I have been a realtor for almost 20 years. After transferring many times with my own family, I am personally familiar with the moving process. I have been involved with remodeling, building, and staging homes. The best part about my job is that I love that I get the opportunity to find the perfect home that excites my clients!

Friday, December 28, 2012

Friday Favorite!

*** Picture from Pinterest

I just LOVE this idea!  It's a wooden letter on a canvas covered in burlap!  

The idea was from a blog called Dixie Delights.  She also did another one that she put in her bathroom and I love it!  She painted the canvas and the letters that she bought for a reasonable price on etsy at Scrappin Plus.



Friday, December 21, 2012

Friday Favorite

*** photo from Pinterest

Everyone needs a place to put their wine, so I just love this idea!  It's using valuable space, but not wasting it at all!  Plus, it looks nice!  

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Paying Extra on Your Mortgage Can Save You Thousands of $$


AOL Real Estate published a great article about how much $$ you can save and how much quicker you can pay off your loan if you pay a little extra on your mortgage each month or even just once a year.  Click on the link to read more details, but here are some important points.

1.  Add $10/month to your monthly payment

  • On a $100,000 30 year, fixed rate loan with 4% interest rate, you would save $3,191.78 over the length of the loan.
  • It would shorten your loan by 13 months.
2.  Add $25/month to your monthly payment
  • On the same kind of loan as above, you'd reduce your total interest by $7,450.01.
  • It would shorten your loan by 32 months (nearly 3 years).
3.  Add $100/month to your monthly payment
  • On the same kind of loan as above, you'd save $22,463.76 on interest.
  • It would shorten your loan by 101 months (almost 8.5 years).
4.  Make extra payments very early on
  • The earlier you make extra payments the more you save. 
  • Using the $100/month example, if you start this after the first year of your mortgage, you'd save $20,989.52 and shorten your loan by 96 months.
  • If you start your payments after year 6 of your loan, you'd only save $15,095.22 and shave just 78 months off of your loan.
5.  One extra lump sum payment
  • Using the same loan terms as above, if you make one extra lump sum payment of $5000 in month 13 of the loan, you'd save $10,071.64 and reduce your loan term by 31 months!  
  • If you made the $5,000 payment in year 6 of your mortgage, you'd save $7,944.04 and reduce your loan term by 27 months!
6.  One extra lump payment a year
  • If you make a $1,000 lump payment every January, starting in month 13, you'd save $19,005.19 and reduce your loan term by 85 months (about 7 years).

Monday, December 17, 2012

Are you taking advantage of this major tax deduction?

I read an article on AOL Real Estate that I think might be helpful to a lot of people!

Did you know that you can get a claim a mortgage interest rate deduction from your taxes?  The article states that only 18% of Louisiana home owners take advantage of this deal, but it can save you a lot of money!!!

However, with a looming fiscal cliff, the government is debating on taking this tax break away because it would save the federal government $108 billion annually.  It's important to note, though, that taking this tax break away could affect the real estate market because the break is intended to encourage buyers to take on homeownership!

Nonetheless, keep a close eye on this debate.  Filing for this deduction could save you a lot of money!!!!

Friday, December 14, 2012

Friday Favorite!

I love this idea!  So many people mount their tv's above their fireplace, so why not fancy it up with a nice decorative frame!

*** Photo from Pinterest

Thursday, December 13, 2012

10 Hot and Trendy Colors

On Yahoo Real Estate there was a great article about colors decorators adore!  They got their information from Pantone, the authority on color and color trends.  

As a side not, Pantone introduces their 2013 color of the year as Emerald!



I'll list the 10 trendy colors here and show a picture, but click here if you want to read the whole thing!

1.  French Roast



2.  Honey Gold



3.  Pink Flambe'



4.  Tangerine Tango



5.  Ultramarine Green



6.  Bright Chartreuse



7.  Olympian Blue



8.  Titanium



9.  Rhapsody



10.  Rose Smoke



Monday, December 10, 2012

HGTV December's Color of the Month

Icy Purple!!!

HGTV had viewers vote this year.  The choices?  Hot pink, team glitter or icy purple.  Icy purple won with almost 42% of the vote.


Which one would you have voted for?



Here are some pictures I found on Pinterest of Icy Purple!






What do you think of Icy Purple?!




Friday, December 7, 2012

Friday Favorites!

Who doesn't love the Christmas season!?!  I do, so today my I'm posting about 2 of my favorite Christmas activities going on in our city!

Noel Acadian au Village at Acadian Village 
December 1-23
5:30-9:00 pm
$9 and kids 4 and under are FREE



December 7
5:00 - 10:00 pm
Train rides and horse rides are $2 each






Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Eight Cozy Colors for Rooms

Even though it's still warm in the south, we can always pretend that it's a little chilly and enjoy some cozy rooms in our homes.  Benjamin Moore posted an article featuring 8 of their favorite "cozy" colors that I wanted to share!

1.  Springfield Tan AC-5

*** picture from Benjamin Moore



2.  Cinnabar CSP-1165

*** Picture from Benjamin Moore


3.  Soft Pumpkin 2166-40

*** Picture from Benjamin Moore



4.  Weimaraner AF-155

*** Picture from Benjamin Moore



5.  Golden Straw 2152-50

*** Picture from Benjamin Moore



6.  Caponata AF-650

*** Picture found on Benjamin Moore


7.  Cinnamon Slate 2113-40

*** Picture from Benjamin Moore



8. French Press AF-155

*** Picture from Benjamin Moore


Monday, December 3, 2012

Bargain Renovations That Add Value to Your Home

I found this great article on Yahoo.com about renovations that give you the most bang for your buck!

