From the Blog

Your Complete Guide to Fixer Uppers

August 26, 2019 by Loudell Insley

Buying a fixer-upper can be very exciting but also a little bit scary, especially if you’re a first-time homeowner. On the one hand, a fixer-upper gives you the opportunity to create the house of your dreams. Of course, a lot can go wrong if you do not choose your house correctly or perform the right projects in the correct manner. To get you started on this journey, here is a quick run-down of the process of buying and fixing up a fixer-upper.

The Buying Process

The very first step to transforming a fixer-upper into your dream home is to find a fixer-upper. Finding a fixer-upper is not much different from finding any other house. You can either search the internet and local listings or you can hire a real estate agent to do the legwork for you. You will probably have the most luck by focusing on the foreclosure ads. These listings usually contain more run-down homes that might be a steal for someone looking for a fixer-upper. Foreclosure auctions can be somewhat confusing if you have not attended one before, so we suggest reading up on them before running out the door.

You should also take the time to calculate how much money you can spend on your home. Be sure to take into account the down payment, monthly spending, loan type, and current average APR and compare these averages against your annual income. This will give you a good estimate as to how much you can spend. Since buying a fixer-upper usually requires putting a decent amount of money into the home after you buy it, take that into account as well.

What Projects to Tackle First

So, you’ve bought a fixer-upper and you have high hopes! Now it’s time to tackle that actually “fixing” part. We recommend tackling projects that make the house safer and more livable first. Old, rusty pipes? Consider replacing them altogether, especially if they are lead or polybutylene. Is the electrical acting up? Hire an electrician to ensure that the job gets done correctly. You should also consider addressing the HVAC system before you get started on anything else; that way, you’ll have a nice environment to do your work in. Just keep in mind that you may end up shelling out between $163 and $548 on average to get it in tip-top shape.

After these major projects are out of the way, it’s time to start on projects that are required to make the house livable. If you don’t have the floor, it’s time to get one laid down. No appliances or showers? You should add those in as soon as you are able. Make the house livable before focusing on aesthetic repairs so that you can move in and stop paying rent. Also, consider picking up some tools — drills, saws, etc. — to help you with these DIY projects.

To Stay or Go?

This can be an extremely tough question, even if you’ve planned to stay in your fixer-upper the whole time. The promise of a big paycheck can quickly make you question if you should instead sell your home. First, consider whether you have the endurance to fix up another home. Home repairs can take a long time, and living in a barely functioning house can wear anyone down. Plus, according to U.S. News, selling a home can take a long time. If not, don’t sweat not selling your home and starting all over. Enjoy what you’ve accomplished!

If you do want to sell your home, find a good realtor, preferably one that specializes in selling fixer-uppers. Fixer-uppers can sometimes scare off potential buyers if they learn the past state of the home. Figuring out that the home was once in shambles can make them feel unsure and worried about potential problems that might pop up. A realtor should be able to calm these fears and can be a true asset in selling your home.

Fixing a fixer-upper is exciting, worrying, and time-consuming. Partner with some world-class experts and follow your heart when it comes to design choices. It is bound to be an exciting ride!

Photo Credit: Pexels

Referrals Are a Businesses’ Life Blood

August 5, 2019 by Loudell Insley

A friend asked for help for their friend in an out-of-the-way community…90 minutes away. They had had agents from their area who couldn’t sell it. Saying yes, and with more innovative marketing and attention, it just settled with VA financing.

After the closing these sellers sent me their thanks with these kind sentiments: “We have dealt with many realtors over the years – buying and selling, and on the Western and on the Eastern Shore. You are one in a million. You saw the beauty of our house and sang its praises – as seen by our buyer who came from out-of-state, having fallen in love with it. You gently counselled us every step of the way, keeping us focused on making a successful sale. You kept us all – sellers, buyer, buyer’s realtor – on track and “in synch,” a labor akin to herding cats in the midst of a dog show. Most of all, you listened to us – our ideas, our concerns, and even our crazy notions. Not once did we feel that you failed to hear us out and to respond to whatever we sent your way. And, of course, you got us to the finish line.”

If you have a friend or family member who could use my level of real estate service, I am never too busy to help. Simply contact me with their contact information and I’ll take it from there. Giving them the same quality service I’ve always given my client/friends.

Another Home Sold by Loudell

July 29, 2019 by Loudell Insley

This Sharptown beauty was out-of-the-way for some but perfectly located for these buyers. Reaching out to find unlikely buyers creates satisfied sellers. Giving the sellers ideas for preparing the house for market also paid off. We ended up with multiple offers.

