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How to Keep Your Houseplants Healthy in the Winter
How to Keep Your Houseplants Healthy in the Winter
Every detail counts when you’re getting ready to sell your home. The house needs to look livable, but it can’t be so personalized that a prospective buy can’t imagine herself living there. It needs to be clean, but not completely empty. And you definitely can’t have dead plants making the place look junky. That certainly doesn’t mean you have to get rid of your houseplants, though. It simply means you have to keep them healthy though to last the winter while adding some life to your home.
Preparing for the Season
Give your plants a little TLC by trimming away dead or yellowed leaves. Put some clean water in a bottle and spritz the leaves to rinse away indoor dust and grime. Clearing away accumulating dust allows your plants to absorb more natural light.
Adjust the Watering Schedule
Plants naturally grow at a slower rate during the winter season, so they don’t need to be watered quite as often. You can test the need for water by sticking your finger into the dirt. If it is dry a full inch into the pot, give it a nice watering. If not, leave it alone.
Do your plants seem to dry out very often? If so, they might be ready for larger pots. Find a larger pot, trim away some of the dead roots, and cut away the taproots that grow around the edge of the pot. Doing so will encourage smaller roots to form, and they’re far more efficient at absorbing the needed water and nutrients.
Keep a Consistent Indoor Temperature
Indoor plants respond well to consistent temperatures. They do best when the temperature is between 65 and 70 degrees during the day and approximately 60 to 65 during the evening hours. Try to keep your plants away from your entryways and from drafty windows so they aren’t shocked by cool blasts of air. At the same time, you’ll want to keep them out of the path of direct heat sources.
Plants Love Light
You know how people get SAD syndrome during the winter months? Plants tend to get a bit sad when they don’t get light, too. Some of your plants are used to receiving great amounts of light during the warmer months but the position of the sun shifts during the winter. You may find you need to move your plants around so that the light-hungry ones get the natural rays they need.
A good first impression is important when selling a home and while it may seem inconsequential to you, seeing dead and dying plants in a house can be a major turn-off. After all, a potential homebuyer may wonder: if you can’t take care of your plants, what other parts of the home have been neglected?
Can the Paint Colors in My Home Help or Hinder a Sale?
Can the Paint Colors in My Home Help or Hinder a Sale?
Yes, you read that title right. The color of the paint throughout your home can make a huge difference when it comes to actually making a sale. They say your first impression is the most important, and the first thing you’re potential buy is going to see is color.
Exterior Paint Colors
The exterior paint colors are going to be influenced by the neighborhood in which you live. You’re going to want to have a nice, fresh look to your home without necessarily sticking out like a sore thumb. Case in point – many years ago there was a home in historic Haddonfield, NJ. The homes in that area are all governed by rules based on Victorian-era history. A homeowner painted his house purple – light/medium purples with dark purple trim. The paint job, despite making people angry enough to go to court (the homeowner won, as the color was Victorian), didn’t blend in with anything else in the neighborhood. The home stayed that way for many years, but it was definitely painted before it was able to sell again.
At the end of the day, colors on the neutral pallet tend to do best.
Interior Paint Colors
This is where things get tricky, and where you are most likely to have trouble, as the interior of your home is where you’ve done the most personalization in each room. We once met a couple who spent a great deal of time paining the inside of their home. Most of the rooms were neutral in nature but the kitchen was painted a lovely shade of yellow and their family room was painted a rust-color. People love bright kitchens that are full of light, so there was no problem with the yellow.
The rust-color was the problem because the den had a sports theme, complete with trophies and pennants. A key consideration in selling a home is giving a buyer the opportunity to image it as his own. No one who stepped into that den could visualize anything other than a sports room. Even removing the sports memorabilia didn’t really help. It wasn’t until (months later) they painted the room a neutral color that people started to take the home seriously.
It is, in general, better to stick with warm and neutral colors in your main living areas. Bedrooms should be soft and relaxing. Bathrooms need to be painted with colors that make them look larger instead of smaller, so whites are generally best.
You may have spent a ton of time making your home match your personality, but if it’s really time to move on, you may have to seriously consider undoing some of that work. Selling a home means making it appealing to as many people as possible. Talk to your real estate agent if you need help deciding which areas are a priority for change.
