Don't Let a Clogged Disposal Derail Your Holidays

Did you know that a clogged garbage disposal is one of the most common home repair mishaps to occur during the holidays? We've got a few tips that'll keep your disposal from derailing your holiday festivities.

If you have a garbage disposal there’s a good chance it has clogged on you a few times. Some of you may have even had to replace one or two over the course of your home owning experiences. At one point most of us fall into the trap of trying to shove every scrap of food down the thing. Sometimes the disposal is up to the task, other times, not so much. If you’ve ever had to deal with a clogged disposal you know how much fun it is - especially when it happens in the middle of preparing the most important meals of the year. Want to keep yours running free and clear? Follow these easy tips.

The easiest way to keep your disposal running is by knowing what not to put in it. You might be tempted to toss anything and everything down there, but avoid putting egg shells, potato peels, coffee grounds, rice, pasta, asparagus, celery, carrot peels and anything else hard, fibrous or gummy. Moral of the story: when it doubt, throw it out.

To that point, it goes without saying that you should also avoid overfilling the disposal. No matter how burly it is it can only handle so much. So can your pipes. To ensure that they don't get clogged be sure to run the water before and after you use the disposal.Is your disposal taking a bit longer to do its disposing? If so, its blades probably need sharpening. A quick way to sharpen them (and take care of any lingering smells) is to run some ice cubes and chopped lemons through the disposal.

Of course, following all those recommendations doesn't guarantee a clog-free disposal. Sometimes things just break. If your disposal is starting to show its age, or you're concerned about its operation, we recommend hiring a pro to come out and take a look at it. A quick tune up today can save you a headache later.

Cooking for a crowd is a challenge no matter what conditions you’re cooking in. That challenge is amplified if you’ve got appliances that don’t work properly and layout that’s cramped, poorly laid out, and disorganized. Thankfully, there are a few things you can do to cure your cramped kitchen woes.

1. Upgrade Your Appliances

You’re probably familiar with the concept of the work triangle (where the legs are the distances from the fridge, sink, and cooking surface). The theory goes that a properly laid out work triangle allows each cook to work more efficiently. Ideally, each cook has his or her own work triangle. Too bad that’s not always possible. One of the ways to work around a lack of space is to buy appliances that make the most efficient use of the space you do have. In-wall double ovens are a great idea if you frequently cook for a crowd, while countertop-cooking surfaces are perfect for those who need extra cabinet space. Of course, when you cook for a crowd you have to clean up for them. If you’ve got the space, think about adding an extra dishwasher. If that’s not an option, you could go with the alternative and replace your current dishwasher with an energy efficient, large capacity model.

2. Check Your Plumbing

Chances are you only have one sink in your kitchen. How great would it be to have two? If you’ve got a nice sized kitchen island, you might want to talk to a plumber to see what it’d take to add a prep sink to your island. If that’s not an option, adding a pot filler faucet behind your stove is a great way to improve your kitchen’s flow without spending an arm and a leg. One final tip: Now’s the time to make sure your garbage disposal is cleaned and ready for the extra workload. If it’s been sounding rough, we recommend calling a plumber or handyman to come out and take a look at it.

3. Maximize Your Storage

Outside of completely remodeling your kitchen, there’s no better way to improve your kitchen’s functionality than by upgrading your cabinets to make the most of your space. Retractable trashcans, lazy Susans, pullout shelving, and drawer and cabinet dividers all make smart additions to your existing cabinets. If you’ve got the budget to install new cabinets, a great way to boost your storage options is to go with base cabinets with drawers rather than doors and to extend your upper cabinets to the ceiling.

4. Remodel Your Space

Few projects spark the imagination like a kitchen remodel. It’s the one project that a homeowner starts daydreaming about as soon as they move into their house. Perhaps it’s the one project you’ve been daydreaming about, too. Whether you want to open things up and create a more expansive space that’s perfect for entertaining, or add more room to accommodate multiple cooks in the kitchen, a remodel is the way to go if you want to create the ultimate cooking and entertaining environment.

5 Reasons You Shouldn’t For Sale by Owner

Some homeowners may consider trying to sell their home on without the assistance of a real estate professional, known in the industry as a For Sale by Owner (FSBO). We think there are several reasons this might not be a good idea for the vast majority of sellers.

Here are five of our reasons

1. There Are Too Many People to Negotiate With

Here is a list of some of the people with whom you must be prepared to negotiate if you decide to FSBO.

• The buyer who wants the best deal possible
• The buyer’s agent who solely represents the best interest of the buyer
• The buyer’s attorney (in some parts of the country)
• The home inspection companies which work for the buyer and will almost always find some problems with the house
• The appraiser if there is a question of value
• Your bank in the case of a short sale

2. Exposure to Prospective Purchasers

Recent studies have shown that 92% of buyers search online for a home. That is in comparison to only 28% looking at print newspaper ads. Most real estate agents have an extensive internet strategy to promote the sale of your home. Do you?

3.  Actual Results also come from the Internet

Where do buyers find the home they actually purchased?

• 43% on the internet
• 9% from a yard sign
• 1% from newspapers

The days of selling your house by just putting up a sign and putting it in the paper are long gone. Having a strong internet strategy is crucial.

4. FSBOing has Become More and More Difficult

The paperwork involved in selling and buying a home has increased dramatically as industry disclosures and regulations have become mandatory. This is one of the reasons that the percentage of people FSBOing has dropped from 19% to 9% over the last 20+ years. 

