Your Guide to February

Love and luck mark this month. 

 

 

Chinese New Year

 

It’s the Year of the Pig. People born under this sign are said to be seekers of status who enjoy life and have good luck.

 

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Home Warranty Day

 

Take time today to learn more about this special insurance coverage for the appliances and systems inside your home.

 

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Valentine’s Day

 

Whether you go for chocolates and flowers or dinner and diamonds, love is love, no matter how you show it!

 

 

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Presidents’ Day

 

Add Washington’s and Lincoln’s birthdays together and you get Presidents’ Day, honoring our country’s leaders.

 

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National Love Your Pet Day

 

It’s a great day to volunteer at your local shelter or to consider adopting a new fur baby into a forever home.

 

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The Oscars®

 

The 91st Annual Academy Awards is a great excuse to dress in your red carpet best and throw an Oscar-themed party.

 

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February is the only month that can have no full moon.

February 1911 saw the first use of fingerprints to convict a criminal.

St. Valentine was thought to be a Roman priest in the 3rd century who secretly married couples against the orders of the Emperor.

February is the birth month of Nathan Lane, George Romero, Thomas Edison, and Rosa Parks.

It certainly feels like spring today!

Spring is certainly right around the corner and even though the flowers aren’t quite blooming just yet, this is a great time to prepare your home for the spring market! 

If you are a prospective seller, it is important to use this time to start getting your home ready:

 
Start Interviewing Prospective Realtors
One of the most important thing to do when selling your home is to find a great agent to represent you. If you don’t have one already, then get recommendations from friends and interview different agents to find one who will be the best fit for you. A good listing agent should have a great marketing plan, experience, and deep knowledge of the area and market. Don’t simply go with the one who tells you they can sell your home at the highest price – choose someone who can present you with a detailed and realistic market analysis to back up their numbers.

 

Make a Plan
A big mistake a lot of sellers make is not having a plan. Here are some questions you should be asking yourself:

Are you planning on buying another home once your home sells?
Do you have the option to move in with family?
Can you rent?
Can you buy non-contingent?
Think about these things and discuss your financing options with a local lender before you list. If you can get pre-approved to buy a home non-contingent it will give you a huge advantage over another seller selling their home subject to finding a suitable property to purchase.

Clear the Clutter
This may seem like a no-brainer but its really important! Be proactive and start the cleaning process now.

Wash your windows, Dust your blinds, Dust baseboard trims, Clean appliances, Clean showers and toilets, Clean inside cabinets. When you’re selling your home, it’s important to de-clutter too. Plus it will give you a head start on moving packing. Clean out your closets and pack away anything that’s not a necessity. Your home will look so much better and most likely sell a lot faster if its organized and de-cluttered.

Prospective buyers are going to want to step into your home and see a place they can visualize living in and making their own. The best way to do that is to create a blank slate. Keep it neat, reduce the amount of clutter you have on shelves and surfaces, and depersonalize as much as you can. The idea is to showcase your home without distracting from it.

 

Make Repairs and Improvements
The last thing anyone wants to do before they sell their home is to dump a bunch of money into it for an extensive renovation; however, there are minor repairs and improvements that can be made to make a home look fresher for potential buyers. Here are a few worthwhile improvements that can be made without spending a fortune:

Freshen Up Paint, Front Door and Hardware, Applying a coat of paint to walls and trim, or even touching up certain areas, can make a world of difference in the appearance of your home. If painting isn’t an option, you can give the walls and trim a thorough cleaning to improve the overall space. It’s also a good idea to spruce up your front door, since that’s the first thing a buyer will see when they walk in.

 

Spruce up the Curb Appeal
You want to impress potential buyers as soon as they step onto the property or take a drive by, which means making the outside of your home look as appealing as possible. Make the extra effort to rake leaves, weed the garden, and mow the lawn. Clean and put out your outdoor furniture, and even consider adding some colorful plants to the front of the house.

 

Know Your Local Spring Market
Every market is different. The best way to be informed about yours is to connect with your realtor. They should advise you on current, past and projected market conditions as well as give you advice on when to list.

The time you list is critical! Wait too long and you could miss the prime selling time frame. There are some realtors who suggest listing earlier and not waiting till spring in order to beat the spring market competition. However, as stated above, it all depends on your local market. This is another reason having a good realtor is of key importance.

 

Inexpensive Ways to Save on Your Home Heating Bill This Winter

The cold weather is upon us once again. And while it does brings the joys of the holidays and serene, snowy landscapes, it also brings expensive heating and utility bills.

