9 Tips for Living a (Semi-) Normal Life While Your Home Is Being Shown
Preparation, routine and treats help you make the house you’re selling presentable at a moment’s notice…
Laura Gaskill July 24, 2016, Houzz Contributor
1. Treat yourself to fresh flowers and other goodies. A bouquet of flowers, a bowl of fresh fruit, the “fancy” soap: These things make your home look extra lovely for potential buyers, but (here’s the secret) they make your daily life a bit better as well. So go ahead and splurge a little — you (and your house) deserve it.
Budget tip: Make a grocery store bouquet go further by snipping a few blooms short and plunking them in bud vases for the bathroom vanity and bedside tables. Or, for a longer-lasting alternative, consider setting out a few small potted succulents and a bowl of bright lemons.
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A Beginner’s Guide to Managing a Remodel
How do you make your design dreams a reality? Here’s some project management know-how to help you
Browsing photos and ideas on Houzz can be a fun part of creating your dream room. But making your designs a reality also takes smart planning and organization. Project management is an essential part of remodeling, and there’s nothing like the feeling of implementing a plan to create something new and beautiful. These tips can help you achieve your desired results.
Become a list writer. Making lists is key when it comes to project management. It’s the only way to properly organize your thoughts and prevent any details from being forgotten.
The most important list is your scope of work, or specifications, document. This is basically a detailed list of everything to be done, from start to finish. If you’re dealing with one main builder who’s organizing all the work, then you’ll need to make sure he or she gets a copy, so the goals are clear and all the information is provided.
Also, having detailed specifications makes it easier if you want to obtain multiple quotes, and you’ll know it’s a fair comparison since all the builders will be quoting using the same criteria.
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Underhouse Yourself to Live More Life
by: Peter Dunn | December 12, 2011
I’m with you. I have no idea what in the hell this blog title actually means. But it’s exactly what I’m talking about. If you don’t push the limits on your budget allocation towards housing, then you will have the freedom to have more interesting life experiences.
Want to experience life? Then you need to get out of your house. Want to get out of your house? Then make sure that your house isn’t holding you as a financial prisoner.
Paging Dr. Hypothetical. Dr Hypothetical, you have a call on line 1:
Let’s say that your household income is $75,000. After taxes, healthcare, and other paycheck deductions, you bring in about $4300 per month. Pete the Planner’s ideal household budget tells you that you can spend up to 25% of your net income on housing. And in this example that would equal a maximum housing expense of $1075. What most of us do (and yes, me included) is try to spend as much on housing as we can up to the point of restless nights. Not only does this manufacture undue stress, but it precludes us from spending money on other things. This is true whether you are buying or renting.
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By Peter Dunn 8:58 p.m. EST January 4, 2014
I firmly believe in the importance of hiring a competent financial professional to help guide your financial life. This probably doesn’t surprise you. What may surprise you is who I think is the most important financial professional in your life.
It’s not who you think. Consider the choices. Or course there’s a financial planner, an insurance agent, an accountant, and even a lawyer. But I believe the most important financial professional in any of our lives is a Realtor. A bad Realtor can create havoc in your life for 30 years or more, while a great Realtor can insure stress-free living within your financial limits.
Realtors help people make the largest purchase most of them will ever face — and take-on more debt than they will ever take on again. I don’t know about you, but to me, those two factors alone make the Realtor the most important financial adviser a person can have.
Here’s why most people don’t feel like I feel: I believe a financial adviser’s job, whether it’s a stockbroker or a Realtor, is to help prevent mistakes. There’s an old adage in the investment world: The first step in making money, is not losing money. A great financial professional will assess the situation, calculate risks, and advise you on what not to do. Show me a financial professional that is a “Yes Man,” and I’ll show you a worthless financial adviser.
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Risks of Remodeling Without a Permit
Most cities require that homeowners obtain a building permit before making modifications to their residence. Which modifications require a permit vary by city. Also, some cities are more vigilant than others in enforcing permit laws.
In order for the homeowner to receive a permit, the homeowner or his/her designee are required to file plans and pay fees to the city. In addition, the improvements are given a value. If they increase the value of the property, this may result in an increase in property taxes. Inspections are often required, and this means having to schedule and then wait for inspectors to approve the work to be done. This process can be time consuming and inconvenient in the short run. It is for this reason that some homeowners skip the permit process.
If a permit is needed and you fail to get one, the city may discover this at some time in the future and getting a permit retroactively can frequently be significantly more expensive and much more problematic than having obtained the permit before work commenced. If work is not done in accordance with city procedures or if the inspector is unable to determine if the work has been done properly, the homeowner could be required to open walls, tear up floors, so that the inspection may take place. In addition, by law, work not permitted where a permit was required must be disclosed to any prospective purchaser. This may cause the owner to discount their sale price or perform costly or time-consuming repairs before title can be transferred.
For prospective buyers of a property, save yourself the future hassle and loss of money by researching whether all work on the premises has been done according to code and with the proper permits. You may obtain these permits by going directly to Building & Safety in the municipality in which the property is located or by hiring a “permit puller” who will research the permits for you.
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