Latest Articles by Arow Blackdragon

Here's The Good News....

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0500

This must surely be the only good news out there, with oil going as high as $120 per barrel, food prices rising every week, and even being rationed out in some cases (one large chain rationed rice!), so it is good to know that someone is getting a break.

Well, lately it has all been good news for prospective house buyers - and here is yet more! If you are planning on buying a house this year, at the moment the realty market is setting record highs, in inventory and in price!

The choice both in houses and conditions of sale are certainly in the buyer's favor. The inventory that you can choose from of available houses for sale is at the highest it has been for twenty seven years. One realty report says that the inventory on the books at the moment would normally represent eleven months of listings!

Added to that is the fact that the prices has been falling by so much and for so long that the accumulated discount in house prices is the biggest for thirty eight years. This has got to be the time to buy!

Of course, there are large amounts of skepticism to overcome when buying a home. Where to go for a loan? After all the horror stories - and let's face it, we know that they are true! - there has to be some hesitation in parting with your hard-saved down payment.

One sure way to feel safer about buying a home is to get a fixed rate mortgage that you can afford and that will not increase for several years. This is why it is called a fixed rate mortgage; the rate of your interest is fixed, or locked in, for the duration of your mortgage.

You can choose the duration period yourself; you may find that the lowest rate is for a period of one year, which is not very secure; however, while the rate is reasonably low it is wise to choose to pay more and lock in for ten years or more. This way you will not have to worry about your monthly payments increasing until 2018!

There is one way of hedging your bets against your future security: if you buy a home with a basement, it will offer you a second income if you ever need it. Basements are easily converted into suites that can be rented. Even if you buy a house with an unfinished basement it can always be converted by you after you move in. This will also increase the value of your home.

If you have no experience, you can look up on the Internet and get many photographed directions (and text) for how to finish off your basement. Some hardware chain-stores offer free classes and these have included 'Finishing Your Basement'.

This really seems to be a good time to buy a property, and with a fixed rate mortgage and the option of receiving a rental income, you should be hurrying along to visit your realtor!

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Joe Pinto is one of the top-producing agents in the Chicago real estate industry. With over 10 years of experience, Joe brings professionalism and hard work to help you in the sale or purchase of Chicago condos. For more information, visit Joe at ChicagoHomeEstates.com

Source: http://www.articletrader.com

Wham! Bam! Weekend Kitchen Reno!

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0500

So what IS the best way to prepare for a weekend kitchen renovation? Well, it is possible to get a lot of renovation work done in one weekend, but only if you have all the prep work done before Thursday night, and if you have a friend or partner to help you.

Assuming you have chosen your color scheme, then all the paint, brushes, rollers, paint tray, sand paper ( different grades if needs be) masking tape, new sinks, faucet, new cabinet handles, whatever else and a dust sheet must be bought or found before Thursday. If you are changing your sink or faucet, then pack everything under the sink in a box and keep it somewhere handy in the bathroom

Take down all curtains and blinds and take up all rugs. Every single area that may need masking tape can be taped before Thursday. If you are painting cabinets this may include floor edges, laminate counter top edges etc. Remove all your electric plug covers but keep the screws in the wall.

If you have to move your fridge, then put it in the dining or living room where you can set up a temporary kitchen. Buy a large plastic bowl in which to wash the dishes, and keep it in the bathroom. Move the table and chairs to an area near the fridge.

Buy all the groceries to make sandwiches for lunches and to eat cereal for breakfasts. You will be too exhausted to eat out in the evenings so buy pizza or a frozen meal when you are grocery shopping. Going out takes too much time from your busy schedule, so eat in and plan to go out on Sunday evening for a bang-up supper!

If you are painting cabinet doors, they will need to be sanded with fine and finer sand paper before washing and painting. It is a good idea to do this before the weekend deadline and also to paint the first undercoat onto the wood.

If you need a new splash back, you can now buy twelve inch by twelve inch sheets of mosaic tiles backed onto a thin fabric; they 'sort of hang together' loosely! The tiles come in quite classic designs that you can stick to the wall yourself, and grout afterwards - do it yourself tiling the easy way. The sheet backing can be cut to size, so that you can tile in varied measurements.

Go to bed early on Thursday night!

Once Friday comes, lightly sand the cabinet doors and drawer fronts and damp-sponge the dust off. Paint the ceiling; this will be quick, one of you can do all the edges, and the other person can do all the roller work. Now you must change the sink and faucet if this is one of your projects. It is better to do this before painting the walls, in case you scrape the walls doing it.

