Trivia Tuesday August 29, 2017

And I think I'm crazy for adding more Christmas lights to outdo the neighbors!

Monday Morning Coffee August 28, 2017

Every six months, the head of the U.S. Fed testifies before Congress. 

In her testimony on Wednesday, nearly all of Fed Chair Janet Yellen's comments simply reiterated what had already been communicated by Fed officials. 

However, she did provide one new piece of information regarding future Fed policy which caused a significant reaction. Yellen said that the Fed would not have to raise the federal funds rate "all that much further" to reach a "neutral policy stance," which is the rate which neither helps nor hinders economic growth. 

The practical implication of a lower "neutral" rate is that the Fed would stop raising rates sooner than investors had previously expected. 

A potentially smaller number of future rate hikes is undoubtedly good news for mortgage rates.

It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer. ~ Albert Einstein

Diabetes itself had been understood by its symptoms as far back as the 1600s - and the urination and thirst associated with it had been recognized thousands of years before.

A feared and usually deadly disease, doctors in the nineteenth century knew that sugar worsened diabetes and that limited help could be given by dietary restriction of sugar. But if that helped, it also caused death from starvation.

On the night of 31 October 1920, after reading a routine article in a medical journal while preparing a talk to medical students, FrederickBanting wrote down an idea for research aimed at isolating an internal secretion of the pancreas that might prove to be a cure for diabetes — a substance long sought by other researchers. 

The next morning, he discussed the idea with F.R. Miller, a professor of physiology at Western, who advised him to seek support for his proposed research at the University of Toronto. 

On 17 May 1921, Banting began work under the direction of Professor J.J.R. Macleod and assisted by C.H. Best.

Banting's and Best's experiments in the summer and autumn of 1921 were crudely conducted and did not substantiate Banting's idea, which was physiologically unsound. 

Banting had left London and risked all of his meager assets on the research in Toronto. However, he and Best did achieve favourable enough results treating some symptoms in diabetic dogs that Macleodapproved further experimentation and an expansion of the research team.

It was in 1921 that Canadian physician Frederick Banting and medical student Charles H. Best would be credited with discovering the hormone insulin in the pancreatic extracts of dogs.

Banting and Best injected the hormone into a dog and found that it lowered high blood glucose levels to normal. They then perfected their experiments to the point of grinding up and filtering a dog's surgically tied pancreas, isolating a substance called "isletin."

The pair then developed insulin for human treatment with the help of Canadian chemist James B. Collip and Scottish physiologist J.J.R.Macleod.

Macleod had been impressed with Banting and Best's work but wanted a retrial of the evidence. He provided pancreases from cows to make the extract which was named "insulin," and the procedures were repeated. 

Collip's role was to help with purifying the insulin to be used for testing on humans. 

Ultimately, the first medical success was with a boy with type 1 diabetes - 14-year-old Leonard Thompson - who was successfully treated in 1922. 

Close to death before treatment, Leonard bounced back to life with the insulin.

Insulin was immediately and spectacularly effective: not a cure, but a powerful lifesaving therapy for diabetes mellitus. 

Frederick Banting was hailed as the principal discoverer of insulin because his idea had launched the research and because of his prominence in the early use of insulin.

The Nobel Prize Committee in Sweden recognized the contributions of both Banting and Macleod in this important discovery. 

On learning that he was to share the 1923 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine with Macleod, Banting gave half his prize money to Best. 

Macleod gave half his prize money to Collip. 

Banting was awarded a lifetime annuity by the Government of Canada, was appointed Canada's first professor of medical research at the University of Toronto and was knighted in 1934. He was also made a Fellow of the Royal Society (London) and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. ~ Michael Bliss

Trivia Tuesday August 22, 2017

If you were one of the wealthiest people in the world where would you live?

Warren Buffett is also the Chairman of the Board, President, and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. As an agent with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, Drysdale Properties I have access to a wealth of valuable tools and services that allow me to get your home sold or help you find your next home. So call me when you are ready to buy or sell a home and you'll not only get a great REALTOR® but also the power of a great company behind you!

