Tag Archives: FREE NO OBLIGATION HOME VALUATION

Busy June

Busiest Month of the Year

Nationally, the volume of home sales in June is typically 29% above the annual average, according to Trulia.  In July and August, inventory keeps climbing as some sellers miss the sales peak. Homebuyers begin their search in March and April, but they really get down to business after Memorial Day.  The peak in June and July sales reflects the fact that many people want to move in summer when school’s out and the weather’s good.  In fact, more buyers are ready to close deals in the summer than any other time of the year.  So get your house ready and on the market now, and take advance of the surge in activity.

If you’re in the market to buy or sell a home please give me a call, I’d be happy to discuss your needs and provide advice at no obligation to you.

Jon Heaton, Mr. No Hassle

Keller Williams Realty Boise

(208) 941-5629

Spring Time is the best time to have your AC serviced

Maintenance Checklist

Maintain your equipment to prevent future problems and unwanted costs. Keep your cooling and heating system at peak performance by having a contractor do annual pre-season check-ups. Contractors get busy once summer and winter come, so it’s best to check the cooling system in the spring and the heating system in the fall. To remember, you might plan the check-ups around the time changes in the spring and fall.

A typical maintenance check-up should include the following.

  • Check thermostat settings to ensure the cooling and heating system keeps you comfortable when you are home and saves energy while you are away.
  • Tighten all electrical connections and measure voltage and current on motors. Faulty electrical connections can cause unsafe operation of your system and reduce the life of major components.
  • Lubricate all moving parts. Parts that lack lubrication cause friction in motors and increases the amount of electricity you use.
  • Check and inspect the condensate drain in your central air conditioner, furnace and/or heat pump (when in cooling mode). A plugged drain can cause water damage in the house and affect indoor humidity levels.
  • Check controls of the system to ensure proper and safe operation. Check the starting cycle of the equipment to assure the system starts, operates, and shuts off properly.

Cooling Specific

  • Clean evaporator and condenser air conditioning coils. Dirty coils reduce the system’s ability to cool your home and cause the system to run longer, increasing energy costs and reducing the life of the equipment.
  • Check your central air conditioner’s refrigerant level and adjust if necessary. Too much or too little refrigerant will make your system less efficient increasing energy costs and reducing the life of the equipment.
  • Clean and adjust blower components to provide proper system airflow for greater comfort levels. Airflow problems can reduce your system’s efficiency by up to 15 percent.

Heating Specific

  • Check all gas (or oil) connections, gas pressure, burner combustion and heat exchanger. Improperly operating gas (or oil) connections are a fire hazard and can contribute to health problems. A dirty burner or cracked heat exchanger causes improper burner operation. Either can cause the equipment to operate less safely and efficiently.

Actions To Do Yourself

  • Inspect, clean, or change air filters once a month in your central air conditioner, furnace, and/or heat pump. Your contractor can show you how to do this. A dirty filter can increase energy costs and damage your equipment, leading to early failure.   A contractor that I personally use and would recommend is John at Carter Comfort Systems.  His phone number is 208-585-2565.  Give him a call to have your system maintained.

If you or a friend or relative are ready to buy or sell real estate.  Give me a call and we can talk about.

My number is 208-941-5629.

Jon Heaton, Mr. No Hassle

Keller Williams Realty Boise

Spring Clean Up Time

Spring cleaning is a tradition, but there are some other chores that should be part of your springtime routine, too. Most of them take only a few minutes, so get started!

1. Check your air-conditioning and heating equipment before the beginning of a new season.

2. Check and replace your furnace and air-conditioning filters every month. There are several types from which to choose, depending on your needs. Fiberglass filters last only one month, while the filters typically last three to four months. HEPA filters last up to six months and can be cleaned with a vacuum nozzle.

3. Most air conditioners have a drainage hole on the base of the cabinet, beneath the evaporator fins. This hole needs to be kept clear in order for the air conditioner to work properly. It’s a good idea each spring to use a paper clip or wire to poke through the hole and clear it.

4. To keep a dehumidifier working properly, remove its housing and let the unit dry completely. Vacuum every accessible surface and crevice.

5. Clean your bathroom fans once a year. Take the cover off, wash it in soapy water and clean dirt off the fan blades with a toothbrush. Be sure the power is off when you do this!

6. Check the flappers on your toilets at least once a year. If they are showing their age, replace them before they start leaking and wasting water.

7. Remove all faucet handles and clean their insides to keep the screws from corroding. Use a rust remover if necessary.

8. Replace the batteries in smoke and carbon-monoxide detectors twice a year: when the time changes to daylight savings time and then back to standard time. While you’re at it, dust or vacuum the detectors to keep them working at peak performance.

9. Make sure you have a fully charged fire extinguisher that you can reach quickly and easily.

10. Inspect and, if necessary, caulk around your home’s windows and doors annually. That will help keep out heat and humidity in the summer and cold drafts in the winter—and save money on your utility bills all year round.

11. Open and close all windows. Do they all open easily, yet close tightly? If not, check the weather stripping. There are a number of different types to consider.

12. The best time to caulk a joint outdoors is during the spring or fall. That’s when the width of the joint is halfway between its seasonal extremes. A plastic drinking straw or a length of plastic tubing makes a handy extension tube for caulking hard-to-reach places. Secure the extender with duct tape.

