¸.•♥•.¸¸.•♥• ARE YOU A TREE HUGGER? •♥•.¸¸.•♥•.¸

TIME TO PLANT TREES?

Most of the trees that grow in my yard were planted in the fall, some a week of a snow fall.  It originally started because I am a big bargain shopper.  That is a huge plus, places like Home Depot and Lowe's take drastic discounts.  Last year I picked up a nice Weeping Cherry for $12.00, and about 5 other tree that I shared with neighbors. 

Pick the right tree!

Remember to think about the tree in its maturity and how it fits into your landscape.  I suggest avoiding temprorary trees, I am not a fan of birches because the loose their leaves early, as they age the tend to not look very attractive.  The other tree is a silver maple - they are weeds of the tree world, they grow very fast, but rarely do they take the nice shape of the other many species of Maples.  Then make sure to follow planting instruction, if you have bad soil buy a couple of bags of soil to go around the root.  Water it thouroughly, and wrap the lower part of the tree to protect it, mainly from rabbits who chew on the young trees and bushes in the winter.

WHY ARE TREES SO IMPORTANT?



My son Weston in front of a Huge Oak
 in Indian Camp Creek County Park



I was wondering how much Oxygen a tree produces and how much Carbon they absorb - here is some info...

"A single mature tree can absorb carbon dioxide at a rate of 48 lbs./year and release enough oxygen back into the atmosphere to support 2 human beings."
- McAliney, Mike. Arguments for Land Conservation: Documentation and Information Sources for Land Resources Protection, Trust for Public Land, Sacramento, CA, December, 1993

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"One acre of trees annually consumes the amount of carbon dioxide equivalent to that produced by driving an average car for 26,000 miles. That same acre of trees also produces enough oxygen for 18 people to breathe for a year."
- New York Times

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" A 100-ft tree, 18" diameter at its base, produces 6,000 pounds of oxygen."
- Northwest Territories Forest Management

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"On average, one tree produces nearly 260 pounds of oxygen each year. Two mature trees can provide enough oxygen for a family of four."
- Environment Canada, Canada's national environmental agency

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"Mean net annual oxygen production (after accounting for decomposition) per hectare of trees (100% tree canopy) offsets oxygen consumption of 19 people per year (eight people per acre of tree cover), but ranges from nine people per hectare of canopy cover (four people/ac cover) in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to 28 people/ha cover (12 people/ac cover) in Calgary, Alberta."
- U.S. Forest Service and International Society of Arboriculture joint publication

"You Said What?" ✍ Real Estate Defined! ✍

Mortgage Definitions

We are all guilty of it - when we hear a term we don't understand we rarely ask the meaning out of fear.  We all want to act like we are in control of the situation and appear knowledgeable.  As a Realtor, I appreciate an inquisitive client, I enjoy educating the people I work with.  I believe most experts feel the same way, so don't be shy - ask a way!

With all the things going on the economy, a bright spot is the opportunity to get a new low rate on your home mortgage.  Here are some definitions of some commonly used terms the average home owner may not use on a daily basis.

acceleration clause

A clause in your mortgage which allows the lender to demand payment of the outstanding loan balance for various reasons. The most common reasons for accelerating a loan are if the borrower defaults on the loan or transfers title to another individual without informing the lender.

adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM)

A mortgage in which the interest changes periodically, according to corresponding fluctuations in an index. All ARMs are tied to indexes.

appraised value

An opinion of a property's fair market value, based on an appraiser's knowledge, experience, and analysis of the property. Since an appraisal is based primarily on comparable sales, and the most recent sale is the one on the property in question, the appraisal usually comes out at the purchase price.

buydown

Usually refers to a fixed rate mortgage where the interest rate is "bought down" for a temporary period, usually one to three years. After that time and for the remainder of the term, the borrower's payment is calculated at the note rate. In order to buy down the initial rate for the temporary payment, a lump sum is paid and held in an account used to supplement the borrower's monthly payment. These funds usually come from the seller (or some other source) as a financial incentive to induce someone to buy their property. A "lender funded buydown" is when the lender pays the initial lump sum. They can accomplish this because the note rate on the loan (after the buydown adjustments) will be higher than the current market rate. One reason for doing this is because the borrower may get to "qualify" at the start rate and can qualify for a higher loan amount. Another reason is that a borrower may expect his earnings to go up substantially in the near future, but wants a lower payment right now.

cap

Adjustable Rate Mortgages have fluctuating interest rates, but those fluctuations are usually limited to a certain amount. Those limitations may apply to how much the loan may adjust over a six month period, an annual period, and over the life of the loan, and are referred to as "caps." Some ARMs, although they may have a life cap, allow the interest rate to fluctuate freely, but require a certain minimum payment which can change once a year. There is a limit on how much that payment can change each year, and that limit is also referred to as a cap.

