10 Air Quality Control Tips for Home and Health

Air quality has a direct impact on our health, both in and outside of our homes. While much is being done to improve the air outdoors, maintaining a healthy level of air quality inside is evenly important.

A range of triggers can lower indoor air quality, including carpets, chemical cleaners, heat sources and humidity. Build-up of these pollutants may result in “Sick House Syndrome,” which poses health risks to residents if not addressed. Airborne lead particles and radon are especially harmful.

Opening windows can significantly improve the quality of the air in the home, but in many households, doing so is just one of several necessary steps. A checklist:

1. Clean your home frequently, preferably with natural or non-toxic cleaners, a HEPA-filter vacuum and a mop. Regular cleaning eliminates dust, which could be contaminated with lead if the home was built prior to 1978.
2.  Aim for less than 50 percent humidity inside the home; a higher percentage can lead to mold. A hygrometer can help determine the humidity level. Use an exhaust fan while bathing, cooking or using the dishwasher. Invest in a dehumidifier, if necessary.
3. Take care not to disturb lead-painted surfaces, especially if remodeling the home. If the paint is peeling, consult a lead removal specialist as soon as possible.
4. Test for radon. Most hardware stores carry do-it-yourself testing kits, and some utility companies offer the service free of charge. A qualified professional can conduct a longer-term test to determine radon levels at varying times throughout the year. He or she may recommend installing a radon mitigation system.
5. Dispose of paint, gasoline or any other chemicals at a certified hazardous waste disposal center. Visit search.earth911.com to locate a local facility. For future paint projects, purchase products labeled “low VOC.”
6. Replace the furnace filter every three months to reduce the amount of airborne dust circulating through the home.
7. Remove wall-to-wall carpeting, if possible—it traps particles that can exacerbate allergy and asthma symptoms, and may even contain formaldehyde, depending on the manufacturer. (Pressed wood materials, such as cabinets and furniture, may also release formaldehyde.)
8. Place plants where possible. House plants filter out airborne toxins, including ammonia and benzene, that can be detrimental to health. To reap the most benefits, use these NASA-approved species.
9. Remove shoes when entering the home, and place a floor mat at each entrance to deter any pollutants tracked in by guests. Dirt and pesticides brought in from outside can become airborne inside the home.
10. Insist the home remain smoke-free, if possible. Secondhand cigarette smoke, which lingers long after the smoker leaves, can have devastating effects on members of the household, including children and pets.

For more tips on indoor air quality and other home maintenance ideas, contact me today!

3 Ways to Get More From Your Carbon Monoxide Detector

Hopefully, you have a carbon monoxide detector in your home. But do you know if it’s working? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 20,000 Americans visit the emergency room yearly for carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning.  

"Carbon monoxide can be produced from any system or appliance that burns fuel. While all home appliances are designed to vent properly to the exterior, cracks or blockages can cause leaks into the home," says Steve Truett, president of Aire Serv, who stresses the importance of scheduling annual maintenance for all equipment including furnaces, water heaters and space heaters. “Routine upkeep and other preventative measures, such as installing carbon monoxide detectors throughout the home, can help ensure the health and safety of the entire household."

Below are three tips to get more from your detector.

- If a vehicle is left running in the garage, the dangerous gas can build up inside the home. Place the detector within a few feet of the internal door to the garage.

- Avoid placing detectors in places that receive direct sunlight, or near open windows or other areas where there is a strong draft.

- Though detectors are meant to alert homeowners when there is a leak in a fuel-burning appliance, it's important to place them at least 15 feet away to prevent a false alarm.Source: Aire Serv 

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Thinking about selling your home during the holidays?

We are here for all of your real estate needs. Inventory is at an all time low. It is very much a sellers market right now. We have many buyers looking and there are not enough properties to show them. Don't let the fact that we are in the holiday season discourage you if you are thinking about selling now. Please do not hesitate to contact us to find out how we can get your home sold today. It is an honor and privilege to serve you.

Moving? 5 Tips to Relocate the Garden

Moving itself is strenuous—moving fragile belongings, like plants, can be even more challenging.

Relocate the garden with these tips, courtesy of Ferguson Moving & Storage:

• Prepare plants for the move with a liberal dose of water. Damp roots and moist soil will help keep them thriving while being transported, and watered stems will hold up better during the move.

• Plant smaller flowers and shrubs in lightweight, temporary pots—this will make them easier to re-plant at the new home.

• Reduce the weight of heavy planters during the move by partially filling them with packing peanuts.

• Pack plants in the primary vehicle, if possible—not a moving truck or van.  If they must be packed in the truck, load them last so that they can be removed and tended to upon arrival.

