ohbrooke

Big News: Our Condo is For Sale

Yep, our condo was listed yesterday. It feels right, and we’re excited. So, if you’re looking for a cute 3 bedroom with great neighbors who will make you dinner on occasion, come watch your baby when you’re sick, and play Sequence with you well into the night, then look no further! Check out the listing on Redfin. {Call our Realtor Sue McKinley with questions}

The Real Story Blog: All things Real Estate

At my 9-to-5 job, I have been working incessantly on this project. Despite layoffs and paycuts, I’ve had my nose to the grindstone slamming out this project with my colleagues.

This is a wordpress based blog that features housing predictions, market analysis, and podcasts with some of the industry’s big boys and girls. This was not my design, but a production that I spearheaded with the help of my fun and inspirational colleagues, Terry, ML and Jim.

Why I think this is pertinent to ohbrooke, is that it has really relative content. All the posts and podcasts have been of interest to me as we all feel our way through the dips and peaks of the Real Estate market. I am always trying to keep up with great Real Estate advice, and this is a great resource. You can check it out at www.therealstoryblog.com.

Some questions I have in general about Real Estate:

1. I’ve bought low, now how do I sell high and ensure that I’m not buying high on the next house?

2. Can you put an offer on multiple short sale properties, only to drop out after being accepted by one?

3. Will owners who have sold their home through a short sale be 1099′ed by the lender?

Lessons Learned

I am not afraid of color, pattern, or paint. Because of this, I am drawn toward elaborate paint treatments, bright colors and stylized rooms. I learned that as I moved all of my furniture out of my Sacramento house, and tried to sell it, the patterns and colors on the walls stood out. While they still looked beautiful, I believe it took away a percentage of the market that may have been interested in my home.

We were in a hurry to sell, and didn’t want to take the time to repaint all the walls before leaving. Next time I put a property on the market, that is exactly what I’m going to do. In fact, knowing that we aren’t planning on staying in our condo for too long, I have chosen to be more conservative on my paint and decorating so I can save time and money in the future. If I really want to have a chatreuse room, I’ll do it, but I’ll be sure to paint it back before inviting potential buyers into my home. Not everybody can visualize like we can, so keeping the home neutral can help interest more buyers.

My sister once said that she thought that her two-story home lost many potential buyers – ones with young children or older couples who didn’t want to bother going up and down the stairs. These are things we learn along the way, and change the way we look at our next potential home. Since you never know where you are going to end up, it’s important to remember how a potential buyer is going to look at your home in X years when you decide to sell. Will they like the fad wallpaper or the construction you did? If you are worried about getting top dollar when you sell your home someday, consider the potential buyer!

picture taken from Flickr

One-Rag Bathroom Cleaning

I have a pattern when cleaning the bathroom that involves only one rag. I think we could all use a few cleaning tips to keep us more efficient. Do you have easy cleaning tips?

Here’s the procedure:

1. Clean the windows with window cleaner.

2. Fill the sink(s) up with hot water and a little Lysol Disenfectant. Using the same rag, Wipe down the countertop, cabinets, faucets, and lastly the sink.

3. Use the same rag with the disenfectant and clean the base, lid, and tank of the toilet.

By using the one rag instead of those disposable wipes to clean the bathroom, you are creating less waste for the environment. It also helps cut down on the number of products you keep.

Return on Home Improvements

Remodeling magazine’s report on average return on home improvements is as follows:

Organized, At LAST!

My friend and neighbor Carson dreamed up an uber-organized Master bedroom closet. When I saw his, I had to have it. So, together we created this beautifully organized, less stress in the morning, fully functional master bedroom closet. See the before and afters below.

My problem with closets has always been shoes. In one house, all of our shoes were under the bed(disorganized disaster). In another house, the shoes were in shoe and sweater organizers in the hall closet (which left no room for jackets and sports equipment). FINALLY, my shoes lie showcased, undisturbed, and in perfect condition in the closet. Thank you Carson!!

Before

After

Highlights:

• All Materials were purchased at Lowe’s for under $300, shelves were cut to desired measurement at the store, so no sawing was invovled
• Install took only 2 hours
• My shoes don’t lose shape from being piled on top of each other
• Potential homebuyers won’t see a “small” walk-in closet, but a “highly organized and efficient” closet
• I can breathe easier with that area of my life ORGANIZED!

