CENTURY 21 Ed Pariseau, Realtors

Real Estate in the Attleboro area

Clean Your Home in Less Than an Hour!

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Learn how to get a clean house quickly now!

 

Sometimes you don’t have enough time to clean your house thoroughly. You work long hours and simply can’t get around to household tasks that seem to keep piling up.

Learn how to get a clean house quickly now! 

 

Learn how to get a clean house quickly now!

Learn how to get a clean house quickly now!

Every home — big, small, apartment or vacation home — gets dirty. And while there’s not just one way to clean your living space, there is a smarter way to get the job done.

When your home is dirty or disorganized, it’s difficult to focus on the tasks you should be doing. You may find yourself distracted by organizing or surface cleaning. These distractions keep you from getting important things done and can make you feel as though you accomplished little by the end of the day

Learn how to get a clean house quickly now!

 

Clean Your Home in Less Than an Hour!

 

 

4 Reasons to Buy Your Dream Home This Winter

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4 Reasons to Buy Your Dream Home This Winter

 

Reasons to Buy Your Dream Home This Winter

 

As the temperature in many areas of the country starts to cool down, you might think that the housing market will do the same. This couldn’t be further from the truth! Here are 4 reasons you should consider buying your dream home this winter instead of waiting for spring!

 

1. Prices Will Continue to Rise

CoreLogic’s latest Home Price Index reports that home prices have appreciated by 6.3% over the last 12 months. The same report predicts that prices will continue to increase at a rate of 5.2% over the next year.

 

The bottom in home prices has come and gone. Home values will continue to appreciate for years. Waiting no longer makes sense.

 

2. Mortgage Interest Rates are Projected to Increase

Your monthly housing cost is as much related to the price you pay for your home as it is to the mortgage interest rate you secure.

 

Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey shows that interest rates for a 30-year mortgage are currently at 4.08%. The Mortgage Bankers Association, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac & the National Association of Realtors are in unison, projecting that rates will increase by this time next year.

 

An increase in rates will impact YOUR monthly mortgage payment. A year from now, your housing expense will increase if a mortgage is necessary to buy your next home.

 

3. Either Way You’re Paying a Mortgage

There are some renters who have not yet purchased a home because they are uncomfortable taking on the obligation of a mortgage. Everyone should realize that, unless you are living with your parents rent free, you are paying a mortgage – either yours or your landlord’s.

 

As an owner, your mortgage payment is a form of ‘forced savings’ that allows you to have equity in your home that you can tap into later in life. As a renter, you guarantee your landlord is the person with that equity.

Are you ready to put your housing cost to work for you?

 

4. It’s Time to Move on with Your Life

The ‘cost’ of a home is determined by two major components: the price of the home and the current mortgage rate. It appears that both are on the rise.

 

But what if they weren’t? Would you wait?

 

Look at the actual reason you are buying and decide whether it is worth waiting. Whether you want to have a great place for your children to grow up, you want your family to be safer or you just want to have control over renovations, maybe now is the time to buy.

 

If the right thing for you and your family is to purchase a home this year, buying sooner rather than later could lead to substantial savings.

 

 

 

Information Supplied by:   Keeping Current Matters

 

 

Why Pre-Approval Should Be Your First Step

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Why Pre-Approval Should Be Your First Step

 

Why Pre-Approval Should Be Your First Step

 

In many markets across the country, the number of buyers searching for their dream homes greatly outnumbers the amount of homes for sale. This has led to a competitive marketplace where buyers often need to stand out. One way to show you are serious about buying your dream home is to get pre-qualified or pre-approved for a mortgage before starting your search.

 

Even if you are in a market that is not as competitive, knowing your budget will give you the confidence of knowing if your dream home is within your reach.

 

Freddie Mac lays out the advantages of pre-approval in the My Home section of their website:

 

“It’s highly recommended that you work with your lender to get pre-approved before you begin house hunting. Pre-approval will tell you how much home you can afford and can help you move faster, and with greater confidence, in competitive markets.”

 

One of the many advantages of working with a local real estate professional is that many have relationships with lenders who will be able to help you with this process. Once you have selected a lender, you will need to fill out their loan application and provide them with important information regarding “your credit, debt, work history, down payment and residential history.”

 

Freddie Mac describes the 4 Cs that help determine the amount you will be qualified to borrow:

 

Capacity: Your current and future ability to make your payments

Capital or cash reserves: The money, savings and investments you have that can be sold quickly for cash

Collateral: The home, or type of home, that you would like to purchase

Credit: Your history of paying bills and other debts on time

Getting pre-approved is one of many steps that will show home sellers that you are serious about buying, and it often helps speed up the process once your offer has been accepted.

