Susan Howard Blogs

Tricks to Keep Your House Cool this Summer
By Paige Tepping

RISMEDIA, July 3, 2010–As the temperatures continue to rise this summer, so does the cost of keeping your home cool. While homeowners across the country come to depend on air conditioners to keep the temperature down during the warm summer months, there are other options that will keep you cool while keeping your energy bill low.

Fans and ceiling fans
-If you’re looking for ways to beat the heat, a ceiling fan can be a great investment for your home. This one appliance can make a room feel 6 or 7 degrees cooler, and even the most power-hungry fan costs less than $10 a month to use if you keep it on for 12 hours a day. Good fans make it possible for you to raise your thermostat setting and save on air-conditioning costs. Fans don’t use much energy, but when air is circulating, it feels much cooler. Ceiling fans are best, but a good portable fan can be very effective as well.

-You should remember that even mild air movement of 1 mph can make you feel three or four degrees cooler. Also, make sure your ceiling fan is turned for summer – you should feel the air blown downward.

Shades, drapes or blinds
-Install white window shades, drapes or blinds to reflect heat away from the house. Close blinds, shades and draperies facing the sun (east-facing windows in the morning and west-facing windows in the afternoon) to keep the sun’s heat out and help fans or air conditioners cool more efficiently. Always remember that the best way to keep your home cool is to keep the heat out.

Internal Heat
-The most common sources of internal heat gain are; appliances, electronic devices and lighting. Be aware of devices in your home that are generating heat and if you have air conditioning, use it wisely.

Don’t put lamps, televisions or other heat-generating appliances next to your air-conditioning thermostat, because the heat from these appliances will cause the air conditioner to run longer. The heat they produce will make the thermostat think your house is warmer than it really is, and your system will run harder than it needs to.

-Unless you absolutely need them, turn off incandescent lights and heat-generating appliances. Replace incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescents; they produce the same light but use a fifth the energy and heat.

-You should also try to avoid heat-generating activities such as cooking on hot days or during the hottest part of the day. If you are cooking, use your range fan to vent the hot air out of your house. By reducing the amount of heat in your home, you will use less energy to cool it.

Plants
-Plant trees or shrubs to shade air conditioning units, but not block the airflow. A unit operating in the shade uses less electricity. Deciduous trees planted on the south and west sides will keep your house cool in the summer and allow the sunlight to warm the house during the winter.

Roof and Walls
-Paint your roof white – If you’ve got a flat roof, paint it with a specially formulated reflective paint or just paint it white. The reflective effect will help to keep the rooms under the flat roof much cooler.

Other things to remember
-Humidity makes room air feel warmer, so reduce indoor humidity. Minimize mid-day washing and drying clothes, showering and cooking. When you must do these things, turn on ventilating fans to help extract warm, moist air.

-Avoid landscaping with lots of unshaded rock, cement, or asphalt on the south or west sides of your home because it increases the temperature around the house and radiates heat to the house after the sun has set.

-If the attic isn’t already insulated or is under-insulated, insulate it now. Upgrading from 3 inches to 12 inches can cut cooling costs by 10%.

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Holding an Open House? Offer Your Sellers These Tips
By Stephanie Andre

RISMEDIA, May 20, 2010—Have you prepared your clients for an open house? Do they know how to get their home ready? Here, we take a look at some essential open house tips—whether it’s winter or summer—that are sure to help your sellers make their home look the best it can.

Tour Your Home. Critique your house: examine it inside and out, and smell for offensive odors. Ask a trusted friend to join you. Make note of any quick fixes to be made.

Declutter and De-Personalize. To make rooms feel more spacious, remove excess and oversized furniture. Consider rearranging remaining furniture to visually expand rooms. Clean out and organize your closets, garage, cabinets and pantry. Also, remove or hide items like family photographs, knick-knacks and toiletries. Let potential buyers imagine the space as their own.

Bring in More Light. The brighter your home is, the larger it will seem. Wash your windows and screens to let in more light. Repair or replace dingy, torn or sagging screens. Use higher wattage light bulbs to make rooms brighter, especially in basements. When you hold your open house, be sure all lights are on, and all curtains are open.

Get Rid of Odors. Steam clean your carpeting and drapes to eliminate smoke and pet odors. Change your bed linens and towels regularly. Keep the windows open, and keep pets outside as much as possible. On the day of your open house, light a scented candle. You can also simmer apples, cloves and cinnamon on the stove an hour before prospective buyers arrive.

Clean, Clean, Clean. A house that is extra clean makes a powerful first impression. Don’t forget to look in places you might otherwise ignore: smudges on light-switch plates or dust on baseboards. And give extra attention to your kitchen and bathrooms, since these are the most important rooms to buyers.
Expose Desirable Features. Show off your house’s best qualities: beautiful hardwood floors, custom windows or an amazing view.

