Month: January 2014

Winter can be a treacherous time of year.  Ice and snow can lead to car accidents, falls and injuries.  Falling an ice can seriously injure anyone, but can be especially dangerous for children & the elderly.  But did you know that if someone slips and falls on your property, you are considered responsible and are therefore liable?  Exact laws vary from place to place, but homeowners are responsible to “mitigate risks to others on their property” which means that as a homeowner you are responsible to put forth a good faith effort to keep your property free of ice and other dangers.  Simply put, if you know about ice and snow you are responsible to clean it up.  During storms it is best to salt or sand driveways and walkways to decrease the chance for ice and especially to prevent black ice from forming, which can be the most treacherous since it is not easily seen.  If someone does fall on your property they may file a “slip and fall” lawsuit, which can cost you several thousand dollars (although your homeowners insurance may cover part of it).  To avoid this the best step to take is prevention, so if the temperature falls below freezing you should salt your driveway, sidewalks, and walkways as a precaution.  Laying salt before it snows helps to prevent ice from forming in the first place.

Thinking of buying or selling a home in Sussex County?  Give us a call at Cooper Realty Associates and put us to work for you – 302-629-6693.

If you’re putting your home on the market here are five cheap & easy fixes to increase your home’s sale potential.

1.  Declutter.  I’ve said it a million times before, and I will keep saying it… pick up your stuff, put half of it away, and if necessary, rent a storage unit while your home is on the market.  Especially stash collectibles, family photos, and personal objects.  Decluttering your house is the easiest and least expensive thing you can do to make it appeal to more buyers.

2.  Clean.  Deep clean, that is.  In addition to your normal cleaning have your floors cleaned professionally, remove scuff marks from walls and baseboards, pressure wash the outside of your home including the driveway, wash your window treatments, scrub tile, and clean your windows both inside and out.

3.  Paint.  This is another one that I’ve been a broken record about.  Repaint any walls in your home that are anything other than neutral in a neutral shade.  No buyer has ever said, “oh this wall is too tan” but plenty of buyers have said “oh, this wall is just so red” (or blue or yellow, etc.).  Neutral paint can literally sell your home!

4.  New Hardware.  Kitchens & bathrooms are the two rooms that buyers are most interested in.  By changing out the hardware, light switch & plate covers, towel/toilet paper racks, etc. you can give both rooms a mini makeover without shelling out too much cash.

5.  Curb Appeal.  Finally, take a look at your home through a buyer’s eyes.  If it could use a little curb appeal make over consider clearing dead plants, trim plants and bushes, and add some landscaping if necessary.

Thinking of buying or selling a home in Sussex County?  Give us a call at Cooper Realty Associates and put us to work for you – 302-644-2266.

If you’re planning on buying a house anytime soon, be sure to check out more than just the home!  Here are three tips to help:

1.  Do a drive by.  Drive by the home at several different times of day, and don’t forget to drive by a few times at night too.  Be sure to drive by during the week and on weekends.  Check it out and get a feel for the area at many different times to be sure that it “fits” you.

2.  Check out your neighbors.  Look at the properties of your immediate neighbors, but also of others in the area.  Check out any shops & businesses nearby too.  Pay attention to the details and remember that neighborhood affects property value.

3.  Look at ratings.  Go online to check neighborhood ratings, school ratings, and crime ratings for the neighborhoods you are considering.  Remember, knowledge is power!

Thinking of buying or selling a home in Sussex County?  Give us a call at Cooper Realty Associates and put us to work for you – 302-856-6434.

If you’re planning to buy a home this year, there are a few things you can do to prepare yourself.  The first is to find a real estate agent that you trust to represent you fairly and with your best interest in mind.  The other person you need to get in your corner before you start house hunting is a lender.  Your real estate agent should be able to refer several that they like, but you can also check your bank or credit union and ask friends and family members for recommendations.  Your lender will run your finances and set your maximum price for financing.  This will help direct your search to homes that you can afford.  After you have an agent and a lender in place educate yourself by talking to people with experience, reading books and articles, and talking to anybody you can who can help you understand the real estate purchase process.  Meanwhile you can begin your search!

Thinking of buying or selling a home in Sussex County?  Give us a call at Cooper Realty Associates and put us to work for you – 302-629-6693.

It’s been really chilly lately.  If your home is losing heat there could be many reasons: poor insulation, drafty windows, improperly sealed doors, and more.  These energy losses can add up to huge energy bills and a cold family!  In the meantime, check these offending areas of your home and fix any leaks for greater efficiency and less expensive heating bills.

