Real Estate Blog

I couldn’t resist bringing to light a funny blog post I saw recently by Robin Rogers of San Antonio. She wrote a post in ActiveRain titled, “Blue Carpet is the kiss of death” — things that make houses sit there and not sell.” It’s refreshing to see this kind of frankness from an agent and it should be required reading for anyone selling their home. Of course, I’m sure it’s not easy to tell a seller that their blue carpet is really a no-no, or their countertops need to be replaced, but it was fun to read.

Other things that are turn-offs, according to Robin:

• Bad feng shui — Homes with stairs that start right in front of the front door and continue straight up to the second floor.
• Bad chi — Homes that are located on a street where there’s a T-intersection in front. Also, homes at the end of cul-de-sacs.
• Puzzling rooms — Homes with non-traditional rooms. (i.e., a garage had been partly converted to a room).

After all, agents and brokers see hundreds of homes a year and after a few years in the business, I’m sure they know immediately what houses will fly off the market and what homes will sit.

Need to be inspired? View some gorgeous kitchen remodeling, bathroom remodeling, and bedroom remodeling ideas in our home improvement hub, Dueling Digs. You might even see a blue carpet floating around in there! (The blue carpeted room I found in the photo above is not really blue, but a bluish-green).

Credit:

(Photo courtesy Dallas Morning News)

A recent article in the Dallas Morning News revealed that 10,000 Baby Boomers are turning 60 every day. And these boomers — those born between 1946 and 1964 — are the driving force behind universal design, which is becoming a popular home improvement trend. Basically, it’s designing a home that is accessible and useful to everyone, but mostly for our rapidly aging population of boomers.

• An American Institute of Architects survey revealed most homeowners are asking for greater accessibility within the home through wider hallways, fewer steps and single-floor design. This percentage is up from 66 percent the year before.
• The National Association of Home Builders also reported that 63 percent of upscale builders and 56 percent of average home builders believe they’ll see a growing trend toward universal design over the next decade as Baby Boomers advance in age and decline in health.

Universal design elements include:

• No-step entry
• One-story living. Everything is on one level, which is barrier-free
• Wide doorways (32-36 inches wide)
• Wide hallways (36-42 inches wide)
• Extra floor space
• Pull handles instead of knobs on cabinetry
• Under-cabinet lighting
• Adjustable rods and pullout shelving in closets
• Lever handles on doors instead of knobs
• No-step showers and baths

Be sure to catch up on what we’re seeing in Zillow for kitchen designs, bathroom designs and living spaces. What you’ll see are for sale homes that are real homes lived in by real people. Yes, the real deal!

Source:
Remodeling Trend: Universal Design

One woman in Oregon, Ohio, isn’t getting an Extreme Home Makeover, but she is getting an “Extreme Roof-over.” According to a story in The (Oregon, OH) Press, Sheri Ulinski was hosting friends and family at her home at 1917 Garner Ave for a reception following her husband’s death when a co-worker from her job at Teledyne Turbine Engines in Toledo, OH, noticed her porch roof was leaking. One thing led to another and Sheri’s co-workers, friends and family decided that Sheri needed an entire new roof. They held a bake sale, a 50/50 raffle, and a spaghetti dinner to raise the funds for the roof materials and cost to install it.

The tickler of this story is that Sheri and friends are spoofing the Extreme Makeover schtick by doing a video of their own. Sounds like a hoot. In this dire economy, stories like this and the one about a complete stranger purchasing a woman’s home and saving it from foreclosure are uplifting. As usual, people helping each other is what makes us all a little nostalgic for a good ‘ol barn-raising event. Way to go, Oregon, Ohio and the folks at Teledyne Turbine.

Read the original:

From the Times Herald in Newnan, GA today comes a story of an unfortunate house fire that can simply be summed up by its last line:

“Gantt advised against using a blow torch to rid a home of cobwebs.”

Thanks for the tip, Gantt. 

(and thank you Perez Hilton for the story.  How do you find this stuff??)

Home Maintenance Tip of the Day

(Photo mashup courtesy of Treehugger.com)

It’s only been three days since Democrat Barack Obama locked up votes to become the 44th president of the U.S. Now comes the fun part: honoring your promises. Not that Obama promised to put solar panels on the White House, but he has advocated for a new attitude when it comes to energy.