Condo Chronicle: Keep it Relevant

A hand-me-down and a birthday present from my friend Shannon inspired this little burst of color in the master bathroom. It’s hard to find the right thing to accent a bathroom, but if you keep it relevant, it will make sense and look great. This black tray was a hand-me-down from a friend. It would look great in the bathroom holding candles or jewelry, but what you really need in the bathroom near the sink is handtowels. The little dish to the left was the lid to this gorgeous vase, and I use it to store my wedding ring and watch while I’m getting ready for the day (or painting, always painting…). This relevant addition to the room has form AND function – brings color into the room and holds what you need most near the kitchen sink.

For a house on the market, this would be a great way to stage the bathroom. Show a potential buyer that it would be comfortable and easy to be organized and efficient in this room.

Find this adorable black and white vase at pottery barn.

Today’s Market

Though families already in homes may be experiencing some turmoil thanks to the downturn in the housing market, first-time homebuyers and couples looking for starter homes (like me) may be able to take advantage of the market.  My husband and I just bought a new home for a great price in a great location—an area we couldn’t even consider a couple of years ago.  We had to wait in line for over 24-hours to get this great deal, but that was a small price to pay for a great investment.

If you are considering buying a new home in today’s (2008) market, here are a few tips from my own experience:

- Read up on the real estate market. You can find blogs in your area or set a Google Alert for “Bay Area Housing Market” or terms that pertain to your area.  Jason and I have been renting in the Bay Area for sometime, with little hope of buying anytime soon.  But we paid attention to the market anyway, read some great advice from local experts, and continually weighed the advantages and disadvantages of owning a home in this area.  When the opportunity arose to buy our new home, we already knew the investment would be wise, how much we could afford to spend, and that the pricing we got was lower than anything we’d seen in months, if not years.

- Buy new.  We discovered that many new home builders are having trouble selling all of the units they’ve built.  Since they are in the business of building and selling homes, excess inventory prevents them completing the process and moving to the next property.  To fix the disparity, they will offer incentives or be receptive to negotiations that could help you purchase a home.  For example, in negotiating our deal, we got closing costs paid and great financing without any money down.  You might not get what you ask for, but if it’s the difference between buying now and waiting, then it’s at least worth asking.

- Stay within your means.  If you’re going to stretch yourself to get into a new home, now would be the time, but do so responsibly.  Families currently experiencing difficulties making their mortgage are the ones who stretched to get into a home when prices were at an all-time high.  Now that the market has dropped, they are upside down on the loan—meaning they owe more than the property is worth.  Another reason for difficulties making payments is that they may have taken out an adjustable rate loan to ensure monthly minimum payments were manageable, hoping their income would grow before interest rates would increase.  Now that interest rates have gone up, they’re unable to refinance into a lower, more affordable payment plan.

- Factor in all of the numbers.  The mortgage payment is only one of the obligations you take on with a new house.  Little things like property taxes, homeowner’s insurance, mortgage insurance, HOA, utilities, and upgrades can increase the amount of money you need to spend each month to be in a home.  Plus, there is ALWAYS something to fix when owning a home – dishwasher repair, roof leak, broken lawnmower, etc.  To better anticipate monthly expenses, talk to a realtor or other homeowners in the area you’re considering.

- Love the house, not just the price.  Chances are that your first home won’t be your last, so go into the deal knowing that one day you’ll be trying to convince other families to buy the very house you’re going to be living in.  Besides price, what else does the home have to offer?  Consider: Proximity to grocery store, school districts, public transportation, the year the home was built, quirky features, size of the yard, status of the neighborhood, etc.

- Focus on the Big Stuff.  Carpets can be changed out and walls can be painted fairly inexpensively.  Replacing a heater, adding an air conditioner, upgrading a roof, and so forth are bigger investments.  Think about the ones you’re willing to make versus those you hope to pass on to the next home buyer.  And remember, new home buyers expect a house to have functioning appliances and a good roof—they don’t pay extra for those things.

