FSBO Jane

When it comes to the question of roommates, the pros and cons are obvious. On the plus side: more space, lower costs, often in a nicer area than one individual roommate could have afforded. On the minus side: living with other people and all the problems, compromises and inconveniences that can bring.

In Japan, according to a December Wall Street Journal article, the idea of roommates is gaining steam, particularly among young, female professionals:

Japan has no real tradition of roommates: People have preferred to live in their own tiny places. Now, fed up with a dearth of reasonably priced apartments in desirable Tokyo neighborhoods, a growing number of relatively affluent women in their 20s and 30s have started to create demand for a radical new segment of the Japanese real-estate market: apartments to share. (Wall Street Journal, 12/30/09)

The article goes on to say that these women sometimes find shared spaces a little uncomfortable, but that’s not to say they can’t work.

And finding roommates in order to afford housing is not only common in Japan. According to a study done by the Pew Research Center, an increasing number of young people are either moving in with parents or needing roommates to get out on their own.

So is it possible? Are roommates the new affordable housing? What do you think?

Whether you’ve decided to make a houseboat your permanent residence or you wanted a recreational vacation property, you’re still probably going to personalize the space to make it your own. However, in all reality, you should first think about the practicalities before the fun.

Decorate with sturdy items. While most houseboats are solidly built to resist the motion of the ocean, sp to speaks, there may be a slight chance of a little movement at any given time. Avoid placing breakables on open shelving units, where they may easily slide off and crack into thousands of tiny little pieces. This is also a safety precaution, as you don’t want to be surprised one day by coming home to find broken glass…after you’ve already stepped in it.

Plan for water. In the case of flooring, you may want to avoid installing carpet, as water can damage the carpet and you’ll end up paying a lot of money to fix it. Even if the houseboat is sealed so water may not enter directly from the ocean or lake, water may be tracked into the house from swimmers or water toys. Opt for waterproofed wood, vinyl or laminate.

Let there be light! Boats tend to be very dark on the inside, and the few windows you do have will likely be very small. During the day, open any blinds or curtains covering the windows. Make sure to purchase additional lamps. Older houseboats may not showcase the trendy recessed lighting more modern residences sport today.

Play it safe. Although it looks like a house and feels like a house when you’re inside, keep in mind you’re still on a boat. As a safety precaution, make sure to store plenty of life vests on board. Rather than throwing them in an unattractive heap in the corner of the room, store them in a cabinet or a portable chest!

Showcase the view! Don’t spend all of your time indoors. Depending on how much room you have on the deck, make sure to purchase an outdoor patio set so you and your guests can enjoy the view of the open waters and the gorgeous sunsets. Make sure to measure the space before you buy anything. Look for a small table, big enough for a few plates of food and some drinks and as many chairs that will fit comfortably. Seating is important above all else.

Tips From An Expert

Looking for specific decorating advice? Elizabeth Beers, and Interior Designer at Sandler Architects, provided HGTV with some fantastic tips on how she fashioned a sophisticated living space on a two-story houseboat in Seattle.

Beers started by revamping the entryway with dark-stained oak for the stair railings. A niche underneath the stairs is the perfect place for a built-in bench that doubles as a bed when it folds out…how convenient! A cozy window seat has been given a little facelift with a bright yellow seat cushion.

In the living room, more dark wood attributes adorn the window and door moldings. Beers painted a light cream hue on the walls to add a nice contrast to the dark tone of the wood, and the light-colored ceiling makes this small space seem larger.

She decorated the fireplace using slate and copper tile, both water resistant materials. Placing a mirror above the fireplace adds depth to the room. Stained glass on the windows shields the view of neighboring houseboats while still letting natural sunlight shine through into the space.

Beers abandoned the whole nautical theme altogether in favor of a more tribal, ethnic design. Furnishings include a taupe sofa, a butter leather chair and a wooden chair with a burgundy seat cushion. Other accents features include dark, exotic fabrics and throw pillows, a tribal carpet and artifacts the homeowners collected along their travels.

With the hype on green, energy-efficient living only increasing, you should know by now that the government offers a tax credit for homeowners who add green improvements to their houses to cut energy usage and carbon emissions. However, you probably don’t know that there is a company out there willing to pay you via Pay Pal for making green changes to your home. Simple as that.

Does this sound too good to be true? Those were my thoughts, too. The Mother Nature Network posted this article explaining how it works. The organization is called My Emissions Exchange (or MyEex) and all you do is sign up on their website and find out your carbon footprint by entering your electric and heat usage for the last year. Then, MyEex will provide you with tips on how you can reduce this usage, and you can begin reducing your carbon emissions by making changes to your house. Each month, you enter your utility usage, and MyEex tells you exactly how much energy and carbon emissions you are saving. As you save, you earn credits, and MyEex awards these credits with earnings that they pay you through Pay Pal.