5 Ways to Grow Your Savings and Prepare for Unexpected Home Repairs

July 22, 2019 by Loudell Insley

Trying to avoid those expensive and stressful emergency home repairs? Well, if you’re a homeowner, you are far better off putting that effort into preparing for them. Having a solid plan for paying for those repairs, knowing who to call for help, and how to lower your own costs can help you avoid panic when issues pop up without warning. So, before the next thing breaks or goes wrong with your home, be sure to take these helpful planning steps.

Put Some Funds Aside for Emergency Home Repairs

Investing money in an emergency home repair fund is always smart. Aside from paying for unexpected home repair costs, saving more money can also help out with routine home maintenance expenses. This prevents you from dipping into other savings or financial means to cover those costs. While most homeowners are safe setting aside a small percentage of their home value, major home repair costs can quickly become expensive.

Find Simple Ways to Stick to Your Savings Goals

To make building your savings simple, look for easy savings steps that will help you tuck away small amounts into your account. Set up an automatic transfer or look for ways to invest your savings and grow your emergency home repair reserves even faster. Using these smart saving tips can help homeowners with future repairs, but if you need cash for immediate issues, it’s important to know where to turn. You can cover home repair expenses easily by using a credit card with a high limit, or opting for a home improvement loan with a favorable interest rate.

Pay Attention to Routine Home Maintenance Tasks

You should prepare for emergencies, but also know that you can prevent some of the most common unexpected home repair issues by performing routine home maintenance. For example, trimming trees can keep branches from crashing into your windows, while changing out your HVAC filters can prevent you from needing to replace the entire system. You can take care of most of these tasks on your own, or you can hire pros to help you out. Even if you hire a pro, you’re likely to end up with a much smaller bill than if you have to call those same professionals out for emergency repairs, especially if they happen on weekends or holidays.

Hire Contractors Who Are Reliable and Affordable

If you’ve never hired a contractor before, you can use these tips to make sure you hire someone you can rely on for quality repairs. Ask your trusted friends, family members, and co-workers for referrals, and take some time to interview a few different pros before you make a decision. Taking all these steps can help you avoid issues with contractors. If despite your best efforts, you still end up with problems, try to remain calm, focused, and understanding with your communications. However, don’t be afraid to involve supervisors or other forms of authority to protect your home and your finances.

Use Your Insurance to Cover Home Repair Expenses

Once you’ve found a contractor and figured out a way to cover repair costs, don’t relax quite yet. You may be able to recoup some of the money you spent on those unexpected repairs with a simple homeowner’s insurance claim. Many homeowners forget this step and end up paying much more than they should for covered repairs like roof damage. But also know that your policy may not cover home repairs such as water damage from floods or damage caused by termite damage. So, you will need to use those funds you put into savings or other means to take care of expenses related to non-covered home repairs.

Use Home Equity to Finance Repairs

If you don’t have any money set aside for repairs and your homeowners insurance won’t cover the repairs, you may need to look elsewhere for funds. One option you can explore is to use refinancing options if you have equity in your home. As PennyMac explains, a cash out refinance plan allows you to replace the mortgage you have now with a new, higher balance. The difference between the two is then cashed out, giving you money to spend on your home repair.

No one ever really enjoys dealing with unexpected home repairs. However, being better prepared to pay for them can at least help you avoid unnecessary stress and headaches. Start putting money into your emergency savings, look for simple ways to reduce your costs, and make sure you’re as ready as you can be to take on those rainy day home issues.

Photo Credit: Pexels

Selling Your Home: Don’t Do It Alone!

July 15, 2019 by Loudell Insley

Recently I sold my own home and moved to Mallard Landing, an active adult community offering assisted living for those in need. Selling my house was nerve wracking! Oh, how I wished for a Realtor with a cool eye and a calming influence. Someone to guide me in staging the house. Someone to help with pricing it. Someone between me and the buyer to give me time to think. A good Realtor will quiet your anxiety during negotiations! I discovered I’m at my best working for other people. Don’t make a mistake when selling your largest investment. Let me guide you to a happy conclusion. I’ve sold nearly 800 homes, selling my own was the most hair-raising!

Quick Sale

July 1, 2019 by Loudell Insley

Thanks to a referral from a mutual friend, and working with him for over a year, this out-of-town heir found people to help him prepare the house for market. When it was ready, it sold quickly. I arranged for him to conveniently close in his hometown without having to return for settlement.

Sally Settled on a Home in Salisbury

June 17, 2019 by Loudell Insley

Sally is new to the area and recently settled on a darling home on the northeast side of Salisbury. She was a referral from a past client who wanted to help a friend have good professional help with her purchase. I was at her side throughout the transaction, it closed without a hitch!

