Homefit Issue 1 - Trumbull Realty Group
Homefit Issue 1 - Trumbull Realty Group/ Tristan Sherrill www.YourLoanPro.net
Homefit Issue 1 - Trumbull Realty Group/ Tristan Sherrill www.YourLoanPro.net
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Published by<br />
<strong>Trumbull</strong> <strong>Realty</strong> <strong>Group</strong><br />
Tristan Sherrill<br />
(469) 449-9818<br />
NMLS 299820<br />
www.YourLoanPro.net<br />
TRGHouses.com<br />
1
Letter from the Editors<br />
In this issue, we will touch on a lot of consumer-oriented subjects<br />
regarding the sale and purchase of real estate.<br />
As the housing market continues to rebound, real estate agents and<br />
their clients still face issues of financing, pricing and strategies for<br />
showing their homes.<br />
Barbara <strong>Trumbull</strong><br />
Ph: (972) 712-9898 ext.218<br />
TRGProp@gmail.com<br />
In this issue, we will cover details about how a buyer or seller should<br />
choose a real estate agent to represent them and what questions<br />
should they ask their potential agent to ensure they are both on the<br />
same page.<br />
We will touch on how a first-time homebuyer can proactively prepare<br />
for acquiring a mortgage to finance their starter home, the type of<br />
credit reports needed, what factors affect their credit scores, what<br />
steps can they take to repair their credit and if it needs to be repaired.<br />
Also, the documents expected to gathered and presented to a loan<br />
officer.<br />
For sellers, we’ll examine home improvements and decide which<br />
come closest to paying for themselves, or if any of them do. We’ll also<br />
offer sellers a list of repairs they should make before even considering<br />
putting their house up for sale.<br />
Tristan Sherrill<br />
Ph: (469) 449-9818<br />
Tristan@YourLoanPro.net<br />
NMLS 299820<br />
Finally, we’ll share some professional staging secrets with sellers that<br />
will ensure that they’ll be able to show their properties in the best<br />
possible light.<br />
We hope you find this issue as informative and fun to read as we did<br />
writing it.<br />
Feel free to contact us if you have questions or would like your friends and<br />
family added to our distribution list.<br />
2
CONTENTS<br />
4. What to Fix In and Outside<br />
Your House before Selling<br />
6. How to Choose the Perfect<br />
Neighborhood<br />
8. 3 Proactive Steps First-Time<br />
Homebuyers Should Consider<br />
10. First Time Home Buyers<br />
Fulfill Dreams with the Right<br />
Mortgage<br />
12. 6 Powerful Home-Staging<br />
Secrets the Pros Use<br />
14 Found the Perfect Home –<br />
But Furniture Won’t Fit!<br />
15. A Bit About Mold<br />
This magazine is published monthly. Entire contents are copyright protected under law where applicable. All Rights Reserved.<br />
Reproduction or use of content in any manner without permission is strictly prohibited. All images are copyright protection of<br />
123RF.com and its photographers.<br />
3
What to Fix In and Outside Your<br />
House before Selling<br />
If you’ve decided to sell your house<br />
then the next step you take is to<br />
make some improvements to its<br />
exterior and interior.<br />
Professional home stagers say this<br />
is the only way to ensure that your<br />
real estate agent will be able to<br />
sell your property in a reasonable<br />
amount of time for the price that<br />
it’s worth.<br />
You’ll want to plan and complete<br />
these improvements before your<br />
home is listed and you’ll want to<br />
do it without spending overboard.<br />
First Things First<br />
If your house doesn’t have siding<br />
and it hasn’t been painted in a few<br />
years, consider putting on a new<br />
coat or two. This should include<br />
painting your front and garage<br />
doors.<br />
Inside Improvements Will<br />
Boost Its Value<br />
Again, inside cosmetic<br />
improvements can help you get<br />
top dollar for your home. You<br />
should focus on improving the<br />
first impression a potential buyer<br />
gets when they enter it. If the tile<br />
in your foyer is dated or cracked,<br />
replace it. However, don’t improve<br />
something that is in fair shape but<br />
just needs to be scrubbed.<br />
For example, sometimes bathtub<br />
faucets can be spotted, dull and<br />
grimy. That’s the time to clean and<br />
polish them, resurrecting their<br />
original shine and beauty.<br />
As with the exterior of your home,<br />
a coat or two of paint can cover<br />
up blemishes and accentuate the<br />
architectural lines of your dwelling.<br />
It’s not unusual for those putting<br />
their homes up for sale to have<br />