How much you earn fluctuates, just like the stock exchange. MyEex.com says that you can expect to earn between $10 and $25 per ton. Since I am still rusty on understanding exactly how it works myself, you can read a lot more information on the website.

The article from the Mother Nature Network that discusses this organization discusses how at first, since you type in your own information, you could make up all the information and earn money for pretending to lower your bills. Now, however, MyEex can easily collect data on a particular home once net metering is installed on the home. The article feels positive that this type of promised earnings will cause more people to get involved in making green improvements to their home.

What are your thoughts?

According to this recent piece in the Wall Street Journal, it’s not just born-and-bred country folks who are into farming these days.

In fact, with the current economy, in which big-name companies have downsized or folded and in which many Americans (young and old) have experienced job loss, the idea of heading to the country—and yes, farming—is making a comeback.

“Motivations can vary, but typically there are three groups: young people buying land as an asset or investment, with vague hopes to live on it someday; exurban commuters who have jobs in big towns or cities but want to escape the sprawl; and back-to-the-land types who want to dabble in hobby farming.”

What was most interesting to me though was the focus on young people. This new generation of rural America isn’t solely made up of ex-corporate types, burned out on their nine-to-fives.

Read this, for example:

“Kathryn O’Shea-Evans, a 25-year-old freelance writer, moved from Portland, Ore., to New York on Dec. 31, 2006. When the economy began floundering, she was frugal—living in a $650-a-month boarding-house room, buying clothing in resale shops, and socking away part of each paycheck.

Then, this past August, she flew to Montana to look at a place to invest those savings: a $12,000, 12-acre parcel of land.”

or this:

“Younger buyers, such as Jesse Ptacek, 27, have time to reap payback from such investments. For the past few years, Mr. Ptacek has watched the U.S. economy flounder from Kuwait, where he’s a firefighter for a U.S. Department of Defense contractor. Knowing he will likely face bleak job prospects upon his return home in January, he recently bought 62 acres of land in Montana.”

The article likens this trend to the pioneer spirit of generations past and also very smartly points out what much of this represents for those who are making the move: something to put their hope in.

To read the rest of the article, click here.

There a few things in life that I just love! Two of them happen to be travel and real estate. So, when I’m vacationing in New York or California, I may see a building, stay in a hotel or visit a friend’s condo and just start wondering things like “How much does this place cost?” “Do any celebs live here?” “How’s the neighborhood?”

I recently stumbled upon a really cool Website called Curbed.com, where people talk about New York (and the Hamptons), Los Angeles and San Francisco real estate.

One of my favorite features of Curbed.com is the little game they call Pricespotter. They post photos of a given property, then you try to guess the selling price. They’ll reveal the answer the next day, but it’s so intriguing to look at these gorgeous kitchens, living rooms and master suites and try to figure out how much they contribute to the overall value of the home.

I’m hoping that Curbed.com will eventually cover other markets like Chicago or even European/UK destinations! I also noticed that Curbed.com partners up with some other interesting, touristy sites (Eater and Racked) that explore restaurants and fashion.

What does it mean to have a preapproval on a mortgage loan?

To be preapproved for a mortgage loan means that you, the borrower/potential buyer, has completed a loan application and is approved for a loan. In order to do this, you will provide debt, income and savings documentation to an underwriter (aka lender or bank) that will pre-approve you for a specific amount.

Why do I need a preapproval?

A preapproval is not needed, but it is recommended by many real estate professionals. Say you find the home of your dreams and you want to put in an offer to the owner. Before you do that, you’ll need to figure out how much you can spend on the property. This is done based on the debt/credit/income/savings info you provide, as well as assumptions about interest rates, property taxes and insurance. Also, a seller will be pleased to know that you are serious about the property and already have a payment plan already in the works.

Example: After everything is examined, you are pre-approved for a mortgage loan totaling between $225,000 and $275,000. The home you want is listed at $290,000, and the seller won’t budge on price. Unless you come up with a down payment of $20,000, you will not be able to afford the property.

Winter can sure seem long, with darker days and, in most areas of the country, colder weather. So if you’ve been looking for a way to add some winter cheer to your home, we’ve got an idea: consider plants!

