Lori Blank & Associates

09

Jan

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Home Selling Tips

Flaws You Cannot Hide By Staging Your Home

When you sell your home, you want it look as good as possible. To do this, your real estate agent will help you stage your home or, if needed, help you find a professional to stage your home. This means de-cluttering your home, re-arranging furniture, and de-personalizing each room. A staged home is more appealing to buyers and helps to highlight your home's positive features. However, staging is not meant to cover major flaws in your home. Some things just have to be repaired. Roof Problems It doesn't matter how pretty your home is, your buyer is going to expect…

08

Jan

By Lori Blank

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Around The Home

2014 Cutting Edge Home Decor Trends

Your home is your castle and its decor is a unique artistic expression of your tastes and aesthetic. In order to keep your home decor looking fresh and up to date rather than stale, it's important to pay attention to the trends as they shift and change. This is especially important if you are selling your home, because outdated decor can make a negative first impression on the buyer. If you are planning to redecorate this year, what are the hottest trends when it comes to home decor in 2014? A Breath Of Fresh Air Benjamin Moore Paints has announced…

07

Jan

By Lori Blank

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Housing Analysis

Case Shiller Price Index Shows Highest Year-Over-Year Gains Since 2006

The Case-Shiller 10 and 20-City Home Price Indices for October were released on December 31. Although home prices in most cities continued to show year-over-year gains, the pace of home price appreciation is expected to slow in 2014. Year-over-year increases have been in double digit territory since March 2013, but month-to-month readings suggest that the rate of increasing home prices is slowing. According to David Blitzer, Chairman of the Index Committee at S&P Dow Jones Indices, "...the monthly numbers show that we are living on borrowed time and the boom is fading." The 10 and 20 city indices are showing…

06

Jan

By Lori Blank

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Mortgage Rates

What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week – January 6, 2014

The last week of 2013 brought relatively good news in view of the economic roller coaster rides caused by legislative impasse. A brief shutdown of federal government agencies, and nail-biting suspense over if and when the FOMC of the Federal Reserve would taper its quantitative easing program. Last week's news was not high in volume due to the New Year holiday, but it does suggest that a general economic recovery is progressing and that housing markets are leading the "charge!". Here are the details: The NAR's data of month-to-month reading of 0.20 percent showed an increase of 0.20 percent over…

03

Jan

By Lori Blank

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Around The Home

5 Ways To Use Your Dead Christmas Tree

The holiday season is coming to an end. It's time to pack up the stockings, and take the ornaments off the tree. That tree was a beautiful Christmas decoration, but now that the evergreen is turning brown, and its needles are falling all over the carpet, you realize it's time to get it out of the house. But don't just throw it away. You have several options. Here are five interesting ways to use your dead Christmas tree. It's For The Birds Keep the tree in its stand and set it outside. You can put some birdhouses in it, or…

02

Jan

By Lori Blank

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Home Seller Tips

Tips For Selling Your Home In The New Year

Many people think that selling a home after the holidays and during the Winter season is a bad idea. Most people are not in the home buying mood, because they are thinking about the holidays. Also, buyers will think that you are desperate and they will give you offers that are less than list price. Advantages Of Selling Your Home Now However, there are some advantages to selling your home over the holidays and into the new year. There will be less homes on the market, so there won't be as much competition. Also, buyers will likely be on their…

31

Dec

By Lori Blank

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Housing Analysis

New Home Sales Show Healthy Year-Over-Year Increase

The holiday season and winter weather slowed home sales in November. Last week, the NAR reported that sales of existing homes had slumped to their lowest level in nearly a year, but this was not unexpected. Short supplies of available homes and rising mortgage rates have increased pent-up demand for homes have kept some buyers on the sidelines. Improvement In The Labor Market 4.90 existing homes were sold in November; this was lower than the 5.13 million existing homes sold in October, as well as lower than expectations of 5.00 million existing home sales in November. Existing home sales…

30

Dec

By Lori Blank

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Mortgage Rates

What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week – December 30, 2013

The University of Michigan’s Consumer Sentiment Index was improved for December at 82.5, after the November reading was adjusted from 82.5 to 75. Analysts noted that consumers were relieved when legislative gridlock ended. Durable goods orders reached their highest level since May with November’s reading of + 3.5 percent. Without the volatile transportation sector, the reading for November was +1.2 percent. This could be a sign of economic recovery for manufacturing, as more orders are being placed. Economists expected an overall increase of 2.0 percent for overall durable goods orders. The U.S. Commerce Department provided housing markets with good news…

27

Dec

By Lori Blank

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Around The Home

How To Build An Outdoor Fire Pit

With most of the country easing into full-on winter weather, last-minute outdoor projects need to happen soon. And what better way to enjoy a cozy holiday season than by drinking hot chocolate and roasting marshmallows at your very own outdoor fire pit. In one weekend, the steps below can help you build an outdoor fire pit and get you fired up about the cold! Determine The Size And Location The first order of business is to choose where to build your outdoor fire pit. You want to make sure it's not too close to the house or overhanging trees. Once…

26

Dec

By Lori Blank

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Around The Home

Keep That Heat Inside, Insulate Your Windows For The Winter

Did you know that, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, 10% of air leaks out of the average house through the windows? Also, an estimate by Energy Star states that homeowners could save an annual 7-15% on their energy bills by replacing their own windows with more efficient models. If you live in an old home, it might not be possible to replace all of the windows in your home. However, there are still many simple and cheap things that you can do that will help to insulate your windows. Apply Rubber Weather Sealing At your local hardware store…