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Buying A Home • Easy Home Care On A Budget • First Time Home Buyers • Home Care • Selling Your Home •
November 23, 2015
Baby It’s Cold Outside! Don’t Forget To Prep Your House!
by Aimee Slesk
Well it is officially freezing outside! Remember there are a couple really important to do's for any home owner to make sure your house is ready for winter.
Service Your Heater
It usually costs between $80-$150 to get your heater serviced before temperatures drastically drop. This will keep your furnace efficient keeping your heating bills as low as possible & check carbon monoxie levels.
Check Your Roof
Hop up there (or hire someone) take a quick look to see if there are any strongly damaged shingles. If you fix it proactively before the winter storms come in you will save your self a big headache when you realize your roof is leaking! Remember to check the flashing around your chimeny to verify it is sealed correctly. Be proactive!
Check The Gaps
Between your windows and doors. If the gap is bigger then the width of a nickle you should caulk over them to keep your heat in, the heat bill down and the cold out.
Clean Your Gutters
Fall is almost over, leaves have fallen! Make sure to clean your gutters or get them cleaned so water doesn't sit in them. The wet leaves will keep moisture close to your home giving rot a perfect envoirnment to take off, it will also weigh the gutters down causing them pull away from your house causing them to fail and fall. Remember to divert the run off water AWAY from your house so your not allowing the gutters to pour all the water it collects by your foundation. That opens up room fo lots of issues!
Turn Off Exterior Faucets
Water freezes! Any water sitting in your exterior faucets/hoses will freeze. When water freezes it expands and your pipes can crack and burst! Disconnect your hoses and drain any left over water in the in the faucets. You can also drain your lawn irrigation systems if you are in an area that has heavy freezing weather.
Test Your Sump Pump
It's important to test it every few months but especially after a long dry season like we are coming out of. It would be better to know it isn't working properly before you actually need it. Pour a few gallons of water in there and wait for it to kick on.
Test Your Generator
Another item you want to make sure is working properly before you need it. Plug it in and fire it up! Sock Up On winter essentials. Have all items ready to go and accessable. Make sure you have plenty of water, canned food and extra batteries stored in case of any big winter storms.
Stay Warm and Happy Holidays!
– Aimee Slesk
AimeeS@windermere.com
Buying A Home • First Time Home Buyers • Selling Your Home •
April 23, 2015
Tips For A Successful Closing
by Aimee Slesk
Hello Buyers and Sellers! Here are a couple short and sweet tips on having a smooth closing:
- Avoid "shifting" your money from bank accounts, credit cards etc, keep everything as is
- Maintain your current employment/income source, don't change jobs
- Respond quickly to all requests for information
- Keep residence, marital status, business ownership, etc. stable
- Do not obtain new debt – maintain your credit record and defer any major purchases aka don't go buy a new truck until AFTER you close on your house!
- Funds to close must come from the same verified accounts provided at time of applications, you can't have a last minute gift fund if you spend your savings so…. be careful what you spend!
I hope this helps you during your real estate transactions! Contact me if you have any questions, I'm here to help!
Have a great week!
-Aimee Slesk
First Time Home Buyers •
January 14, 2015
How to Make an Offer on a Home
by Aimee Slesk
You found your dream home and are ready to make an offer – now what!?
DON'T OVER THINK IT! If you love the house and have been looking for a while, make the offer, don't wait. Here is why: Would you be mad at yourself if you missed this opportunity to purchase this home? If the answer is Yes, then make the offer. I was helping a couple try and purchase a condo for a couple months, they finally found one they liked in their price range and they wanted to sleep on making an offer over night. Again this is after months of looking for something. The next morning we went to make an offer and someone else had already made a full price cash offer, that same morning! The sellers had accepted the cash offer. That was about 2 months ago, they have still not found something in their price range that will accept their loan program.
The real estate market is a tricky thing, sometimes there are lots of options to chose from and sometimes there are not. We also cannot predict the future, we don't know if another party will come in and make an offer today or tomorrow on the same home regardless of how long the home has been sitting on the market.
You have a couple days after making the offer to essentially change your mind (obviously don't go around making offers for fun, you are playing with peoples financial lives, professions and emotions here). But if you would be mad at yourself for missing the opportunity, lock it up, make the offer and be one step closer to owning the home you love.
CALCULATE what your mortgage will be for the home. Have your real estate professional to do this, to make sure the mortgage will be within the budget you have set. Online, click here for a quick mortgage calculator.
COMPARE similar homes in the area to the home you love, make sure you feel comfortable with your offer price, your real estate professional will help supply comparison properties.
TRUST your real estate professional and yourself. It's important to work with someone you trust so you know they truly have your best interest at heart. Also trust yourself, If you feel that you have found the right place for yourself and your family (or potential family) act on it. If you feel it is not the right house for you, wait.
GET EXCITED! This is a big step! You are ready to move into home ownership, no more renting and paying someone else's mortgage, making someone else's dreams come true. Feed your own. Make your own dreams come true. Invest in your financial future!
If you have any questions on making an offer or feel you are ready to start your home search for your first home or any home. Please contact me, I am happy to help point you in the right direction!
Cheers!
Aimee Slesk
AimeeS@windermere.com