So, Treehugger.com has already pitched President-elect Obama - in LOLcats style (“I can has cheezburger”) — to re-install solar panels on the White House. Evidently, 39th president Jimmy Carter installed a set of solar panels during his tenure in 1979 — ironically, during a similar energy crisis — and Ronald Reagan removed them in 1986 to have work done to the roof.

The panels on the White House would certainly set an example of what we need to do as a country, but what is our own individual cost if we wanted our homes to go solar? Coolerplanet.com put together a “Solar Power Rating” map of how your state rates in terms of solar incentives. And, here’s a quick little calculator to estimate how much a solar panel system would cost.

Will the Obama White House Go Solar?

Since we launched Dueling Digs, Zillow visitors have voted almost 5 million times for their favorite kitchens, gardens, living rooms, bathrooms, bedrooms and exteriors. And, I must say, the Zillow community has excellent taste. When I browse through the winners, there are some truly gorgeous spaces.

That said,  we realized awhile back that Dueling Digs was missing something. In the Yards & Gardens section, there seemed to be a strong preference among our visitors for yards with swimming pools. In fact, in most instances, yards with pools were Dueling Digs winners. So, we thought it would be fun to search independently for that lovely pool landscape you so admire. Thus, we just launched a new category — Swimming Pools.

Now that summer is but a fading memory, we thought you may also need a source of indoor home Dig entertainment. In that vein, we created another new category — Home Theaters. Cozy up with a warm blanket and check out the new Home Theaters category. In short, the theme is big ‘ol flat-screen systems with plenty of plasmas and LCDs.

Does jealousy inadvertently seep through your pores while playing Dueling Digs? To help alleviate some of the Dig home envy, we now allow you to vote between homes of any value, or only homes in a certain price range. Trust me, it helps!

To get you started, here are some of my favorite swimming pools and home theater systems from Dueling Digs.

See the rest here:

What are the reasons why you would or would not work with an interior designer? That’s one of the hot topics being discussed in Home Remodeling and Repair in Zillow Discussions.  Personally, I’ve never used an interior designer — and come to think of it, I don’t know anyone who has. I’ve always thought of interior designers as working mainly for more wealthy clients who can pay top dollar for fine home furnishings. But is that a misconception?

As expected, some of the responders in the thread outlined the high cost as a reason they wouldn’t use a designer.

Spec_Tater says: 100% cost. I can buy the same lines that they offer without the markup.

But can interior designers actually save you money? Some say yes, while others aren’t so sure:

J Steingberg Design: … Products that a designer sells are sold at less than retail to the client (hence, the incentive from buying from a designer- aside from the “trade-only” access for a lot of things). Right now, about 30% markup from wholesale is standard. Most designers I know (myself included) are in the 20-25% range. Anyways- just thought I would say that. Im still trying to get my friends to *get it* that I can get them better stuff cheaper!

Spec_Tater: What I meant by cost  is that I have a friend who is an interior designer. She quoted me pricing on the pieces I wanted snd [sic] showed me her cost.  I was able to get the exact same model and brand for less than she paid.

la457: I think the expensive thing is partly a misconception on my part that a lot of the general public shares.  Part of my brain knows it only makes sense that a designer would be able to get the best stuff for less money than I could.  But another part of my brain is telling me to hold on to my wallet.  I’ve seen too many of those design shows on TV where they pay 16K for a small end table.

Having more control over the outcome was also pinpointed as a reason not to use a designer. But if you’re not too design savvy? Then it makes sense.

kd8kkjv: If I know color and texture and am comfortable with it and can make decisions in a timely manner, I don’t need a designer. If I’m undecided and confused and working in an unfamiliar materials, I might hire one … I work with designers in my field and to me, the feed back I’ve gotten from clients of theirs say they tend to project their own feelings and wants in a home and forget somewhat who the end user is.

rlvarcoe: …. I have worked with a few and found them to be most valuable.  Instance in case was a remodel for resale and they gutted the first floor, the layout was horrible and came out looking boxy.  After most of the work was done the homeowner brought in a designer and (as should have been done in the first place) they opened up rooms got rid of a small entry and added a bathroom… if this homeowner would have called in a designer from the git go they would have saved thousands and had a great design to boot… not to mention time….

So what do you think? Would you use an interior designer?

If you are thinking about using one, remember that you can find interior designers in your area in the new Zillow Professional Directory. Going it alone? Then check out Dueling Digs, a great resource for home remodeling ideas.

