Kj’s Thoughts on Life and Real Estate: Blog

To Remodel or Not To Remodel?

KJLange — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 08:34:00 GMT

Remodeling is an idea spinning through the minds of alot of homeowners from time to time. Updating the kitchen with new cabinet fronts, having a nice granite countertop, and new energy-efficient appliances, cork flooring are wonderful additions to a family life, both practically and esthetically. But should you do that just to sell a home? Will you recoup your dollars if you spent $50,000 plus on a more upscale kitchen? Your expectation might be that you can just "add it on" to what your house may be worth to the market. You want to get your money back out of your investment. Fair enough, right? Maybe not. We've all learned that "the market" is not always fair.

According to the Remodeling 2010-2011 Cost vs. Value Report (www.costvsvalue.com) Report, you can estimate about 74% resale value on a major kitchen remodel. For the Seattle market, they estimate about $64,000 cost, vs. $47,000 value when you sell it. A minor kitchen remodel costs less, estimated around $24,000 but the return of 74% is about the same.

Items that seem to mean the most as far as value to buyers and what you can retain the most in "resale" is a new front (steel) door, 107.7%; new vinyl windows, 78%; garage door replacement, 78%. The kitchen remodel is "up there" as far as resale value but it's probably not where you would expect it to be.

Think about how it will improve life for your family and for how long. If you live in a nice $200,000 home and think you can spend $50,000 on a kitchen and get that all back, you might be disappointed. Maybe a new ceramic backsplash, newer countertops and new appliances would suffice. So you want to make sure you can afford your project, and enjoy it.

On the other hand if you have a $700,000 waterfront home with a 1970's kitchen, you may want to invest $30,000 on a kitchen to update the home to meet the expectations of the marketplace buyers.

I would be happy to sit down with you (or find someone in your local market who is knowledgeable) and look at the report and look at your current home value so that you can make a good, sound decision that's right for you.

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Land of the Free

KJLange — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 17:29:00 GMT

This is one of my favorite paragraphs in the "Code of Ethics" for Realtors: "In the interpretation of this obligation, Realtors^® can take no safer guide than that which has been handed down through the centuries, embodied in the Golden Rule, Whatsoever ye would that others should do to you, do ye even so to them."

It makes me proud, yet humbled to be a Realtor. Not just a real estate agent, a Realtor. It represents an obligation outlines in these 2 paragraphs at the beginning of the Preamble:

"Under all is the land. Upon its wise utilization and widely allocated ownership depend the survival and growth of free institutions and of our civilization. Realtors^® should recognize that the interests of the nation and its citizens require the highest and best use of the land and the widest distribution of land ownership. They require the creation of adequate housing, the building of functioning cities, the development of productive industries and farms, and the preservation of a healthful environment.

Such interests impose obligations beyond those of ordinary commerce. They impose grave social responsibility and a patriotic duty to which Realtors^® should dedicate themselves, and for which they should be diligent in preparing themselves. Realtors^®, therefore, are zealous to maintain and improve the standards of their calling and share with their fellow Realtors^® a common responsibility for its integrity and honor.

Obligations beyond those of ordinary commerce. You get more than you expect, in other words.

On this 4th of July weekend, I remind myself and recommit to the patriotic duty of my work. I am thankful to be able to practice real estate. Times are tough for many and you might need someone on your side who listens, acts and negotiates in your best interest for positive solutions to your real estate needs.

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. A good rule for any business practice.

Happy 4th of July, America!

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Medical ID Theft:

KJLange — Sun, 01 May 2011 20:02:00 GMT

Have you been to a doctorï's office lately? They are asking for a photo ID nowadays and for good reason.

According to the FTC, you may be a victim of medical identity theft if:

· You get a bill for medical services you didn't receive

· A debt collector contacts you about a medical debt you do not owe

· You see medical collection notices you do not recognize on your credit report

· You attempt to make a health claim and you plan says youï¿½ve reached your benefit limit

· You are denied insurance because your medical records show a condition you don't have

Do what you can to prevent or at least minimize your risk.

Donï't give out personal or medical information on the phone or through mail/email unless you've intitiated the contact. Medical ID thieves pose as insurors, doctors' offices, clinics, pharmacies and even government agencies to get people to reveal their personal information.

Make sure any copies of your insurance and health records are in a secure place. Be careful, very careful, about sharing information online which requires your SSN (social security number), insurance account information or any personal information. Look for indicators that the site is secure. Look in your webrowswer status bar for ï¿½httpsï¿½ (instead of the usual ï¿½httpï¿½). And remember, email is not secure. It is by its very nature a third party communication.

Destroy labels on prescription bottles before throwing them away. Shred any health insurance forms, prescriptions and physician statements.

There are a few resources which can help you in your protection and detection.

Get a free annual credit report at www.ftc.gov/freereports or call 1-877-322-8228.

If you find inaccurate or fraudulent information, get it fixed or removed. To learn how go to www.ftc.gov/idtheft

In asking for a copy of your medical records, providers cannot deny you access. They may be fearful of violating HIPAA privacy right which are there to protect YOU. You have a right to know and if you're denied, you may appeal. Your provider should have a Notice of Privacy Practices which names a patient representative or ombudsman. If you're still denied after 30 days, you can file a complaint with the US Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights. Go to www.hhs.gov/ocr

This is just an overview. For further information about fraud filing, credit report flagging and your rights under HIPAA, go to www.ftc.gov and you'll find full information.

This can happen to anyone, at any age. If you know a neighbor or family member who might be easily confused by this, have a conversation with them. Young people are just beginning to familiarize themselves with the system might be just as vulnerable as a trusting senior citizen. One of the worst times you can learn of such an event on your credit is when you're applying for a mortgage.

You can bounce back from Medical Identity Theft. First you have to know you're a victim and then you need to go act on it. If you need help, we have a local resource in Kitsap County, the Crime Victim Assistance Center. An avid crime victim advocate, Tamra Ingwaldson, can be very helpful in these situations. You can reach her at 360-874-8270.

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Spring Cleaning: Yes, Even your Gutters

KJLange — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 08:13:00 GMT

Also, as I sip my coffee, all I can hear is the driving rain coming down on our roof
So that means our gutters are still getting a good workout and probably need some attention as well. It's good to make sure they're clear and in good repair.
When I was younger, you'd more likely find me up on a ladder doing this kind of work! I'd rather do that than vacuum!! But, I respect my limitations on a ladder and defer that to my husband.

So here are some tips from HouseLogic by someone who is described as a serial remodeler. Sounds like a good person to get a few tips from.

Taking care of the outside of your home and maintaining it certainly helps it keep it's value. When you decide to sell, you don't have to deal with a list of deferred maintenance issues and can focus on packing and sorting and all that goes into a move.

Life is Good!

~~Kj~~

Cleaning Rain Gutters

Article From HouseLogic.com

By: Pat Curry (Published: October 08, 2010)

Clean gutters to protect your siding and landscape plantings, and prevent thousands of dollars of damage to your foundation.

In a downpour, a clogged roof gutter sends a cascade of water down the side of your house, making canyons of your flowerbeds and saturating your foundation. Clean gutters of leaves and debris to help prevent damage to your landscaping and siding, and to head off expensive repairs to your foundation that may cost $10,000 or more.

How often to clean gutters

Clean gutters at least once a year-twice a year if you have overhanging trees. Also, clean clogged gutters after big storms. Clogs often occur where downspouts join the gutter system-check these areas closely.

How to clean gutters

ï¿½Wear a shirt with long sleeves. Wear rubber gloves.

ï¿½Have a good extendable ladder available. Standoff stabilizers (ladder "horns") are ideal to keep the ladder from damaging the gutter.

ï¿½Use a small plastic scoop to remove gunk. Buy a gutter scoop from the hardware store ($25) or try a child's sand shovel.

ï¿½Spare your lawn by dumping the stuff onto a plastic tarp.

ï¿½After you've cleared the muck, flush the gutters and downspouts with a garden hose-also a great way to spot any leaks.

Cost of a professional gutter cleaning

If climbing ladders is not your cup of tea, you can hire someone to do the job for you for between $50 and $250, depending on the size and height of your house.

Gutter covers

Interested in an ounce of prevention? You can slow clogging by installing gutter covers in the form of mesh screens, clip-on grates, or porous foam. However, the cost can be more than the gutters themselves and covers need regular maintenance to keep them clear. Expect to pay $6 to $8 per running foot for gutter covers, installed.

Serial remodeler Pat Curry is a former senior editor at BUILDER, the official magazine of the National Association of Home Builders, and a frequent contributor to real estate and home-building publications.

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Spring Cleaning: Where Do I Begin?

KJLange — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 08:05:00 GMT

We've been in our "new" house since September and it's time for Spring Cleaning.
Housecleaning is NOT my favorite pastime yet I always love it when it's done. As I sit here having my morning coffee, I think, "Where do I start?" I would much rather look at other people's homes and sell them than to clean my own! But I love our home and do take pride in taking care of it.

One of the things I did was buy a steam cleaner for our floors. It does a great job on ceramic and hardwood and there's no chemicals involved - just steam. I spoke with some floor people to make sure I knew what I was doing and I suggest you do the same.

So here are some tips from HouseLogic by someone who does her "spring cleaning" in the fall!

Taking care of your home and maintaining it certainly helps it keep it's value. When you decide to sell, you don't have to take 6 months to clean your house to 'get ready.'

Get the cleaning done early so when that spring sun actually comes out you can spend your time outdoors enjoying our spring and summer!

Spring Cleaning Guide

Article From HouseLogic.com

By: Alyson McNutt English (Published: September 30, 2009)

Make spring cleaning less of a chore by following these smarter--and mostly greener--tips for this annual rite of homeownership.

Spring cleaning is a time-honored tradition. After a long winter, you throw open the windows, let in fresh air, and scrub down the house. But modern spring cleaning presents challenges your grandmother never imagined. Today's homes are bigger, and the choice of cleaning supplies seemingly endless.

While you'll need to devote a day or two to this annual maintenance project, make it less of a chore by picking the right tools and methods. And by taking an environmentally friendly approach, you can also protect the well being of your family. Give this space-by-space cleaning guide a whirl this spring-or during any season, for that matter, when grime and clutter become unbearable.

Bathrooms

When it's time to get down and dirty, many people start with the bathroom (http://www.houselogic.com/articles/green-cleaning-products-for-the-bathroom/). Allen Rathey, founder of The Housekeeping Channel (http://www.housekeepingchannel.com/), says removing mineral deposits, rust, and such from toilets doesn't have to mean chemical warfare. Don rubber gloves and use a pumice stone to erase stubborn stains. If you want more scouring power, Rathey recommends mixing baking soda with acidic vinegar. The concoction is just as effective as conventional cleaners, and there are no toxic fumes to inhale. This approach works equally well on tub and shower stains.

