Is Your Home Making You Sick?

admin — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 21:08:39 +0000

Our Home Is Keeping Us Healthy

 
            In 1975, Nikken pioneered the concept of total wellness.

This philosophy is centered on the 5 Pillars of Health —

 
Healthy Mind

Healthy Body

Healthy Family

Healthy Society

Healthy Finances.

 
Instead of curing disease, total wellness focuses on PREVENTION.

 
            We emphasize not only better physical health, but peace of mind and Financial security.   Nikken believes that physical, mental and overall well-being are based on proper attention to each of four interrelated areas:

 
Rest and relaxation

Nutrition

Environment

Fitness

 
            The objective is to keep these four areas in balance.  When all are in harmony, the result can be a dramatic improvement in the quality of life.  We bring each of these components into your home by way of the Nikken Wellness Home.

 
            We offer a selection of wellness technology products, and each is designed to address one or more of these specific areas. Together, the Nikken products provide an intelligent and practical approach to the challenges of modern living.  There’s no remodeling, no technical knowledge needed, simply a change in the way you live.  It’s about committing to a healthy home environment and including Nikken and its family of brilliantly designed products into your existing lifestyle.

 
            For a private tour or for more information on the Wellness Home concept, please contact us directly at 727-894-3900 or at gmp@gmprealty.com.

Q. We are preparing to build our own home and are wondering about using alternative “natural” building materials. Do you have any suggestions?

admin — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 17:42:17 +0000

A. Using “natural” resources to build energy efficient homes has become quite popular. Most building codes now recongnize alternative building materials as equal to or better in quality than traditional materials. These are also fully accepted by lending and insurance companies. There are three popular alternative materials that have been used successfully in recent years: straw bale, tires, and rammed earth.

      Straw bale homes offer exceptional energy efficiency. They cost about the same as a conventional wood frame house to build, but the thick walls will yield substantial energy savings in the future. In fact, these homes use half as much energy as a wood home. Building with dry straw bales will help prevent any rot or pest infestation. Contrary to common belief, straw bale homes are not a fire hazard. In fact, a plastered bale home is less combustable than a wood home.

      Instead of allowing old tires to fill up our landfills, some have chosen to build with them. Tires make a sturdy building material because they don’t disintegrate. They are layered and packed with dirt and/or cans to produce high isulation value. The walls are usually stuccoed or mudded. About 1,500 tires are needed to build a 2,700 square foot home. The 30-inch thick walls of a tire home provide great isulation and low interior noise levels.

      Rammed Earth homes are reminicent of the old adobe homes of years past. They have an energy efficiency rating similar to brick homes and the walls are as strong as concrete. To protect against water damage, the home should be built on at least one layer of fired bricks or block. Unfortunately, these asthetically beautiful homes are very labor intensive to build – thus quite expensive. If you are considering relocating and are in need of caring, competent representation, please call us at 727-894-3900 or email us at gmp@gmprealty.com.

Q. What Steps Can I Take To Make My Home Sell Faster?

admin — Wed, 10 May 2006 20:27:22 +0000

A.      There are several steps you can take to not only shorten the sale time of your home, but also help it sell for greater value. The one “mistake” sellers often make is failing to see their home from the perspective of a potential buyer. Here are a few helpful tips to think about:
·        First, make your home available for showings. This sounds obvious, but one of the most frequent complaints of REALTORS representing buyers is they can’t get proper access to the home.
·        Next, realize that “first impressions are lasting ones.” Drive up to your home as a prospective buyer would. What does the home look like from the street? Is the front yard manicured? Are trees cut back? Pay particular attention to your entry area.
·        Next, get rid of clutter. The way you live in a home, and the way you sell a home are two very different things. So eliminate those knick-knacks, ceramic thimbles, and other distractions from the true features of your home. The less “clutter,” the better.
·        Next, remember that buyers are attracted to your home because of the “lifestyle benefits” they perceive they’ll get living there. They’re looking for a “home” not a “house.” So highlight those special features. A few areas to think about are the entry impression, the kitchen, master bedroom, and the master bath. Make sure everything is light and bright.
·        Next, fix problems ahead of time. Consider getting a home inspection before you list or show the home. This will root out any problems and give your home a documented “clean bill of health” to speed the sale.
Finally, if you’re thinking of moving soon, our FREE home sellers report, “44 Money-Making

Tips For Preparing Your Home To Sell,” will be worth its weight in gold to you. Just give us

a call at 727-894-3900 and we’ll rush one out to you.

Q. How can I figure out how much insurance coverage I need to protect myself if my home is ever destroyed?

admin — Sat, 01 Apr 2006 16:48:08 +0000

Over 70 percent of homes in the United States are underinsured. And, of those homes, 70 percent are underinsured by at least 30 percent. This is a major problem! The confusion between market value and replacement value is where many of these problems originate. Many people base their insurance coverage on the market value of their home. Market value is what a buyer will pay for your property, but this is irrelevant if your home is destroyed. What you should really be basing your coverage on is replacement value. This is much more complicated to compute.