13. To really clear and clean screens for springtime, rub them with kerosene on both sides, then rinse with soap and water. Kerosene fumes are dangerous, so make sure to do this outside or in a well-ventilated area.

14. To fix a small hole in a window or door screen, dab clear household cement over the hole with a toothpick. If the screens are plastic, test the cement on a scrap to make sure it won’t melt the material.

15. Use the same technique to repair screen tears. Pull the two halves of the tear together and hold them in place with masking tape on one side. Apply the household cement to the tear, then smooth with a putty knife. When it’s dry, gently remove the tape and apply cement to the other side.

16. Clean out the gutters of winter debris and check them for damage from ice. Install gutter screens or protectors to help keep debris out of the gutters.

17. If a roof gutter is sagging, pitch it back to a level position by tightening its strap with pliers. The tighter the strap is twisted, the more the gutter will rise.

18. Be sure the gutters slope properly toward the down-spouts.

19. To prevent basement flooding, make sure there is at least three feet between the side of the house and the down-spout’s outlet. Use one of the following methods to reach that distance:

  • Add an elbow for pipe and extension, although that often leaves the outlet still too close to the house.
  • Use a splash guard that stretches about three feet.
  • Attach a flexible extension hose to the end of the down-spout and bend it in away from the house.

20. To prevent foundation erosion as well as basement flooding, build up soil around the house and slope it away from the foundation.

If you are ready to buy or sell real estate in Idaho.  Please keep me in mind.

Jon Heaton, Mr. No Hassle

Keller Williams Realty Boise

208-941-5629

Ready to Sell before Summer hits?

My job as your agent is not just to market your home and bring buyers in the door. Many sellers who want to sell their own home forget about all of the steps beyond showings. I also help negotiate offers, navigate the inspection process and negotiate repairs, give advice on hiring trustworthy and competent contractors, and I stay in continuous contact with the buyer’s loan officer and closing company. A sale can come with many hurdles: unexpected problems with the inspection, appraisal, or title work can all put me to work with problem solving. I also play an important role in protecting you from liabilities that may arise by not following proper disclosure requirements.

Here Are Some Common Steps in the Home Selling Process

Pricing it Right

When I set the price your home, l take the following characteristics into consideration:

  • How many bathrooms, bedrooms, and total and finished square footage
  • The overall condition of your home and property
  • What homes have sold in the area and for what price, as well as what homes have not sold and why
  • The overall market in which you are selling
  • How quickly you need to sell
  • How much you stand to make after transfer taxes, survey fees, commissions, and repairs are considered

Most importantly, I give my professional, objective opinion to help you arrive at a price that will attract buyers and bids without undervaluing the home in the home selling process.

A too high asking price can make buyers feel as if you’re unrealistic or unmotivated, and this may steer them away from even coming to look at your house. If your home is priced too high from the start and sells for more than it is worth, this could pose problems with the appraisal.

Disclose, Disclose, Disclose

Disclosures are a document filled out at listing time during the home selling process that tell buyers about any defects with the home that could affect their use and enjoyment. I cannot fill these out for you, but I can thoroughly explain them so that you understand what must be disclosed to avoid expensive lawsuits in the future.

If you have any doubts, I am always there for you. There is no question too small.

Negotiating Offers

There’s more to a good offer than price. I will also help you consider the following factors affecting the home selling process:

  • The closing date.  Is it a realistic time period for the bank and closing companies to get things in order? Is it too far out?
  • Strength of the buyer (20% down buyer vs. 5% down buyer)
  • Contingent vs. non-contingent offers
  • Inspection details and time frame
  • Type of loan and what it requires of sellers
  • Personal property
  • Closing costs and lender processing fees

I will guide you through the offer, pointing out the pros and cons of the terms to help you negotiate a counteroffer, or multiple counteroffers, if needed.

The Inspection

Most buyers will want to have a home inspection performed before following through with the purchase. They have a limited amount of time to have this inspection performed, and likewise, the seller has a limited amount of time to respond.This is very, very common. The buyer will come in with their  agent and an inspector of their choice to perform the inspection–without the seller present. Afterward, they will likely present a list of items that they would like to have repaired at the seller’s expense.

I will help you negotiate with the buyer on what items will be repaired at your cost, and what items the buyer will have to accept as-is. Repair items can add up to thousands of dollars quickly. Having a savvy listing agent to negotiate and minimize these repairs, yet keep the sale together, is key. I may suggest bringing in additional contractors for bids or second opinions before agreeing to the repairs.

Getting to Closing

The buyer’s loan officer and title company, as well as the seller’s closing company, are working in the background the whole way through the home selling process. Issues may arise at either of these stops and require the agent’s attention to save the deal. Your title company will need paperwork from the time an offer is accepted to the day it reaches the closing table in order to legally transfer ownership and make sure that the property can transfer cleanly. While some things will have to come from you directly, I can handle quite a bit of the work to make it less stressful.

If you are in the market to buy or sell anywhere in Idaho.  Give me a call and we can discuss your situation.

Jon Heaton, Mr. No Hassle

Keller Williams Realty Boise

208-941-5629