What to do if you inherited a home

If your loved one passed away, and there is real estate left, the process of dissolving the estate could become
very complicated.

Family feuds and other problems can potentially result when inheritance portions aren't clearly defined,
or when an executor may be in over their head. Many newfound executors can face uncertainty and feel
stress.In the wake of a family tragedy or death, being the executor of an estate can be especially challenging.
And the biggest asset in an estate—and the most difficult to resolve—is usually a house.

Here's a list of important decisions an executor may face when a house is part of an inheritance:

Keep, rent or sell? Caught in the middle, the executor has to ask the heirs to keep their emotions under
control and put the rational facts on the table. Selling is often the best decision if medical bills, tax issues or

other reasons require cashing out, and it produces a specific amount that can be divided equally.

Can you manage a property investment? When considering keeping the property in the family,
the executor needs to be objective about the beneficiaries' dependability. Would you choose the other
beneficiaries to be your partners in any long-term investment? Could they get divorced, go bankrupt or
bring other entanglements? If you decide to rent the property, there are issues to consider, such as the local
market for rentals and your ability to maintain the property.

Establishing value of the property. If one heir or beneficiary wants to buy the house, the estate must
determine the market value and get a fair price for the heirs and beneficiaries. One way is to get two appraisals,
or ask an experienced Realtor for help. Alternatively, the executor can put the property on the market with
the expressed provision that one of the heirs has the right of first refusal to match the highest offer.

Repair and renovate? The executor must make sure the house is maintained in good condition, necessary
repairs are carried out, and that it's kept insured. An executor can be personally liable for failure to maintain
a property that results in losses for the heirs. How much work is worthwhile before putting a home on the
market? That's a big question that depends on the property and circumstances.

Furnished or unfurnished? It's not unusual for an inherited home to be filled with a 30-year accumulation
of stuff. In most cases, when the property goes on the market, thinning out the furnishings will help it show
better. Nine out of 10 buyers first see the home in online photos.

Being an executor is a high-responsibility, time-consuming, and often thankless job that people often take
on while grieving. It's up to the executor to assess not only the physical assets of an estate, but also the people
and emotions involved.

For more helpful information visit https://homesalesneworleans.gardnerrealtors.com/

Lawn Care and You!

You bought a home, and now you are deciding how to handle the lawn care. Should you do it yourself? Here are some positives about doing it yourself:

If you love spending time outdoors, doing your own lawn care can be a great way to get some Vitamin D. Spending time outdoors in a garden is a great way for those who aren't afraid to get their hands dirty to care for their home. 

 It also can be a great workout! If you enjoy working up a sweat, doing your own lawn care is a great option in that it provides an extra dose of exercise. Weekly or biweekly mowing burns some calories, and will bring you some pride in owning a home with a well-manicured lawn. 

It can become a source for creative freedom! You can have the ultimate say in every decision that is made when it comes to their outdoor space. You can pick up a plant that you like and add it to your garden without having to consult anyone else. This freedom is great for anyone who may have trouble communicating ideas with a lawn service or for those who take pride in being able to do it themselves.

 Equipment Upkeep can be seen as a negative. It can take a lot of tools and machinery to keep a lawn in tip-top condition. Allowing a lawn service to do the work keeps homeowners from having to purchase lawn mowers, trimmers and leaf blowers. These items can be tricky to maintain, which saves the homeowner from purchasing gas, oil or replacement trimming line.

You might think paying for a lawn service can be quite expensive, but it's a catch 22 of time and money. Choosing a lawn service is the ultimate way to save time and it adds convenience to a busy lifestyle by not having to worry about getting the lawn care done on a weekly basis.

To search for homes visit http://homesalesneworleans.gardnerrealtors.com/

2016 Trends for Curb Appeal

Everyone these days is aware of the importance of the curb appeal of a home, especially when you decide to sell or buy. Curb appeal can give a lift to the value of a home. Improving the curb appeal of your home can boost its value by as much as 17 percent, the Texas Tech researchers found. They say curb appeal ranks second only to home size in weighing a home’s value.

Here are top-of-mind trends for curb appeal in 2016.

1. Front Door
A fresh coat of paint can spruce up a ho-hum front door and help make a better first impression when someone is eyeing your home. It creates interest and a focal point to the façade of the home. It gives the home personality. It is inexpensive to do, but has an immediate impact. Contrasting the color of your front door with the color palette of your front yard. Works really well.

