Lancaster PA Luxury Real Estate

Whether you're moving into a new home or just in the mood to refurbish your current pad, going green does not necessarily mean spending green. By simply making a few appropriate choices, you can get a whole new look, that's both environmentally friendly and cost effective.

#1 New uses for old stuff- Before throwing anything into your recycling box, think of its recycling potential. A nice shaped wine bottle makes a perfect vase for a sprig of fresh flowers in the bathroom. Or a lamp-stand for the lampshade that you picked up at a flea market last year. Yogurt cartons can be sanded and painted to house your indoor herb garden and ceramic tiles can be broken to make a beautiful mosaic table top.

#2 Organic towels -If you plan to make just one investment in your bathroom, it has got to be organic towels or towels made in unbleached, un-dyed cotton. If you need color, stores such as California based Native Organic Cotton sells bathrobes and towels made from 100% organic cotton, woven in earth tones created with natural dyes.

#3 Add color not chemicals to walls- Before you slap on a fresh coat of paint, you should know that there are thousands of chemicals used in the mix. As a rule, alkyd or oil based paints are more toxic than water based ones, containing up to 60% VOC's. However, nowadays, most paint suppliers, even mainstream ones carry lines of low-VOC and even no-VOC paints and finishes.

#4 Eco wallpaper -If you are still keen on getting brighter shades and designs onto your walls, how about wallpaper? I know, you're gasping in horror! Wallpaper = glue =VOC's....Regular wallpaper is in fact produced by using one of the world's worst plastics, vinyl (PVC). Avoid them like the plague. What you can buy instead is wallpaper made of actual paper, bamboo, cloth, sisal and even cork. How cool would that be, to have a room decked out in one of the above?

#5 Try organic sheets-Want to go to bed with a clear conscience? Try sleeping on organic sheets. If there is no store near you, you'll find a dozen sites online that carry organic cotton. If you'd like to be a bit adventurous in bed, then how about hemp sheets or sheets made from bamboo?

#6 Buy the right wood - While wood is natural and biodegradable, buying a wooden piece of furniture is not necessarily the best choice. Apart from the various waxes and paints coated on it that do release VOC's, the actual piece of furniture may have been made for a 100 year old tree. When buying wooden furniture, look for a FSC label- Forest Stewardship Council to ensure it's made from renewable resources. 

#7 Better yet, buy vintage -You can pick up some great vintage furniture at excellent prices via e-bay. Apart from the history and charm this furniture offers, it's also a great way to ensure trees are not being chopped down to make your bed.

#8 Window shades to control temperature- While all homes need some kind of cooling and heating equipment, you can make it easier by using natural light effectively for warmth and lighting. Blinds are an excellent choice to control your room's temperature. Just make sure they're not made of vinyl (PVC).

#9 Natural cleaners- Invest in or make natural, biodegradable cleaners for your home. If buying them, read labels carefully to ensure the products are what they claim to be.

#10 Recycle bin- And finally, install a recycle bin in each room. Not the ugly big blue box, but just about any basket that goes with your decor will do. Having a basket in each room will encourage its use regularly. Toss in unwanted magazines, bills, envelopes, kid's crafts and just about anything that can be recycled.

 

This should lead it off quite nicely:)

Back in my early days of lending, I recall quite vividly the very first Rehab Loan I did.  While I did some legwork in actually knowing the ropes of that particular product before advertising the bejesus out of a very niche loan, I still was caught like a reindeer in some oncoming car's speeding headlights when trying to get them closed in a streamlined sort of fashion.  And then, I had it mastered.  As my particular luck would have it, most of those programs disappeared shortly thereafter.

The echoes in the back of my head rang of a long-lost product I had only heard about and most of what I heard were borderline horror stories.  The FHA 203(K) loan reared its mysterious head and stared me in my wide-eyed glance.  I gotta admit, there was major hesitation on my part in even wanting to get involved in such a misunderstood product.  I knew little about it and wanted to concentrate more on the Conventional sort of stuff that I grew up with in the industry... at least at that point.  Hey, of course I want to corner the market, but not at the risk of looking like an incompetent SOB at the end of the day.

