Top 10 Indoor Houseplants For Air Quality

Houseplants are great for decorating. They can brighten up any room. Plus, houseplants can increase the air quality in a room. That makes you happier, healthier and reduces stress. Speaking of stress, these plants won’t create any at all. All of the plants on this list are great at producing oxygen and require very little care.

10. Heartleaf philodendron

A tough plant that’s a good filter for toxins like formaldehyde, Heartleaf philodendron makes a great houseplant. The only downside is that it’s toxic to eat, so it may not be the best choice for those with kids or pets. But if you can control your appetite, the Heartleaf philodendron is an excellent indoor Houseplant for air quality.

9. Snake plant

Also called Mother-in-Law’s tongue, the Snake plant thrives in the bathroom. It loves the steamy conditions and can do without much light. It’s a great air filter as well.

8. Bamboo palm

It thrives indoors and requires little maintenance. The Bamboo palm even produces flowers and berries.

7. Red-edged dracaena

Another great air filter, the Red-edged dracaena is interesting because of its size. It can grow all the way to the ceiling. This beast of an oxygen-producing plant makes a great addition to the living room.

6. Chinese evergreen

This is one of the prettier options. With interesting leaf colorings as well as berries and blooms. The Chinese evergreen will contribute to your décor as well as your air quality.

5. Peace lily

The Peace lily only needs water about once a week. This is a great houseplant for air quality, and it’s easy to care for.

4. Devil’s Ivy

This air purifier looks great in a basket. Try hanging it in the garage.

3. English Ivy

English Ivy is an excellent filter plant. It’s been shown to filter out formaldehyde, which can be found in some cleaning products, and it even filters fecal matter particles. (I bet you didn’t even know there were any of those in your house.) English Ivy is an invasive species though. It’s fine to keep inside as a houseplant, just make sure it doesn’t end up in the yard.

2. Weeping fig

A type of Ficus, this is a great houseplant for air quality. It’s a bit bigger than the others though. It would fit best in the living room.

1. Spider Plant

The Spider plant is nearly impossible to kill. Even if you’ve been a plant murderer in the past, try this one. It will do wonders for your air quality, and I promise you won’t kill it.

Houseplants have been shown to reduce stress in the home. Combine that with higher air quality and your quality of life can be greatly improved with the help of a new green friend. Even if you don’t have a green thumb, you can take care of these. These are great houseplants for air quality.

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

Real Estate Rebound Makes Flipping a Home Attractive Again

In conjunction with the rise in house prices, the profit potential for flipping a home in Charleston, SC is once more drawing the entrepreneur-minded. 

Flipping a home is the process of purchasing a property—often one in a rundown condition—then improving its value and reselling it for a quick profit. Quick is the key word in this strategy, since a fast turnover allows capital to be devoted to purchase and renovation rather than operating and maintenance costs. It’s why successful house flippers generally focus on quick gains over maximizing profits.  

While this has proven to be a lucrative strategy in the past, financing has always been the first major hurdle for anyone flipping ahome in Charleston, SC. If you’ve been noticing some of the inviting house-flipping prospects in Charleston area, several financing routes sometimes make such a deal possible: 

Larger Down Payment

Flipping a house in Charleston, SC in the current lending market will often require a significant down payment. Since launching the project might require at least 25 - 40% for financing, it’s essential that you prepare sufficient cash reserves to complete the renovations envisioned—and successful house flippers suggest you add 20% to the cost estimate!   

Seller Financing

Seller financing—a mortgage provided by the home owner—is also called a ‘purchase money’ mortgage. Sellers may be willing to provide financing if they have had trouble selling their property, which is often the case when a Charleston home flipper believes its value can be greatly enhanced by repair or remodeling. Seller financing would be more common were it not necessary that the original owner own the home outright.

Hard Money Loan

Hard money loans—also known as short-term bridge loans—are another common source of financing for flipping a home in Charleston, SC. Hard money loans are backed by the value of the property rather than the credit record of the borrower, and typically feature a lower loan-to-value ratio than found in a bank mortgage. The added risk has a cost: expect to provide a large deposit and a premium for the loan (often 8% or more).

While sub-prime mortgages may no longer be as readily available as they once were, there are still multiple sources of financing for entrepreneurs who can spot profit possibilities for flipping a home in Charleston, SC. With real estate prices continuing to rise, this spring again holds promise in the house-flipping arena. Call me if you are interested in learning about some of the latest prospects!  

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

Remodeling Surge Reflects Rise in Real Estate Prices

That Charleston real estate prices have been on the rise for a while is certainly one factor that has coaxed some of the more cautious buyers off the sidelines. It’s made the market a much more lively (and happy!) place than it was a few years ago—and forecasters are fairly uniform in predicting continuing growth, though at a less overheated pace.

For those who are even more cautious, the question remains whether property values and the Charleston area real estate prices that reflect them are likely to hold up over the long haul. They may know that, historically, home ownership has proven to be one of the most reliable investments, but the memory of that financial meltdown from a few years back can be hard to get over…

They may be taking heart from an article I ran across earlier this month which is bound to boost confidence in the future of our Charleston, SC’s real estate prices. It was in a weekday edition (February 4) of The Wall Street Journal. Stretching all the way across the top of the U.S. News page was this headline: “Homeowners Acquire a Taste for Remodeling,” over the subhead “Projects Pick Up, to the Tune of $130 Billion in 2013, as Property Values and Equity Rebound; Sign of Market Confidence.”

The article had the expected chart and graph supporting the Journal’s optimistic takeaway depicting “Building Momentum.” Too, there was an illuminating quote from Moody’s Analytics. Moody’s reported an 18% leap in home equity lending—further evidence of the strong rise in home values (banks lend against equity, after all). That, WSJ pointed out, is the root of the steep increase in remodeling activity, because when people have confidence in underlying values, they decide it is worth investing in upkeep and improvements.

It’s cause and effect—sort of like a domino chain, but in reverse. The first domino picks itself up, attracting the second, and suddenly all the dominos are back upright.

The Journal summed it up: “If home prices are going up and people have more equity in their home, things like remodeling and refurbishment will do well, because it’s effectively the way of playing the reinvestment game.”

For Charleston area contractors and tradesmen, this is a game they’re happy to see resume. And for cautious prospective homeowners who’ve been watching from the sidelines, it’s a good reason to give me a call. Charleston real estate prices look like they still have a way to go: there are some great bargains out there!

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