Easy Upgrades: Ideas for Getting a House Ready for Sale Quickly

October 20, 2018 by Loudell Insley

Image courtesy of Pixabay.com

In a tight housing market, the sooner you can ready a house for sale, the better prepared you’ll be to beat comparably priced homes to the punch. That may seem like an expensive and work-intensive proposition, particularly if you need to sell quickly or if you’re on a budget, but there are many upgrades that won’t cost a fortune or take weeks to complete. Some of the most effective home improvements are those that spruce up your home without making major renovations that may or may not suit a prospective buyer’s tastes.

Clean and Tidy Closet Space

This one is a neat trick that’ll make your home look well-organized and decluttered and appeal to those discriminating buyers who like to pry into every closet and drawer and draw conclusions based on what they see. Storage is almost always a priority item for home buyers, so try removing half the stuff from each closet and carefully organize what remains. You’ll get points for cleanliness and for making the most of your available storage.

More Light

Space flow, and lighting are all popular features for homebuyers. Enhancing the lighting in each room is a great way to make your house look bigger and more spacious. There are many ways to light it up. For example, you can add track lighting or a floor or table lamp to brighten a space that doesn’t get much natural light. Take down those heavy drapes, give your windows a good cleaning, and prune the bushes and trees outside each window. Remember, a bright and cheerful interior is far more sellable than one that looks dingy and musty.

A Classy Kitchen

The kitchen is one of the most important rooms in any house. Much of the value in your home is tied up in this showpiece room, which is why even simple upgrades can make your kitchen such a valuable asset. This is one part of your house where you can rely on recouping a majority of your investment when you upgrade. However, be wary of overdoing it. A relatively simple improvement like replacing dated countertops with a faux granite or even a clean, butcher-block look can add significantly to your asking price. Consider repainting your kitchen cabinets if they’re showing some wear and tear, and add new cabinet hardware while you’re at it. Remember to go with a neutral color scheme if you do repaint.

First Impressions

The appearance of your front door and entryway makes a lasting impression on potential buyers, so be sure it’s a good one. Consider repainting a front door that’s seen better days — it’s a major point of emphasis for most buyers. Add some nice shrubs or flowers around the front door and put down a new layer of mulch along the front of the house. Add a fresh coat of neutral-colored paint in the front hallway, and make sure to repair any scratches, dents or holes. Keep those shoes, galoshes, jackets, and loose papers out of sight and replace them with fresh flowers, scented candles, a decorative wreath, and a new side table.

Keep It Clean

Act like a buyer could drop by at any time by keeping everything clean and well-ordered. Get rid of any mildew or buildup, remove clutter and keep the floors clean. That means keeping the kitchen floor sparkling and the carpeting vacuumed, so make sure to have a reliable, yet affordable, vacuum cleaner on hand. The good news is that you don’t need to spend a small fortune to get a quality unit.

A realtor can help you identify improvements that will help attract a buyer without going overboard on the spending side. Bear in mind that a clean, decluttered, and well-lit space will attract a lot of potential buyers, so focus on the basics.

How Lighting Changes Can Help Seniors Age In Place Safely

August 23, 2018 by Loudell Insley

Photo via Pixabay by TaniaVdb

For many seniors, aging in place is important, since it helps them stay in their own homes for as long as possible while staying safe. It’s not always easy to do, however, especially when the senior has health or mobility issues. Even a relatively new home may not have all the resources they need, such as doorways that are wide enough to fit a wheelchair or other equipment, and it can be costly to make those kinds of modifications on their own dime.

One of the best ways to make your home safer is to start small with cost-efficient methods that will be easy to take on yourself, without hiring a contractor. This might include adding grab bars and non-slip mats in the shower, painting the walls behind appliances a contrasting color to make them easier to see and changing out door knobs for easy-to-grab handles. The easiest change you can make is to your lighting, which can help tremendously when you have a vision impairment. The right light can help prevent falls and allow you to take care of your daily activities without stress or fear of injury.

Keep reading for some great tips on how lighting changes can help you age in place safely.

Use shades

Exposed light bulbs can cause a glare, making it more difficult to see even when the light is bright, so always use a lampshade or fixture. Try to keep light levels consistent in each area of your home so there won’t be dramatic changes as you move from room to room. If possible, have a skylight installed in the living area of your home, as natural light is always best.

Install task lighting

Task lighting is a huge benefit for seniors, as it makes daily activities and chores much easier. This kind of lighting is usually found in the kitchen, where you can see to chop vegetables and prepare meals much more easily. You might place it beneath tall cabinets, and it’s a good idea to use LED lights, as they last much longer and will save you money in the long run.

