Bryan's Real Estate Blog

Hombuying Starting Out #2

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 05 Oct 2015 18:14:00 +0000

6 Plumbing Maintenance Checks

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 30 Sep 2015 17:17:00 +0000

Please check out!!!

Don't let that minor leak become a flood!

Unattended repairs always cost much more than the cost of repairing the original problem. I am sure you know of a friend or co-worker that lost the 1st and 2nd floor of a home due to the water heater leaking/bursting while they were away at work or on vacation. They come home to a few inches of water on the first floor with everything ruined.

A simple routine maintenance check would have prevented the damage. Thus the cost of the HVAC/plumber visit would be a great savings.

The repairs noted here are no different. May you save lots of money and headaches!!

6 Plumbing Maintenance Checks

Chesapeake Real Estate: Plants to Avoid

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 22 Jun 2015 16:09:00 +0000

I know it is hard to believe. Plants that you don’t want in your yard or home. Most of us believe “green is beautiful”. Thus, a healthy triving plant is sought especially if shade and/or beautiful flowers are in the offering also.

Yet, as noted in the HouseLogic post linked below, there are some plants that can be quite invasive and quite readily be a nuisance no matter how much you or I share a “green is beautiful” philosophy.

Read and be ware: Invasive Plants to Avoid

Chesapeake Real Estate: Plants to Avoid

Chesapeake Real Estate: DIY Garden Projects

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 21 Jun 2015 08:50:00 +0000

12 Great DIY Projects for the Garden

Summer is here and it’s time to spend some quality time in your yards. If you need to spruce up your garden we’ve gathered some great tips from one of our favorite social sites – Pinterest! The Rose & Womble Pinterest page is chock full of great tips and tricks for all aspects of home ownership – especially for the garden.

1. Raised Garden Bed

Raised garden beds are ideal for vegetables and flowers because they keep pathway weeds from your garden soil and provide good drainage. Plus the bed acts as a barrier to pests like snails and slugs. This tutorial is fromQueenBeeCoupons.com and she was able to gather the materials for $35.

2. DIY Rain Barrel

FamilyHandyman.com has a great tutorial for making your own rain barrel. Rain barrels are great for avid gardeners because they collect the water from your roof. Often you want a rain barrel that has a screen filter to keep debris and bugs out. This tutorial teaches you how to add a spigot to easily fill watering cans. Collecting rain water lowers your utility bills and helps to slow runoff.

3. DIY Compost Bin

Composting is really good for the garden because it saves water by helping the soil hold moisture and you’re recycling organic resources while conserving landfill space. Plus it increases healthy roots and lightens heavy clay soils. Making your own compost is easy when you have the right bin.

4. Concrete Mushrooms

These are adorable garden ornaments that if you purchased at a home and garden store could be very expensive. Try this tutorial and you can customize the colors and size, and save a few bucks.

5. Rainbow Garden Markers

Ridiculously easy project to add color to your garden and help you tell the difference between your plants.Livingwellspendingless.com is a great resource for tons of home and garden DIY projects.

6. DIY Stepping Stones

According to IntimateWeddings.com these stepping stones are easy and great as wedding favors – don’t wait for a wedding make some for your garden! All you need is a non-stick cake pan and a few other supplies.

7. Garden Globes

Globes are a popular project on Pinterest because they seem easy to make – many tutorials use old bowling balls but this tutorial from Hometalk.com uses old light fixtures with great results.

8. Gravel Path

This is a great look for a more casual garden – plus a path hopefully encourages kids and pets from staying out of your flower beds.

9. DIY Hose Holder

The garden hose is a necessary tool but it can get in the way and become an eyesore if you don’t have a great place to store it. We love this idea from Shanty2Chic.com for an elegant holder for your hose.

10. Contemporary Water Feature

Adding a water feature to your garden can be awesome, but typically really expensive. Unless you make one using a giant Tupperware container and solar water pump. The GardenGlove.com is a fantastic site and this water feature for less than $30 is awesome.