2. Lighten Up the Exterior
Outdoor lighting can add a touch of elegance to your front of your home. Furthermore, it can enhance the safety of your house. Outdoor lighting should go beyond ordinary lampposts and wall-mounted lighting to make your landscaping really stand out. Try installing stylish and modern lighting on your front porch.

3. Liven Up the Landscaping

Flowers and fertilizer can be your friends when it comes to bumping up the curb appeal of your home. A study by Alex X. Niemiera, a horticulture professor at Virginia Tech, shows that a well-landscaped home holds a higher value than a home without proper landscaping. 62 percent of American homeowners say the lawn influenced their home-buying decision.

4. Porch Furniture

Placing a bistro table or a couple of chairs on your porch can yield a return on investment. Nothing is more inviting than a pair of matching rockers on a front porch that are visible from the street.

5. Upgrade the Garage Door

One of the easiest ways to improve your home’s curb appeal is upgrade your garage door. According to the Remodeling 2015 Cost vs. Value Report, the average cost of replacing a garage door on a home is $1,595, with an owner being able to recoup 88 percent of that cost.


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Touch of Black Adds Allure to a Home

Everybody knows what a little black dress does for a woman. Guess what? Black accents do the same for a home.

A touch of black can add intrigue, sophistication and even mystery to a decorating scheme, inside or out. Paint your door black, and suddenly your house stands out. Add a black coffee table or a black-and-white chair to a monochromatic room, and the decor goes from dull to dramatic.

A bit of black is almost a cure-all for an uninspired space! Black works because it adds contrast without clashing. Since it goes with everything, it’s easy to add to any color palette.

And it doesn’t have to involve a big change. Even something as simple as adding black knobs to a vanity can break up the monotony of a bathroom with matching fixtures. Black works well in accessories or small accents, such as throw pillows or area rugs.

Painting window sashes black are becoming popular. The effect is almost like eyeliner, drawing attention and adding interest both inside the house and out. It’s also a historically accurate detail on an older home, since sashes were often painted dark colors in the 19th century.

Black, however, is best used with restraint. Too much black, and the power of contrast is lost.

Some other good ways to add a touch of black:

— Paint non-matching chairs black to unify them.
— Paint an outdated piece of furniture black to update it.
— Spray-paint ornate gold picture frames flat black to downplay the glitz and focus the attention on the artwork.
— In a traditional room, add a chair or pillow in classic black-and-white toilet. In a mid-century modern setting, use a bold pattern such as a trellis design.
— Instead of decorating daughter's bedroom in her favorite color, use black and white as the base with the color as an accent. Black and white will be more sophisticated and easier to live with as the child grows older, and the accent color can be changed easily as her taste evolves.
— Add black in odd numbers: maybe one strong piece, such as a sofa, wall or door, or three smaller pieces sprinkled around the room, such as a throw, a vase and an accent pillow.

To search for homes go to http://findneworleansproperties.gardnerrealtors.com/ 

 

Bidding Wars In Real Estate Market

Housing inventory in the Greater New Orleans Area remains low, and demand for homes has been high. Brokers see their share of bidding wars quite often.

Professional buyers come in with all cash and buy up available properties. The regular buyers clamor for quality product if there aren’t that many available just as aggressively as the pros.

Sometimes regular buyers are pitted against deep-pocketed investors, making for an awfully daunting showdown—not that the seller should mind. Occupant-buyers need to show somehow that they’re more likely to close the transaction than an investor. Cash and speed are to the advantage of the investor, but they’re not as heavily invested in actually getting any single property they’re writing offers for. Regular buyers should show commitment, whether by financial, logistical, or personal means to sway the seller—within legal guidelines, of course. Personal letters, earnest money increases, and waivers of contingencies can all show serious intent to close.

To search for homes go to http://findneworleansproperties.com/

Eco-Friendly Amenities for Your Home

Eco-friendly amenities often add to the beauty and comfort of a home, and even save money in the long run. There are unlimited ways to upgrade your existing home to be more eco-friendly. Here are some of the top trends in eco-friendly remodeling in 2015:

1. ENERGY STAR appliances. Appliances are responsible for about 20 percent of an average home’s energy use, and some can make an up to 50 percent saving on energy and water bills. Consider using trendy and durable stainless steel appliances, and the new high-efficiency, clean-burning gas stoves that protect your indoor air quality.

2. Natural sunlight. Not only does it illuminate your home for free, but studies show that natural light is far better for mental and physical health. Well-placed windows with quality window treatments will help you make the most of your available daylight. Skylights are another great option. If your existing windows are in poor shape, replacing them with high-quality, energy-efficient windows can also save on your energy bills. Wood or fiberglass windows; they are much more eco-friendly than vinyl.

