Valerie Mineiko's Real Estate Blog

  An Eco-Friendly Home Are you ready to go green? So many people are trying to be more eco-friendly, and there is no better place to start than your own home. Oh, and buy the way, it can increase the  market value of your home! Recycling Recycling should be made as easy as possible so that it becomes second nature. Set aside a space for your own recycling center and make sure everyone in the home uses it. Remember to buy products with easily recycled packaging, and try to avoid containers that are made of combined materials (cardboard and plastic for example). Some Helpful Tips to be Eco-Friendly 1) Stay away from products that contain chemicals like petroleum, which take a hefty toll on the environment. You can even make your own, with safe ingredients like baking soda, vinegar and olive oil. 2) Use fluorescent light bulbs instead of incandescent bulbs, they last three to four times longer and have a lower impact on the environment. 3)  When redecorating , use paints tha...

Grilling Isn’t Just For Meat Anymore Did you know that you can do pretty much do all of your cooking on the grill – vegetables, pizza, even dessert. So, instead of spending hot summer nights broiling your food in a hot kitchen, why not plan to prepare your meals on your deck or patio? Grilling is good for you! It adds no extra fat to your food, takes no more time than conventional cooking, and best of all, clean up is a snap. If you’ve never tried grilling, this can be the time to learn this great American cooking technique. Gas Grills or Charcoal Grills Gas grills are a lot like gas stoves, you just turn on the gas and light it. Most gas grills have temperature settings so there’s no guesswork. Charcoal grills are a little trickier, but work great if you know how to do it. For one pound of meat cooked with a direct-heat method (right over the fire), a good rule of thumb is 30 charcoal briquettes. For one pound of meat using indirect heat, you will need 50 briquettes. Charcoal Briquett...

Summertime means moving time for a lot of American families, and while moving may be exciting for adults, it can be downright traumatic for kids. In the midst of preparations, packing and looking for a new house, often parents forget that special care should be taken with their children to ease the transition. Following are some tips to help make your move with kids as smooth as possible. Preparing for the Move • Attitude is everything. Even if you are less than thrilled to be moving (if your spouse has been transferred to someplace you swore you’d never live, for instance), you must project a positive attitude to your kids. They will pick up on whatever signals you send and act accordingly.  • Be kind to yourself! You will be stressed out, of course. But you must concentrate on getting enough rest, proper nutrition and exercise during the transition so that you will be able to handle the transition in a healthy way and be available to your children. • If possible, bring your kids ...

  How Foreclosures Happen What happens when a borrower fails to make their  mortgage payments  for a period of time, ignores notices that payments are behind, and hasn’t contacted the lender to work something out? The lender can exercise its lien against the borrower’s home to sell the house and payoff the loan. This is a Foreclosure. How do people go from popping the champagne cork & celebrating on closing day to having their belongings set out on the lawn? It didn’t happen overnight. There are some steps involved: Step 1 – A Notice of Default is Recorded by the Bank This will happen after a payment has been missed. Although not as common today, sometimes depending on the bank, it happens after several payments are missed. Banks have been tightening the reins, trying to move homeowners to act long before the point of no return. Step 2 – Possible Opportunity to Reinstate the Loan This sounds hopeful- a homeowner can reinstate their loan! Homeowners have the power to s...

It may not be green outside yet, but you can certainly start living green in your home. It’s definitely the thing now – living green. Wondering how you can reduce your carbon footprint? Behold, there are many companies out there devoted to helping people reduce their  carbon footprint . Hybrid cars, recycling, eco-friendly business practices and more. An energy efficient home will also add to your  market value  also! Easy Ways to Start Going Green at Home Fix all your plumbing leaks – sinks, tubs, showers and toilets should be checked for drips and leaks. Replace old fixtures with water-saving faucets and toilets – you can even purchase conservational water pipes to replace your old plumbing. Install a programmable thermostat. Turn down the heat at night (and during the day if no one is home). Use long-life fluorescent light bulbs. They’re a bit more expensive, but they last longer than traditional bulbs. Consider getting new or additional insulation. Seal up with window...

Selling a home  is so much different from  buying a home.  There are a lot of moving pieces that first time sellers may be unaware of. Selling your home is about the bottom line – how much money are you going to make on the investment. Buying a home involves emotions, and selling a home centers on maximizing profit. 1. Pricing Your Home Correctly Pricing your home is one of the most important factors when marketing your home to sell. Definitely enlist the help of a reputable listing agent. Don’t choose someone who just “dabbles”in real estate. You’ll be much better off if you select an experienced Realtor who sells a good number of listings, preferably in your area. Your Realtor should analyze comparable sales and prepare a  Comparative Market Analysis  estimate of value (CMA).  Zestimate at Zillow  is an option that many sellers consider, however there are many variances that Zillow doesn’t apply to value estimates. A good agent will point this out to...