second thoughts after sprucing the<br />
old place up!<br />
In real estate, as with so many<br />
things in life, first impressions<br />
are everything. That’s why the<br />
first thing you should focus on<br />
improving is how the outside of<br />
your house looks, commonly<br />
known as curb appeal. That’s<br />
because the exterior of your<br />
property is the first thing a<br />
potential buyer sees.<br />
Cosmetic touches such as making<br />
sure your lawn is mowed and your<br />
shrubbery is trimmed are a must.<br />
If your house has siding that is<br />
weathered you should invest in<br />
getting it pressured washed. Some<br />
companies advertise that they will<br />
pressure wash any house for just<br />
$199. Or if you want to save some<br />
money and you have the time, you<br />
could rent a pressure washer. It<br />
goes without saying that if there is<br />
any siding missing, it should also<br />
be replaced.<br />
4
Super Clean Bathrooms and<br />
Kitchens<br />
Cleanliness is something a<br />
potential buyer will see, smell and<br />
notice throughout your home, but<br />
especially in the bathrooms and<br />
kitchen. As a result, home staging<br />
experts recommend thoroughly<br />
cleaning your entire house,<br />
but cleaning the kitchen and<br />
bathrooms with bleach. They also<br />
suggest fixing any dripping faucets<br />
because they are a major turn off<br />
to potential buyers. So do repair<br />
them if you have this problem.<br />
Sadly, it’s often such little things<br />
that can kill a sale.<br />
Say Goodbye to Clutter<br />
Finally, improving the appearance<br />
of your home so it will show at<br />
its best can sometimes be an<br />
exercise in subtraction rather than<br />
addition. Staging professionals say<br />
clutter is the No. 1 reason potential<br />
homebuyers reject some of the<br />
most pristine properties they’re<br />
shown. Clutter is insidious because<br />
it happens slowly over the years<br />
and finally forces home sellers<br />
to remove or pare down some of<br />
their favorite pieces of furniture<br />
and decorations. It also forces<br />
them to get rid of the junk that’s<br />
been accumulating over the years<br />
in their garages, basements and<br />
especially their closets. But get<br />
rid of it you must, if you hope to<br />
sell your house for a high-market<br />
price.<br />
3 Tips to Get You<br />
Started with the Outside<br />
of Your Home<br />
1. Go stand on the street to see<br />
what clients see when driving up<br />
to the house. Be aware that any<br />
negative impressions they get<br />
outside the house (landscaping<br />
not maintained or non-existent,<br />
peeling paint, etc.) is just going<br />
to make them think that the<br />
house itself has not been well<br />
taken care of. So even if you have<br />
spent the time and money to fix<br />
up the interior, it would all be<br />
wasted if the clients get a bad first<br />
impression as they drive up to the<br />
house.<br />
2. Next, step outside your front<br />
door and close the door; then<br />
stand on the stoop and look<br />
around for 5 minutes. While the<br />
real estate agent is searching for<br />
keys and trying to open the door,<br />
the clients are standing behind<br />
and looking around. So what are<br />
they seeing? Dead plants, old<br />
Halloween decorations in the<br />
middle of January, cobwebs?<br />
It’s definitely worth it to take some<br />
time and clean it up. Want to go<br />
a step further? Try a new coat of<br />
paint or some new furniture or<br />
accessories.<br />
3. Don’t forget the backyard.<br />
While that might not be part of the<br />
potential buyers’ first impression,<br />
you still should make sure it’s in<br />
the best condition possible. Pull<br />
up weeds, water plants, do some<br />
sweeping (if that’s applicable) and<br />
maybe purchase new furniture<br />
or accessories (plant pots, bird<br />
houses, etc.).<br />
And the biggest tip of all? Imagine<br />
yourself as a potential buyer<br />
looking at your property for the<br />
first time. What impressions are<br />
you getting? Would YOU buy your<br />
house? What would you like to see<br />
changed before you put an offer<br />
on your house?<br />
Proper staging helps you sell<br />
your house in a shorter time and<br />
potentially at the price you want.<br />
If you follow these suggestions,<br />
experts say you can expect your<br />
property to stand out from the<br />
rest, sell at a good price -- and do<br />
so in a reasonable period of time!<br />
5
How to Choose the Perfect<br />
Neighborhood<br />
Whether you’re a first-time<br />
homebuyer or getting ready to<br />
sell your house and upgrade to a<br />