Buy your supplies in bulk to save. A 64-ounce bottle of vinegar costs about $4; a 12-pound bag of baking soda, about $7. Both items can be used throughout the house. For just $1 you can mix equal parts vinegar and water in a 32-ounce spray bottle to make a terrific all-purpose surface cleaner. That's about $4 cheaper than buying a spray cleaner at the store.

Spring cleaning is the perfect time to extract dirt from porous grouted surfaces. For tile floors use your usual cleaner, but don't mop. Instead, run a wet/dry vac, which will suck contaminants out of the grout. Mopping drives the grime into the grout rather than removing it. According to Rathey, grout can harbor stinky bacteria that leave a bad odor in the bathroom. This technique is more time-consuming than mopping, but it's worthwhile to do at least once a year.

Kitchens

The kitchen (http://www.houselogic.com/articles/green-cleaning-products-for-the-kitchen/) can be a tough room to clean because there's usually so much stuff in it, says Justin Klosky, founder and creative director of The OCD Experience (http://www.ocdexperience.com), an organizational service. Before you break out the broom, go through your cabinets and drawers, and put together a box of items to donate and a box of items to store somewhere besides the kitchen. Clear your countertops of everything except items you use nearly every day.

After you've de-cluttered, you can get to work cleaning. Cloud Conrad, vice president of marketing for cleaning company Maid Brigade (http://www.maidbrigade.com), says one tool you shouldn't overlook is an all-purpose microfiber cloth (about $5). These aren't run-of-the-mill dusting rags. Microfiber is a densely woven synthetic fabric that picks up dirt and greasy deposits without chemicals thanks to its unique composition. You should be able to clean surfaces like countertops, sinks, and stoves with warm water, a microfiber cloth, and a bit of elbow grease, Conrad says.

Since you prepare your food in the kitchen, consider using green commercial products for surfaces, or make your own vinegar/water spray. Conventional cleaners may remove dirt, but they can also harbor some nasty substances you don't want in your PB&J. Microfiber, vinegar, and baking soda will clean and disinfect almost every kitchen surface at a fraction of the price. Don't neglect once-a-year chores like vacuuming refrigerator coils (unplug your fridge first), and tossing out expired food from the back of the pantry.

Bedrooms

Since bedrooms are such individual spaces, there's a lot of diversity in what needs to happen. Most homeowners should at least rotate and flip innerspring mattresses, and store out-of-season sheets and clothing. Also go through your closet, and donate or Freecycle (http://www.freecycle.com) items you haven't worn in the last 12 months. For carpets and mattresses, consider using a professional cleaning service. Figure a typical mattress will cost about $70-$90 to clean, a bargain considering how much time you spend in bed.

Even if you're getting your carpet professionally cleaned, you still need to break out the vacuum, says Leslie Reichert, owner of The Cleaning Coach (http://thecleaningcoach.us/). Use the hose attachment to get to the hidden particles along baseboards, under your bed, and in your curtains, favorite environments of dust mites. If you have a large-capacity dryer, throw curtains in on high heat for good measure to kill the little pests.

Living area

Another surface you should consider getting professionally cleaned is living room upholstery. It can be tricky to know exactly how to deep-clean different types of fabrics, says Rathey, especially if there are stains you can't quite identify. Costs vary widely depending on the size of the furniture piece and the quality and state of its covering, but a typical sofa might run $70-$90.

Microfiber cloths are great to use in the living area as well. Make sure you have cloths for each area of the house, though, so you're not cross-contaminating bathroom, kitchen, and living areas. Use a damp microfiber cloth to wipe down windows, wood, mirrors, the tops of bookshelves, ceiling fan blades, and even the plastic housing of electronics for a quick, chemical-free clean.

Alyson McNutt English has written about keeping a house healthy and clean for publications like Pregnancy, Conceive, and BobVila.com. A big believer in baking soda, vinegar, and microfiber, she likes to do her "spring cleaning" in the fall.

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SRES March Newsletter: Parental Dependence and Taxes

KJLange — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 09:50:00 GMT

Parental Dependence and Taxes
As the tax filing deadline nears, everyone is looking to save every last dime possible. If you're providing support for an elderly parent, you may be able to claim him or her as a dependent on your taxes.

It's always wise to check with a qualified tax professional about your individual circumstances, but Steven J. Elliott outlines some key rules you can review to determine whether you may qualify.

Income and support: A parent must have an income of $3,650 or less (excluding Social Security income and railroad retirement benefits) before you're able to claim him or her as a dependent. You also must be providing more than half of the parent's support. That can include costs, such as housing, food, and medicine.

Residency: Where the parents live is irrelevant, according to Elliott, a CPA and tax director with Schwartz & Co., in Bellmore, N.Y. They can live with a child, independently in an apartment, or reside in an assisted living facility, for instance. "Unlike the rules for many dependency exemptions, the parent doesn't have to be living in a claimant's home," he says.

Multiple support sources: Sometimes multiple siblings chip in to support a parent. Elliott says that if one sibling is providing more than one-half of a parent's support, only that sibling can claim the exemption.

But when multiple kids are contributing to a parent's support, they must decide among themselves who is going to claim the parent. "To be included in the possible pool to claim the dependency exemption, you have to be providing at least 10 percent of care," comments Elliott. No one can be providing more than 50 percent.

The sibling who claims the dependency exemption can change from year to year, as long as every group member provided at least 10 percent of the care costs.

The siblings who provide support but aren't claiming the exemption need to fill out IRS Multiple Support Declaration (IRS Form 2120), and the person taking the exemption needs to include it with his or her tax return.

For more information, see IRS Publication 501, Exemptions, Standard Deduction, and Filing Information. (www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p501.pdf)

Tax status: Claiming the dependency exemption sometimes can benefit one sibling more than another. For example, if someone is single and claims the parent as a dependent, his or her tax filing status changes to head of household, points out Elliott. "When they change their filing status from single to head of household, much more of their income is going to be taxed at lower rates. So they not only get the dependency exemption, they also get to change their filing status," Elliott comments.

Pitfalls: Elliott says there are no legal or tax pitfalls associated with the arrangement, but he has seen parents whose pride is wounded by becoming a dependent. He's also seen bickering among siblings about who claims the parent as a dependent.

Surrendering the keys, not independence

Giving up driving is a traumatic moment that signals the end of independence for some seniors. No longer being able to drive can also bring on isolation, boredom, and loneliness.

When it's time for an elderly parent or relative to surrender the car keys, having a plan in place for alternate transportation can ease the trauma.

Various Canadian and American public and private groups have tried to address the problem by developing ride sharing programs, offering free or discounted fares on public transit, and creating dial-a-ride services.

One, for example, the Independent Transportation Network (http://itnamerica.org/content/Overview.php), has started chapters across the United States, and it connects seniors needing rides with volunteer drivers. It charges a membership fee, and there are affiliates in big cities, such as in Chicago, Boston, and L.A. It's also taking root in smaller cities, including Racine, Wis., Davenport, Iowa, and Westbrook, Maine.

Additional resources:

The Beverly Foundation (www.beverlyfoundation.org)--The group aims to enhance mobility and transportation for seniors, and the site includes fact sheets, brochures, and reports about senior transit options.
Eldercare Locator (www.eldercare.gov/Eldercare.NET/Public/Index.aspx)--The site allows you to search by city or zip code for transportation options.
National Center on Senior Transportation (http://seniortransportation.easterseals.com/site/PageServer?pagename=NCST2_older)--It offers transit-related information and safe driving information geared to seniors.

Care giving

If you're the primary caregiver to an elderly relative, Elder 911 and Elder 411 (http://www.elder411.net) may make care giving easier. Elder 411 delivers 500-plus bits of advice and solutions to the routine problems caregivers encounter. And in a crisis, 911 guides you through the steps of managing an emergency, outlining who to call and what to ask, along with list of post-crisis strategies.
In Kitsap County, www.kare-wa.com is a tremendous resource of local professionals who can help you with planning for life transitions.

ASK ME FOR A SENIOR RESOURCE DIRECTORY.

Real estate

· Put the power of REALTOR.com^® (http://www.realtor.com/mobile) in your hand when you're searching for a new house in the United States or Canada. The app pulls housing data from more than 800 MLSs.

· All real estate is local so call on me, a local SRES professional to help meet your needs. 360.649.5413 or www.lifeisgoodinkitsap.com

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Homeowners Facing Foreclosure: How It Affects Your Credit Score

KJLange — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 08:45:00 GMT

Introduction from KJ: Facing foreclosure? You’re not alone and you can get through this part of your life. Keep in touch with your lender. Avoiding them doesn’t make it go away, nor does it make it easier. Take as good of care as your home as are financially able. Take care of your family. Get the advice of a real estate attorney who understands your family needs and how the system works. Foreclosure can give you feelings of failure and embarrassment and anger and sadness. It is a hard life experience you won’t want to repeat for sure. But you can get through it if you think in terms of moving forward. Iin a few years, you’ll get back on your feet and possibly wish to buy another home. If you have had a rough go for awhile, pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and get moving in the right direction. This article was researched and written by someone who has expertise in this field. For more information, please don't hesitate to call me 360.649.5413, or register here at my website and send me a message!

How Foreclosure Affects Your Credit Score

Article From HouseLogic.com

By: Jerry DeMuth
Published: June 11, 2010

Foreclosures--and how you handle them--may have long-term credit score implications.

The way you approach mortgage delinquency and possible foreclosure can have an effect on your credit score. Prudent handling of the problem can limit, although not eliminate, the damages.

Payment history makes up the largest portion--35%--of your FICO score. And the higher your credit score, the harder you will be hit by a foreclosure, or by whatever alternate route you take because becoming delinquent on your debts had not been a regular occurrence. That is, if you've been good until now, one late payment has a disproportionate effect.

The biggest negative hit comes with your first late payment. If you have a credit score of 780, your first late payment could reduce your score by 90 to 110 points. And if your score is 680, it could fall by 60 to 80 points, according to Barry Paperno, consumer operations manager for myFICO. With a second late payment, your score could be hit by another 50 or so points.

If the loan goes to foreclosure, still another 50 points could be knocked off your score. If your lender doesn't immediately report your late payment to the credit bureaus, the delay could make an even greater hit when it finally is reported.

Proper management of delinquency

However, with the first late payment on your mortgage, you can consider alternatives that may prevent you from going all the way to foreclosure, an event that probably will prevent you from buying another home with a mortgage for at least three to five years because of how lenders view a foreclosure and because your score will be so low.

