Enjoy celebrating Independence Day with your family & friends! 

Moving can be a life-altering experience for a child. If you are moving out of the area and your children will be attending a new school, the difficulties for children may only be magnified. However, there are plenty of things you can do for your children during the moving process that can turn a stressful event into a time of excitement. Here are some suggestions. 

1. Share the news early

Once you have made the decision to move, let your children know and listen to their opinions. While some kids may be disappointed – especially if you are moving out of the area – they may find some solace in providing input. Furthermore, the more time your children have to prepare themselves for the move, the better.   

2. Show some excitement

Rather than expressing regret about the decision to move, let your kids know that a new home will be an exciting opportunity for everyone. Talk about the activities your family can do after moving and the benefits of their new school. As moving day approaches, you may find that your children are looking forward to everything from decorating their bedrooms to making new friends.   

3. Get the kids involved

As you make the preparations to move, try to get your kids involved in the process. To help your kids remain focused and happy, work with them to schedule some fun activities before moving out. Find some local guide books or websites that your children can read and let them serve as tour guides after moving into the new neighborhood. When packing, it can also be helpful to let children box up and label their own belongings allowing them to feel more in control of the process.

4. Incorporate some creativity

To help your kids take their minds off the stresses of moving, encourage them to be creative. Younger children might enjoy painting pictures of your old house to display after you’ve moved. Older children can keep a journal or scrapbook during moving and have a story to share later. During the moving process, you could also give your kids jobs – complete with badges and uniforms – to help them stay involved.

5. Have a party

Prior to leaving your home, throw a party for yourself and your kids. Invite the friends of everyone in the family and plan some fun, all-ages activities. Afterwards, make sure your kids receive contact information for everyone they want to stay in contact with.

6. Get acquainted with your new surroundings

Once you have unloaded the truck, try to make the first night in your new home as exciting as possible. Have fun playing hide-and-seek or a board game before worrying about unpacking and organizing. After you have settled in, start taking walks or bike rides around the neighborhood. You can introduce yourselves to the neighbors and the kids might find some new friends.

7. Get back to normal

For the sake of the entire family’s happiness, try not to take too long to resume doing what your family enjoys. If your family had a custom of bowling every Friday, try to find a bowling alley near your new home. You may also want to drive through the area and acquaint yourself with the locations of businesses like grocery stores and restaurants. When Saturday rolls around, try out the pizza parlor you found.

Though moving can be difficult on children of all ages, it can also provide something to look forward to. By keeping your kids involved during every step of the moving process, you will help them feel in control of the situation. After moving into your new home, help them understand that life will be as fun as it always was; it will just take place in a different location. Most importantly, do your best as a family to stay together and have fun along the way.

The staff at Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC writes select articles about important topics related to real estate. For more information about buying a home or selling your current property, visit ColdwellBanker.com today.

Remodeling a home starts with a dream. A gourmet kitchen! Skylights! A gigantic walk-in closet! But, the dream may turn into a nightmare if you don’t plan ahead. Buying a home will arguably become your most important financial investment, as well as a major emotional investment. And, remodeling that home can make it better suited to your lifestyle and increase the house value. However, the remodeling process can seem overwhelming at times. If you’re buying a home that you plan to remodel, here are some issues to consider.

It’s always important to make home improvements to satisfy your needs and desires, not just to raise the house value. After all, you’re the one who will be living in the home and enjoying the improvements. However, if you’re making improvements in order to increase the resale value of the house, be careful not to overdo it. It is possible to add too much house value in relation to the other homes in your area, and can be difficult to recover these improvement costs when you sell the home. Also, some expensive choices, like particular fixtures or flooring, may actually make your home more difficult to sell. Talk with your Coldwell Banker® real estate professional about your remodel plans before putting on your work gloves.

