Three Surprising Spots in Your Home That Might Be Aggravating Your Allergies

Environmental allergens affect the way many people live their lives and clean their homes. Allergens make their way into our houses, and can settle in some unexpected places – but knowing where these irritants can hide can help you eliminate problematic allergens from your home. If your house has you sneezing and wheezing in every room, here are three allergy-triggering places where you wouldn’t expect to find allergens in the home.

Understanding Your Credit Score and How It Impacts Your Home Ownership Prospects

Your credit score is an important part of your financial profile. It has a direct impact on your ability to take out loans. The score itself is a numerical reflection of your credit history. It gives lenders a way to discern your reliability before approving a loan like a mortgage for instance. Though this is the basic function of a credit score, it can also have a far-reaching influence over other aspects of home ownership.

Whatever You Do – Don’t Make These Common Mortgage Mistakes

Are you applying for a mortgage on your home? Keep in mind that a mortgage is a major financial decision and choosing one will have a significant impact on the rest of your life. Many people go into this decision without understanding all of the essential mortgage information they need to know, which means that they are likely to make poor choices that will result in paying much more than they need to.

If you want to save yourself from throwing away your hard earned money, here are a few common mistakes to avoid:

What’s in a Color? Six Paint Colors That Will Affect Your Mood

Believe it or not, paint colors can affect your mood. When remodeling your home, the color you use on the walls can end up being just as critical to the thematic consistency of your home as the furniture you use to decorate it. Before you slap any old color on the walls, take some time to consider what mood you'd like each room to inspire.

Downsizing in Follows an Empty Nest—or Not!

Many people assume that when the kids leave home, their newly empty nest automatically signals that downsizing into a smaller house or condo is the next step. In truth, for such families living in Charleston, SC , downsizing is a common option—one that could very well be the best choice.

Charleston Investment Properties Can Use Some Bird-Dogging!

When promising investment properties, in Charleston, SC or anywhere, are well-promoted, you can count on them drawing a crowd. Why wouldn’t they? Investment properties that perform well are like money machines: put in a quarter, get back a quarter and a nickel (and another nickel, and another, and another…). What’s not to like?

When Selling a Home in Charleston, SC, Upgrade Choices Really Matter

For owners who are contemplating some major upgrades with an eye to eventually selling a home in Charleston, SC, there’s always the question of where to do the upgrading. Last year, the National Association of Home Builders weighed in with a study of what today’s home buyer “really want”—which supplies some guidance that may be helpful.

Starting to Shop for a Mortgage? How to Assess Your 'Debt-to-Income Ratio' and Why This Number Matters

Those who are looking to buy a home may want to start by shopping for a loan first. Having financing ahead of time may make it easier to get sellers to take a buyer seriously and help move along the closing process. For those who are looking to get a mortgage, the most important factor for having a mortgage application approved is the debt-to-income ratio of the borrower.

Stop the Rot: The Easy Guide to Preventing Dry Rot in Your Home

Did you know that dry rot is ironically created from having too much moisture come in contact with wood? The fact is many homeowners are unaware that dry rot is even setting in, so the first step toward prevention is being able to diagnose possible areas of exposure before dry rot becomes a major renovation expense.

Remember that dry rot to your foundation can be an extremely costly repair and will definitely figure prominently into the total value of your property when a house inspection is completed prior to a sale. As well, fungus and mold spores can affect the air quality of your home, which is a health problem for not only you and your family but also for prospective buyers.

The FHA Hawk Program for New Homebuyers is Coming: Here's How It Affects Your Mortgage Insurance Premiums

The FHA offers many new programs and incentives for new homebuyers to take advantage of so that they can be part of the effort to ease the credit crisis. If you are in the process of shopping for a mortgage prior to shopping for your new home, it can benefit you to learn about programs that you may qualify for that are being created by the Federal Housing Administration and piloted. One such plan, which is has been approved as a four-year pilot program, is referred to as the FHA HAWK Program. Read on to learn how this program works and how it can affect mortgage insurance premiums.

Thinking About Buying an Investment Property? 6 Tips to Ensure You Don't Get Fleeced

Purchasing an investment property is one of the most important decisions that you'll ever be a part of. As such, it's a necessity to make your decisions with only the most careful of consideration. Here are the six tips that you need to heed in order to ensure that you don't get fleeced.

Buying a Charleston Home Takes the Right Professionals

I’ve written about the professionals who are on call to help anyone who sets about selling their house—but there is another team of pros who can be called on when it comes to buying a Charleston home. Buying a home in Charleston, SC is not quite like any other purchase—even those with high dollar amounts. Buying a new Audi or Dodge Viper, for instance, can run you well over $100,000, but you don’t need much more than a fat savings account and willing car salesman to complete the deal.