larger property, choosing the right<br />
neighborhood to move into should<br />
be your first consideration.<br />
While different people may seek<br />
various amenities and aesthetics as<br />
part of their neighborhood search,<br />
there are certain factors everyone<br />
should consider before making a<br />
final decision on where to move.<br />
Important Factors<br />
Before you move into a particular<br />
locale, you should check the<br />
crime stats of the neighborhood.<br />
This can be done online using<br />
various websites that breakdown<br />
this critical information by zip<br />
code. In some jurisdictions, local<br />
police stations can give you this<br />
data. Suffice it to say, even if a<br />
neighborhood looks beautiful on<br />
the outside and there are plenty<br />
of houses to choose from, if you<br />
find that burglaries and car theft<br />
is skyrocketing there, it’s time to<br />
move on.<br />
If you have children, or are<br />
planning to, the quality of a<br />
prospective neighborhood’s<br />
schools should be a major factor<br />
in making your choice. You<br />
can contact the local school<br />
board in the neighborhood’s<br />
jurisdiction and obtain the latest<br />
stats on how the average student<br />
in the neighborhood scores<br />
on national proficiency tests.<br />
You can then compare them<br />
to scores of students in other<br />
areas. This stat often mirrors<br />
the quality and effectiveness of<br />
education available in a particular<br />
neighborhood.<br />
Education Budget<br />
You can also get an idea of<br />
the quality of education in a<br />
neighborhood by comparing the<br />
budget allotted by local officials to<br />
the area compared to other areas.<br />
Another source of information<br />
is the education section of<br />
community newspapers covering<br />
the neighborhood. It wouldn’t<br />
hurt to look them up online and<br />
even give the education reporter<br />
a call. You’d be surprised how<br />
many of them will be glad to give<br />
you their opinions of the state of<br />
education in the area they cover.<br />
Finally, you can contact the local<br />
Parent Teacher Association (PTA)<br />
and get both the pros and cons of<br />
the education system in the area.<br />
Members of this organization also<br />
can tell you if the schools have<br />
sufficient room, or if they are<br />
overcrowded.<br />
Traffic and Future<br />
Development<br />
When choosing a new<br />
neighborhood, quality-of-life<br />
issues such as traffic and potential<br />
crowding have become important<br />
factors in making a decision. Let’s<br />
face it, no matter how pristine a<br />
neighborhood is, if you have to sit<br />
in gridlock for a significant amount<br />
of time before you can reach<br />
your front door, it might not be<br />
the area for you. The easiest way<br />
to discover the traffic volume in<br />
a neighborhood is to get in your<br />
6
car and drive around it at peak<br />
morning and evening rush hours.<br />
If it’s easy to drive from place to<br />
place, then you have a winner.<br />
If not, then you might decide to<br />
cross the neighborhood off your<br />
list.<br />
If a neighborhood you’re interested<br />
in is already fairly built out, it<br />
makes sense to research whether<br />
there are any major development<br />
projects in the wings. This can be<br />
done by visiting the local planning<br />
board’s website, or visit in person.<br />
Although it’s not a given that all<br />
proposed developments will be<br />
approved, a majority of them do<br />
make it from the drawing board<br />
to completion. So, if you are<br />
considering a neighborhood that is<br />
in store for major development in<br />
the next couple of years, you really<br />
need to weigh this factor in your<br />
decision.<br />
Proximity to Schools, Stores,<br />
Hospitals and More<br />
Another important consideration<br />
in choosing a neighborhood is the<br />
proximity of your new home to<br />
schools, hospitals, stores, parks<br />
and airports. If you have a family<br />
member who is disabled or sick,<br />
it makes no sense moving into a<br />
neighborhood that is far from the<br />
best medical facilities. If you are<br />
an avid runner you probably want<br />
to choose a neighborhood that<br />
is close to a park with a running<br />
trail. While some neighborhood<br />
associations take pride in the fact<br />
they’ve managed to block zoning<br />
changes that would allow a local<br />
convenience store, if you like to<br />
grab a hot coffee everyday on the<br />
way to work, then you have to<br />
take this into consideration before<br />
