Archive for Community
For Better or Worse
By · November 1, 2011 · CommentsMany people currently believe their children won’t do as well as they have done. That is a drastic change from the previous opinion prior to the current recession. The best thing we can do for our children is to live within our means and not try to “keep up with the Joneses”. Now is the time to spend more time with family and friends developing relationships that a recession can’t take away. Instead of purchasing that new Mercedes or Coach purse put the money towards the children’s college. You could even encourage them to save too.
Having a home is still the American dream but in spite of the reduction in prices people still believe it is much harder to purchase a home today than it was 10 years ago.
So, every day be thankful for what you have, set your personal and family goals and move toward them regardless of what the newspapers or daily news on TV says. You can control your own destiny if you choose.
Pros and Cons of reduced property taxes
By · October 25, 2011 · CommentsDon’t be caught unaware of an increased tax bill you weren’t expecting. While it is great to have your property taxes lowered because the value has diminished you need to be aware of what that means. It does mean your taxes will be less than originally expected but it also means your taxes can increase more than the levels as dictated under Proposition 13. In a nutshell it means that as long as the values are below your original purchase price if the assessor determines the value has gone up the taxes can go up to any amount determined to be the current assessed value until such time it reaches the Prop 13 original purchase level.
So, you need to make sure you are aware of this and if you receive a tax bill that is high you will understand why. Of course, you can always make a call to your local county assessor for an explanation.
In a nutshell, if possible it is wise to save the original property tax amount so you won’t be caught short.
Successfully Selling a Home
By · May 16, 2011 · CommentsYou want to sell your home, what do you do?
1. Choose a Realtor and together develop a selling and marketing plan.
2. Prepare your home for sale – declutter the house, freshen up the yard, perhaps complete deferred maintenance.
3. Price the home according to the market, what has sold and the quality of the home itself. Overpricing means you will lessen your chances of an offer at your asking price and ultimately means you will receive less for your home than you would if you priced it correctly in the first place.
4. When you receive an offer remember it is a business transaction and isn’t personal. Remember the buyer is purchasing a house and it doesn’t have any reflection on you as a person.
5. Sweeten the deal a bit making it easier for the buyer to purchase the home if keeping the home will cost you more in the long run.
Happy Selling. Selling a home can be a stressful experience so be sure you have a good Realtor you are working with to help guide you through the process.
Owning a home
By · April 14, 2011 · CommentsOwning a home is still the desire of the vast majority of people. In spite of housing crash people still want to know the roof over their head is theirs. First-time homebuyers are the largest group of new homeowners, followed by single women. So, if you are thinking of selling you may need to keep that in mind when doing upgrades. However, regardless of who the purchaser is the most important improvements one can make to their home is in the energy efficiency area.
Dual pane windows and new doors will lead to the highest return on investment regardless of whether or not you sell your home. If you are doing the improvement for yourself you will benefit from lower heating and cooling bills. For the buyer the energy efficiency can be translated into money saved not only from the point of view the improvement is done but also from utility bill savings.
As we move forward the HERS rating of a home will be extremely important. I will discuss more about that later. As always, make sure when choosing a Realtor you talk to more than one and make sure that person is aware of all the latest developments in real estate sales.
Murer Foundation
By · April 13, 2011 · CommentsSomething very exciting is happening in Folsom. The Murer Foundation is working on opening the John Murer house and grounds for tours. What a great opportunity to learn not only some of the history of Folsom but some Italian history and learn about Italian traditions. The property was put into a 40 year trust to be used as a historical site. Currently the house and grounds are under the Parks and Recreation Department but volunteers work on the property donating their time and/or money to maintain the buildings and grounds. The public you can rent space for classes or use the grounds for small events.
The grounds and house will be open during the Folsom Garden Tour being held April 3oth and May 1st. Be sure to stop by and enjoy a little piece of history. By the way, donations are always welcome!