Here are a few types of plants specifically designed for indoor care, making them ideal in winter weather, no matter where you live:

• Indoor Orchids: According to an article in The Woodinville Weekly, orchids “add elegance and color that lasts a long time.” Look for varieties such as the Moth orchid or Lady’s Slippers, and place them somewhere with moderate sunlight, preferably from east/south windows with sheer curtains.
• African Violets: These beautiful potted plants do very well indoors, even in winter. Be sure to water the soil, not the leaves, and only water once the soil has grown dry.
• Indoor Cacti: Designed to thrive in a low-humidity climate, an indoor cactus needs modest water and fertilizer, with abundant sunlight. Water when soil is dry, and place plant near south/west windows if possible.

I’ve always had a difficult time answering questions about the differences between a condo and a townhouse. To me, each of these varies so significantly, it’s often hard to say which is which. However, according to a Chicago Tribune article, the differences are substantial and important. Good thing the article goes on to explain the differences!

Townhouses are often roomier than condos, sometimes with multiple levels and staircases, and townhouses are also more privatized, often with private backyards, garages, driveways and more qualities of a home. Some contain basements, and some include measurements that nearly match a single-family home. Young individuals or beginning families tend to choose townhouses over condos.

Condos are usually one level and more like an apartment. They are most often connected to other condos, with floor levels stacked up like a hotel, and these buildings can include lobbies, doorman services, underground or garage parking, amenities and more. These features vary greatly from one condo to the next. Condos are often found in cities, and older, retired couples tend to choose condos over townhouses.

When it comes down to it, the article suggests that young families with or without children steer toward townhouses, and older couples or individuals steer toward condos. Townhouses are more suburbanized, while condos mostly reside in cities where land costs are high. You can read the entire article here. What do you think? Do you have a preference?

It’s no secret that I am a Buy Owner fan. It is the company that helped me through my FSBO transactions and it is the company I recommend to friends and blog readers.

I keep up with their blog, and during the month of January, that was especially helpful. I e-mailed several posts to my friends who are ready to sell, but I forgot to mention it here. Essentially, the entire month was a 31-day series on why to sell with Buy Owner.

Definitely check it out. Even if you’re not sure you want to sell FSBO, if you’re about to sell your house or you’ve had no luck selling it thus far, there is no harm in reading the 31 reasons why selling with Buy Owner is a smart choice. Because I sold a house using Buy Owner, I can acknowledge that what they say is true. You don’t pay anyone commissions, so it’s more money for you. People can find all the information on your house without leaving the comfort of their house, on the Internet. There are also new features of Buy Owner, like seeing what houses other people are viewing right at this moment, and the extra advertising on social networking websites like Twitter and Facebook.

Reading these 31 reasons to sell with Buy Owner will explain better than I ever could on why selling FSBO is the way to go. It also explains how Buy Owner stands out from other FSBO companies, so that when I continue to mention this company in the future, you will understand why.

When it comes to home remodeling, there are a few things you should consider:

1. Am I going to sell this house?
2. What are homes selling for in my neighborhood?
3. What are the decorating standards in my neighborhood?

Your answers to these questions will determine how you remodel your property. If you are eventually going to sell your home, and you know the price points and decorating standards of other homes in your area, there are a few updates you should completely avoid. Why? You may not necessarily get the most bang for your buck, and you will most likely not see a return on your investment.

YOUR Dream Kitchen: Black granite countertops, Brazilian Cherrywood cabinets, a brick pizza oven, a sub-zero refrigerator, a self-opening trash can. You may love the Food Network and dream of your very own Kitchen Stadium, but the average buyer may not share the same sentiment. Although these updates may increase the value of your home, some potential buyers may not be interesting in paying an extra $50,000 for a luxury kitchen they may not even use that often. If you’re planning on selling your home, go for updates that increase value, but won’t cost you a big loss in the long run. Try to see how other homes in your area compare and keep up with their trends.

Luxury Master Suite: Although walk-in closets and private master bathrooms are desirable these days, other features might not even matter to a given buyer. Be careful when building that dream closet. Built-in shelving is great, but don’t go overboard with lighting, glass embellishments or anything else that isn’t considered standard in a closet. The same goes for the bathroom. A jetted tub is appealing, but a 10-person shower is not. Only install a fireplace if there is an existing gas line. Although custom features increase the value of your property, no one will buy a $800,000 house in a community where majority of the homes sell for $300,000.

Ultimate Play Room: Lots of parents like to create separate spaces for their kids. For example, you might install built-in shelving that meets them at their level, you may add a small bathroom with teeny amenities to match, and you might decorate the walls with custom Sesame Street murals. Even though you may live in a family-friendly neighborhood, some buyers that come to see your home might not even have kids. And what if they don’t want them? When it comes to selling your abode, you must have a neutral mindset. If you want the ultimate play room for your children, go for it. But don’t install anything that would be difficult to change when it comes time to prepare your home for a showing.