Home Improvements

Home Improvements with High ROI

If the ultimate goal of your home improvement project is aesthetic, the greatest benefit may come from your personal enjoyment of the new space. However, if you're looking to add true value to your home, it's important to consider which projects are likely to bring the greatest return on your investment.

Flooring 
Flooring speaks volumes about a home. Replacing and updating worn floors can instantly add value. A timeless selection like wood flooring, particularly in heavy traffic areas, is durable enough to withstand wear and complements a wide range of interior designs. If you already have wood floors that are in reasonably good condition, whether in use or under carpet, go ahead and refinish them for a budget-friendly alternative to installing new flooring. Another option that holds or even increases the value of your investment is tile, particularly in spaces like kitchens, bathrooms and laundry areas.

Roofing 
Re-roofing a home gives it an instant value boost, but it's a job that needs to be repeated periodically. One longer-term and on-trend alternative to traditional roofing is metal. Performance is the big selling point for metal roofs, but not only does the roof itself increase the home's value, the safety benefits and peace of mind that come with knowing strong, fire-resistant metal roofs can last forever only add to the benefits. With a variety of styles available, you can find a metal roof to match nearly any home style.

Landscaping 
Curb appeal often counts for a lot, whether it's for your own enjoyment or a potential future buyer. Enhancing your home's exterior can pay off handsomely when you add vegetation and hardscaping that improve the overall aesthetic. Keep in mind that more unconventional styles are better reserved for private spaces like the backyard; for the street view, stick to a motif with broad appeal to garner the strongest return on your investment.

Entryway 
An outdated entry point isn't just an eyesore; it can pose a security risk and even be the source of significant energy loss for your home. Replacing front doors and even garage doors can both bring a return on your investment and potentially start saving you money right away on heating and cooling costs. A new, properly installed entry door is likely to fit more snugly and allow for fewer air leaks. In addition, a heavier door and frame is more likely to stand up against forced entry.

Insulation 
It may not be glamorous, or even anything that you'll see on a regular basis, but many experts agree that upgrading your insulation is a sound investment. In addition to adding value in terms of comfort and reduced energy costs, it's an attractive selling point should you choose to list your home.

If you're still uncertain about the right investments for your home, it may be wise to consult a local real estate expert who can provide insight on the features that bring the most value in your market.

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Neaulani 808-358-9700
Neaulani Kuamo'o-Peck (RA) RS-73536

Coldwell Banker Pacific Properties

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Selling Secrets You Need to Know

Shhh! All the Spring Home 

Before you put your home on the market this spring, read this.

VICTORIA KEICHINGERTODAY

There’s a lot to consider before putting your home on the market. From choosing the right real estate professional to getting your home open-house-ready and even what to do when that offer does come in! Below we’ve rounded up some of our best selling secrets in real estate’s hottest season.

Choosing a Real Estate Professional
4 Questions to Ask When Hiring a Real Estate Agent

You asked, we answered. Real Estate 101 questions answered by a pro.

Getting Your Home Ready to Sell
5 Home Improvements that Pay Back When You Sell. Yes, you read that right.

Renovating for Resale? Where to Focus Your Attention. Squirrel!

Need to get your home sell quickly? Here are 5 Super Simple Ways to Sell Your Home Fast 

Living in a Home While it’s on the Market Isn’t Always Easy. Here are 9 ways to keep living a Semi-Normal Life During Showings.

5 Incredibly Important Steps for Prepping Your Home for Sale This Spring.

April Showers Bring May Flowers. And curb appeal brings interested buyers.

Give Your Deck a little TLC with these 3 Easy Ways to Make Your Deck Shine for Spring Selling

Staging

Do or Don’t? The Case for Hiring a Staging Professional

What are the Best Colors to Use When Staging Your Home? Hint: You might be surprised that it’s not greige!

Wondering what rooms need to be staged before your put your home on the market?

How to really clean your home before an Open House

Marketing Your Home
This new tech may virtually sell your home for you

Don’t know where to start? Here’s the 411 on Marketing 101 

Read these expert tips before hosting an open house this weekend

The Selling Process
The yard sign is up…what happens now?

Disclosaphobia? 5 Tips for Completing a Seller’s Disclosure

Give and Take or what happens during negotiations.

OK, what really happens during the appraisal process?

Congrats! You’ve made it to the last step in the home selling process! What to expect at closing.

Moving
Moving: what’s good about what’s hard.

How many boxes do you really need when you move?

Finally! The Ultimate Moving Day Count Down Checklist

Moving unexpectedly? 3 things to keep in mind.

10 Things You Need to Know Before Moving with Pets

Ready to move but don’t know where to start? A real estate professional can help guide you along every step of the way. To search for a real estate agent in your area, visit 
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Smart Home Staging

Breaking Down the Smart Home Staging Kit

This year’s Gen Blue conference brought Coldwell Banker to Miami – and, of course, we brought the Smart Home Staging Kit with us.