buying a home in a neighborhood<br />
that bans stores.<br />
Rising Property Values<br />
Finally, before you choose a<br />
neighborhood to move to, you<br />
should also examine whether the<br />
property values are trending up or<br />
down. You can easily check recent<br />
property sales online to find this<br />
out, or call your real estate agent<br />
and have her run the numbers. This<br />
is an important factor in case you<br />
decide to sell the property in a few<br />
years.<br />
The point is to take your time<br />
and carefully research each<br />
neighborhood on your list of<br />
perfect neighborhoods until you<br />
find the one that most closely fits<br />
your needs.<br />
7
3 Proactive Steps First-Time<br />
Homebuyers Should Consider<br />
There are specific steps a firsttime<br />
homebuyer can take before<br />
entering the real estate market<br />
that will greatly improve his or her<br />
chances of getting financing and<br />
being able to purchase a starter<br />
home.<br />
Here are three proactive steps<br />
you should consider taking before<br />
you contact a real estate agent or<br />
mortgage broker:<br />
1. Check Your Credit Score<br />
If there is a single factor that can<br />
help or hurt your foray into the<br />
world of financing a new home<br />
it is your credit score, according<br />
to mortgage-finance experts. So,<br />
if you want a good idea of what<br />
your chances are of obtaining<br />
such financing, you should first<br />
order a credit report from each of<br />
the three credit bureaus, Equifax,<br />
Experian and Transunion. Just<br />
use one of the many online credit<br />
monitoring companies that provide<br />
the reports, as well as your current<br />
credit score for a small fee.<br />
2. Repair Your Credit<br />
Once you get the reports you<br />
should carefully examine them to<br />
make sure there are no mistakes.<br />
If there are any errors, you should<br />
contact the credit bureaus and<br />
take the necessary steps to have<br />
them corrected. You should also<br />
look for any unpaid or collection<br />
accounts. If there are any unpaid<br />
or collection accounts you should<br />
settle them immediately, or set up<br />
some sort of payment plan. At the<br />
very least, this will show that are<br />
willing to pay your debts.<br />
A copy of your credit report will<br />
also show all of the credit you have<br />
available in relation to your credit<br />
lines. This is something lenders<br />
consider carefully before making<br />
a loan. It’s known as your credit<br />
utilization rate. For example, if<br />
you have total credit availability<br />
on your credit cards of $30,000<br />
8
and you owe $20,000, then your<br />
credit utilization rate is 67 percent.<br />
This rate has a great effect on your<br />
overall credit score. The lower the<br />
percentage, the higher your credit<br />
score will be, vice versa.<br />
According to industry experts, a<br />
good credit utilization rate for a<br />
first-time homebuyer is less than<br />
33 percent. If your rate is higher<br />
than this, you will have to make a<br />
serious effort to pay off as much<br />
debt as possible and satisfy any<br />
unsettled notes. On average, it<br />
takes about six months to improve<br />
your credit score.<br />
3. Get Documentation in<br />
Order<br />
As we mentioned, today more than<br />
ever, mortgage companies by law<br />
are requiring documentation of a<br />
potential borrower’s income and<br />
taxes. The day of the so-called<br />
no-doc loan, where no such<br />
documentation was required,<br />
is gone. In general, a mortgage<br />
lender will ask a first-time<br />
homebuyer to produce two recent<br />
pay stubs and the last two year’s<br />
W2 forms in order to apply for a<br />
loan. In addition, the lender will<br />
require the applicant to provide<br />
two months of bank statements.<br />
The exception to this rule is the<br />
documentation lenders require<br />
of first-time homebuyers who<br />
are self-employed or are in<br />
commission sales. If you fall into<br />
one of these categories, you<br />
should be prepared to produce<br />
up to three to four years of W2s.<br />
Lenders are looking for steady<br />
income and to make sure your last<br />
two years or earnings were not an<br />
anomaly.<br />
While taking these steps may seem<br />
like a lot of work, getting your<br />
credit score, working to improve it<br />
and gathering your documentation<br />
will greatly increase your chances<br />
of acquiring a mortgage for your<br />
first home when you are ready to<br />
buy.<br />
"Get started today, visit<br />
www.YourLoanPro.net<br />
for answers to your<br />