• Make the moving company aware of the plants (to mitigate erratic driving) and request that they be unloaded as soon as possible at the new home.

Source: Ferguson Moving & Storage

4 Things to Know about Purchasing a Second Home

Often, those looking to purchase an additional home get confused between a second home and an investment property. However, the two are not interchangeable – especially when it comes to their financing.

Second-Home, Defined
A second home is real property that the homeowner intends to occupy in addition to their primary residence for part of the year. Usually, second homes are used as vacation homes. Second homes may also be properties that the homeowner visits on a regular basis.

Examples of second homes may include:

• A condo in a city where you frequently conduct business
• A beach house that you and your family occupy during the summer months
• A house in a different state where you have seasonal work

Getting a Mortgage
If you can’t purchase a second home out-right, you’re going to go the traditional route and look into obtaining a mortgage. In order to qualify for a second-home loan, the property is usually required to be located in a resort or vacation area (like the beach or mountains), or be a certain distance from the borrower’s primary residence.

Understanding Interest Rates
Most lenders consider second homes to be more of a risk than primary residences, but not as big a risk as investment properties. Typically, interest rates will show this; second-home mortgages may have lower interest rates than investment property loans, but not necessarily. It can all depend on the borrower’s entire financial picture.

Understanding Rules
Second-home loans often include a second-home rider along with the mortgage. This rider states certain rules the borrower must abide by in order to qualify for the loan.

These rules often include the following:

• The borrower will occupy and use the property as his/her second home
• The property will be kept available for the borrower’s exclusive use and enjoyment at all times
• The property cannot be used as a timeshare or be subject to any rental pool arrangement

The property cannot be subject to any agreements that require the borrower to rent the property or give a management firm (or anyone else) control over the use and/or occupancy of the property.

Ghostly Listings: What It Costs to Own a Famous Haunted House

After purchasing a house, learning that your new home has a grisly past would be a real-life nightmare for most people. For horror movie fans and those interested in the macabre, these homes are sought out for photos and bragging rights that you actually saw the haunted house.

However, despite drawing the public's interest, residences that have inspired Stephen King novels or classic scary movies often sit on the market for a long time and fetch far less than the asking price. Below are examples of iconic haunted houses and what they sold for (if they were sold at all).

Source: Newsday

Amityville Horror House (Long Island, N.Y.) – Sold in 2017 for $605,000

The basis of the book and subsequent film series went on the market last summer for $850,000 and sold earlier this year for more than $200,000 less than the asking price. With other homes in the Amityville neighborhood of Long Island regularly fetching upwards of $1 million, the home's past is likely to blame for the price drop.

Source: Jezebel

The Old Arnold Estate (Harrisville, R.I.) – Listed in 2015 for $400,000

The owners of this 14-room farmhouse in Rhode Island threatened to sue Warner Bros. following the release of The Conjuring (2013). Their property, which is the basis for the film, was constantly trespassed upon after the film became a hit. It eventually became too much and they listed the house themselves. It has since been taken off the market.

Source: Associated Press

Pet Sematary House (Orrington, Maine) – Listed in 2017 for $255,000

This is the home that Stephen King and his family rented in the late 1970s where he thought of the idea for his novel Pet Sematary. Not only was his daughter's cat hit by a truck in front of the home, but children in the neighborhood constructed an actual pet cemetery behind the four-bedroom Maine home that is still there today.

Source: StreetEasy

The Dakota (New York, N.Y.) – Sold in 2017 for $21,000,000

Probably most well-known for being the Manhattan co-op in front of which John Lennon was killed, The Dakota has a storied supernatural history. The most famous ghost in the building is the Crying Lady who is said to walk the co-op's halls. Also, the film Rosemary's Baby (1968) was set in "The Bramford," which was actually The Dakota, where most of the movie was filmed. This year, a three-bedroom went for the stunning price of $21 million.

Source: realtor.com

The Sowden House (Los Angeles, Calif.) – Listed in 2015 for $4.79 million

In 1947, this house was made famous because of the Black Dahlia murder. The home, built in 1927 and designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, was allegedly where local physician Dr. George Hill Hodel dissected the body of Elizabeth Short. Years later, in the early 2000s, Hodel's son Steve brought a cadaver dog into the home's basement and claims it detected the scent of decomposed human remains. There have also been reports of people hearing voices and chains being dragged.

Posted on Oct 19 2017 - 11:10am by Housecall

By Jameson Doris

Are Environmental Hazards Lowering Your Home’s Value?

You may be well versed in the factors that can improve your home’s value, like adding on a bathroom, installing energy-efficient appliances or putting on a new roof. But are you aware that certain environmental hazards, such as poor air quality can actually detract from your home’s value?

