Real Estate Trends in Media PA
- Blog by Branka
- Media, PA, United States
- Direct: 610-420-0498 Office 610-627-4937 BHHS Fox and Roach Realtors Email: Branka@BrankaDoych.com Visit my website: www.BrankaDoych.com
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
"Get Organized Month" January 2011
January is a "Get Organized Month" for many, especially when one plans on placing their home on the market this year.
Here are a couple of helpful links:
Feng Shui For Life
and
All Right Organizing
Here are a couple of helpful links:
Feng Shui For Life
and
All Right Organizing
Monday, January 3, 2011
5 Tips for a Green Home
Five Tips for a Green Home
Eco-friendly. Carbon footprint. Global warming. Energy-efficient. These catch phrases have become part of our lexicon as we’ve become more aware of our impact on the environment and our role in protecting it. As a homeowner, there are some simple, inexpensive steps you can take to make your home energy-efficient. Get started on the road to being “green” with these five tips:
Change Your Light Bulbs
By replacing just five incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent (CFL) bulbs, you can save $100 per year on electric bills while using up to 75 percent less energy and removing greenhouse gases from the environment.
Buy ENERGY STAR® Appliances
ENERGY STAR-qualified appliances, such as refrigerators, washers and air conditioners, meet a higher level of energy efficiency set by the Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Energy than standard models. According to ENERGY STAR, if just one in 10 homes used ENERGY STAR-qualified appliances, the impact could be compared to planting 1.7 million new acres of trees. And, switching to these appliances is not only good for the environment, but easy on your pocketbook. Although these appliances may costs more, you can reduce your energy bill by $80 per year.
Seal Up
Cracks and air leaks represent cash seeping from your doors and windows. Get rid of air leaks in doors, windows and other areas by caulking gaps and cracks. This will help decrease your heating and air conditioning bill. But make sure you use silicone sealants. Acrylic caulk tends to shrink, while silicone sealants are waterproof and won’t shrink or crack, creating less waste.
Use Less Water
Did you know that roughly 60 percent of a home's water consumption takes place in the bathroom, according to the California Urban Water Conservation Council? The largest culprit is the toilet, which accounts for 27 percent of your household supply every year. By installing low-flow toilets, showerheads and faucets, you can save thousands of gallons of water each year. In addition, replace leaky fixtures. That slow-dripping faucet can waste as much as 2,400 gallons of water per year.
Adjust the Thermostat
When adjusting your home’s thermostat, the rule of thumb should be: turn up the dial in the summer and down in the winter. Lowering the temperature by just one degree will reduce your electrical costs. And if you use a programmable thermostat, you can program your air-conditioning and heating systems to reduce output while no one is at home or at night while you sleep. Ceiling fans are also helpful in circulating the air to keep the room cool in the summer and warm in the winter.
Going green doesn’t have to be overwhelming or costly. By making just a few small changes within your home, you can help decrease energy consumption and help make the world a “greener” place.
Eco-friendly. Carbon footprint. Global warming. Energy-efficient. These catch phrases have become part of our lexicon as we’ve become more aware of our impact on the environment and our role in protecting it. As a homeowner, there are some simple, inexpensive steps you can take to make your home energy-efficient. Get started on the road to being “green” with these five tips:
Change Your Light Bulbs
By replacing just five incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent (CFL) bulbs, you can save $100 per year on electric bills while using up to 75 percent less energy and removing greenhouse gases from the environment.
Buy ENERGY STAR® Appliances
ENERGY STAR-qualified appliances, such as refrigerators, washers and air conditioners, meet a higher level of energy efficiency set by the Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Energy than standard models. According to ENERGY STAR, if just one in 10 homes used ENERGY STAR-qualified appliances, the impact could be compared to planting 1.7 million new acres of trees. And, switching to these appliances is not only good for the environment, but easy on your pocketbook. Although these appliances may costs more, you can reduce your energy bill by $80 per year.
Seal Up
Cracks and air leaks represent cash seeping from your doors and windows. Get rid of air leaks in doors, windows and other areas by caulking gaps and cracks. This will help decrease your heating and air conditioning bill. But make sure you use silicone sealants. Acrylic caulk tends to shrink, while silicone sealants are waterproof and won’t shrink or crack, creating less waste.
Use Less Water
Did you know that roughly 60 percent of a home's water consumption takes place in the bathroom, according to the California Urban Water Conservation Council? The largest culprit is the toilet, which accounts for 27 percent of your household supply every year. By installing low-flow toilets, showerheads and faucets, you can save thousands of gallons of water each year. In addition, replace leaky fixtures. That slow-dripping faucet can waste as much as 2,400 gallons of water per year.
Adjust the Thermostat
When adjusting your home’s thermostat, the rule of thumb should be: turn up the dial in the summer and down in the winter. Lowering the temperature by just one degree will reduce your electrical costs. And if you use a programmable thermostat, you can program your air-conditioning and heating systems to reduce output while no one is at home or at night while you sleep. Ceiling fans are also helpful in circulating the air to keep the room cool in the summer and warm in the winter.