1.  Reface kitchen cabinets - Replacing the doors of outdated kitchen cabinets can get you a higher return on your investment than most major remodels.  If your cabinets are sturdy and well laid out, just replace the doors, drawer fronts and hardware and you can achieve a much more updated look!

2. Install a new kitchen countertop - You can save on granite by buying remnants from a stone yard.  If you want marble, you could save 20% by buying marble from Vermont instead of Italy.  If you are really on a tight budget, Consumer Reports suggest that you look into laminate.  With today's technology, you can get a laminate that resembles granite or marble.

3.  Update the bathroom - HGTV says updating the sink and fixtures gives you a higher return than updating the bathroom countertop, flooring, toilet, and tub or shower.  Consumer reports suggest selected basic finishes for sinks and fixtures to save more money!

4.  Boost curb appeal with a new roof - Homebuyers see value in new roofs.  Fortunately, the most common type of roof uses composite asphalt shingles, which can fit easily in many budgets.  They also come in different styles and colors so you can pick one that matches the facade of your home!

5.  Add a deck - If you are looking to add living space, look outdoors!  Adding a deck can give you one of the highest return on your investment and if you can do it yourself, you could save even more!!!


Friday, November 30, 2012

Friday Favorite!

** photo from Pinterest **

I just LOVE this idea for wrapping.  I love that it doesn't have bows that will be smashed if you have to stack or mail presents.  I like that the stickers make the gift a little more personalized.  I love that you don't have to tie bows and you just tape the ribbon on!  Such a simple, yet nice looking gift!

You can get the ribbons and paper from Paper Jacks.  A friend of mine wrapped her presents this way and she got her stickers from The Stationary Studio.

Monday, November 26, 2012

Home for the Holidays


Have you checked out Lafayette's Home for the Holidays this year? Home for the Holidays is a non-profit organization and annual project done by the Acadiana Homebuilder's Association and KATC-TV 3.  Each year they build a brand new, state of the art home that you could win!  The proceeds from the ticket sales benefit local charities like Lafayette Habitat for Humanity, Faith House, The Children's Shelter of Acadiana Youth Inc, and St. Michael's Center for Veterans.  Tickets are on sale now and the home will be given away on December 5, during a live drawing on KATC's evening news.

You can purchase your $100 ticket here.

The home is located in E'lan subdivision at 220 Brahmwell Court in Lafayette, LA.  You can look at the home during an Open House on Sunday, December 2 - 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.






Friday, November 23, 2012

Friday Favorite

** Idea found on adorabledecor.com

How awesome is this idea I found on Pinterest!  Simply drill a small hole in the back of the drawer, put your power strip cord through the hole, plug in, and VOILA!  It's nice for keeping a neat and tidy look all the time instead of having cords hanging everywhere!!!!

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Will Lafayette's Sales Decrease in the Last Two Months of the Year?


Will the pace of residential sales drop off in the last two months of this year? The number of pending sales reported for October seems to provide convincing evidence that they won’t. The number reported for October soared above the previous month by 14% and was up by 49% over October 2011. Leading the way were new construction pending sales which were up 116% over October 2011.


This representation is based in whole or in part on data supplied by the REALTOR Association of Acadiana Multiple Listing Service. Neither the Board nor its MLS guarantees or is in any way responsible for its accuracy. Data maintained by the Board may not reflect all real estate activity in the marketplace.

Monday, November 19, 2012

October 2012 Market Report!



The monthly amount of closed residential sales reported to the REALTOR Association of Acadiana’s Multiple Listing Service (MLS) continues to consistently outperform the months of 2011. The graph on the report vividly illustrates how significantly Lafayette Parish’s 2012 housing sales have grown throughout the year in relation to 2011. And where historically home sales tend to drop off in the latter part of the year, that was not the case in October with reported sales increasing nearly 7 percent above September’s numbers and up over 50% from October 2011. With 2007 considered the apex year for housing sales in Lafayette Parish, the 2,232 cumulative sales reported from January through October 2012 is only 3.5% off that record pace set in 2007 and up by nearly 24% over 2011.

This is GREAT NEWS for Lafayette!  

This representation is based in whole or in part on data supplied by the REALTOR Association of Acadiana Multiple Listing Service. Neither the Board nor its MLS guarantees or is in any way responsible for its accuracy. Data maintained by the Board may not reflect all real estate activity in the marketplace.

Friday, November 16, 2012

Friday Favorite

** Picture found on Pinterest.

I love this idea!  You can get a cheap vase from the Dollar store or just use an old one you got from a flower delivery or something.  You can get the string at Hobby Lobby and use some hot glue to stick it on!  Put a nice flower arrangement or even some dry flowers in there and you've got a great decoration that didn't cost a ton of money!!!

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Van Eaton and Romero's Top 10 Realtors!

Beware, I'm about to brag about myself!  I can't help it, though!  There are so many awesome realtors at Van Eaton, and this month I was chosen as one of it's Top Ten!


Monday, November 12, 2012

Good News for Lafayette Real Estate!


Did you see this article in the Daily Advertiser about Home Sales SOARING in Lafayette?  Click this link to read the whole thing.

Here's the important points:

- Homes sales in October 2012 surged 51% over sales in October 2011!
- Homes sales in all of 2012 have outpaced the last FOUR years!
- Home sales through October 2012 are only 3.5% below Lafayette's record housing market in 2007!
- Total home sales from January - October 2012 are up 23% compared to last year!

I LOVE to read this great news!

Friday, November 9, 2012

Friday Favorite

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, you might want to organize your pantry, specifically spices, so that you don't buy ingredients that you already have!  I am FAMOUS for this!

Here is an idea for organization:

** Picture found on Pinterest.

This pictures shows mop holders holding the spices on the cabinet door.  I like how easy it is to read the labels and how it saves space!