11. Pallet Gardening Table

This is one of those projects that makes you think, “why didn’t I come up with this?” This “recycle” project takes pallets, attaches them to a wall – and becomes a fold-up table for gardening or a party. This will save you stooping over the ground. So great for working with gardening pots and smaller flowers.

12. Garden Lantern

Take yarn and white glue and you get these great garden lanterns. According to SplashofSomething.com, this project is super messy but turns out great. You can customize this project with different color yarn and colored lights.

Chesapeake Real Estate: DIY Garden Projects

Don't say its so....1970's Deco back??

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 19 Jun 2015 19:08:00 +0000

Personally I am so disappointed to think the 70’s decor is coming back. I don’t know if I can deal with orange carpets and green wall paper again.

PLEASE SAY IT ISN’T SO!!

Albert Clark

Co- Creator, HomeActions

570 510 3507

aclark@homeactions.net

Is 1970s Retro Decorating In Again?

While many of us cringe at the thought of returning to disco style and ’70s decor, professional decorators are embracing it and reviving it with some fun 21st-century improvements. Others believe that the 1970s were raw and real, unlike the showplaces of the 1950s. Let’s look at a few ways you can use an updated 1970s look at home.

Decorate with wood. Do you remember that dark wood paneling that lined the walls of every self-respecting 1970s living space? While you don’t want to re-create this look exactly, using wood in your house will pay homage to the style. Installing reclaimed wood on the walls is a popular trend right now and pairing it with ’70s design can be a great modern twist on the style.

Use color. For a 21st-century take on 1970s style, don’t feel confined to the exact shades of gold, orange and green that were popular in that decade. Paint colors have come a long way and you can find hundreds of shades of these tones that will match your modern but ’70s-inspired rooms. Current shades of brown, gold and orange are all great choices. For some added pop, pair orange with turquoise, sage green or bright yellow.

Choose graphic art. Because 1970s design is so popular right now, you don’t have to go far to find ’70s-inspired fabrics and accessories. Patterns in the 1970s focused on geometric designs, usually in the signature colors of the era. Owls and mushrooms were also common. You don’t have to settle for an entirely throwback design, as these items are being made new again.

Mix vintage with new. However, there is some joy in finding great vintage pieces to incorporate into your design. These can be small accessories, like kitchen items, or a featured chair. Using your local antique stores, your parents’ basement and eBay you can find a few great accessories that will fit in with your 1970s-inspired 21st-century home.

Do you love the art and style of the 1970s? Everything old is new again, so don’t be afraid to bring back your favorite designs!

Don't say its so....1970's Deco back??

Happy Father's Day!!! Serve YOUR Favorite Father His Favorite Food

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 19 Jun 2015 16:51:00 +0000

I know that I might be out of school for some men here in the United States or even the local Hampton Roads/Chesapeake area. Yet, I would bet most if all men would love to have there kids prepare the perfect steak on the grill, top of stove or in the oven, served with some summer fare like corn on the cob, watermelon and a cold one.

Now if that doesn’t sound good to you, I am sure your neighbor would be happy to join the festivities and eat your steak.

Perhaps as you read this post, you wonder what it would take to prepare the perfect steak for your dad. It can be a quandry if you have cooked many steaks. There literally could be hundreds of ways to cook a steak and no doubt a few are not the right way.

I figured if you don’t know how to do a steak having an expert share the secrets is best. Below find a link to a post from Better Homes & Gardens. You will find quick and easy to understand instructions!!

So enjoy Father’s Day eating the steak prepared OR preparing the steak to be enjoyed!!!!!!!

Cooking a Perfect Steak

Happy Father's Day!!! Serve YOUR Favorite Father His Favorite Food

Chesapeake Real Estate: Saving on the Mortgage!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 19 Jun 2015 09:42:00 +0000

Downpayment Programs Can Help Home Buyers

The average price to rent an apartment in the U.S. is $1,214, that is an increase of 14% compared to prices in 2010. With many Americans putting off buying a home, the demand for rentals is high. It doesn’t look like rent prices are slowing down, they are rising 4% faster than inflation, and have doubled compared to U.S. home prices over the same period according to Reis, Inc.