A loan modification commonly is reported to the credit bureaus as "partial payments being accepted," which in terms of credit damage, is scarcely different from a 30-day late home. But you have a better chance of keeping your home and limiting damage to your credit score if you can get a trial modification under the federal government's Home Affordable Modification Program (http://www.houselogic.com/articles/making-home-affordable-modification-option/) (HAMP).

You should know that lenders use codes from the Consumer Data Industry Association (http://www.cdiaonline.org/) (CDIA) when reporting loans to credit bureaus, where they ultimately influence FICO scores. At first, the loan ends up generating an AC code, which indicates that partial payments are being made--not much help.

However, when that three-month trial period is successfully completed and the trial modification is converted to a permanent modification, the loan gets the CN code, which indicates the loan was modified under a federal government plan. This new CN code, which lenders are free to use or not use, does not currently affect the score because FICO has yet to assess its strength as a risk predictor, according to myFICO's Paperno.

Other loan modifications, such as those done under a lender's own program, may be or may not be reported as partial payments without violating the Fair Credit Reporting Act. In general, get some understanding of how the bank is going to be reporting any potential resolution, advises Paperno.

And as you live up to the terms of your new permanent modification, those late payments keep moving further into the past and the size of the dings on your credit score keep shrinking. At the same time, as you make your new, reduced payments on time, your score will begin rising. And because your new monthly payment is lower, your monthly debt obligation is lower as well, again helping raise your credit score.

Other choices and implications

As an alternative, a forbearance agreement requires you to make reduced "good faith" payments for two to six months to re-establish a positive payment history, after which you may have to resume your original monthly payments or continue reduced payments under a loan modification and sometimes immediately pay off the missed amounts. A forbearance agreement, as a partial payment program, would have the same impact on your credit score as a trial modification.

Other options include a deed-in-lieu of foreclosure, under which you turn ownership of your home to your lender, or a short sale, which is a sale for less than you owe but that is accepted by your lender as full payment. There are advantages to each, but Fair Isaac, developer of the FICO score, stresses that contrary to popular belief, foreclosure, short sale and deed-in-lieu will all have a similar impact on the your FICO score.

Other factors can affect credit scores and their ability to bounce back after any event, and you should check with a financial professional for the details in your particular situation.

State law also can affect your credit status. If, with a short sale, the proceeds are less than the amount of principal still owed, it could be treated as a charge-off and, in states that allow deficiency judgments, you could be on the hook for the difference.

If you are in the Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives (HAFA) program, the lender must agree not to come after you for the deficiency judgment. However, even in states where lenders can't come after you, the rules can be complex, so be sure to have a lawyer review your paperwork.

If a deed-in-lieu or short sale is reported as a charge-off, a "settled" debt, a "debt satisfied for less than the full amount" or as "not paid as agreed," the impact to your score could be the same as that caused by that first late payment. Ideally, you want your debt reported as "paid in full," "paid satisfactorily" or as a "total satisfaction of debt."

Generally, a deed-in-lieu, a short sale or a foreclosure, including those that occur after walking away from your home, are all reported the same. Once reported that's the end of it, except for the steps you will have to take to start rebuilding your credit score, and finding another place to live, which will have to be a rental property: You won't be able to get another mortgage for at least two years, and then only after getting your credit score up to at least 580 for an FHA-insured mortgage and 680 for a conventional mortgage.

Meanwhile, managers of large rental properties, who use credit reports and credit scores to determine whether potential renters are credit worthy, may hesitate to rent to you. So you should explore all your options in managing a mortgage delinquency.

Jerry DeMuth has written about mortgages and other financial issues for more than two decades for trade publications, major newspapers, and consumer magazines. His writing has received four awards and has been included in eight non-fiction books.

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Homebuyers: Home Finance Tips

KJLange — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 08:45:00 GMT

Introduction from KJ: We are all part of the FICO system, so it's good to know how it works. If you're thinking about buying a home, this is good basic information to know about your credit score. I am not a credit-fixer and tend to believe good credit comes from diligence and living within your means. How you handle your home finances matters. However, we all know life throws us a curve ball from time to time. Sometimes it's just "youth", right? If you have had a rough go for awhile, pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and get moving in the right direction. This article was researched and written by someone who has expertise in this field. For more information or a referral to a lender, please don't hesitate to call me 360.649.5413, or register here at my website and send me a message!

Improve Credit Score with These Home Finance Tips

Article From HouseLogic.com

By: Gwen Moran
Published: October 22, 2010

How you manage your home ownership finances affects your credit score--and your ability to refinance later.

Your credit score affects how much you'll pay for a mortgage or refinance-or even if you can get one at all. Master the six ways to manage home-related spending to keep your credit score braggingly high.

1. Postpone that refinance until your credit is squeaky clean

Even a small blemish on a credit report can cost you at closing. Money expert Denise Winston found that out firsthand: Her husband hadn't paid a $40 pager charge. The unpaid bill was turned over to a collection agency and ended up damaging his credit score.

Because of that one small unpaid bill, the interest rate on the couple's mortgage was 0.25% higher than if he'd had a clean score. Put another way, that's $13,000 over the life of the loan.

The lesson? Even small items can damage your financial position. Get your credit report beforehand to see if there's anything damaging. If so, consider postponing a refinance (http://www.houselogic.com/articles/mortgage-refinance-you-have-think-long-term/) or HELOC (http://www.houselogic.com/articles/consider-home-equity-line-of-credit/) (home equity line of credit) until small but potentially costly dings fade over time.

2. Pay your mortgage-now

Not all late payments are created equal: Almost nothing hits your credit score harder than a late mortgage payment. Payment history generally accounts for 35% of your credit score, which is bad enough, but credit score agencies consider late home payments graver than late credit card or car loan payments.

In fact, credit score agency VantageScore will knock off more than 100 points beyond what it would do for delinquent auto loans or credit cards.

But if you think you can improve your credit score with early payments, think again. Geoff Williams, co-author of Living Well with Bad Credit, says it may make a slightly positive impression on today's risk-averse lender, but it won't make a big difference in getting future credit.

3. Cool it on second mortgages and HELOCs

Drawing down a second mortgage or HELOC can have a negative impact on your credit score because 30% of your credit score is based on how much you owe to creditors. However, if you pay the loan on time, it will have less of an impact, says Winston.

Also, you can mitigate the credit score damage of a HELOC by staying within 30% of the limit.

4. Protect your mortgage to protect your insurance rates

Late payments on your mortgage may also affect your home owners and automobile insurance rates, potentially costing you hundreds of dollars a year, says Williams. Insurers may assume that if you're strapped for cash and pay your bills late, you're more likely to file a claim because you need the money.

5. Pay your utility bills and property taxes on time

If you're late on your utility bills and your account is assigned to a collection agency, that agency may report it, causing a drop in your credit score, says Winston. The good news is that utility companies often don't bother to report late bills to credit bureaus until your delinquency becomes serious.

Interestingly, late payment of property taxes won't affect your credit score unless you find yourself with a lien on your property. Since liens are public records, they may appear on your credit report and might cause a drop in your credit score.

6. Refinancing? Beware of taking out equity, too

Refinancing your home generally won't have an impact on your credit score as long as you continue to pay your loan on time, says Williams. However, if you extract equity in the deal, you could marginally affect your credit score because the amount you owe will increase.

Gwen Moran is a freelance business and finance writer from the Jersey shore. She's the co-author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Business Plans and writes frequently about real estate.

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Homebuyers: 7 Tips for Improving your Credit

KJLange — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 08:45:00 GMT

Introduction from KJ: . I am not a credit-fixer and tend to believe good credit comes from diligence and living within your means. However, we all know life throws us a curve ball from time to time. Sometimes it's just "youth", right? If you have had a rough go for awhile, pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and get moving in the right direction. A good lender who thinks of you as a long-term client and cares about your future can give you a map on what it would take to qualify for various mortgage products. This article was researched and written by someone who has expertise in this field. For more information or a referral to a lender, please don't hesitate to call me 360.649.5413, or register here at my website and send me a message!

7 Tips for Improving Your Credit

Article From BuyAndSell.HouseLogic.com

By: G. M. Filisko
Published: February 25, 2010

Here's how to clean up your credit so you get the least-expensive home loan possible.

Getting the loan that suits your situation at the best possible price and terms makes homebuying easier and more affordable. Here are seven ways to boost your credit score so you can do just that.

1. Know your credit score

Credit scores range from 300 to 850, and the higher, the better. They're based on whether you've paid personal loans, car loans, credit cards, and other debt in full and on time in the past. You'll need a score of at least 620 to qualify for a home loan and 740 to get the best interest rates and terms.

You're entitled to a free copy of your credit report annually from each of the major credit-reporting bureaus, Equifax (http://www.equifax.com), Experian (http://www.experian.com), and TransUnion (http://www.transunion.com). Access all three versions of your credit report at www.annualcreditreport.com (http://www.annualcreditreport.com). Review them to ensure the information is accurate.

2. Correct errors on your credit report

If you find mistakes on your credit report, write a letter to the credit-reporting agency explaining why you believe there's an error. Send documents that support your case, and ask that the error be corrected or removed. Also write to the company, or debt collector, that reported the incorrect information to dispute the information, and ask to be copied on any materials sent to credit-reporting agencies.

3. Pay every bill on time

You may be surprised at the damage even a few late payments will have on your credit score. The easiest way to make a big difference in your credit score without altering your spending habits is to diligently pay all your bills on time. You'll also save money because you'll keep the money you've been spending on late fees. Credit card or mortgage companies probably won't report minor late payments, those less than 30 days overdue, but you'll still have to pay late fees.

4. Use credit carefully

Another good way to boost your credit score is to pay your credit card bills in full every month. If you can't do that, pay as much over your required minimum payment as possible to begin whittling away the debt. Stop using your credit cards to keep your balances from increasing, and transfer balances from high-interest credit cards to lower-interest cards.

5. Take care with the length of your credit

Credit rating agencies also consider the length of your credit history. If you've had a credit card for a long time and managed it responsibly, that works in your favor. However, opening several new credit cards at once can lower the average age of your accounts, which pushes down your score. Likewise, closing credit card accounts lowers your available credit, so keep credit cards open even if you're not using them.

6. Don't use all the credit you're offered

Credit scores are also based on how much credit you use compared with how much you're offered. Using $1,000 of available credit will give you a lower score than having $1,000 of available credit and using $100 of it. Occasionally opening new lines of credit can boost your available credit, which also affects your score positively.

7. Be patient

It can take time for your credit score to climb once you've begun working to improve it. Keep at it because the more distance you put between your spotty payment history and your current good payment record, the less damage you'll do to your credit score.

Other web resources

How FICO scores are calculated (http://www.myfico.com/CreditEducation/WhatsInYourScore.aspx)

Answers to frequently asked credit report questions (https://www.annualcreditreport.com/cra/helpfaq)

G.M. Filisko is an attorney and award-winning writer who keeps a close eye on her credit scores. A frequent contributor to many national publications including Bankrate.com, REALTOR® Magazine, and the American Bar Association Journal, she specializes in real estate, business, personal finance, and legal topics.

