Blog - Love Sacramento Metro Homes

July 20, 2017 by Martha Loveless Leave a Comment

Homes with this color bathroom sell for $5,400 more

Homes with this color bathroom sell for $5,400 more

Martha Loveless of Loveless Real Estate Services
The Best Carmichael Realtor | Keller Williams Realty 916-.270.7081
Homes for Sale in Carmichael / What’s Your Carmichael Home Worth?

A $50 gallon of blue paint can result in a huge return on investment for homeowners, according to Zillow‘s 2017 Paint Color Analysis study.

Homes with bathrooms painted in a powder blue or periwinkle shade sold for an average of $5,400 more — the highest sales premium of all colors analyzed.

When it comes to a home’s exterior, neutral tones, such as ‘greige,’ sold for $3,496 more than comparable homes in a different color.

Furthermore, homes with front doors painted in shades of dark navy blue to slate gray sold for an extra $1,514.

On the other hand, buyers seem to be put off by style-specific features such as terracotta walls, which resulted in a $2,031 dip in sales prices. But even more than that, prospective owners seem to hate white walls: Homes that had no color whatsoever sold for an average of $4,035 less. Ouch!

“Color can be a powerful tool for attracting buyers to a home, especially in listing photos and videos,” said Zillow chief economist Svenja Gudell. “Painting walls in fresh, natural-looking colors, particularly in shades of blue and pale gray not only make a home feel larger, but also are neutral enough to help future buyers envision themselves living in the space.

“Incorporating light blue in kitchens and bathrooms may pay off especially well as the color complements white countertops and cabinets, a growing trend in both rooms,” she added.

If a seller is adamant about keeping color in the home, have them consider a pop of color on an accent wall using Pantone’s Color of The Year, Greenery, or have them incorporate jewel-toned decor pieces throughout the home.

Martha Loveless
916.270.7081
The Best Carmichael Realtor
www.LoveSacMetroHomes.com

*A special thank you to Inman.com for this great article*

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July 14, 2017 by Martha Loveless Leave a Comment

5 Reasons Why You Should Not For Sale By Owner

Martha Loveless of Loveless Real Estate Services
The Best Carmichael Realtor | Keller Williams Realty 916-.270.7081
Homes for Sale in Carmichael / What’s Your Carmichael Home Worth?

In today’s market, with home prices rising and a lack of inventory, some homeowners may consider trying to sell their homes on their own, known in the industry as a For Sale by Owner (FSBO). There are several reasons why this might not be a good idea for the vast majority of sellers.

Here five reasons you should not For Sale By Owner:

1. Exposure to Prospective Buyers

Recent studies have shown that 94% of buyers search online for a home. That is in comparison to only 16% looking at print newspaper ads. Most real estate agents have an internet strategy to promote the sale of your home. Do you?

2. Results Come from the Internet

Where did buyers find the homes they actually purchased?

51% on the internet
34% from a Real Estate Agent
8% from a yard sign
1% from newspapers

The days of selling your house by just putting up a sign and putting it in the paper are long gone. Having a strong internet strategy is crucial.

3. There Are Too Many People to Negotiate With

Here is a list of some of the people with whom you must be prepared to negotiate if you decide to For Sale by Owner:

The buyer who wants the best deal possible
The buyer’s agent who solely represents the best interest of the buyer
The buyer’s attorney (in some parts of the country)
The home inspection companies, which work for the buyer and will almost always find some problems with the house
The appraiser if there is a question of value

4. FSBOing Has Become More And More Difficult

The paperwork involved in selling and buying a home has increased dramatically as industry disclosures and regulations have become mandatory. This is one of the reasons that the percentage of people FSBOing has dropped from 19% to 8% over the last 20+ years.

The 8% share represents the lowest recorded figure since NAR began collecting data in 1981.

5. You Net More Money When Using an Agent

Many homeowners believe that they will save the real estate commission by selling on their own. Realize that the main reason buyers look at FSBOs is because they also believe they can save the real estate agent’s commission. The seller and buyer can’t both save the commission.