According to research by Coldwell Banker, consumers are most interested in smart home technology that can help them in three areas: security, temperature and lighting – so, of course, those three categories are covered in the Smart Home Staging Kit. Not only did we define what makes a home smart and  curate the first-ever Smart Home Staging Kit  – we also invited our partner brands to speak on the main stage at our annual Gen Blue conference in Miami to teach us more about what really makes a home ‘smart’.

From left to right: Mike Soucie of Nest, Melissa Andresko of Lutron, David Siroty of Coldwell Banker, Tejash Unadkat of August and Lindsey Turrentine of CNET

Our panel of experts from smart home brands August, Nest and Lutron – all of which have products in the Smart Home Staging Kit – shared their insights with Coldwell Banker agents during the Smarter Staging & Selling session. Now we’ll let you in on the inside scoop:

“The August Smart Lock is user friendly for three reasons: you can let friends and family into your home remotely, a majority of users install the Smart Lock in less than ten minutes because of its simplicity and it is installed on the inside of your door. That last feature really makes August unique. From the outside, your home remains exactly the same, but because the device is installed on the inside you can use your phone to lock and unlock your home.”

• Tejash Unadkat, August

“At Nest, we want to create a home that takes care of itself and the people inside. Heating and cooling make up fifty percent of our energy costs. Energy savings and comfort were the main drivers behind developing the Nest thermostat and we created it with the intention of saving customers money. The Nest is intuitive – it learns the user’s habits and preferences with the ultimate goal of creating cost savings and comfort.”

• Mike Soucie, Nest

“Lutron created the original lighting dimmer switch back in the 1950s as a way to create ambiance in the home. Today’s lighting technology is about convenience and comfort. This means turning your lights on and off remotely. Lighting also makes you feel better and makes your room look better. The same room can be used to host a dinner party, have cocktails with friends or help your kids with their homework – but the lighting is what makes the room more versatile depending on your needs.”

• Melissa Andresko, Lutron

Now that our friends at August, Nest and Lutron have given us the inside scoop; you may ask where you can get a Smart Home Staging Kit. Home owners can purchase the complete smart home staging kit or purchase items individually. Consumers can also request for professional installation by Pro.com. The best part? Once the kit has been installed in your home it can be marketed as a smart home.

Interested in buying your own kit? Be sure to visit SmartHomeStaging.com and speak to a Coldwell Banker agent to take advantage of the exclusive promotional pricing.

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Suburbs

Why the Suburbs are Big Again

An interesting trend is the recent exodus from the city centers back to the places where a small parcel of land has always been a reward for years at the daily grind. Though this time, the suburbs are seeing a lot of urban changes.

In the last 20 years or so, the American suburbs have gone from a place where neatly-trimmed lawns and automobiles were the ultimate status symbols to places that were perceived as being too far out from the hub of “city-life” to be worthwhile for the modern home buyer. The interesting trend, however, is the recent exodus from the city centers back to the places where a small parcel of land has always been a reward for years at the daily grind. Though this time, the suburbs are seeing a lot of urban changes that have the potential to revitalize even the farthest-flung reaches of suburban sprawl.

Big City Boom

The reason for the initial shift was, in large part, due to the growing Millennial population who expressed a need for short commute times, good transit links, and commercial centers that were the hub of a community that could be accessed without the environmental or financial burden of a vehicle. With the burden of school debt, and the need to make their professional mark, it’s only natural that this segment of the population would choose to settle in an urban environment.

Image Source: StockSnap.io

Back to Suburbia

The pendulum began to shift and swing towards suburbia again, however, as the earliest of the Millennial population — those born between 1981 and 2000 — entered their thirties and began the slow process of settling down and starting families. The Economist reports that, between 2012 and 2013, there was an overall loss in city dwellers of 2.1 percent, an exodus that seems to have been absorbed by the suburban communities who grew by 2.6 percent over the same period. And the shift continues to gain momentum.

It seems Millennials are craving the familiar childhood experiences they had for their children, but with one very important caveat. They want the unique urban perks they enjoyed in the cities — and the suburbs are finding unique ways to provide just that, through revitalization and better planning to manage further sprawl.

Reimagined Suburbs

With the improvement of transport links to and from the large metropolis, suburbs can refocus resident transport from the automobile to buses, light-rail transit —and in some cases, subways to create easy access to outlying residential hubs. A clever redesign of existing spaces has also helped to infuse the sense of community and authenticity urban dwellers expect in their suburban spaces. Barren industrial complexes are readily being redeveloped into clever mixed-use spaces including childcare, shopping, community spaces, and restaurants that create smaller commercial centers. The resulting impact is the draw on the surrounding sprawl, which creates walkable commercial hubs that mimic the vibrancy of their more urban counterparts.