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Homebuyers: Spiff up your Knowledge of Credit

KJLange — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 08:45:00 GMT

Introduction from KJ: We are all part of the FICO system, so it's good to know how it works. If you're thinking about buying a home, this is good basic information to know about your credit score. I am not a credit-fixer and tend to believe good credit comes from diligence and living within your means. However, we all know life throws us a curve ball from time to time. Sometimes it's just "youth", right? If you have had a rough go for awhile, pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and get moving in the right direction. This article was researched and written by someone who has expertise in this field. For more information or a referral to a lender, please don't hesitate to call me 360.649.5413, or register here at my website and send me a message!

How FICO Credit Scores Work

Article From HouseLogic.com

Published: October 14, 2010

Buying a house, refinancing it, getting a loan, getting a job--they're all dependent on your FICO credit score. It pays to learn how it's calculated.

Credit scores seem shrouded in mystery: The agencies that collect the data and create the credit scores jealously guard their systems. Nevertheless, you can manage and even improve your FICO credit score (http://www.myfico.com) -the best-known credit score-by understanding the basics.

How are FICO credit scores computed?

FICO uses five broad categories to calculate credit scores, and each category is weighted accordingly:

Payment History 35% Amounts owed 30% Length of credit history 15% New credit 10% Types of credit in use (is it a "healthy" mix?) 10%

Why are there three FICO credit scores?

There are three main bureaus that collect data on your credit history: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. FICO takes data from each credit bureau and runs it through its system. This leads to three different FICO credit scores because:

ï¿½Each agency may have information one or both of the others don't have. For example, a collection agency may have reported a bad debt to only one of them.

ï¿½Errors that occur just in one agency's data may affect that agency's results, but not the results from the other two.

And to make it even more complex, many lenders augment their credit decisions by adding particular criteria they want to consider.

Also, although FICO is the best-known credit score, there are many others. Some lenders generate their own credit scores using data from the same three credit bureaus. Experian, in fact, has developed its own scoring system separate from FICO.

However, FICO remains the most common; when big lenders refer to your credit scores, they're usually referring to the FICO scores.

Why can a credit check by itself reduce a FICO credit score?

FICO's research shows that more credit shopping, resulting in more inquiries, correlates with a higher risk of future default. However, multiple queries in a short period for one purpose-such as when you're shopping for a HELOC-would count as only one inquiry.

The FICO score ignores any mortgage, student loan, or auto loan inquiries made within the previous 30 days. The system limits itself to inquiries made in the 11 months before that, and reduces similar inquires within any 45-day window to a single inquiry. For example, if you approach five banks over two weeks on a HELOC, it will only count as one inquiry.

The inquiry formulas can get rather complex; the FICO site (http://www.myfico.com/CreditEducation/CreditInquiries.aspx) has more details.

How long does major negative information stay on my credit report?

Generally, the impact of adverse information on a FICO score lessens over time.

Foreclosures 7 years, with rebound beginning in as little as 2 years. Deeds in lieu (http://www.houselogic.com/articles/foreclosure-alternative-deed-lieu/) and short sales (http://www.houselogic.com/articles/foreclosure-alternative-short-sale/) 7 years-they usually appear on credit reports as foreclosures. Late payments 7 years. It doesn't matter what the late payments are for. Recent late payments hit your credit score harder than older ones, and the amount and frequency of the late payments are also factors. Bankruptcies 7 years (10 years for "full discharge of debt"-i.e., if you're absolved of your full debt, the bankruptcy stays on your credit report for 10 years). Because they often involve more than one account, bankruptcies generally have a greater negative impact on your credit score compared with a foreclosure, short sale, or deed in lieu.

How does loan modification affect my FICO credit score?

Until November 2009, if you were in a loan modification (http://www.houselogic.com/articles/making-home-affordable-modification-option/) program, your credit report likely notes that you have made only a partial payment. This significantly lowered your FICO score.

However, in modifications made since November 2009, the credit reporting system was changed to reduce the credit score hit. But as of October 2010 FICO hadn't completely bought into this system and may at some point decide that everyone in a loan modification program, whether under new or old rules, deserves a significantly lower score.

For now, your best bet is to obtain your free credit reports, as noted later in this article, and see how your particular situation was reported and handled.

Do reductions in credit card or HELOC limits affect my credit score?

The impact will be unique for each consumer. The FICO formula considers many aspects of your balances and behaviors, including whether you have a high percentage of available credit at the time the report was pulled.

For example, if you have high debt and use a substantial proportion of your available credit, you're at a greater risk. Opening a new credit card to increase available credit, after another card was reduced, may backfire and reduce your credit score.

Do lenders have to tell me if they're basing a quote on my bad credit score?

New regulations taking effect in 2011 require lenders to tell you if they're giving you a particularly high interest rate or other less favorable loan term than other borrowers who qualify for the best deals. In the past, the lenders may not have told you that you were getting an especially high rate-you were penalized without knowing it.

Starting in January, you'll be forewarned.

Then if your credit score is lower than you expected, you can investigate it-maybe it's just an outdated report or a simple mix-up. At least you'll know the deal before signing on the dotted line.

But don't wait until you apply for a loan to discover your credit is a mess. By law, you can get a free report from each agency once a year at Annualcreditreport.com (http://www.annualcreditreport.com). (And no, this isn't the company advertising with the slacker band on TV.) This is the only site authorized by the Federal Trade Commission to provide free reports.

However, these reports don't include your FICO scores. You can purchase TransUnion and Equifax FICO scores from MyFico.com for $15.95 each. (Experian continues to provide a FICO score to lenders but no longer sells its score on a retail basis.) Some consumers will qualify for free FICO scores starting in mid-2011 or early 2012.

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Kitchens, Kids and What's Important to My Customers

KJLange — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 18:18:00 GMT

I have been known to notice small details about a person which gives me better understanding. Those insights into others can make me more compassionate and understanding providing one of my character flaws isn't rearing it's ugly head.

Being in sales challenges me to keep my character flaws in check and to be kind and understanding. All those little one-liners often prove to be true, not the least of which is, "you get more with honey than vinegar." Those one-liners are often homespun from grandmas and aunts working in kitchen in eras gone by but still hold true today. A kitchen is often the ïhub' of the home, the operational area of the woman who keeps things humming around the homestead. It still is true in homes today, in different ways.

Groceries are sorted and prepared in the kitchen. Breakfast cereals and milk is poured in the kitchen. Family meals are prepared in the kitchen. Company seems to congregate in the kitchen. Holiday meals especially make the kitchen more a part of the family's fabric. The family calendars often hang in the kitchen. Telephones are in the kitchen. Fingers get cleaned, band-aids applied and kissed in the kitchen. Moms watch the kids in the backyard from the kitchen window. Parents have their morning coffee in the quiet of the early morning in the kitchen. In many homes, it is the nerve center of the family's existence.

Last weekend I held an open house for a great couple who listed their home with me, of all people. It's such a privilege to be a part of this process in their life. We were one of the fortunate teams as we received an offer in the first week the listing was on the market. Without going into all the details, I was moved that the most important thing to the woman was keeping the curtains in the kids' room and those in the kitchen. She thought she could replace them but she just really likes these. I think it's because it's a part of this house. It's a part of a house she fell in love and has nurtured and cared for it for the past four years alongside her husband.

Of all the things we could want, of all that could be important, to her it is the curtains.

As I walked around their home, I noticed something that tugged at my sentimental heartstrings. Something that I once moved away from and left behind in a house. It's often part of a growing family. A measurement of growth, a marker of personal history for the children in the home.

It was the door way markings of height by date.

"Linda02/05" (not her real name)

The marking was followed upward by a series of other names and dates for three children. They are children of a Navy Chief who was blessed to have seen all three of his children born, not a claim a lot of service personnel can make. They are also children of a loving and sturdy wife who has moved a number of times and reared children and clearly taken care of their homes.

They thought they would stay in this house and they treated it as such. They cared for it. They improved it. They loved it.

Now the Navy has changed their call to duty. So they will find another home on the opposite shore of this great country and begin the markings again on another kitchen doorway because children keep growing, parents keep loving and those who serve, keep serving.

Being in this business is a privilege. I hope to never forget that and why I pledge to always "See Real Estate Through Your Eyes." Seeing through my customers eyes will always give me more understanding than trying to get my needs met or meet my personal goals.

kjlange

(Originally Written on my Active Rain Blog 9/5/2007)

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Mold: DIY or Hire a Pro?

KJLange — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 08:53:00 GMT

While I love writing original content for readers, sometimes I find things that are already researched and well-written such as this series of articles regarding "Mold". It's not a fun subject but here in the Pacific Northwest, you should educate yourself about it. Of course, some have to learn the hard way, but maybe this time you won't.

This article was written by Karin Beuerlein who has covered home improvement and green living topics extensively for www.HGTV.com, www.FineLiving.com, and www.FrontDoor.com.

In more than a decade of freelancing, she's also written for dozens of national and regional publications, including Better Homes & Gardens and the Chicago Tribune. She wrote this article for the National Association of Realtors, of which I am a member.

-Kj Lange

Get Rid of Mold: DIY or Hire a Pro?

By: Karin Beuerlein

Hereï¿½s how to tell if you can get rid of mold yourself or if you need a professional.

Everyday mold

Spores thrive on moisture, so expect it to grow in areas that get and stay wet.

Bathrooms with poor ventilation, especially shower ceilings and tile grout lines

Around kitchen and mudroom sinks

Along thresholds of exterior doors

Basements near hot water heaters and sump pumps

Everyday solutions

If you can see it, you probably can get rid of it with a little elbow grease, soap, and water. More stubborn forms usually succumb to a solution of 1:9 bleach-to-water. Spray and wipe.

If youï¿½ve better things to do than hunt spores, cure the moisture problems that foster growth. Throw open a window or run the bathroom fan after you shower or bathe. Thoroughly dry sinks and surrounding tile after washing dishes. Periodically clean and dry basement moisture-prone areas.

Problem mold

If you find spores growing on drywall, studs, and subflooring--especially if the area exceeds 10 sq. ft.--then youï¿½ve got a bona fide mold problem.

Donï¿½t bother buying a hardware store petri-dish kit, which claims to help identify airborne mold: it doesn't. The kits might grow some spores for you--theyï¿½re always present in indoor air--but the kits canï¿½t guarantee that a statistically significant number of spores are flying around, and they donï¿½t confirm the presence of dead spores (they can be harmful, too) or determine baseline levels in order to compare results after remediation.