Monday Morning Coffee August 21, 2017

One of the brightest spots in recent U.S. economic data came from the housing sector. 

Despite a lack of inventory in many markets, the national housing market continues to prosper.

Single-family housing starts were 10% higher than a year ago. Similar gains were seen for building permits for single-family homes in June. They were 9% higher than a year ago. 

Yes, inventory is still low in many real estate markets, but home builders are contributing by steadily increasing the number of new homes being built.

Thinking about selling your home? Curious what it is worth?

Click here for a FREE Instant Home Valuation.

"Give them quality. That's the best kind of advertising in the world."-Milton S. Hershey

During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a time when ruthless businesspeople created empires of steel, oil and railroads on the backs of a hapless rural population forced into grim factory towns, Milton S. Hershey followed a different path to success.

Unlike Carnegie, Rockefeller, and Vanderbilt who offered their workers callous treatment and back-breaking labor for menial wages, Hershey offered his employees dignity and prosperity, inspiring bounteous love and loyalty in his workers and making himself wildly rich in the process.Hershey began his candy-making career at age 15 when he was apprenticed to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, confectioner Joseph H. Royer. Hershey blossomed under Royer's tutelage, acquiring many of the skills and tools he would later use to build his own empire.In 1876, with $100 he'd borrowed from his aunt, Hershey opened his first candy shop in Philadelphia.For six years he worked day and night to keep the business alive. Working 15 to 16 hours a day, Hershey would make caramels and taffies at night, then sell them from a pushcart to crowds at the Great Centennial Exposition, which was being held to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.But in February 1882, after a winter dogged by illness and mounting debt, Hershey sold the business and headed to Denver to join his father in the great Colorado silver rush.Surprisingly, the riches Hershey found in Colorado came not from the ground, but from a cow. While working for a confectioner in Denver, Hershey learned that adding fresh milk to caramel greatly improved its quality and extended the candy's shelf life - a discovery that would be crucial in later years.Hershey left Denver for Chicago, where he started another candy shop. But failure continued to haunt him, and the venture quickly fell through.

After a similar experience in New Orleans, Hershey headed to New York City and opened yet another store. Despite his best efforts, the company continually lost money. When a group of kids stampeded his delivery wagon and made off with his entire stock, Hershey was bankrupt.Hershey returned to Lancaster to find that his relatives had given up on him, refusing even to take him in, let alone lend him money to start another business. But Hershey would soon find salvation in the form of an old friend and employee.Henry Lebkicher, who had briefly worked for Hershey in his Philadelphia store, not only offered Hershey a place to live, but also lent him the money he needed to bring his candy-making equipment from New York.

The pair then scraped together enough capital to start the business that would firmly establish Milton Hershey as a candy-maker, the Lancaster Caramel Co.By 1893, in addition to the original Lancaster factory, the now incorporated Lancaster Caramel Co. had plants in Mountjoy, Pennsylvania; Chicago; and Geneva, Illinois, which together employed more than 1,300 workers. Hershey's persistence had finally paid off. And this would prove to be just the beginning.During a visit to the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Hershey witnessed a demonstration of chocolate-rolling machinery from Germany that sparked a new determination in him. Hershey turned to a friend and said, "Caramels are a fad, but chocolate is permanent. I'm going to make chocolate."The next year, using the very same machinery he'd seen at the exposition, Milton started the Hershey Chocolate Co. and began producing more than 114 different types of chocolate candies, including the product that would make his name famous the world over - the milk chocolate Hershey Bar.

Previously manufactured only in Switzerland and Germany, milk chocolate was new to the United States, and the Hershey Bar became an instant phenomenon.

It was so successful that Hershey sold Lancaster Caramel Co. for $1 million and turned his attention solely to chocolate.For several years, Hershey had been perfecting a plan for mass-producing milk chocolate. Now with the wealth generated from the sale of the caramel company, he could put that plan into action.

Inspired by the utopian "city of the future" created for the Columbian Exposition, Hershey set out to build not just a chocolate factory, but the ideal town where the work force could live, play, work and prosper.