3. Real wood. Nothing beats the warm luxurious look and feel of real wood flooring, trim and cabinetry. Real wood is much healthier than alternatives such as particleboard, because it will not off-gas toxic substances into your home.

4. Built-in water filters. Municipal water supplies contain chlorine and other substances that can compromise your health. Install sink filters. Imagine the convenience of having delicious, pure water right out your tap. Your skin absorbs chlorine readily, so why not get a showerhead filter? Or better yet, invest in a whole house water filter.

5. Smart home technology. Smart management is the key to efficiency. You can save huge amounts of energy and water (not to mention time) by taking advantage of modern automated home management technology. Some popular examples include programmable thermostats and weather-based irrigation controllers.

6. Eco-friendly landscaping. The first step is careful plant selection. Native plants are a good choice because they don’t require more water and nutrients than is natural for your area. Next, place them where it makes sense for optimal beauty and energy efficiency. Shade trees are a great example, but well-placed shrubs, vines and even flowerbeds can help shelter your home from sun and wind, and collect excess rainwater runoff. Rain barrels, rain gardens and automatic watering systems can help minimize your water use while maintaining a beautiful exterior.

If you are thinking of remodeling, consider some or all of these eco-friendly upgrades. Not only will they make your home greener, but also a more pleasant, healthy place to live.

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Don't Argue When Selling Your Home

Tips to Avoid Home-Design Arguments

Design and style preferences when when staging your home to sell may create quite a bit of drama. comes to your home. Here is some advice on how to stop the fights that have kept you from painting the walls or tiling the floors. 1. Make a plan Making a list of how each room has to function and look before embarking on a design project is not a bad idea. This will help couples and families prioritize and understand why one idea might be better than another. Think realistically about how you’ll use the space or how potential buyer might use it. Look through pictures online or in magazines, and talk openly about your likes and dislikes. 2. Listen to each other Communicate openly, and don’t forget to listen. Interior designers say the majority of their job comes down to listening to clients. Sometimes your spouse or partner might just want his or her ideas heard. Discussing concerns helps to avoid conflict, and will help you determine what he or she likes about a particular color, pattern or piece of furniture. 3. Combine your ideas Not everything has to match. There are ways to mix style preferences. This could be as easy as using one person’s color choices with the other person’s fabric selection. 4. Hire an interior designer Bringing in reinforcements often helps see eye to eye, but it could cost you between $100 and $300 for an initial one-hour consultation. For more tips visit http://findneworleansproperties.gardnerrealtors.com/

Who Should You Trust to Sell Your Home

So you are ready to move on to the next chapter in your life, and you need to sell your home. Who are you going to hire to do this job?

You need a great agent, you need to be able to trust that agent, you need to know that the agent you chose will make YOUR business his or hers top priority.

Here are some tips published recently by Rismedia http://rismedia.com/rrein/18662/1023666/5079737/71884?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email

Also, visit http://findneworleansproperties.gardnerrealtors.com/

What's The Right Price For Your Home?

If you are tempted to try listing your home for sale at a high price just to see if you can get it, don't do it.

It’s not unusual for homeowners to think that the list price should be based on what they paid for their home, the balance of their mortgage, or on the profit they want to make so they can move into another home. In reality, your home is worth only what the market is willing to pay for it. If you price your home too high, some potential buyers won’t want to look at it at all, while others will simply walk away without making an offer. Future price reductions will negatively affect the net you will collect.

Choose the right professional to help you with your home sale. A knowledgeable Realtor can factor in all of the issues in the context of your local market conditions, including whether home prices are rising or falling and whether it’s a buyer’s or seller’s market. Listen to your Realtor’s advice and your transaction is more likely to go through quickly and smoothly from the beginning.

For best information on how to sell your home visit http://findneworleansproperties.gardnerrealtors.com/

Dracula's Castle For Sale!

Perched in the Transylvanian mountains like a harbinger of death or a vulture or something equally as creepy, the castle that inspired Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” tale is now for sale. Although only allegedly believed to be the inspiration for the Irish author’s description of Dracula’s castle in the book, tourists still habitually flock to the castle year after year for a taste of horror-themed nostalgia.

The castle was built in 1212 by Teutonic Knights who created the wooden castle as a fortified location at the entrance of a mountain valley used by traders for more than a millennium. It was also used as a defense against the Ottoman Empire in the 1400s, and over the next few centuries, it served as a customs point. The castle has exchanged hands plenty of times since then, and even played a strategic military role in the mid-18th century.