Hampton Roads is not immune, a one bedroom, one bath apartment near the Town Center section of Virginia Beach, is renting for $1,210 – and is only 778 square feet. In the same zip code, a qualified buyer with a conventional loan could purchase a two bedroom, two bath home with 1,668 square feet for a mortgage payment of $1,095. Even when you add in the taxes and insurance you still could be under the the price of renting an apartment.

So why are so many renters staying put? A large reason is that many cannot afford the typical 20% down payment that many people consider necessary for getting a home loan. Yes, 20% is an industry standard, but there are a good amount of government programs available to help first-time home buyers find funds to get a home of their own.

First-time homebuyers can qualify for $5,000 closing-cost assistance or down-payment with a minimum contribution of $1,000 from the borrower.

There is also a community partners program where homebuyers who are currently serving as law enforcement officers, educators, firefighters, or healthcare workers can get up to $7,500 with a minimum contribution of $1,000 from the borrower. Veteran and current U.S. military members can receive up to $7,500 for closing costs and down-payment.

Returning Veteran homebuyers that are currently serving or have served in an oversees military intervention for any branch of the U.S. Military can get up to $10,000 assistance for closing costs or down-payment.

Each of these programs require that you’re purchasing an owner occupied house and you must meet annual household income requirements. To find out more information about these and other mortgage options you can contact the folks at Advance Financial Group with is a Division of Monarch Bank.

Chesapeake Real Estate: Saving on the Mortgage!

Chesapeake Things to Do: Concert Schedule(Free)

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 17 Jun 2015 18:20:00 +0000

Summer Concert Calendar

Here is the line up for free summer concerts in Hampton Roads. Hampton Roads has great venues for free music, including City Center in Newport News, Town Center in Virginia Beach, and right on the water in Norfolk.

Fridays at the Fountain, City Center Newport News

June 12: Fuzz Band and Black, White & Blues!

June 19: Butter and Anthony Rosano @The Conqueroos

June 26: Tidewater Drive and Vinyl Headlights

July 10: SlapNation and Girls Night Out

July 24: The Deloreans and Third Stone

YNot Wednesdays Town Center Virginia Beach

June 3: Karnival

June 10: The Big Payback

June 17: Fuzz Band

June 24: The Deloreans

July 1: Latin Jazz Conspiracy

July 8: Cheap Thrills

July 15: Jackass Flats

July 22: Strictly Bizzness

July 29: 10 spot

Beach Street USA Concerts

June 12-14: Sandstock: a tribute to Rock & Roll

June 26-27: Latinfest

July 4: Stars & Stripes Explosion

July 10-12: My Big Fat Greek Party

Downtown Hampton Block Party

June 6: Sons of Bill

June 13: Col. Bruce Hampton & the Madrid Express

June 20: The Fighting Jamesons

June 27: Major & the Monbacks

July 4: Rare Mixx

Town Point Concerts Norfolk

June 5-7: Harborfest

June 19-21: Bayou Boogaloo

July 5: Tidewater Winds

July 11: Guy Lombardos’ Royal Canadians

July 17: Waterfront Jazz festival

TGIF Summer Concert Series Norfolk

Constant’s Wharf Park & Marina

June 19: SlapNation

June 26: Broke by Sunday

July 10: Rhythm Express Band

July 17: Jacks Flats

Bennett’s Creek Park

August 7: Joe Gosman Band

August 14: Wesley Spangler Band

August 21: Tidwater Drive Band

Chesapeake Things to Do: Concert Schedule(Free)

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 16 Jun 2015 18:27:00 +0000

Hampton Roads Real Estate Market Performing Well Compared to National Numbers

Real estate is still moving up, both nationally and here in Hampton Roads. Here are some of the highlights from our monthly market report:

Hampton Roads homes sales in April were 1,951 up 2.5% month-over-month and up 11.9% year-over-year.

Hampton Roads pending home sales increased month-over-month 10.4%.

The Peninsula pending home sales increased 9.1% year-over-year.