Then, I encountered experts in that very product.  I figured, let's roll repair.

After doing more homework than my combined High School & College Education would vouch that I did back in the day, I chose to go after a market that just may make a dent in not only enhancing the housing market... but the very neighborhoods we live in.

This is just a taste of the FHA 203(K) Renovation Loan!

• Add a deck or porch, makes for one heck of a Summertime BBQ.
• Upgrade the electrical system and avoid reading overdue utility bills under candlelight.
• Modernize the kitchen and watch the The Food Channel in a comparable stadium.
• Replace a furnace and heck, it's a furnace.  You really don't want that entity breaking down anytime soon!
• Paint the exterior and/or interior.  Yours could be the only lavender house in the neighborhood:)
• Install new carpeting.  There's nothing like getting rid of stained residue from a German Shepard you never owned.
• Remodel a bathroom.  Hey, might as well let loose of your naked body in comfortable surroundings!
• Replace roofing and/or siding.  There were 58 mile per hour winds in Pennsylvania today, that stuff may come in handy.
• Refinish wood floors.  That's a big selling point for yours truly.  I adore wood floors and have an aggressive amount of ShamWow merchandise to prove it:)

Program Features:

• Low down payment
• Buy and remodel a home with one mortgage!  You can finance the purchase plus the cost of the improvements with one monthly mortgage payment.
• At least $5,000 in repairs needed to qualify for the 203(K) Loan.
• They can be used for owner occupied 1-4 unit family dwellings.
• Closing takes place before the improvements/repairs are made.
• Money for the repairs and renovations is held in an escrow account and paid out after each phase of work is completed, inspected and approved.
• By the way, they are fixed rates!

Consider this the teaser post to the taste buds of home renovation lending.  Yup, I'm your proverbial appetizer.

 

Jason Sardi

Mortgage Consultant

1-866-262-8720 ext. 229

jsardi@ihmci.com

Located at our Allentown, Pennsylvania office.  Pennsylvania Based Mortgage Banker/Broker whose area of service include PA, NJ, NY, CT, DE, MD, VA, SC, FL, MI and IN.

We have always told friends, family & clients that painting is one of the cheapest and easiest ways to improve the appearance of a home.  After years of renovating our own homes, you would think we would stop being amazed by the transformations.  But this is just too good ... we have to share.

We bought a place at Lake Merwin Campers Hideaway in May 2006.  We were told that it sat for 8-10 years with little or no maintenance.  If there had ever been stain on the deck or siding, it had long since broken down.  The wood deck has gray and had cracks from years of being exposed to the elements.  Unsure whether we wanted to paint or stain, we talked with our friends at Home Depot, Jantzen Beach.  They recommended a relatively new products called Behr Premium Solid Color Wood Stain.

Though a little more expensive than regular paints and stains, Behr Premium Solid Color Wood Stain has a lot of features that make it well worth the extra cost.  The stain is self priming, offers UV protection against fading, is mildew resistant and is a urethane-fortified 100% acrylic formula that resists scuffing, and cleans up with water.  We love that it hid the imperfections, while still allowing the wood texture to show through.  Its durable finish resists cracking, peeling and blistering and is available in more than 1,600 custom colors and is formulated for computer matching.  It can be applied to wood and composite decks, fences, siding and furniture.  Unlike some stains and sealers that may only last 1-2 seasons, this product offers a 10 year satisfaction guarantee on decks and a 25 year satisfaction guarantee on fences and siding.  How cool!

We decided to give it a shot figuring if it even lasted 1 extra season, it would be well worth the price.  The siding and deck now look almost new.  The cracks are gone, but the natural wood texture still shows through.  We were even able to bring the old picnic table back to life!  For less than $500 in materials and a couple weekends of work, we were able to completely transform our sad little shack into a welcoming weekend retreat.

We were so happy with our results that we told Scott's mom about the solid color wood stain.  She and her husband had spent 2 years trying to get a good finish on the deck at their home.  Everything they tried took unevenly, broke down too quickly, or just didn't look good.  With 1 coat of Behr Premium Solid Color Wood Stain and a little bit of touch-up, their deck looks great and they look forward to a durable finish that will last for years.