Image Source: StockSnap.io

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that the revitalization of suburban commercial spaces, such as that found in the Sugar Hill area, has allowed for a unique identity that is attracting a younger buyer. The Washington Post also reports that the revitalization of such before-their-time neighborhoods, like the Kentlands, can add to already master-planned communities that were built with walkable cities in mind and reform them for more modern uses.

As more and more Millennials begin the process of family life and enter the real estate market, the face of traditional suburbanism will continue to morph the staples of suburban life with the vibrancy of the city. Affordability, good schools, and space will complement the newly built or revitalized commercial centers to create a multitude of communities, each with their distinct flair and sense of inclusiveness — and that is a good thing for the face of real estate.

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Selling In a Buyer’s Market:

 

How to Make the Sale

A “buyer’s market” occurs when there are far more houses for sale than buyers looking to snap them up. Here are five key things you need to know about selling your home in a buyer’s market and how to get the highest possible asking price.

The “hotness” of the real estate market and whether it favors buyers or sellers is largely dependent on regional factors, such as extreme weather, time of the year, or economic conditions. If the amount of housing inventory far outweighs the buyers looking to purchase, we see what is known as a “buyer’s market.” Here are five key things you need to know about selling your home in this unique market, and how to get the highest possible asking price.

1. Know if You’re Really In a Buyer’s Market

This is where an experienced real estate agent comes in. Essentially, there are two ways to determine if the market favors the buyer. The first is to identify the average number of days on market for listings in your area. If the result is 60 days or more, you can consider yourself in a buyer’s market. Another strategy is to look at the sales to listings ratio, which essentially highlights the balance between supply and demand. A ratio of less than 35 percent indicates the conditions are more favorable to buy than sell. A knowledgeable agent will be able to show you the whole picture and work with you to get the best price.

2. Make It Move-in Ready

When in a buyer’s market, the homes that show well and are in move-in condition, sell faster than those that aren’t. While it may seem basic, presenting a home that buyers can see themselves living in is critical. Create a clean and spacious feeling throughout your home by packing away off-season clothes and equipment. Rearrange or put some furniture in storage to reduce clutter and do your best to depersonalize your space. Consider painting over any bold colors with a neutral palette, and stage your space to show off its best features.

Image Source: StockSnap.io
3. Pre-Inspect

While not required, having your home pre-inspected by a qualified home inspector may put potential buyers at ease and create a faster sale as all parties are on the same page as to the home’s condition. Having a pre-inspection also allows for time to correct any deficiencies or come up with a plan to deal with them at negotiation time. If you have a wood-burning fireplace or appliance, a pre-inspection can also speed up the process, making a successful sale closer than you think.

4. Price It Right

While pricing your home can be a nerve-wracking affair, this is another area where an experienced agent can provide strategic insight to help you make a solid decision. Even in a buyer’s market, the homes that sell are the ones that are priced right.

5. Consider Every Offer

While many sellers can be quick to dismiss a low-ball offer, it’s important to at least counter in good faith before throwing the deal away. Many buyers will be aware of market conditions and will test their waters, but even a first offer that looks terrible can turn out to be satisfactory if negotiations are successful.

The Bottom Line

By being knowledgeable about market conditions and pairing with your agent to present a home that is tidy and ready to move into, any home can be sold, even in the toughest market. The key to a successful sale is to be flexible in preparing your home, and think outside the box when it comes to negotiations and what items may entice buyers more than a monetary price-cut. Including your washer and dryer may mean more to a first-time homebuyer than a slightly lower selling price, for example. Stick to the basics, prepare well, and your sale will be successful before you know it.

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If you would like more information on this call Neaulani 808-358-9700
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Coldwell Banker Pacific Properties rs-73536

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Kitchen Pop

5 Backsplash Ideas to Make Your Kitchen Pop

This often overlooked kitchen design element can make a big splash.

VICTORIA KEICHINGERTODAY

There are so many design elements that make up a kitchen: flooring, cabinetry, appliances, hardware, counter tops. But, one element that is sometimes overlooked is backsplash, or a panel or tile that protects the wall behind a sink, stove or counter top. While it serves a utilitarian purpose, it can also bring style and pizzazz to a kitchen or bathroom. Here are 5 backsplash design inspirations from Coldwell Banker listings.

French Country

1799 Oakville Grade Rd in Oakville, CA listed by Cyd Greer with Coldwell Banker Brokers of the Valley
Don’t be afraid to use backsplash as a canvas. The French country scene depicted behind the stove makes a strong statement about the design theme of the room. It’s also rumored that the symbol of a rooster brings good luck, and we can all use some of that in our cooking endeavors.

Stone

891 14th Street, Denver, CO listed by Mark Callaghan with Coldwell Banker Devonshire
Using natural materials like Quartzite Sandstone give this otherwise modern Denver kitchen a rustic feel.

