Creative ways to hang bathroom towels

I found this blog, www.tipjunkie.com , and it's full of awesome ideas for your home.  Check it out and let me know what you think!

She had lots of ideas on creative ways to hang your towels in the bathroom and I wanted to share.  Lots of times, it's hard to make hanging towels look nice in the bathroom, but she had some great ideas.  These photos are some of my favorite ideas.

tipjunkie.com

Theidearoom.net

notjustahousewife.net

thehouseofsmiths.com

Monthly Costs of Owning a Home!

Lots of those online mortgage calculators only include principal and interest and there are a LOT more things that go into a mortgage in the end.  When you are deciding on a budget for your new home, you should always consider ALL the factors.  Here are some things to research and consider.

1. Insurance - You can't buy a home without it, so make sure to shop wisely for good Homeowner's insurance.  Sometimes if you bundle Homeowner's insurance with your car insurance you can get a discount.  You might also have to get flood insurance if you are located in a flood zone.

2.  Property Taxes - Everyone who owns a home pays property taxes.  Some people have to pay both city and parish property taxes so call your Parish Property Assessor to be sure.  Local tax rates vary, but   your home is typically taxed on it's assessed value.  Taxes can add hundreds of dollars onto your mortgage, and the figure might not be the same as your good faith estimate, so make sure you know the exact amount before you sign on the dotted line!

3. PMI - If you don't put 20% down, you will pay Private Mortgage Insurance.  The insurance protects the lender if you default on your loan.  This amount varies according to how much your mortgage is.

4.  Home Owners Association Fees - Some neighborhoods have require HOA's for monthly upkeep of the common areas and shared areas.  Some are paid yearly and can be inexpensive, but some are paid monthly and can be quite expensive!

5.  Utilities - The size of the house you are moving to is probably different than the one you are leaving, so it's important to find out how much your projected utility costs will be.  It's good to call the electric company and ask to average the last 12 months of that homes utility costs.  This will be a good way to estimate what this monthly cost will be.

6.  Maintenance - All homes require maintenance!  Of course sometimes this might not be that expensive, but sometimes a major thing might creep up and you need to be prepared!

7 Mistakes a SELLER can make!

I read a great article on realtor.com on 7 costly mistakes sellers can make when listing their home.  You can check out the article if you want, but I'll summarize my favorite points here:

Mistake 1:  Putting your home on the market before it's ready.  Presentation is everything so get everything done before it's listed.  Don't let potential buyers see dirty carpets, or half painted walls!  Get it done so all buyers see the "finished" product!

Mistake 2:  Pricing your home based on what the seller wants to net.  Sellers don't decide the asking price, the market does.  Most, if not all, buyers will not pay over market value!

Mistake 3:  Hiring an agent based on non-business decisions.  Hire someone with a proven track record.  If you have a friend who just got their license, at least make sure they have a mentor!!!

Mistake 4:  Over-improving your house compared to other homes in your neighborhood.  

Mistake 5:  Getting emotionally involved with the sale of your home.

Mistake 6:  Trying to cover up problems and not disclosing them.  Be honest!  The last thing you want to happen is for you to get sued when the buyers discover a problem that you did not disclose!!!

Mistake 7:  Not getting your ducks lined up before selling.  Read the fine print in your mortgage to avoid pre-payment penalties.  If the market is showing lower home prices, lower your price sooner than later.  If you need to sell your home first before buying a new one, do that!

Need Ideas For Shoe Storage!?

If you're anything like me, you have GREAT intentions to keep your shoes organized, but they always end up on the floor in my closet!  HGTV put several great ideas on their site on how to keep your shoes more organized and I researched some more ideas!  Here are some of the favorites I found.

Check out this awesome flat hanger idea on epbot.com.  It'll give you the full tutorial!!!

Check out this shoe wheel from HSN.com

I saw this idea on pintrest.  It didn't show where to get this awesome wine rack, but I love this idea to store shoes by the back door!  

Should you buy or rent?!

Should you buy or rent?  This is a questions lots of people have!?  

There are a few questions you should ask yourself:

1.  Can you afford to buy a home?  I found this AWESOME Buy vs. Rent calculator that can help you figure out if it'd be worth it for your particular situation.  Also ask yourself, do you have the credit score to get a loan?  Do you have at least 6 to 12 months savings to service your debt in case of sudden unemployment or another unexpected life change?  You certainly don't want to drain all of your savings with a downpayment for a house!

2.  What is my 5 year plan?  Most real estate professionals and financial advisors will agree that you need to own your home for at least 5 years to make it worth it.  Are you going to have any major life changes?  Marriage, divorce, career change, growing your family?  All of these things might help you decide if buying is better than renting (or vice versa).

3.  Are you prepared for the cost of homeownership?  Maintenance, property taxes, homeowners insurance... it's not just a mortgage!!  However, renters are certainly not exempt from some of these things either!

4.  I like to think in monthly terms.  Find a home you'd like to rent and a home you'd like to buy.  Is the rent more than the mortgage?  Don't forget to add all the other costs to your monthly bill for renting or buying (from question 3).  

