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.

Time to plan your yard projects - some great tips here!

How to Schedule Yard Work

By an eHow Contributor

Some garden chores, such as mowing the lawn are routine, and others are infrequent, but inevitable. Keep steady with expected work and plan ahead for the unforeseen.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. 1
   First, divide your garden into distinct areas or plant types, then develop a maintenance plan for each. For instance, break your yard down into the lawn, trees and shrubs, vines and ground covers, rose and vegetable gardens. These are some of the more common landscape areas that gardeners work with, but tailor your areas to the makeup of your lawn.
2. 2
   For lawns in spring time, fertilize them with commercial lawn fertilizer according to the directions on the label. If crabgrass is a nuisance, apply a pre-emergence herbicide in midspring. (If you live where forsythia grows, apply crabgrass preventer when it blooms.) In the summer, mow regularly, raising the cutting height slightly if necessary to prevent cutting the lawn too low. If a drought extends longer than a week, be sure to water deeply enough to soak 6 inches (15 cm) into the soil. In fall, apply fertilizer high in potassium to help strengthen the lawn for winter. Seed or over seed the lawn if it's weak, thin or headed into winter dormancy. Mow less often in winter, and higher where lawns continue growing. Avoid walking on frozen lawns that aren't covered by snow.
3. 3
   Refresh the mulch of trees and shrubs in spring and apply organic or controlled-release fertilizer over the plants' drip line, and water thoroughly. Prune spring-blooming shrubs after flowers fade. During the summer, keep the area around the plants weed-free with mulches or cultivation. Shear hedges after flush of new growth. Prune faded blooms from spring-flowering shrubs (such as lilacs). Plant most varieties by early fall or mid- or late-fall where hard frosts don't threaten. In cold regions, mulch after the soil freezes. In the winter, water if rainfall is light. Wrap the trunks of young trees to protect them from rodents. In late winter, prune shrubs or trees that flower later in summer (such as crape myrtle, butterfly bush andhydrangea).
4. 4
   For vines and ground cover in spring, lightly cultivate and renew mulch and fertilize both plant types with organic or controlled-release fertilizer. Thin out overgrown and tangled vines by removing oldest stems to base of plant. Cut back and trim edges of the ground covers to encourage new growth. In the summer, water as needed. Prune spring-flowering vines (such as wisteria) after blooms fade. Groom and trim edges of ground cover beds. In fall, water and lightly fertilize plants to make sure they enter winter in optimum health. Plant ground covers. In the winter, In mild winter areas, fertilize lightly with a nitrate-containing fertilizer (it's active in cold weather). As soon as the soil is workable in late winter, plant cool-season annuals (such as pansies, primroses and snapdragons).
5. 5
   Prune most roses in early spring, just before growth begins, cutting out old and damaged branches and shortening remaining branches. Watch new leaves for aphids and wash them off with water when or if they appear. In the summer, prune off the flowers--cutting just above a leaflet, at least a foot (30 cm) below the flower--to enjoy indoors and promote repeat flowering. During fall, leave faded flowers in place and allow seed pods to develop in order to help plant move into dormancy and become more tolerant of cold. Where winter temperatures dip to 10 degrees F (-12 C) or lower, mound soil or mulch over graft union to protect it. Prune to remove dead and damaged branches and to thin the center of the bush in late winter before spring growth resumes.
6. 
   6
   Prepare planting vegetable-garden beds in the spring by cultivating and adding organic matter.Plant cool-season crops (such as broccoli and radishes) as soon as the soil is workable. Plant warm-season crops (such asbeans, corn and tomatoes) after the soil is thoroughly warm. In the summer, mulch the crops with straw or similar material to conserve moisture and cool the soil. Harvest frequently to prolong the crop. Harvest vegetables in the fall, before they are cut down by frost (green tomatoes can ripen indoors). Clean up garden residue and add compost to soil. Test soil pH and use dolomitic limestone or sulfur to bring into optimum range of 6.5 to 7.0. In early winter, plant a soil-improving cover crop of rye grass where winters are cold. Where winters are mild, plant mustard or fava beans.