If you have a deck, fence or siding that you are planning to stain, we encourage you to take a look at Behr Premium Solid Color Wood Stain.  And don't forget ... you can save 10% on your purchase by ordering a Home Depot coupon on our website.

 

Patty & Scott Carroll - RE/MAX Equity Group, Vancouver, WA

I was talking with an agent friend of mine over the phone discussing the power of having a home staged to help it sell quickly.  Marti is a big believer is using a home stager for her listings.  She feels that it cleans up the look and gives her listings a much more ‘manicured' look.  Changing the furnishings, painting, etc...all can add loads of ‘appeal' to the listing.  And, having an outside eye look at things is always a good way of making sure that the over-all look that the listing agent or the home owner intended for the home is really the right way to go. 

It was during this conversation that she told me about a listing she had that was perfect in every way...except the yard.  After showing the home numerous times with no offers at all, she decided to do something about it.  She had a landscaping contractor help her with tidying up the outside of the home...laying sod, trimming the yard, even going so far as installing landscape bricks and planting trees. 

I had never heard of this concept before - staging the OUTSIDE of the home in order to help get people inside.  But, shortly after this conversation, this same concept was hammered home when I discovered an article written by David Sobel, VP of Sales for Home Warranty of America www.hwahomewarranty.com.  The article included a detailed list of things that agents or home owners can do to the outside of the home to make the over-all look of the home much more appealing and avoid the potential of having a buyer get turned off just because the outside of the home wasn't up to par.  All of the fixes that are listed in the article are simple, cheap, and will make a world of difference.  The list included:

• Paint or stain the front door and the garage door.  These are the first visuals that a potential buyer will get of the home.  If the doors are metal and are dented, they should be replaced.
• Any old or unused structures (storage sheds, etc) should be removed.  Have the area leveled and then re-sodded so that the yard is seamless.
• Change any out-dated or non-functioning light fixtures on the outside of the home, garage, or yard.
• Fix the driveway.  If it's blacktop, have it professionally filled and sealed.  If it is cement, hire a contractor to fill in cracks and holes.
• Make sure the landscaping bricks are still in the right place.  Bumping them during yard work can shift them out of their proper positions.
• Fill in bare dirt under large shade trees.  Plant shade-tolerant plants or landscape the area with fill chips or bark.
• Put down new bedding material in all landscape and flowerbeds.
• Have the trees and bushes trimmed up. 
• If the house needs painting, have it done professionally.  If that isn't in the cards, have them do touch-up work on the areas that need it badly.
• If the house is sided, have it power-washed to clean and freshen up the look of the walls.
• Make sure the grass looks good.  Keep everything tidy and well groomed.  Keep it as weed-free as possible.  If areas are especially sketchy, have the area seeded or sodded.
• Decks and walkways should be power-washed and stained or painted.  Patio furniture should be in excellent condition.

Staging the home on the outside with help you get more buyers inside.  The appeal that will be generated will dramatically increase the buyer's "want to see more" factor.  Remember, most home buyers can not visualize even the simplest of clean-ups and potential landscape changes.  And, those that can, will be looking for a reduced price and will ask for it based on these ‘outdoor eyesores'.  This will also help you show the property to those that are looking for a complete home and not a fixer-upper and help get the highest dollar for the listing.

 

If you would like some information on how to get more buyers from www.recr.com, please do not hesitate to contact Clint Miller at 800-977-7058 or 406-329-7652.  Or, contact Clint via Twitter at www.twitter.com/recr.

Disclose!!!

Sure it can be frustrating, exhausting and time-consuming to sell a home in some markets, but don't try to cut corners by failing to make the proper disclosures.

Not only is it illegal for you and your agent not to disclose certain material facts that can affect the value, desirability or salability of a home, most savvy buyers will quickly walk away if he or she suspects deceit.

If you lie by omission and get caught, not only can you face both local and federal charges, you'll still have a home to sell in a less-than-hospitable market. The extra time to sell your home and your day in court could stigmatize the property.

Of course, if you honestly don't know about an issue, or there's little if any chance you could have known, you obviously can't report it.