Because of its rich supply of clean water, proximity to some of the finest dairy farms in the country, and plenty of land for expansion, Hershey chose his birthplace, Dairy Church, Pennsylvania, as the site for his dream city.

In 1903, Hershey broke ground for his new factory and set into motion the events that would turn his dream into a reality. The factory was modern in every way, with high-tech machinery that eliminated the cost and tedium of making and wrapping chocolate by hand, and made possible the mass production of high-quality milk chocolate at affordable prices.The community Hershey built for his employees (officially renamed Hershey, Pennsylvania, in 1905) was just as impressive and modern. It featured affordable housing with sewage and electricity, paved streets (with names like Chocolate Avenue and Cocoa Avenue), schools, department stores, a trolley system, churches, a library, a hospital, a zoo, an open-air theater and even an amusement park.

Both the community and the company prospered, and by 1915, the chocolate plant alone covered 35 acres; company sales rocketed from $600,000 in 1901 to $20 million by 1921.When the stock market crashed in 1929, Hershey refused to let the dark shadow of the Depression fall over his idyllic community. While other companies fired employees and cut back their operations, Hershey embarked on an ambitious building plan devised solely to keep his workers employed.

They constructed a new high school, a sports arena, a community building and a lavish 170-room hotel.

Legend has it that during construction of the hotel, Hershey was watching a steam shovel in operation when a foreman proudly commented that it could do the job of 40 workers. Hershey told the foreman to get rid of the shovel and hire 40 workers.Both the company and the town survived the Depression and continued to flourish, thanks to Hershey's singular vision and amazing inventiveness.

Hershey would put that inventiveness to use for his country during Word War II, when he oversaw the development of the high-energy Field Ration D bars carried by GIs serving in the war zones.

The 4-ounce non-melting chocolate bars packed 600 calories and could support soldiers if no other food was available.

Hershey would later say that the four Army/Navy "E for Excellence" awards bestowed on the Field Ration D bars were among the proudest achievements of his life. ~ Entrepreneur Magazine

Trivia Tuesday August 15, 2017

Check out this article on Wikipedia for a fun list of spite houses.

Here's one right here in Alameda, CA that is still standing and occupied.

Monday Morning Coffee August 14, 2017

As mentioned previously, the Fed's target level for inflation is an annual rate of 2.0%. Tuesday's release of the core PCEprice index, the inflation indicator favored by the Fed, revealed that inflation remains well below this level. 

In June, core PCE was just 1.5% higher than a year ago, which was the same annual rate as in May. 

Low inflation is good for mortgage rates, and rates improved as a result.

 “You have to set goals that are almost out of reach. If you set a goal that is attainable without much work or thought, you are stuck with something below your true talent and potential.” —Steve Garvey

Jim had a rough start in life.  In his early years at school he describes himself as quiet and having no friends. Yet, he discovered that he could make friends by making people laugh. 

That was his turning point. But the results weren’t all positive. One teacher wrote on his report card: “Jim finishes his work first and then disrupts the class.” 

At home, he thoroughly enjoyed making faces and mimicking in his mirror. His ambition showed when he began to think beyond entertaining his fellow students. 

At age ten he sent his resume’ to actress/comedienne Carol Burnette, hoping to be discovered.

It wasn’t all up hill for Jim though. First, he had to work around his learning disability, dyslexia, in order to succeed in school. He did this by developing a phenomenal memory.

Although his dad tended to encourage his craziness, his mom was alarmed and often sent him to his room. No problem – just more time to practice in front of the mirror.

Money was another hurdle. His family lived in a rough district with lots of low-rent townhouses. By the tenth grade he was trying to juggle eight-hour night shifts at the factory with school during the day. He was so exhausted that he couldn’t understand what his teachers were talking about. 

He didn’t have any friends at school and feared that anyone getting close might discover his embarrassing poverty. 

With little learning and no relationships, he felt that school was getting him nowhere. He called it quits at 16.

His family decided that their surroundings were taking them the wrong direction, so they packed up and moved to Canada with no job in sight. His parents and two siblings lived in a beat-up yellow Volkswagen camper van for a full eight months, parking in campgrounds.

