Is the Market Recovering?

I know I posted a blog a few weeks ago about potential market recovery, but I read three articles on the internet yesterday that all had positive things to say about our current housing market and I couldn't help but post another!  I love hearing some positive news about the market and I'm hoping I'll find more articles like these as time goes on!  One was titled, Home Prices Rise in Most Major U.S. City's For the First Time in 7 Months, another, Housing Market Recovery Gains Traction, and the other, Spring Revival for America's Housing Market!  None of the articles specifically mention Lafayette or Louisiana, but I'd like to think that national trends (specifically positive ones) means our local real estate market is making an upswing too!!!

Read the articles and let me know what you think and let's all hope these positive trends continue!!

What is the right paint finish to use and where?

There are so many paint colors out there, it can be overwhelming!  What doesn't have to be overwhelming is what finish of paint you choose.  Paint finishes range from flat to high gloss.

Flat paint is a more chalky finish.  Flat paint is great for ceilings.  HGTV says that not all flat paints are the same.  If you are using it for a ceiling, it's important to get flat paint made specifically for ceilings.  It's made to roll on with little splatter and prevent yellowing over time!  Flat paint is also easy to hide blemishes or bumps because it doesn't reflect light and helps to camouflage any disparities in the wall.  Flat paint is not easily washable and is not good for exteriors because it doesn't hand weathering well.

Eggshell paint has a little more luster than flat paint and is easier to clean.  I like to put this paint on my walls since it is difficult to damage.  Eggshell is also great for exterior because it handles weather conditions well.

Satin finish is has a smooth, pearl-like finish and is an excellent paint for resisting dirt, mildew and stains.  It's great for windows, doors, trim, kids room, kitchen and bathrooms.

Semi-Gloss paint is perfect for doors, trim and cabinets in your kitchen or bathrooms. It is easy to clean and leaves a nice subtle shine.

High gloss paint dries to a shine and is very easy to clean.  It is very reflective and, therefore, tends to show every flaw and because of this prepping your painting surface appropriately is key to painting with this finish correctly!  This finish is great for a more dramatic look on your cabinets or furniture.

HGTV has a great slideshow that shows the differences in the paint finishes.  Check it out!

Wall-to Wall bulletin boards!

Have you ever seen a wall bulletin board?  Not the kind that you can buy a Target!  The kind that covers the WHOLE wall?  I saw one a few years back in a beautiful home office and I fell in love.  It looked a little like this picture.

I think it's an excellent idea for a home office, a laundry room, or a toy room.  You can display important notes, invitations,  kids works, great pictures, etc., and not run out of room (maybe!)  You can even display one in a kids room and make it look more "elegant" like this one!

Should you meet the neighbors before you buy a house?

Do you ever wonder if you should go meet the neighbors before you buy a house?  If you think about it, they will be a large part of your home experience!  I think it's important to meet them and learn about the neighborhood before you make one of the biggest purchases in your life.

I found this article on about.com and it gives a list of questions you should ask:

• How long have you lived in the neighborhood?
• What do you like best about living here?
• What do you like least about the neighborhood?
• If you could change one thing about this street, what would it be?
• Do all the neighbors get along with each other?
• Have you ever noticed anything odd about this house or yours?
• How is the crime in this area -- has anything happened around here?
• How quiet is the neighborhood? Are there nuisances?
• Do you know why the seller is selling this house?
• What has the owner of this house complained about to you?

Are you ready for Hurricane Season?

Hurricane season starts June 1st and end November 30!  According to this site 2012 is suppose to have a relatively subdued with a predictions of 12 named storms, but only 7 of those are predicted to turn into hurricanes!  Out of those 7, 3 are predicted to become "major" hurricanes which means they would be a minimum of category 3 status with winds at a minimum of 111 mph.  More importantly, the Gulf of Mexico and Florida coastlines are being given a greater chance of storms making landfall over the East Coast.

That means you need to be ready!  Here are some important things you can do WELL before a hurricane threatens our area!

1.  Measure your windows and get boards (5/8" marine plywood) cut to fit each one and have them ready to install!  This way, you are ready and not waiting in a LONG line in the wood department at your local lumber store!  By the way, tape is not effective!

2.  Check your insurance plan.  Flood damage is not usually covered by your homeowner's policy.

3. Take video and photos of all your property.  This will help with insurance claims.

4.  Clear loose and clogged gutters and down spouts.

5.  Trim all trees and shrubbery.

MAY 26-27 (THIS WEEKEND) is Hurricane Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday!  It's a perfect time to get yourself ready for this hurricane season!


Here is a list of things to buy:

batteries
generator
portable radio
tarps
plywood
coolers
gas and fuel tank
cell phone battery and charger

Would you want to live in a see through house?!?!

Windows can be nice, but most of us buy window coverings so that we can choose to brighten the room up or give ourselves some privacy!  How would you like to live in this house?!

This house is located in Japan!  I read about it here and here.  I wondered what they do when they need to go to the bathroom, but I did read that the inhabitants can draw a curtain if they needed too.  It might not be a great place to call home, but it could be fun to be an office or something?!?!!?  What do you think?

Summer Wreaths

I found this awesome site that has SO MANY cute Summer wreaths!  I am not sure which one I like the best, but I know you can make them all yourself!  If you decide to make one, let me know!  I'd love to see it!!!

Good News for Real Estate Markets!

I read this article on AOL Real Estate, and it seems like the market might be coming back!  Of course it's always hard to predict the future, but hearing that things are getting more positive than negative always makes me feel pretty good.  Here are the 3 things the article says is good for the market right now!

