Living in an apartment can sometimes be a frustrating experience. Paying rent every month makes you feel like you are throwing money away.
Today’s housing market makes it a great time to buy and in some cases you can buy a home for less money than you are paying in rent. Living in an apartment with tenants above or below you in some older apartments can be noisy. Single family homes do not have this problem, as none of the walls in your home will be attached to any other home in your neighborhood. This in turn means that you will have more privacy, and more importantly, there will be less noise coming from your neighbors, no matter what time of the day it is.
Another reason why owning your own home is so great is because you will generally have your own yard, allowing you to have outside furniture, gardens and entertain which can be harder to do in an apartment
When it comes to shopping for a home, it is important that you do a good amount of research beforehand. While single family homes do have a lot of advantages, you have to make sure to take your time and find that perfect home for you. Some things to think about is location, neighborhood, schools, and being close to amenities like shopping, restaurants or other places that may be important to you.
One of the best ways to research for homes is on this website. This website is updated every 15 minutes with new listings, price changes, back on markets and open houses. This will allow you to easily browse through homes for sale until you find the perfect home for your needs.
Bottom line is buying a home today can be a great invest down the road and can come with a lot of benefits over renting. Feel free to call if you would like help in buying or selling your real estate.
You have decided to sell. But before you put the sign in the yard there are some things you will want to make sure you have done. Time spent doing research and setting the right price will most likely yield you a better return in the end. A home is only worth what a buyer is willing to pay for it.
Track your neighborhood values
Find out what homes similar to yours are selling for in your neighborhood so you will have a good idea what your home is worth.
Buyer or seller market
You need to judge whether it’s a sellers’ market or a buyers’ market in your neighborhood. Remember that all real estate is local. You will want to research things like interest rates, home inventory, job forecasts, and even time of year.
Research inventory
How many homes are for sale? If you live in a desirable neighborhood and there aren’t many homes for sale, you will have a clear edge here. However, if you see lots of homes on the market and they’re not selling very quickly, you might have to reduce the price you had in mind.
Know the average days on the market
Review the homes in your neighborhood and their days on market sometimes referred to as DOM. Look at trends for the past year and assess whether homes were appreciating or depreciating.
Monitor the job market
Is a big company relocating workers to your area? Or are they moving out and shutting the doors? The job market has a lot to do with the real estate market.
Attend nearby open houses
Observe how other properties are showing and compare them to your home. At an open house you can often feel the “mood” of potential buyers.
Get a professional opinion
A real estate professional will be able to help you gather all of the above information and come up with a CMA or comparable market analysis to determine the best price range for you home.
Whether you crave a fresh salad, a little chocolate or a new laptop, you can probably find a deal this month.
April showers? Get a slicker at less-than-sticker price. Want to turn that patio or deck into your home-outside-of-home for the next five months? You might find decent discounts on furniture, containers and flowering plants.
Whether you want to add a little spring zing to your menu, home or attitude, Bankrate.com has compiled a list of more than 20 items from on which you can find discounts, deals and sales this month.
April holidays mean deals on candy, from chocolate bunnies to jelly beans.
Early in April, the biggest discounts are on Easter candy: treats such as “chocolate bunnies and chocolate eggs filled with peanut butter or cream or different confections,” says Denise Alvarez, marketing manager for Retail Confectioners International, an association of independently owned candy producers and retailers. In many cases, shoppers will find discounts of 10 percent to 15 percent, she says.
If you love the candy but don’t care about the calendar, the days after Easter (April
are a candy lover’s bonanza. Anything themed that can’t be repackaged for other holidays can be up to half off, she says.
If your tastes run toward the nonchocolate, April 22 brings National Jelly Bean Day. Depending on the retailer, you could find discounts on jelly beans of up to 10 percent to 20 percent, Alvarez says.
April is a good time to save on TVs, laptops and tablets — oh my.
“April is actually a pretty good month for both televisions and laptops,” says. “Part of it is because it’s the end of the model year. And it’s the end of the fiscal year for Japanese companies — they’re trying to clear the books.”
Generally, shoppers can expect discounts of about 10 percent on TVs and laptops, he says. With TVs, “it’s really all over the place,” depending on the company and the model, he says. TVs without some of the latest high-tech features (such as Internet interface or 3-D) might offer greater discounts, he says.
Ditto with laptops. The big influx of “ultrabooks” (lightweight, superthin, shorter boot times and longer battery lives), means shoppers can find bigger discounts on more traditional models, Barry says.
Mother’s Day, graduations and Father’s Day come in May and June, and that means good prices in April on accessories for electronics — things such as cases, docking stations and carrying bags, Barry says.
April brings savings on party supplies and kids’ dress clothes.
Want to get a good deal on kids’ dress clothes? During the first week of April (right before Easter and Passover), parents will see dress clothing marked down by 25 percent to 50 percent, says Daniel Butler, vice president of retail operations for the National Retail Federation.
There are two times of year when parents try to outfit their children in dress clothes: just before winter and spring holidays, he says. Bargains include everything from baby and toddler sizes to juniors and young men’s sizes, he says.
The only problem for bargain hunters is that it’s a short window of just one week, Butler says.
Got a spring party planned? When it comes to items such as balloons, costumes, place mats and special dinnerware, you could find deals of 25 percent to 50 percent off during the first week of April, Butler says. If you wait, the real deals come after the holidays, when you can find the same items for 40 percent to 70 percent off, he says.
With April weather a peril, buy apparel at a discount.
April showers bring not just May flowers, but also deals on rain gear, says Daniel Butler, vice president of retail operations for the National Retail Federation.
Shoppers will see discounts on lightweight weather gear — such as umbrellas, slickers and jackets — for 20 percent to 30 percent off, he says.