Certificate of Reasonable Value (CRV)

Once the appraisal has been performed on a property being bought with a VA loan, the Veterans Administration issues a CRV.

fixed-rate mortgage

A mortgage in which the interest rate does not change during the entire term of the loan.

HUD-1 settlement statement

A document that provides an itemized listing of the funds that were paid at closing. Items that appear on the statement include real estate commissions, loan fees, points, and initial escrow (impound) amounts. Each type of expense goes on a specific numbered line on the sheet. The totals at the bottom of the HUD-1 statement define the seller's net proceeds and the buyer's net payment at closing. It is called a HUD1 because the form is printed by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The HUD1 statement is also known as the "closing statement" or "settlement sheet."

private mortgage insurance (PMI)

Mortgage insurance that is provided by a private mortgage insurance company to protect lenders against loss if a borrower defaults. Most lenders generally require MI for a loan with a loan-to-value (LTV) percentage in excess of 80 percent.

HOLY HEAT INDEX BATMAN!

PROTECT YOUR HOME FROM THE SUN

Lawns

Many lawns, including bluegrass, fescues, and ryegrass, naturally go dormant (turn brown and stop growing) during periods of high heat and drought. The easiest thing to do is just let nature take its course. Once temperatures return to normal, and the lawn starts getting adequate moisture, it will green up again.

During long droughts of heat avoid mowing your lawn as well.

Trees and Shrubs

Newly-planted trees and shrubs (less than two years since planting) can be hit particularly hard by heat and drought. To keep them alive and healthy:

• Water in the morning before if possible.  Even better is watering over night which allows trees to absorb more of the water.
• Give them between two and four inches of water per week during very high temperatures (heat index above 100 degrees) and drought.
• To water, a long, slow trickle is best. This will allow the water to soak deep into the soil without running off, ensuring that the water is going to the root zone where it is needed.
• Shrubs can be misted several times per day to increase the ambient moisture -- this will prevent the foliage from drying out too much.

Your Homes Foundation

In areas where you have more clay in the soil a drought can cause movement and damage foundations.  A simple tip during long runs of drought water around your house.  The money you spend in water will be worth it compared to the $6000 - $7000 bill you could have to fix the foundation of your home.

Protecting YOU!

The CDC offers a brochure on personal safety during drought and high heat indices.
http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/ehs/publications/Drought.htm

✿ Top Trees For Landscaping ✿ Eye Candy for Your Yard ✿

Seasonal Picks

First let me say this is my opinion, and know there are several other nice trees out there.  I am dividing these up by what season they they seem to really add value to your property.  Also I live in Missouri, the trees are typical to this area - but have a wide growth area over a majority of the U.S.

Pink and White Dogwoods

Summer

Dogwood - this is one of my overall favorite trees - it actually hits many season, flowers in the spring, has interesting growth patterns, is a smaller tree, and has nice fall colors. 

Japanese Maples - These can add great color to your lawn, Bloodgoods have nice leaves and is one of the hardiest of the Japanese Maples and typically still smaller then their American brothers is on of the taller Japanese Maples.

Maple in the Fall

Fall

Maples - This is the season where Maples really show off and there are a variety of colors available.  The bonus of a maple is there broad leaves are great shade providers.

Winter

Winter is ruled by the Coniferous group, Pines and spruces, a personal favorite is a nice deep Blue Spruce, and these are not just for Winter, they look nice against a green background as well.  Plus they give you something to decorate at Christmas.

Spring

This dominated by the flowering gang...

Redbuds - Beautiful pink flowers, a unique reddish bark, and the flowers give way to big broad heart shaped leaves.

Crabapples - Come in a variety of colors, usually white, pink, and red. 

Blue Spruce

Magnolia - Magnolia trees are among the showiest flowering landscape trees.

My goal in my yard is to have year round beauty, so I have a few of each of these in my landscape.

FSBO vs. Hiring a Professional

It's Time To Sell My Home - I Can Do That, Right?

Your Home is typically your most prized possession - or at least it is one of the most valuable.

The benefits that most see to a For Sale By Owner (FSBO) is that they may save money not having to pay commission.  The other reason is that they may have had a bad Realtor in the past and it left a bad taste in their mouth - or due to their ineffectiveness the homeowner feels they can do what that person did.  Another reason is that they work or worked in sales and feel they can sell their property.

