Quick word from Bettina,

(I could not resist to put my two cents in)

I wished I could wave a magic wand or wiggle my nose to change the Housing market and make it a perfect for everybody. Reality is that we have to deal with the moment and not a dream world where everything is perfect and this includes Housing prices.

Many times I had sellers telling me what they want to sell their house for the same price their next door neighbor has sold their house for or some of them have been online and gotten themselves a Market value for their house through an online value company that does not take the condition of the house and neighborhood in to consideration.

In reality a house only sells for as much as a buyer is willing to pay for, and there is where a seller can positively influence any buyer to steer them to a higher perceived value of the home.

To positioning themselves for a better offer from buyers a seller can do as little as just sprucing up the outside and inside of the home as drastic as adding a addition to the house. It just depends on how much money you can and willing to spend.

The truth is that buyers are tech savvy and know what they are looking for and with help of their Agent have a very good Idea what a house should cost them. Face it would you give the same price for a house that is build in the 1950’s with an original kitchen and pink bathroom or a house that is also build in the 1950’s but the seller had updated the kitchen and the bathrooms?

Exactly..neighter would a buyer.

Bettina Settles

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Reasons for a renovation
 

There are different reasons for why you would do a renovation. You had a storm one night and now you need to replace several windows, or your kitchen has seen better days, or you just need a change.

Every renovation if big or small has stages it will naturally go through and through the process you will run in to snags don’t matter how good the plan is.

There are several different types of renovations and all of them have their stumbling blocks.

Adding a sun room or converting an unused space in to usable space is called Life Style Renovation

When you upgrade any of your mechanical systems, or adding new siding to the house it is called Retrofit

Maintenance or repair is when you just do your regular homey-do-list like caulking the outside windows prior to the winter, or fixing a leaky faucet

With smart and carefully planning you can have a better looking, longer lasting and more beautiful house. Before you start any renovation you need to determine if there could be any underlying issues that could affect your renovation or possible ability to get the renovation finished.

A simple 3 step process can help you’re though these processes….

Find and define the issue at hand…..

• It appears that I found water stains on the main floor or finished ceiling?

Then consider the available option to you……

• Find and fix the water leak
• I need expert help

If I don’t fix this…..

• I might have other problems down the road I need to address later, then it might be worse or more expensive.
 

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When not to do it yourself, and to call in the Pro.

At one point in time every homeowner will face the question: Do I do this myself or do I just call the Pro to get it done? In a recent survey, the Home Improvement Research Institute found that most of us preferred the former. Of homeowners queried, 51 percent had completed a plumbing repair by themselves in the past year, while 18 percent had contracted the job out. Of those who had added on a porch, patio, or deck, 67 percent said they had a hand in the building, and 34 percent hired the job out.

Some tasks will take you a lot more time than they would someone who does it for a living. "If you're finishing a 1,000-square-foot basement and you've never done drywall before, it'll take you three weeks, but it's going to take a drywall crew three to four days," says Adam Berlin, host of DIY Network's series Sweat Equity.

Berlin recommends steering clear of electrical work because of the potential hazards "like burning down your house." Even "minor" projects like wallpapering can seem easy but can end up being surprisingly time consuming. "Even as a contractor myself, I still call other contractors to work at my house," says Berlin.

Window washing takes no skill, to be sure. But even if you're slick with a squeegee, spending Sunday afternoon with one means you're giving up something else. This is what the economists call opportunity cost: If what you're forfeiting isn't that important to you, say, watching football on TV, then washing your own windows may not be a bad idea. But, "it may be worth it if I pay $25 an hour for someone to wash my windows so I can go to the park with my kid instead."

 

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Summer Curb appeal

Achieving great curb appeal is very important year round, but when you are not planning for the season it will become a wasteland in the dry summers.

 I can only speak for the Zone 5/6 Indiana area but I am sure other areas have similar challenges.

Master Gardener Paul James, gardening by the yard, suggests stopping fertilizing in the heat of summer. "Fertilizer causes an increase in growth rates, which is fine throughout much of the growing season, but downright crazy when it's really hot," James says.

With one exception to this rule is the container garden, eve time you water the container you flush out the nutrients.

Out of personal experience I would suggest also not to mow the yard and to not prune any plants and to over water any plants, and when you do water do it in the evening.

The water then has time to sit and soak in to the ground, where when you water in the morning you run in to having to sun evaporate the water prior to it soaking in to the ground.

Last but not the least; use native plants. Native plans are more up to tolerate the drought and heat of the summer then a none native plant. You can find about native plants in your local nursery.

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Bettina Settles Realty LLC

Bettina Settles

Managing Broker

Office Phone: 317-508-0627,

Fax: 317-883-0830

E-Mail: Bsettles@bettinasettlesrealty.com

Website: www.BettinaSettlesRealty.com

Disclaimer: Any of the links mentioned on this page are just for informational purposes only. Bettina Settles Realty LLC is in no way shape or  form responsible for any claims made by a third party service provider.

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