changescapeweb, Author at Sandra Meranda

March 8, 2012 by changescapeweb Leave a Comment

Ways to Create Less Trash

I’m a big recycler, so I when I came across this article I thought it was worth sharing. There are a lot of things we can do to create less trash. This is perfect as we all start to think about spring cleaning! Here are the highlights: iStock_000017556816XSmall-300x300

Consider recycling all paper and paperboard that comes into your home. If paper is free of food, it can be recycled.
Don’t throw any the leftovers! Nearly 1/3 of of our trash is food, needlessly filling up the landfills.
E-waste is a big problem. There are great electronics recycling programs in St. Charles and St. Louis, so take advantage of them.
Reuse things that you might just be inclined to throw away – use your imagination to re-purpose things into storage or other ideas!
Don’t throw away good clothes – again there are many wonderful organizations across St. Louis and St. Charles that you can donate them to. Or try selling them on eBay or at local consignment shops.
A lot of trash we create is based on what we buy. Don’t buy paper plates or bottled water. Think about the trash you are creating with the products you are purchasing, from meals to electronics, in regard to the way they are packaged.

Check out the full article “Do Your Part: Top 7 Ways to be Less Trashy” for more ideas! Here’s to a less trashy St. Charles!

The busy Spring real estate season is just around the corner! This is the time of year for buying and selling real estate. There are large numbers of homes at below-market prices & the Interest rates are hovering below 4% !! The home sale numbers have been increasing every month since June. It is never too early to start getting your home for Spring also. Contact me for details today!

February 17, 2012 by changescapeweb Leave a Comment

The Top 10 Things to do to Prepare for an Appraisal in St. Charles and St. Louis

Here’s a great article that talks about the top things to do to prepare for a home appraisal. Working with an experienced realtor who knows the St. Charles Home market and the St. Louis County Home market can really help.

How To Prepare for a Home Appraisal

You’ve just signed all of the paperwork for your refinance, handed the loan officer the check for the appraisal, and now you’re wondering what is going to happen next. Good news-the appraisal inspection is painless, and usually takes anywhere from 30-60 minutes to complete. However, there are a few things that you should do to help the process move along as smooth as possible.

Preparing for the appraisal inspection:

Create a detailed list of the recent improvements, which should include the following: when completed, cost of the improvement, before and after pictures if available.
Make sure each room is accessible; the appraiser is required to inspect each room.
If there is a crawl space, this area will also have to be made accessible for inspection for an FHA appraisal.
Give the appraiser room to do their job. Errors are more likely to occur when the appraiser isn’t able to concentrate on their inspection.
Keep all pets restrained. I’ve been bitten twice by a dog, and once by a cat; the owners had assured me that their pets were friendly-not so much!
If you live within a development that has a homeowners association, have the name and phone number of the contact person available, along with a fee statement.
If the appraisal is for an FHA loan, then the area leading to the attic will have to be cleared and made accessible-the appraiser is required to make at least a head and shoulders inspection of the attic area.
Walk through each room and straighten up as if you were getting ready for company to visit. Appraisers are objective and can look past many things, however, the underwriter reviewing the appraisal photos may feel differently.
Complete any unfinished projects-most appraisals are done “as is”, and any projects that haven’t been completed, will have to be adjusted for within the appraisal report.
A copy of any agreements regarding easements (shared driveways and/or garages, etc.) should be made available.

Concerns about value:

For years I’ve been a big proponent of developing a relationship with a Realtor. I’m not talking about a real estate agent who happens to be a relative that lives half way across the state. I’m talking about one that does a lot of work within your neighborhood.

By building a relationship with a professional Realtor (this is all they do and they do it well), they’ll be able to give you great insight as to what’s happening within your neighborhood, and they would be glad to let you know what similar homes are selling for.

Once the appraisal is complete:

You have a right to a copy of your appraisal, so ask for it. If you should find any errors or have any concerns, talk with your loan originator. This is hard for borrowers to understand, being that they paid for the appraisal, but the mortgage company is the appraiser’s client, and they can’t discuss the appraisal with anyone else unless given permission.

Trying to understand an appraisal can be like trying to read the “Dead Sea Scrolls,” so ask questions and get clarification when needed-you paid for it!

Written By Michael S. Bolton, Home Appraiser

This is the time of year for buying and selling real estate. There are large numbers of homes at below-market prices & the Interest rates are hovering below 4%!! The home sale numbers have been increasing every month this year since June. It is never too early to start getting your home for this Spring also. Contact Sandra Meranda for details today!

