Wednesday, February 26, 2014

A Couple of Spring Bedding Options

Follow and/or stay tuned for full boutique opening.  In the meantime you can purchase products that I post!!
Details

Spring into style with this beautiful five piece floral reversible comforter set. The comforter, shams and decorative pillows coordinate perfectly and give your room the perfect pop of color.
Features:
_____________________
Queen Size Includes:
1 Comforter 90"x90"
2 Pillow Shams
2 Decorative Pillows
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King Size Includes:
1 Comforter 104"x90"
2 Pillow Shams
2 Decorative Pillows
_____________________
Machine Washable/ 100% Polyester
Delivered within 5 business days via USP or USPS to all US states and Canada only at this time.  Flat rate, US $7.00 and Canada $39.00.



Size



Details

Girls Kids Bedding- Foxy Lady Comforter Set
Features:
_____________________
Twin Size Includes:
1 Comforter 66"x86"
1 Pillow Sham
1 Stuffed Fox
_____________________
Full Size Includes:
1 Comforter 76"x86"
2 Pillow Shams
1 Stuffed Fox
_____________________
Machine Washable/ 100% Polyester
Delivered within 5 business days via USP or USPS to all US states and Canada only at this time.  Flat rate, US $7.00 and Canada $39.00.


Size
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February 2014 US Housing Trends

Angela Yglesias

Levesque Realty 

Cell: 805-490-4944   
Phone: 805-490-4944 

Housing Trends

Feb2014


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National market update

Existing-Home Sales Drop in January While Prices Continue to Grow

WASHINGTON (February 21, 2014) – Existing-home sales fell in January to the lowest level in a year-and-a-half, but ongoing inventory shortages continue to lift prices in much of the U.S., according to the National Association of Realtors®. Read more

December Pending Home Sales Fall

WASHINGTON (January 30, 2014) – Pending home sales measurably dropped in December, with abnormal weather partly inhibiting home shopping in much of the U.S., according to the National Association of Realtors®. Declines were experienced in all four major regions.
Read more

National housing indicators

Existing home sales (January)

4.62*

Existing home median price (January)

$188,900

Housing Starts (January)

880,000*

New home sales (January)

414000*
*Seasonally adjusted annual rate. Source: NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®.

National economic indicators

Home ownership

4th Qtr 2012

65.4%

4rd Qtr 2013

65.2%
The homeownership rate in the fourth quarter 2013 was 65.2 percent, down 0.2 (+/- 0.4)* percentage points from the fourth quarter 2012 rate of 65.4 percent. The homeownership rate in the Northeast was lower than its corresponding fourth quarter 2012 rate, while the rates in the Midwest, South, and West were not statistically different from the rates a year ago.

New home sales

November 2013

-3.9%

December 2013

-7.0%
Sales of new single-family houses in December 2013 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 414,000. This is 7.0 percent (+/- 17.5%)* below the revised November 2013 estimate of 445,000.
Source: U.S. CENSUS BUREAU

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Regional market updates

View market statistics for your region.

Click on the links below to view data from two different industry sources. Choose information on local prices & state sales from any of 150 metropolitan housing markets prepared by the National Association of REALTORS® or information on sales & price activity from local area markets in 25 states prepared by Clarus MarketMetrics.

Local Prices & State Sales

Local Sales & Price Activity

Representing residential and commercial buyers and sellers in Ventura and LA Counties.
Buying is now cheaper than renting in 74 percent of the nation’s largest cities. Low home prices and “rock-bottom” interest rates as well as tax advantages of homeownership are the reasons why it’s now cheaper to BUY a 2-bdrm home than to rent one. Check out this CNN Money article with the details. Read more
Home Ownership matters…to people, to communities, and to America. Why? • For every two homes sold, one job is created in the U.S. • Each purchase generates as much as $60,000 in economic activity over time. Read more
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Consumer tips & hot properties

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Boost Your Credit Score to Buy a Home

Promises of loans for bad credit borrowers, while common amid the housing boom in the early 2000s, are now rare. If you?re interested in buying a home today, know that lenders will carefully check your credit and will rarely approve a loan for someone with seriously bad credit. Read more
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Odd Moving Tips That Really Work

You’ve got the basics ? cardboard boxes, newspaper, the phone number of a pizza place so you can feed the friends helping you move all your worldly goods. But do you have enough socks for the stemware? Read more
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How Much Mortgage Can I Afford?

