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August 6, 2017 by changescapeweb

10 Changes to Make in Your Home as You Age

Changes to Make in Your Home

When many people buy a home, they plan to live in it for many years. Unfortunately, as the years pass homes, and people, tend to age. Mobility issues, disabilities, and illnesses all have an effect on your everyday living. In fact, you’ll see many ADA compliant housing making it’s way onto the market to tempt seniors and others living with disabilities.

Think ahead to ensure your home has the modifications you’ll need as you age. Read on for the top 10 changes you should consider making to your home to make living in it easier.

1. Safe Flooring

When looking into changing your home, it’s good to start small. Safer flooring is a great place for seniors to starts, as they can make most of the changes on their own. Create a hazard free flooring when you remove throw rugs and other items that could cause trips and falls. Low pile carpets or hard floors that flow from room to room are the best options.

2. Lever Door Handles

Another small change that can make a big difference are door handles. Seniors who suffer from poor grip strength or arthritis often have difficulties with round knobs. Instead, install door handles that can simply be pushed to open.

3. Grab Bars

Grab bars are among the most popular accessories to install in showers and bathrooms. They help you maneuver yourself and steady your during transitional poses. If you don’t need grab bars now, having extra backing in your walls ensures they can easily be installed if you need them later.

4. Walk in Showers

While some houses come with tubs in every room, walk-in showers can be critical for seniors who have a hard time raising their legs. Removing tubs and installing showers instead makes it easier for anyone to get in and out.

5. Built in Shower Seat

You can make showering even easier by installing a built-in shower seat when you change out your shower. Proving a place to rest decreases the chance of falls and creates a safer space to wash yourself in.

6. Lower Countertops

Changes to Make in Your Home

The kitchen is one place many people forget when making changes to their home. Adding in countertops at different heights, offers you the flexibility to work while sitting or standing.

7. Lower Cabinets | Higher Drawers

In addition to height appropriate counter tops, having drawers and cabinets within arms reach reduces fatigue while working in the kitchen. No need to bend down low or stretch too high to get what you need.

8. Wheelchair & Walker Accessible

Whether it’s the entrance to your home, hallways between rooms, or door frames, you should make sure that every part of your home allows space for walkers and wheelchairs. Fitting through hallways and doors shouldn’t be a struggle for those who need walking assistance.

Making the Right Changes

Whether you’re a senior who’s considering changing their home or you’re hosting an aging parent for long periods of time, using this list to make your home easier to navigate will help. Talk to friends and family about making these changes or reach out to a licensed contractor today.

Author Bio:

Shirley Moore is a former general contractor and freelance writer newly based in Miami, Florida. She got her license at Contractors License Resource Group, but turned to writing to educate her community about home safety. When she’s not writing, Shirley offers local construction consulting services.

Images:

  1. https://3.bp.blogspot.com/_K4VsI3FcYv0/TMcI1VNhk3I/AAAAAAAAFCs/huzgij3J-Rg/s1600/installationimage.jpg.jpg
  2. https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ZRWWxHGJmgY/TTIVLaO3wkI/AAAAAAAAMls/drDFVw0BPtw/s400/universaldesignkitchen1.jpg

 

Filed Under: Guest Blogger, Home Improvement, Home Ownership, Home Sales, Home Selling

March 20, 2017 by changescapeweb

4 Things to Look for in a Home for Your Senior Years

house

 

Your working days are over, you’ve got a comfortable nest egg, and you’re ready to sell your family home and move into a cozier abode so you can relax and enjoy your retirement. But do you know what you want out of your post-retirement home? Most seniors want to settle into a home they can stay in for the long haul, but few understand how to find a home that will remain livable as their needs evolve. Here are a few things to consider when you’re shopping for your forever home.

Single-Floor Living

If you’re shopping for a new home at 55, you’re probably not concerned about stairs or wide hallways just yet. However, it’s important to consider how your accessibility needs may change as you age. To ensure that you can maintain your independence throughout your life, look for a house or condo that integrates accessible living with good design.

