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Design Dilemmas: Want to know ways to make your home look its best and get it sold?

 

1. Raise Curb Appeal.  Keep up with your normal maintenance, such as, mowing, pruning, but go that extra mile by weeding, edging flower beds, planting colorful flowers, mulching. Add some inexpensive lighting to shine on doors, walkways and trees.
2. Make an Impression with the Foyer. This is the first view of the interior of the home and gives the buyers an idea of what to expect. Add inexpensive frames and hang them in a gallery format or in a row at eye level. Or add a decorative mirror. Nowadays, you can even rent art if purchasing new isn’t doable.
3. Dated appliances? You don’t always have to buy the expensive  pricey brands. “They can still buy good equipment with stainless steel fronts, but without the same expensive pedigree. And they can cut the number of appliances — perhaps one speed oven that doubles as a microwave rather than two separate ones,” Cheryl Kees Clendenon of In Detail Interiors in Pensacola, Fl says.
4. Definitely Paint!!! Paint updates a room tremendously. Also, nowadays, you don’t have to just stick to whites and beiges. There are plenty of grays and sages that look just as nice.
5. Update your hardware. Brushed Nickel and Oil-rubbed bronze are the “in” choices right now. Get rid of brass and wrought iron to update it. Buyers notice these items!!
6. Replace Flooring. Dingy carpet can have an effect on buyers. It gives an outdated look and also means that they have to “spend” more money to fix it. Wood Laminates are a great option. Nowadays it looks more and more like real hardwood without the costs.
7. Change Light fixtures. Change out the strips of bulbs in the bathroom to sconces and change out the brass chandelier to a chandelier with chrome, brushed metal or oil-rubbed bronze finishes or even change it out to a pendant with a drum shade.
8. Freshen the air. Make the home feel warm and cozy with a nice candle that resembles baking or even bake some cookies before a showing and leave them for potential buyers.

 

Calendar of Events: 

February 3rd-5th:  Everglades Seafood Festival. Annual Seafood Festival held in Everglades City. 3 days of music, carnival rides, arts, crafts and of course FOOD!

February 2^nd: Mercato Nights Music Series 6pm-9pm Every Thursday evening start your weekend early at Mercato with the best live blues, bluegrass and soft rock in Southwest florida! At the Piazza outside BRAVO! The Mercato Center, Naples, FL 34108

February 4^th:  Art in the Park: Naples Oldest Outdoor Art Fair 10am-4pm 585 Park St. Alongside the von Liebig Art Center, Naples, FL 34102

February 6^th: Naples Jazz Orchestra-Free Concert Cambier Park Bandshell 698 Sixth Ave S, Naples, FL 34102

February 9^th-13^th: Naples International Art, Antique and Jewelry Show 11am-7pm The first annual Naples Art, Antique & Jewelry show features the stunning collections of more than 75 internationally acclaimed exhibitors. 201 Goodlette-Frank Rd., Naples, FL 34102

February 21^st: Mardi Gras Evening on Fifth 6:30-9:30pm 5^th Avenue South, Naples, Fl 34102

February 25^th-26^th:  33^rd Annual Naples National Art Festival 10am-5pm Cambier Park and 8^th Street South

Coming to a Theater: February:

February 3rd:

Big Miracle: John Krasinski, Drew Barrymore, Kristen Bell, Dermot Mulroney

Chronicle

The Innkeepers: Sara Paxton, Pat Healy, Alison Bartlett, Jake Schlueter

The Woman in Black: Daniel Radcliffe

February 9th: 

I Am Bruce Lee

February 10^th:

Journey 2: The Mysterious Island: Dwayne Johnson, Josh Hutcherson, Vanessa Hudgins, Luis Guzman

Perfect Sense: Eva Green, Ewan McGregor, Connie Nielsen, Ewen Bremner

Rampart: Woody Harrelson, Sigourney Weaver

Return: Linda Cardellini, Michael Shannon

Safe House: Denzel Washington, Ryan Reynolds, Liam Cunningham, Brendan Gleeson

The Vow: Rachel McAdams, Channing Tatum, Sam Neill, Jessica Lange

February 13^th:

Splinters

February 14^th:

This Means War: Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pine, Tom Hardy, Chelsea Handler

February 16^th:

Re:Generation Music Project

February 17^th:

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance 3D; Nicholas Cage, Idris Elba

