Tag: grand rapids

Spring Into Action

Posted on by grdreamhomes

Siding Me Up

Homes are like relationships. Ha! Seriously though, they kind of are! Our homes require upkeep and care year-round to keep them in tip-top shape. As homeowners, if we ignore the general maintenance and repairs needed, we are going to be in for costly repairs and extra time down the line to fix what should have been maintained in the first place. Here are a few things to add to your spring to-do list to keep your home happy.

Siding is a yearly job as a homeowner. You can use a garden hose and long handled scrub brush to clean the outside of your house, but a pressure washer can make the job go faster. Just be careful to not over do it and damage wood siding and trim. A mixture of bleach, detergent, and water can be used to remove mildew and clean vinyl siding. After the exterior of your house has been cleaned, make any needed repairs to the siding and trim, then patch and paint bare spots. Scrape away peeling paint, and lightly sand to soften the edges so it will blend in with the old paint. Caulk any cracks, and apply two coats of quality exterior paint, being careful to feather the edges with the paintbrush so the patch won’t show.

No Roofing Around

Before it becomes too hot this spring, now is the time to clean your roof. Begin by sweeping or blowing off any leaves and branches on the roof, paying particular attention around chimneys and in valleys.

Once clean, start by inspecting your roof and replacing damaged shingles. Next, examine the chimney flashing and mortar joints on brick or stone chimneys. Use masonry caulk to repair any gaps or cracks in the flashing. If the flashing is in bad condition, make a quick fix with caulk, then call a roofing contractor for a more permanent repair.

It’s All Gutters From Here

Gutters are an integral piece of your home’s well being. They serve to control the flow of rainwater to protect your roof, walls, foundation and landscape. A gutter clogged with leaves, sticks and other debris can cause a leaky roof or water damage to the interior or exterior of your home.

In preparation for spring rains, clean gutters and unclog downspouts. To make cleaning gutters easier, cut the bottom and sides off a plastic jug that’s the same width as your gutters, and use it to scoop out the debris. Then use a garden hose to rinse out the gutter and downspouts. This is the perfect time to check gutters for leaks. Repair any loose gutter hangers or spikes and use a level to make sure the gutters slant slightly down toward the downspouts. To repair leaks in gutter seams, let the gutters dry thoroughly, then seal the crack using gutter sealer, exterior caulk, or roofing cement.

There are your top 3 tips for getting your home spring ready! More tips coming next month.

New Year, New Home

Posted on by grdreamhomes

A Moment of Reflection For The New Year

A New Year has a way of breathing new life into us. The thought of being able to leave everything in the past and begin anew is invigorating. We set resolutions and goals. We talk about what we want to accomplish in the upcoming year for business and personal. The end of one year and start to another gives us time to reflect on what we would like to see different or maybe just reaffirm the path that we are already on. My resolution in my business is to continue to serve my clients on a personal level. To consistently exceed expectations and earn their trust and confidence. Such trust that they are thrilled to tell friends and family! Thank you for your continued trust in me as your Realtor® and cheers to a prosperous and successful 2020!

Mortgage Minute

Mortgage Predications for 2020

Mortgage interest rates have been going down in 2019—steadily dropping below 4% for common types of loans. In 2020, economist geeks ha! think interest rates will stay around 3.7% for a 30-year mortgage and 3.2% for a 15-year mortgage. But this is never a guarantee because things like tariffs and trade wars might gradually shift the economy, which could result in the Federal Reserve slowly increasing interest rates to balance things out. What Lower Rates Mean for Sellers– If interest rates stay low, buyers will be more motivated to buy your home sooner than later. But if interest rates do start to increase later in the year, just plan for your house to be on the market a little longer. What Lower Rates Mean for Buyers-More buying power! Simple as that. You live in the payment, not the purchase price and lower interest rates allow for more home.

What To Expect In 2020

What’s Ahead For The Housing Market

When closing out another year, it’s normal to wonder what’s ahead for the housing market. Though there will be future inventory issues, we expect interest rates to stay low and appreciation to continue. According to Skylar Olsen, Director of Economic Research at Zillow “If current trends hold, then slower means healthier and smaller means more affordable. Yes, we expect a slower market than we’ve become accustomed to the last few years…consumers will continue to absorb available inventory and the market will remain competitive in much of the country.” As we can see, we’re still going to have a healthy market. It is forecasted to be a more moderate (or normal) market than the last few years, but strong enough for Americans to continue to believe in homeownership and to capitalize on the opportunities that come with low interest rates.

Have any additional questions on what to expect in 2020? Give me a call! 616-588-3625

What to Expect in the Housing Market in 2019

Posted on by grdreamhomes

Homeowners and non-homeowners alike are always fascinated with what’s happening in the real estate market. I find myself discussing what’s going on in the market with complete strangers while in line at the grocery store. It’s amazing! With a low inventory of available homes to buy, 2018 threw first time home buyers in a tizzy with competing offers and missing out on homes even with an over-asking price offer. Is this now the new norm for buying a home or can we expect to see a more “balanced” market in 2019?

In their forecasts for 2019, the National Association of Realtors expects home sales to flatten and home prices to continue to increase, although at a slower pace than 2018. NAR expects the median home sale price to rise 3.1 percent to around $266,800 in 2019. Overall, home values are expected to see a 2.2% increase in value over 2018. So, what does this mean? While inventory on available homes for sale are likely to remain equal to that of 2018, we are not likely to see the double digit appreciation like years past. Home values are seemingly increasing at a normal appreciation rate which means buyers are less likely to overpay for a property they would like to purchase.

Mortgage rates are expected to see an increase in 2019 as well. Realtor.com has mortgage rates averaging 5.3 percent in early 2019 and should reach 5.5 percent by the end of 2019. With anticipated increases in mortgage rates, this will leave potential buyers wondering how this will affect their buying power. Take a look at the chart below.

Overall, the housing market is continuing strong coming into 2019. With projected increases in 2019, it may be advantage to the buyer to buy sooner in 2019 than later. Questions on this information? Contact me at AliciaFisher@bhhsmi.com.