Buying a Home May 21, 2018

Upsizing Your Home

Unfortunately, our homes don’t always grow with us. What may have initially worked fine for a single person, a young couple’s starter home, or a family with a newborn can quickly become too small as families expand and multiple generations live under one roof.

Remodeling and adding to your home is one option for creating more space, but it can be costly, and the size of your property may be prohibitive. That’s when moving to a bigger home becomes the best solution.

WHERE DO YOU NEED MORE SPACE?

The first thought when upsizing your home is to simply consider square footage, bedrooms, and bathrooms. But it’s important to take a more critical approach to how your space will actually be used. If you have younger children (or possibly more on the way), then focusing on bedrooms and bathrooms makes sense. But if your children are closer to heading off to college or starting their own families, it may be better to prioritize group spaces like the kitchen, dining room, living room, and outdoor space—it’ll pay off during the holidays or summer vacations, when everyone is coming to visit for big gatherings.

MOVING OUTWARD

If you need more space, but don’t necessarily want a more expensive home, you can probably get a lot more house for your money if you move a little further from a city center. While the walkability and short commutes of a dense neighborhood or condo are hard to leave beyond, your lifestyle—and preferences for hosting Thanksgiving, barbecues, and birthdays—might mean that a spacious home in the suburbs makes the most sense. It’s your best option for upsizing while avoiding a heftier price tag.

HomeHome ImprovementSafety May 1, 2018

Must Have Tools for Homeowners

When you own your home, things are going to break and, unless you want to spend your money on visits from a neighborhood handyman, you’re going to need to fix them yourself. Luckily, you don’t need an arsenal of tools to handle most home maintenance fixes. These five tools will cover most of your basic projects.

  1. Cordless drill. A cordless drill is a must-have for installing cabinets, drawer pulls, hinges, picture frames, shelves and hooks, and more. Whether it’s for do-it-yourself projects or repairs, you’ll use your cordless drill just about every month.
  2. Drain cleaners. Shower and bathroom sink drains are susceptible to clogs because of the daily buildup of hair and whisker clippings. You can use chemical clog removers like Drano, but they’re expensive and the lingering chemical scent is unpleasant. Instead, buy some plastic drain cleaners that can reach into the drain to pull out the clog of hair and gunk. You can purchase them on Amazon or at a local hardware store for a low price.
  3. Shop-vac. No matter how careful you are, spills and accidents will happen and there are some tasks that just can’t be handled with paper towels or a standard vacuum, like pet messes or broken glass.
  4. Loppers. Even the minimum amount of care for your landscaping will require some loppers to remove damaged branches, vines, thick weeds, and any other unruly plants in your yard.
  5. Flashlight. You’re going to want something a little more powerful than your iPhone flashlight when you’re in the crawlspace!
CommunityGreat things about this little townThings to do April 20, 2018

Windermere Shred Day 2018!

We have the date for the 2018 Annual Windermere Shred Day in hand! Set aside a couple hours on May 19, 2018 from 11-2 to get your shred on down at the Windermere office at 2900 W Broadway.  This year we will have 1 truck available with a 5 box limit.  Bring a canned or box food donation for the local food bank and we can continue paying it forward. 

Funny story about last years event is that we ran out of truck space in the first 2 hours!  So it’s best to show up early so that we don’t have a full truck.  It will be a drop and go service on the day of the event.

CommunityMoses Lake Relocation March 22, 2018

How to Price Your Home

  1.  

    When you put your home up for sale, one of the best ways to determine the asking price is to look at comparable sales. There’s rarely a perfect apples-to-apples comparison, so a pricing decision often relies on comparisons to several recent sales in the area. Here are five criteria to look for in a sales comparison.

    1. Location: Homes in the same neighborhood typically follow the same market trends. Comparing your home to another in the same neighborhood is a good start, but comparing it to homes on the same street or block is even better.
    2. Date of sale: It varies by location, but housing markets can see a ton of fluctuation in a short time period. It‘s best to use the most recent sales data available.
    3. Home build: Look for homes with similar architectural styles, numbers of bathrooms and bedrooms, square footage, and other basics.
    4. Features and upgrades: Remodeled bathrooms and kitchens can raise a home’s price, and so can less flashy upgrades like a new roof or HVAC system. Be sure to look for similar bells and whistles.
    5. Sale types: Homes that are sold as short sales or foreclosures are often in distress or sold at a lower price than they’d receive from a more typical sale. These homes are not as useful for comparisons.
CommunityGreat things about this little townThings to do February 23, 2018

Moses Lake Brews & Tunes

Don’t forget to come down and support your downtown with the new (hopefully annual) event of Moses Lake Brews and Tunes Saturday February 24th all throughout the downtown stores.  You will find a breweries and live music in 9 different storefronts.