You can sell your own home, but the odds are against you!  You talented agent is Internet savvy - because over 80% of the homes are first found on the Internet.  This isn't throwing it on website - this is throwing it on tons of websites - including social media sights.  In some cases re-posting multiple times per week to promote your home.  So sure you could do that but it is time consuming!

Next Problem - It's YOUR House!  Think of the last time you had a garage sale, do you remember your clientele.  The wheeling and dealing, no one was willing to pay what you had it tagged for - remember?  When your home does not have professional representation, you are essentially putting it up for sale at a garage sale.  It will be very hard to separate emotion from the process as well.

Are you available for a 2nd Full-Time job?  Many showings happen on short notice, especially for you because odds are good the only way they see your house is when they drive by, and then want to see it right away.  When you have a Realtor they take of the showing schedules and let you keep living your life.

Who sells the most homes in your area - Realtors - there is little motivation for them to show your home because there are too many risks.  They can't research your home, they can't tell from the outside if it fits what their buyers are looking for.  Finally, you wouldn't work for free, neither would they.  If there is an unknown on commission, or the risk of no income they will avoid your home as well.

Exposure - Good Realtors sell your home to the Real Estate community - Agent tours are a strong tool to introduce your home to the agent community that work directly with buyers.  Good agents also communicate via e-mail in promotion of your home to other agents. 

The final issue is the paperwork involved in the actual sales - Offer - Counteroffer - process, experience helps here - the forms are not simple and are many in number.

When selecting an agent - do some homework - you are hiring them to sell one of you most valuable possessions - See how many listings they have - look or ask to see how they market those listings.  You can interview multiple agents as well - pick who you think is going to do the best job for you - and it is not always the one who agrees with you on everything.  You want you agent to be honest with you - from staging to pricing!

Author - Will Klein is a Realtor in St. Charles County, Missouri serving the cities of Cottleville, Weldon Spring, Saint Peters, O'Fallon, Wentzville, Warrenton, New Melle, Winfield, and Lake St. Louis, with homes for sale in most.

Raising the Value of Your Home! How?

As a Realtor there are several things that I see can add value to your home.  My first suggestion is think long term - look at you home as an investment over the course of your ownership.  Many try to do "hurry up" additions and updates when they go to sell.  Doing the additions over time like a sun room allows you to enjoy it as well and add value to your home when you go to sell.

First Impressions

What is your curb appeal?  Too much landscaping can be bad and so can too little.  You may plan to live in your home for many years - but one day comes when things change and you decide to sell.  What draws people to older homes is mature landscaping - so if you lot is bare, add some trees.  Buy good trees, avoid messy trees or trees with deep route systems near the home.  Avoid Silver Maples, and trees that drop alot of seeds/fruit.  Willows, Oaks, Maples are good but plant away from the foundation.  Try not to block the view of the entire home from the curb appeal.
Get the trees in now so that 5 or 10 years from now they are mature and provide benefit to the future home owners.

Here is a list of other areas to consider to add value...

110 Yr Old Home - Modern Kitchen

Update the Kitchen

Update the Bathrooms

Make sure the basement is dry.

Master Bedroom Suites - spacious walk-in closets

Architecture style roofing - if you replace the roof it is a small amount more to get that style.

Storage - if you can add more storage that helps - over sized garage, more closets, leave space in finished basements.

Flooring - Have a plan - avoid having every room in the home having a different unique flooring.

Home for Sale at 504 Knaust - Beautiful Oaks Shading the Home.

Will Klein is a Realtor in St. Charles County Missouri, with homes for sale in St. Peters, O'Fallon, Wentzville, Weldon Spring, Cottleville, New Melle, Lake St. Louis, Winfield.
http://www.postlets.com/res/5730468

Weathering the Storm!

The Sky is Falling!



Hail as big as his eye!

 In the St. Louis are we have recently been and still are in a series of bad weather patterns.  We have had multiple hail storms, tornadoes around the area, other high winds, and excessive precipitation.  Just because your house didn't get knocked down doesn't mean you didn't have damage.  I could throw a golf ball or a baseball at your house and it would cause damage, now drop that same golf ball from the clouds above and there is some potential for serious damage.

The point I am trying to make is to give your home a good once over after each major storm.  A small unnoticed bit of damage can turn into a huge problem if it causes leaks somewhere in your home.

4 years ago we had a bad storm go through our neighborhood.  I thought we had come away with no issues, later to find that the wind had sucked 10 pieces of my siding straight up and off my chimney and threw them all around my yard.  This was an inexpensive fix, but I didn't notice it for several hours based on the location.

Finally, after storms be a good neighbor and look out for other damage that may have happened in the neighborhood.  Just the other day I enjoyed helping a neighbor remove a downed tree after the storm.