Tidying up the Under-Desk Mess!

After reading this article, it seems so easy!
There are countless products on the market for keeping the area underneath your computer desk clean, however, this do-it-yourself pegboard solution looks easy and effective. The article is found on The Closet Entreprenuer and these pictures are from Tomas’s post. Those clean desks look like a breath of fresh air compared the disaster that is at my feet. This will definitely give a new feel to your office.

Deep Cleaning

Cleaning a house after a tenant moves out or in preparation for putting your house on the market can be tough. You never know what you are going to come across or if you can clean it or not. I found a good resource for Cleaning Tips, and here are a few of my favorites:

Sinks
“Once a month, pour one cup of baking soda, followed by one cup of white vinegar down the drain. Wait an hour and flush with warm water. The combination fizzles away most of the buildup. Works for shower, tub and kitchen sink drains as well.”

Mildew
“Keep ahead of mildew so it doesn’t become a problem. Every six months spray your bathroom ceiling with a 50/50 solution of hydrogen peroxide and water. Peroxide is a safe bleach and won’t harm the environment or your lungs. Find larger quantities of peroxide at beauty or medical supply stores.”

Removing Candle Wax from Cloth
“Once wax has dried onto a tablecloth, cloth napkin, or placemat, several steps are required to remove it properly and completely. The first thing to do is to apply an ice cube or ice pack to the wax. This will make the wax brittle, allowing you to scrape off what you can. Use a credit card or a thin butter knife to gently scrape away as much of the wax as you can. Never use a regular dull knife that has serrated edges since this may damage the cloth.

Once you have carefully removed as much of the wax as you can, it will be necessary to get your iron and a few clean paper bags. Place one paper bag underneath the cloth while you set the iron to heat on a medium to medium high level, depending on the fabric. Place a second paper bag on top of the wax.

Gently iron the area until the wax has been transferred to the paper bag. Throw the paper bag with the wax residue into the trash once it has cooled. Repeat the process with another paper bag until all of the wax has been removed”

Cleaning Kitchen Cabinets
“Painted wood, metal, laminated plastic or wood-grain vinyl surfaces can be cleaned with detergent and warm water solution. Rinse with a cloth or sponge dampened in clean water. Using a dry cloth or paper towel to wipe the surface dry prevents streaking. Painted, plastic, and metal surfaces, may be cleaned occasionally with a creamy liquid wax, which leaves a protective coating that retards soiling. If the finish is hard and in good condition, this extra step may not be needed.”

Cleaning Tile

• “Loosen Up – Before cleaning bathroom tile, run a hot shower for five minutes to steam dirt loose.
• Brighter Bathroom – Wash dull tile with a solution of vinegar and water, then polish with a soft towel.
• Grout Grunge – To keep white grout joints clean, wash with a solution of one to two tablespoons chlorine bleach in one quart of water. Dry thoroughly, then apply an acrylic sealer or three coats of lemon oil. Let dry one hour between coats. Never use bleach on colored grout.
• Mildew Miracle – Remove mildew and make tiles sparkle by sponging them off with a solution of ammonia and water.
• Soot Solution – Remove soot from fireplace tiles with a mixture of lemon juice and salt, then rinse.”

Spring Kitchens

My favorite kitchen designs and how you can mimic them…

Bright and colorful – paint your lower cabinets a dark blue, and your upper cabinets in a complimentary teal color, and change out your faucets. You can easily change these items for just a couple hundred dollars and make a big difference!

Modern and Simple – Hillsdale home in Dublin and El Dorado Hills, Ca., and Salt Lake City, Ut. has quite a selection of durable sideboards (including the one above) that might make a great island. Combine that with rustic bowls from Williams and Sonoma.

Streamlined – Ikea has a very similar line of kitchen cabinetry

Cozy and Textured – the picture boards on the sides can be made with foam core, ribbon and fabric.

French Country – I love the rectangle tiles of the backsplash and walls. It adds a very vintage feel.

Fun and Cool – Design Within Reach has a similar chair(above) that adds to this room’s casual look.

Find more great kitchen ideas at HowStuffWorks.

