BlogEasy Real Estate

Have you ever thought of turning your Location home into a money-making asset? If thoughts of starting a home-based business, or taking out a reverse mortgage spring to mind, think again.

In warmer parts of the country, folks are offering their comfortable homes and nice back yards to professionals who need space for such things as gardening workshops, music lessons for children, or yoga classes. If the home boasts a pool that hasn’t heard the sound of laughing children at play for quite some time, it can become the perfect spot for swimming lessons.

Some empty-nesters whose families have grown up and moved out, like the thought of turning their lawns, tennis courts, and patios into assets. They may look to such arrangements as an unusual source of income or simply ways to make new friends. In some cases free massages or vegetables will be payment enough.

These entrepreneurial arrangements must be based on patience and honesty, so that misunderstandings are averted. Location homeowners need to be comfortable with the thought of strangers tramping about their property, and service providers need to be guaranteed a quiet space for their students and clients.

All in all, it’s a creative idea that is catching on. While homes in the north, where pools and patios are shut down for the winter, can enjoy only seasonal use, there is no problem offering violin lessons, spa services, or house plant care. Then again, why not make use of that beautiful white vista you see through the window, and offer courses in advanced snowman construction?

blogeasy :: Aug.18.2010 :: Uncategorized :: No Comments »

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When you’re installing a dimmer switch in your location home here are some useful tips to make the job easier. When you have decided which rooms would benefit from variable lighting, then gather up a few things such as wire nuts, screwdriver, and wire stripper, and get to work.

Imagine how surprised your family will be when they discover that they can lower the living room lights on movie night, or illuminate that important science project they have spread out on the kitchen counter. By watching this very informative video, you will become an expert in no time.

blogeasy :: Aug.16.2010 :: home improvements :: No Comments »

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If you have an asphalt driveway in your Local Town home, it will probably develop cracks. Tim Carter from AskTheBuilder.com demonstrates how to fill a cracked blacktop surface. He fills the crack with an asphalt compound using a caulking gun..

Some things he points out:

- Make sure the asphalt is not wet
- Brush out the crack so there are no loose bits of debris
- To use this method the crack should not be too large
- The caulking compound is easier to work with when the weather is not too cool
- Do not overfill the crack otherwise you will have a mess

Notice that he recommends using bits of asphalt debris from the driveway itself to help fill larger spots in the crack and make the compound work better.

He also suggests you find some asphalt debris found beside the driveway and sprinkle it over the compound so it looks more like the rest of the driveway.

blogeasy :: May.04.2010 :: home improvements :: No Comments »

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This informative video looks at the important steps involved in keeping your riding mower running properly. Maintenance items covered:

- getting your mower ready for winter storage
- removing and cleaning the cutting deck
- inspecting and maintaining the belts
- draining and replacing the oil and oil filter
- replacing the air filter
- replacing spark plugs
- lubricating moving parts

This video was created by Lowes, but the references to tools and replacement items apply to many home and garden centres in the LocalCity area.

blogeasy :: Apr.27.2010 :: Uncategorized :: No Comments »

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Are you thinking about changing some of the floors in your LocalArea home? If being eco-friendly is important to you you ought to consider using “green flooring”.

Flooring is called “green” when it is manufactured from readily available and renewable components. As a rule flooring made of petroleum-based materials is not called green.

Many hardwoods are not included as green materials because the source trees are relatively scarce and time required to replace hardwood trees is measured in decades.

This video presents a quick survey of different types of green floor materials. These include wool carpeting, carpets made from recyclable nylon, stone, ceramic and porcelain, cork flooring, bamboo flooring. Linoleum and vinyl flooring are also included because they are long lasting and can be recycled.

blogeasy :: Apr.27.2010 :: green tips :: No Comments »

According to one adviser the six biggest mistakes made by many first time home buyers are:

1. Not taking care of their credit score. This can make a very significant difference to the interest rate a borrower is charged.

2. Making a big purchase just before or during a mortgage application. This will almost certainly be reflected in your credit score.

3. Not having a proper inspection done before the purchase. Missing a serious problem with the house can cost thousands – if not now, then when you go to sell the house.

4. Not having an experienced real estate attorney on your side. An attorney is objective. Everyone else wants to push the deal through as quickly as possible.

5. Not including the proper escape clauses in the initial contract. If you are not careful you could lose your deposit when things go wrong.

6. Not budgeting enough for insurance. In some cases special insurance such as flood insurance can cost thousands more than just basic insurance.

Source: CNNMoney.com

blogeasy :: Apr.22.2010 :: MicroTips :: No Comments »

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In this video home improvement guru Tim Carter takes a call from someone whose toilet keeps on running. Tim explains the job of finding and changing the faulty flapper valve.

The flapper valve in your Local toilet is the thing that opens and closes the opening that allows water run to the toilet bowl.

If the flapper itself is not closed the right way water will trickle from the tank and the toilet reservoir will continuously try to fill itself.

In situations where the flapper falls back into position correctly it probably needs replacing because it is not fixable. Be sure when you make the trip to your LocalTown plumbing supply store to find a replacement part you end up with the right one.