To get rid of mold that you suspect is serious, your best bet is an independent consultant with credentials.

Karin Beuerlein has written about home improvement for Better Homes & Garden, HGTV.com, FineLiving.com, and FrontDoor.com.

First Published: October 13, 2010

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Mold: Prevent Costly Damage to Your Home

KJLange — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 14:53:00 GMT

I do love writing original content for readers, but sometimes I find things that are already researched and well-written such as this series of articles regarding "Mold". It's not a fun subject but here in the Pacific Northwest, you should educate yourself about it. Of course, some have to learn the hard way, but maybe this time you won't.

This article was written by Karin Beuerlein who has covered home improvement and green living topics extensively for www.HGTV.com, www.FineLiving.com, and www.FrontDoor.com.

-Kj Lange

10 Ways to Prevent Costly Mold Damage to Your Home

By: Karin Beuerlein

Fixing mold damage can be one of the most expensive repairs you'll ever perform on your home, so here's how to prevent it.

Eliminate clutter

1. Pare down your stuff. "Clutter creates microclimates where humidity is higher than the ambient humidity in the room," says Jason Yost, owner of Solutions Indoor Environmental Consulting in Terre Haute, Ind. "Mold develops because clutter blocks airflow, and your HVAC system can't process air properly."

2. Don't obstruct air return and supply grilles with furniture or draperies. Surfaces adjacent to grilles cool to temperatures well below your thermostat setting and well below the dew point for the room, meaning condensation is likely.

Control the indoor climate

Mold problems often emerge in summer, when outside air tends to be humid. (If you have a window air conditioning unit, baseboard heating, or other localized devices and suspect you have moisture problems, consult an HVAC or mold inspection professional for guidance.)

3. Keep the thermostat set at a moderate level in summer. Set it too high, and the air conditioner won't run often enough to dehumidify your air effectively; set it too low, and you create cold surfaces where water vapor can condense.

To maximize energy efficiency, most electric utilities recommend setting the thermostat around 78 degrees F; this setting is also optimal for preventing moisture problems.

4. Never keep windows or doors open while the air conditioner is on. This introduces humid outside air into a sharply cooler environment, which can cause condensation. When you go on vacation, don't bump the thermostat up to 85 degrees--or, worse, turn the air conditioning off entirely. That tiny utility bill savings would be dwarfed by the cost of a mold remediation if your indoor air weren't sufficiently dehumidified. (Eighty degrees is recommended; if you have a window unit, leave it on at the lowest setting.)

5. Make sure your air-conditioning unit is properly sized for your house. Some HVAC contractors recommend oversized units for quick cooling, but this might remove less humidity from the air. Consult Energy Star to find out what size unit you really need.

6. Supplement an old air-conditioning unit that isn't removing as much moisture with a dehumidifier.

Monitor moisture

To see if you need a dehumidifier, measure humidity--the amount of water vapor in the air compared with the total amount it can hold. Start with an under-$20 monitor from various online retailers, Yost says. More sophisticated and expensive models--ranging from $45 to $300--have remote sensors that simultaneously track several rooms all over the house, which is useful if you have basements, crawl spaces, or other areas that you don't visit often.

An ideal indoor reading is between 35% and 50% relative humidity; in very humid climates in the height of summer, you may get readings closer to 55%. But if you reach 60% relative humidity, it's time to look for the source of the moisture. Above 70% relative humidity, certain species of mold can begin growing on surfaces even if water isn't visible.

7. If you get a high humidity reading, check your air conditioner first.

Is it set to the proper temperature?
Is it cycling on and off periodically?
Does it blow cold air when it reaches the set point?

8. Check that the condensate drain pipe (the narrow white pipe sticking out the side) is dripping regularly. If it isn't, the pipe is blocked, water may be accumulating inside the unit, or the unit isn't working correctly. If you suspect a problem, call your HVAC professional.

9. If the air conditioner isn't the issue, look for signs of standing water or chronically damp soil in your crawl space or basement or near your foundation.

10. If you have a crawl space, make sure you have a plastic vapor barrier covering the dirt floor and that it's intact. Moisture below the house affects the humidity indoors by infiltrating unsealed penetration points, such as where electrical conduits and plumbing enter the house. Water can even diffuse through plywood and finished flooring--and you won't necessarily see wet spots when this happens.

Find a qualified pro

If you can't find the moisture problem on your own, or you aren't sure how to correct a problem you do find, it's a good idea to call a home inspector or indoor air quality consultant. Look for credentials from a respected industry organization, such as the American Society of Home Inspectors or the Indoor Air Quality Association. A house call will likely run $250 or more.

Keep in mind the mold field is largely unregulated, so there are few industry norms for pricing.

Mold and insurance

Mold remediation isn't necessarily covered by homeowners insurance, which typically pays only if the problem results from a sudden emergency already covered on your policy, such as a burst pipe. Insurance usually doesn't pay if the problem results from deferred maintenance or floodwaters (unless you have flood insurance).

Water emergencies

A note about emergency situations: If you have a flood or a leaking or burst pipe, act immediately to remove the water and run a dehumidifier--don't wait for an insurance adjuster, inspector, or water extraction/mold remediation company to arrive. But take photos or video of any damage for your insurer.

The main thing to remember is to monitor moisture before problems develop--and if something seems wrong, don't hesitate to call for professional help.

Karin Beuerlein has covered home improvement and green living topics extensively for HGTV.com, FineLiving.com, and FrontDoor.com. In more than a decade of freelancing, she's also written for dozens of national and regional publications, including Better Homes & Gardens and the Chicago Tribune. She and her husband started married life by remodeling the house they were living in. They still have both the marriage and the house, no small feat.

Article first Published: November 18, 2009

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SRES Monthly Newsletter - January 2011

KJLange — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 13:44:00 GMT


SRES Monthly Newsletter KJ Lange, SRES January, 2011	www.lifeisgoodinkitsap.com

Memoirs Capture Family Lore By Elyse Umlauf-Garneau

A hand-written recipe. A doodle. A voice.

All such things bring a flood of memories and a slice of joy when families reminisce about a loved one.

Corina Kellam found a way to package those memories into something that can be held, heard and read. Her company, Life History Books (http://www.lifehistorybooks.com), produces family memoirs that capture the fundamental nature of a person or family.

The process starts with personal historians who interview individuals or multiple family members. Life Books then produces a memoir based on those conversations.

The finished product can include not only a written history, but also audio and video clips and family artifacts.

"Each book is custom and has a different flavor and personality," Kellam says.

Life Books produces both memoirs for living people and tribute books for family members no longer living that uncover personality traits, quirky stories, and the things that a family or person value most.

"It's pretty rare that a family gets together to reminisce and answer the really big questions," comments Kellam. Personal historians interview family members either in person or by phone and ask about those topics that routinely get lost in the day-to-day shuffle.

Questions, both big and small, address everything from the benchmark events in people's adult life, who their role models and mentors were, what they found surprising or difficult about marriage, along with what they'd change if they could, as well as wisdom they'd like to impart to the next generation.

Lighter fare is part of the process too. Interviews explore funny family incidents, how nicknames and holiday tradition emerged and what people's favorite toys and food were during childhood. In doing the books, Kellam routinely uncovers interesting family lore.

One woman, for example, talked about tossing a pillow out a hotel window at a cute boy she saw walking by. That's the way a grandmother described meeting her husband. Others reveal what it meant to them to be a father, struggles they faced while growing up, and what informs their political and religious values.

Clients can review and edit the content, choose the book's overall aesthetic, colors and fonts, and provide family treasures, such as photos and recipes, letters and postcards, family trees, artwork, marriage licenses, and so forth, to scan and incorporate.

An array of packages and prices are available and range from $950 to $3,200. A one-person memoir, for example, starts at $950 and a tribute package, featuring audio and video and interviews with up to 12 subjects, sits at the top of the range.

The concept dovetails well with societal changes, some of which have been brought on by the recession, believes Kellam. "People are drawing into their families, thinking about what's important, respecting older people, and getting their traditions down," Kellam observes. " I do think there's been a shift in values and that the family is being valued more highly than it was before."

Mobile Apps

Whether you just got a smartphone or you're a long-time user, here are some nifty apps to help you manage life more easily on the fly.

Convenience and personal safety

At some point, everyone pats down pockets and realizes that a cell phone has gone missing. Phone-finding apps generate a map to locate lost or stolen phones. Two options are http://sites.google.com/site/alienmanfc6/wheresmyandroid for Androids and http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/find-my-iphone/id376101648?mt=8 for iPhones.
Find Wi-Fi hotspots around the world with http://www.wefi.com or http://www.jiwire.com/iphone
When you encounter an emergency, panic alarms apps can bring help and deter criminals. Some examples include http://www.brite-strike.com/I-PHONE.html and http://www.adducestudios.com/apps/panic.

Care giving

If you're the primary caregiver to an elderly relative, Elder 911 and Elder 411 (http://www.elder411.net) may make care giving easier. Elder 411 delivers 500-plus bits of advice and solutions to the routine problems caregivers encounter. And in a crisis, 911 guides you through the steps of managing an emergency, outlining who to call and what to ask, along with list of post-crisis strategies.
iTriage (http://www.itriagehealth.com) offers something of a self-diagnosis tool for common health ailments. It also provides location-based information about nearby pharmacies and the closest emergency rooms and doctors.
Use Mpassport (http://www.mpassport.com/support.cfm) to find doctors, hospitals, pharmacies, and clinics in foreign countries. The app also helps with medical term translation.
In Kitsap County, www.kare-wa.com is a tremendous resource of local professionals who can help you with planning for life transitions.

Money

Manage you dough on the go. Mint (http://www.mint.com/how-it-works/anywhere/) gathers financial data from all your accounts, including checking, savings, investments, and loans. It gives you a full picture of your financial life and a way to track investments and keep an eye on expenses and budgets.
If Mint tells you there's disposable cash, use Radlser (http://redlaser.com) to scan an item's barcode to see where it's being sold for a rock-bottom price. The app does other things too. Scan a book and Redlaser can tell you whether it's available in a nearby library. Scan a food product and find out whether it contains an array of common allergens, such as gluten, peanuts, and so forth.

Travel

· Parlez-vous anglais? No? Translation apps, like Google Translate (http://www.androidapps.com/tech/apps/309953-google-translate-google-inc), probably won't help you carry on a philosophical discussion about Sartre, but they'll feed you the words to locate the right subway stop and the nearest loo. World Nomads (http://journals.worldnomads.com/language-guides/) offers language guides and mobile phrases in less known languages, such as Turkish, Greek, Malay, and Arabic.