When you buy a home, the amount you can spend depends on how much you have in cash to use for a down payment and how much you can borrow. A mortgage lender can prequalify you for a loan,
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Experts Predict 2014 Housing Market

The U.S. real estate market made a robust comeback in 2013, surpassing expectations of many economists, as the combination of low inventories and historically low interest rates caused home prices to rise and even helped fuel bidding wars in some markets, surpassing the expectations of many economists. While positive trends, such as increasing home values, are expected to continue into 2014, mortgage rates are also expected to rise in the coming year and could put a damper on home buyers? abilities to afford new homes.Read more
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2014 Remodeling Trends

Home remodeling may have taken a backseat during the recession, but not anymore. According to a 2013 Hanley Wood survey, remodeling sales were up 10 percent compared to 2012, and 45 percent of remodelers surveyed expected another 10 percent growth in 2014.Read more

Existing home statistics: June 2013

View statistics based on national data, regional data and data gathered from 159 cities & metropolitan areas.

National Statistics

Statistics by City or Metropolitan Area

Regional Statistics

Source: NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®.
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5 Housing Markets With Lightest Tax Burdens

Source:  Realtormag | DAILY REAL ESTATE NEWS | WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2014
As tax time approaches, a HousingWire analysis of metro areas' tax burdens revealed that home owners in housing markets with the lowest overall tax burdens paid a percentage of their income seven times less than the burden in some of the heaviest tax burden states. 
For the study, HousingWire evaluated 2012 data by the District of Columbia’s Office of Revenue Analysis, including estimated property taxes, sales taxes, and state income taxes on major cities in all 50 states. The tax estimates were evaluated for a hypothetical family of three and for the average tax rate at household incomes of $25,000, $50,000, $75,000, $100,000 and $150,000. 
Here are the five housing markets with some of the lowest tax burdens based on their analysis (including only the high and low household income information): 
1. Cheyenne, Wyo.
Tax burden for a family of three earning $25,000: $2,424
Tax burden for a family of three earning $150,000: $4,702
2. Anchorage, Alaska
Tax burden for a family of three earning $25,000: $2,236
Tax burden for a family of three earning $150,000: $5,095
3. Houston, Texas
Tax burden for a family of three earning $25,000: $2,709
Tax burden for a family of three earning $150,000: $6,571
4. Fargo, N.D.
Tax burden for a family of three earning $25,000: $2,228
Tax burden for a family of three earning $150,000: $7,908
5. Jacksonville, Fla. 
Tax burden for a family of three earning $25,000: $2,956
Tax burden for a family of three earning $150,000: $6,429
Meanwhile, the metro with the heaviest tax burden was Bridgeport, Conn., where taxes for a family of three earning $25,000 averages $4,001, and taxes for those earning $150,000 averages $33,208.
For the full list and to read more about the analysis, visit HousingWire. 
Source: “The Best and Worst Housing Markets for Taxes,” HousingWire (Feb. 17, 2014)
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Monday, February 24, 2014

2014 Remodeling Trends

Source: realtor.com
 
By: 