People who have electric heat watch their bills double or more during the winter months. And for those who burn oil, wood or pellets, fuel costs are rising year after year.

To help offset the increased costs of heating their home in the winter, many people have turned to cost-efficient solutions that can help mitigate the effects of rising prices.

In this article, we’ll discuss some of the most simple and effective ways to conserve heat in your home so that you can get the most out of your heating source each month.

Apply window insulating film

One of the cheapest and easiest ways to mitigate the amount of heat list from your windows is to use window insulating film. During the winter months, this quick fix can save you $15 per window during each season. If you have large, draft windows, these thin sheets of clear plastic can be quite effective.

Proper installation of these insulators makes them practically invisible unless you inspect the windows closely. To make them less obvious, use a hair dryer to shrink the film, making it airtight and removing any wrinkles in the plastic.

Work with sunlight

We get so few hours of daylight during the winter that the Sun doesn’t get much of a chance to heat up our homes.

Take advantage of natural light throughout by opening the curtains for rooms that receive direct sunlight at varying times of the day. Of course, this is hard to do if you are away from home for most of the day. In that case, it’s often better to keep northern- and eastern-facing curtains closed throughout the day.

Lower the thermostat at night

According to a study by the U.S. Department of Energy, you can save up to 10% a year on heating by lowering your thermostat by 10°F for 8 hours overnight. This is potentially a huge amount of savings for those who don’t mind bundling up in bed during the night, or for those who can control the heat in different parts of their home, heating only their bedroom overnight.

Seal up cracks and holes in your home

Before the cold weather hits, take a walk around the interior and exterior of your home and search for cracks and holes to seal up. Sometimes outdoor lines and pipes are sealed with caulk that has since cracked and fallen away. Using an expanding foam will ensure the cracks stay closed and keep the cold air out.

Similarly, check the doors of your home for sealed weatherstripping. On a cold day, you can often feel a draft by putting your hand near the bottom of your doors. To reduce this draft, you can buy one of many types of weatherstripping.

Felt strips can be bought in large rolls, but typically only last for a year or two. V-strips tend to be the most durable.

Using these four inexpensive methods, you can start saving today on your home heating bill and be prepared for the coming months.

JUST SOLD

2 Karen Circle #20
Billerica, Ma 

Sold For $155,000

How Much Is Your Home Worth
In Today’s Market??
Contact me today to find out!

Have you lost any deals due to a Home Inspection?? — Bill Nickerson’s Blog

A great read!

We hear so many times of home sales falling apart due to home inspections or some minor repair issues. Broken steps, missing railings, chipping or flaking paint and the list goes on. These are typically minor issues and can be fixed quickly and affordably. What if I told you I have the answers to your […]

via Have you lost any deals due to a Home Inspection?? — Bill Nickerson’s Blog

Tips To Make Spring Cleaning A Breeze

It’s almost time to welcome in the spring season. With spring comes a yearly tradition: Spring cleaning! Where do you even start to get the dust, dirt, and clutter out of your home after a long winter? We have a few tips for you regarding all of the areas that you need to address.

Baseboards, Door Frames, and Walls

These areas of your home are often overlooked, but can accumulate quite a bit of dust and dirt. All you need to do is wash the areas down with soap and water and let them dry thoroughly.  

Wash Your Windows

This sounds like it’s the least fun of any kind of cleaning project, but it must be done! However you decide to wash your windows, make sure that you pick a cloudy day for it. If it’s a sunny day, you could end up streaking the windows quite harshly because the windows will dry too fast.

Deep Clean The Carpets

Although this project may be done only once a year, it’s an important cleaning task to help with springtime allergens. You can have your rugs professionally cleaned. Another option is to rent a deep cleaner for the carpet and do-it-yourself. This can be an all day project, since the carpets need time to dry. If you see any stains in the carpets, be sure to pre-treat them before you start the carpet cleaning process. 

Give Your Furniture A Once-Over

Spring is a great time to vacuum up your furniture and refresh the upholstery. Clean the wood portions of your furniture as well with a polish. Be sure that you clean under the furniture, under the cushions, and all around the furniture as well. Your vacuum hose will come in handy for these tasks.

Clean Behind The Refrigerator

Take the time to move your refrigerator, dust behind it, and really clean all around it. So much dust and dirt can collect around the fridge that it will shock you. 

Dust The Light Fixtures

Your light fixtures can often go ignored. The glass around the bulbs can collect quite a bit of dust and dirt. Take the lighting fixtures apart and wipe everything down with a cloth. Use a mild cleaner for dust and dirt that has really built up over time.