Studies have shown that the typical house sold by the homeowner sells for $185,000, while the typical house sold by an agent sells for $245,000. This doesn’t mean that an agent can get $60,000 more for your home, as studies have shown that people are more likely to FSBO in markets with lower price points. However, it does show that selling on your own might not make sense.

Bottom Line

Before you decide to take on the challenges of selling your house on your own, sit with a real estate professional in your marketplace and see what they have to offer.

Martha Loveless
916.270.7081
The Best Carmichael Realtor
www.LoveSacMetroHomes.com

*A special thank you to HomeWarranty.com for this great advice*

July 7, 2017 by Martha Loveless Leave a Comment

Home Problems and Solutions: The Refrigerator | Home Tips by Martha Loveless

Home Problems and Solutions: The Refrigerator

Martha Loveless of Loveless Real Estate Services
The Best Carmichael Realtor | Keller Williams Realty 916-.270.7081
Homes for Sale in Carmichael / What’s Your Carmichael Home Worth?

SYMPTOM
Refrigerator cools poorly or runs constantly

POSSIBLE CAUSE: The freezer may be overpacked, not allowing the evaporator fan to work properly.

SOLUTION: Move food in the freezer away from the evaporator fan.

POSSIBLE CAUSE: There may be heavy frost accumulation in the freezer.

SOLUTION: Defrost the freezer more often.

POSSIBLE CAUSE: The door may be opened too much.

SOLUTION: Open the refrigerator door as little as possible.

POSSIBLE CAUSE: The temperature setting may not be adjusted correctly.

SOLUTION: Adjust the temperature setting inside the refrigerator.The ideal temperature setting for the freezer is between 0° and 5°F, and the ideal setting for the refrigerator is between 35° and 40°F. Allow 24 hours for the temperature to equalize.

POSSIBLE CAUSE: The door gasket may be bad.

SOLUTION: Straighten the door gasket by applying a blow dryer to the door gasket to dry it. This should straighten them out.

POSSIBLE CAUSE: The coils may be dirty.

SOLUTION: Clean the coils under the refrigerator with a coil brush.

POSSIBLE CAUSE: The light inside the refrigerator is on.

SOLUTION: Check the door switch.

POSSIBLE CAUSE: The weather may be hot and humid. If the refrigerator constantly runs but cools well, there is no problem.

SYMPTOM
Refrigerator cycles on and off

POSSIBLE CAUSE: The door gasket may be bad, and leaking hot air in the refrigerator.

SOLUTION: Straighten the door gasket by applying a blow dryer to the gasket to dry it.This should straighten them out.

POSSIBLE CAUSE: The coils may be dirty.

SOLUTION: Clean the coils under the front of the refrigerator with a coil brush.

SYMPTOM
Refrigerator does not run

POSSIBLE CAUSE: The refrigerator may not be plugged in.

SOLUTION: Determine whether the refrigerator is plugged in.

POSSIBLE CAUSE: The power may be out.

SOLUTION: 1. Ensure that there is power in the home; determine whether the circuit breakers are tripped or if the fuses have blown. Reset the circuit breakers if needed.
2. To discern whether it is the refrigerator or electricity within the home that needs service, plug a lamp into the same outlet
as the refrigerator is plugged into. If the lamp turns on, the refrigerator needs servicing. If the lamp does not turn on once it is plugged in, the electricity needs servicing.

SYMPTOM
Refrigerator is making a lot of noise

POSSIBLE CAUSE: The back of the refrigerator may be dirty.

SOLUTION: Clean the back of the refrigerator with a handheld vacuum.

POSSIBLE CAUSE: The refrigerator may not be sitting level.

SOLUTION: Ensure the refrigerator is sitting level.

POSSIBLE CAUSE: The drain pan may be touching the sides of the refrigerator.

