Nov 29, 2013 | Around The Home
When it’s cold outside, there’s nothing quite as cozy as curling up on the sofa with a good book in front of a roaring fire. A fireplace evokes the idea of a warm and pleasant atmosphere.
However, if it isn’t properly maintained, your living room could be filled with a cloud of soot, or worse, fire. A fireplace not only creates a snug setting, but most are actually functional and can help heat your home.
Harness their heat and generate the ambiance of a softly lit living space by following the tips below to ensure yours is properly maintained and working efficiently before the first cold spell hits.
Clean It Regularly
Have your chimney cleaned out twice a year. The recommended number varies depending on how often you use your hearth. However, you should have it cleaned every fall to ensure it’s properly vented so that smoke has a way to escape.
Also, you’ll want to make sure that no animals have made their home there over the summer.
Close The Damper
Make sure you close the damper when you’re not using the fireplace. You don’t want to make your furnace work overtime because warm air is sneaking up and out the chimney.
Install A Chimney Cap
If your home doesn’t have a chimney cap, then have one installed. These help to prevent snow, leaves, animals and other debris from falling down the chimney. Caps also help keep downdrafts from gusting into your living area.
Burn Firewood Only
A fireplace isn’t the spot to burn your broken chair or ex-girlfriends photos. Painted wood, plastic and other treated wood surfaces can release chemicals into the air of your home. Worse, they can coat the interior walls of your fireplace, so you continue breathe them in for the next couple of fires.
Mount Smoke Alarms
If you don’t already have them, mount smoke alarms near your hearth and in every bedroom. Consider installing combined carbon monoxide and smoke detectors if you have a home with a gas-burning fireplace.
Don’t use your fireplace without taking the right precautions. Get it cleaned, and if it’s your first use, then be sure to get it inspected beforehand. Make the hearth in your home the heart of your home by following the tips above to ensure it’s up to snuff this fall.
Nov 27, 2013 | Happy Thanksgiving
“There’s always something to be thankful for. If you can’t pay your bills, you can be thankful you’re not one of your creditors” – Author Unknown
With Thanksgiving being tomorrow, I find myself thinking about everything I have to be thankful for. For instance, I’ve been a real estate agent for some time, which is a position that I enjoy and love.
What Am I Grateful For?
I’m also grateful to be able to share the knowledge that I’ve learned throughout the years with my clients and those of you who read my blog. It’s a wonderful and rare thing to do something that you love for a living.
Most of us are so busy reaching our goals, making plans for the future, pushing and struggling to rise to wherever we feel our position in life should be, that we very rarely take the time to look back at where we started.
While it’s always a good idea to have goals, to visualize and work towards them, if you never take the time to appreciate what you’ve done then it becomes a constant, maddening race to the finish line. Intangible things, such as happiness and satisfaction, fall by the wayside, considered unimportant in the grand scheme of things.
What Do I Savor?
With Thanksgiving drawing closer, this real estate agent invites you to think about what you have to be thankful for. Whether big or small, you’ll find yourself savoring all the good things in your life.
So what are some of the things that you’re grateful for? It doesn’t have to be a big thing to be appreciated. Was the sky particularly beautiful today?
Maybe you caught the bus on time, or you’re throwing the family Thanksgiving dinner this year and everyone is coming. If it brightens your life, brings a smile to your face, lightens your mood or warms your heart, be thankful for the experience.
Enjoy each moment as if it were your last, sipping from the cup of gratitude and appreciation; you may find that your heart is constantly filled with happiness. Your trusted real estate professional invites you to make every day Thanksgiving Day.
Nov 26, 2013 | Housing Analysis
The National Association of REALTORS reported Monday that pending home sales dropped by -0.60 percent in October after falling at a revised rate of -4.60 percent in September. According to Lawrence Yun, chief economist for NAR, 17 percent of real estate agents reported delays in loan closings due to the government shutdown in early October.
Lenders were unable to verify borrower income through the IRS, which was closed during the shutdown. October was the fifth consecutive month with fewer pending home sales reported.
Homeowners who owe more on their mortgages than their homes are waiting to sell, and recent spikes in mortgage rates were cited as factors contributing to fewer pending sales.
Pending home sales are defined as homes for which signed purchase offers have been received and are considered an indicator of future home sales. The NAR notes that most pending sales close within 30 to 60 days of an offer being signed.
High Demand And Low Supply Of Homes Thwarts Buyers
Would-be homebuyers may be including their dream homes on their wish lists for the holidays as many areas continue to experience a short supply of homes against high demand. In desirable areas this can lead to bidding wars and homes being sold before they are listed for sale.
Cash buyers are benefitting from these situations, while first-time and moderate income buyers may be sidelined due to affordability issues and the inability to compete with cash buyers.
Mortgage rates fell last week and the previous week. While a recovering housing market has been causing home prices to rise, economists described current readings for pending sales as a “pause” in the housing market recovery and said that a significant decline in home sales could adversely impact overall economic recovery.