Wonder how that purchase in Euros or Yen will appear on your credit card bill next month? Quickly find the exchange rate with a currency converter, such as http://www.xe.com/iphone.
Book a taxi without dialing a phone. Taxi Magic (http://taximagic.com/) lets you hail a cab, track its arrival, and charge the ride to your credit card. It works in major cities, including Chicago, Dallas, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, and San Diego.
Lighten your paper load during trips by relying on TripIt (http://www.tripit.com/uhp/mobile) to track itinerary details, get maps and directions, link to airlines, and find hotels and restaurants in your vacation venue.

Food and fun

· There's no reason to get stuck gnawing on carrot sticks and drinking water because you can't find dining spots that accommodate your allergies. Use http://glutenfreepassport.com/mobile-apps/ to locate safe restaurant food.

· Find restaurants and make dinner reservations on the go with Open Table (http://www.opentable.com/mobile). The app gives you access to more than 15,000 restaurants in the United States, Canada, and United Kingdom.

· Wonder what all that jargon means that you read or hear from grandkids or co-workers? Find out what they're really saying by using Urban Dictionary Definitions, (http://www.beardedpony.com/applications.htm).

Real estate

· All real estate is local so call on me, a local SRES professional to help meet your needs. 360.649.5413 or www.lifeisgoodinkitsap.com

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Responsible Homeownership, Strong Communities

KJLange — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 21:24:00 GMT

We've seen alot of stories and many live in neighborhoods where foreclosures exist and in some cases, persist. Foreclosures are of interest to all homeowners. We all want to protect our home value and live in a strong community. Many housing studies show that homeownership is good. This article from HouseLogic of the National Association of Realors talks about 'responsible homeownership.'
There are resources for those struggling homeowners who truly want to make it work to be in their home and stay in it long term.

Sometimes the most successful appointments I have is talking to a client about keeping their home. A third party such as a Realtor, can be very helpful in outlining your options. Selling isn't always the best thing. But if it is your best choice, give me a call. 360.649.5413 Life is good in Kitsap! | Kj |

It Pays to Support Responsible Homeownership

By: Dona DeZube

Published: September 8, 2009

Helping others become homeowners protects your home's value and builds stronger communities.

When people move from renting to owning a home, they're more likely to vote, get involved in community groups, and care about their home's appearance. The children of homeowners do 23% better in school, according to a 2001 study by Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies. And a steady flow of first-time homebuyers makes it easier to sell your own starter home when you're ready to move up to a larger property.

Make housing affordable

One way to make more people homeowners is to make housing more affordable. All U.S. homeowners benefit from policies like the mortgage interest tax deduction. Many use government-backed mortgage insurance to lower loan costs. A variety of public and private programs offer low-cost loans and downpayment assistance to help Americans become homeowners. Help prospective homeowners save a downpayment by donating to sites like EARN, a non-profit that uses donations to match funds saved by low-wage earners.

Reduce foreclosures and preserve home value

Foreclosure matters because it hurts all homeowners. In 2009, foreclosures will cause property values to decline an average of $7,200 for about 70 million homeowners, resulting in a $502 billion loss in home equity, the Center for Responsible Lending estimates. Each foreclosure within 1/8th of a mile of your home lowers your property value about 0.744 percent, CRL says.

"One of the sad lessons of the [recent past] is that we aren't alone," says Nicolas P. Retsinas, director of the JCHS. "It's clear that if the family next door loses their home to foreclosure, my home's value will go down. Therefore, I have a vested interest in ensuring that people become homeowners and that homeownership is sustained over time."

One effective tool against foreclosure is educating homeowners before they buy. The Joint Center found that loan delinquencies fell 13% with homeownership counseling. People who go through pre-purchase and post-purchase counseling and learn about mortgages, family budgeting, and home maintenance are less apt to face foreclosure, says Michael Berti, senior homeownership specialist at the Rural Ulster Preservation Company in Kingston, N.Y.

Support groups that help homeowners

One way to do your part to help other homeowners is by donating your time or money to some of the many non-profits that promote responsible homeownership.

Habitat for Humanity partners with new homeowners to build affordable housing. Habitat homes aren't free. Homeowners work hundreds of hours, get homeownership counseling, and make mortgage payments.

The United Way supports many local programs that build affordable housing, help families build financial assets, and teach financial management skills. If you donate to United Way, you can direct your contribution to those causes.

HomeownershipSF, in San Francisco, tries to intervene where people facing foreclosure have the resources to catch up on their loan. If "the home can't be saved, we try to get a first-time homebuyer we've worked with into the home as quickly as possible to stabilize the neighborhood," says Interim Director Christi Baker.

Government programs support homeownership

Supporting federal state, and local programs that help create homeowners is another way you can expand responsible and affordable homeownership.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the Federal Housing Authority provide mortgage loan insurance or guarantees that let people buy homes with only a small downpayment and borrow at lower interest rates.

Government-sponsored groups Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and government-run Ginnie Mae buy and securitize mortgage loans made by banks, freeing up money, so banks can keep lending.

Sites like Govtrack and RollCall help you stay on top of laws that affect homeowners.

HUD's HOME program provides financial support to state and local housing authorities to build and renovate for-sale and rental housing for lower-income Americans.

In U.S. cities of all sizes, the HOPE VI program has funded plans to replace deteriorating public housing with new low-rise, mixed-income homes. These developments sell most homes at market rates, but designate a percentage for use by low-income homeowners.

How to get involved

You can support responsible homeownership in many ways. Retired construction contractors France and Bill Moriarity travel the country in their RV managing Habitat construction projects. "We like it because it's a hand up, not a hand out," France Moriarity says. Habitat volunteers don't need construction skills and can sign up to work as little as one day at a time. Groups can volunteer together. Organizations like Rebuilding Together and NeighborWorks America sponsor once yearly volunteer events that help lower-income homeowners repair their homes.

In San Francisco, Gregg Lynn convinced 150 people from his professional network to donate a percentage of their income to EARN. Follow his lead by asking your professional network, trade association, or social group to contribute.

Dona DeZube has been writing about real estate for over two decades. She lives a suburban Baltimore 1970s rancher on a 3-acre lot shared with possums, raccoons, foxes, a herd of deer, and her blue-tick hound.

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Heating Equipment: Repair or Replace

KJLange — Sat, 23 Oct 2010 21:31:00 GMT

As we go around today and make sure all the windows are buttoned up and everything outside is buttoned down in the wind, it's great to check your heating equipment. If you have a central furnace unit, it's a great idea to have it serviced and cleaned, especially if you have oil heat. Other types of heat should be check to make sure it's working and heating the way it should. Make sure switches are working. If you have any questions about it's operation, and diagnosing is not your strength, have an expert take a look at it. The winds are here so stay warm!

Heating Equipment: Repair or Replace?

By: Oliver Marks

Published: September 24, 2009

The decision to repair or replace heating equipment depends on its age, the cost of repair, and how much money a more efficient system will save you.

Think safety first

If the problem presents a safety hazard, replacement is a no-brainer. For example, if your furnace has a cracked heat exchanger—the metal wall between the burning fuel and the air it's heating—poisonous carbon monoxide gas could work its way into the household air supply, something you don't want to risk. Other problems, like faulty electronics and stuck valves, can be repaired, which means you'll need to do a cost-benefit analysis.

Consider the typical lifespan

A 2007 study by the National Association of Home Builders and Bank of America found that furnaces for forced-air systems last an average of 15 to 20 years; boilers for hot-water radiators and baseboards last 13 to 21 years. So start by dating your system. Some technicians write the year the equipment was installed directly on the unit. Otherwise, when the machine is off and cool, look for a metal identification plate, usually on the inside of chamber door. Record the model and serial numbers from the plate, then call the manufacturer's customer service number to get the date of manufacture.

Keep in mind that a 25- or even 30-year-old system isn't necessarily ready for the scrap heap. The published lifespans are averages, which means half of all systems are spent by that time, and the other half are still working well. Use these numbers as ballpark guidelines only, suggests Gopal Ahluwalia, the NAHB study's lead researcher.

Assess the costs of repairing versus replacing

To decide your system's fate, you need more data: the cost of your repair or replacement options, which your service provider can give you. Depending on the size of your house and the brand of new equipment you choose, a new hot-air furnace typically costs $1,500 to $4,000, while a boiler for a hot-water system might run $4,000 to $8,000.

As a general guideline, consider replacement if the equipment is beyond three-quarters of its life expectancy and repairs will cost more than a third of replacement, suggests Larry Howald of Broad Ripple Heating and Air Conditioning in Indianapolis. In other words, it's probably not worth spending $700 to repair a 15-year-old furnace you could replace for $2,000.

Consider your heating plant's efficiency

In these days of high fuel costs and concerns over our carbon footprints, you should also consider your heating plant's efficiency. Its Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency number (AFUE) measures the percentage of the fuel that's converted to heat rather than being lost up the chimney or through other inefficiencies.

"If your system is 20 years old, its AFUE is probably about 70%," says Greg Gill of Action Air Conditioning and Heating in San Marcos, California. Today's minimum AFUE is 80%, which means you'll burn 10% less fuel—and therefore spend 10% less money on your heating bills. You can go as high a 95% AFUE with new equipment, dropping your bills a whopping 25%. That kind of efficiency raises your equipment costs to $3,500 to $6,000 for a furnace and $8,000 to $10,000 for a boiler, but will also earn you a 30% tax credit (up to $1,500) from the federal government. And there are many local tax incentives and manufacturers' rebates for super-efficient systems, too.

"It's definitely worth doing the math to see if the high-efficiency model will pay for itself," Gill says. According to Energy Star, upgrading to more efficient HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) equipment can cut heating and cooling costs by about 20%, or $200 a year on average, which means you could recoup the extra investment in as little as five years.

A former carpenter and newspaper reporter, Oliver Marks has been writing about home improvements for 16 years. He's currently restoring his second fixer-upper with a mix of big hired projects and small do-it-himself jobs.

Video provided by Today’s Homeowner host, Danny Lipford.

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Cozy Fireplace III: Add a Fireplace, or Not?

KJLange — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 23:11:00 GMT

This is the third and last in a series about Cozy Fireplaces for your home. This article by Rich Binsacca, a well-known "green" author, outlines considerations for the addition of a fireplace to your current home, or perhaps one your' thinking of buying. Read and decide what's best for you and your pocketbook! | Kj |

Adding a Fireplace: Return on Investment

Article From HouseLogic.com

By: Rich Binsacca / Published: September 22, 2010

Installing a fireplace is a popular project, but don't expect a significant return on your investment.

With costs ranging up to $10,000 for a traditional brick hearth and mantel, installing a fireplace is a serious investment. If you're wondering if you'll get a return on that investment, the answer is: probably not.