One of the most important features is single-floor living. While you don’t need to restrict yourself to single-story homes, you should consider the fact that a temporary disability could leave you restricted to the main floor for an extended period. You should also look for features like stepless entrances, curbless showers, and zero-clearance thresholds. Regardless of whether you ever use a wheelchair or walker, features like these can reduce the risk of an accidental fall.

Low-Maintenance Homes

Even if you’re the rare person who enjoys yard work, there’s a good chance you won’t find it so pleasurable when you’re 80. For stress-free retirement living, skip the big backyard and instead look for housing with maintenance-free green space. This may mean a home that borders a park, a condo complex with landscaped grounds, or a rental where your landlord handles the lawn.

It’s a good idea to pare down your indoor square footage, too. Keeping up with housework becomes increasingly challenging as you age, and you don’t want to spend your retirement worrying about chores.

Access to Amenities

If you’ve lived in the same town for years, you probably have strong social and community ties that you’d like to maintain during your later life. And not without good reason — after all, social support is one of the biggest indicators of good health as you age. However, at some point you won’t be able to get around as easily, and you may even have to stop driving. When that happens, will you still be able to get to your church, library, or other community hub?

When you’re searching for a new home, consider skipping the suburbs and instead look for a home centrally located near shopping, restaurants, and public transportation. But don’t sacrifice security for convenience. Instead, find a neighborhood that balances safety with walkability so you can stay socially and physically active throughout retirement.

Retirement-Friendly Taxes

For seniors seeking a new destination to retire to, choosing a locale with retiree-friendly tax policies is a great way to free up more cash for leisure pursuits. Some states don’t tax certain sources of retirement income while others, like Florida, Washington, and South Dakota, skip the personal income taxes entirely. However, there are other taxes to consider. High property taxes can quickly eliminate what you save on income taxes, so be sure to factor in any prospective destination’s overall tax burden and cost of living.

There’s a lot to think about when you’re looking for a home that you can live in comfortably for the next 20 or 30 years, but there are realtors that specialize in helping seniors find a home that meets all their needs, both current and future. For help navigating the real estate market and finding the perfect home for your senior years, consult with a realtor who is trained as a Senior Real Estate Specialist or Certified Senior Housing Professional.

Article by Jim Vogel
jim@elderaction.org

Image via Unsplash by Scott Webb

 

 

P.S. Real estate is booming this Spring! Homes are selling fast & for the highest prices in years. It is never too early to get your home ready for the Spring/Summer market. It is a great time for buyers to call me to discuss the market also. Don’t miss
out on your dream home & interest rates are still low. Call me for details today!

Filed Under: Buying a Home, Guest Blogger

November 11, 2015 by changescapeweb Leave a Comment

A Handyman can Help in Improving your Home

Handyman can Help in Improving your Home
You can find a number of home owners who never consider home renovation and eventually the time comes when the property is needed to be sold. This might be because the home owners become desensitized to their living conditions and are no longer interested in improving them. The other reason might be the load of budget and the home owner is unable to afford it. This might be the biggest reason as majority of people do want to have changes but it is not very easy to get the changes done. The one and the only solution to this problem is to hire a handyman who is expert in performing different jobs for repairing home. These are expert in their jobs and are able to perform everything quickly and efficiently. The best thing about hiring the handymen is that they are very reasonable and can do your jobs as per your desire. They can belong to any background but they are skilled and can perform occasional repair works and renovations. They can be retired plumbers, carpenters or they can be teachers who are performing these jobs as a side business. Although they do perform small jobs like carpentry and other such odd jobs since many years and as a result they become quite efficient and expert in their profession.