Photo credit: ©iStockphoto.com/Mr-Eckhart

Read more from the original source:
Would You Use an Interior Designer?

Photo courtesy NY Times

Now here’s an interesting concept I came across in this New York Times article: If you’re thinking about forgoing your home improvement projects due to the economic downturn, consider thinking less like a homeowner and more like a college student.

No, I’m not talking about decorating your house with empty pizza boxes. But how about taking some of the fundamentals of the fine art of dorm decorating and repurposing them in your own home? With a bit of creativity (and some elbow grease), you can spend a lot less on your project and end up with a room that doesn’t look cookie-cutter. Be fearless, as the article says:

First and foremost is fearlessness. You’d be embarrassed if your friends knew you’d gotten a piece of furniture off the street. College kids call up their friends to get their help carrying furniture home from the street, and brag about it. Many are genuinely concerned about recycling and the environment, and delighted when they can turn construction cast-offs into the trappings of home.

Sure, some of the projects featured in the article are a bit avant-garde (such as the chandelier made of plastic garbage bags), but some of them are pretty ingenious. Styrofoam trays transformed into wall art. Kitchen counters made of wood and galvanized pipes. Recycled lightbulbs as candleholders. A castoff nighstand goes glam with a coat of paint and shellac. Okay, maybe the bed frame made of honeycomb cardboard is best left to the students.

The main messages here aren’t actually that new — many lists of budget remodeling tips focus on salvaging and do-it-yourself. But it’s a good reminder to think outside the box and be open to new ideas (Dueling Digs is a great place to look for home remodeling inspiration). Think creatively. And sometimes, it pays off to think like a student.

See the original post here:

Homeowner Charlie Kratzer of Lexington, Kentucky thought the “classic cream” walls in his basement could use a little something. So what did he do? He took $10 worth of Sharpie markers and transformed his basement into this:

(Wait a few seconds and you’ll get a 360-degree view of the room.)

Look closely and you may spot some familiar faces. Kratzer included many famous characters — both real and fictional — in his drawings, including Sherlock Holmes, Winston Churchill, George Bernard Shaw, Claude Monet, and a gathering of artistic greats in Picasso’s Paris salon. He even threw in Rocky and Bullwinkle. Talk about creative!

You can read more about the Sharpie basement in this Lexington Herald-Leader article.

360-degree view courtesy Lexington Herald-Leader

Original post:
$10 Basement Makeover, Using a Sharpie

(Photo courtesy of Flickr’s Ming chai)

Since it’s October 1 today, we thought it would be fun to showcase the color that is synonymous with the month of October — orange. It’s not just for pumpkins anymore. When it comes to home décor, orange is hot!

The fiery color has made a big comeback in the past few years, and it’s now popping up in homes everywhere. In its fall trends forecast, Pantone specifically called out burnt orange, which is the earthy color of fallen leaves, as a hot color for fall. But all shades of orange — pumpkin, apricot, burnt orange, melon, coral, terra cotta, and so on — have seen a resurgence.

There are some rules for decorating with orange, as choosing the right tone can be tricky and using too much of it can overwhelm a room. But when done right, it can really add that “wow” factor. This San Diego Union-Tribune article offers some great tips, such as using warmer orange tones to create a cozy atmosphere and lighter tones to act as a neutral.

Want to see how some real homeowners have used orange to punch up their home décor? Here are some orange rooms that we’re seriously crushing on, all from Dueling Digs:

Pops of bright orange liven up this living room at 5702 Greenbush Ave., Van Nuys, CA
See more Van Nuys, CA real estate
See more living space remodeling ideas

This bathroom with spicy orange walls is from 31597 Via Cruzada, San Juan Capistrano, CA
See more San Juan Capistrano, CA real estate
See more bathroom remodeling ideas

Classic orange and black is combined with pale wood in this kitchen from 14333 SE 84th Ct., Newcastle, WA
See more Newcastle, WA real estate
See more kitchen remodeling ideas

A reddish-orange hue is mixed with brown in this funky bedroom at 120 Pamela Rd., Monrovia, CA
See more Monrovia, CA real estate
See more bedroom remodeling ideas

Sunny yellow-orange walls brighten this kid’s room at 11754 Treadwell Dr., Poway, CA
See more Poway, CA real estate

Orange is fabulous on exteriors, too: This peachy home is at 2500 Lyon St., San Francisco, CA
See more San Francisco real estate
See more exterior remodeling ideas

Terra cotta and sage green are an eye-catching combo at 3935 NE Skidmore St., Portland, OR
See more Portland, OR real estate

See more here:
Remodeling Color Spotlight: Orange

Here’s an interesting topic being debated in our Discussions section: How important is granite?For years now, granite has been one of the most popular kitchen countertop choices, especially in higher-end homes. But a recent New York Times article noted that there has been an increase in cases of granite countertops being tested with high levels of radon, a radioactive gas that has been known to cause lung cancer.