questions or to apply online"<br />
9
First Time Home Buyers Fulfill<br />
Dreams with the Right Mortgage<br />
When it comes to mortgages, it’s<br />
important to find the right loan<br />
officer.<br />
You want to work with someone<br />
who can find the type of mortgage<br />
that is right for you, whether you’re<br />
seeking to buy a new home or<br />
refinance your existing home.<br />
The right loan officer takes pride<br />
regarding his or her customer<br />
service so your experience will be<br />
more personalized.<br />
What if Your Credit is Less<br />
than Ideal?<br />
Before you go to a lender, you<br />
should check your credit rating.<br />
Federal law requires that each of<br />
the three major credit reporting<br />
agencies provide you with a free<br />
annual credit report.<br />
Reviewing these reports will not<br />
only provide you with your credit<br />
rating, but will alert you to any<br />
misinformation or errors contained<br />
in your report.<br />
Bad credit mortgages come with<br />
higher interest rates so it pays to<br />
clean up your credit before buying<br />
a home.<br />
A good loan officer will offer credit<br />
improvement ideas, or refer you<br />
to a service to help you repair your<br />
credit prior to obtaining a loan.<br />
This may involve setting up<br />
payment plans to existing<br />
creditors, challenging bad reports<br />
that are on your record in error, and<br />
so forth.<br />
Having someone help you navigate<br />
through the maze of credit reporting<br />
is extremely useful even if your<br />
credit isn’t pristine so you can still<br />
apply for a mortgage.<br />
Fulfilling Your Dreams<br />
With the right mortgage, first time<br />
home buyers can truly own a piece<br />
of the American dream.<br />
It’s enormously satisfying to pay a<br />
mortgage payment instead of rent<br />
every month, knowing that you’re<br />
building equity. That equity lays a<br />
foundation for your financial future<br />
and that of your children too giving<br />
you peace of mind.<br />
10
10 Tips to Buy Real<br />
Estate without Breaking<br />
Your Budget<br />
1. Get pre-approved for your home loan<br />
@ www.YourLoanPro.net<br />
2. Explore creative financing options<br />
3. Sell your existing home first<br />
4. Look for vacant real estate<br />
5. Consider cosmetic fixers<br />
6. Buy a major remodel project<br />
7. Don’t discount bank foreclosures<br />
8. Buy land with a manufactured home<br />
9. Purchase an older, smaller home<br />
10. Buy the cheapest house in the best neighborhood<br />
11
6 Powerful Home-Staging<br />
Secrets the Pros Use<br />
The art of staging a home so it will<br />
have the most appeal to potential<br />
buyers is something anyone can<br />
do, if they just follow the example<br />
of professional decorators.<br />
Here are six staging secrets<br />
that you can use to make your<br />
house stand out and capture the<br />
attention of potential buyers:<br />
1. Dress Up Your Porch<br />
Whether you have a large porch<br />
or just a few steps in front of your<br />
house, adding a new doormat and<br />
a few exotic flowers or plants can<br />
help make your home stand out.<br />
A nice porch can come alive with<br />
just a couple of pieces of outside<br />
furniture, while a few strategically<br />
placed solar lights on either side<br />
of your walkway will do much<br />
to make your house sparkle as<br />
will porch lights kept on when a<br />
potential buyer drives by at dust or<br />
at dawn.<br />
2. Make Your House Spotless<br />
But Lived-In<br />
While it’s critical to keep your<br />
house super clean and spotless<br />
when it’s being shown, you<br />
don’t want it to appear sterile or<br />
unpopulated. After all, a house<br />
is a place where people live.<br />
Professionals use a few fresh<br />
flowers in vases or a basket of<br />
produce to make a house look<br />
lived in. A few lemons on a cutting<br />
board in the kitchen is also not a<br />
bad idea.<br />
3. Stylize Your Plain Dining<br />
Room Table<br />
A bare dining room table is a little<br />
like a black hole. It is unfriendly<br />
and tends to suck the positive<br />
energy out of anyone who passes<br />
by it. The pros say decorating such<br />
a table with an assortment of small<br />
colorful arrangements will breathe<br />
life into an otherwise dreary dining<br />
chamber.<br />
4. Closets Wide Open<br />
Professionals say you should<br />
open closets wide after you have<br />
thoroughly cleaned and removed<br />
any clutter. By doing so, you create<br />
a feeling of spaciousness and<br />
you’re declaring affirmatively that<br />
there is larger closet space.<br />
12