Since November 2014 over 9,700 homes have been sold in the Hampton Roads area, an increase of 35.6% over the same period from November 2013 to April 2014.

According to the National Association of REALTORS®’s April Housing Report, existing-home sales are slowing down due to a lack of inventory available in the marketplace. Home sales did rise 6.1% in April over the previous year, but the projected annual rate of homes fell 3.3%. NAR says this is directly due to the lack of home inventory as many potential sellers are uncertain about putting their homes on the market. Nationally prices continue to increase year-over-year, rising 8.9% over April 2014. This was the 38th consecutive month of year-over-year price increases.

Pricing Matters

Nationally 40% of homes sold at or above their list price, a sign that bidding wars are making a come back.

However, here in Hampton Roads, the average list price for a home in April 2015, was $149,218 but the average sold price for April 2015 was $142,276 – almost 5% below the list price. Sellers need to be aware of these trends and price correctly for their neighborhood.

For what is specifically going on in your neig

Chesapeake Real Estates: Rules of Home Affordability

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 16 Jun 2015 18:19:00 +0000

Mortgage School: The Rules of Home Affordability

Applying for a home loan can be scary – but understanding the rules of home affordability can help ease your fears and help get you into your dream home. The key is to understand the rules of home affordability. Our great relationship with Advance Financial Group, a division of Monarch Mortgage, allows us to get some great insight and information about qualification ratios that help mortgage lenders determine how much they will lend to a home buyer. Each lender has its own set of ratios, but majority fall under these limits.

Home buyers must understand the rules of 28, 32, and 40.

Rule of 28% is the maximum mortgage payment a responsible lender will allow you to take on. The mortgage payment is a combination of principal and interest and it cannot exceed 28% of your gross monthly income. Gross monthly income is your pay before taxes are taken out.

Rule of 32% is the maximum total housing payment a responsible lender will allow you to have. This will include the mortgage payment, homeowner’s and private mortgage insurance (PMI), association fees, and property taxes. The number should not be more that 32% of your gross monthly income.

Rule of 40% is the maximum debt payments you currently have. This will include your housing payment, auto and student loan payments, and minimum credit card payments. These items should not exceed 40% of your gross monthly income.

For specific answers for your mortgage questions, we recommend visiting Advance Financial Group’s website. They have great tools and currently information about rates and home buyers programs.

Chesapeake Real Estates: Rules of Home Affordability

Adding Zip to Your Bedroom

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 16 Jun 2015 13:14:00 +0000

Tired of your bedroom??

Needs a fresh look?

As season’s change, a change in our personal environment can give a life to every day. Whether at work or at home, change can give us all a new perspective that can give us the needed lift.

Better Homes and Garden provides some very simple(low cost) means to spice up your bedroom decor. You will love the quick hits of this video that will inspire.

Luxe Bedrooms on Your Budget

Adding Zip to Your Bedroom

Chesapeake Real Estate: Protecting Our Waterways

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 15 Jun 2015 16:10:00 +0000

Natural Planting to aid our Waterways

All of Hampton Roads is well drained by numerous creeks, rivers and even canals that criss cross the area. One need not drive far without crossing a bridge or tranversing a tunnel.

As it were, all these estuaries drain into the Chesapeake Bay. Thus, the Chesapeake Bay preservation efforts are extensive and have been in place for many years. Annual “Clean the Bay” events are held and regular reports on the health of the water, crab and fish populations are shared.

Many Chesapeake home owners have property adjacent to Deep Creek, Elizabeth River, Cooper’s Ditch, Pagan Creek and many other such creeks and waterways. They aren’t alone as every city in Hampton Roads including Virginia Beach, Hampton, Norfolk and Portsmouth have homes lining many of the same waterways due to the close proximity of these adjacent towns.

Knowing that a continue effort of the Chesapeake Bay Preservation organization has been to reduce fertilizer and other man made chemicals/toxins flowing into the Bay, I was pleased to see this article from Home By Design discussing landscaping utilizing plantings to aid our water ways.

Click and read!! It is excellent help!