Radon in some types of granite isn’t a new phenomenon, but as granite has increased in popularity, more cases have been reported. According to the New York Times article, radiation experts have said that most granite countertops do not emit enough of the gas to pose any sort of health threat. But it’s still unclear what the long-term effects might be. For some people, it’s turning them away from granite.

If you look at some of the responses in the lively Discussions thread, there’s definitely a granite backlash going on, not only because of radiation threats, but also because people’s perceptions of granite may be changing:

INTDESR: Granite is so dated.  It’s time to move on to other materials anyways.

Spleng: It is important because it will mark the home as a bubble era home, and bring back bubble memories when seen. In future times the sight of it will cause people to wince and think sad thoughts.

INTDESR again: Granite just makes me gag when I see it too.  Especially if it’s done in that flipper way of dark cabinetry and stainless appliances.

So, if not granite, what then?

As the peeps in Discussions pointed out, quartz has been quickly gaining in popularity as a countertop material. This article, which nicely rounds up the many options for counters, explains that quartz shares many of the same qualities that have made granite so popular: It’s a natural stone, it’s sturdy, and the color options are plentiful and consistent. But unlike granite, quartz does not require sealing and, according to the major manufacturers, it’s radon-free. The downside: It’s expensive. If you’d like more info a quartz countertops, check out Silestone and Cambria. 

Kitchen with quartz counters (photo courtesy Silestoneusa.com)

Another option that seemed quite popular in the Discussions thread is glass countertops (such as those by Icestone and Vetrazzo), which are made of crushed recycled glass. They’re very “green,” look cool, and come in many colors. But they’re also quite expensive.

To explore all of your countertop options and find other kitchen remodeling ideas, be sure to check out the kitchens in Dueling Digs.

So, what do you think is the next big thing in countertops?

See the rest here:
Is Quartz the New Granite?

What’s the latest trend in the home improvement industry? Well, it’s not something that “improves” the home per se, but rather something that protects it. I recently came across this interesting MSNBC article that examines a rising sector in the industry: ”board-up” specialists.

Board-up specialists are home improvement professionals who are hired by lenders and banks to look after their foreclosed properties. As the article explains, this can mean many things. Based on the needs of the lender and the specific property, board-up specialists handle everything from boarding up the windows and doors to changing the locks to hauling junk to the dump. If there’s graffiti on the home, they’ll cover up the graffiti. If windows are broken, they’ll replace the windows.

As the number of foreclosed properties skyrockets, many professionals who once did skilled labor are finding the board-up industry lucrative and a source of steady work. Lenders generally have very few people on staff — or nobody at all — who handle maintenance on foreclosed properties, and they’re finding themselves with an increasing number of properties to manage.

In some areas, lenders are being fined by local municipalities if their homes are neglected, since these unkempt homes can affect property values. In addition, lenders are looking to prevent the homes from being taken oven by squatters and theives. There have been many recent cases of foreclosed homes being stripped of their innards and stripped of everything else. As long as cases like these keep happening (and they likely will), there will be no shortage of work for board-up specialists.

Photo credit: ©iStockphoto.com/MCCAIG

Read more:
Board-up Specialists in Demand

Photo courtesy the Hartford Courant

A few weeks ago, Whitney wrote a great post about the housing conundrum that parents of college students face: Is it more financially beneficial to have their kids live in the dorm, or buy them a house to live in?

I thought about Whitney’s post when I came across an article about one Yale student that should get an A+ for ingeniuty: She’s building her own house. Elizabeth Turnbull estimated that it was going to cost her $14,000 in expenses to live in a shared apartment in New Haven, Connecticut for two years. A graduate student at Yale’s School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Turnbull is also concerned about her carbon footprint.