When computing replacement value you must figure in all of the costs of rebuilding your home. This is often 20-30 percent more than new construction because of the added demolition and removal costs. Once the land has been cleared, you will need to add the cost of actually building your home by multiplying the square footage by the average cost per square foot. You can find out average square footage costs from your local builder’s association or builder’s union. Then, you need to add in additional money for upgrades and improvements that you have made. Also, check your local building codes because changes in codes since your original home was built can cost a bundle when rebuilding. In some cases, it may cost even more to rebuild your home than the market value. This is often the case in run-down areas where land values have fallen. In any case, don’t just base your homeowner’s coverage on the lender’s requirements. These often only cover the mortgage balance leaving you with nothing. If you have any other questions pertaining to this issue, please don’t hesistate to contact us.

Is A “Good Deal” just a matter of Interpretation?

admin — Fri, 24 Mar 2006 20:00:17 +0000

Everybody’s looking for a good deal. Sellers want the highest price possible and buyers want to buy a house below asking price. They both want the same thing — a good deal. Following years of a sellers market, many consumers are facing a more normalized market across the country. Particularly, in large metropolitan markets, the normalizing of the market has created a wait and see attitude on purchasing or selling real estate.

For the wise investor/home buyer, the cautionary phrase of “wait to buy real estate” should give way to “buy real estate then wait.” One of the keys to savvy real estate investing — whether for personal use or wealth building — is timing. In a seller’s market, every buyer who was serious about getting into a home, knew it was time for bidding up. Getting the best price with the best terms was not a winnable strategy for so many buyers. The name of the game was winning the house.

Interestingly, buyers had no problem bidding up a house $25,000, $50,000, even $100,000 to “win” the house in the Washington, D.C. market just a few months ago. And as prices moved upwards at a clip of 20 percent per year, more buyers jumped in, buying high in hopes of gaining a lot of money in a matter of weeks and months.

Now that price escalations have simmered to a normal pace — the buyers have stopped the bidding frenzy — which is exactly when the smart buyer should enter the field.

In a buyer’s market, buyers must understand that those who negotiate win, and win big. If you have a house on the market for $420,000 and you want to get it for $399,000 the only thing stopping you is your personal will. If you think you want it for that amount — then write up an offer for that amount and let the negotiation begin. In addition, while you’re offering less money, toss in a home/radon/roof inspection, $5,000 in closing costs and the hot tub in the backyard.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the fence, sellers must learn a lesson early in a normalizing market — it’s time to price ahead of the market (that means get ahead of the price reduction curve).

Pricing ahead of the market, makes many sellers cringe, thinking they are “losing” money on their house. This attitude makes me shake my head in wonderment when I think about it. Looking over average sales prices as if it were a stock quote, homeowners will talk about how they have “lost” money on their home. The discussion goes something like this:

“I lost $30,000 on my house. It’s only worth $410,000 now.”

“Really? So, you bought it for $440,000?”

“No — but my neighbor’s house sold for $440,000 last fall and now the same model is on the market for $410,000. I have the same model, so I must have lost $30,000.”

“I thought you bought your house five years ago for $220,000?”

“Yep.”

“So where did you lose the $30,000? Sounds to me like you’ve gained $190,000.”

It’s all a matter of perspective. If you’ve gained $190,000 and you want to move up (or down) the level market is the time to get off the fence and make the good financial decision. Though your house price may have dropped — so has the house price of the move up property.

Sellers should also heed a bit of advice that all agents know and understand — the first offer is usually the best offer. As a seller, if the price really looks low — flow with it. Counteroffer. Make the terms and price work. Obviously, beware of bottom feeders - those who are looking for desperate sellers; however, a price fluctuation of 5 percent is not that bad.

The problem for home sellers is the psychological challenge they face, realizing that 5 percent may represent $20,000 dollars. If you’re moving up, though, keep in mind the $20,000 “loss” on your sale, may be leveled out by the $20,000 “gain” on the move up property.

The hot market of 2006 has begun. The economy is booming, inventory is up, prices have leveled, interest rates are still historically low — what are you waiting for?

How Much Can I Afford To Pay For A New Home?

admin — Fri, 24 Mar 2006 15:55:23 +0000

A.     When you’re interested in purchasing a home, the mortgage company or your REALTOR^® will usually determine the amount you can afford by using one of two formulas.

      The Payment to Income Ratio is a fairly simple formula. It adds your future mortgage payment, property taxes and insurance together to get what is called a “PITI” payment. This amount is divided by your total household income to produce a percentage. Most loan companies consider anything under 28 percent an acceptable ratio and the loan is granted.

      The Debt to Income Ratio is not as simple. It not only adds the PITI payment, but all monthly payments. This includes auto loans, credit card payments, investment payments, and other fixed monthly bills. The acceptable percentage using this method is usually higher than the standard 28 percent, but varies by lender.

      The easiest way to figure out what you can afford is to figure out your Payment to Income Ratio using a monthly payment that produces a final percentage slightly under 28 percent of your income. Then using a loan amortization chart, which can be found from your REALTOR^®, you can identify the appropriate price range for your future home. Of course, the overall price range also is affected by the amount of your down payment, current interest rates, and the term of the loan.

      Most REALTORS^®work with mortgage companies and offer professional consultation to help you determine how much you are qualified to purchase. Please call us if you are considering buying a home in the near future, and require competent and caring representation.