Handyman can Help in Improving your Home2It is also a good thing that you do hire some skilled handyman for your home repairs and then you can call them anytime when you have some work at your home. By keeping on calling the same person for your help, he will also get to know about your home and its system. As a result, they will know how to handle the job and fix many different things and will do it effectively and quickly. It will not be wrong to say that such a handyman will act like a property manager for you. It is also possible that you might have some jobs at your place which is sometimes not manageable by them and they can inform you that you need some other expert advice or help. Although these odd job men are very expert and professional but still there are many jobs that are not the cup of tea for them. Not only they can suggest you which help do you need but they can also suggest you some other odd jobber for performing this job. Obviously, they are going to suggest you the person who knows how to fix the things for you in the best way.

In short, these odd jobbers can really help you a lot in home improvement projects. You just need to find one reliable person for yourself. You can do this by going through the ads in the newspapers or on internet. Once you get the contact numbers of couple of handymen then you must call them and inform them about your specifications. Always provide them with complete set of specifications as not every worker knows to do all kinds of jobs. Your requirements will let them know if they can do your job or not. You can also refer the yellow pages and local directories for this purpose. The clearer and more descriptive information you are going to provide, the more right person you will get for your job who will do wonders for you.

 

Article granted by Ella A. on behalf of: Handyman Handy Ltd.

P.S. Homes are selling fast and for the highest prices in years!  It is never too late to put your home on the market or for buyers to call me to discuss the Fall market.  Don’t miss out on your Dream Home, interest rates are still below 4%.  Call me today for details!

Filed Under: Guest Blogger, Home Improvement, Home Remodeling

October 13, 2015 by changescapeweb Leave a Comment

Renovation Tips for Home Sales

Renovation Tips for Home Sales Real estate and properties in general can be improved and renovated for added benefit and value, which makes them more likely to be sold with success. The tips of this article will give you more information on ways you can improve your home and to make it work better for sales purposes:

  •  Insulation is one of the most important aspects of a home that need to be taken care of if you hope you have a potential future selling it on the market. You need to focus on ensuring your home has a good insulation you can count on. This will help when you need to make a sale, but it will also ensure whoever lives there will be able to enjoy the place without it needing more work.
  •  You can add a deck to your property if it allows such an approach, which will let your future buyers and tenants benefit from it as well as you would. You can create a nice flow between the outdoor and indoor areas you have, creating a nice balance between potential activities people living in the property can really enjoy.
  •  Refitting your kitchen is another good way of adding more value to your property, as it will let you bring about positive new changes into it that will last for many years. A more modern kitchen will go a really long way toward making the property more noteworthy for potential new buyers. You may need to get a moving company involved, especially if you need to move certain items out of your home and if they happen to be meant for another place. A moving company you know can also work when your potential new buyers need one to move in, so it would be a great way of working together.Renovation Tips for Home Sales2
  • Repaint and do your best to update the bathroom as well when you move on with the renovation, choosing colors that fit the rest of your home or wildly contrast with it, whichever one you like. The last thing you will need to have around your bathroom is to have it look old and battered, as this will be the best way to turn people away from your property. Make sure you keep things functional above them being top of the line and fashionable. Even if the bathroom looks fairly boring, if it happens to be working right and looking brand new, few people would actually have a problem with its looks, as long as they don’t cross the line into being too terrible with colors.
  • Something else you will need to deal with is working on the curb appeal of your home as well as other aspects. The outside is just as important as the inside, so you will need to be able to cover things well enough to make the sale easier instead of allowing your yard to look terrible. Fix up your garden and see whether you can repaint the outside of the building as well, transforming the entirety of it into something completely different with a few simple touches.

Article provided by Ella A. on behalf of: https://carpetcleaningbow.org.uk/

P.S. Homes are selling fast and for the highest prices in years!  It is never too late to put your home on the market or for buyers to call me to discuss the Summer &  Fall market.  Don’t miss out on your Dream Home, interest rates are still below 4%.  Call me today for details!