You can imagine his emotional baggage – the loss of his teen years, feeling intellectually backward, the embarrassment and hardship of poverty. Yet, perhaps that feeling of inferiority paved the way to his success by making him feel that he had to try harder than others.

As one biographer wrote: “His greatest bursts of creativity were born out of desperation; so was his remarkable willingness to take risks.”

His first public performance was in Toronto’s Yuk-Yuk Comedy Club. Eleanor Goldhar, publicist for the club, noticed Jim’s intensity. 

When he wasn’t performing, he was quiet compared to the other comedians. In her own words, “You could see him watching and listening – observing closely, paying attention to everything that was going on.”

Jim says that he’s always believed in magic. When he wasn’t doing anything in Hollywood, he would drive up and sit in his car on Mulholland Drive, look out at the city, stretch out his arms, and say, “Everyone wants to work with me. I’m a really good actor. I have all kinds of great movie offers.” 

He would just repeat these things over and over, literally convincing himself that he had a couple of movies lined up. He’d drive down that hill, ready to take the world on, saying, “Movie offers are out there for me, I just don’t hear them yet.” 

He now reflects that it was like total affirmations, antidotes to the stuff that stems from his family background. 

Around 1990, when Jim Carrey was a struggling young Canadian comic trying to make his way in Los Angeles, he drove his old Toyota up to Mulholland Drive. While sitting there looking at the city below and dreaming of his future, he wrote himself a check for $10 million, dated it Thanksgiving 1995, added the notation “for acting services rendered,” and carried it in his wallet from that day forth. 

The rest, as they say, is history. Carrey’s optimism and tenacity eventually paid off, and by 1995, after the huge box office success of Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, The Mask, and Dumb & Dumber, his asking price had risen to $20 million per picture. 

When Carrey’s father died in 1994, he placed the $10 million check into his father’s coffin as a tribute to the man who had both started and nurtured his dreams of being a star. ~ Matthew Bass

Home Seller's Guide

Download this valuable Home Seller's Guide now for a complete guide on what to expect when selling your home.

How Much Is My House Really Worth

One of the first questions I will always get when someone is thinking about selling their home is "So what is my house worth?" There's good reason for that to be the first question asked when deciding if the time is right to sell. Your home's value will play a role in how much you can afford in a new home. It can mean the difference between turning a profit or being underwater on your mortgage. When you are selling something worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, finding the right price is important. A price that's too high could mean your home doesn't sell. Price it to low and you could lose thousands of dollars. Unfortunately, finding the your true home's value isn't as easy as finding the price of a book. Turn most books over and the price is stamped right on the back cover, but a home's value is constantly changing and determining the right price isn't a simple task.

Things To Understand Before Setting a Price

1 - Appraised Value and Market Value are not the same thing. It is common to think that once an appraiser comes out, inspects your home, and gives you an appraisal that you now have your exact home value. That would be great, but unfortunately that's not the case. 

An appraised value is simply the value of a parcel of real property in the opinion of a single qualified appraiser. In fact, if you have two or more appraisals, you'll probably get two or more different values because in the end it is an opinion. A very educated and qualified opinion, but still an opinion. Currently, due to the very hot market we are in, appraisals are sometimes running behind the true market value. The appraiser will use sold homes for comparison and not pending homes. Typically it can take 30 days for a home to go from pending to sold. That means an appraiser's comparable home(s) can be 30 days old. That's not much typically, but as prices continue to rise it could be thousands of dollars below what your home will sell for today. 

Market value on the other hand is simply what someone is willing to pay for your home. The old law of supply and demand is the greatest influencer of this price. So when it comes to selling your home, market value is what you will try to determine and it won't be ultimately determined until your home is sold.

2 - Your opinion doesn't matter - Ok that sounds harsh so let me explain. Just because you love the wallpaper and think it's so much better than Betty's home that just sold doesn't mean the buyers will agree. The fact that your kids grew up playing on the tire swing in the back and sliding down the stairs and all the other wonderful memories you have are great but buyers won't pay for your memories. They don't have the emotional attachment to the home that you do. It is always easy to think our home is better than all the others because we've decorated with our taste and made great memories etc.