Helpful Moving Checklist

Realtor Magazine has a great moving checklist, which will come in handy because moving can be stressful and overwhelming. Refering to the experts will help keep things under control.

Moving List

• Provide the post office with your forwarding address two to four weeks ahead of the move.
• Notify your credit card companies, magazine subscriptions, and bank of your change of address.
• Create a list of friends, relatives, and business colleagues who need to be notified about your move.
• Arrange to disconnect utilities and have them connected at your new home.
• Cancel the newspaper, or change the address so it will arrive at your new home.
• Check insurance coverage for the items you’re moving. Usually movers only cover what they pack.
• Clean out appliances and prepare them for moving, if applicable.
• Note the weight of the goods you’ll have moved, since long-distance moves are usually billed according to weight. Watch for movers that use excessive padding to add weight.
• Check with your condo or co-op about any restrictions on using the elevator or particular exits for moving.
• Have a “first open” box with the things you’ll need most, such as toilet paper, soap, trash bags, scissors, hammer, screwdriver, pencils and paper, cups and plates, water, snacks, and toothpaste.

Plus, if you’re moving out of town, be sure to:

• Get copies of medical and dental records and prescriptions for your family and your pets.
• Get copies of children’s school records for transfer.
• Ask friends for introductions to anyone they know in your new neighborhood.
• Consider special car needs for pets when traveling.
• Let a friend or relative know your route.
• Empty your safety deposit box.
• Put plants in boxes with holes for air circulation if you’re moving in cold weather.

Free and Powerful Home Marketing Tool

If you’re listing your home for sale or for rent, Postlets.com is a great and easy-to-use resource. I have used this site personally, and it makes your listings look professional and organized.

This free site lets you create an online flyer for your home, including princing information, descriptions, photos, maps, and more. With your newly designed flyer, you can link to it from your website, email it to friends, easily upload it to a craigslist, ebay or zillow.. there are limitless things you can do.

Additional features include: (taken from the Postlets website)

• A DEDICATED WEBPAGE
  Every postlet comes with a dedicated, search-optimized landing page and a unique URL. Postlets come in ten stylish themes complete with integrated maps and other nifty tools. They also have built-in lead capture forms so you can use them in all of your marketing campaigns.

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  AUTOMATIC SYNDICATION TO SEARCH ENGINES
  You essentially get several classified ads when you use Postlets. You build your ad just once, we automatically submit your listing to several classifieds search engines to maximize your reach across the web. See our current list of syndication partners.

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  HTML CODE, WIDGETS FOR MORE EXPOSURE
  Included with each postlet is the HTML code to post your formatted ad on craigslist, LiveDeal, eBay and other sites that accept and process HTML. Postlets also offers widgets that you can use on blogs and your own website.

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  SHOWCASE ALL YOUR LISTINGS
  But wait, there’s more! You also get a personalized website so you can showcase all of your postlets in one place. You’ll be able to customize your personal Gallery with a company logo and an “about me” page where you can describe your services and upload a personal photo.

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  SO SIMPLE, A MONKEY CAN USE IT*
  By presenting lists of standard features in dropdown menus and checkboxes and stepping you through with simple-to-use forms, Postlets makes it fast and easy for just about anyone to create a classified ad like a pro.

  * Monkey would require basic computer skills and something to sell

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  IT’S FREE!
  That’s right, you get all this for the low, low price of � zero. Zip. Zilch. Nada. So how can we make money? Really, we’re not Harvard MBAs, please tell us if you know the answer.

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  WANT A PREMIUM SINGLE-PROPERTY WEBSITE?
  Real estate and rentals listings can now be upgraded to Postlets PLUS, our premium listing product. Think of it as standard Postlets after an extreme makeover.

Be Careful What you Say to Your Sister!

Last summer, my sister Shelley helped Mike Collins write a book called, “The Million-Dollar Idea in Everyone.” The book’s main theme is that Open Innovation creates opportunities for people to make money from the things they already know and that you don’t have to have fancy degrees or years of schooling to be an expert on something. In addition to people already prospering in the Open Innovation environment, Mike wanted to profile three people who have the potential to take advantage of this new world but who aren’t already doing so. He selected his own brother (Steve Collins), one of Shelley’s friends (Kelly Hales), and me.