It's not a bad idea to get a home inspection so you do know. An inspection reveals your attempt at discovery, it will help you determine which items need repair or replacement (not that you are required to make certain repairs), you can use it to price your home and it's a good negotiating tool.

In any event, a good rule of thumb, when it comes to whether or not something should be disclosed: "If you can't figure it out, don't leave it out."

Otherwise, here's are some more specific disclosure tips. 

• Each state has a different set of disclosure rules. Your local or state real estate association, as well as your real estate agent, has the proper forms. Both you and the buyer must sign and date the disclosure report to acknowledge delivery and receipt.  
• Common items to disclose include, a noisy neighbor, trees uprooting the sidewalk, crime and proximity to busy streets, golf courses, equestrian trails and short term rentals, among a host of others. If you'd want to know, the buyer probably would too.  
• Include any problems with construction or home systems. That includes problems with the foundation, roof, windows, doors, electricity, plumbing and the like. For a home improvement completed without a permit (which could itself stop the deal cold), get a permit and make sure the work is to code -- even if that means ripping out the old work and getting it done right.

Rather than reporting "repairs" -- which could imply a defect was permanently corrected -- explain what work you've had done. You called the electrician for faulty wiring at a junction box or you had a plumber fix a leak under the sink, for example

Likewise, you can tell the prospective buyer that you replaced the roof, installed a new water heater, added wind shear protection or installed a sump pump in the basement, etc.

 

• Disaster prone states often require sellers to disclose information about the home's proximity to fire, flood, earthquake and other hazard zones. It's not a bad idea to know if your regional climate is the victim of climate change, given today's earth-conscious buyer. Do disclose zoning, easement or local ordinance issues and the proximity to other natural hazards like mudslides, landslides, even noise, air and ground pollution, among others.  
• Disclose insurance claims. Don't let the buyer discover insurance claims against the property when he or she applies for coverage. Give them a C.L.U.E (for Claims Loss Underwriting Exchange) report. Only home owners can obtain it, but buyers can make the deal contingent upon seeing a copy.

Available to property owners once a year for free from ChoicePoint, the report is a record of claims and claim inquiries on a given property. Insurers use the information to decide to issue a new policy, renew or raise rates.

 

• A federally mandated lead-based paint disclosure is required for all transactions if the home was built before 1978, but most agents advise making the disclosure for any property. The seller doesn't have to inspect for lead, but must give the buyer materials that discloses the hazards of lead-based paints and related consumer information. 
• Among some miscellaneous disclosures that are required or should be considered includes the locations of registered sex offenders, housing market conditions, and, if they happened in the home, certain deaths and certain causes.

If the deceased won't walk into the light and you see dead people, you've got to report that too. Even if you haven't had any bumps in the night, but word's gotten around the house is haunted house, you've got to let the buyer know some ectoplasmic spirit already possesses the home.

The southeastern PA region's largest energy services provider, PECO, has teamed up with ENERGY STAR ® to provide consumers with energy saving tools.  PECO serves over 1.6 million electric customers and 485,000 gas customers.

This is a great example of responsible corporate behavior - a company acting in the best interests of their customers, not just the company's bottom line profit. If PECO customers follow the guidelines, they will dramatically lower their energy consumption.  Bravo, PECO!

Visit www.PECO.com/save for energy saving tips and green information.

 

Consumers can learn about all sorts of energy saving (and money-saving!) tips by using an interactive "home tour" that features tips for every room of the house, and a link to EnergyStar's Consumer Pledge - a great way for individuals to help fight global warming.

This is not the only way PECO is becoming more eco-friendly.

  Their recent initiatives total more than $15 million in investments, including:

• PECO's first "green building" in West Chester, PA.
• Installation of a "green roof"
• Multiple upgrades to company buildings to secure LEED Certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)
• Customer support for energy efficiency efforts.
• EasySave Energy Kits - for $20, consumers can purchase an EasySave Energy Kit that includes 3 Compact Florescent light bulbs, an LED nightlight, and a massaging showerhead and a kitchen faucet sprayer head, and several other eco-friendly goodies. (for $25 the showerhead is hand-held.)

I encourage everyone to take advantage of PECO's energy saving programs.