Friday, January 25, 2008
furnace filter maintenance
I find that every time I have a buyer purchase a new home, I learn something new during the home inspection. This week's lesson came from one of my favorite home inspectors -- he's so thorough and a great home educator. He believes that the cheapest furnace filters, changed regularly, are the best choice for improving the functioning and life of your furnace. The more expensive filters have a tighter weave and don't allow enough air through the HVAC system for it to operate as well. He says the expensive ones can be like, well, having a dirty filter! Who knew! I suggest you ask your trusted HVAC professional about the right filter for your system before you rely on my information but the theory makes sense to me and I'm certainly always happy to save money!
Thursday, January 24, 2008
buy & re-fi time
Hopefully you haven't been living in a bubble for the last week, but in the midst of scary stock market news, there's great news for real estate buying. Interest rates are lower than they've been in a year. Almost a full point down -- meaning it's a great time to look at savings you could capture through refinancing your current home or...take note first-time buyers--a great time to stop paying rent and start building your personal worth by investing in a home.
I always like to point out that owning a home is one of the only "real" investment strategies that serves multiple purposes: you invest your money AND you have a place to live. How cool is that! And remember, it's important to buy for yourself AND buy for future resale...but that's a whole other blog!!!
I always like to point out that owning a home is one of the only "real" investment strategies that serves multiple purposes: you invest your money AND you have a place to live. How cool is that! And remember, it's important to buy for yourself AND buy for future resale...but that's a whole other blog!!!
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Third Street Stuff
Enough about real estate today! Let's talk how cool it is to live in Lexington.
Just down the street from Transylvania University (corner of Limestone and Third) is one of those little jewels of place that make living in Lexington so much fun -- Third Street Stuff. Full of interesting finds that delight 11-year olds and 40-year olds alike, this little gem of a shop and cafe is one of my favorite places to stop in for lunch. Third Street's cafe has a unique assortment of interesting sandwiches, salads and soups and tasty teas and coffees. The clientele is a great mix of folk from Transy, Sayre Upper School students and the odd Rastaferian. Last time I was there, I not only had a delicious lunch but also bought 2 super flashing rubber rings (one for me, one for my 11-year old), a whole bunch of buttons with odd sayings and a cell phone charm. I was sorely tempted to buy some giant magnetic words but came to my senses although I'm still thinking about the refrigerator poetry I could write.
Sooo....go downtown...have lunch...and enjoy Lexington's hipper side!!
Just down the street from Transylvania University (corner of Limestone and Third) is one of those little jewels of place that make living in Lexington so much fun -- Third Street Stuff. Full of interesting finds that delight 11-year olds and 40-year olds alike, this little gem of a shop and cafe is one of my favorite places to stop in for lunch. Third Street's cafe has a unique assortment of interesting sandwiches, salads and soups and tasty teas and coffees. The clientele is a great mix of folk from Transy, Sayre Upper School students and the odd Rastaferian. Last time I was there, I not only had a delicious lunch but also bought 2 super flashing rubber rings (one for me, one for my 11-year old), a whole bunch of buttons with odd sayings and a cell phone charm. I was sorely tempted to buy some giant magnetic words but came to my senses although I'm still thinking about the refrigerator poetry I could write.
Sooo....go downtown...have lunch...and enjoy Lexington's hipper side!!
Friday, January 11, 2008
What's important in your home
As I was running on my treadmill this morning I felt a little like our late gerbil Squirmy on his wheel. I wondered if God was looking down at me thinking, "how cute" just like we used to think of that little guy. Probably not...he didn't seem to huff and puff quite as much!!
My treadmill reminded me how important it is to think about the things that you really need and want in a house before starting the search for a new home. For us, having a dedicated place for exercise equipment (not that you can tell we use it) has been a real plus. We have a finished basement in our house that's been the ideal place to work-out, do crafts, play Dance Dance Revolution on PlayStation 2, and in general make a mess that no one sees unless we intentionally invite them downstairs. For us, we'll never live in a house again that doesn't have a basement or at least a finished bonus room.