Research from ATTOM Data Solutions Environmental Hazards Housing Risk Index shows that 17.3 million single-family homes and condominiums are at high risk of an environmental hazard, such as brownfields, or property potentially contaminated by a hazardous substance, polluters, poor air quality and superfunds.

"Home values are higher and long-term home price appreciation is stronger in zip codes without a high risk for any of the four environmental hazards analyzed," says Daren Blomquist, senior vice president at ATTOM Data Solutions.

ATTOM details how home values have been affected by each of these environmental hazards:

- In areas with a "very high" brownfield risk - areas previously used for commercial development which may now have environmental contamination - 17.2 percent of properties are "seriously underwater," according to the Index; in areas with a "very low" brownfield risk, 8.9 percent of properties are seriously underwater. Median home prices in very high brownfield risk areas are 2.8 percent below 10 years prior, while median home prices in very low brownfield risk areas are 2.8 percent above 10 years prior. Home sellers in very high brownfield risk areas gained 25.3 percent on average at sale, while sellers in very low brownfield risk areas gained 18.9 percent.

- In areas with a very high polluter risk, 12.7 percent of properties are seriously underwater, compared to 9.2 percent of properties seriously underwater in very low polluter risk areas. Home sellers in very high polluter risk areas gained 16.6 percent on average at sale, while sellers in very low polluter risk areas gained 27.7 percent.

- For areas with a "low" or "moderate" risk of poor air quality, home sales volume has increased 26 percent in the past five years, according to the report; for areas with a "high" risk of poor air quality, home sales volume has increased 16.5 percent in the past five years, while in areas with a very high risk of poor air quality, home sales volume has increased 3.3 percent over the past five years.

- Median home prices in very high superfund risk areas - a U.S. federal program designed to fund the cleanup of sites contaminated with hazardous substances and pollutants - are 1.5 percent below 10 years prior. Home sellers in high superfund risk areas gained 19.6 percent on average at sale, while sellers in very low superfund risk areas gained 24.4 percent.

Source: ATTOM Data Solutions

Four Strategies for a Faster Sale

Most sellers hope for a quick sale so they can begin moving into a new home. Unfortunately, things don’t always move that fast in the real estate world.

You may not have the luxury of waiting for an offer that meets your price. A seller may need to sell quickly because of a new job, a change in relationship or even a death in the family.

If you fall into the category of someone who needs to sell quickly, these strategies will get you the speedy resolution you desire.

Tell your agent. Make sure you explain to your agent how valuable time is to you. They will have experience in knowing what to do to get a home sold faster, and can better guide the direction of the sale.

Price it right. There’s nothing that leads to a quick sale faster than pricing your home at market value. While this might not be something you want to do, overpricing a home is a sure way to sit on the market. Remember, a property can’t be under priced. If the home is below market value, you will likely get multiple offers that bump the price back up.

Negotiate fairly. Keep an open mind in negotiations. If a bid comes in close to your asking price, you may need to give in or risk losing that buyer altogether. You can also be flexible in your contract terms, such as including your curtains or the pool table in your sale, to make the buyer happy. You may lose some negotiating power, but you’ll be happier in the long run when it leads to a sale.

Incentivize. Remember, money talks. One popular incentive for a fast closing is offering to help with closing costs. You can also offer a higher buyer agent commission to increase the number of showings.

Go Figure: Hipsters Are in Mainstream Markets

Culturally unsheltered and experience-happy, hipsters have massed in markets that meet their preference for “unconventional.” These hubs typically have an array of eateries, a hole-in-the-wall on every corner, and a lively music scene. (You probably never heard of it.)

Hipsters also live, however, in some of the hottest housing markets in the nation, according to recent research by realtor.com® and Yelp—markets with mainstream appeal, and demand to match.

“Although their opinions about their music and fashion may be out of the norm, when it comes to real estate, hipsters have a knack for getting it right,” says Javier Vivas, director of Economic Research for realtor.com. “Based on our research, there’s clear evidence that hipster popularity in markets like Austin, Texas, has led to mainstream interest and higher home prices over time. Whether it’s the farm-to-table restaurants or urban renewal projects that were already underway, a concentration of hipsters seems to be an indicator of a hot housing market.”

The No. 1 hipster housing market, the research reveals, is Columbus, Ohio—43202, or the Clintonville community, specifically. The neighborhood in the capital of The Buckeye State has brick and mortars that cater to hipsters in excess, with many businesses outside the norm or “underground.”

“Yelpers are great at identifying up-and-coming areas and businesses, which allows us to predict trends as well as uncover detailed data on what’s happening in local economies right now,” says Carl Bialik, data editor at Yelp. “While ‘hipster’ is something of a cliché, it turns out to be a useful term to uncover the types of businesses and attributes we often associate with ‘cool’ hunters, such as visually appealing interiors and less touristy parts of town.”