Sell with Neutral Colors. Neutral colors like beige or cream help sell your house, even though they may not fit your aesthetic sensibilities. Paint to sell.

Give the Exterior a Facelift. Boost curb appeal with clean gutters, mown lawn and swept walkway. Power wash siding, sidewalks, deck and driveway. Add potted plants – suitable to the season – to your entryway, deck or patio. Let us recommend the right plants for your project.

Summer Open House Tips
When preparing for a summertime open house, you’ll want to go that extra mile with your home’s exterior:

Accent Your Entryway. Buy a new light fixture, install a new lockset and kickplate, and buy new house numbers.

Keep Your Lawn Impeccable. This is no time for dandelions, brown patches or bare spots. Get your lawn looking its best. Also, add a fresh layer of mulch. Try our Mulch Calculator to see how much you’ll need.

Install a New Mailbox. If your mailbox is old and faded, take the time to replace it.
Refresh Your Deck. Rejuvenate your deck furnishings, and add playful items like a bright umbrella or potted plants.

Winter Open House Tips
With its inclement weather and shorter days, winter isn’t the ideal time for house hunting. Create a warm, inviting atmosphere to sell during the more frigid months.

Check the Heating System. Replace furnace filters, fill oil or propane tanks, clean registers and air ducts, check your home’s ventilation, and arrange a chimney inspection.

Improve Energy Efficiency. Caulk windows and pipes. Add weather stripping around doors, and insulate your water heater and attic. Consider using heavier drapes or insulated shades to block drafts.
Winterize Your Home. Put away summer patio furnishings, grills and garden houses. Close your pool (if applicable), and shut off the outside water.

Keep Up with the Weather. Clear snow, mud and puddles from all walkways and driveways.

Warm Up Your Home. Schedule your open house for high-daylight hours. Set the temperature at a comfortable level. If you have a fireplace, light a fire. Add cinnamon sticks or cloves to the fire for a soothing aroma. Note: Never leave a burning fire unattended.

Adding That Finishing Touch
After making the necessary preparations for your open house, seal the deal with a few finishing touches.

Outdoors. Add a wind chime, birdbath or doormat to make your outdoor space more enticing.

Living Areas. Place fresh flowers in the living room and bedrooms, and softly play relaxing music during the open house.

Kitchen/Dining Room. In the kitchen, put out a bowl of citrus fruit. Run a sliced fresh lemon through the garbage disposal before the open house for a clean scent. Set the dining table with your favorite tablecloth and best china and crystal. And leave bottled water for your potential buyers.

Bed/Bath. Replace shower curtains and liners for a fresh look and that “new smell”. Put car wax on sinks and tubs to get a glossy sheen.

There are many things that can make an open house successful. Don’t worry, your hard work will be noticed. Remember, it pays to help buyers envision the house as their home. For other selling tips, check out more articles in our Sell Your House section.

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Interest rates continue to be low - hovering around 5% and lower and there is still time to make an offer on a house and still get between $6,500 and $8000 tax credit if you can get your offer into escrow by April 30, 2010 and close it by June 30, 2010.  All indications are that the interest rates will rise this year to above 6% by the end of the year. Even that is not a bad interest rate but 5% is better.  There really has never been a better time to buy in the Medford, Central Point, Eagle Point, White City, Talent, Phoenix, Ashland and Jacksonville, Oregon area

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A home warranty is usually purchased when someone is either selling their home or when someone has just purchased a home.  However, a home warranty can be purchased any time.  A Seller can purchase a home warranty at the time they list the house for sale and it will cover them until the house either sells or the listing expires.  A warranty will usually cover heating, AC,duct work, plumbing, water heaters, electrical, dishwashers, garbage disposals, range ovens, cook tops, trash compactors and more.  This can also be updated to include such things as septic system pumping, well pump, garage door openers, swimming pools, other appliances, etc.  A Seller can also purchase an additional home warranty for the prospective Buyer for a small fee that  would cover the Buyer from the time they purchased the home for one year.  Normally if something on the list breaks down, a service call is around $60 which you would pay but replacing or fixing anything else covered under the warranty would be free.

So, as a Realtor in Medford Oregon, I decided to purchase a warranty for myself.  I purchased mine from American Home Shield but there are other home warranties out there such as Home Warranty of America, First American and many others.  Each one has their own separate coverage plan and costs.  I purchased the warranty because I own an older home and still have the original heat pump in it.  I was hoping that when the heat pump finally died I could get a new one.  But the heat pump keeps working.  I have had to replace some parts and added a digital thermometer and those things alone would have cost me more than the cost of the warranty.  I also had to replace a motor on my dishwasher on a day that company was coming in.  The repair service (ordered by the home warranty company) came out right away, ordered the part and replaced it the very next day.  That was definitely worth the cost of the warranty. 