So How Do You Set A Price?

1 - Look at the current market. All home values will start with a look at the current market. What have other similar homes in your neighborhood sold for? What homes in your neighborhood are currently for sell and how does your home compare? How many homes are for sale? Is the market flooded or are homes scarce? (Hint - They are scarce right now which makes it a great time to sell.) You can get a quick peek at the value of your home as compared to the current market using my free home value estimator below.

Get an Instant FREE Home Valuation Now!

2 - What Makes Your Home Special? After looking at comparable homes, it is time to look at your home and see if anything makes it stand out. Do you have a pool? Is your home the only one in the neighborhood with upgraded kitchen and bathrooms? Do you have solar panels? (Leased solar panels won't add value and can often lower the value because the buyer will have to assume that lease) Does your home have an addition? Is it in walking distance of a great school? The list can go on and on.

Measuring all of the unique features of your home and coming up with the right home value isn't easy and really requires a pro. But don't take my word for it, here's what Dave Ramsey has to say on his blog.

If all signs point to go, you’re ready to hone in on the perfect price for your home. As we mentioned, you’ll find all sorts of values for your home floating around the Internet. But the real deal? That comes from a pro.

Here’s why: A real estate agent doesn’t pull stale information from the shelf.They use the power of human intelligence to compare your home’s nitty-gritty details with recent sales and current listings. Let’s say you installed a new roof last year, but your kitchen’s straight from the ’70s. An experienced agent knows how to weigh those factors against the rest of the market to determine a competitive price for your home.

No computer can do that. Yet your success as a seller rides on it.

As you can see, "What is my home worth?" is a loaded question that doesn't have an easy answer. But that is where I come in. As a trusted REALTOR® with Berkshire Hathaway Home Services, I can help. If you are thinking about selling your home, we need to meet so I can see your home and talk to you about what makes it unique. Then I'll look at the market and comparable homes and your competition and weigh it all to determine what your home should sell for. To be honest though, the price I tell you still won't be the true price of your home. That is only determined once it sells because your home is worth what someone will pay for it.

So if you are thinking about selling your home call me or email me. I'm happy to provide you with a FREE comparative market analysis. 

Finally, download my FREE Home Seller's Guide. It's an extensive guide to the home selling process and it's free!

Trivia Tuesday August 8, 2017

You probably won't turn a profit like this if you sell your home right now, but home prices are soaring and now is a great time to sell. If you are curious what your home is worth you can click here for an Instant FREE Home Valuation

Monday Morning Coffee August 7, 2017

The most recent report on home sales activity showed that little has changed over the last few months. 

In June, sales of existing homes were at roughly the same level as in April and May, but slightly higher than a year ago. 

The national inventory of existing homes for sale was at just a 4.3 month supply, 7% lower than a year ago. Here in the Bay Area and Central Valley the supply is hovering around a 1 month supply! (a 6.5 month supply of homes for sale is considered a normal market)

Additionally, the median existing-home price was 7% higher than a year ago. 

All statistics point to a strong real real estate market, more than halfway through 2017!

Humility must always be the portion of any man who receives acclaim earned in the blood of his followers and the sacrifices of his family and friends. ~ Dwight Eisenhower

Back in the fifteenth century, in a tiny village near Nuremberg, lived a family with eighteen children. Eighteen!

In order merely to keep food on the table for this mob, the father and head of the household, a goldsmith by profession, worked almost eighteen hours a day at his trade and any other paying chore he could find in the neighborhood.

Despite their seemingly hopeless condition, two of Albrecht Durer theElder's children had a dream.

They both wanted to pursue their talent for art, but they knew full well that their father would never be financially able to send either of them to Nuremberg to study at the Academy.

After many long discussions at night in their crowded bed, the two boys finally worked out a pact. They would toss a coin. The loser would go down into the nearby mines and, with his earnings, support his brother while he attended the academy.

Then, when that brother who won the toss completed his studies, in four years, he would support the other brother at the academy, either with sales of his artwork or, if necessary, also by laboring in the mines.

They tossed a coin on a Sunday morning after church. Albrecht Durer won the toss and went off to Nuremberg.