Resource: AskTheBuilder.com

blogeasy :: Apr.22.2010 :: home improvements :: No Comments »

Quick Design Tips – Does your LocalCity kitchen need a refresher? Would you like to give it a quick facelift? Is it high time for a pick-me-up? Here are some inexpensive Kitchen makeover tips for adding a little bit of pizazz.

For example, you can make a cafe curtain for your kitchen window by mounting an adjustable rod across the center of the window and leaving the top half of the window bare.

If you are planning a major renovation or remodel and you need some professional help I can probably suggest some experienced LocalTown kitchen remodelers.

blogeasy :: Apr.19.2010 :: MicroTips :: No Comments »

April 15, 2010 – After letting the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) expire on Mar 28, Congress passed legislation to renew it till May 31, 2010. President Obama signed the legislation into law on April 15.

The NFIP provides flood insurance for more than 10,000 communities with homes in floodplains. Many real estate transactions were delayed or canceled because of the expiration of the legislation.

Hopefully a more permanent solution will be worked out before the extension expires on May 31.

Resource: NAR Natural Disaster / Flood Insurance info

blogeasy :: Apr.19.2010 :: MicroNews :: No Comments »

April 18, 2010 – Home renovation projects almost always cost more than they return in increased home value. According to the NAR (National Association of Realtors) for every $1,000 homeowners spend on reno projects they get back $638.

Here is the average return per $1000 on typical reno projects:

- Heavy insulated steel entry door – $1,289
- Finish an attic bedroom – $831
- Remodel kitchen or bathroom – $710-$720
- Remodel a home office – $481
- Buy a backup power generator – $589

Some renovations actually reduce the resale value of a home – for instance, in some cases turning a bedroom into a home office.

Sources:

Yahoo Finance, RealtorMag, Forbes.com

blogeasy :: Apr.18.2010 :: MicroTips :: No Comments »

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Building a garden wall is an excellent ways to add some style to the landscaping of your LocalCity home. In this video Mike Kraft from Lowe’s describes how to build a retainer wall using readily available materials from most LocalCity area landscaping stores.

There are lots of different types of stones available in the LocalCity area for building retaining walls. You should check out the alternatives to determine what best suits the type of wall you are aiming for.

This project will require some simple excavating, so after you have a location and design worked out, contact a LocalTown area utility company to arrange to locate various utility lines buried under the ground.

This video shows you exactly how to do the project yourself. You are given a list of tools are required and how to properly plan and begin the project. You are also shown how to prepare the ground and how to construct the wall so it will last for years.

For further information on sources for materials and tools for projects like this, callgarden centers. If you don’t feel you can tackle this project yourself, give me a call and I can recommend LocalTown area professionals who can do a great job for you.

blogeasy :: Apr.18.2010 :: home improvements :: No Comments »

These solar shingles from Dow could be showing up on My City roofs some time soon. They are about the size of a normal asphalt shingle, and can be installed like asphalt shingles too – with just a hammer and nails.

The cost is still prohibitive – about $25k for a bundle capable of cutting your home electrical costs by between 40% and 60%. Government grants in some places could bring the cost down to about $10k.

According to this Consumer Reports video these shingles will pay for themselves “far sooner than some solar water heaters we’ve tested.”

I am always happy to provide as much information as I can about suppliers in the My City area for products such as these. Call or email me for more information.

blogeasy :: Apr.14.2010 :: green tips :: No Comments »

April 14, 2010 – Spokesmen for JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo both suggested on Tuesday that their banks will not be aggressively cutting principal balances for underwater homeowners.

David Lowman of JPMorgan Chase, said “principal reduction could reward households for consuming more than they could afford”.

Some of the federal government plans for helping homeowners avoid foreclosure rely on banks cutting principal balances. But this approach is clearly running into resistance from banks.

Resource – New York Times

blogeasy :: Apr.14.2010 :: MicroNews :: 1 Comment »

Whenever your attic is not correctly insulated you are probably losing a large amount of heat in the winter.

When it’s hot out your attic will get very hot and some of that heat will end up into your living space, which will increase your air conditioning costs.

In this video, produced by the Owens Corning company, they show how to lay insulation in your attic, how to use a vapor barrier, and how much insulating material to use.

Some people do this work themselves. Or if you need help locating an experienced installer in the My Region area, contact me and I’d be glad to make some suggestions.

blogeasy :: Apr.13.2010 :: home improvements :: 2 Comments »

April 13, 2010 – If you thought going through a foreclosure proceeding would automatically eliminate your obligation to repay a 2nd or 3rd mortgage, think again. In some cases foreclosed owners are being aggressively pursued by banks and lending institutions to pay back so-called “junior mortgages” – home equity loans.

State laws vary, but in some cases it does not matter that the equity is gone. You still owe the money and many banks will go to all legal means to get it from you.

This has become another obstacle in the struggle to clear away bad mortgages. First-lien mortgage holders resist reducing payments or writing down principal amounts unless junior lien holders will do the same.

In many cases they won’t. Some lenders are taking foreclosed owners to court or even garnishing their wages to get their money.

Resource: Wall Street Journal

blogeasy :: Apr.13.2010 :: MicroNews :: No Comments »