So, a home warranty is like an insurance policy.  In my opinion it is better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.  It has already saved me money.

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Thanksgiving weekend is almost over.  Although we did not have out-of-state guests stay with us, we did spend a wonderful weekend with friends and family.  There were activities throughout the Rogue Valley starting with the kick off of the holidays with last week’s annual Gingerbread Jubilee at the Craterian Ginger Rogers Theater in Medford. Unbelieveable creations of all kinds were displayed and made by all age groups and later auctioned off with proceeds going to help make it possible for the Craterian to bring national and international performing artists to our community.

The Friday after Thanksgiving is always held for the Ashland’s Festival of Light with a parade culminating in the Plaza for the grand illumination of more than a million lights adorning the downtown buildings.  This celebration will definitely put you into the spirit of the season. 

Saturday was was a day of giving with net proceeds from books purchased at Barnes & Noble in Medford going to the SMART reading program in Jackson County.  This was a good day to buy for all our little guys and a few for ourselves as well.  Later in the day we drove up to the beautiful Applegate wineries with cans of food to donate to Access.  We met friends and ran into several old time Applegate friends at Schmidt and Wooldridge - our two favorite wineries up there.  My goodness it was a beautiful day with so many people enjoying the weather, the scenery, and the wonderful wine (we purchased a 2007 Syrah from Wooldridge to save for a special occasion - Maybe our “Wing Day” at Mt. Shasta in January with the whole family. 

To end this fun weekend we are taking our grandson to the Rogue Valley Railroad show at the Medford Armory to see the model railroad layouts, historical railroad artifacts and memorabilia.  Last year was his first time there and he was just fascinated with all the moving trains, many rolling through decorated holiday scenes.  All proceeds go to the the Railroad Park.

So much to do this holiday season.  I will be helping this year with the Providence Festival of Trees also held at the Medford Armory starting this coming Wednesday.   This is the 18th year of the Festival and is a display of elegantly decorated holiday trees in all types of themes by local designers.   The trees are auctioned off on Wednesday but kept up through Sunday for public viewing.  All proceeds of the auction go towards the Providence Community Health Foundation.

Friday Dec. 4th is the Jacksonville Tree lighting ceremony and celebration of Jacksonville’s Victorian Christmas.  There will be a parade, rides in the horse-drawn wagon, and town criers and carolers throughout the season.

We will be taking our annual trek to Camp Baker Road in Phoenix once again to cut our tree.  And of course we can’t forget skiing at our own Mt. Ashland ski resort.  Just a few more snowfalls and they will be ready to open.  So, if you have to stay home this year there are more fun events than you could possibly do.   Our valley is full of wonderful activities like these going on throughout the rest of this year.

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I don’t have to tell any of you how much we are all trying to cut down our expenses during these tough economic times - eating out less,  vacations closer to home, fewer lattes,  and less spending on just about everything.  But here’s some great ideas on lowering your heating costs without giving up your comfort.  In fact, by incorporating some of these ideas you can actually increase your comfort AND save on your energy bills.

Seal air leaks and insulate.  Many air leaks and drafts are easy to find because they are easy to feel — like those around windows and doors. But holes hidden in attics, basements, and crawlspaces are usually bigger problems.   Sealing these leaks with caulk, spray foam, or weather stripping will have a great impact on improving your comfort and reducing utility bills.  The easiest place to add insulation is usually in the attic. A quick way to see if you need more insulation is to look across your uncovered attic floor. If your insulation is level with or below the attic floor joists, you probably need to add more insulation.

Upgrage your windows.  Most of the heat in your homes escape through the windows.  Installing energy efficient windows will help you save money on your heating and cooling costs in the long run and they reduce UV damage to interior fabrics.  Buying the right Energy Star windows can qualify you for an up to $1500 federal tax credit.

Seal your ducts.  If you have poorly performing ducts, your heating and air conditioning system could loose efficiency by a much as 20%.  Improve your ducts by sealing leaks and insulalting the ducts in attics and crawl spaces.  You should have your duct system checked by a professional contractor to ensure it is operating efficiently to deliver the right amount of conditioned air.

Programmable Thermostats.  These thermostats are recommended for those who are away from the home during certain periods of time throughout the week.    They can be programmed to be automatically  set for long periods of time such as during the day when no one is home and through the night.  Using them correctly could save you as much as $150 every year in energy costs.

Change your air filter regularly.  Check your filter every month, especially during heavy use months (winter and summer).  If the filter looks dirty after a month, change it.  The filter should be changed no less than every 3 months.

Tune up your HVAC.  A yearly tune-up of your heating and cooling system can improve efficiency and comfort. 