Bran Castle was reportedly offered to the Romanian government for a hefty price tag equivalent to $80 million USD. The public listing price has not yet been announced, but the owners are looking for a buyer who will continue their vision of maintaining and growing “the largest and most significant attraction in Romania.”

For more information go to http://findneworleansproperties.com/

Curb Appeal Counts!

First impressions count — not just for your friends, relatives, and the UPS guy, but for yourself. Whether it’s on an urban stoop or a Victorian front porch, your front door and the area leading up to it should extend a warm welcome to all comers — and needn’t cost a bundle.

Here’s what you can do to make welcoming happen on the cheap.

1.    Clear the way for curb appeal. The path to your front door should be at least 3 feet wide so people can walk shoulder-to-shoulder, with an unobstructed view and no stumbling hazards. So get out those loppers and cut back any overhanging branches or encroaching shrubs. 

2. Light the route. Landscape lighting makes it easy to get around at night. Solar-powered LED lights you can just stick in the ground, requiring no wiring, are suprisingly inexpensive. 

3. Go glossy. Borrow inspiration from London’s lovely row houses, whose owners assert their individuality by painting their doors in high-gloss colors. The reflective sheen of a royal blue, deep green, crimson, or whatever color you like will ensure your house stands out from the pack.

4. Pretty up the view. A door with lots of glass is a plus for letting light into the front hall -- but if you also want privacy and a bit of decor, check out decorative window film. It’s removable and re-positionable, and comes in innumerable styles and motifs.

A way to get the look of stained glass without doing custom work or buying a whole new door: Mount a decorative panel on the inside of the door behind an existing glass insert, $92 for an Arts and Crafts-style panel 20-inches-high by 11-inches-wide.

5. Replace door hardware. While you’re at it, polish up the handle on the big front door. Or better yet, replace it with a shiny new brass lockset with a secure deadbolt.

6. Please knock. Doorbells may be the norm, but a hefty knocker is a classic that will never run out of battery life, and another opportunity to express yourself (whatever your favorite animal or insect is, there’s a door-knocker in its image). 

7. Ever-greenery. Boxwoods are always tidy-looking, the definition of easy upkeep. A pair on either side of the door is traditional, but a singleton is good, too. About $25 at garden centers.

8. Numbers game. Is your house number clearly visible? That’s of prime importance if you want your guests to arrive and your pizza to be hot. 

9. Foot traffic. A hardworking mat for wiping muddy feet is a must.

10. Go for the glow. Fumbling for keys in the dark isn’t fun. Consider doubling up on porch lights with a pair of lanterns, one on each side of the door, for symmetry and twice the illumination. Many mounted lights are available well under $100.

11. Snail mail. Mailboxes run the gamut from kitschy roadside novelties masquerading as dogs, fish, or what-have-you to sober black lockboxes mounted alongside the front door.

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Who Pays America's Highest (and Lowest) Property Taxes?

The second biggest cost of home ownership—following the mortgage—is usually property taxes. In 2012, U.S. homeowners paid an average of about $2,800 in property taxes, according to a recent Zillow study. And if you live in New York, New Jersey, or Colorado your taxes were in some cases five times more than the national average. The numbers are based on an average of real estate taxes paid on single family housing in 2012.

The residents of Westchester County in New York pay more in property taxes than the typical resident of any other major American county. The average property tax bill for a single family home in Westchester County comes to $14,829 a year.

Adjusting for the average cost of single-family homes in each county, homeowners in Allegany County, NY win the award for the highest property tax burden. The average tax obligation of $2,549 in Allegany County amounts to 3.8 percent of the average single family home value; in Westchester County, the average tax obligation is slightly lower, at 2.5 percent of the county’s average home value. Nationally, the typical homeowner is spending approximately 1.4 percent of their home’s value on annual property taxes. See the full rankings below.

Highest Property Taxes as a Percent of Home Value

Allegany County, N.Y. (3.76 percent)

Milwaukee County, Wis. (3.68 percent)

Kendall County, Ill. (3.57 percent)

Sullivan County, N.Y. (3.56 percent)

Orleans County, N.Y. (3.49 percent)

Lowest Property Taxes as a Percent of Home Value

Caroline County, Va.( 0.17 percent)

Catahoula County, La. and Randolph Ariz, (0.2 percent)

Iberville County, La. and Cumberland County, Tenn. (0.21 percent)

Butler County, Penn. and Maui County, Hawaii (0.22 percent)

Elmore County, Ala. and De Soto County, La. (0.23 percent)

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