5 Fun Florida Decorating Ideas

March 14, 2017 By Deborah Ward

Whether you live in Florida or not, enjoying that Florida feeling in your home every day is possible. Decorating to bring in the sun, surf and beach can make you feel relaxed without having to travel to get it. Here are some ideas for you.

Small touches

If you want to start small think about adding small touches. Things like shells here and there, wooden plaques with beachy sayings such as “A good day at the beach ends with sand in your toes and sunburn on your nose” or “The beach is my happy place” or Memories made at the beach stay in our hearts forever.”

Other touches could include glass holders with sand, shells and candles and photo frames decorated with shells, starfish etc. The option are endless. Not sure what to get? Visit a beachfront shop on your next vacation for ideas or opportunity to get some things.

If you wanted to go a few steps further try changing colors

A sunny, bright color palette for your home will make it feel like a home at the beach. Use of aqua accents in items like pillows, throw blankets and rugs will bring the feeling of the sea inside.

Color Series Seaglass - A Shade Of Teal — source… A Shade of Teal

Then add pops of bright yellow or orange to remind you of bright sunny days. Or paint a room in shades of these colors. Want to take an ever bigger chance? Then think of the bright colors of South Beach or Key West: turquoise, fuschia, orange… again, either add them in pops of color to your existing color scheme or paint those colors.

You could also incorporate architectural details into your home

Adding whitewashed shiplap for a Gulf coast feel, adding a beach themed sunroom can make your home feel open, airy and like a vacation. Add louvered doors to doorways and painting them in aqua or one of the other beach themed colors adds that kind of flair as well.

There are tons of ideas online and you can be as sparing or over the top as you want. Remember, it’s your beach home, so decorate to make your home yours.

Things To Do At A Real Estate Open House

March 7, 2017 By Deborah Ward

You’re going to an open house for this great house you saw online. Of course the pictures online were flawless and you fell in love with the house. You also know that the Realtor will have the home looking in tip top shape. So what kinds of things should you also look at or do at a real estate open house.

First, don’t go directly to the house

Check out all the information you can find on the house and neighborhood. Local land records can tell you about who the neighbors are. Crime stats can tell you about it’s safety. The state school board can tell you about the local schools. Even assuming you did your homework and the neighborhood “checks out” you want to drive through or even walk around.

Take the time to really go through the neighborhood and see how it feels to you. Remember, the home is on it’s “best behavior” but the neighborhood is just being itself. If you don’t get the right vibe, move on. If you do, keep heading to the home.

During the drive around, eye up the local schools

During your homework phase you found out about the stats, now go see what they look like. Neat and tidy, with safe playground equipment or not well taken care of? Numbers can be misleading, or not, but how a community cares for its schools can scream volumes about the community. It can tell you whether you want your children to attend it or not.

Lastly, concentrate on the house

Not specifically how it looks, but on the changes made to it, and what will need to be changed. If there were changes, were they “legal” as in were the proper permits pulled and inspections done? If the need to be done, how extensive are they?

Don’t just fall for the picture the open house presents, do your own homework and make sure it’s really the home for you.

3 Things To Watch For When You Are Shopping For A Golf Course Home

February 14, 2017 By Deborah Ward

Want a golf course home? They’re a symbol of your success and the views are great. There are a few things to watch for when shopping for a golf course home. Here are a few.

Noise and hazards

A few obvious items are golf course noise and hazards. Tour the home on a weekend afternoon when golfers are out and about. If your home is close to a tee box or tee off area people tend to chat a lot and it can be noisy.

Look for signs of whether the house or the yard is getting hit by golf balls. In Florida many golf course homes are made from stucco which are particularly susceptible to damage from golf balls.

Also look to see how private your yard and home really are. Remember that if you can see the fairway, they can probably see you.

Golf carts

Golf carts can be a nuisance too. Even though electric powered golf carts are quiet, if the course has a cart path rule (meaning that golfers have to use cart paths which are closer to the edge of the course) are by proximity also closer to you home and gas powered ones are noisy.

Homeowner’s association rules

Don’t think for a minute that your homeowner’s association will let you do whatever you want or need to do to ensure your privacy or lack of damage. Try asking them to allow you to put up a fence or a net to keep balls off your home or land and watch how fast they tell you no. Something to keep in mind as you shop.

Think that golf course is an extension of your backyard? Think again. Your yard is your yard and you will need to keep to it. The course isn’t a run for your pets or kids. So ask the size and line where your yard stops and the course starts.

What Does It Cost To Sell Your Home?

January 31, 2017 By Deborah Ward

So you think you’ll walk away from the sale of your home with a fat check? Yes, but it’s probably not going to be as fat as you think once the costs of the sale are deducted or counted against the amount written. Knowing what the cost to sell your home is and how it will impact your final bottom line can also give you the information you need to lower those costs where you can.