Going green doesn’t have to be overwhelming or costly. By making just a few small changes within your home, you can help decrease energy consumption and help make the world a “greener” place.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Branka's January Real Estate Update Newsletter
Here is a link to my "January Real Estate Update":
This Newsletter is full of interesting and useful information that I think you will enjoy whether you are a buyer, seller, homeowner, or renter.
This month's issue includes topics such as:
"Home Improvement Projects That Pay Off";
"Selling And Buying All At Once?";
"Use Experts to Navigate Homebuying Process";
"Pros and Cons of Condo Living";
"The X Factor--Why Making An Offer On A Home Should Be Based On Value To You";
Plus a roundup of December real estate activity as well as much more advice and information.
I hope you enjoy this monthly newsletter. If you have any comments, please e-mail them to me. Or, if you would like to see a certain topic covered in future months, let me know that too!
This Newsletter is full of interesting and useful information that I think you will enjoy whether you are a buyer, seller, homeowner, or renter.
This month's issue includes topics such as:
"Home Improvement Projects That Pay Off";
"Selling And Buying All At Once?";
"Use Experts to Navigate Homebuying Process";
"Pros and Cons of Condo Living";
"The X Factor--Why Making An Offer On A Home Should Be Based On Value To You";
Plus a roundup of December real estate activity as well as much more advice and information.
I hope you enjoy this monthly newsletter. If you have any comments, please e-mail them to me. Or, if you would like to see a certain topic covered in future months, let me know that too!
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Looking forward to a “Stabilized and Sensible” real estate market in 2011.
Is 2011 going to be known in Real Estate as “The year that the madness stopped”?
In the last few years we have seen the pendulum move from “free for all” to “none for most”!
Last century showed this clearly and it holds true today: A home is an investment - A Long Term investment with some peaks and valleys. When our parents purchased their home it was for a family to have a roof over their head, to have a safe place to raise a family and a place to proudly call “a home”.
There is a hope and an expectation that in 2011 a house will become a home again and not primarily and investment choice of the last few years.
All economic indicators state that “economy is improving” - unemployment is showing a slow but steady progress for the better; the interest rates have hit the bottom and are on their way up so the wiser buyer will get off the fence posts and act; the sellers are arriving at the realization that “we are no longer in 2003-2005 real estate whirl wind of climbing prices” therefore most sellers are starting to price their homes more in line with the present market trends. Buyers are more often of the opinion, that the value of a home is not just an investment but also a secure place to raise a family in a good neighborhood, at a convenient location which is in line with their family goals and the lifestyle they desire.
In addition, an expectation is that mortgage lenders will start to see past their own fears; stop punishing today’s buyers for their own mistakes unnecessarily made in the recent years and permit those capable of buying to buy!
More buyers are willing to pay a fair price for a quality home, sellers are ready to move on with their lives and not expect that their home is the only possible money making investment.
There is also an expectation that there will be more foreclosed homes available for sale in first part of the year, therefore influencing prices negatively. Many believe that some homes in the foreclosure process are held back at this time due to the overwhelming numbers, a cumbersome process and legally unresolved issues.
Available indicators state that 2011 will not see a huge increase in prices or activity in residential home resale market. The expectation for the second half of the year is that the prices and the activity will softly but steadily increase and we should see stronger numbers of sold homes and an increase in the sale price of sold homes.
Looking forward to a “Stabilized and Sensible” real estate market in 2011.
In the last few years we have seen the pendulum move from “free for all” to “none for most”!
Last century showed this clearly and it holds true today: A home is an investment - A Long Term investment with some peaks and valleys. When our parents purchased their home it was for a family to have a roof over their head, to have a safe place to raise a family and a place to proudly call “a home”.
There is a hope and an expectation that in 2011 a house will become a home again and not primarily and investment choice of the last few years.
All economic indicators state that “economy is improving” - unemployment is showing a slow but steady progress for the better; the interest rates have hit the bottom and are on their way up so the wiser buyer will get off the fence posts and act; the sellers are arriving at the realization that “we are no longer in 2003-2005 real estate whirl wind of climbing prices” therefore most sellers are starting to price their homes more in line with the present market trends. Buyers are more often of the opinion, that the value of a home is not just an investment but also a secure place to raise a family in a good neighborhood, at a convenient location which is in line with their family goals and the lifestyle they desire.
In addition, an expectation is that mortgage lenders will start to see past their own fears; stop punishing today’s buyers for their own mistakes unnecessarily made in the recent years and permit those capable of buying to buy!
More buyers are willing to pay a fair price for a quality home, sellers are ready to move on with their lives and not expect that their home is the only possible money making investment.
There is also an expectation that there will be more foreclosed homes available for sale in first part of the year, therefore influencing prices negatively. Many believe that some homes in the foreclosure process are held back at this time due to the overwhelming numbers, a cumbersome process and legally unresolved issues.
Available indicators state that 2011 will not see a huge increase in prices or activity in residential home resale market. The expectation for the second half of the year is that the prices and the activity will softly but steadily increase and we should see stronger numbers of sold homes and an increase in the sale price of sold homes.
Looking forward to a “Stabilized and Sensible” real estate market in 2011.
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