Home remodeling may have taken a backseat during the recession, but not anymore. According to a 2013 Hanley Wood survey, remodeling sales were up 10 percent compared to 2012, and 45 percent of remodelers surveyed expected another 10 percent growth in 2014.
Home remodeling is back in again, and with the desire to improve our homesteads come a bunch of new and exciting trends we?ll start seeing next year.
1. Modern Kitchens
According to data compiled by Hanley Wood and Remodeling Magazine, 61 percent of remodelers surveyed expect to complete kitchen remodels in 2014, more than any other room in the house. And, those remodels are expected to follow a new trend.
Not so long ago, remodeled kitchens had a rustic feel with warm paint colors and cabinetry, and wrought iron hardware and lighting. Now, modern is in, with white or gray cabinetry, simple countertops, glossy finishes and minimalist designs.  Appliances are more likely to be blended into the design or hidden away from view entirely to give the kitchen a sleeker appearance.
2. Brass Accents
Brass made a comeback at home-design and remodeling conventions this year and the trend is expected to pick up in 2014. While brass is nothing new, it has gotten a facelift. Highly polished, bright brass hardware and lighting is gone; rustic, dull and hammered brass is in. The new looks will be incorporated into kitchen and bathroom hardware as well as lighting and door hardware throughout the house.
Remodel
3. Updated Bathrooms
In the Hanley Wood survey, bathrooms came in second to the kitchen with 58 percent of remodelers planning to do bathroom remodels in 2014. As far as style, vintage bathrooms with wainscoting and claw-foot tubs won?t be as popular as resort-style bathrooms that feature amenities such as large walk-in showers with multiple shower heads, heated floors or towel racks, and jetted bathtubs. For coloring and style, glass tiles will be a popular feature as well as neutral and cool colors like ash gray, light blue and off-white.
Remodel 2
4. Vibrant Colors
While the kitchen may be getting the modern single-shade treatment next year, designers have a different idea for other rooms. Bright accent colors such as turquoise, yellow and orange that were popular in 2013 have a new twist; in 2014, they?ll be more of a focal point and even more vibrant with colors such as Green Flash, Lemon Zest, Nectarine and Rouge Red, according to Pantone, the international authority on color. Designers will start featuring vibrant accent walls, main paint colors and flooring throughout bedrooms and main living spaces.
5. Sustainable Materials
Going green is nothing new, but sustainability may get easier in 2014 remodels. According to Craig Webb, editor-in-chief of Remodeling Magazine, ?Manufacturers and builders are constantly getting greener and greener in the way they source materials and put up homes.?  As a result, ?Energy efficiency is becoming an assumption, not an add-on.? Next year, remodels will include more renewable materials such as bamboo, energy-efficient appliances and additional designs that incorporate the local climate.
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First-Time Buyers Face Affordability Issues

Source: DSnews
Author: Scott Morgan February 22, 2014 0
First-Time Buyers Face Affordability Issues

The degree to which a homebuyer can afford a house depends greatly on whether the buyer already owns a home, according to a report released Thursday by Mark Fleming, chief economist at CoreLogic.
After a few years in a favorable market, first-time buyers are starting to face a tougher time, Fleming reports. The market overall is being affected by the intersection of rising home prices, rising interest rates and stagnating incomes, which puts first-time buyers behind the curve that has benefitted them greatly since 2007.
According to CoreLogic, affordability—the measure of buyers' ability to purchase a home and make a down payment given their income and the prevailing interest rate—was low in the early 2000s, particularly in the four years between 2003 and 2007, when market prices rose modestly and interest rates were as high as 8 percent. Then in 2007, home prices started to decline. The situation was exacerbated by the Great Recession, leading to a sharp drop in housing prices, open markets and historically low interest rates through 2012 and 2013.
In that time frame, Fleming says, the drop in housing prices and interest rates created a market that first-time buyers could take advantage of. But with the economy growing, despite relatively flat incomes, first-time buyers increasingly face higher home prices in drier markets.
This news, when taken with historical perspective, is hardly the "affordability shock" some economists make it out to be, Fleming says. Yes, affordability (as measured by the National Association of Realtors' Housing Affordability Index) is down as much as 22 percent from its January 2013 peak, but is still far higher than it was in the early 2000s.
Moreover, Fleming says, there is almost no change in affordability for buyers who already own a home. The simple reason is that existing homeowners have equity that can be directly transferred to the purchase of a new home, meaning that existing buyers—particularly those in good financial standing—have fewer concerns over making down payments or establishing new mortgages.
Whether current trends will make houses unaffordable to most buyers by the end of 2014 remains to be seen, Fleming says. But he is sure of one thing—whatever happens, first-time buyers will be the ones who feel it the most.