Streamside Solutions

Chesapeake Real Estate: Protecting Our Waterways

New Weekly Article - Nestled in Nature || Home By Design

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 11 Jun 2015 17:53:00 +0000

Source: New Weekly Article – Nestled in Nature || Home By Design

New Weekly Article - Nestled in Nature || Home By Design

Chesapeake Living: Enjoy Your Patio

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 11 Jun 2015 15:49:00 +0000

7 Patio Hacks to Try This Summer

Home → Consumer Resources → 7 Patio Hacks to Try This Summer

1. Chandelier and Sconces

Today’s outdoor lighting designs have evolved beyond tiki torches and paper lanterns. String up tiny twinklers, repurpose a chandelier, or install sconces to add some sparkle to your summer.

2. Suspended Sofa

Outdoor spaces have become an extension of the interior of the home, and your patio should be no exception. Suspend a sofa for lounging, create a coffee nook for weekend mornings, or a cozy bench to tackle your summer reading list.

3. Pizza Oven

It’s no secret outdoor kitchens are in high demand. Add your very own by installing a pizza oven in your backyard. For the non-handy homeowner, pre-manufactured pizza ovens are available, but do-it-yourselfers can construct one in a weekend.

4. Foldable Bar

A bar is a must if you regularly host guests. If your patio doesn’t permit a full bar set, you can use a DIY foldable bar. The best part? It can be stored at a moment’s notice – not that you’d want to!

5. Movie Screen

An outdoor movie at home is a fun way to spend warm summer nights without breaking the bank. String clothesline between deck posts or trees and use a white sheet and a projector to create your very own theater.

6. Dance Floor

If your patio is spacious, boost the entertainment factor with a portable dance floor. If your patio is natural wood, reserve a corner for when Saturday Night Fever rolls around.

7. Container Garden

Your patio is the perfect place for a container garden. Inject life onto a stone slab by growing your own vegetables or summer blooms.

On June 10, 2015 / Consumer Resources, hardscapes, home improvement, landscapes

Courtesy of The Real Estate Book blog!!

Chesapeake Living: Enjoy Your Patio

Chesapeake Real Estate: Mortgage News

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 11 Jun 2015 11:22:00 +0000

Why would a Mortgage Officer give an update on the economy?

Yes, I do get this question now and again. I guess there are some that don’t realize mortgage rates are like any other financial factor in life. All financial factors are inter-related. True some are directly related like bond rates when the demand is low. Others are less directly linked.

Mortgage rates are a perfect example of the less directly linked finacial factor in life. In fact, mortgage rates can be impacted by numerous economic factors. A few key ones are unemployment, consumer spending and consumer confidence; as Americans feel better about the emplyment picture, they spend more and become more confident that the good times will continue. Improved consumer confidence tends to equate to higher mortgage rates due to “higher demand” for loans; contrarily, depressed consumer confidence tends to errode interest rates.

Notice the word ‘tends’. Government intervention(as happened 2008 until recently) or other significant finacial factors can dampen the rise or fall of interest rates irrespective of the consumer who is resists getting a mortgage or a consumer run on mortgages.

Thus, updates such as Jeff gives helps keep you and I up on the economy with hints as to the direction on interest rates.

If you haven’t heard, rates have topped 4%(OH NO!) and aren’t expected to go anywhere but up.

Last Week’s Economic News in Review

The unemployment rate grew, but so did the number of jobs added to the economy, while lay-offs fell, prompting optimism from labor market watchers. Also, personal incomes grew while spending was essentially flat.

Unemployment7

The unemployment rate, a closely watched metric since the 2008 recession sent the job market to the canvas, actually ticked slightly up in May after months of successive declines.

The unemployment notched up to 5.5 percent in May from April’s 5.4 percent, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported last week. However, the economy concurrently added 280,000 non-farm jobs, which was significantly higher than the 226,000 jobs that job market analysts had been expecting.

Also, the labor force grew by 397,000 people, putting the labor force participation rate (the percent of employable individuals either working or actively looking for work) slightly up at 62.9 percent. Simply put, that expansion in participation forced the rate to increase, but it also reflects a more favorable view of the job market by unemployed individuals, because they are actively looking for work.