Hipsters, still, are mostly out West: in California, as well as Seattle (the original hipster hub), the research shows. The Haight in San Francisco (94117), Long Beach (90814) and North Park in San Diego (92104) all rank highly for hipsters, as well as Capitol Hill in Seattle (98122) and Colorado Springs in Colorado (80903).

Across the top 10 hipster markets, millennials comprise an average 22 percent of the population, and millennial realtor.com searches for homes are 1.2 times more than the existing millennial population, suggesting demand in the segment. Homes sell in an average 30 days, and unemployment is between 2.7 and 4.6 percent.

The complete top 10:

1. Columbus, Ohio (43202)

2. Seattle, Wash. (98122)

3. San Diego, Calif. (92104)

4. Fort Wayne, Ind. (46802)

5. Rochester, N.Y. (14620)

6. San Francisco, Calif. (94117)

7. Long Beach, Calif. (90814)

8. Louisville, Ky. (40217)

9. Grand Rapids, Mich. (49506)

10. Colorado Springs, Colo. (80903)
    

For more information, please visit www.realtor.com.

Suzanne De Vita is RISMedia’s online news editor. Email her your real estate news ideas at sdevita@rismedia.com.

Millennials Are Redefining Home-Buying Standards—and Gen Z Is Next

The home-buying approach varies from generation to generation—and in order to overcome down payment hurdles, millennial buyers are transforming the standards of homeownership set by baby boomers, according to the 2017 Zillow Group Report. In fact, less than half (39 percent) of millennials submit offers with the recommended 20 percent down payment. Twenty-one percent put down the minimum: 5 percent or less.

The financial challenges don’t stop at down payments. Thirty-three percent of millennial buyers report having difficulty qualifying for a loan, and 43 percent have trouble finding out what they can afford. These complications likely stem from a lack of experience, as 71 percent of millennial buyers are purchasing their first home.

“In many cities across the U.S., the housing market is extremely competitive, especially for first-time buyers who are looking to purchase a starter home,” says Zillow Chief Economist Dr. Svenja Gudell. “Young buyers often start their careers in fast-growing cities in which the market is particularly tough—and they’re trying to save for a down payment while making record-high rent payments.”

Most millennials are not confident in their buying power. Sixty-two percent simultaneously search for rentals as a back-up in case of challenges in their home search, such as finding suitable properties in their price range or within their required time frame.

Millennials will, however, look for creative ways to achieve the home-buying dream. Twenty-nine percent of millennial buyers ask friends or family for down payment help, often coming up with the full amount using various sources.

Millennials will also jump on the opportunity to claim a home. They do not shy away from multiple offer situations, and are not afraid to go over budget. More than 53 percent of first-time millennial buyers make multiple offers on the homes they want, and 37 percent don’t keep to their financial plan. This can prevent future plans to sell if market conditions don’t allow the sale of the home to cover remaining mortgage balances. The typical homeowner still owes 62 percent of their home’s value and 46 percent of millennial sellers won’t sell their home in their desired price range.

The economic landscape may or may not change for the next generation, but they will likely tackle these financial challenges in their own way, the report shows. Generation Z is just now starting to enter the housing market as renters.

“It’s encouraging to see that Generation Z is inheriting the same notion of what home means as their parents and millennial siblings,” says Jeremy Wacksman, chief marketing officer at Zillow Group. “These tech-savvy yet risk-averse renters are bringing their social personalities home, desiring communal amenities geared toward bringing people together.”

While Generation Z buyers embrace homeownership as fundamental to achieving the American Dream, high rent prices may stand in the way when it comes time for them to buy. Thirty-seven percent of renters who didn’t move in the past year state that lack of affordability is the main reason for staying put.

Since 47 percent of Generation Z identifies as non-white, it is the most racially and ethnically diverse generation in U.S. history, the report shows. This may bring to light challenges facing minority buyers today. Thirty-seven percent of African American/black buyers, 33 percent of Asian/Pacific Islander buyers and 25 percent of Hispanic/Latino buyers indicate they are dissatisfied with the home-buying process. This is due mainly to higher denial rates for minority buyers on pre-approvals and mortgages.

The millennial generation is redefining the way homeownership is approached, and Generation Z will have its own impact on the housing market in a few years, the report shows—especially since they will likely outnumber millennials by nearly 1 million people by 2020.

“As they mature and look toward homeownership, it will be interesting to see how their aspirations and preferences will shape the housing market,” says Wacksman.

For more information, please visit www.zillow.com.

Liz Dominguez is RISMedia’s associate content editor. Email her your real estate news ideas at ldominguez@rismedia.com.

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