Replacing your system.  If your HVAC equipment is more than 10 years old or not keeping your house comfortable, have it evaluated by a professional HVAC contractor.  Depending on where you live, replacing your old heating and cooling equipment with ENERGY STAR qualified equipment can cut your annual energy bill by nearly $200. But before you invest in a new HVAC system, make sure that you have addressed the big air leaks in your house and the duct system. Sometimes, these are the real sources of problems rather than your HVAC equipment.  Replacing your system with the qualified unit could get you a federal tax rebate of up to $1500.

For more detailed information on energy efficiency, go to www.energystar.com

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Well, we had our first snow storm here in Southern Oregon yesterday.  A little early for this area and early for the low temperatures this week (below freezing).  Actually it was more like very wet snow that did not stick in the valley but as I look out to the mountains, I see a dusting on top.  Snowfall in our region is usually minimal - 2.3 inches per year in lower regions and in many years is non-existent. In higher mountain regions it is more.   The nearby community ski resort - Mt. Ashland - has a 7533 ft summit  and hopefully it can open early this year -  before Thanksgiving?

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I’m not talking about distressed sales (short sales or bank owned), I’m talking about the regular “Happy” sales where all the decisions are yours (the Seller) and NOT that of a bank.   I’m adding the definitions of short sales and bank owned here for your edification.  There has been a lot of confusion about this. 

Short Sales:  These sales are anything but short.  Simply put, this is when a property owner is delinquent or becoming delinquent in their mortgage payments.   The Seller needs permission from his lender to sell his home for less than it is worth - “short” of the owed mortgage amount.   The Seller can initially decide on a price to list the house but it  will be up to his lender to make the final decision on price.  The process is quite involved to get the bank to respond and it is usually when an offer has been made.  Generally, it could be anywhere from 3 to 6 months before the bank will approve an offer.  Often times the bank will not approve the first offer but that offer can at least get things rolling.  Negotiating short sales is not for the faint of heart.  It is a long, complicated, frustating and an often times futile process but it can also be advantageous for the Seller and rewarding for the Buyer.   If you are the Seller, contacting a CPA or accountant is advised before getting involved in a short sale.

Bank Owned:  This is when the Seller has given the property back to the bank either by deed of lieu or by simply walking away and they are now out of the picture.  The bank is now the Seller and it is the bank that sets the price and negotiates all offers.  Because the bank knows nothing about the property, they are exempt from any property disclosures so the Buyer is buying the property without any history and the Buyer is buying “As Is”.   The Buyer just needs to be aware of this and with some due diligence, the Buyer could get a very good deal.

So back to “Happy” sellers and how to get their properties sold when their competition is the distressed sales. Often times the distressed properties are not in the best condition.  There are several reasons for this.  If owners cannot pay their mortgage, chances are they cannot upgrade or make repairs.  We have also found that when owners walk away from their properties, they also walk away with as many items from the home that they think they can sell - appliances, light fixtures, sinks - I’ve even seen light bulbs, door nobs and kitchen cabinets stripped away.  It’s sad and in some ways I don’t blame them but if someone is looking for a “move-in” ready home, usually distressed homes are not the ones to choose from. 

And that is where selling a non-distressed home can be an advantage.  If that’s what you’re trying to sell,  then your home MUST be in the very best condition possible.  I have blogged in the past on how to get there and I will repeat that blog again.   But for now your home needs to: (1)  Have good curb appeal (2) Be de-cluttered (3) Be immaculate inside (4) Have obvious repairs taken care of.  

Once your home is in the best condition possible, you need to find a Realtor who understands the local market.  Pricing your home in today’s market is the key to selling your home.   The reality today is that if you live in the Rogue Valley or in most parts of the country, your home is not worth as much as it was one or two years ago…and it may not be as much next year.  My advice to Sellers who really do not have to sell (and this is just my opinion) is to wait another couple of years when the market gets back on course.  Today’s home buyers are extremely price-conscious and listing at a price that’s too high for the market won’t bring the desired result.

But if you are needing to downsize, upsize, or move to a different area , it IS an advantageous time for move-up buyers who may have to sell for less than they would have a few years ago.  HOWEVER, you may also pay a lot less for the home you buy.  And the even better news is that the new Homebuyer Tax Credit law that was just signed by the President this past weekend will give a $6500 tax credit to “move-up” buyers who have lived in a primary residence for five of the past eight years.  They must purchase by April 30, 2010.  With this tax credit, the low interest rates, and the loosening up on credit, NOW really is the best tme to sell because of what is offered to the Buyers out there.

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We had a lot of fun at our jam session last night (see pictures below). We weren’t sure how it was going to go being in a “non-bar” venue but it was another success with new jammers and people stopping by from all over the Rogue Valley just to hear the Blues and see what was going on. It started out with the “House” Jam Band and then others joining in throughout the night. The next jam will be on Tuesday night, December 8 at 7:30 at the same place - Pioneer Hall, 59 Winburn Way in Lithia Park, Ashland, Oregon. 

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