While the specifics of the home you are buying will determine your remodel plans, certain improvement projects have historically provided high ROI’s, or Return On Investments. According to Remodeling Magazine, improving the quality of a kitchen—whether upgrading appliances, changing the layout, counters and cabinetry, or simply painting and swapping out drawer pulls—provides the highest ROI of any remodel project. Also, remodeling or adding a bathroom is a proven way to increase house value.

Before you purchase a house with the intention of remodeling and raising the home value, be sure to investigate the zoning restrictions and environmental regulations. Many older homes come with zoning restrictions, including pre-determined setbacks from property lines, limits on roof height, etc. If the home is on a municipal historic register, regulations will likely be even more stringent in order to preserve the house’s historic character. If the home you are buying is in an environmentally sensitive area—adjacent to wetlands or protected open space, for example—or contains a significant natural resource, additional regulations may limit your remodel plans. Such regulations can impede on house size, paving, grading soil, cutting down trees and removing native plants. 

Your attorney can help you determine zoning and environmental regulations and determine if you have the correct permits to begin any home improvement project. In most parts of the world, a legal permit is required before you make structural changes to your home. The building permit and associated inspections and approvals can provide assurance that the remodeling project meets local building codes and safety regulations. If you live in a historic district this process may also provide assurance that exterior changes to your home are in keeping with neighborhood guidelines.

Lastly, before buying a home that requires a remodel, be aware that some problems simply can’t be fixed. Whether the desired improvement is prohibited by local regulations, or can’t be undertaken with your budget or timeframe, it’s important to recognize the limitations of your home’s potential.

The staff at Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC writes select articles about important topics related to real estate. For more information about buying a home or selling your current property, visit ColdwellBanker.com today.

Thinking of selling your home? Before you place the “For Sale” sign in front of your house, there are a few things you should consider in order to maximize your home value and make the sales process smooth and efficient.  Be prepared to discuss the following subjects with your real estate agent when you’re ready to sell your home and you’ll be one step ahead in the market.

1) Best Time of Year to Put Your House on the Market

Conventional wisdom dictates that spring is the best time for selling a home.  The weather is getting warmer, the school year is coming to an end, and people who have just received their tax refunds may now have extra cash to use for a down payment on a home.  However, since not everyone can sell a home in the spring, here are some other seasonal factors to consider. According to annual home sale data from the National Association of Realtors, the slowest selling months of the year are typically January and February, since fewer home sales occur during the holidays.  In spite of this, with less competition in the marketplace, you may be able to ask for a higher price for your home, or a quicker closing.  Additionally, temperate locations like Florida and California don’t see the seasonal fluctuations in the housing market, where house-hunters are almost always looking.  And a late winter or early spring in the Northeast may extend the typical “selling season.”  These seasonal variations, as well as a variety of local factors, will all influence the housing market in your area.  Be sure to talk to your real estate agent regarding the current state of the market and how it will affect the sale of your home.

2) Open House Strategy and How to De-Clutter

At an open house, first impressions count, so you’ll want to enhance your home’s perceived value. Make your home inviting by taking care of bothersome minor repairs; clean bathroom and kitchen counters and clear them of dishes and clutter. Arrange storage areas neatly and put unused items in a closet. If you have pets, consider having a neighbor watch them for the duration of the open house. It’s a good idea for you to be absent during the open house, also. If you must be present, let your agent do the talking.

Decorate your home to sell by arranging the furniture to look as spacious as possible. Add color and fragrance to any room with fresh flowers. Lastly, don’t forget the outside of your home. Put away all gardening equipment and neatly arrange outdoor items like firewood or furniture. Even take a hard look at your mailbox and make sure it reflects the value and character of your home.

3) Features to Accentuate

While you may have long determined which aspects of your home you love, having a fresh set of eyes assess its best features is a smart idea. If you’re considering selling your home, take the time to walk through it methodically with your real estate agent. Together you can determine which features of the home should be accentuated.  Does your home have a wonderful view? Make the most of it by sprucing up window treatments and arranging furniture to draw the eye toward the windows. Perhaps the location of your house is truly incredible. Your real estate agent can help accentuate this feature in sales and marketing materials. 