Since stairways can be a serious source of injury for seniors, it’s a good idea to add lighting to these areas as well. Have an electrician come out and install bright lighting at both the top and bottom to keep things safe.

Utilize dimmers

Having a dimmer switch in the rooms you use the most can help you adjust the lighting to whichever task you’re currently working on, and it can be a real benefit on the days when you aren’t feeling well and want to rest but still need lighting.

Lamps can be your best friend

While natural light is best, lamps can also be utilized around the house to add extra illumination in the areas you need it the most. If you’re an avid reader, or if you have a hobby such as sewing or working on puzzles, having portable light can be a huge benefit. Look for floor lamps that have some height, as well as smaller ones that can be moved around to your favorite spots in the house.

Do some research

No matter what kind of lighting you choose for your home, it’s important to do some research and learn all you can about wattage and how different bulbs work. Some are more energy efficient and will last longer; others are better suited for only certain tasks.

Making small changes to your lighting can make a big difference when it comes to getting daily tasks accomplished and staying safe. Go from room to room in your home and look for ways you can improve the illumination in each area. Think about your chores and daily tasks to get an idea of what your needs will be.

Home Improvements to Improve the Quality-of-Life of The Mobility Impaired

December 5, 2017 by Loudell Insley

Image by Pixabay

Whether due to age, disease, or accident, it is sometimes necessary to make home
modifications to account for mobility issues. Here, we’ll take a look at some of the most
beneficial upgrades to make life easy when moving isn’t.

Kitchen
● Lower cabinets. Those confined to a wheelchair can still provide for their own dietary
needs by installing 28-inch counters. This is low enough to see food cooking on a stove
top and to reach the kitchen sink without standing.

● Front-controlled stoves. A front -controlled cooktop is a safer option for the
mobility-impaired. It eliminates the need to reach over a hot burner to adjust
temperature. Kitchen Aid offers an assortment of accessible ranges to fit most 30” – 36”
openings.

● Slip resistant flooring. To reduce the chance of slip and fall accidents in the kitchen,
one of the most dangerous rooms in the home, choose a slip resistant flooring. The
AARP suggests bamboo, wood, cork, and linoleum.

Bath
● Grab bars. United Spinal Association Editor Tom Scott notes that bathroom safety for
people with disabilities is of the utmost importance. He encourages adding grab bars
and safety transfer seats to offset balance concerns.

● Walk-in tubs/no profile showers. A walk-in bathtub or no profile shower eliminates the
need to step over an obstacle onto a potentially slippery surface. As an added benefit,
many walk-in bathtubs offer hydrotherapy for relaxing and stress-busting bathing
experience. No profile showers are more accessible for people in wheelchairs.
Bedroom

● Eliminate rugs. Area rugs pose a significant threat for people who have difficulty lifting
their feet more than a few inches off the floor. It’s best to remove these from the home
completely or secure them to the floor using a no-slip vinyl pad.

● Low-lying bed. Platform beds may be best for people who have difficulty reaching a
higher surface.

Living spaces
● Stair lift. It is possible for mobility-restricted individuals to remain in their multi-story
homes. A stair lift is an electrical device that eliminates the need for climbing. It is a chair
attached to a durable, secure riser system. Most models offer a lift capacity of 300 to 400
pounds to accommodate persons of all sizes.

● Door widening. Widening interior and exterior doors to accommodate wheelchairs is a
pretty simple project that can have a huge impact on a wheelchair-bound individual. The
carpentry work is pretty straightforward but, as HGTV suggests, wiring or hidden
plumbing should be moved by a professional.
Outdoors

● Wheelchair ramps. A Wheelchair ramp can increase a mobility-challenged person’s
ability to easily enter and exit their home. According to the Family Handyman, a
wheelchair ramp can be purchased in prefabricated sections for around $100 per linear
foot. Most experts recommend a slope of 1:12 to 1:20.

● Adaptive playground equipment. Children with disabilities have many of the same
needs as their same-age peers. Play included. Install a few pieces of adaptive
playground equipment for children who cannot run and jump. There are a number of
accessible swing sets suitable for both commercial and residential use. If these are not
in your budget, consider adding a sand and water table or tetherball pole.

No matter which projects you choose to tackle, leave the electrical and plumbing work to the
professionals. Depending on the number and type of additions, it may be necessary to have an
upgraded electrical panel or new wiring installed. In the Baltimore area, a licensed electrician
typically charges between $606 – $1,544 for the service, which can be completed in one or two days. New plumbing should likewise be handled by an experienced contractor to ensure its safety and longevity. Before hiring anyone to work in your home, check out business ratings and reviews on HomeAdvisor.

Thanks to Eugene Williams at DIYDad.info for this article!