Albert went down into the dangerous mines and, for the next four years, financed his brother, whose work at the academy was almost an immediate sensation.

Albrecht's etchings, his woodcuts, and his oils were far better than those of most of his professors, and by the time he graduated, he was beginning to earn considerable fees for his commissioned works.

When the young artist returned to his village, the Durer family held a festive dinner on their lawn to celebrate Albrecht's triumphant homecoming.

After a long and memorable meal, punctuated with music and laughter, Albrecht rose from his honored position at the head of the table to drink a toast to his beloved brother for the years of sacrifice that had enabled Albrecht to fulfill his ambition.

His closing words were, 'And now, Albert, blessed brother of mine, now it is your turn. Now you can go to Nuremberg to pursue your dream, and I will support you.'

All heads turned in eager expectation to the far end of the table where Albert sat, tears streaming down his pale face, shaking his lowered head from side to side while he sobbed and repeated over and over, 'No ... no . no ... no.'

Finally, Albert rose and wiped the tears from his cheeks. He glanced down the long table at the faces he loved, and then, holding his hands close to his right cheek, he said softly, 'No, brother. I cannot go to Nuremberg. It is too late for me. Look ... look what four years in the mines have done to my hands!

The bones in every finger have been smashed at least once, and lately I have been suffering from arthritis so badly in my right hand that I cannot even hold a glass to return your toast, much less make delicate lines on parchment or canvas with a pen or a brush.

No, brother ... for me it is too late.'

More than 450 years have passed. By now, Albrecht Durer's hundreds of masterful portraits, pen and silver-point sketches, watercolors, charcoals, woodcuts, and copper engravings hang in every great museum in the world.

The odds are great that you, like most people, are familiar with only one of Albrecht Durer's works.

More than merely being familiar with it, you very well may have a reproduction hanging in your home or office.

One day, long ago, to pay homage to Albert for all that he had sacrificed, Albrecht Durer painstakingly drew his brother's abused hands with palms together and thin fingers stretched skyward.

He called his powerful drawing simply "Hands," but the entire world almost immediately opened their hearts to his great masterpiece and renamed his tribute of love 'The Praying Hands.'

It is Your Choice, so Honor Someone's Sacrifice for You Today!

Should I Upgrade My Home Before Selling It?

One of the first questions I get when someone is getting ready to sell their home is, "Should I upgrade it?" There are a lot of factors to consider before answering that question, so in today's blog I,m going to discuss some of them, so that you will be able to make an informed decision on whether to upgrade or not.

A few things to consider before you answering the question of to upgrade or not are the competing inventory, the type of market, and your return on investment.

Competing Inventory - What are the other homes on the market around you like? Do they all have updated kitchens and your's doesn't? Is yours the only house with only one bathroom? Before deciding on whether to upgrade or not, it is important to know what your home will be competing against. If your home is seen as needing remodeled compared to the other homes, your home will naturally sell for less. Most buyers prefer a home they can move into with minimal effort. Because of that, a home needing more work will attract fewer buyers and sell for less. Ideally, to sell your home for the most money, your home would be near the top of the homes available, but not the top home either. You never want to have the nicest home in the neighborhood because you will never get what you should when you try to sell it. If you have a million dollar  home in a $500,000 neighborhood you most likely won't find a million dollar buyer.

Type of Market - The market plays a big role in your decision to upgrade. Is the market hot, neutral or cold? In a neutral and cold market, upgrades will pay off more.  It goes back to competition again. Anytime you are selling a home you want to think of other homes on the market as your competition. The more competition, the more it will take to get your home noticed and to make it stand out. If there's 100 homes for sale and only 50 buyers, your home better be in the top 50 homes or priced low enough to be attractive. If the market is hot, like it is now, upgrades, especially major ones, won't pay off as much. 

Return on Investment - If you are only making upgrades to help you sell your home, you don't want to spend $20,000 to sell your home for an extra $10,000. Makes sense right? The competing inventory and type of market both play a role in your return on investment, but the types of upgrades matter as well. You might love cars and have an incredible car collection, but adding a 6 car garage won't have a very good return on investment. 

