gives you the chance to ask questions and get clarifications. A red flag would be a home inspector who asks you not to join him or her.

5. Can I view a sample report?

You may find it helpful to see an inspection report of someone else’s home inspection. While every home has problems, many aren’t a big enough deal to jeopardize a sale. A sample report may help prevent you from panicking if you see something come up on your report and also give you more of a feel for the information you’ll be receiving from your inspector.

Source: “7 Questions to Ask a Home Inspector Before Your Home Inspection Even Begins,” realtor.com® (Aug. 1, 2017)

Top school districts in Pennsylvania

Top school districts in Pennsylvania

When a family starts searching for a home, especially a family with younger children, it’s very important to find one in a community with a top school district.  Why is this important, well we as parents all want our children to be better off than us, just like our parents and their parents before them.  Schooling is a major factor in a child’s success rate as an adult.  So, if you’re a new parent or a parent of school age children one of the number one things you should be looking for in a home is one in the top school districts in Pennsylvania.

Here is a listing of the Top school districts in Pennsylvania 2017:

• • #1

    Julia R. Masterman Secondary School

    1699 Spring Garden St, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19130
    #2

    New Hope-Solebury High School

    182 W Bridge St, New Hope, Pennsylvania 18938
    #3

    Conestoga High School

    200 Irish Rd, Berwyn, Pennsylvania 19312
    #4

    Northwest Pennsylvania Collegiate Academy

    2825 State St, Erie, Pennsylvania 16508
    #5

    Unionville High School

    750 Unionville Road, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania 19348
    #6

    Radnor High School

    130 King Of Prussia Rd, Radnor, Pennsylvania 19087
    #7

    Pine-Richland High School

    700 Warrendale Rd, Gibsonia, Pennsylvania 15044
    #8

    Strath Haven High School

    205 S Providence Rd, Wallingford, Pennsylvania 19086
    #9

    Lower Moreland High School

    555 Red Lion Rd, Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania 19006
    #10
    Great Valley High School
    225 North Phoenixville Pike, Malvern, Pennsylvania 19355

There are many other school districts in PA that will make great places for your children to grow and learn, these are just a few of the top ones.  Once you find a few schools you like, then you need to weigh in other factors like, affordability, taxes and even commutes.  But in our opinion these would be secondary to the education of your kids.

Home ownership Rate Rebounds from 50-Year Low

Home ownership Rate Rebounds from 50-Year Low

The U.S. home ownership rate may have finally bottomed out, as the share of Americans who own homes is steadily climbing. The ownership rate posted an increase in the second quarter, reversing a sharp downward trend that begun in the Great Recession.

The home ownership rate was 63.7 percent in the second quarter, the U.S. Census Bureau reported Thursday. That marks nearly a full percentage point increase from a year ago.

Last year, the home ownership rate had plunged to a 50-year low of 62.9 percent.

“The addition of 1.2 million households being homeowners is clearly good news, as more households are participating in housing equity gains,” says Lawrence Yun, chief economist for the National Association of REALTORS®. “But let’s keep it in perspective: There are fewer homeowners today compared to a decade ago, while renter households have risen by 8 million. So it is still the case that the massive $7 trillion in housing wealth gains from the cyclical low point has been accumulated by a fewer number of families in America. Further advances in home ownership are required to strengthen and broaden the middle class.”

Source: “Home ownership Rate Jumps From 50-Year Low,” The Wall Street Journal (July 27, 2017) and National Association of REALTORS®

Poverty Rates Rising in Suburbs

Poverty Rates Rising in Suburbs

Poverty is increasingly striking the nation’s suburbs and exurbs (farther out suburbs on the edges of metros). High-poverty neighborhoods have risen 76 percent in the suburbs and 123 percent in the exurbs from 2000 to 2015, according to an analysis from Apartment List, which culled data from a recent report out of Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies. A high-poverty neighborhood is an area with a poverty rate that is 20 percent or higher.

“It’s gotten too expensive to live in the core cities, so people are moving out to the suburbs,” says Andrew Woo, Apartment List’s director of data science. “Poverty is spreading and concentrating in high-poverty neighborhoods. … It causes property values to fall. It tends to shift [communities] more from ownership to rentals.”

The number of people who are living under the federal poverty line jumped 41 percent from 2000 to 2015, according to the JCHS report.

The nation’s poorest people are being pushed outside of expense-ridden cities and are seeking more affordable housing in the suburbs. The Rust Belt and the Southeast are seeing the largest jump in the number of poor neighborhoods, according to the study.

“The South and the Rust Belt have seen pretty anemic wage growth over the past 15 years” as multiple manufacturing jobs have been moved overseas, says Woo. “In the coastal cities, like New York and San Francisco, residents face increasing housing costs but … they have stronger job markets with better-paying jobs.”

Source: “Suburban Poverty Is Growing — and It’s Affecting Housing Markets,” realtor.com(R) (July 19, 2017)