4) Desired Price and Bottom Line Price

It’s great to shoot high, but when determining your home value, it’s also important to identify your bottom line. By assessing recent home sale statistics in your area, your real estate agent can recommend an appropriate target price range. Working with your agent, you can set an initial asking price, as well as privately determine the absolute lowest price you would comfortably accept for selling your home. By crunching the numbers and setting parameters early on, you can avoid emotional rollercoasters during the process of receiving, countering and accepting offers.

 5) Disclosures

When selling your home, you may be obligated to disclose problems that could affect the property’s value or desirability. In most states, it is illegal to fraudulently conceal major physical defects in your property, such as a basement that floods in heavy rains. And many states now require sellers to take a proactive role by making written disclosures on the condition of the property. Ask your real estate agent for the particular laws of your state.

The staff at Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC writes select articles about important topics related to real estate. For more information about buying a home or selling your current property, visit ColdwellBanker.com today.

If you’re looking for home-buying information, you’ve come to the right place. One of the first questions in deciding to buy a home is house or condo? If you’re leaning toward a condo, read on. Here are five important topics to discuss with your real estate agent before beginning your home buying search:

1) What You Can’t Live Without

If your version of the American Dream doesn’t include mowing the lawn, a condo might be a great choice. If you can’t live without your own backyard, a big garage, or plenty of space between you and your neighbors, your needs may be better suited to a detached single-family residence. However, if the idea of a condo sounds right, talk to your real estate agent about other important aspects of your future home. For example, a gourmet cook might seek out a well-designed kitchen. Someone who works from home might need dedicated space for a home office. Additionally, there are decisions specific to condo living which you will need to think about.  What types of association amenities are you looking for?  These can include pools, covered parking, clubhouses, and 24-hour security. Do you have a pet?  Some condo associations have restrictions regarding pet ownership or even such things as having outdoor barbecues.  Be sure to include all aspects of your home buying requirements in the information you provide to your real estate agent.

2) Schools and Family Needs

The quality of school systems has long been important information for home-buying families. If you have children or are thinking about having children in your new condo, you’ll want to discuss school information and statistics with your real estate agent. Not only is it important to consider the location of your condo relative to area schools, but you’ll also want to think about the quality and diversity of local school offerings. Your real estate agent can provide both public and private school information for all the neighborhoods in which you’re considering buying a condo.

3) Commuting

For many condo-owners, commuting from home to work and back is a necessary evil. Some people feel that a long commute can detract from their quality of life and the time they get to spend at home. Commuting should be a critical factor in home selection, because in many communities, traffic backups are increasingly common. And today, this phenomenon applies to urban, suburban and even rural areas. If having little or no commute to work is important to you, convey this to your real estate agent.

4) Community Details

Whether you hope to buy a condo in a vibrant urban neighborhood or a charming rural town, the demographics, details and community statistics of a particular area are almost as important a consideration when buying a home as the details of the house itself. Even more significant in a condo-living situation is information about your condominium’s own community. Are most of the residents retirees? Recent college graduates? The community information and statistics of both your condominium and the town or city in which it is located are crucial factors in your home-buying decision.

 5) Budget and Condo Fees

For some, the decision to purchase a condo is based primarily on the convenience a condo lifestyle offers. For most people however, the most rigid constraint of home-buying and the central reason for choosing a condo is the buyer’s budget. While condos are generally less expensive than houses, a buyer should be aware of additional costs, like HOA dues. Be sure to research the condo association’s dues and exactly what those dues include. It’s a good idea to check out a one-year utility history for the unit you’re interested in, as well.

Thanks to today’s creative lending solutions, budget constraints are not as rigid as they once were. Many innovative mortgage options are now available to both first-time and veteran home-buyers. Before beginning a condo search, you should talk to both your real estate agent and your lender about your finance options and ultimately, your budget.

The staff at Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC writes select articles about important topics related to real estate. For more information about buying a home or selling your current property, visit ColdwellBanker.com today.