Regional Pending Sales Mixed
Pending sales for the Northeast and Midwestern regions increased slightly and declined in the South and West. This suggested to some economists and analysts that the formerly hot housing market is cooling off along with the weather. Some decline in home sales is expected during fall and winter months.
Sales Of Existing Homes Better Than Expected
October sales of existing homes surpassed expectations of 5.10 million sales with a reading of 5.12 million existing homes sold. Again, the government shutdown and related concerns of consumers and home builders were cited as reasons for sales falling shy of September’s reading of 5.29 million existing homes sold.
Nov 25, 2013 | Mortgage Rates
Last week’s scheduled economic news was varied, but mortgage rates fell and jobless claims were significantly lower than expected. The minutes for last month’s FOMC meeting were released, and confirmed the Federal Reserve’s intention to leave its quantitative easing program unchanged at least for the near term.
The National Association of Homebuilders Wells Fargo Housing Market Index for November indicated that builder confidence, while still positive, dipped by one point to a reading of 54 as compared to an anticipated reading of 55, and October’s revised reading of 54.
Retail Sales for October Rose By 0.4 Percent
NAHB noted that uncertainty over the federal budget and political gridlock may have kept builder and consumer confidence levels from achieving further gains in November.
The Consumer Price Index for October contracted by -0.10 percent against expectations of 0.00 percent growth and September’s reading of 0.20 percent growth. The Core CPI, which excludes volatile food and energy sectors, rose by 0.10 percent against expectations of 0.20 percent and was unchanged from September’s reading.
The National Association of REALTORS reported that Existing Home Sales for October were lower than for September’s reading of 5.29 million, but slightly exceeded the expected reading of 5.10 million. October’s reading came in at 5.12 million sales of existing homes.
Analysts attributed the lower reading to tight supplies of available homes in many areas and higher home prices and mortgage rates that impacted affordability.
The FOMC minutes indicated that the committee has ongoing concerns over national unemployment rate of 7.20 percent against the committee’s target unemployment rate of 6.50 percent.
Weekly Jobless Claims were notably lower at 323,000 new jobless claims as compared to the prior week’s reading of 344,000 new jobless claims. Analysts and investors had expected a reading of 334,000 new jobs. Analysts noted the Veterans Day holiday as a likely contributor to the lower reading for new jobless claims.
Freddie Mac provided good news in its weekly Primary Mortgage Market Survey; the average rate for a 30-year fixed rate mortgage fell from 4.35 percent to 4.22 percent with discount points unchanged at 0.70 percent. The rate for a 15-year mortgage fell from 3.35 percent to 3.27 percent with discount points unchanged at 0.70 percent.
The average rate for a 5/1 adjustable rate mortgage remained unchanged at 2.61 percent with discount points unchanged at 0.40 percent. This was encouraging news for home buyers and homeowners who have recently faced rising mortgage rates and home prices.
What’s Coming Up
This week’s schedule for economic reports includes several of interest to mortgage and housing professionals. Pending Home Sales will be out on Monday; Tuesday’s calendar is full with Housing Starts and Building Permits, the Case-Shiller Housing Market Index, the FHFA Home Price Index and the Consumer Confidence Index.
Wednesday’s news includes Weekly Jobless Claims, the University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index and Leading Economic Indicators. No economic news is scheduled for Thursday or Friday in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday.
Nov 22, 2013 | Around The Home
Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and if you’re opening your home for the family get together, that usually means you’ll be decorating.
If you’ve racked your mind for ideas and none sound just right, here are a few decorating ideas that might help you along your way.
Fall Leaves
Decorations don’t have to be expensive, just look outside the door of your home. Brightly colored fall leaves, either randomly placed on the table or bunched in small arrangements, can really brighten up a table.
Turkey Napkins
Folded turkey napkins is a simple way to spruce up your Thanksgiving table. Use linen napkins for a classy touch.
Thanksgiving Centerpiece
A cornucopia is a great idea for the centerpiece. Filled with leaves, small pumpkins and other fall foliage or fruits, cornucopias remind us to be thankful for nature’s bounty.
Candles
Candles can add a warm touch to any Thanksgiving dinner. The key for candle placement is to arrange them in places where a person’s breath won’t blow the flame out, generally between where people sit instead of in front of them.
Thanksgiving Wreaths
Thanksgiving wreaths can be fun to make, and a well-made wreath may even bring some surprising compliments. Tasteful and elegant at any time, wreaths made in fall colors are a beautiful addition to your decorations.
Thanksgiving Baskets
Thanksgiving baskets can be simple, inexpensive decorations for your home. Acorns or other nuts, mixed with fall leaves and a few flowers from your garden, will brighten up any room. Hang small baskets from wall hooks, or place larger baskets in corners.
No matter what Thanksgiving decorations you use, whether elegant or fun, hand-made or store-bought, the key is not to overdo it. Don’t let yourself get so caught up in making the decorations perfect that you forget to enjoy your friends, family and food.
May you have many things to be thankful for in the years to come. Happy Thanksgiving!