February 8, 2012 by changescapeweb Leave a Comment

Designing on a Human Scale

Here’s an interesting article on home design, integrating technology with the comforts of the past, based on smarter construction in a smaller footprint. Check it out and watch the video on Designing on a Human Scale!

Sarah Susanka’s newly-constructed ‘not so big house’ in Libertyville, Ill., provides smart ideas for comfortable living in fewer square feet.

DECEMBER 2011 | BY ERICA CHRISTOFFER

The house of the future — at least the immediate future — probably won’t look anything like what we saw watching “The Jetsons” as kids. But it may very well look like acclaimed architect and author Sarah Susanka’s “not so big” home that’s making its premiere just outside of Chicago.

Susanka designed the show-home for the new SchoolStreet development in Libertyville, Ill., and it’s the first time she’s created a home that is available in the mass market. In partnership with developer John McLinden, Susanka has created a home that integrates technology of the present with the comforts of the past. It’s based on an architectural concept — smarter construction in a smaller footprint — that Susanka has nurtured at least since the 1998 publication of her book, The Not So Big House: A Blueprint For the Way We Really Live.

The SchoolStreet house isn’t small; it’s more than 2,500 square feet. But as a show house, it offers numerous ideas for adapting existing space.

“People are looking not just for a smaller house, but for a better house,” says Susanka. “You can make less square footage feel like more if it’s well designed.”

According to a recent study by the National Association of Home Builders, by 2015 homes are expected to average 2,152 square feet, which is 10.5 percent smaller than the average single-family home built during 2010 (that, in turn, is down from the peak of 2,520 square feet in 2007 and 2008). Susanka’s home embodies the trend toward living well on a smaller scale by incorporating an open floor plan with ceiling accents that define the space, several multipurpose rooms, energy-efficient features, and outdoor entertainment areas. Smart organizational built-ins blend seamlessly, such as a cabinet just the right size for extra toilet paper in the home’s bathrooms and a murphy bed in a first-floor room.

“SchoolStreet houses are designed to align with a cultural shift in how home owners truly want to live — more soulful designs, filled with detail, that are sensitive to the environment and connected to a pedestrian-friendly, vital community,” McLinden said. “For decades, Sarah has been espousing the benefit of such houses. Few people have had as great an influence on the American home and lifestyle as Sarah.”

The SchoolStreet project serves as a beacon of success in today’s housing market and new-home construction. The location was previously home to a luxury townhome development that went into foreclosure. When McLinden purchased the property, he went back to the drawing board to create smaller, high-quality, cutting-edge bungalows, and slashed the prices in half, with homes now starting at $500,000. He also converted Libertyville’s neighboring historic Central School building into 15 loft condominiums. As of early December, 21 of the 26 homes and 5 of the 15 lofts had been purchased.

“I’ve been a REALTOR® since 1978, and in all those years I’ve seen many different developments, but this concept and [Susanka’s] home is the most exciting thing I’ve been a part of,” says Sue Carey, SCRP, GMS, vice president of relocation and corporate services at Century 21 Kreuser & Seiler in Libertyville, which has selling rights to the development.

The SchoolStreet homes feature a new urbanist character, with porches set close to the front sidewalk to make more of a community connection. The 26 homes and 15 lofts are located close to the Libertyville’s vibrant downtown main street and within walking distance of many amenities. The urban lifestyle, Susanka says, is attracting an array of consumers, from downsizers to first-time buyers, from professional couples to growing families.

“From my perspective as an architect and an author, what I hear is people are refocusing on their homes not so much as an investment, but as a wonderful place to live,” Susanka says. “For real estate agents, I think it’s really important to see what people are looking for today. They have been shifted by the economy and by all the uncertainty that’s been coloring our world for the last few years.”

Susanka’s show-home has given both real estate professionals and buyers an example of how to live in a more organized and thoughtful manner, Carey says. “It’s a way of living and a way of readjusting your life so that it has more tranquility to it.”

The show-home is open for tours now through May 20, 2012, after which it will be sold. Visit www.schoolstreetlibertyville.com for more information.

January 18, 2012 by changescapeweb Leave a Comment

5 Tips for Efficient Downsizing

Downsizing-tips Thinking about downsizing? There are many reasons we decide to downsize our homes, but as we begin the downsizing there are a few important things to keep in mind to make this less stressful and save you time. Check out this article below for great downsizing tips!

By Peggy Patenaude

The organizational benefits of downsizing can be very rewarding. You can save time, restore order, relieve stress, free up space, and perhaps most importantly, save money.