 

Bottom Line

Many potential home buyers overestimate the down payment and credit scores needed to qualify for a mortgage today. If you are ready and willing to buy, you may be pleasantly surprised at your ability to do so as well.

 

 

 

Information Supplied by:   Keeping Current Matters

 

 

 

Old to New: Ideas for Rearranging Your Furniture

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Ideas for Rearranging Your Furniture

 

Give your home a new look without buying anything. Rearrange your furniture to make your room feel brand new. Use these tips to try something new without spending a dime. Take some cues from our Friends and find a style that can last a day, a month, or maybe even a year.

 

 

1. Take measurements: Take measurements of the furniture and the space before you move anything. You don’t want to move something just to have to put it back again. Just ask our Friends: Ross, Rachel, and Chandler.

 

2. Position your biggest piece first: Start with the biggest piece of furniture because the placement will make the largest impact. Check your measurements first to make sure that everything will fit. As our Friends would say, just say no to pivoting.

 

3. Arrange your seating in a new way: Push your seating area away from walls, creating a more intimate and conversational space. Moving your sofas and chairs away from the walls creates a less boxy look while also making the room appear larger. Don’t be afraid to position your furniture so that it is better for communication. Contrary to Chandler’s opinion, the focal point doesn’t have to be a TV. It could be facing your neighbors windows or Central Perk, for example.

 

4. Combat clutter: In the same sense of not cluttering a room, make sure your major elements are reflecting each other. If you have a fireplace in your living room put the “vintage” apothecary table on the opposite side of the room to balance it out.

 

5. Create distinct areas: If you have an open floor plan like our Friends create separate areas by grouping your furniture in different sections. You may want a separate area for rehearsing Smelly Cat, making a trifle, and playing with ducklings.

 

These tips will help you to create a new look that your friends and family will love. What are you waiting for? Start moving! 

 

 

Small Changes, Big Differences: Low-Cost Ways to Give Your Home a New Look

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Low-Cost Ways to Give Your Home a New Look

 

 

There are a lot of advantages to home improvement changes. They can make your space feel more modern, larger, and increase its value.

 

And the good news is you don’t have to be an expert handyman (or handywoman) to make easy and simple alterations.

 

Here’s how to better the look and feel of your home:

 

1. Install new handles and door knobs: Buy new handles for your cabinets and drawers when you’re changing the style of a room. Get a modern feel by adding steel handles, or achieve shabby-chic comfort with bright colors that contrast classic wood doors and cabinets. Though old-fashioned, using a faux-crystal option will create a delicate look in a room.

 

2. Replace old light bulbs or add light fixtures: If the light in a room is looking dim, try stronger wattage bulbs (within the safety limitations listed on your lamp or light fixture). Floor lamps will also help achieve a brighter effect. Don’t rely on decorative desk lamps to drastically improve the brightness of a room, though they can enhance the mood and decor.

 

3. Paint the front door: It’s recommended that you repaint your front door every 4-6 years. (Williams Professional Painting.) Whether it’s a neutral or bold color, if you give a door a new look, it can change the outlook you have on the rest of the house.

 

4. Polish floors: A weekly sweeping of your hardwood floors isn’t enough. Polish your floors every three months with a urethane-based polish, which creates a protective layer against small scratches.

 

5. Paint an accent walls: This design technique draws the eye to one wall instead of the others. Choose a bold color or wallpaper on the wall that features the focus of your room (e.g. a fireplace, a large painting). One accent wall technique is to keep with the tone of other walls. For instance, if your room is beige, paint the accent wall a deep, chocolate brown to keep with the neutral tone.

 

Make these small yet significant changes to your home, and you could be on your way to have your very own redesign at a fraction of the cost.

 

 

 

 

 

How to Scare off Pests This Halloween

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How to Scare off Pests This Halloween

How to Scare off Pests This Halloween

 

During Halloween, we welcome the presence of spooky beings. While creatures like skeletons and ghosts are fun, creepy-crawlers such as spiders and mice are never invited guests. To stop insects and rodents from crashing Halloween parties, instruct your clients on these pest prevention guidelines. After all, their house should be decorated in fake cobwebs – not real ones!

 

Plug the Gaps

Over time, gaps form between windows and window frames at varying rates. These gaps are caused by differing expansion and contraction rates of various materials at different temperatures. Homeowners should apply caulk to these window gaps, and to any gaps in attic vents. It’s also wise to install new weatherstripping around doors. This shield around the home may keep insects and rodents out as well as potentially improve the home’s energy efficiency in the cold weather.