On Saturday you will give the window and doors their first coat, the cabinets will have their second coat and then apply the first coat to the walls together. On Sunday you can apply the second coat to the walls, the final coat to the doors and windows and the third coat to the cabinets. (It is often recommended to give the cabinets an extra coat, for that hard-finish look.)

You may have to wait until Monday before putting it all together, because it must dry properly. You will not be able to add the hardware until the cabinets are dry. However, you will not mind coming home from work on Monday evening feeling tired out and having to finish off the kitchen; in fact, you will probably be bustin' to get in there and complete your masterpiece!

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Source: http://www.articletrader.com

Building Environmentally Sound Homes

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 00:00:00 -0500

As our planet continues to take more and more of a beating, there has been a real emergence of building environmentally conscious housing. In years past homes were constructed with materials that were not only damaging to the environment but as we eventually discovered, harmful to us as well. Prime examples of this were the use of things like lead based paint and piping and asbestos. These materials have caused an amazing amount of damage to the planet and to people's health.

Today the concept of constructing homes that are considerate to the planet has become more than an idea, it has become an absolute necessity. The focus of this movement is the construction of homes using recycled and renewable resources. It also focuses on clean power sources. These power sources have little to no negative impact on the environment as they harness the power of sun (solar power) and aim to reduce the amount of electrical and gas power needed to keep the home comfortable. Another great idea that is helping the environment is designing homes with efficient drainage which assists in the replenishing of ground water resources.

Homes that are properly insulated require far less electricity to heat. The end result of this kind of building philosophy is that it will cost less for the owner to heat and maintain. However the most desirable result of these type of homes and policies is the reduced impact that construction is having on the environment and the planet. With the population on the rise and industry on the rise too, we as residents of this planet need to do everything in our power to ensure the safety and longevity of our habitat.

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Arow Blackdragon is a representative of ChicagoHomeEstates.com, the foremost source for Chicago real estate. For all your Chicago property needs, Chicago Home Estates has you covered.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com

Little Aesthetic Improvements Equal Big Money

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 00:00:00 -0500

In the game of selling homes, one has to be prepared to spend a bit of money to make a lot of money. So often people overlook amazingly simple things that could exponentially increase the selling value of a home. It takes a critical eye to be able to look at your home and think: "ok, what needs to go, what needs to stay, and what needs to be changed?" If you aren't able to accurately gauge this, try asking your realtor for ideas or perhaps your friends will have some good ideas.

Start with the main rooms in your home, the living room for instance. Do you have a fireplace? If so, what kind of shape is it in? How about the mantle? These are two things that are sure to be noticed by any buyer so why not replace them with new items? Nothing lights up a room like a new fireplace and this can be a great selling point. Now what other items have already seen their best days? A good place to check is the floors. This is an often overlooked area as it is usually covered by furniture and rugs. Have you strategically placed furniture to hide wear spots, stains or scratches? Replacing the floors doesn't have to be the e huge project that many people think it is. Laminate is one of the easiest floors to install and can be done in a relatively short time. Pristine flooring is a huge selling feature and can increase a homes value by quite a bit.

Of course there are the typical things that one would consider in trying to raise the value of their home such as painting the interior and exterior, replacing old, outdated fixtures. It's truly amazing the difference that something as simple as changing the faucets and a few lights can make in a home. As you survey your home, try to pick out areas and things that your viewers may take issue with and see to it that they are dealt with. If you take the time and care to ensure your house is clean and ready to show, the benefits will follow.

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Arow Blackdragon is a representative of ChicagoHomeEstates.com, the foremost source for Chicago real estate. For all your Chicago property needs, Chicago Home Estates has you covered.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com

Checklist for Buying a Home

Wed, 07 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0600

Buying a home can be one of the best feelings in the world. Nothing beats that feeling of security and satisfaction when you open the door to a new home and are happy with your purchase. The question is, how can you best ensure that feeling is going to happen? There are a lot of pitfalls in the real estate world and naturally you want to be able to avoid them and end up with a great home. Here are some great tips on how to streamline your home purchase and keep those little headaches from cropping up.

Enough cannot be said about being financially secure and aware. If you spend some time organizing your finances before making an offer the process becomes much less stressful. Take some time and research your credit history and find out if there are any outstanding issues or problems and get them taken care of. This can negatively affect your chances of getting a good mortgage, so it's in your best interest to clear any credit issues up before the buying process starts. Most mortgage companies will offer you a pre-qualification, now this is nice to have but you are better off to take it a step further. Obtain a pre-approval for your mortgage. The pre-approval gives you an absolute number to work with. Not only does this make shopping for a home easier on you, but it gives you a significant amount of leverage in the actual sale.