Staging a Home During the Holiday Season
Staging a Home During the Holiday Season
The housing market hasn’t exactly been easy to deal with recently and the holiday season is typically a lot slower when it comes to finalizing sales. While that doesn’t mean you can’t sell your home during this busy time of year, it does mean you’ll need to work a little harder to appeal to those who are viewing the house. You’ll need to go above and beyond when it comes to staging.
What is Staging?
Home staging is simply defined as the art of preparing a home for the market. There are people who specialize in staging homes, making them more appealing to the masses. Theoretically, the better staged your home is, the faster it will sell. While this is usually your responsibility as the seller, your real estate agent will give you some extra advice. You can also hire a professional to do the work if you so choose.
Holiday Home Staging
Before you can focus on the holiday season, you’ll want to make sure your basic staging tasks are complete. Your home should be completely cleaned and de-cluttered. Anything that needs repair should be taken care of and any walls that need paint should be painted. The people who visit your home, holiday season or not, should be able to picture themselves living there. This means you need to remove as many pictures and personal items as possible. Your den may have served as the perfect sports-bar for your buddies for years, but you should remove all pennants and memorabilia so that those who aren’t sports fans can visualize a use for the room.
Keep your outdoor décor relatively simple. You will want to avoid lawn ornaments, inflatable decorations, and too many lights. Stick to simple, classic white lights and consider a festive holiday wreath for your door. A little bit of lighting can go a long way in showing off your home’s architectural qualities. A lot of gaudy colored lights may deter visitors.
Inside the home, keep things simplistic. A Christmas tree is fine if you can find one that does not take up too much space in a room, as that would make the room feel smaller. You will want to avoid overtly religious decorations, so this is not the year to put out your Nativity scene or Menorah. The idea is to keep your home festive yet neutral so that it appeals to everyone without offending. Snowmen and classic winter decorations that don’t target specific holidays are the way to go.
The general idea is to accentuate your home’s best features without detracting from them. In the case of holiday decorating, less really is more. Ask your real estate agent for advice if you aren’t sure about making adjustment to your décor.
Should I Buy a Short Sale Home?
Should I Buy a Short Sale Home?
As you work your way through the process of searching for a new home, you’ll very likely come across several that are listed as “short sale” properties. A short sale home is one that is being sold for less than the owner still owes on his current mortgage. This situation is usually approved by the current lender as a way to help a buyer get out of the home without going through the foreclosure process. While the bank may lose some money in the process, it does not lose as much as it would if the owner just stopped paying.
The Benefits Buying a Short Sale Home
The short sale process benefits everyone involved. The seller doesn’t have to go through the foreclosure process (or deal with a foreclosure on his credit report); the buyer can purchase a home at a fair market rate; and the mortgage lender minimizes his losses.
While a buyer can generally get a good deal on a foreclosure property, a short sale is generally considered a safer option. Foreclosure homes are often empty for long periods of time and are sometimes vandalized by squatters, burglars, or even previous owners who are angry about being kicked out. Homeowners who are pursuing a short sale still have a vested interest in the property. It’s likely to be better maintained and they are more likely to work with you and their lender to get you a better deal.
The Downfalls of Buying a Short Sale Home
The process of buying a short sale home can be incredibly long and drawn out. Even if you put in a bid for a home, the bank or mortgage company is likely to take weeks to review it. Remember, they’re looking to minimize their losses, so they have no reason to accept the first bid that crosses their desks.
The other downfall is that you are always buying short sale property on an “as-is” basis. This means you’ll want to spend extra time reviewing the home, possibly even having it inspected before you place a bid. Any problems the home has will immediately become your problem at closing.
You are also less likely to see the seller of a short sale home make repairs or pay for extra items, like closing costs.
So should you consider a short sale home? They’re definitely worth looking at if you aren’t in a rush to sell an existing property or go to settlement. You aren’t going to get the same sort of “steal” you might get buying a foreclosure property, but you are likely to get a home that’s in much better shape. And while you may have to wait a bit longer to go to closing, the odds of you buying a home at a realistic, affordable price are certainly worth considering.