Getting ready to sell

Before you list you’ll have to spend money to get it ready to sell. Spend on things like paint, cleaning supplies and storage for all your extra stuff after you declutter the home.

These expenses don’t have to be high, but if you are advised by your Realtor that you should do some updates to kitchens and/or baths, those expenses could rise into the tens of thousands of dollars.

Pet expenses, etc.

Once it’s listed, there are other expenses that you may not expect. Do you have a pet? That could be a problem for people looking at your home.

If it’s a cat or dog you may have to kennel them or pay a pet sitter to take them from the house for showings, or for the time it takes to sell. And when you have to be away for showings, remember that unless you have other errands to run, eating out is often the choice.

So now you have your contract. The costs keep on coming. Here’s what you have to look forward to:

Realtor’s commission: Your agent charges a commission in the form of a percentage of the sale price. This commission percentage is usually 6%, could be lower, could be higher, but let’s say you sell for $250,000.00 a 6% commission will cost you $15,000.00.

Transfer taxes: The state, county and/or municipality will charge taxes or “stamps” for the transfer of the property. Depending on how many charge it, it can range from 0.01% to 2% of the sales price.

And don’t forget that if you’ve sold a property before and realized a profit on it you’ll owe the federal and state tax authorities money on for capital gains taxes. Those will be due at tax time, but be sure to provision for it.

Don’t forget your mortgage payoff and moving costs!

The Worst Home Improvements For Selling Your Home

January 24, 2017 By Deborah Ward

You’re thinking about selling your home but you know it needs some upgrading. You have a lot of ideas but you aren’t sure which will bring you the best return on your investment. Here are five things you shouldn’t do.

Pools

Pools sound like a good idea, especially in Florida, but they cost a lot to install, between an average of $20,000 to $60,000 or more. It will add value, but only about 6 to 11% for an in-ground pool doesn’t make the price tag worth it. An out of ground pool adds zero to value, so again, not worth it.

Garage as living space

If you have a garage and think that making it into extra living space, think again. Adding space onto a garage can cost up to $60,000 and only brings about a 60 percent return on investment. That’s not bad, but the problem becomes how the buyers will view it. If they don’t need the extra space won’t like it and if you make the garage itself into something like a man cave or family room may mean that those who would want a garage instead will look elsewhere.

Sun room or home office

Think making your deck into a sun room would be a good idea? Don’t! A sun room will actually drop your home’s value. The home improvement itself will actually lose 54% of it’s value. Keep the deck. Don’t think about adding an outdoor kitchen to that deck or patio area either. A barbecue is always a good addition, all the other additions aren’t and don’t add much, if any, value. If you have a bedroom set up as a home office, make it back into a bedroom for sale showings. If you think adding a separate space designated specifically as a home office think again. You can spend up to $30,000 constructing it and may only get about half of your investment back when you’re ready to sell.
Don’t make these costly errors.

Survival Tips For House Hunting With Kids | Buying A House

January 4, 2017 By Deborah Ward

House hunting is exciting, exhausting and stressful… and that’s only for the adults. Throw in a few small children and it can be almost too much. So how do you manage to hunt for your next home with the kids? Here are some survival tips for all the parents out there.

Use a sitter or Grandma

First, if you can leave the kids at home with a sitter or drop them at grandma’s house, do it. Think about it, your six year old heads in one direction, the four year old in the other, all while the two year old goes directly for the most dangerous thing in each room.

And you’re going to be able to concentrate on the home you are touring? Hardly! So if you can, leave them home. If you want them to see where they might be living, then do a second look through of your narrowed down choices.

If you have to bring the kids, be prepared!

Pack snacks, drinks and their favorite toy. If you have an iPad or tablet with some games, bring that. Then keep the house hunting moving. If you walk into a home that just doesn’t appeal to you from the git-go, tell the Realtor immediately so you can move on.

The other consideration is safety. You never know what may be behind a door, handrail-less stairs or sunken tubs or rooms that kids could hurt themselves with or in. Set basic rules with the kids that they keep their hands to themselves, don’t open doors, hold parental hands and that misbehavior will NOT be tolerated should be reviewed before each house showing.

Also, follow in your own car so you don’t have to move car seats or worry about kids spilling the aforesaid drinks or snacks in the Realtor’s vehicle. The upside? You can discuss the properties without the listening ear of the Realtor!

Older kids can also be helpful in the house hunting

Have them do some of the footwork about the area on the internet, and when at homes have them take pictures or keep a checklist. Younger kids can feel included if you let them have input about what they want in their new house. Their own bedroom? A playroom? Big backyard? BUT, don’t let them think they have the last word. As parents and the people paying for the home, you are in charge. They may want that huge house you saw with the inground pool, but you know it’s out of your budget. Be the parent!