Musicians attending will be: 

Thief of Hearts (Band)
Rylei Franks
Ty Huck
Jeffrey Ames
Memory Lane (Band)
Free Beer Nuts (Band)
Nick & Nathan Fisher
Brian Bridges
Michelle Payne
LJ Polmateer

and equally as important the Brewery’s that will be pouring will be:

Ten Pin Brewing Co.
Doghaus Brewery
Wenatchee Valley Brewing Company
Rocky Coulee Brewing Company
St. Brigid’s Brewery
Badger Mountain Brewing
Bale Breaker Brewing Co.
No-Li Brewhouse
Silver City Brewing

We are looking forward to attending and helping run the registration desk.  Can’t wait to see you there, come say hi!  And if you don’t want to drink just come for the music, that part will be free!

Tickets can be purchased on site or at the following locations:

Artgarden Pottery
Directors Mortgage
Simple Balances

Buying a HomeHome ImprovementThings to do January 29, 2018

Are You Brave Enough?

I only ask because I don’t think I am.  I honestly don’t think I can do purple in my house even if it DID win color of the year….  What do you think?

pantone color of the year

Pantone has done it again: their 2018 color of the year is bold, beautiful, and nothing like the other color predictions we’ve seen for next year. The company says their pick, Ultra Violet 18-3838, is a “dramatically provocative and thoughtful purple shade” and “communicates originality, ingenuity, and visionary thinking that points us toward the future” — and the design industry agrees.

“There’s a hint of fantasy in this color — something almost unreal and fabulist about it, after all, real ultra violet rays are beyond human comprehension – the naked eye can’t see them!” says Editor in Chief of House Beautiful, Sophie Donelson. “I like the magic, optimism, and fearlessness it invokes. At home, I’d use it to envelope yourself, royals style – how about a least a mohair throw, it’s not quiet a velvet cape, but it’ll do!” We bet a plush velvet bench will do the trick, as seen in this dining area.

ultra violet

David Kaihoi used a violet hue throughout this East Village apartment

NGOC MINH NGO

Nancy Fire, creative director of HGTV HOME, Design Works International, and Studio NYC Design, says she’s already thinking about how she can use it in her design work. “Ultra Violet works well as an accent pillow, wallpaper geometric combined with grey, and, of course, a regal paint color that plays well with grey, loden green, and many neutrals,” Fire says.

We think using this bold color as a statement, not to fill an entire room, is key if you usually stick with neutrals and safe shades — and Abbe Fenimore from Studio Ten 25 agrees. “When used in small doses as an accent color it can be really rich and feminine. I love it paired with pinks, greens, and metallics, especially gold and brass. You really only need a little bit of it to make a statement!” Fenimore says.

ultra violet

This Maryland bedroom designed by Mona Hajj uses this purple canopy to create a dreamy focal point.

Pieter Estersohn

However, not everyone was on board when they first saw the shade. “I’m not a big fan of the color purple in general,” says Jessica McClendon from Glamour Nest. “However, this color is perfect for those who want to try something a little bit adventurous. It’s definitely no Rose Quartz or Serenity, as it is better suited to be more of an accent color.” So if you are a fan of purple, and a risk-taker, this color is calling your name—-Lauren Smith

Buying a HomeHomeUncategorized January 17, 2018

What is the difference between a Short Sale and a Foreclosure

As unfortunate as it can be when homeowners fall behind on mortgage payments and must face the possibility of losing their homes, short sales and foreclosures provide them options for moving on financially. The terms are often used interchangeably, but they’re actually quite different, with varying timelines and financial impact on the homeowner. Here’s a brief overview.

A short sale comes into play when a homeowner needs to sell their home but the home is worth less than the remaining balance that they owe. The lender can allow the homeowner to sell the home for less than the amount owed, freeing the homeowner from the financial predicament.

On the buyer side, short sales typically take three to four months to complete and many of the closing and repair costs are shifted from the seller to the lender.

Short Sale vs Foreclosure

On the other hand, a foreclosure occurs when a homeowner can no longer make payments on their home so the bank begins the process of repossessing it. A foreclosure usually moves much faster than a short sale and is more financially damaging to the homeowner.

After foreclosure the bank can sell the home in a foreclosure auction. For buyers, foreclosures are riskier than short sales, because homes are often bought sight unseen, with no inspection or warranty.

CommunityHomeMoses Lake Relocation January 3, 2018

Modern Architecture in Moses Lake

I don’t know about you but the one thing that I wish Moses Lake had more of is Modern Architecture. There is something about the clean lines that speaks to my OCD. Looking through these articles and seeing all these beautiful homes make me wish we had a builder in town who did more modern homes. Are you a fan of clean lines or would you rather stick with the craftsman style?