5. Install a Pedestal Sink to<br />
Create the Illusion of More<br />
Space<br />
If you have a tiny bathroom that’s<br />
cramped and makes you want<br />
to scream, imagine the effect it<br />
might have on a potential buyer.<br />
One possible and inexpensive fix<br />
the pros use is to remove the big,<br />
old sink in your tiny bathroom and<br />
replace it with a small pedestal<br />
sink and decorate it with a few<br />
red roses. The result is the optical<br />
illusion of much space and style,<br />
transforming the bathroom from a<br />
liability to an asset.<br />
6. Use Art to Draw People In<br />
Unfortunately, many prospective<br />
homebuyers tour a house with<br />
blinders on. It’s almost as though<br />
they have tunnel vision. How in the<br />
world can you get them to explore<br />
the entire depth and breadth of<br />
your home? Professional stagers<br />
use a piece of artwork hanging at<br />
the top of the stairs, or a colorful<br />
vase near the back of the house<br />
to catch the eye of prospective<br />
buyers. Such a strategy gets them<br />
to view the house in its blissful<br />
totality, rather than segmenting it<br />
into little chucks.<br />
Busting the Myth That<br />
Home Improvements<br />
Pay For Themselves<br />
For years, homeowners cherished<br />
and embraced the myth that<br />
expensive renovations and<br />
improvements to their homes were<br />
great investments that would more<br />
than pay for themselves in the long<br />
run by adding to the overall value<br />
of their properties when they were<br />
sold some day in the near future.<br />
Many major home improvement<br />
contracts have been signed and<br />
justified by this financial myth.<br />
Remodeling and<br />
Improvements Equals Poor<br />
Return<br />
According to Remodeling<br />
Magazine, over the last decade,<br />
payback on the average<br />
remodeling job has fallen from 82<br />
percent in 2003 to 57 percent in<br />
2013.<br />
Here are the payback percentages<br />
on some popular home<br />
improvements:<br />
• Garage doors only paid back<br />
71.9 percent of their cost when<br />
the house was sold.<br />
• Steel Entry doors only paid<br />
back 73 percent of their initial<br />
cost.<br />
• Built-in, back-up power<br />
generators only returned 47.5<br />
percent of their cost at the sale<br />
of a property.<br />
• Popular additions such as a<br />
sun room only returned 45.9<br />
percent of their original cost.<br />
*Remodeling Magazine<br />
13
Found the Perfect Home –<br />
But Furniture Won’t Fit!<br />
You’ve been looking for a home<br />
and you’ve found one that feels<br />
almost perfect. The location is<br />
convenient and you can picture<br />
your family living here happily.<br />
However, there’s a problem. One<br />
or more pieces of furniture you’ve<br />
had for years just will not fit. Do<br />
you buy the home anyway, or keep<br />
looking?<br />
Move It?<br />
Suppose the piece of furniture<br />
that won’t fit is a tall cheston-chest<br />
that’s always been in<br />
your bedroom. Could you use<br />
it in another room? Might it be<br />
handsome and useful in the living<br />
room or dining room? (Rooms<br />
downstairs often have taller<br />
ceilings than rooms upstairs.)<br />
Could it store games, videos,<br />
tablecloths and place mats, and<br />
silverware in its new location?<br />
Give It Away?<br />
Maybe the problem is that you<br />
have a bed that’s too large for any<br />
of the bedrooms in the “almost<br />
perfect” house. Is it a Sheraton tall<br />
post field bed with canopy or a<br />
massive Victorian piece that’s been<br />
in the family for generations?<br />
Do you love it, or might another<br />
family member with larger rooms<br />
and taller ceilings be very excited<br />
to get it?<br />
Sell It?<br />
Maybe the offending piece of<br />
furniture has monetary value, but<br />
has no sentimental value. Why not<br />
just sell it? There’s no need to buy<br />
a house based on where it’ll fit, is<br />
there?<br />
Evaluate and Decide<br />
Don’t turn down the idea of<br />
purchasing a home you’d really<br />
enjoy simply because some of your<br />
furniture won’t fit.<br />
Ask yourself questions about the<br />
possibilities. When you come up<br />
with answers you like, you’ve made<br />
your decision.<br />
Who knows, another family<br />
member or a stranger shopping for<br />
a special piece of furniture could<br />
be delighted with your decision,<br />
too!<br />
If that thought process takes care<br />
of the chest, but you’re left without<br />
enough storage in the bedroom,<br />
what then? Is there a smaller<br />
chest of drawers that was used in<br />