The biggest areas of heat loss in your home are in the doors and windows.  Heat should not be escaping from your doors when they are closed.  If you are losing heat from your doors you can easily replace ripped, worn, or otherwise improper seals on your own by purchasing new seals and weather stripping at a home-improvement store.  When it comes to windows, heat can escape through both the glass and the trim.  Double-paned windows are better at keeping heat in than single-paned windows are.  Insulated blinds or curtains can also help slow heat loss.  If you do have single-paned windows consider replacing them with storm windows or thermal windows.

In addition to your windows and doors, if you have a fireplace it can be a huge source of heat loss in your home.  Be sure to keep your damper closed unless a fire is going.  If you leave the damper open when you’re not burning a fire you can increase your heating bill by up to 25%.  If it doesn’t close tight, consider having it repaired.

Thinking of buying or selling a home in Sussex County?  Give us a call at Cooper Realty Associates and put us to work for you – 302-644-2266.

If one of the things on your “to do list” for 2014 is to sell your home, here are three tips to help you, adapted from a list published by Zillow Real Estate Blog:

1.  Know what your home is worth.  In the neighborhood, that is.  If you are going to sell you definitely want to know the comps for your home.  Your real estate agent can help you with this.  You can always start going to open houses to see what’s selling in your neighborhood, and utilize online listings to help you learn more.  Just remember that “comps” are comparable sales, not comparable listings.  It doesn’t matter what people are asking for their homes, only what the homes actually sell for.

2.  Get inspected.  Of course, inspection falls to the seller, but if you want to give yourself a leg up consider paying for an inspection yourself.  If you do you will know what needs to be repaired before you begin negotiating.  If you can plan for repairs in advance you will be able to fix them for less money than they would cost you in buyer credit down the road, or you can price your home with the repairs factored in.  Either way you will save money for the long run.

3.  Stage your home.  By hiring a designer or stager, you will be able to show your home in the best possible light.  Again, even though this is an up-front cost, it will save you money in the long run!

Thinking of buying or selling a home in Sussex County?  Give us a call at Cooper Realty and put us to work for you – 302-644-2266.

With January here, it’s time to start fresh.  Here are things that are “must do” projects that you should complete this month:

Pack up the holidays:  Whether you use store bought containers or do-it-yourself solutions, packing up your holiday decorations in an organized fashion is the first project you should take on in January.

Prep for ice & snow: If you haven’t already it’s time to service your snow-blower or dust off your shovel, stock every vehicle with a snow scraper and some salt.  Make a winter-readiness kit for your house too including ice-melt, a roof rake, flashlights, gallons of water (stored in a place where they won’t freeze) and extra blankets.

Service your furnace.  If you haven’t had a professional furnace check recently, now’s the time.

Thinking about buying or selling a home in Sussex County?  Give us a call at Cooper Realty Associates and put us to work for you – 302-644-2266.

If one of your New Year’s Resolutions was to be more organized at home, here are a few tips for you:

1.  Create a plan of attack.  One easy way to plan is to create a monthly goal and follow through.  You can find a great list here for some ideas.

2.  Make the beds every day.  It sounds simple, but this one task can really make your home seem a lot more organized.

3.  Keep up.  Empty the dishwasher, load it with dirty dishes, take out the garbage, and do a load of laundry every day.  Keep up on the daily chores that, left undone, can make the whole house seem disastrous.

4.  Pick your project.  Do a project every week, or at least every other week.  Examples include organizing your linen closet, straightening your desk, clean out your junk drawer, etc.  Projects like these take a relatively short period of time and do a lot of good for your home’s organization.

Thinking of buying or selling a home in Sussex County?  Give us a call at Cooper Realty Associates and put us to work for you – 302-644-2266.

Happy New Year everyone!  If you’re the New Year’s Resolution making type, here are a few great New Year’s Resolutions that you can make specifically for your home:

1.  Less Stuff.  Get rid of clutter, streamline your belongings, and resolve to go room by room periodically (monthly? quarterly? It’s up to you!) to clean out anything you don’t use or love and sell it or donate it.  Also resolve to think twice about the things you bring into your home.

2.  Go Green.  Cut energy usage, install compact fluorescent bulbs and low-flow showerheads, ditch the dryer and hang clothes to dry, turn off power strips when your technology is not in use, go paperless for billing and wherever you can, and other little changes can make a big difference in your home’s carbon footprint.

3. Create A Weekly System For Cleaning.  Make a daily & weekly system for cleaning your home and stick to it.

Whatever your New Year’s Resolutions are.  We hope that 2014 is a wonderful year for you.

Thinking of buying or selling a home in Sussex County?  Give us a call at Cooper Realty Associates and put us to work for you – 302-644-2266.

 

From all of us at Cooper Realty Associates, we wish you a happy New Year & hope that 2014 is a joyous & wonderful year for you and yours.