Filed Under: Guest Blogger, Home Improvement, Home Remodeling, Home Sales

September 9, 2015 by changescapeweb Leave a Comment

The First Time Home buyers Guide to Mortgage

first-time-home-buyers

As a first-time home buyer you will have a lot to deal with at first. Since applying for a first time mortgage loan can be a really overwhelming experience. If you want to have your first home to be an easier experience, you will need to be ready for the big day well ahead of time. There are a few questions you need to ask yourself before you move on with the actual purchase of your potential new home and moving in:

  • How much of a home can you really afford?

It is not quite uncommon to be able to qualify for a larger mortgage than you can really afford, but you would do well to borrow money with caution. Although it may seem like a lucrative opportunity to get a greater home than you can afford now, it will easily turn out as a serious mistake in the long run. Always make sure you have a good safety net in terms of your monthly budget so you won’t suffer financial woes at the end of the year. A mortgage calculator will help you out, but you would still do well to talk to your real estate agent to ensure you are fully aware of what you’re getting into.

  • How much mortgage can you afford to borrow?

There are quite a few things you need to consider, such as your overall monthly income, your credit history, employment and residence history as well as the size of the down payment. Depending on the circumstances involved, you may be given the opportunity to go beyond your safety margin, so be careful.

  • What will you need to pay up front?

There are some costs you will need to safely cover before you begin making your regular mortgage payments, such as closing costs, mortgage application fees, down payment and earnest money.
Mortgage application fees will include service fees, which may be flat fees covering 1-2% of the total final price of your property. There will also be credit report, appraisal and underwriting fees that may be added to the closing costs.
Earnest money is essentially the initial deposit that needs to be paid to the seller if the offer is accepted, showing your resolve to buy the property. Sometimes there are multiple bids on a property and the earnest money deposit you place may influence the decision of the seller, so keep that in mind.

Down payment is usually the best way you can get a better mortgage rate in the long run. Down payments can range up to 20% of the total cost of your potential new property, where 15-20% is the ideal range if you want to keep your mortgage low. Paying up front will help lower the interest of your mortgage further down the line.

Closing costs usually range from about 2-4% of the entire loan amount you will need to pay off. Closing costs may sometimes even be a part of the entire mortgage loan amount, meaning you will be paying them off as time goes by and you pay your mortgage the usual way. These may include mortgage application fees, attorney fees, surveys and inspections, insurance and more.

  • Home ownership expensesHomebuyers Guide to Mortgage

There will be more you need to commit to once you have a home, since other expenses need to be figured into your calculations as well. Mortgage insurance will usually be needed for mortgages with down payments of less than 20%, home insurance, maintenance and utilities as well as property taxes will also need to be considered into your monthly balance. You should take all of these into account when you commit to a home mortgage and you end up moving house successfully.

  • Saving money and planning ahead

If you want to save up for your new home, then there are some things you can do to make it happen. For example, saving for a higher down payment will mean a much lower set of payment later down the line. Maintaining a reliable income will allow you to improve your standing with lenders. Combining your stated income with your spouse will allow you an additional advantage, as well as paying your bills on time for a good credit score. Limit your monthly budget as well for a better credit score in the long run. What you should be aiming at is a mortgage that is less than 28% of your total income for an optimal result. When all is said and done moving into your new home with a moving company will give you peace of mind, knowing your monthly expenses are under control.

Article provided by Ella A. on behalf of: wandsworthremovals.com

 

P.S.  Real estate is still heating up for the Summer!  Homes are selling fast and for the highest prices in years!  It is never too late to put your home on the market or for buyers to call me to discuss the Summer &  Fall market.  Don’t miss out on your Dream Home, interest rates are still below 4%.  Call me today for details!

Filed Under: Buying a Home, First Time Home Buyer, Guest Blogger

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Cell: 314-691-1320
Office: 636-946-2020
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Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Alliance Real Estate, St. Charles
2171 Bluestone Dr.
St. Charles, MO 63303

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