Power Wash The Outside Of Your House

The spring is a great time to power wash the outside of your home. The exterior of the home will appear like new as you get rid of any dust, dirt, and debris that may have built up on the shingles or stone facing over the course of the fall and winter.   

 

Spring cleaning won’t be such a tedious task as long as you take the time to plan what your priorities are in the house.

Beyond Curb Appeal

Home Buying & The Down Payment

Massachusetts Home Buying – Is the Purchase and Sale Deposit the Same as the Down Payment?
Being a Massachusetts home buyer is a bit different than buying in some other parts of the country. Here in Massachusetts we have a two part contract system. It consists of the “Offer to Purchase” and the “Purchase and Sale Agreement.”

Initially, at the offer stage it is customary to put a deposit of $500 to $1,000 along with the offer in order to bind the agreement.

Ten days to two weeks after the offer comes the Purchase and Sale Agreement. This is the actual complete document that will have all the terms and conditions of the sale. At Purchase and Sale signing, the buyer will put down a more substantial deposit in order for the seller to feel secure about taking the property off of the market.

The question then arises – is the Purchase and Sales deposit the same as the “down payment?”

The customary amount for the P&S deposit is equal to 5% of the purchase price you will be paying for the property. And, I would not advise putting down any more than this. There is really no reason to do so.

Unless you are in the situation with an FHA or VA loan in which you will be able to put a low down payment, 5% will not be a significant enough amount to qualify as your complete down payment. This is still merely a deposit that holds the property off of the market.

When the P&S is signed and executed, the deposit check is cashed and the funds are put into an escrow account. There they will stay there until your closing at which time this money is brought forward and applied to your purchase.

At the time of your closing you will be bringing “good funds,” usually a bank check, for the remaining amount of your down payment as well as any closing costs.

As a Massachusetts home buyer you should know – there is a definite distinction between the Purchase and Sale deposit and your down payment.

Home Shopping in Spring: 3 Things You Need to Know

Spring represents a lovely time to buy a house. As such, many homebuyers enter the spring real estate market with a common goal – to find the best house at the best price.

What can you do to separate yourself from the homebuying competition? Here are three spring homebuying tips that you need to know:

1. Plan Ahead

The housing market moves quickly, and homebuyers who lack the necessary real estate skills and know-how may fall behind the competition. On the other hand, homebuyers who prepare for the spring real estate market should have no trouble discovering the perfect house.

Evaluate the real estate market closely. Consider your finances and the size of the house that you would like to purchase. Also, examine the prices of houses in your area and how long these homes have been available.

Ultimately, a diligent homebuyer will plan ahead as much as possible. By doing so, this individual will be ready to browse properties and submit offers on residences as soon as springtime arrives.

2. Get Pre-Approved for a Mortgage

Homebuyers who receive pre-approval for a mortgage can set realistic expectations for the spring housing market. These homebuyers will know exactly what they can afford, and as such, can narrow their home search.

Getting pre-approved for a mortgage will require you to meet with a bank or credit union and consider all of the financing options at your disposal. Each lender will be able to explain the differences between adjustable- and fixed-rate mortgages and respond to your mortgage concerns and questions as well.

With pre-approval for a mortgage, a homebuyer may stand out from the competition. This individual will be able to streamline the process of submitting an offer on a home. Plus, this homebuyer may be able to boost his or her chances of receiving a “Yes” from a home seller.

3. Hire an Experienced Real Estate Agent

An experienced real estate agent won’t take shortcuts, and as a result, will go above and beyond the call of duty to help you find the perfect home in spring.

Hiring an experienced real estate agent may seem difficult due to the sheer volume of real estate professionals that are available. However, homebuyers who consider a real estate agent’s reputation and credentials may be able to work with a great real estate professional who can guide them along the homebuying journey.

How do past homebuyers rate a real estate agent? Does a real estate agent possess many years of experience? And how will a real estate agent handle tough negotiations with a home seller? These are just some of the questions for a homebuyer to consider when he or she evaluates a real estate agent.

In addition, homebuyers will want to hire an experienced real estate agent who is available to answer their homebuying queries. This real estate professional will allocate the necessary time and resources to support a homebuyer and ensure that this individual can make informed decisions.

Employ an experienced real estate agent to help you find a home in spring. With this real estate agent at your side, you can move closer to purchasing your dream residence

Top 10 Reasons To Hire A Real Estate Agent