While intangible benefits such as comfort and ambience may make a fireplace addition worth the cost for you, consumer attitudes toward fireplaces are changing. Here are the facts:

Fireplaces no longer are preferred features

•In 2007, the National Association of REALTORS® survey of homebuyers' preferences listed fireplaces as the most preferred home feature. Almost 46% of homebuyers said they would pay extra (a median of $1,220) for a house with at least one fireplace, the most popular "desired feature" in the survey. However, more recent surveys from the National Association of Homebuilders show that support is slipping, and REALTOR® Magazine recently put fireplaces No. 1 on the list of"Home Fads That Are Falling Out of Style." (http://styledstagedsold.blogs.realtor.org/2009/01/21/home-fads-that-are-falling-out-of-style/) That means chances of receiving price support for your fireplace addition when you sell your home are diminishing.

•According to the U.S. Census Bureau (http://www.census.gov/const/C25Ann/sftotalfireplaces.pdf" "_blank), 53% of new homes built in 2008 included at least one fireplace. That's down from a peak of 66% in 1990, although the numbers may also reflect builders' attempts to save costs for development houses.
A fireplace isn't calculated separately in a professional home appraisal, making it difficult to assign increased value from your investment.

Match your fireplace to your house

When you estimate how much a fireplace might add to the value of your house, consider your home's overall value. A $10,000 fireplace holds its value in a $1 million house because buyers expect this feature in an upscale home. But a $10,000 fireplace might not be such a crucial component of a $100,000 house, especially if features that potential buyers consider more important are lacking.

Get value from your fireplace investment

•Put a new fireplace in a room other than the kitchen--usually the family room or great room.

•Locate a fireplace in a smaller, easy-to-heat room such as an office, guest bedroom, or master bedroom.

•Equip your fireplace with energy-efficient glass doors and an exterior venting system that prevents heated air from being pulled out of rooms.

Rich Binsacca is the author of 12 books on various home-related topics and is currently a contributing editor for Builder and EcoHome magazines. He has written articles for Remodeling, Home, and Architectural Record, among several others. He intermittently uses the wood-burning fireplace and the gas-fueled freestanding stove that came with his current home.

Thanks, Rich!

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Kids, College, Poets and The Comforts of Home

KJLange — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 22:57:00 GMT

(Written 4/19/2008)

We help people buy houses. More importantly, we help people make homes.

My son came home from college this weekend. While we were making pizzas and having a beer in the kitchen we talked about his classes and his student teaching. He said one of his new favorite authors is Maya Angelou. Ms. Angelou rose to notoriety during the Clinton administration and I took more notice when she began having conversations with Oprah. I can see why my son enjoys her writing as it is earthy and real, like Midwesterners, with whom he identifies mostly. She writes about matters of the heart.

I was reminded of the gist of a favorite quote of hers from a colleague recently. It turns out it was from Maya Angelou, too. She said, " I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." The realtor that quoted me that comes to real estate from the ï¿½caring professions.' Isn't that interesting that she still is in a ï¿½caring profession'?

Our customers don't call us back years later because we were the smartest guy in the room, they call us back because of how we made them feel. As long as we make them feel like the most important people in the room, we are doing well.

Another Angelou quote makes me smile: "I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back." Boy, isn't that the truth! Great thought to share with kids about resiliency.

For us in the real estate profession, a caring profession, this quote is something to remember:

"The ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned." - Maya Angelou

We live in an era when a lot of people have come to think their home value doubles every year or two. Of course, they're relearning that concept. A home is a home. It's not an investment.

It's a permanent place for a family, whatever its makeup, to live and pass the days. It's a place for laughter and tears, cooking and cleaning and a place from which kids grow and leave. But it's good when they still want to come home. THAT you can't measure in a CMA or in the tax-assessed value.

I was watching an ABC News interview of a Yale professor who is an expert in real estate economics. I was interested in these numbers. If you bought a house in 1908, you probably would get your money back around 1946. If you bought in 1953 (post-war era), you would get your money back by 1978. Of course, the value of it went up and down and up and down during those years but most people stayed in one home. It was, well, home.

I have been working with a buying couple lately. Their kids are all raised with kids of their own. They've been married 37 years and have been renting for a number of years after some tough times. I am so tickled that I found them a house and it has a view and they can afford it. For them it means stability, a permanent place. It'll be "Grandma and Grandpa's House". Their ache is relieved. I can see it in their faces.

I hope I always remember that it's not just about the house. It's always about a home.

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Cozy Fireplace II: Gas Fireplace Inserts

KJLange — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 22:52:00 GMT

This is the second installment in which I refer to a research expert from HouseLogic, a service I have access to as a member of the National Association of Realtors. Aside from furthering my education as an citizen agent of Windermere, the NAR now offers me good insights for you, my readers and customers. Read and decide for yourself. Enjoy | Kj

Gas Fireplace Inserts: Pros and Cons

Article From HouseLogic.com

By: Wendy Paris / Published: September 22, 2010

Add a gas-burning fireplace insert if you want clean air and the ultimate in convenience.

Flip a switch; have fire. That's the key appeal of a gas fireplace insert. You still enjoy real flames, but without the hassles of solid fuel. There is no firewood to stack, bags of pellets to dump, and no ashes to clean out. The air inside your house and in your neighborhood stays clean, too. No wonder that about 70% of all hearth products-fireplaces, inserts, and artificial log sets-now burn gas.

Unlike old decorative gas fireplaces, today's gas inserts are heat-producing dynamos that use natural gas or propane to power a steady flame dancing on fake logs, decorative modern glass chips, or stones behind a sealed glass face.

Gas inserts are available as vented units or unvented units.

ï¿½Direct-vent units are safest. They draw in outside air to keep the flame burning and exhaust all the combustion gases and water vapor released by burning gas.

ï¿½Ventless inserts have a higher efficiency rating (92% to 99% vs. 60% to 80% for direct-vent inserts) because no heat escapes up the chimney. But the exhaust fumes and moisture released from burning gas stay in your house, which may be a cause for concern.

Most ventless gas fireplace inserts are considered safe for homeowners because they include an oxygen-depletion sensor that turns gas off before carbon monoxide reaches dangerous levels in the room. Nevertheless, some states don't allow ventless gas units.

Check your local building codes regarding the types of fireplace inserts allowed in your area.

Capacity and cost of inserts

A gas-burning fireplace insert heats 1,000 to 3,000 square feet, depending on its size. Talk to your insert dealer about the size of your existing fireplace and what heating capacity you can expect from an insert.

Inserts cost $3,000 to $4,000, including installation and a chimney liner.

Upsides to a gas fireplace insert

ï¿½Gas fireplace inserts can be used in masonry or prefab fireplaces; they can be vented through the existing chimney (or a wall for a free-standing unit).

ï¿½Gas inserts require little maintenance beyond an annual $75 to $125 checkup. Its best application is for zone heating-turning up the gas in the room you're in and lowering the thermostat in the rest of your house.

ï¿½There's a definite green factor--they burn with a 65% to 99% efficiency rating, which means very little pollution or smoke.

ï¿½There's no ash or creosote produced with a gas-burning unit.

On the downside

ï¿½Gas inserts means you're burning fossil fuel, making the unit ineligible for the federal tax credit (which expires at the end of 2010) and unattractive if you're eager to reduce your carbon footprint.

ï¿½Propane is an expensive heating fuel-you won't save money heating your whole house with a gas insert.

ï¿½You'll spend more on gas or propane than you would on wood or pellets to produce the same amount of heat.

ï¿½A gas insert burns fossil fuel, so it doesn't qualify for the 30% tax credit available for inserts that burn biomass, such as wood or pellets.

Wendy Paris is a writer in New York. She recently built a home in New York's Catskill Mountains and installed a woodstove in the living room that can heat up the entire first floor. She loves her wood stove. She's written about building her house for This Old House magazine.

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Cozy Fireplace: Adding an Insert Saves You Money

KJLange — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 21:43:00 GMT

I'm not an expert on EVERYTHING, regardless of what I'd want my husband to believe. To be a good resource to you, I have a number of trusted resources - locally, nationally, even globally - to offer you insights, provide education and give you facts you might need to make good decisions for you. Most everything I write is original but some subjects require a more research. As a member of the National Association of Realtors (NAR), I have access to some pretty amazing and current information, so I want to share them with you. The following is from a series from HouseLogic of the NAR on fireplaces with this first one being about Wood-Burning Fireplace Inserts.

As the weather changes and the winds start whipping, warming up in front of a fireplace with some hot ciders sounds pretty good. So read on to see how you can save money and stay warm.

Wood-Burning Fireplace Inserts Save Energy

Article From HouseLogic.com

By: Wendy Paris/Published: September 22, 2010

Install a wood-burning fireplace insert if you want to keep the magic of a wood fire but make your open fireplace more energy efficient.

If your house has a traditional fireplace, you might love the authentic crackle of the fire and the warm ambience that fills your rooms. But that romantic hearth is costing you money-90% of the heat generated by an open fire goes right up the chimney.

The remedy? A wood-burning fireplace insert captures the good vibes and keeps your heat from going up in smoke.

A wood-burning fireplace insert is a metal box that fits inside your existing masonry fireplace opening. A decorative flange fits around the outside edges so that no gaps appear between the unit and the sides of the fireplace. A new metal chimney liner is required to carry combustion gases and smoke up through your chimney.

Fireplace inserts have clear heat-proof glass doors. The best designs circulate air within the firebox in a way that helps keep the glass clean.

Wood-burning fireplace inserts heat 1,000 to 3,000 square feet, depending on their size. Talk to your insert dealer about the size of your existing fireplace and what heating capacity you can expect from an insert.

Inserts cost $3,000 to $4,000, including installation and a chimney liner.

High marks for energy efficiency

An enclosed firebox ensures the highly efficient combustion of wood, helping you extract the most heat for the least cost. Most wood-burning fireplace inserts include a fan to help circulate room air around the firebox and release it back into the room.

A wood-burning fireplace insert helps cut heating costs by 10% to 40%. That's a savings of $64 to $255 a year for the average homeowner. Though fuel prices can fluctuate wildly, savings could be even greater if you rely on pricier electricity or fuel oil for heating, rather than natural gas or propane.

Improvements in the designs of wood-burning fireplace inserts over the past five years mean almost all new units now meet the guidelines for fuel efficiency set by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency of 60% to 80%.

Advantages of a fireplace insert

ï¿½An insert designed to heat 1,500 square feet will burn for three to five hours before you need to reload-a lot less hassle than tending an open fireplace.

ï¿½Firewood is an economical fuel in many regions, costing just $922 per year to heat a typical home when the wood is burned efficiently. If you cut the wood yourself, it might even be free. If you buy, you support local jobs.

ï¿½Efficient combustion reduces the amount of noxious gases and particulates produced by an open fireplace.

Disadvantages of a fireplace insert

ï¿½You'll still need to stack and load firewood and empty ashes periodically.