your old guest room that would<br />
fit in your bedroom? What about<br />
putting an inexpensive chest of<br />
drawers into your walk-in closet?<br />
14
A Bit About<br />
Mold<br />
There are a number of little things<br />
to look for when purchasing a new<br />
home. Normally things to consider<br />
include location, wiring, the<br />
condition of the house, and several<br />
other factors.<br />
One of these factors is mold. There<br />
are different types of mold that can<br />
occur in a home and lead not only<br />
to structural damage, but some<br />
health concerns too. Mold can<br />
be difficult to find in homes as it<br />
grows exclusively in dark and moist<br />
areas that are hidden somewhere<br />
in structural areas, like attics and<br />
basements. By the time mold<br />
shows up in actual living areas,<br />
chances are that it is throughout<br />
the home.<br />
Another concern is if a home has<br />
ever flooded and was not properly<br />
cleaned. Leaky plumbing and<br />
basement crawlspaces are other<br />
likely candidates. Mold can be a<br />
difficult thing to get rid of as the<br />
only thing it needs to continue<br />
growing is organic material such as<br />
wood and moisture. Both of these<br />
items are abundant in most homes.<br />
Usually moisture finds its way into<br />
a home through leaky roofs and<br />
foundations. Both areas should be<br />
checked by an experienced mold<br />
inspector on a regular basis if there<br />
is any worry of mold beginning to<br />
grow, or if there has been mold in<br />
the past.<br />
Mold can be an expensive problem.<br />
Be proactive about searching for it<br />
so you save money in the long run.<br />
Best House Color to Sell<br />
When you go to social events, do<br />
you make an effort to snazzy up?<br />
Of course. Attraction is a key factor<br />
in forming relationships and the<br />
same applies to your house.<br />
When you put the house on the<br />
market, you need to make it look<br />
good for the dates with potential<br />
buyers. The color of your house<br />
can make all the difference.<br />
First, there is no absolutely correct<br />
answer to the best color! Instead,<br />
the decision depends on the<br />
makeup of your home and the<br />
surrounding landscape.<br />
Let’s take a closer look:<br />
1. Whatever color you choose,<br />
make sure it doesn’t clash with the<br />
other homes in the neighborhood.<br />
An otherwise appropriate color<br />
could end up making your house<br />
an eye-sore.<br />
2. The Roof. What color is the roof<br />
on your home? If it is a red tile<br />
roof, off-whites are probably going<br />
to be the better choice than dark<br />
green. Unless you are going to<br />
invest money in a new roof, make<br />
sure the paint color doesn’t clash<br />
with it.<br />
3. Highlights. If there is a particular<br />
part of your house that should be<br />
emphasized, used light colored<br />
paint around it to draw attention.<br />
4. Hide It! Conversely, if there<br />
are parts of the house that are<br />
mundane, use darker colors to<br />
draw attention away from them.<br />
5. On large flat surfaces, such as<br />
the side of a garage, keep in mind<br />
the color you choose will have a<br />
washed out appearance.<br />
Now we get to the fun part. After<br />
considering the above issues, make<br />
a preliminary list of colors and<br />
buy small cans of each color. In<br />
a private area of the house, start<br />
applying samples strokes a couple<br />
feet long and a foot or so wide.<br />
Try to paint examples in shaded<br />
areas and those exposed to the<br />
sun.<br />
Do not immediately judge the<br />
results of your experiments.<br />
Instead, wait a few hours for<br />
the paint to dry and then start<br />
comparing.<br />
Dry paint takes on a very different<br />
appearance than when it is wet.<br />
Once the paint is dry, take a long<br />
look at each sample. You will<br />
typically find the colors look much<br />
different. You may find one color is<br />
perfect or you may find something<br />
a little different would be best.<br />
Either way, you’ll have come up<br />
with the best house color to sell<br />
your home.<br />
15
Opening Doors...<br />
...Making the Dream of Home Ownership a Reality<br />
Call and Let <strong>Trumbull</strong> Us Help Make <strong>Group</strong> Your <strong>Realty</strong> Dream Come True!<br />
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(972) 712-9898 ext 218<br />
(972) 712-9955 fax<br />
An experienced team<br />
that can get you results.<br />
Tristan & Michelle Sherrill<br />
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with all your home finance needs!