If you're beginning to think about a home purchase, one of the best things you can do is take your own personal inventory of the spaces you want in your new home. Take stock for a week or so of what you love about your house and assess the things that you really wish you had in your home but don't currently -- fenced yard for a dog, 2-car attached garage, a particular location, ballroom -- and make a list of your wants and needs. As you work with your Realtor make sure you share your priorities with them. A good buyer's agent will help you use that list and those priorities to find the property that will make you glad to come home!
My treadmill reminded me how important it is to think about the things that you really need and want in a house before starting the search for a new home. For us, having a dedicated place for exercise equipment (not that you can tell we use it) has been a real plus. We have a finished basement in our house that's been the ideal place to work-out, do crafts, play Dance Dance Revolution on PlayStation 2, and in general make a mess that no one sees unless we intentionally invite them downstairs. For us, we'll never live in a house again that doesn't have a basement or at least a finished bonus room.
If you're beginning to think about a home purchase, one of the best things you can do is take your own personal inventory of the spaces you want in your new home. Take stock for a week or so of what you love about your house and assess the things that you really wish you had in your home but don't currently -- fenced yard for a dog, 2-car attached garage, a particular location, ballroom -- and make a list of your wants and needs. As you work with your Realtor make sure you share your priorities with them. A good buyer's agent will help you use that list and those priorities to find the property that will make you glad to come home!
Monday, January 7, 2008
Economic news
I make it a point to keep up with the economic forecast, particularly in regard to our housing market. This week's news reinforces that it continues to be a great time to buy property. Interest rates are great and there's still a healthy supply of homes out there thanks to the media who have led consumers to believe that all of the US economy's problems are because of the housing industry. Interestingly, 95% of mortgage holders are making their mortgage payments on time. That's certainly not the portrait I see being painted in the news!
What I think is worth being cautious about is buying a new home without selling your current home in today's market. Unless you are secure and comfortable financially and two house payments won't completely stress you out, I wouldn't recommend purchasing your next home without having a solid contract on your existing home. It's important to weigh your options before making a commitment to two homes and talk over the situation with a trusted financial advisor and a Realtor whom you trust to give you a solid picture of your current market conditions and their honest opinion on how quickly they believe your current home can be sold.
What I think is worth being cautious about is buying a new home without selling your current home in today's market. Unless you are secure and comfortable financially and two house payments won't completely stress you out, I wouldn't recommend purchasing your next home without having a solid contract on your existing home. It's important to weigh your options before making a commitment to two homes and talk over the situation with a trusted financial advisor and a Realtor whom you trust to give you a solid picture of your current market conditions and their honest opinion on how quickly they believe your current home can be sold.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Happy New Year!
It's a chilly chilly day here in Lexington and Fayette County schools are not in session which proves to my children that there really is a God. Our bedtime prayers last night included an intercession for a snow day along with a ritual wearing of the pajamas inside out! Ahhhh...January 2 really was too soon a day to start back after a wonderful Christmas break.
While I am working today from home, it's also turning into a great day to start putting away Christmas decorations. I'm going to see if I can't motivate my children to round them up for me like a scavenger hunt, have them bring them all into one room and then start packing away. It's also time to think about getting that tree out on the curb for city pick-up! Lexington has a great recycling program and I intend to be more conscientious than ever this year about reducing what goes into our Herbie. I hope you'll join me this year in reducing unnecessary waste and taking advantage of the opportunity in Lexington to recycle everything from yard waste to plastic water bottles.
While I am working today from home, it's also turning into a great day to start putting away Christmas decorations. I'm going to see if I can't motivate my children to round them up for me like a scavenger hunt, have them bring them all into one room and then start packing away. It's also time to think about getting that tree out on the curb for city pick-up! Lexington has a great recycling program and I intend to be more conscientious than ever this year about reducing what goes into our Herbie. I hope you'll join me this year in reducing unnecessary waste and taking advantage of the opportunity in Lexington to recycle everything from yard waste to plastic water bottles.
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