Five Elegant Lighting Ideas That Will Transform Your Living Room

When it comes to selling your home, there are many measures you can take as a homeowner to increase its value and appeal. You can often accomplish this through something as simple as updating your home's light fixtures. Here are some easy lighting solutions you can bring into your home that will transform your living room, and make the space much more appealing to your prospective home buyers.

Charleston Area Foreclosure Histories May Not Close Mortgage Options

There is encouraging news for some prospective homeowners with a Charleston foreclosure in their recent past: more common sense seems to have entered the picture.

The financial crisis that began in 2007 caused global disarray: across the U.S. (and our Charleston, SC was no exception), large numbers of responsible homeowners were clobbered by the fallout, often finding their incomes suddenly reduced or even obliterated as business cutbacks and closings reverberated through the economy.

Getting Past No: What to Do If You're Turned Down for a Mortgage or Other Home Financing

Getting pre-approved for a mortgage loan is an integral part of having the ability to purchase a home in today's society. With most home prices well above what the majority of us have in the bank, getting approved for a mortgage can be the deal maker or breaker when it comes to purchasing a piece of property. Therefore, getting rejected for a mortgage can feel like a huge loss.

The first thing to realize, however, is that there are action steps you can take to get to "yes." Here's what to do if you're turned down for a mortgage or other home financing.

 

Not Sure If It's a Boy or a Girl? Stunning Gender Neutral Nursery Design Themes for 2014

When it's just about time to welcome a new family member into the home, you want to ensure that you're as prepared as you can be. If you're becoming a parent for the first time, being prepared for your baby's arrival is especially important. Just because you want to be prepared, however, doesn't mean you have to reveal your baby's gender if that's something you wish to keep a surprise. Here are some stunning gender neutral nursery designs for 2014.

Protect Your Home When You’re on Vacation with These Five Simple Tips

When making plans for a fun-filled vacation, you shouldn’t forget implementing certain home security measures to ward off thieves. Nobody wants to return home only to find that intruders had ransacked the residence from top to bottom. If you’re going away on vacation, make sure you protect your home against break-and-enters with these five tips.

National Rent Increases Reward Real Estate Investors

Last year comprised a decision point for many a local investor who had been holding back from the Charleston real estate market. There’d been a number of good reasons for them to hesitate.

First, there were memories of the pervasive price drops that followed the global financial meltdown. Not exactly what a prudent investor was looking for—even given the real estate’s traditionally invincible long-term record. Then there were fears that the economy’s slow reverse out of the Great Recession (a term that was in itself enough to freeze many a checkbook!) would hamper apartment and single family unit rental increases. A landlord could get squeezed by inflation…if there were any inflation…who could know for sure?

How to Find the Right REALTOR® in Charleston, SC

When you set about buying a house, you will have already taken as a given that this will be among the most expensive purchases you will ever make. It’s going to be your house on the line; you’ll want to make sure you have the top resources in your arsenal. Chief among them will be having a Realtor^® in Charleston, SC who understands your goals, respects your bottom line—and who sees the joint goal the way you do: recognizing the right properties when they become available, and helping to remove any and all obstacles to securing it.

Selling a Home in Town Means Fielding an All-Pro Team

It’s a bit complicated, selling a home in Charleston, SC. Although you can make a case for the feasibility of doing the whole thing yourself, there are enough areas of knowledge where experience, expertise, and even licensure are recommended that few would ever try it.

4 Places Real Estate Agents Say, “Don’t Go Cheap!”

As most real estate agents will tell you, remodeling, decorating or repairing your home can go a long way towards getting it sold.  For that matter, it can add value to your property in case you want to sell later – that is, if you don’t choose the wrong places to buy cheap:

A Guide to Selecting a Home and Property That Will Suit Your Growing Family

Both seasoned homeowners and first-time buyers know making the decision to purchase a new home is not one that is taken lightly. There are so many things to consider – from choosing a home with growth potential to finding a community to support a family’s interests and lifestyle. While the decisions may seem endless, don’t be discouraged. Develop a strategic approach to buying a home with our definitive guide to selecting a home and property that will suit a growing family’s needs. Use this guide, along with advice from a trusted real estate professional in your area, to get started on the path to home ownership.

Creative Window Treatments That Will Totally Reinvent Your Home

There are a number of ways that you can improve the look and style of a room without having to spend an arm and a leg. Of course, painting and stenciling are the most affordable ways to bring new life and unique detail to an old room. But if you're intent on taking it to the next level, look no further than your windows.

Your options are nearly unlimited when it comes to sprucing up your windows - and the great news is that with a little creativity, you can use many products that are relatively inexpensive to buy. Creativity doesn't cost a thing, so check out these design ideas to get those creative juices flowing. You may be surprised to discover that many possible window treatments are already sitting in your attic or garage.