In going through the personal inventory exercise that is part of the book, I came to realize that I have a great deal of practical and personal experience working with homes—buying, selling, renting, refinancing, decorating, painting, and so forth. This insight came by way of working on home make-over shows like Fresh Coat, Design Remix, and Color Splash. It also came from my own experience in just trying to buy, fix up, and sell a home. I’m always interested in home design, and finding ways to decorate your home or apartment creatively.

The book is out this week and Shelley just handed me an advance copy (You can purchase yours here). Because Shelley was so involved in the book, it’s a bit of a family affair. My sister Shannon is also featured in the book as well as my brother BJ’s new business (www.myplace2sell.com). A few of Shelley’s other friends get mentioned as well.

Common Mistakes for New Homebuyers

Anyone who has owned a home can tell you that it can be a strenuous learning experience. Sometimes the excitement of owning your own home can cause you to lose sight of what you really need out of a home, and worse yet — break your budget. Below are a list of some of the ways I have seen first-time home buyers make their first mistakes.

1. Setting the Budget
When analyzing how much you can really afford for a house, stay within your means. I have seen couples buy a house for the maximum amount that they would be able to afford, because to them, the payoff is worth it. These same couples are struggling to make their mortgage every month. Peace of mind, knowing that you are living well within your means will cause less stress for you in the long run. Think about the families today who purchased their home for the very top dollar that they could afford within the last few years. With the housing market crash, many have lost their homes to the bank causing extreme financial hardship. Those who bought at a comfortable price for their income, are definitely feeling the hurt, but will most likely be able to stick it out until the market gets better. We should be able to take a big lesson-learned from the mistakes of these past homebuyers. Be sure to take disasters like this into consideration, as well as your property taxes, homeowners insurance, and HOA’s when setting your top-dollar budget.

2. Budget Breakers
Finding your dream home for $500,000 may seem to be an unbelievable deal. However, if your budget for a house is $400,000, it isn’t the deal for you. Many first time homebuyers get so desperate to own a home that they forget to think rationally. Definitely set your budget ahead of time and make a vow not to break it. Going over your budget will only lead to more learning experiences when you are in over your head.

3. Renovating and Keeping the Home’s Value
Often times new homebuyers purchase a fixer-upper and dig right in to make it the home of their dreams. This is a realistic approach, but if you don’t watch, the money will add up fast. Many families immediately start tearing down walls and ripping up flooring while the credit card bill multiplies. It can be very exciting to create your dream home. Just be sure to take your time, and pay for it as you go. Racking up debt won’t allow you enjoy your new home. And don’t let the costs get away from you. Track what you are spending and make sure that it will increase the home’s value. If you merge two smaller bathrooms into one, this may be more comfortable for you, but think how it will affect your resale value? Will a 3 bedroom/1 bath sell as well as a 3 bedroom/2 bath? Definitely not. It is your home, but consider the possibility that you may need to move due to an emergency, or a new job, and you’ll want to protect your investment and get top-dollar back when you sell your home.

4. Overlooking Flaws
Sometimes finding homes within your price range can be a tall order. Because of this, we often overlook some pretty large flaws, just to be able to own our own property. For example, my husband and I bought a beautiful mid-century home in Sacramento. The flaws in this home were fixable: one bathroom had a blue toilet, sink and shower, and the other had a pink toilet, sink and shower. At the time, we thought it would be no problem to renovate these eyesores, but it proved to be a costly and exhausting endeavor. More severely, some people purchase homes with flaws that they cannot fix. 3 story home? It may be beautiful inside and roomy, but do you really want to chase your three kids up two flights of stairs? Decide what things are important to you before you go house hunting, so you aren’t distracted by the desire of owning real estate.

5. Thinking Too Big
Why does your first house need to be 2,400 square feet? Chances are good that your first home is not the home you are going to end up in. Keeping all of these common mistakes in mind, your first home will be a stepping stone. Something you will most likely grow out of, and learn the things about yourself that you can carry with you on the next home. Start small, learn and grow from there.

Do you have something to add? A learning experience you or someone around you has encountered? Post a comment to add to the list!