Once you’re ready to  buy the home of your dreams,  you’ll begin to hear a lot of mortgage terminology being thrown around. A common term you’ll certainly hear is “debt-to-income ratio”. Unless you’re a math wizard, this type of lingo can sound intimidating, but it doesn’t need to. Debt-to-income ratios are easy to figure and also use to your advantage; giving you the opportunity to know much house you can afford before you start looking. The debt-to-income ratio is basically the way your mortgage lenders will decide how much money you can comfortably  afford to borrow . It is the percentage of your monthly gross income (before taxes) used to pay your monthly debts (not your monthly living expenses). Two calculations are involved, a front ratio and a back ratio, written in ratio form, i.e., 33/38. What Debt-to Income Ratio Numbers Mean The first number in the ratio indicates the percentage of your monthly gross income used to pay housing costs, such as principal, interest...

One thing you may not have thought about once  you’ve moved  in to your new home is getting to know your new neighborhood. This is really important – especially if you have kids. Here are some tips on how to get to know your new neighborhood and making the transition easier and happier for everyone. Before Moving to a New City or State 1. Before you get there, it’s a good idea to contact the local chamber of commerce and request a packet of area information. Most of the time, they are happy to oblige, getting the word out about their town or city. You can learn a lot from this material, including local history, the businesses in town, events, etc. 2. Purchase a detailed map of the area. Spend time with your kids and look it over with them. Call your  children’s schools  to request a tour of the facility prior to the kids have to start. Locate their classrooms, the cafeteria, library, gym and bathrooms. Once You Move In 1. Drive around the area and look for the p...

  Welcome March it’s just about time for spring cleaning! This is that time of year when the Chicago-area weather finally allows for deep cleaning your home both indoors and out. One of the main reasons to perform intensive spring cleaning, especially if you’re getting ready to sell your home, is to perform maintenance and upkeep checks — making sure that everything is in working order and not in need of repair. If these tasks seem too large, why not break them up into several weekends so you don’t become overwhelmed? Be sure to get the whole family involved — many hands make light work. Turn it into a yearly tradition, a signal that summer fun is almost here. To get started, take an inventory of your cleaning supplies and products, including garbage bags, vacuum bags, paper towels, rags, rubber gloves, etc. Take them with you in a bucket or other container so you won’t have to go searching for what you need. Have plenty of cold water and high-energy snacks on hand (nuts, dried fru...

If you’re in the market to  buy your perfect home , it should start with hiring the right real estate broker. But how do you determine which Realtor is the right one? Follow these four steps to help you narrow down your choice: 1. Look Them Up & Learn More About Them Check out their  online presence . Is their website and  social media  up to date? Do they have  recent listings and sales  that you can see? Also, don’t forget about reviews! If you are wondering what its like work with a worthy real estate broker, start by reading what past clients have to say about them. Realtors can tell people that they’ll work hard for them, and get them the best deals, but good reviews from past clients tell the real story. 2. Make Sure They’re Knowledgeable Buying and selling real estate is extremely competitive. A good agent should understand the local market, as well as the real estate business in general. They must understand what you will face as a buyer or sell...

Falling in love with a  new home  can be exhilarating. It can also be kind of scary, especially when you’re unsure of all the details. What if something goes wrong and you end up losing the deal? Sometimes it seams that how careful you are, some deal killers are unavoidable. Others may be preventable, so pay attention if you hope to keep your deal alive.  1. Don’t Take Chances with Your Mortgage Loan Pre approval  One reason for a real estate contract to fall apart is that many buyers don’t completely understand the  mortgage process . You can get a loan pre approval, but it doesn’t actually guarantee that you will get the loan. After you receive your pre approval letter and decide to move forward with your purchase, the lender will open your file, give you a big list of paperwork to obtain, order appraisals, credit reports, verify your employment income, and more.  Then your information is sent to the loan processor who reviews it all.  The processor ...

  Keep Your Home’s Value Consistent With The Neighborhood Before you begin any new home projects in order to raise  your property value , be careful not to raise the value too far above other homes on your block. Potential buyers looking to purchase higher priced homes may look exclusively in pricier neighborhoods, so don’t price yourself out of the market for your area. You always want to keep the value of your property within 15 to 20 percent of the surrounding homes in your neighborhood. The Average Cost Recouped (National – According to Realtor Magazine) • Minor updates to your kitchen (88%) • Remodeling your entire kitchen (81%) • Remodeling your bathrooms (85%) • Adding a family room (80%) • Adding a Deck (77%) • Master suite remodel (75%) • Adding an attic bedroom (74%) • Replacing your siding (73%) • Replacing your windows (69%) • Updating you home office (55%) Other updates to your home that may increase  you’re the property value  include: Jacuzzis, hot tub...

New construction homes offer so many benefits to home buyers. See the Top 6 reasons why so many consumers prefer new homes to used homes: 1) The New Home Warranty A used home probably has some older products that may need to be fixed or replaced. Your new home — and the items that come with it — are brand-new and under warranty. There is a high cost to replace a roof, appliances, water heater, etc. on a used home. With your brand new home, you won’t need to worry about fixing or replacing big ticket items for years. 2) You Can Design Your Home Your Way Your new home can reflect your style, not the previous owner. Don’t settle for someone else’s choices when you can choose your own colors, cabinets, counter tops and flooring. In many cases, you can choose to specify bath and kitchen fixtures, lighting and other options as well. 3) Save on Energy Costs Today’s new homes are much more  energy efficient  than homes built in the past. Why settle for drafty, energy-wasting, windows ...