So what home improvements give the greatest return on investment?

Kitchens and bathrooms are always at the top of this list. These are the two areas of the home people spend a lot of time in and they want these rooms to be nice. However, major kitchen and bathroom upgrades tend to move much lower on the list. (By major, think of a bathroom remodel over $50,000) So when you are looking to upgrade a kitchen or bathroom think upgrades not remodels. Can you paint the old dated kitchen cabinets instead of replacing them? New appliances are always a nice touch, but don't put a $10,000 stove in a $300,000 home. New faucets, shower heads and light fixtures can spruce up an old bathroom. Large walk-in showers are becoming very popular with homebuyers and bath tubs are on their way out. Will your master bathroom allow you to replace the tub and expand the shower at a reasonable price? 

Garage Doors - This is one many people don't think about, but a new garage door can typically fetch over 100% of it's cost. Why? Think curb appeal, which I'll discuss more in a bit.

Manufactured Stone Veneer - This is another curb appeal upgrade that can fetch close to 100%.

Entry Door - The first thing people will see and touch when they enter your home will be the entry door. It sets the stage for the home and if it is worn down, stained, cracked or just looks plain boring, replacing it is a great upgrade. If you already have a nice door, you might get buy with a fresh coat of paint or adding a splash of color to your exterior. 

Curb Appeal - This isn't a specific item, but it is the first thing people see when they see your house. First impressions matter. Psychologists say that we make up our mind about people within 15 seconds of meeting them. And the same is true when viewing a house. Most buyers will have already made a decision on your home before walking through the front door. You might be able to wow them and change their mind after they get in, but that is always harder than wowing them before they get in. When making a large purchase, we tend to focus on the negatives in order to eliminate the ones we don't want to buy. When a buyer walks into your home, they are looking to see what is wrong with it so they can move on to finding their dream home. If your home lacks curb appeal, they have already found several negatives before even setting foot in your home. So clean up the yard, paint or pressure wash the outside, plant some new shrubs or trim back the old ones, fix the cracks in the driveway and make your house look great!

If your home could use some upgrades, I'd look at the areas mentioned above first in order to get the best return on your investment. However, there are certain minimum maintenance issue that need to be taken care of before you sell your home. So if you have a budget to spend on upgrades, start with these issues first then decide what you can remodel with what you have left

1 - Patch holes and cracks in the walls and ceilings.
2 - Fix all broken appliances and HVAC systems.
3 - Repair leaky faucets.
4 - Replace worn or stained carpeting.
5 - Repaint dark or marred walls with a neutral paint color.
6 - Replace broken window glass.
7 - Repair the roof.
8 - Change out any dated light fixtures / ceiling fans.
9 - Replace old drapes and window coverings.
10 - Fix any code violations.

Buyers expect a certain minimal standard when they are buying a home and anytime a home doesn't meet those minimum standards they can really be turned off from your home. An upgraded kitchen is nice and maybe desired, but a working HVAC system and walls without holes are expected.

In todays' extremely hot seller's market, upgrades and remodels won't fetch as high of a return on investment. So keep your budget low and focus on the most desired upgrades. 

And of course, call me. I'd be happy to come walk through your home and make recommendations and discuss the specifics with you.

Are You Ready to Buy?

Trivia Tuesday August 1 2017

I'm fairly certain you would have trouble with the title company if you were to purchase an acre of land. As a REALTOR® I can't help but think how I'd write up this listing. I'm pretty sure it would go something like this.

One Acre lot for sale. Amazing views. Quiet neighborhood. No HOA fees. Very little traffic. Enjoy your own private acre of land far away from the noise and traffic of city life. If you've ever dreamt of living in complete solitude, this is the place for you. As a side benefit, if you need to shed a few pounds, residents who move here instantly weigh 6 times less than they did before! No diet or exercise needed! This property won't last long. Open house Sunday 1-4.

On a more serious note, the home inventory might be pretty low right now, but I am pretty sure that if you hire me to help you find your next home, we won't have to resort to buying property on the moon. So if you want to buy a home here on planet earth, give me a call.