“More people working means more income and more potential homeowners,” National Association of Realtors Chief Economist Lawrence Yun noted in a public statement. “More jobs also entail more office leasing and increased rental housing demand. Nothing like jobs to support real estate.”

Initial Jobless Claims

Meanwhile, new claims for unemployment benefits filed by the recently laid-off fell to 276,000, a decline of 8,000 claims from the preceding week’s 284,000 claims, according to last week’s report from the Employment and Training Administration. This marked the 13th straight week that claims stayed below the 300,000-claim mark that typically indicates an improving labor market.

The four-week moving average, considered a more stable measure of lay-offs, notched up slightly to 274,750 claims, an increase of 2,750 from the prior week’s average of 272,000.

So with layoffs down and the job market adding jobs, what will this mean for labor going forward?

“The labor market continues to improve, with low layoffs and strong hiring,” PNC Economist Gus Faucher wrote in a client statement last week. “The tightening labor market will lead to stronger wage growth in 2015 as employers find they need to raise pay to attract workers.”

“The still very low level of jobless claims suggests the uptick in the unemployment rate in May was likely temporary,” UBS’s U.S. Economist Kevin Cummins told Business Insider.

Personal Incomes and Spending

Personal incomes increased by $59.4 billion, or 0.4 percent, while personal consumption expenditures (PCE) decreased $2.6 billion, or less than 0.1 percent, the Bureau of Economic Analysis reported last week. Disposable personal income (DPI; income left after taxes) saw a similar gain, increasing $48.8 billion, or 0.4 percent.

Income growth appeared to be in the right places, too. Wages and salaries increased $17.7 billion in April, compared with an increase of $9.5 billion in March, and private wages and salaries — as opposed to public (i.e., government) wages — increased $15.7 billion in April, compared with an increase of $8.4 billion in March.

Personal savings grew to $744.0 billion in April from March’s $692.5, and the personal saving rate (personal saving as a percentage of DPI) grew to 5.6 percent in April from March’s 5.2 percent.

“The April income and spending figures are another reminder that even though their incomes are rising at a healthy pace, households are still reluctant to boost spending more freely,” BMO Capital Markets Chief U.S. Economist Paul Ashworth wrote in a statement to clients.

This week we can expect:

Tuesday — Wholesale inventories for April from the Census Bureau.

Wednesday — May budget from the Treasury Department.

Thursday — Initial jobless claims for last week from the Employment and Training Administration; April business inventories and May retail sales from the Census Bureau; May import and export prices from the Census Bureau and the Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Friday — May producer price index from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

JEFF HURD

Senior Loan Officer

direct:	(757) 329-1115
fax:	(757) 644-5140
NMLS:	260418

11715 Jefferson Ave, Ste B
Newport News, VA 23606
Email Me
Visit My Website

Chesapeake Real Estate: Mortgage News

Happy Memorial Day

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 21 May 2015 19:34:00 +0000

Soon we will join together to celebrate Memorial Day weekend.

Some people will see it only as a day off for a barbecue or nice weekend to get a quick trip to a favorite fishing hole. Yet, it is so much more.

We remember the men and women who have ensure we live free and have the right to voice variant opinions that we may agree with or not agree with at any given time. We also remember local heros and their counterparts that serve us day to day.

It is interesting to me how the local police, firemen and EMTs have been celebrated in the last century along with our military forces. No doubt Memorial Day will always center on the sacrifices and remembering those sacrifices made by members of the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force and Coast Guard over so many years.

And that should never be far from our hearts and our minds

Happy Memorial Day

Chesapeake Real Estate: Landscaping

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 16 May 2015 10:19:00 +0000

Landscape to Impress

A couple of days ago, I had shared Better Home & Garden’s Perennial plant articles to help you spruce up your flower beds and your yard. As I had noted, it could be simply for your enjoyment in 2015 or to impress the wood be buyers that drive by or tour your house.

Now HouseLogic, a service of Realtor.com, provides great information and examples on changing the landscape in a “big” way that adds some “pizzaz” and ‘take notice’ impacts to the exterior of your home.