Bringing The Outside In

If you're a scavenger and regular Sunday garage sale goer, you may discover the perfect piece of outer decor that can transition nicely into the interior. Consider a wood awning effect by using shingles or reclaimed wood for a rustic appearance.

Another trend that designers are seeing this year is in the use of stained glass or reclaimed woodcarvings that have been saved from demolition. Having a hand-carved feature is going to cost quite a bit to get custom made. However, many old doors and shutters can provide the same look without the need to have them custom built.

Creative Paint Projects For Fresh And Original Windows

When it comes to customizing your one-of-a-kind look, a painting project is a great way to create something original. You can get fabric-specific paints, as well as functional white or cream linens, for a minor sum. There are also services that can even print a design or picture directly onto your fabric for a unique and professional creation.

To create an immediate tie-in to a color scheme or accent color, consider painting the trim and wood slats of the window. This is an excellent and cost effective way to bring attention to your design features but also help to anchor a color within a room.

Cornice Boards Can Add A Finishing Touch

In the past, cornice boards were used to add weight and height to a window treatment. These days, they can also add architectural detail to spice up a room that appears flat and boxy. The great thing about cornice boards is that they can be individualized to suit the design and color scheme of the room: either with a solid paint job, or with monograms or stenciled images.

Thanks to the unique designs that you can create with these window treatments, you'll never again have that "pre-packaged" look for your windows. As your lifestyle changes, a fresh coat of paint will rejuvenate the look and can quickly be adapted to match the new color palettes of future trends.

Reinventing windows is a great way to aid in a home staging project in order to prepare and beautify a home for sale. For more tips on updating your home's look, call your trusted real estate professional today for answers and advice.

Interested in selling your Charleston area home? Visit: www.jeffcookrealestate.com

Interested in buying a Charleston area home? Visit: www.discovercharlestonareahomes.com

-Jeff Cook

Jeff Cook Real Estate

Charleston, SC

For Sale by Owner Can Be Risky Business!

 When you determine to sell your house, one of the first choices that comes up is tactical: do you try to sell it yourself as a Charleston “For Sale by Owner” property—or do you enlist a real estate agent? Since your object is to maximize your profit, you might think that most thrift-minded home owners would decide to eliminate the agent’s commission and do the work themselves. But that’s not the case.

Charleston Area Home Buyer Strategies When Bidding Wars Break Out

Wasn’t it just yesterday that we seemed locked into a classic home buyer’s market in Charleston, SC? Bad economy, bad job numbers, tanked real estate values were all we heard about…until it eventually shifted. Over the past year or so, it’s become a very different landscape. If you’ve been out looking to become a Charleston home buyer, it’s possible that you’ve found yourself putting in offers on multiple houses…and also possibly watching from the sidelines as another Charleston area home buyer walked away with a deal. If this isn’t a true seller’s market, to you the difference may not be apparent.

Charleston, SC Open House Success Takes a Certain Kind of Luck

Yes—a Charleston, SC listing and a well-shot virtual tour are each important tools in this summer’s real estate marketing. But the low pressure, informal walk-through that Charleston area open house allows can be as effective today as it ever was. Your Charleston open house has every possibility of becoming your most direct path to engaging the prospect—­the one who ends up being your buyer. Making that happen takes the kind of ‘luck’ that preparation creates.

Selling a Home: What Makes Your Property Stand Out?

This summer, success in selling a home in Charleston area will depend upon the same factors as always: location; quality; buyer appeal.

A home’s location—short of calling in the house movers—is pretty much what it is. The structural quality of workmanship and the level of maintenance that it’s received though the years can be gussied up where it shows (and should be!), but that, too, is largely a done deal.

Buying a Home in Charleston, SC with No Owner Disclosures

Suppose that in the course of buying a home in Charleston, SC, your eye is drawn to a bank-owned home, or a home held in a trust. There are many reasons why you could find yourself buying a Charleston home that’s currently vacant—which can also mean that the usual owner disclosures are not to be had. There are perfectly innocent reasons why this situation develops. Suppose the sellers of the property have just inherited it. How would they know that water tends to pool under the house during a strong rainstorm? Or that unpermitted repairs were made to the electric wiring in the kitchen? 

Selling Your Home — Assuming Success is the Way to Go!

If you’re thinking of selling your home in Charleston, SC this summer, you’ll want to fetch top dollar for your efforts. Preparing the property is a given, of course, but savvy home sellers often share another kind of preparation. They prepare themselves by adopting the attitude shared by legions of successful salespeople—they assume that success is inevitable. They think and act positively.

Tips For Filling Flower Beds At Your Home

Flower beds can be a very attractive addition to any Charleston home – if you have the time to set up and maintain them. Flower beds don’t necessarily require a profusion of costly flowers that need to be fertilized, mulched, covered in severe weather and possibly re-planted on a yearly basis.