 

Create a Chemical Barrier

Suggest that homeowners protect their home by spreading an insecticide along the foundation of their house, a couple of feet from the ground up and a couple of feet from the foundational wall. Either a liquid spray or a granular insecticide can be used to help combat the bugs around a house’s perimeter. Make sure that they trust a professional to implement pesticides with chemicals that are not harmful to people or pets. Trick-or-treaters would certainly appreciate the effort.

 

Examine The Roof and Chimney

Because mice can easily climb brick walls and enter a house through the chimney, recommend that your clients install chimney caps, or a metal cover secured on top. Not only could this prevent unwelcome critters from infesting a home, but it could also block autumn leaves from falling into the chimney and posing a fire hazard.

 

Check The Trees in Your Yard

Trees around the perimeter of a house can act as a welcome mat for raccoons, skunks, and mice. Make sure that no tree branches touch the house, especially on the roof, as animals love to climb from branches and enter homes. Also, insects congregate near woodpiles and shrubs, so keeping a distance between the home and woodpiles and shrubs makes bugs less likely to travel into the house.

 

Don’t let all the hard work go to waste. Your clients should stay vigilant and close all garage doors, windows and screen doors at night. If unwanted creatures still find a way into the home, the best plan may be to banish them with traps or poisons. However, since it is much easier and cheaper to prevent pests from entering in the first place, be sure your clients follow these guidelines to keep their home protected. This Halloween, they’ll have the house that spooks trick-or-treaters with freaky decorations, not with terrifying critters.

 

 

 

 

 

What Do You Do With an Abundance of Fall Leaves?

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What Do You Do With an Abundance of Fall Leaves? 

 

Fall is officially here and that means the trees will be filled with brown, yellow, and red leaves. Although the leaves look beautiful in the trees they look less than beautiful scattered throughout your lawn. Luckily, there are beneficial things that you can do with your leaves (after you jump in the big pile).

 

What Do You Do With an Abundance of Fall Leaves?

1. Mulch: Use leaves to make mulch. Rake the leaves into a pile and spread them across and around your garden. This gives the garden more depth. The leaves also eventually break down and provide your garden with natural protection and nutrients, helping it stay healthy through the cold winter months.

 

2. Insulation: You may have not realized it, but fallen leaves are a great source of insulation. Pack the leaves into garbage bags and then place the bags around an exposed exterior, such as a crawlspace or basement window. The leaves provide natural insulation which may help decrease your heating bills this season.

 

3. Craft: There are countless crafts that you can do with leaves. Spend the day working on arts and crafts projects with your family. Make a decorative pillow by placing the leaves in ink then pressing them on the outside of a pillow. Spray paint the leaves and use them as name cards for a dinner party or make a festive fall wreath for your door. You can also make art for around your home. Make a collage or a rubbing then frame it and hang it up. The possibilities are endless!

 

There is no need to throw away all the fallen leaves in your yard. Get creative and upcycle them. Your garden, your home, and your family will thank you!

 

 

 

Have You Put Aside Enough for Closing Costs?

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 Have You Put Aside Enough for Closing Costs?

 

Have You Put Aside Enough for Closing Costs?

 

There are many potential homebuyers, and even sellers, who believe that you need at least a 20% down payment in order to buy a home, or move on to their next home. Time after time, we have dispelled this myth by showing that there are many loan programs that allow you to put down as little as 3% (or 0% with a VA loan).

 

If you have saved up your down payment and are ready to start your home search, one other piece of the puzzle is to make sure that you have saved enough for your closing costs.

 

Freddie Mac defines closing costs as:

“Closing costs, also called settlement fees, will need to be paid when you obtain a mortgage.  These are fees charged by people representing your purchase, including your lender, real estate agent, and other third parties involved in the transaction. Closing costs are typically between 2 and 5% of your purchase price.”

We’ve recently heard from many first-time homebuyers that they wished that someone had let them know that closing costs could be so high. If you think about it, with a low down payment program, your closing costs could equal the amount that you saved for your down payment.

 

Here is a list of just some of the fees/costs that may be included in your closing costs, depending on where the home you wish to purchase is located:

 

  • Government recording costs

  • Appraisal fees

  • Credit report fees

  • Lender origination fees

  • Title services (insurance, search fees)

  • Tax service fees

  • Survey fees

  • Attorney fees

  • Underwriting fees

Is there any way to avoid paying closing costs?

Work with your lender and real estate agent to see if there are any ways to decrease or defer your closing costs. There are no-closing mortgages available, but they end up costing you more in the end with a higher interest rate, or by wrapping the closing costs into the total cost of the mortgage (meaning you’ll end up paying interest on your closing costs).

Home buyers can also negotiate with the seller over who pays these fees. Sometimes the seller will agree to assume the buyer’s closing fees in order to get the deal finalized.