Read more: How to Schedule Yard Work | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_137807_schedule-yard-work.html#ixzz1GXk6bC7Q

Don't Be Too Anxious To Do Yard Work

Home Sales Numbers for St. Charles County through January 2011

In the chart to the right you will see the numbers through the end of January.

The chart shows homes sold, pending contracts, and available inventory. 

So, although there is a big inventory, homes are selling. 

The Chart below shows months of available inventory. 

This is all inventory available.  The number goes up or down based on price point.  The lowest average months on market is around 7 and this is for a price point between 150 and 175.  Where the million dollar plus homes are multiple years.

Snow Removel Tips

Snow Plow - Really?

To me in Missouri you should only need a snow blower if you have a medical reason for not using a good old fashioned shovel.  We just don't get enough snow here for me to justify the cost.

Why Shovel?

15 minutes of snow shoveling counts as moderate physical activity, according to the Surgeon General’s Report on Physical Activity and Health (1996). We all should aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity of some kind on most days of the week. A 170-pound person shoveling for 30 minutes will burn about 250 calories.

There are risks beyond slipping and falling.  As mentioned this morning on the news Heart attacks are known to happen during snow shoveling and this is who is most at risk...

• Those with high blood pressure or high cholesterol levels

• Anyone who already has had a heart attack

• Individuals with a history of heart disease

• Smokers

• Individuals leading a sedentary lifestyle

The sedentary lifestyle hits home for many, this is an activity you do not practice for, so it puts a strain on your body.  Start slowly, like you would warm up for any activity, and as you get winded or feel your heart rate increase take breaks.  If you have any questions or concerns make sure to consult your Doctor.

Landscaping Tip

Snow is Winter's blanket and it serves the purpose of protecting that which is under it from cold spells that often follow snow fall.  If it is not too much of a strain use the snow to cover bushes in the area giving them some added protection from winter kill.

For some ideas on what to do with a snow day check out:

http://dadsdime.blogspot.com/2011/01/snow-day-now-what.html

Saving Money on Utilities over Winter

Cost Friendly Children

If you have kids like I have, you may have to often remind them to turn off the lights in the house.  It takes they say about 2-3 weeks to form a habit - since we are talking about kids - plan for 30 days.
Go on a leave the room turn the lights off campaign.  You can add rewards and penalties - we  used dessert, because if they left their light on, we couldn't afford to buy a special treat.

Also if you have a lot of people in the house and they will be home, or you are having a party -  Turn the thermostats down. Each guest is the equivalent of a 175-watt heater, and a large group will warm up the place without the furnace or the heating units in operation.

Thermostat Love

If you are going to be away for a few hours or for a few days - lower your heat to 55 degrees, at this temp your pipes won't freeze, your plants will live, and you will save a nice chunk of money.  We recently did this on a week long vacation and it was noticeable in the bill.

Bonus:  Whenever you can lower your thermostat dramatically for a few days or more, you’ll save a little on the operation of the refrigerator and freezer, which won’t need to work so hard to maintain their cool.

How low can your thermostats be set? At our house, we’ve gotten accustomed to 65 F as a comfortable norm. We also have 7 people in the house creating heat.  Reduce the heat just 1 degree at a time and try it for a week. Each 1-degree drop for an eight-hour period reduces your fuel bill about one percent. Gradually, you might be able to go down 3 or even 4 degrees comfortably and save a chunk of money.

Once common myth is that when you reduce the thermostat for only a few hours it will take more heat to bring your home back up to the desired temperature. This is not so. You will save money and fuel because your heating system will not have to keep your home so warm. You will use less energy overall even when you warm up your house from a cooler temperature.

 

You can also save money if you have a programmable thermostat, drop the heat about the time you go to bed, and set it to go back up when you would normally get up. 

Weather sealing/stripping around doors, can save money as well.  In the winter don't just shut the windows, if you lock them you get a tighter seal from the inclement weather.

Don't forget to change your filter on your furnace!