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Friday, February 21, 2014

Single Design Moves That Make All the Difference

Source:  Houzz

One good turn deserves a whole ideabook — check out these exceptional lone moves that make the room

Houzz Contributor. Becky's passion for personal, welcoming, hospitable... More 
Like you, I really enjoy browsing the homes featured on Houzz. There’s always a fresh idea, an important old idea restated or a spectacular new design to revel in. But one of my favorite things to do while I browse is to note the rooms where one thing —one imaginative stroke — makes all the difference. It might be an accessory, a paint color or a piece of furniture. But if it were not in that room, the look would be substantially diminished.

Let’s take a glimpse at some of these, with the hope that you’ll gain new vision for how to greatly enhance a space with simply one addition.
craftsman living room by Board and Vellum
Board and Vellum
Think about this room without the bold wall color. Wow. Can you picture it being blander and more conventional?

Paint is one thing that can make or break a room. I seriously love paint! It is relatively inexpensive, the color options are almost infinite, and it is not overwhelming to change if you tire of it or it doesn’t work.
contemporary home office by Rikki Snyder
Rikki Snyder
The one addition that makes a room special does not have to be a permanent fixture. It can change with your whim or with the season. Imagine this office without that green foliage on the desk. The combination of the lime-green color and the feathery texture adds an element that would be sorely missed.
contemporary living room by The Englander Building Company
The Englander Building Company
Imagine this room without … well, I’ll give you three guesses, and the first two don’t count. Yes, it’s that absolutely screaming pink chair. A more sedate chair would not necessarily be bad, but this one is first-rate.

Accessories can kick up a space several notches and tell a story at the same time. Imagine this wood nook without Honest Abe. That simple but so very meaningful portrait takes the space from worker bee to extraordinary. I imagine an oblique nod to this great president’s humble beginnings, where splitting wood into fence rails was a primary occupation. And I hear the unspoken reminder to neither spurn hard work nor give up on your dreams.
contemporary by ACRE Goods + Services
ACRE Goods + Services




Beach Dwellings
Paint is the thing in this kitchen. The soft sage color on the bottom cabinets brings such warmth and interest, and elevates this already lovely kitchen.
contemporary kitchen by Beach Dwellings

This would have been a really good room design even with a solid rug or wall-to-wall carpeting. But the completely captivating and seemingly “other” graphic design of this rug is over-the-top great.
modern living room by Surya
Surya
What do you think the one thing in this room is? The wallpaper? The rope ball? The coffee table–ottoman?

As creative as the wallpaper and the rope ball are, my vote goes to the coffee table. That large splash of blue lifts the other good elements into greatness.
contemporary living room by Green Couch Interior Design
Green Couch Interior Design
This living room has really good ingredients as well. The black and white scheme is crisp and inviting, and the furniture pieces are interesting and varied. But the repetition of the rug’s black and white stripe on the throw pillows (albeit on a smaller scale) is the element that transforms this room.
eclectic living room by SchappacherWhite Architecture D.P.C.
SchappacherWhite Architecture D.P.C.
What if this room had a vanilla-flavored chandelier rather than this multisided metal wonder? Lighting can be just the special something that will do more than just complete your room.

Those lime-colored curtains are a pretty spectacular ingredient in this room’s design as well.
contemporary living room by Shaw Coates
Shaw Coates
Finally, I can’t resist. This is a such a lovely and inviting room, with its muted color scheme, its mix of textures and its comfy throw. But what makes this room? The puppy!
farmhouse living room by Home & Harmony
Home & Harmony

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Realtor in Thousand Oaks, Conejo Valley

I help people selling their homes get them sold quickly and almost always at 100% asking, even over in some markets. I save my real estate b...