Whether adding a flagstone walkway to an otherwise boring front scape of your home or adding the interest of dimension via a berm covered with a variety of evergreen plantings, perennial flowers and annual color, your home can go from drap or uninteresting to one that takes all visitors by surprise…maybe even giving them a sense of “jealousy” or “how could I do that at my house” as they come to visit or tour your house and yard with you.

Landscape to Impress

Chesapeake Real Estate: Landscaping

Chesapeake: Flowers Blooming

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 14 May 2015 18:16:00 +0000

In Chesapeake and all of Hampton Roads, flower planting has been the weekend task since late April. And will continue to be steady until June 1st. Most of us are wise enough in the Mid-Atlantic to know the temps will be a bit warm as June/July arrive so our plants best have a good chance to root and to acclimate.

Flowers are always the nicest “dress up” for the street scape of a home. All my sellers know that bright healthy flowers really set the tone as the buyer arrives at the house and sees a beautifully maintained yard framed with lush, healthy color.

Don’t know how green your thumb is or if you are the underwater starving your flowers or the overwater that soaks the plants until they throw up their fonds and florals in disgust. But if you want a garden to enjoy this year or to “sell” a buyer on your home, it is important I give you a hand.

Fortunately, Better Homes and Gardens can share perenniels that even the brownest thumb in town can work with in their garden. As you most likely know, annuals like snapdragons and merrigolds are around only for the season while perennial plants like Blanket Flower or Daylillies will come back every year even if the plant seemingly disappears.

In fact, you will see three different links below and amongs the pictures. So whether you have very wet or dry soil or simply love to kill the plants that come under your control, you can find the perennial plants that can survive you!!!

To all you very green thumb people, I apologize as I know your garden glows all year long. Not all of us may be good as you but we continue to strive forward.

Perennials for Your Garden

Perennials for Your Garden That Love to be Wet

Perennials that Can Handle almost Anything

Chesapeake: Flowers Blooming

Chesapeake Real Estate: Inheriting A Home

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 13 May 2015 08:28:00 +0000

Recently, I was just asked a question by a friend/client working with an older lady seeking feedback on whether the lady’s younger daughter should be on the title for the house.

Having not ran into the question previously, I had sent this client to an accountant and an attorney for their perspectives.

Al Clark’s Home Action Newsletter had an article addressing just that point. I had heard some of these statements and weren’t sure all were myths. I recommend you read and commit to memory the dispelled myths(or just know to come back to this post!!!)

Dispelling Some Myths About Home Inheritance

Myth No. 1: You have to specifically list your home in your will.

When you draft your will, you can include your home in the assets you distribute. For example, you can leave it to multiple children and direct them to sell it and split the proceeds. It’s easy for you to include your home among the assets distributed after your death. All you have to do is ask your attorney to include it in your will.

However, even if the home is not specifically identified in your will, it will pass to the named beneficiaries of your estate. On the other hand, if the owner prefers that the home pass to anyone other than, or in addition to, those included in the will, then the lawyer will need to specifically identify the home and to whom it is intended to pass.

Myth No. 2: The heirs are in for a major capital gains bill.

Say the grown children inherit the home they grew up in, which their parents have lived in for 40 years. It’s probably appreciated a lot. But the gain, no matter how much, would be erased as a result of stepped-up-basis-at-death provisions. The date-of-death fair market value of an inherited asset — like a house — becomes the new basis and is subsequently used for calculating capital gains taxes when the inherited asset is sold.

Here’s how it works: Let’s say Mr. Jones (Senior) bought his house for $50,000. When he dies and leaves it to his son, Junior, it’s worth $150,000. If Junior sells it right away for $150,000, he owes no capital gains tax. He does not have to declare a $100,000 “profit” based on the difference between what his father paid for it and what it’s now worth.

If Junior holds on to the property for several years and the house rises in value so he can sell it for $200,000, then he does owe capital gains — but only on the $50,000 difference between the valuation when he inherited it and the price he sold it for. (We’re assuming he has not made any further improvements to the property that would increase the basis.)