 

Bottom Line

Speak with your lender and agent early and often to determine how much you’ll be responsible for at closing. Finding out you’ll need to come up with thousands of dollars right before closing is not a surprise anyone is ever looking forward to.

 

 

 

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Information Supplied by:   Keeping Current Matters

 

 

 

4 Reasons to Buy a Home This Fall

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4 Reasons to Buy a Home This Fall 

4 Reasons to Buy a Home This Fall

4 Reasons to Buy a Home This Fall

 

It’s that time of year; the seasons are changing and with them come thoughts of the upcoming holidays, family get-togethers, and planning for a new year. Those who are on the fence about whether or not now is the right time to buy don’t have to look much further to find four great reasons to consider buying a home now, instead of waiting.

 

1. Prices Will Continue to Rise

CoreLogic’s latest Home Price Index reports that home prices have appreciated by 6% over the last 12 months. The same report predicts that prices will continue to increase at a rate of 5.4% over the next year. The Home Price Expectation Survey polls a distinguished panel of over 100 economists, investment strategists, and housing market analysts. Their most recent report projects home values to appreciate by more than 3.5% a year for the next 5 years.

The bottom in home prices has come and gone. Home values will continue to appreciate for years. Waiting no longer makes sense.

 

2. Mortgage Interest Rates Remain at Historic Lows

Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey shows that interest rates for a 30-year mortgage have remained at or below 3.5% for 13 consecutive weeks. The Mortgage Bankers Association, Freddie Mac & the National Association of Realtors are in unison, projecting that rates will increase by this time next year.

Any increase in rates will impact YOUR monthly mortgage payment. A year from now, the percentage of your income that you spend on housing will increase substantially if you choose to wait.

 

3. Either Way You Are Paying a Mortgage

Everyone should realize that, unless you are living with your parents rent-free, you are paying a mortgage – either your mortgage or your landlord’s. As a paper from the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University explains:

“Households must consume housing whether they own or rent. Not even accounting for more favorable tax treatment of owning, homeowners pay debt service to pay down their own principal while households that rent pay down the principal of a landlord plus a rate of return. That’s yet another reason owning often does—as Americans intuit—end up making more financial sense than renting.”

 

4. It’s Time to Move on with Your Life

The ‘cost’ of a home is determined by two major components: the price of the home and the current mortgage rate. It appears that both are on the rise.

But what if they weren’t? Would you wait?

Look at the actual reason you are buying and decide whether it is worth waiting. Whether you want to have a great place for your children to grow up, you want your family to be safer or you just want to have control over renovations, maybe now is the time to buy.

 

If the right thing for you and your family is to purchase a home this year, buying sooner rather than later could lead to substantial savings.

 

 

 

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Information Supplied by:   Keeping Current Matters

 

 

 

3 Questions Every Buyer Should Ask Themselves

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3 Questions Every Buyer Should Ask Themselves

3 Questions Every Buyer Should Ask Themselves

 

If you are debating purchasing a home right now, you are probably getting a lot of advice. Though your friends and family will have your best interest at heart, they may not be fully aware of your needs and what is currently happening in the real estate market.

 

Answering the following 3 questions will help you determine if now is actually a good time for you to buy in today’s market.

 

1. Why am I buying a home in the first place?

 

This truly is the most important question to answer. Forget the finances for a minute. Why did you even begin to consider purchasing a home? For most, the reason has nothing to do with money.

For example, a recent survey by Braun showed that over 75% of parents say “their child’s education is an important part of the search for a new home.”

 

This survey supports a study by the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University which revealed that the four major reasons why people buy a home have nothing to do with money. They are:

 

  • A good place to raise children and for them to get a good education

  • A place where you and your family feel safe

  • More space for you and your family

  • Control of that space

 

What does owning a home mean to you? What non-financial benefits will you and your family gain from owning a home? The answer to that question should be the biggest reason you decide to purchase or not. 

 

2. Where are home values headed?

According to the latest Home Price Index from CoreLogic, home values are projected to increase by 5.3% over the next 12 months. 

 

What does that mean to you?

Simply put, if you are planning on buying a home that costs $250,000 today, that same home will cost you an additional $13,250 if you wait till next year. Your down payment will need to be higher as well to account for the higher home price.

 

3. Where are mortgage interest rates headed?

A buyer must be concerned about more than just prices. The ‘long term cost’ of a home can be dramatically impacted by even a small increase in mortgage rates. 

 

The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), the National Association of Realtors, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have all projected that mortgage interest rates will increase over the next twelve months as you can see in the chart below:

 

3 Questions Every Buyer Should Ask Themselves

 Bottom Line

Only you and your family will know for certain if now is the right time to purchase a home. Answering these questions will help you make that decision.

 

 

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Information Supplied by:   Keeping Current Matters

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