It’s important when you are organizing and downsizing to try to keep your emotions out of the process. The process may seem overwhelming, but you can do it, and here are some tips that will help you accomplish the task:

1. Try not to focus on the entire house at once. Break things down room by room. Take on one project at a time and don’t allow yourself to get overwhelmed. If the room itself seems to be too much to take on, just focus on one area at a time, like a closet. Accomplish something before moving on to another area. Small steps yield big rewards. Set realistic goals about the amount of time you need, and create a timeline that works for you.

2. Evaluate what you have. Everyone has extra stuff. Ask yourself: Do I use this? Need it? Love it? Is it in good condition? If you haven’t used or thought about something in over a year, it’s probably safe to get rid of it. Sell valuable items that you no longer need. Ebay and Craigslist are both great online tools that will help you cash in on things that you don’t need anymore. Or, donate gently used items. There’s no shortage of organizations that take in the things you don’t use and distribute them to people in need. What a great feeling!

3. Properly store irreplaceable items. Meaningful items such as old photos, yearbooks, wedding dresses, and christening gowns should be properly stored in sealed containers in order to protect them from the elements. You may even want to go one step further with old photos and convert them to a digital format to ensure that they will always be safe. If your children have grown and moved out, as hard as it may be, remind yourself that you are not responsible for providing storage for your adult children.

4. Stay positive. Getting rid of items that remind you of your past can be an emotional process. At first it might seem difficult to part with those masterpieces that your children created when they were small, but there’s no reason to keep every scrap of paper your child has ever brought home. Instead, concentrate on what’s important to you, and visualize what your home will look like when you have de-cluttered and re-imagined your space. I have found that after de-cluttering, most people wish they had done it sooner.

5. Hire a REALTOR® who specializes in working with downsizers. This type of move is a specialty and requires a unique set of skills and a great deal of planning and patience. You will need someone who works well with you. You might find yourself needing the services of others, such as stagers, de-clutterers, and junk removers, as well as a storage plan for the things you can’t bear to part with or want to keep safe. With the right connections, you’ll be able to find someone who is not only familiar with your situation, but who has existing relationships and can assure that the process moves smoothly from beginning to end.

A top real estate agent can help you make an informed decisions about how to downsize effectively. My team specializes in St. Charles County and St. Louis County. If you are considering selling your home, please contact Sandra Meranda and I’ll get you moving!

January 4, 2012 by changescapeweb Leave a Comment

Protect Your Credit When Buying or Selling a Home

The holiday season is a time when many people begin thinking about buying or selling a home in St. Charles or St. Louis. With holiday spending over, it is a very important time to think about protecting your credit and your identity as you think about that new home in St. Charles or St. Louis.

Here’s an article I came across that provides a nice checklist to help you get ready for the home buying or home selling period.

Protect-Your-Credit If you are listing your home for sale, and/or preparing to buy a home, it’s important not only to protect your credit, but to guard against credit or identity theft as well as the theft of valuables. From Bankrate.com, here is a checklist that can help you do that during the buy/sell transaction period:

Apply with care –Be mindful when applying to multiple lenders. To some versions of the FICO software, all applications submitted within 30-45 days of each other only count as one hit on your credit report. However, many lenders may still use older versions of the software. Play it safe by submitting all applications in a 14-day period. This will ensure that your credit report doesn’t show multiple hits, which will in turn better your overall score.

Prepare for lookers – When selling your home, pack up small, valuable belongings before strangers begin to walk through the house. Additionally, all bills or financial papers should be put into a locked box or drawer. Protecting your finances and account numbers should be your number-one priority because identity and credit theft can happen.
Protect your documents: When buying a new home, only potential mortgage lenders need to see all of your personal information. Agents and sellers only need to know how much you can afford. When dealing with a lender, stick to the same representative to minimize the number of people who have access to your documents. Avoid sending any files with your social security number through email. Opt for mail or fax instead.
Stay on top of your finances: Even if you are on top of paying bills on a monthly basis, you may want to consider checking into your accounts weekly. By logging into your credit card accounts regularly, you can make sure that all of the charges are legitimately yours. Credit watch services are also a good idea. If a fraudulent charge is made, the service will pick up on it and alert you of the charges. It’s important to act quickly with regards to your credit.

A top real estate agent can help you make an informed decisions about how to make your new house truly yours. My team specializes in St. Charles County and St. Louis County. If you are considering selling your home, please contact Sandra Meranda and I’ll get you moving!

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