If you would rather plan for sunny weather, you can likely find bargains on swimwear in April. Many stores mark swimsuits down by 25 percent to 50 percent, Butler says. Warm-weather casual clothes, such as shorts, T-shirts and tank tops, are popping up at 25 percent to 40 percent off, he says.
Your supermarket will have plenty of produce on sale in April.
If the weather stays warm, leaf lettuce should be a great value in April, says James Parker, facility team leader for the global produce buying office of Whole Foods Market. He lists romaine, green leaf, red leaf and butter lettuce.
Grape or cherry tomatoes are another good buy in April. Instead of price cuts, look for larger amounts sold at the same price, Parker says.
Prices on artichokes, asparagus, strawberries and mangos dropped in March, and, if the weather holds, supplies will be even more plentiful in April, Parker says. Consumers could see either lower prices or larger portions for the same price.
April brings plenty more bargains in produce, including for red peppers. In general, hothouse peppers will run about $2 to $4 a pound, while peppers grown in the field will be about $1 to $2 a pound, Parker says.
Consumers should also see some good buys on broccoli and cauliflower, he says. If the favorable weather continues, prices for both will go down about one-third in April, Parker says.
In April, you can find deals on outdoor furniture, clay pots and some blooming plants.
You might not get the best prices on outdoor living goods in April, but that doesn’t mean you can’t find a discount.
If you’re in the market for some patio furniture, you can find markdowns of 20 percent to 30 percent in April, says Daniel Butler, vice president of retail operations for the National Retail Federation.
In April, many garden centers run specials on terra cotta pots — a favorite for container gardening, says P. Allen Smith, author of “Living in the Garden Home” and host of “P. Allen Smith Gardens.” While the discounts aren’t as big as you’d score in October (as much as 80 percent off), you can get deals of up to 20 percent off, he says.
Nurseries and garden centers will also run superlow prices on select items in April, hoping that you’ll buy other things once you’re in the store. So look for loss-leader prices on things such as hanging baskets of blooming plants and flats of perennials, Smith says.
Discounted spa services deliver a less stressful April.
Longing for an hour of “me time” sometime in April?
For Spa Week (April 16 to 22), more than 800 participating spas are offering promotional deals, says Lynne McNees, president of the International Spa Association.
You get an hour of services for $50, she says. That can be anything from a single facial or massage to a combination of treatments. “You really can get anything you want,” McNees says. “It depends on the spa in your area.”
April is Stress Awareness Month. Many spas and health clubs offer free or discounted classes, seminars and services aimed at stress reduction, McNees says. This can include classes on meditation or how to multitask without losing your mind.
Bathrooms are one of the most costly rooms to remodel–generally second only to kitchens. These costs are often incurred in labor charges on items that go beyond the typical do-it-yourselfer’s skills. If you find yourself in the position of needing a bathroom update, but without the funds for a full remodel, here’s some quick, budget-friendly updates that will give your bathroom a brand new look.
Here are some great tips from Addicted2Decorating on how to get your bathroom in tip top shape.
Painting is absolutely the cheapest way to transform any room. For around $25, you can have a brand new look. And because they’re smaller than other rooms, bathrooms are often a great place to experiment with interesting new wall treatments. Do you like stripes? Try them in your bathroom!
Most people overlook the importance of lighting in almost every room of their home. If you’re still living with an outdated bath bar (often called Hollywood lighting), then you can have a fresh, new update for as little as $30.
Again, paint is the cheapest way to update. Are your wood cabinets looking tired from years and years of use? Give them a fresh coat of paint, and they’ll look new! I recommend a good cleaning, followed by a light sanding, then priming. Top with a coat or two of an oil-based paint, and you’ve got a brand new look. And the cost? About $70.
Hardware is the “jewelry” of your cabinets. Not having hardware on your cabinets is like putting on a great outfit, but forgetting to accessorize. Hardware is also a great place to be creative and unique. You can expect to pay anywhere from $3 to $15 (or more) for each knob or pull. But it’s well worth it!
Sometimes a new, fresh look is as easy as replacing your worn-out, faded towels with some soft, fluffy new towels. And as popular as spa-inspired interiors are these days, it’s difficult to go wrong with white! White also gives your space a fresh, clean look. You can expect to pay from $5 to $30 per towel, depending on the quality.
When most of us think of purchasing a rug for our bathroom, we generally head to the bathroom department of the local home store. But why not try something with a little more style? Instead of a regular bath mat, try introducing a small area rug into your bathroom. Instant color and style! And because the rug is generally smaller than one you’d need for a living room, it’s possible to find one for $50 to $100.
I’m really surprised at how many people still use toilet seat covers in their bathrooms. Toilet seat covers are not only outdated, but they’re incredibly unsanitary. Remove it and reveal your sparkly clean toilet. And the cost? Free! Simply remove…..AND TOSS!
These are just as bad as the toilet seat covers. Actually, they’re worse, considering that these catch more….ummmm…stuff, since it’s on the floor. Eewwww! Again, just lift, and TOSS! And again….it’s FREE!!
If you have a plain, plate-glass, builder’s basic mirror, give it a frame! Simply purchase some moulding from your local home improvement store, cut to fit, paint, and adhere it to your mirror. Fill in the corners with a bit of wood filler, sand, and touch-up the paint. If you don’t want to go to the trouble of making a frame yourself, you can always remove the mirror completely, and replace it with a purchased, framed mirror. Either way, the impact will be tremendous. This can easily be achieved for $50 to $100.
If you have a bathroom that requires a shower curtain, this is NOT the place to make a simply utilitarian choice. Visually, shower curtains consume a large area of the bathroom, and this is the perfect place to add color and style to your bathroom. So now’s the time to get rid of your plain, plastic shower curtain, and find one that defines your style!!
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