 

Lafayette Wins Cleanest City

I read two great articles, on 999ktdy.com and theadvertiser.com, about Lafayette's newest award.  Lafayette won the Cleanest City title for 2012!  Cities in Louisiana were grouped according to size, and Lafayette beat everyone in it's category, including Baton Rouge!  I love living in a city that takes pride in their community!!!!!!

Storage solution!

I saw this idea on Pinterest and I just love it!  You can store all your seasonal stuff in these totes and keep it off floor space in the garage, without wasting attic space!!!!  Store small christmas gear, seasonal clothing, and other stuff you don't need year round!  LOVE!

The directions on how to get this done are on familyhandyman.com and they estimate the total project to cost a little more than $100!!  Not bad, not bad at all!!!!

According to our market today, do you know approximately how long it might take to sell your house?

This chart represents Lafayette Parish only.  The first column represents the price of the house.  The second column represents how many houses sold in that price range from January - May 2012.  The third column represents how many houses are  currently listed in that price range.  The fourth column is how many months, on average, a home in that price range was listed before it sold.

For example, there were 76 homes sold in the $200,000 - $219,000 price range from January - May 2012.  There are currently 100 homes actively listed in this price range and those homes take an average of 6.6 months to sell.  Obviously, there are a lot of factors that depend on how quick your house sells, but this represents an average.

Find your price range and see how long it might take to sell your house.  Are you surprised by your number?!?!!  Let me know if you have any questions!

Want to know how Lafayette's Market did in May?

This is a market report for Lafayette Parish only.  The red line represents 2012 and the blue line represents 2011. As you can see, every month so far in 2012 has surpassed the sales made in 2011!  Although, May 2012 was the first month that sales dropped this year, it also shows a 15% increase in sales over May 2011!  Cumulatively, we are doing 17.8% better in sales over last year!  Also, when you compare how homes sales are for Lafayette right now to our all-time peak year of 2007, our market performance is only 10% off of that peak performance year through May!  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.

7 Great Apps for Hurricane Season!

StopDisaster - $1.99
- step by step emergency relief kit prep
- countdown timer to alert you when food, documents, or medicine are about to expire
- emergency response planners including contact lists, meeting points and social media access
- auto-generated shopping lists to get your emergency relief shopping lists together.

Dropbox - free
Download the program on your PC or Mac and upload your files into and then will be available on your computer. If you have the app, you can access the documents on your phone too.  If you don't have internet access, you can mark the documents as important and they will be available always.

Flashlight by Rik (iphone)
Brightess Flashlight for free (android)
This is self explanatory and can be useful even if we don't have any hurricanes this season.

Hurricane Tracker $1.99
Gives the latest maps, projections and data

5-0 Radio Police Scanner Lite - free
This is an unfiltered feed of cops, firefighters and other public safety officers.  It's not good to use this as your main news source, but it's good to listen to.

GasBuddy - free
This app uses your GPS to display up to the minute gas prices in areas near you.  This is a great way to avoid price gouging during a crisis!

American Red Cross: Shelter View - free
When a disaster strikes this app lets you know where the shelters are!

How Much Down Payment Do You Need?

A lot of people are really unsure about how much down payment is REALLY needed to purchase a house.  To be honest, that number can totally depend on what kind of loan you want to get.  If you are interested in buying a home, it might be a good idea to meet with a Mortgage Broker to see what the best option for you would be!  Here are some popular choices:

FHA Loans: This is a very popular options for buyers looking to get their foot in the door!  These loans offer a down payment as low as 3.5% of the mortgage amount.  However, there is a cap set on the value of the home set by the Parish or County.  Lafayette Parish's value limit for a single family home is $271,050.

VA Loans: Military Veterans are eligible for this loan and it requires zero down payment for 100% of the loan value as long as the loan is under $417,000.

Conforming Loans:  These loans can have a fixed or variable interest rate, although most choose a fixed because it's a more predictable loan.  These are given out by private vendors, like Bank of America.  These lenders set the guidelines for these loans.  Bank of America, for example, requires 5% down on a loan $417,000 or less and 10% down on loans up to $729,750.  However, there are exceptions to every rule and there are some cases where banks will give you a lower interest rate or provide a down payment assistance program.  This is why it's important to meet with a mortgage broker to get all of your options.

Non Conforming Loans:  These are typically called "jumbo loans" and require 20% down.  This is always a good option because you won't have to pay PMI (Private Mortgage Insurance).

It's important when making a decision not to forget about all the hidden costs.  You do not want to be house poor, so it's crucial to not sink your life's saving into a down payment.  Hidden costs might include PMI (you have to pay it if you don't put 20% down), homeowners insurance, neighborhood association fees, property taxes, and home repairs.  You'll probably want some extra money to decorate too!!!!!

Need an idea on how to store your ribbon, wrapping paper, and other craft supplies?

I was searching Pintrest and found the best idea for storing craft things!  That's a big challenge for me and for right now, I have all my wrapping paper and ribbon stuffed in a plastic bin under a bed.  Lilsugar.com suggests using an old crib piece to store it all!  I thought it'd be a great thing to hang in a laundry room or storage room!  The site has some great other ideas too!  Check them out and let me know what you think!!!