So, she decided to build her own home — one that’s super-small (8 feet by 18 feet), transportable, and extremely green. The home, which she’s built on the top of a flatbed trailer, features a kitchen, living area, bathroom, sleeping loft, and storage loft. (See more pics of the house in this photo gallery.) Turnbull was inspired by the wee homes built by the Tumbleweed Tiny House Company of Sebastopol, California, which we profiled on the blog last April.

The Hartford Courant article says Turnbull expects to be able to light the whole home and power her cell phone and laptop with the energy generated from three solar panels. She plans to tow the tiny home to New Haven in the fall and park it at a site within biking distance of the school. The expected total for building and furnishing the house: $11,000, so she’s even saving some money.

You go, girl!

The rest is here:
College Student Builds Her Own House

I was just looking over the results of the American Institute of Architect’s latest Home Design Trends Survey, and I noticed a few interesting trends. According to the AIA, home sizes are trending downward:

As recently as 2006, almost twice as many residential architects participating in the AIA Home Design Trends Survey reported home sizes to be increasing as reported them to be decreasing. By 2007, that trend had reversed, as more residential architects reported home sizes to be decreasing than increasing. With the 2008 survey, more than twice as many respondents reported home size declines as reported increases (33.5 percent vs. 15.5 percent).

As home interiors are getting smaller, AIA says more homeowners are looking to increase their living spaces by tapping into the outdoors:

Despite a downsizing of home sizes and general concerns about keeping housing costs affordable, residential architects note the growing interest among households in improving their properties, even as lot sizes continue to shrink. At the forefront is the growing movement toward outdoor living. This trend encompasses anything from increased emphasis on traditional outdoor elements like decks, porches, and patios, to expanded outdoor cooking areas and outdoor “rooms.”

You can certainly see this trend taking over in the most popular yards and gardens in Dueling Digs, our source for home improvement ideas. Of course, it helps if you live in a climate that lends itself to being outside year-round, but at least us wet-and-cold-weather dwellers can dream. Hey, that’s why they invented outdoor heaters!

Here’s a look at some drool-worthy ”outdoor rooms” from Dueling Digs:

This lovely living area with brick fireplace is from 1829 Barrington Dr., Roanoke, TX
See more Roanoke, TX real estate

A slate-covered outdoor dining area from 19877 Trotter Ln., Yorba Linda, CA
See more Yorba Linda, CA real estate

This tiki-inspired room is from 1927 N. Normandie Ave., Los Angeles, CA
See more Los Angeles, CA real estate

A New Mexico-meets-California outdoor living room from 5217 Linea Del Cielo, Rancho Santa Fe, CA
See more Rancho Santa Fe, CA real estate

Patio with hot tub and fireplace from 797 Lynwood Dr., Encinitas, CA
See more Encinitas, CA real estate

This super-cool deck with fire pit is from 1507 Mariners Dr., Newport Beach, CA
See more Newport Beach, CA real estate

Read the rest here:
Outdoor Living Spaces Gaining in Popularity

What are you doing this Labor Day weekend? How about something that will leave your wallet a bit heavier this winter? Here’s the deal: We probably don’t have to remind you that Labor Day weekend is the unofficial last weekend of summer. That means cold weather is lurking right around the corner. (Or, if you live in Seattle, stormy weather is already here!) But there are some home improvement fixes that you can do now to ensure that high energy prices don’t bite you once winter rolls around.

According to the Energy Information Administration’s short-term outlook, heating oil prices during the upcoming heating season (usually October though March) are projected to average $4.34 per gallon, compared with $3.31 last season. That’s an increase of about 31 percent. Residential natural gas prices are also expected to rise significantly, from an average of $15.58 per thousand cubic feet (Mcf) compared with $12.72 per Mcf during the last heating season — a 22 percent increase.

So, what can you do? This Marketwatch article (provided by building products company CertainTeed) offers advice on what you can do to reduce the impact of high heating costs in your home. Time to put those tools to good use!

• Seal: For a cheap and relatively easy fix, check your windows, doors, and other areas for drafts and seal them off with caulk, weather stripping, plastic sheeting, door sweeps, or draft stoppers.
• Insulate: Have poor insulation? Consider adding insulation, and you’ll no doubt make up for the cost in reduced heating bills.
• Replace filters: Increase the efficiency of your furnace by cleaning or replacing the filter often.
• Call in a pro: A thorough energy audit can help you identify other improvements to make your home more energy efficient. Or, conduct your own.

View original post here:
Home Improvement Fixes for Labor Day Weekend