Mortgage Rates Expected to Rise Slightly Going Into 2015
Mortgage rates expected to rise slightly going into 2015
While mortgage rates will reflect an individual’s credit history, income and current debt/income ratios, Freddie Mac predicts average mortgage rates will go from 4.3% to 5.0%. This is widely thought to be the result of an improving U.S. economy. Competition for borrowers and declining credit score requirements may continue to keep mortgage rates low for certain individuals with good credit but overall rates are expected to increase slightly in 2015.
Freddie Mac is a government mortgage brokerage. For many years the company has been taking weekly surveys related to home loans and refinance packages being offered around the United States. As of November 26, 2014 the average interest rate was 3.97%. The survey is based on 30 year fixed-rate mortgages. The same loan would have been at 4.71% at the same time in 2010.
What you can do to keep your mortgage rates low
While rates may go up and down there are a few things you can do to keep your rates as low as possible. Rates may vary based on location, the home you are purchasing and your credit history. Before buying or refinancing there are a few things you do to insure you get the lowest possible rate.
1. Understand the total cost of the loan including any fees or ‘points’.
2. Make sure you don’t have any errors on your credit report. These can usually be disputed easily online.
3. Keep your debt to income low. If you have some debt you can pay off then do so.
4. Remember that a few percentage points can make a big difference. It’s worth shopping around.
Caldwell NJ Public Library Holiday 2014 Events
Caldwell NJ Public Library Holiday 2014 Events
It’s that time of year again to celebrate the holidays. Here are a few events coming up at the Caldwell (New Jersey) Public Library.
Wednesday December 3, 6:30pm to 7:30pm
Make and Take craft workshop. Create crafts and take them home.
The workshop is for ages 12+ with families welcome.
*Registration required and space is limited.
Tuesday December 16, 1pm-2pm
Happy Hannukah!
Stop in to celebrate and enjoy a jelly donut treat. While supplies last.
Saturday December 20, 10am-Noon
Parent shopping day free babysitting
Caldwell Public Library hosts a babysitting morning of crafts, treats and a movie for children ages 5+ to help parents get some holiday shopping done. Registration required.
In general the library is open the following days and times:
Monday 9am to 5pm
Tuesday 9am to 8pm
Wednesday 12pm to 8pm
Thursday 9am to 8pm
Friday 9am to 5pm
Saturday 9am to 12pm
Have questions? Contact the Library or head on over and speak with a librarian:
268 Bloomfield Ave
Caldwell, NJ 07006
librarian@caldwellpl.org
973-226-2837
7 Steps to a Smooth Closing
Closing on your home is the last obstacle, which can seem tedious after a long process of negotiations and home loan approvals. You’re very close to walking through the doors of your new home, so it’s worth it to be patient just a little longer. Here are seven steps to a smooth and stress-free closing. You’re almost there!
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Set a Closing Date: Request that your title company sets a closing date that coincides with your current lease or the sale of your current home. Also keep in consideration when you’ll have the funds available (end of the month, perhaps) and your work schedule. Closings can be worked around any schedule, so you may request an evening or weekend closing.
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Have Your Funds Ready. Typically, buyers have to come to closing with some type of money, but you can’t just write out a personal check. Ask the title company what forms of payment they accept. This gives you time to move money around and go to your bank to have a cashier’s check created.
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Purchase Title Insurance. Title insurance isn’t to protect you from problems with the title of your mortgage. Instead, it protects the lender if the home had a claim on it or the sellers didn’t own the home. The easiest route is to purchase title insurance from the same company where you purchased the lender’s title policy.
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Arrange for Homeowners Insurance. Homeowners insurance is another form of coverage that you need to protect your home and the contents in it. If you already have a homeowners policy, all you have to do is transfer it to your new address. If you rented, you’ll need a new policy. Work with the same company that provides coverage for your car – it’s most convenient and you get added discounts.
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Review Your Good Faith Estimate. Closing shouldn’t be a huge surprise. You were provided a Good Faith Estimate that outlines the costs you’re responsible for. However, some prices can increase by as much as 10%! Be prepared for cost increases, and don’t hesitate to ask about them.
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Do a Walk-Through of the Home. Right before your closing, do a walk-through of the home. This is your last chance to make sure that repairs were taken care of, sellers left what they promised to and that water/electric is functioning properly.