ï¿½The fire is behind glass doors rather than exposed.

ï¿½Fitting an insert into an existing fireplace opening can be tricky. In some instances, the insert may protrude beyond the fireplace surround, and you'll have to add trim to make up the difference.

ï¿½The payback period on your investment may be 15 years or longer.

Tax credits for wood-burning fireplace inserts

There's a federal tax credit (http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=tax_credits.tx_index) available until the end of 2010 for fireplace inserts that burn wood, pellets or other biomass fuels, and are at least 75% efficient. The tax credit is good for 30% of what you spend, up to $1,500, and includes installation expenses.

The federal tax credit expires at the end of 2010. After that, certain states (http://www.dsireusa.org/) may provide tax credits for various types of energy-efficiency improvements, including fireplaces.

Wendy Paris is a writer in New York. She recently built a home in New York's Catskill Mountains and installed a wood stove in the living room that can heat up the entire first floor. She loves her wood stove. She's written about building her house for This Old House magazine.

Thanks, Wendy!

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Weather or Not You're Ready, Winter Will Come

KJLange — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 15:59:00 GMT

Many of us are from different parts of the country with different definitions of what it means to "get ready for winter." When I first moved here, I thought a "Pineapple Express" was a drink with an umbrella in it or a Starbucks coffee invention with a Hawaiian twist. When I found out it was a weather pattern, that got my attention. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pineapple_Express

Last year we barely saw a flake of snow and I don't recall any school closings whatsoever on the peninsula. However, this year might be a different year, according to reports. Plan ahead for weather changes and it will reduce your stress when it happens.

2007 was a La Nina year which in our language means "Even More Rain." December 3 brought us more than 10 inches of rain. Roads washed out, floods occurred, businesses and schools closed and it was just nasty. Yikes. If that had been snow like I was more used to back in the Midwest, it would have been close to 3 feet.

If you remember the winter of 2008-2009, that sounds more like what we're in for. Schools and business were closed, Christmas celebrations were delayed, folks stayed in their homes for up to a week because they couldn't get out. Some went without power for weeks. We traveled in between snowflakes on our trek home from our annual trip to Leavenworth/Stevens Pass. We had Leavenworth to ourselves one day because even the tour busses couldn't get though on I-90.
How we got home on simply wet roads that weekend by the grace of God. But when we got home, we had to shovel our way uphill and around our circle drive with chains on our cars to get home. That was one day I was REALLY happy my adult son was riding with me. He kneeled in the slush to put on chains and slogged thru the snow to find the snow shovel.

The first year I moved here, being from Chicago, I bought a snow shovel. My husband-then-boyfriend laughed at me. He doesn't call me the Weather Bunny for nothing! Sure, the snow shovel stayed unscathed in the garage for 7 years until 2008 when we were happy to have it. There wasn't a snow shovel to be found in Kitsap County.

According to the Kitsap Sun (and other weather sources), "Winter forecasts are based on Pacific Ocean water temperatures near the equator. If the water is warmer than usual, itï¿½s a generally mild El Nino winter. If itï¿½s cooler, La Nina prevails. Water temperature affects the air above it, which helps dictate the strength and location of the jet streams that deliver the Northwestï¿½s weather.

Now, the water is chillier than it has been in 60 years, they say.

So be prepared. Get on your school system's school closure email list. Check out sites that have good suggestions for keeping you prepared and safe in your home and car.

It is also a good idea to get your home ready for a rough ride. Just a few practical tips from me. Keep in mind I'm no expert. If you're new to a house, it might be well to pull out that inspection report and see what they suggested for maintenance or those little things that needed attention. If you're unsure, call someone who knows what they're doing.

1) Make sure your gutters are clean and functioning.

2) Remove moss now before winter and rains come.

3) Touch up paint where moisture might start damage over a long wet winter.

4) Insulate your pipes to protect them from freezing. Cover your outside water spigots.

5) If your windows aren't the newest and you get a draft, check out the window kits which you can use to cover them with plastic. That works and helps keep your heat INSIDE.

6) When the ground is totally saturated, do your laundry in phases if you're on a septic system. Your septic needs love, too. When you overload it with 10 loads on laundry day and it's already saturated, you may be causing yourself a problem. If you just moved into a home with septic and you have 3 kids, you're septic might not be ready if a little old lady lived in that house for ten years. Go easy. Call an expert if you think you're having trouble.

7) Keep some "salt like" supply around for icy sidewalks. No one needs a thump on the head from an avoidable fall. There are environmentally safe products you can find at your local hardware store.

8) If you live in an area that often loses power, you might do well to have a generator handy. Make sure your home is wired properly. If nothing else, it can keep your refrigerator and freezer running and perhaps heat your home.

9) If you have a central heating source, have your furnace serviced and cleaned by a professional. This makes for safer operation and probably increased efficiency.

These are additional tips from me, who grew up with cold Canadian winds blowing over Lake Michigan. When the power goes out, you still need to keep your family warm. My son was a Boy Scout, so we made it like a Scout campout.

1) Keep extra socks, sweatshirts and sleeping bags around for those times when the power might go out.

2) Have plenty of extra batteries and some good flashlights that are easily accessible

3) Keep your cell phone charged. Many have done away with home phones but when the power goes out, you'll want to conserve that battery life. Your teens will be the first to complain that their battery is dead since they live on them 24/7 nowadays! You might want to keep an extra charged battery around. If you have a home phone, you might want to keep an old phone around that doesn't require electricity to operate. Of course, your teens won't use it because they can't text, so it'll be free for your use.

4) Keep your BBQ propane tank filled. You may need to cook on it for a few days! Sounds silly, but we had some good burgers and kept warm while cooking more than once. Do not build fires in your bathtub or anywhere else in your house unless you have a fireplace.

5) Make sure you have a first aid kit on hand. Stumbling around in the dark can lead to minor injuries.

6) Keep a written list of contacts available. If your phone is dead you've lost your database. Maybe that neighbor you haven't talked to in years because you can't text hi,has a phone in his/her house.

7) Plan now, because once the weather hits, it takes about 48 hours of local retailers to sell out of the basics

8) Buy a snow shovel now. Lowe's Home Center has them from $10 and up. Plus you'll see other supplies you might need for winter by clicking on this link: http://www.lowes.com/pl_Winter+Tools+%26+Accessories_4294857409_4294937087_?UserSearch=snow+shovel&langId=-1&storeId=10151&y=9&catalogId=10051&N=0&x=38&newSearch=true&ddkey=http:SearchCatalog

9) Keep some canned food on hand and staples. For those who don't know what staples are, you'll be knocking on the neighbors door for dinner. There is a plethora of websites that give lists of what to keep on hand in "emergency kits". Just google it. I jsut did and I can't decide which of the first thousand to link for you!

However, Costco has a 72 hour emergency kit with enough for 4 people in the event of a disaster. For some, losing electricity is a disaster!

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11469280&Ne=4000000&eCat=BC%7C3605&N=4040913&Mo=29&No=21&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&cat=75277&Ns=P_Price%7C1%7C%7CP_SignDesc1&lang=en-US&Sp=C

10) Do not, I repeat, DO NOT, pour hot water on a frozen car lock. Keep some lock de-icer handy. Another tip, if your driver's door is frozen, try another door. Sounds silly, but it might just be that lock. It usually doesn't get cold enough for this to occur here, but if it rains and then freezes, the lock mechanisms could freeze as well.

11) My mom used to keep dried milk around for these times. Just add water. It became one of those childhood things I could not repeat as a mother. The smell still freaks me out. Most of us can do without milk for a few days. Some kids actually like Cheerios with apple juice.

Bad weather can bring out the best in people. Maybe it's a good time to get to know a neighbor. If you can walk to a gas station or store that's open, maybe there's someone in your neighborhood that isn't able. Go knock on their door and make sure they are okay. A lot of older folks don't like turning up the heat so maybe you can take them an extra blanket or those slippers your grandmother made that you will never wear. We can warm soup on that Weber and take it over to a neighbor. It's an opportunity to take care of each other.

I grew up with horrible winters with cold and snowdrifts as well as horrendous, humid summers and tornado warnings. There's something to love about every season back east. You know when the seasons change.

I never miss scraping off my car windows every morning or having to shovel the driveway from November until March. I never miss worrying about a big old oak tree falling on my house. I don't miss gripping the steering wheel while driving in a blinding snow, although I do get a chance every year in the mountains.

What I do miss sometimes, is how weather can truly bring people out of their houses, out of their protective shell. Even if it's just to talk about the weather.

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Kitchens, Kids and Memories

KJLange — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 08:36:00 GMT

Being in sales challenges me to keep my character flaws in check and to be kind and understanding. All those little one-liners often prove to be true, not the least of which is, "you get more with honey than vinegar." Those one-liners are often homespun from grandmas and aunts working in kitchen in eras gone by but still hold true today. A kitchen is often the ï¿½hub' of the home, the operational area of the woman who keeps things humming around the homestead. It still is true in homes today, in different ways.

Of all the things we could want, of all that could be important, to her it is the curtains.

It was the door way markings of height by date.

"Linda02/05" (not her real name)

They thought they would stay in this house and they treated it as such. They cared for it. They improved it. They loved it.

kjlange

(Originally Written on my Active Rain Blog 9/5/2007)

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Market Data and Market Savvy: Why you should list with KJ

KJLange — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 15:07:00 GMT

This article is targeted to current Homeowners, especially if you're thinking of selling your home.

Did you know that you might qualify for a $6500 Tax Credit if you buy this year? Okay, just checking. Don't want you to be caught unaware. For qualifying you can talk to your tax advisor or see www.irs.gov if you're the researching type.

Perhaps you've been thinking of putting your home on the market.

Maybe you've already been thinking about it for a year and you've finally made that household decision.

Maybe the agent who sold you your home is out of the business now tending bar somewhere or maybe your agent is still in the business but you'd rather stick needles in your eyes than do business with that schmuck again.

There are a number of reasons and techniques people use in choosing a Realtor. What really interests me is that once you've decided to make a real estate move, you will make the decision of "Which Realtor?" within 72 hours. You may not be 'typical' but you may come close.

That doesn't give me much time to become your Realtor does it?

Wow, have I got my work cut out for me!

You want someone who has Market data. But after 25 years in advertising and marketing, I can tell you this. Lots of salespeople have numbers, but they cannot tell you what it means to YOU.

I can and will do that for you throughout the process. This is especially important in a changing market like the one we have.

So you want someone with Market savvy.

You want someone who cares about your goals and understands your needs.

You want someone who can negotiate the bumps in the road that come up... and you want them to do it without knowing they're even doing it!

You want someone who is going to hang in with you until that magical phone call comes that says "You're recorded." Call the moving truck!

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