5. You Net More Money when Using an Agent

Many homeowners believe that they will save the real estate commission by selling on their own. Realize that the main reason buyers look at FSBOs is because they also believe they can save the real commission. The seller and buyer can’t both save the same commission. Studies have shown that the typical house sold by the homeowner sells for $184,000 while the typical house sold by an agent sells for $230,000.   This doesn’t mean that an agent can get $46,000 more for your home as studies have shown that people are more likely to FSBO in markets with lower price points. However, it does show that selling on your own might not make sense.

Bottom Line

Before you decide to take on the challenges of selling your house on your own, sit with a real estate professional in your marketplace and see what they have to offer.

Historic Mortgage Rates by Decade

In a quarterly survey of more than 100 real estate experts and economists, real estate data firm Zillowfound 40 percent of respondents believe it will take another three to five years for the housing market to normalize, based on current home price trends and homebuyer activity.

Nearly a third of panelists took a more optimistic view, predicting the market will stabilize one to two years from now, while one in five responded that housing has either already returned to normal or will within the next 12 months.

When asked about headwinds facing the market right now, respondents pointed to low household formation rates, which have been stymied in part by a challenged economy. According to another recent study from Zillow, more than a third of adults living in the U.S. were living with at least one roommate as of 2012, up from a quarter in 2000.

While those renters represent millions of potential new formations in the years to come, they remain stuck where they are as jobs and wages slowly grow.

Demographic issues are also at play, Zillow reported. While more millennials seem to be holding off on major commitments—including homeownership, marriage, and parenthood—a growing number of Americans nearing retirement age are also opting to stay in their homes longer, keeping the nation's housing inventory from making any meaningful recovery.

"We've reached a point in the recovery where the only real cure-all is time," Zillow Chief Economist Dr. Stan Humphries said. "[T]he landscape is slowly changing, as incomes begin to grow, negative equity fades and new households start to form. These shifts won't occur overnight, but they are happening. Patience will be a virtue over the next few years as we wait for these traditional fundamentals to more fully take hold in the market."

5 Reasons to Hire a Real Estate Professional

Whether you are buying or selling a home, it can be quite an adventurous journey. You need an experienced Real Estate Professional to lead you to your ultimate goal. In this world of instant gratification and internet searches, many sellers think that they can For Sale by Owner or FSBO. The 5 Reasons You NEED a Real Estate Professional in your corner haven’t changed, but have rather been strengthened due to the projections of higher mortgage interest rates & home prices as the market continues to recover. 

1. What do you do with all this paperwork?

Each state has different regulations regarding the contracts required for a successful sale, and these regulations are constantly changing. A true Real Estate Professional is an expert in their market and can guide you through the stacks of paperwork necessary to make your dream a reality.

2. Ok, so you found your dream house, now what?

According to the Orlando Regional REALTOR Association, there are over 230 possible actions that need to take place during every successful real estate transaction. Don’t you want someone who has been there before, who knows what these actions are to make sure that you acquire your dream?

3. Are you a good negotiator?

So maybe you’re not convinced that you need an agent to sell your home. However, after looking at the list of parties that you need to be prepared to negotiate with, you’ll realize the value in selecting a Real Estate Professional. From the buyer (who wants the best deal possible), to the home inspection companies, to the appraiser, there are at least 11 different people that you will have to be knowledgeable with and answer to, during the process.

4. What is the home you’re buying/selling really worth?

It is important for your home to be priced correctly from the start to attract the right buyers and shorten the time that it’s on the market. You need someone who is not emotionally connected to your home to give you the truth as to your home’s value. According to the National Association of REALTORS, “the typical FSBO home sold for $184,000 compared to $230,000 among agent-assisted home sales.” Get the most out of your transaction by hiring a professional. 

5. Do you know what’s really going on in the market?

There is so much information out there on the news and the internet about home sales, prices, mortgage rates; how do you know what’s going on specifically in your area? Who do you turn to in order to competitively price your home correctly at the beginning of the selling process? How do you know what to offer on your dream home without paying too much, or offending the seller with a low-ball offer? Dave Ramsey, the financial guru advises:

“When getting help with money, whether it’s insurance, real estate or investments, you should always look for someone with the heart of a teacher, not the heart of a salesman.”

Hiring an agent who has their finger on the pulse of the market will make your buying/selling experience an educated one. You need someone who is going to tell you the truth, not just what they think you want to hear.

Bottom Line:

You wouldn’t replace the engine in your car without a trusted mechanic. Why would you make one of your most important financial decisions of your life without hiring a Real Estate Professional?

Buying a Home Remains 38% Less Expensive than Renting!

In Trulia’s latest Rent vs. Buy Report, they explained that homeownership remains cheaper than renting with a traditional 30-year fixed rate mortgage throughout the 100 largest metro areas in the United States. The updated numbers actually show that the range is from an average of 17% in Honolulu, all the way to 63% in Detroit, and 38% Nationwide! This is up from an average of only 5% cheaper in Honolulu in April. The other interesting findings in the report include:

• Rents have continued to increase nationally even as home price increases are starting to slow. Current low mortgage rates have kept homeownership from becoming more expensive than renting.
• Some markets might tip in favor of renting next year if home prices increase at a greater rate than rents and if – as most economists expect – mortgage rates rise, due to the strengthening economy.

Nationally, rates would have to rise to 10.6% for renting to be cheaper than buying – and rates haven’t been that high since 1989.

Bottom Line

Buying a home makes sense. Rental costs have historically increased at a higher rate of inflation. Lock in a mortgage payment now before home prices and mortgage rates rise as experts expect they will