The next logical step is to begin working with your realtor on finding homes that suit your needs. Let you realtor know what things you cannot do without and those things that you would like and let them come up with a list of fitting homes. During this time you can also research the available homes in your chosen area on the internet and find places that appeal to you. With this ammunition you and you agent should be able to view homes and properties with confidence and easily find a place that is agreeable to your needs, wants, and wallet.

Once you have located the perfect property, have an inspection done. This step cannot be stressed enough. Be wary of sellers who are willing to sell to others on the "no inspection" clause. This is never a good thing and much of the time they don't want an inspection done for a reason. The inspection is extremely important step in ensuring your protection as the new owner. After all, this is going to be home right? Don't ever sell yourself short.

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Arow Blackdragon is a representative of ChicagoHomeEstates.com, the foremost source for Chicago real estate. For all your Chicago property needs, Chicago Home Estates has you covered.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com

Renovating For A Quick Sale

Wed, 07 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0600

One of the most popular things to do to increase your home's value prior to selling, is to renovate and spiff up the home and property in order to catch the eye of prospective buyers. Its a time consuming process, so its a process that should be planned carefully from the get-go. The question remains, what renovations should you undertake in order to accomplish this goal? Two things that are always good ideas are kitchens and bathrooms.

Kitchens are the most communal rooms in any home. They are the gathering place of the family and a meeting point for friends and neighbors. As one of the most high-traffic rooms, they are also one of the rooms that receives the most wear and tear. There is a simple truth, new kitchens can sell homes. Buyers appreciate new appliances and countertops, they are highly attractive and can also raise the value of a home by thousands. Floors can also drastically change the look of a kitchen. If the floors are worn old linoleum, try replacing them with new tile or laminate, the worth of the change will be evident when the house shows.

Bathrooms are an area that can quickly fall into a state of disrepair. This is largely due to the amount of moisture that is in the air on a constant basis. Any wood elements of a bathroom will usually deteriorate faster than other areas of the home. Also, custom bathrooms are becoming highly popular selling points for many homes. There is a real move towards creating artistic bathrooms, whether that be regressing to an older, more classical style with clawfoot tubs and pedestal sinks or; a more modern feel with clean lines and utilitarian fixtures. Being that aside from the kitchen this room is the room with the larger fixtures and appliances, it is a natural choice for renovation.

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Arow Blackdragon is a representative of ChicagoHomeEstates.com, the foremost source for Chicago real estate. For all your Chicago property needs, Chicago Home Estates has you covered.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com

Security for Your Home

Mon, 26 Feb 2007 00:00:00 -0600

Security in the home has never been as important and as visible as it is today. In recent years there has been an increasing number of home-based crimes including home invasions and break & enters. Of course, any home owner wants to protect their families and belongings, the first step in home security is the realization that there is a need for it.

The single most visible aspect of home security is the monitored alarm system. Home security systems have been around for a long time and have evolved due to the increased need and indeed, demand for these protective measures. The security of mind offered by alarm systems is second to none as they provide a wealth of services in addition to the monitoring of the home. In a time of emergency in the home, most alarm systems will provide convenient one-touch connections to the Police, Fire and Ambulance services. Also, you are always alerted by your monitoring company if your alarm is activated. Additional services are also available such as the instant dispatch of security personnel in the event of an alarm when you are unable to attend. This can provide a great peace of mind when on extended leaves of absence from the home. Finally, most insurance companies will offer a reduction in the cost of home insurance for a monitored home.

There are a variety of other things that a homeowner can do to help ensure the safety of their home. Most of them are simple commonsense steps that are often overlooked. One of these aspects is exterior lighting around the home. If the front of your home is dark and secluded, it might be a good idea to introduce some lighting that makes the entranceway more visible. Never forget that visibility will usually dissuade petty thieves as a darker area is much easier in which to conceal their activities. Next one should consider where it is that thieves usually enter the home, that is, the windows. Look over all the windows in your home and ensure that the locks are in good working order. Its also a good idea to check the locks on your doors, are they old and a bit shaky? Replacement with new strong locks might be in order.

Communication with the neighbors is another great preventative measure. They will be just as concerned as you are about the security of their homes and families. Keeping informed about strange occurrences in the neighborhood can help to increase the awareness and safety of all concerned. An attitude of involvement and awareness is one of the best defenses against home crimes.

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Arow Blackdragon is a representative of ChicagoHomeEstates.com, the foremost source for Chicago real estate. For all your Chicago property needs, Chicago Home Estates has you covered.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com