Myth No. 3: A revocable living trust can solve all your problems.

Actually, it can solve at least one problem: Your heirs get your home upon your death without having to go through the expense and time of the will probate process. But it doesn’t change the capital gains situation, which probably isn’t a major issue anyway, as noted above. And a trust can cost thousands of dollars to set up.

However, unlike a will, a trust’s provisions are largely private and it may smooth the process, particularly in high-net-worth families with complex estate planning needs. Talk to an attorney before deciding to go this route.

Myth No. 4: You can avoid inheritance problems by adding your children to the title of your home while you’re still alive.

Although this is legal, it can lead to ghastly problems. First, much of the basis step-up noted above is gone — it only applies to the part still owned by the parent, so if one or more children sell it upon the parent’s death, the capital gains tax bill could be significant.

Insurance needs change as well — the children are exposed to liability issues as owners. And the parent is at risk if a child gets into trouble and as a co-owner needs the equity in the house due to debts. Although this technique, like a trust, allows heirs to avoid probate, most financial planners recommend against title sharing because of the possible problems.

Tax laws and tax rules are constantly being updated and interpreted. This article contains general information, so please discuss your individual situation with a trusted tax adviser before making tax decisions.

Chesapeake Real Estate: Inheriting A Home

Chesapeake Real Estate: Enjoy Your Garden Spaces

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 10 May 2015 16:05:00 +0000

Enjoying your Summer Outside

Shaking off the dust of a pratical article on finances,

Home By Design hit its stride again with a wonderful article creating wonderful outside spaces.

If you are a fan like me of English Literature, gardens are always key scenes in most English novels and stories. Lovers meet in behind the thick hedges of the maze. Conspiring dukes discuss the plot sitting at a table in a courtyard surrounded by roses. And on and on.

Though I never really thought of these stories talking about an assortment of “rooms” around the castle or manor house, I did get the very real picture of how room like the gardens were when visiting England a number of years back. You could leave a house or castle and find oneself in endless gardens with this sitting area with rod iron table and chairs set among lush blooming bushes and this high stone walled game room where horse shoes or shuffleboard or badmitten/tennis was set up before coming to maybe a rose garden with benches set here and there were lovers might have stole a moment alone.

Home By Design recaptures this ageless idea in this article termed “Garden Rooms”. Click the link below to explore what you can do to enjoy your summer outdoors!!

Garden Rooms

Chesapeake Real Estate: Enjoy Your Garden Spaces

Chesapeake Real Estate: Paint Makes a Difference

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 08 May 2015 16:30:00 +0000

Whether inside or outside, many home owners will be painting exterior trim or perhaps the whole exterior of their home this Spring and Summer. In addition, many many home owners will look to redo a room or two this time of year. A fresh coat of paint is the easiest way to refresh a room.

With the advent of HGTV, Youtube and Pinterest, it can be fairly easy to find tips on techniques and methods. Yet frequently, the methodology of picking out the colors to be used is fluffed over frequently.

The color palate selected for a room or multiple rooms can alter the atmosphere of a home. The same can be said of a changing the trim or exterior color of a home. I once lived in a neighborhood that a neighbor painted their home a dark purple with a bright orange trim. Every one knew where the house was but not one person didn’t question the owner’s sanity or color selections.

In the interior, you often will find that the colors between adjacent rooms must be carefully selected. You don’t want to knock a guest out his/her chair due the clash in the dining room and kitchen colors.

To get help with your color selection, please read the article below by Jan Soults Walker as seen on HouseLogic.

By: Jan Soults Walker

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Recently, I was just asked a question by a friend/client working with an older lady seeking feedback on whether the lady’s younger daughter should be on the title for the house.

Having not ran into the question previously, I had sent this client to an accountant and an attorney for their perspectives.

Al Clark’s Home Action Newsletter had an article addressing just that point. I had heard some of these statements and weren’t sure all were myths. I recommend you read and commit to memory the dispelled myths(or just know to come back to this post!!!)

Dispelling Some Myths About Home Inheritance

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