Archive for the 'Home Improvement & Design' Category
Electric Lawn Mowers - Green but Grievous
June 1st, 2009 categories: Home Improvement & Design
[caption id="attachment_2061" align="alignleft" width="124" caption="Green Lawn Mower"]
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BRYAN, TX -- The Texas Municipal Power Agency encourages homeowners to use electric lawn mowers rather than gas to promote cleaner air. They are offering vouchers worth $150 toward the purchase of an electric-powered machine, corded or cordless.
You're thinking, I gotta push this reel mower or work my way around power cords? That's a big sacrifice for clean air. Well, Black and Decker does have a handy 24V battery mower but it will only cut up to 1/3 of an acre at a time. Then there's a solar powered cordless from Solaris - that sounds neat.
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What’s Your Appraisal Worth?
December 10th, 2008 categories: Buying Real Estate, Home Improvement & Design, Investment Property, Land & Rural, Market Trends, Mortgage Help, Real Estate News, Selling Real Estate
Bryan, TX -- In a slower real estate season, what good is your appraisal? Verdad Valuation Services owner [caption id="attachment_1844" align="alignright" width="174" caption="Kelly Seaton"]
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Kelly Seaton says plenty. It's still a reliable tool to know when a buyer presents the seller with a low-ball offer or when it's a good deal.
"In June and July when business is booming, sales data was plentiful. Last months sales were a good indicator of a property's present value," Seaton said. "When there is a sudden shift in market, this is not necessarily the case. More research needs to done to quantify the stability of an area's market."
Who should use an appraiser? Usually, Verdad Valuation sees banks and lenders as their client. Seaton also sees home owners as clients, who just want to get an idea of value on their home pre-sales, before they even become a seller. Or an independent FSBO may try to protect himself from a bad deal, seeking the opinion of an independent third party.
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How to get rid of PMI - Part One
December 2nd, 2008 categories: Buying Real Estate, Foreclosures, Home Improvement & Design, Real Estate News, Selling Real Estate
No I didn't say PMS. If I knew that, then I'd be a millionaire. PMI - your Private Mortgage Insurance protects your lender in case if a borrower defaults on the loan, and the value of the home is lower than the loan balance. [caption id="attachment_1879" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Home Equity and PMI"]
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PMI has been a large money-maker for the mortgage lenders. The amount of the insurance (usually $40/month for a $100k home) is commonly rolled into the mortgage payment. Given the size of the overall note payment, this additional fee is often overlooked. Homeowners continue to pay the PMI even after their loan balance has dropped below the original 80% threshold. This occurs naturally, of course, as the home owner pays down the principal on the loan. On a typical 30-year loan, however, it can take many years to reach that point.
Lenders were under no obligation to tell home owners when they had reached a point where the PMI can be dropped. That all changed back in 1999 when the Homeowners Protection Act took effect. In most cases, this law now
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Pre-Sales Appraisal Services
November 5th, 2008 categories: Home Improvement & Design, Investment Property, Selling Real Estate
Bryan, TX -- Looking for a second opinion on your home's value? Enlist the services of an objective, third party Appraiser. You will receive an accurate description of your home's features and a detailed analysis of the most recent and similar "comparable sales". [caption id="attachment_1872" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Appraisals from Seaton"]
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"Having a recent appraisal of your home can be very useful at the negotiating table," said Kelly Seaton, owner of Verdad Valuation Services. When interested parties see an appraisal, an inspection, a survey, or a map of the home, these serve as additional tools that cut down on the time it takes to close.
Seaton says Verdad Valuation can complete a residential appraisal in as little as one day if necessary, where a narrative appraisal for a rural property could take one week. It all depends on how much sales data is available and how much time is necessary to adequately research the survey, title, and sales of comparable properties.
In addition to answering questions like "how much is my house worth", Seaton suggests a few other things to consider prior to listing your home. Certain upgrades
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Sprinkler System Required in a New Texas House? WHAT????
October 24th, 2008 categories: Home Improvement & Design
DId you know that we have a new International Residential Code (minimum standard for the building code followed in Texas) is going to require fire sprinklers in single and two family homes and townhomes for homes built after January 1, 2011?
When I first read this I thought they were referring to the sprinkler systems in the yard - NO WAY! This is talking about the INTERIOR of homes!
What did the National Association of Homebuilders (NAH) think? They were not in favor of the mandate. NAH said the additional cost and maintenance was not justified. Habitat for Humanity agreed! It is too costly!
The National Fire Protection Association sponsored a study and reported this will increase costs from $.38 to $3.66 per square foot - averaging out at $1.61 per square foot increase. There may be some insurance discounts but not enough to cover the expense -
About the only good thing is that it is not retroactive!
Susan Hilton - Realtor & Sales Trainer for Century 21 Beal
Want to Search the Bryan/College
| Discussion: Your Comments Please » October 3rd, 2008 categories: Community Events, Home Improvement & Design, Pebble Creek, The Realtor's Life Thursday, September 25, a benefit was held at 5203 Whistling Straits in support of the Hurricane Ike relief efforts. Many local firms were willing to donate items to the silent auction, and all proceeds from the auction went to the Brazos Valley Food Bank, who helped to get the money into the right hands. Some of the items donated were: An area rug from Aggieland Carpets, several pieces of artwork by Aggie artist Benjamin Knox, a bottle of wine from JJ Ruffino, a $100 gift card to The Republic from Wade Barkman, Kohler bath hardware, a prep sink and a lavatory sink all from Moore Supply, a lamp from Susan Tremont, an under-counter refrigerator from Factory Building Stores, a framed picture from Myra's Gallery and Custom Framing, a painting kit from Monarch, and French doors from Grand Door Co. to be stained by Rob Crowley. Hors d'oeuvres were provided by The Republic and prepared on location by chef Brian Light. There was also a bar set up in the outdoor kitchen serving drinks all night. Procedes from the bar also went to the Hurricane Ike Relief fund.
Whistling Straits Party Benefits Brazos Valley Food Bank and Hurricane Ike Relief Efforts