SOLUTION: Move the drain pan so it does not touch the sides of the refrigerator

SYMPTOM
Refrigerator leaks underneath

POSSIBLE CAUSE: There may not be a drain pan under the refrigerator, or if there is a drain pain, it may be broken.

SOLUTION: Replace the drain pan.

SYMPTOM
Refrigerator smells unusual

POSSIBLE CAUSE: The drain pan is dirty.

SOLUTION: Clean and disinfect the drain pan.

POSSIBLE CAUSE: The drains inside the refrigerator may be clogged.

SOLUTION: Open and clean the drains inside the refrigerator. To do this, simply take the storage drawers out of the refrigerator. You will find the drains behind the drawers. Clean the drains with soap and hot water. Once you are done, return the storage drawers to their original compartments.

Martha Loveless
916.270.7081
The Best Carmichael Realtor
www.LoveSacMetroHomes.com

*A special thank you to HomeWarranty.com for this great advice*

June 15, 2017 by Martha Loveless Leave a Comment

12 Family Fun Traditions to Start This Summer

12 Family Fun Traditions to Start This Summer

Martha Loveless of Loveless Real Estate Services
The Best Carmichael Realtor | Keller Williams Realty 916-.270.7081
Homes for Sale in Carmichael / What’s Your Carmichael Home Worth?

Summer starts out with the promise of long, lazy days, BBQs, and beach weekends — but before you know it, the school’s-out thrill wears off of your kids and the chorus of “I’m bored” starts, and then you blink and it’s time to start shopping for school supplies again. Where do those summer days go? To help make those few fleeting months feel extra-special, consider starting one (or more!) of these fun family traditions.

Host an End-of-School Awards Dinner

Forget what the calendar says — the real beginning of summer is the moment school is over for the year. Celebrate by hosting an end-of-school awards dinner, suggests Meg Cox, author of The Book of New Family Traditions. Cox points to one Colorado family as inspiration, for their fancy-awards-banquet take on the idea. There’s a special dinner, sure, “but the main ritual is the presentation of special posters [mom] Nancy has made for each child,” she says. “The point is not to praise grades, but to applaud what each one learned and is still learning.” The posters feature each kid’s photo in the center with ribbons radiating out to photos of them engaged in different activities or key words noting what they did that year. “After the meal, each child is given a letter Nancy has written about the year’s highlights and the parents’ pride in his or her hard work. And they have their pictures taken next to their special posters.”

Choose Your Vacation Spot by Throwing a Dart

“For me, summer means vacation,” says David Hoffman, author of The Sand Bucket List: 366 Things to Do With Your Kids. “So I love the idea of deciding where the family is going each year by throwing a dart at a map. There’s a huge sense of fun that comes in the randomness of it all, and it gets everyone involved in both the selection and planning process.” Worried the dart could land somewhere too remote, too expensive, or just too unappealing? Relax! “The key thing to remember here: There are no rules,” Hoffman says. “So if you’re not happy with where the dart lands, well, simply demand a do-over.” You can limit the target to a certain geographical area as well, or agree that you have to stop at the targeted destination for only one day or night on the way to someplace else. “Or let each family member throw the dart, then plan a road trip that goes from one point to the next,” Hoffman adds.

Hold Your Own Family Olympics

Every summer (or every other, if it’s too overwhelming to organize annually), throw your own Olympics competition, Cox suggests. Invite far-flung family, or friends and neighbors, and face off in some friendly games. Have an opening ceremony and a closing ceremony with a costume party that has a different theme every year. Play fun, made-up games where winners get real medals, “so they clank for bragging rights.”

Take a Classic Family Vacation Photo

If you’re like us, you hardly need a reminder to pick up your smartphone and snap some share-worthy pics, but summer vacation is the perfect time to do something a little out of the ordinary and go beyond the staid everyone-in-front-of-a-landmark photo. “Take the same shot — but do it with everyone wearing Groucho glasses,” Hoffman says. “Or take a photo of your kid every year, but do it on the same day, in the same place, at the same time, in the same spot, and in the same pose — and if possible, wearing the ‘same’ outfit, such as a T-shirt and jeans.” You’ll end up with a series of annual photos you can showcase as a collection to represent your family’s journey.