Take Care of Problems. If you do notice something – the shrubs were removed from the property or the appliances were taken, for instance – you may delay the closing or negotiate a discount. It’s in everyone’s best interest to have the home closed on, so it never hurts to ask.
Advantages to Buying a Foreclosed Property
The Garden State has the highest percentage of foreclosures among mortgaged homes in the country, according to CoreLogic. Another tough statistic to swallow: New Jersey is the state that takes the longest to complete a foreclosure, just over 3 years. Not all parts of NJ see the same tough housing market, but as a whole, the market isn’t the best for sellers. In fact, real estate experts say that if you want to buy a home, head East. That’s where the buyers market is.
While things are getting better for sellers, NJ remains a buyers market. So, if you’re looking to buy, this post is for you. With so many foreclosures in NJ, it’s likely that you’ll come across a few that are for sale that you really like. Don’t be dissuaded by the negative perception of buying a foreclosure. Sure, it does take longer than a traditional sale, but there are plenty of benefits, too.
Here’s why.
Reduced Price
With a foreclosure, you’re buying the home from the bank so it will be reduced in price. A lowered price means many good things: a lower down payment, less money brought to the table, a more affordable monthly payment and so forth. With a foreclosure, you could potentially land yourself a bigger, better home for the same price as a smaller, more modest home in a traditional sale.
One thing to think about: with so many forclosures in the NJ market, these properties are actually setting the market value. So, it’s possible that even a foreclosed property will be closer to fair market value than you think.
Less Competition
Many buyers won’t consider a foreclosed home because they don’t have time to wait and they prefer a clean and simple sale (not saying that foreclosures can’t be). Still, not every buyer considers a foreclosure, so keeping your options open means that you may compete against a smaller market and won’t have to place such high bids.
Instant Appreciation
A foreclosed home is always sold at a discount compared to other properties in the area and will likely appreciate as soon as you set foot into it. And, imagine what a few fixer uppers can do for the place! Some buyers plan on living in their new home for the long term, but others take the profit they make and use it to purchase something else.
Foreclosures aren’t for everyone, but if you have time, patience and some handiness skill, they are worth considering!
Fall Decorating Trends
Fall is in the air! New Jersey is one of the most beautiful states to enjoy this season because of the abundance of trees and a diverse landscape where you can view the transformation from summer to fall off water or land. If you’re looking for creative ways to bring fall into your home, you’ll be pleased to know that we’ve tracked down some of the hottest seasonal trends! And, if you recently purchased a new home, you’ll have even more fun decorating your fresh place!
Rich, Warm Accents
Swap out your lightweight accents – throw pillows, blankets, area rugs, curtains – for velvet and fur ones. Choose colors that represent the fall season, such as burnt orange, deep red or shades of brown. Also pack away fake flowers and decor that are reminiscent of spring and summer.
Fresh Fall Flowers
What is one of the best ways to bring the outdoors in? With fresh flowers! Flowers brighten up the home and add color and character. Stop by your local nursery to browse their selection of seasonal flowers. A few vases will do. Don’t forget to refill the water every few days and remove all leaves below the water line.
A Wall of Flair
Is your wall decor light and springy? No problem. Switch out the pictures in the frame with fall photographs. You can use photos from your own family at the pumpkin patch or apple orchard, or opt for pressed leaves and printed off copies of sayings like, “Give Thanks” or “It’s Fall.” If you can’t pull this off with your existing frames, head to a garage sale or thrift shop for inexpensive frames.
Get the Fireplace Ready
If your new home has a fireplace, don’t light it up right away. Safety always comes first, so have the chimney and firebox inspected and cleaned by a professional chimney sweep company. Once everything has been cleaned, you can light that first log and enjoy a warm, cozy evening in your favorite place.
Move Beyond Eye Level
It’s common practice to add fall centerpieces to tables, floral arrangements on end tables, bowls of apples on the coffee table and so forth. But, these cutesy arrangements can also be distracting or in the way. Instead, move upwards and utilize space that is generally left untapped. For example, hang leaf streamers from light fixtures, the top of your entertainment center or above windows. Wreaths hung on the wall or door is also a nice touch.