1.  Homebuilder confidence hit a 5 year high.  The jump is based on a boost in buyer traffic and a rise in home sales, according to builders.

2.  House affordability has never been better.  House affordability is the relationship between median home prices, median family income, and average mortgage rates!  Buyers are in a position to buy with a better job market, more money to spend and are taking advantage of current house affordability!

3.  Realtors reported an increase in year-over-year earnings for the first time in 9 years.

 

Tips on how to sell your home in the summer time!

Summer can be a great time for people to move since kids are out of school and the family can get settled before a new school year starts!  However, sometimes it can be a tough time to sell since it's also a time that families go on vacations and have other family activities that keep the buyers distracted!

Here are a few tips to sell your home in the summertime!

1.  Keep your lawn manicured!  Mow AT LEAST once a week.  Curb appeal is what gets the buyers inside!!!

2.  Bring the light inside!  Open your blinds (or even raise them up)!  Pull back the curtains!  Brighten up your home!

3.  Supply summer treats and drinks!  It's HOT out there, so bake some cookies and have some lemonade in a pitcher for the potential buyers!  They might remember that and, hopefully, your house will stick out in their minds at the end of their day house hunting!!

4.  Keep the house cool!  You don't want your buyers entering a hot house and wanting to rush out there! They want a reprieve from the heat, so turn down your ac and make it chilly enough so that they don't want to go back outside (but not too chilly, of course)!

Lafayette made ANOTHER List!!!

Lafayette made ANOTHER list!  Forbes named Lafayette as one of the BEST MID-SIZED CITY FOR JOBS!!!  KATC reported that Lafayette has had a year to year growth of 5.2% from November 2000 - January 2012!!!  We ranked 4th out of 398 metropolitan cities!  Way to go Lafayette!!!!

Closets are important!

Every potential buyer that enters your home is going to look in your closets!  They want storage space!  So you need to make sure that you organize it well and make it seem bigger than it really is!

I found lots of great ideas on Real Simple's website, but here are a few of my favorites and some that I hadn't thought of myself!

1.  Hang your purses on hooks!  I love this idea and might have to do it myself.  Mine always end up all over the floor!  Hanging them is a MUCH better idea!

2.  Utilize the door.  Hang a mirror or, better yet, some shoes!!!

3.  I've never seen anything like this, but love it!  Hang a shoe rack on the wall and keep your boots off the ground!

4.  Hang your brooms!

Look what I found!

I just love this from One Step Ahead and/or Soft Tiles.  It's an interlocking wood-grain foam play mat!  They even have color options so you can get the ones that best match your floors!  If your child (or grandchild) needs to play in the main living areas and you don't want to have to worry about bumps and bruises, these mats are soft, and don't stand out like a sore thumb.

Of course they have the bright mats too!

What height should you hang your pictures!?

Don't hang your pictures too high!  I find this to be a common mistake.  Everyone has things hung on their wall, but you need to make sure you do it correctly!  If your like me, you always worry that you might not get it at the right height and then you have a hole in your wall that you don't really want.  I found this great webpage that gives your exact instructions on how to hang your pictures!

Market Report for Sold Properties According to Price Range

This is a list of sold residential properties in Lafayette Parish listed according to price range.  If you can see the faint gray lines, the list prices ($150,000- $299,000) in between them make up 51.9% of all sales.

In this price range ($150,000 - $299,000):

-  2011: 212 houses sold from January to March
-  2012: 265 houses sold from January to March
-  That is a +25% increase in 2012!!

-  265 sold houses with 579 active listings
-  On average, from January - March 2012, a house sold after  6.6 months.
-  Last year, on average, a house sold in 8.4 months.

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.

Decorating Rules

I found this article on Southern Living's website and I thought it was useful.  It was 10 decorating rules to follow.  Check it out, but here are some of my favorites:

- Hang your curtain rods two inches from the ceiling or the crown molding.
- Hang your chandeliers about 33 inches above the table.
- When you want a room to be warm white always go with Benjiman Moore Ivory White.  (I love when people give me specific paint colors that always work!)

How to Decorate Bay & Arched Windows

Windows can be a tricky design challenge!  There are several different kinds of windows and some are trickier than others.  This article gives some great ideas.  Here are some of the main tips:

Bay Windows
- use flexible curtain tracking.
- use shades (like roman shades) if you don't want to hide the molding.
- use a rod that goes straight across your bay window.  This is made easier if you don't have furniture in the bay space.
- hang panels in between each bay window.

Arched Windows
- used an arched rod for arched windows.
- pretend the arch doesn't exist and hang the curtain as high as possible and cover the entire window

January - March Market Reports

This report tells us how many houses sold January - March 2012 (red line) as compared to January - March 2011 (blue line) and so far it seems that this year is going better than last.

Number of closed homes in March 2012: 209
Number of closed homes in March 2011:  172
*** That is an increase of +21.51%!  AWESOME!

Total number of closed homes from January thru March 2012: 511
Total number of closed homes from January thru March 2011: 428
*** That is an increase of +19.39!  YAY!

Average days on the Market from January thru March 2012: 110
Average days on the Market from January thru March 2011: 119
*** That's 9 days less than last year! :)

Let's hope this trend continues!!!

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.

HGTV dream home

Am I the only one that actually registers for these things.  I can't be because I never win!  :)  Wouldn't it be cool if someone from Lafayette won the HGTV dream home?!?  Register here and if you win, thank me! :)