Create a Vacation Bucket List

If a summer vacation is already an annual tradition for your family, consider creating vacation bucket lists to complete over a series of trips. “Plan travel — and it can often be just an overnight trip — that involves taking a different mode of transportation,” Hoffman suggests. “Go by car, by train, by boat, by plane, by bike, by RV. Or make it an end goal over a number of summers to visit every state in the United States, checking them off as you do.”

Celebrate the Great Summer Switch-Off

Summer should be about enjoying the outdoors and each other, so use the break to enact a mandatory tech timeout. Believe it or not, your kids might enjoy the break from technology. And if they (or, let’s be honest, you) can’t bear an entire summer sans screens, at least enact a tech-free vacation rule. The result: kids spend time reading, drawing, playing cards, and having fun together as a family (even the teenager!). Sounds pretty good, right?

Hold an Outdoor Movie Night

Spread out a blanket on your lawn, pop some popcorn, pick out your favorite family flick, and invite your friends and neighbors over. A white sheet is a great backdrop to project a movie on, and it can be hung on the side of your house, garage, or deck — or the side of a stairway indoors if you don’t have a yard.” Toss some blankets or sleeping bags on the ground or floor, add treats, and hit Play!

Schedule Your Own Holiday to Celebrate

No birthdays or anything special to celebrate over the summer? No problem! Create your own. “On summer solstice, make a plan with your family to stay up all night and watch the sun rise, or organize a ‘tour de neighborhood’ bike race,” Hoffman says. “Or on the first day that the temperature reaches 100°, agree that all of you will jump into the swimming pool with your clothes on.” Another option: Proclaim the 11th or 22nd of any month — a date that reads the same backwards as forward — to be Backwards Day, Hoffman says. “Eat dinner for breakfast, wear your clothes backwards, and even walk backwards.”

Be a Tourist in Your Own Town

You don’t have to travel to be a tourist, so one summer weekend each year, pretend your family just arrived in town and do some sightseeing. “Visit historical sites, eat in the cool new restaurant, take a long bike ride through neighborhoods you’ve never visited,” Cox says. “Take photos in front of landmarks, buy T-shirts, and send postcards.” If it’s in your budget, you could even spend the night at a local hotel. (Bonus if it has a pooll!)

Create a Sidewalk Chalk Mural

Work together with your kids to turn a stretch of sidewalk — or even a concrete wall — into a chalk-drawn masterpiece every summer, Hoffman suggests. Deciding what to draw and where each year can be a group project. Be sure to take a photo of your creation each year to chronicle how your artistic abilities evolve.

Build a Fourth of July Stand

Get in the patriotic spirit of Independence Day by helping your kids set up a lemonade-style stand for the holiday. Buhner’s kids bake cookies and brownies, make lemonade, and even sell snow cones with red, white, and blue flavoring. “They gear up all week making and organizing their items, and set up shop at the end of our street on July 3rd for the weekend,” she says. Whatever your family decides to make and sell, it’s a fun activity to plan together — and you make a little cash, too. “You may decide to save the money they make from the stand and purchase something fun with it, or donate the proceeds to a local charity,” Buhner says. “Either way, it’s an easy, fun memory-maker for all ages.”

Enjoy a Backyard Campout

It is easy and loads of fun — with the bonus of having an indoor bathroom if needed! Pitch a tent, set up sleeping bags, and make yummy s’mores over a fire pit. Flashlight tag in the dark and campfire stories will be remembered for years to come. No yard? Have a camp-in! Pop a tent in your family room for a weekend. This is actually a perfect way to introduce camping to younger kids — it’s less scary and it’s bug-free!

Martha Loveless
916.270.7081
The Best Carmichael Realtor
www.LoveSacMetroHomes.com

*A special thank you to Parents.com for these great ideas*