The Secret World of Arrietty: Bridgit Mendler, Amy Poehler, Will Arnett, Carol Burnett

February 24^th:

Act of Valor: Emilio Rivera, Roselyn Sanchez, Alex Veadov, Nestor Serrano

10 Easy Ways to Boost your Curb Appeal

1. Paint your Exterior: Get the look of a brand new home for the cost of a few cans of paint.

2. Refinish your Door.

3. Makeover your Driveway: Add a row of Belgian Block stones to each side of asphalt/concrete.

4. House Numbers: A quick and easy way to go from ho hum to handsome!

5. Put in Landscape Lights: Illuminate a walkway and make your home sparkle at night

6. Build the Perfect Path: Stone, Brick, Gravel or Sawdust can turn a muddy trail into an inviting walkway.

7. Pretty up the Porch: Dress up the front of your house with hinged panels of rot-proof skirting.

8. Refresh your Roof: Explore your options, such as ceramic tile, metal tile, slate, and more.

9. Opt for Entry Sconces

10. Powerwash the Walkway

Ideas from ThisOldHouse.com

Fight continues against 20% downpayments

The U.S. must tighten mortgage-lending rules to make the industry less risky – a new rule under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. If a mortgage follows QRM rules, which have not yet been defined, lenders can sell the mortgage because it will be considered relatively low risk. Lenders can still issue mortgages that don’t adhere to QRM standards, but the law forces them to retain some ownership and part of the risk. As a result, most lenders will follow QRM rules once established.

Check out the rest of the story http://www.floridarealtors.org/NewsAndEvents/article.cfm?p=2&id=261916

http://www.washingtonpost.com/proposed-20percent-down-payment-rule-could-put-owning-a-home-out-of-reach-for-many/2011/06/15/AGDJIhaH_story.html

 

Take Action here: https://secure.homeowneraction.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=153&utm_source=Rorgweb&utm_medium=banner&utm_content=narpub&utm_campaign=qrm2011

Toughest States for Retirees

In compiling its list, TopRetirements.com gave the most weight to three criteria: taxes, fiscal health and climate. Each of these factors is important, generally speaking, to retirees. On the financial front, high taxes can eat away at limited incomes, while poor fiscal health can force state governments to raise revenue or cut services. A warm climate is a natural draw for many retirees. If those three criteria aren’t among your top priorities, then the low rankings might not influence your decision.
Here are the 10 worst states for retirement, with No. 1 being the lowest ranked, according to TopRetirements.com:

Worst States for Retirement	Why You Should Think Twice
1) Illinois	Poor fiscal health
2) California	Expensive, and its finances are in disarray
3) New York	Very high taxes, including property taxes
4) Rhode Island	Worst-off state in the Northeast from a financial viewpoint; high taxes
5) New Jersey	Highest property taxes in the United States; has pension funding issues
6) Ohio	High unemployment and cold winters
7) Wisconsin	High property taxes and frigid weather
8) Massachusetts	High cost of living and high property taxes
9) Connecticut	Taxes Social Security and has high property taxes
10) Nevada	Foreclosure capital of the world

Visit AARP.com for more information.

Most Consumers Say They Can’t Afford a Big Downpayment

Only 12% of consumers think they could easily save a 20% downpayment to buy a house, according to a new poll from the National Foundation for Credit Counseling.

About one in five said they’d need a mortgage that allowed a much lower downpayment, while 17% thought they’d have to borrow the downpayment money no matter how much is required.

Half the respondents said they’d never be able to save enough money for a downpayment. 

“Since prices for homes are at historic lows, the necessary downpayment represents a lower dollar amount than would typically be necessary. Nonetheless, consumers still do not feel capable of meeting the requirements,” said Gail Cunningham, spokesperson for the NFCC. 

The numbers suggest that consumers are reconciled to satisfying their housing needs through renting, even though in some markets it can be more affordable to buy a home than rent. While demand for rentals increased, so did the cost of renting.

Although renting has many advantages, it may not stimulate the economy as much as an uptick in the housing market would, as renters do not typically spend as much on home improvements, lawn equipment, appliances, or other areas which would lead to job growth, Cunningham said. 

Source: NFCC Financial Literacy Opinion Index

Read more: http://www.houselogic.com/news/articles/most-consumers-say-they-cant-afford-big-downpayment/#ixzz1O8lQGSMo