Valerie Mineiko's Real Estate Blog

The thought may have crossed your mind: what if you find the job of a lifetime in another state, or your company transferred you – should you  sell or rent your home?  There are quite a few factors to consider before making such an important decision. Reasons to Keep Your Home Think about some reasons for keeping ownership of your home. Do you like the home enough to hold on to it in case you ever  move back?  Do you want a tax break through property depreciation? Do you want to use the home as a retirement investment? These are all good reasons for retaining your home ownership, but there are other factors to consider that could outweigh the benefits. For instance, are you ready to be a long-distance landlord – hiring someone to maintain and manage the property for you? There are also many other costs involved, such as advertising, turning costs (cleaning and painting between tenants), taxes, insurance, utilities when your property is between tenants, etc. In order ...

Did you know that making your home more energy efficient increases its value? According to one study, making no cost/low cost changes can boost your home’s value by almost $20,000. The following suggestions can help make your home more energy efficient for your family as well as for future home owners. 1. Lower the thermostat on your water heater.  If your tap water at the highest setting is too hot to touch, lower the temperature by a few degrees. You’ll never feel the difference! 2. Check for air leaks around doors.  A lot of the air you pay to heat or cool escapes through unsealed doors. Install or replace worn weather stripping, and replace broken or missing storm doors. 3. Close the air vents in  rooms  not in use.  No reason to heat or cool an unused guest room, so close the vents and shut the door until you need the space once again. 4. Keep heat producers far from your thermostat in summer.  Floor lamps and televisions can significantly raise the te...