Marble

78 Chestnut St, Weston, MA listed by Diana Chaplin with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage
There are few materials that give a room more polish than marble. And it is no different with this Weston, MA kitchen.  Together with the deep gray cabinetry, this butler’s pantry is all shades of right.

Textured

20 & 40 Waterstone Way, Woody Creek, CO listed by Kim Coates with Coldwell Banker Mason Morse Real Estate

Who says that backsplash has to be flat? This textured pattern in deep gray makes the kitchen feel updated without making a bold statement.

Matching Counter Top

104 Cascade Key, Bellevue, WA listed by The Jen Harper Team with Coldwell Banker BAIN
Continuing the counter top material up the wall like in this Bellevue, WA home, creates a seamless waterfall effect.

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Coldwell Banker Pacific Properties rs-73536

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Cover Plates Add To Your Home

3 Smart Cover Plates 

So simple but so smart! 

Add To Your Home Today

It’s rare that products we find in the home tech space are $20 or less. These three products are affordable, innovative and worth every cent!

SnapPower USB Charger 

This product was a Kickstart mega hit, Add a USB port without having to touch a single wire! Anyone else looking forward to the day where this is a standard in every home?

*Gif via Gizmodo

Price $20  

SnapPower Night Light Cover Plate

You can skip plugging in a night light with this innovative cover plate. This is a game changer for those nights where finding the outlet in the dark to plug in a phone is a struggle!

Price $15.00 

Recessed Cover Plate

Gain extra inches of space behind so furniture can fit flat against the wall and hide wires that go from your home theater system to your television in the wall.

Price $18.60 

Looking for more smart home tech?

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Make Your Home Smart

How to Make Your Home Smart for $1,000 (or less)

Smart home technology is no longer a concept of the future, it is available (and affordable) to homeowners right now.

LINDSAY LISTANSKIYESTERDAY

Making your home smart may actually be smarter than you think. Not only do smart home appliances and technologies make a home more secure, comfortable and convenient but they are also impacting the way buyers shop for real estate. This means by adding these products you’ll make your home smarter, more valuable and could potentially help sell your home faster.  It’s a win win win!

Making your home smart is easier than you think and actually more affordable! In fact, in this segment of LXTV Open House you’ll see how you can make your home “smart” for $1000 with products from Nest, Lutron, Sengled and August.

Want to buy the products featured in this segment? Click the links below:

August Smart Lock

Nest Learning Thermostat

Sengled Pulse

Sengled Boost

Lutron Caseta Wireless

Check out more smart home technology goodies here.

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Real Estate Gray Area

Why Condo Living is the Real Estate Gray Area

In between apartment dwelling and picket-fenced Pleasantville, there exists a gray area: condo living.

VICTORIA LEE  TODAY

I recently faced real estate’s most frequently asked question: to rent or to buy? But, as with most things in life, I discovered that even with this very cut and dry question, there is a gray area.

After living in a one-bedroom, one-bathroom 700 square foot apartment for the last few years, we knew it was time for more space. But, moving to a multi-bedroom home with triple the square footage and a yard sounded down-right intimidating–more upkeep, more to clean, and more money.

That’s when we realized that we didn’t have to make the jump from apartment dwelling to picket-fenced Pleasantville. There was a magical in-between step called the condo.

First, let’s get our definitions straight.

Apartment - An individual living unit in a shared property building which is owned by one person or company.

Condo – An individual living unit in a shared property building in which each unit is owned by one individual.

There are certainly benefits and detriments to both styles of living.  So, to help us make the right decision, we made a pros vs. cons list.  Here are just a few things to consider when deciding whether buying a condo is right for you.

Pros of Buying a Condo

– When you make an investment, you are more likely to take care of it. Because a condo is owned by one individual, they are more likely to make upgrades and keep the space in good shape. An apartment, on the other hand, might change hands more frequently, with little investment from one renter to the next.

– A condo is typically part of a homeowner’s association which manages common areas, so unlike with a stand-alone home, buying a condo doesn’t have to come with additional responsibilities like landscaping. Condo associations can often also provide for extra lifestyle amenities like a fitness facility or a pool.

Cons of Buying a Condo

– Unlike when renting an apartment, where general maintenance is handled by the property manager or landlord, owning a condo means you’re responsible for all upkeep. So, if the toilet springs a leak, you better have a plumber on speed dial and some room in the emergency fund.

– While being part of a homeowner’s association certainly has its perks, those perks also come at a price. As a condo owner, you may have to pay a monthly HOA fee. What this fee includes depends from one property to the next, but can encompass building insurance, landscaping fees, and reserve funds for major repairs.

Overall, we’re very happy with our choice to purchase a condo. It feels like the logical step in between renting an apartment and buying a home.

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