Lee Morof's Real Estate Blog

With the prices for everything skyrocketing these days, every penny counts. This includes your homeowner’s insurance costs. If you’re thinking of buying a home and need homeowner’s insurance, here are a few tips on getting quality insurance for a fair price:

Tip #1: Shop Around

Ask family and friends about their homeowner’s insurance. Check the Yellow Pages, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) and the state insurance department. 

Other places to shop for insurance include consumer guides, insurance agents and online insurance quote services. Don’t just look for lower prices, however. You need a fair price for the services you need.

Tip #2: Raise Your Deductible

The deductible is how much you have to pay before the insurance company starts to pay a claim on your home. The higher the deductible, the lower the premiums. If you live in a disaster-prone area, your policy may have a separate deductible for specific types of damages. 

Make sure, when reading the policy, you carefully go over damage-specific information.

Tip #3: Use The Same Insurer

Some companies will take five to fifteen percent off your premium if you buy more than one policy from them. If the insurer offers homeowner’s, auto and liability coverage, you stand a chance of having a lower premium than if they only offer one or the other. 

The key is to make sure that the combined price is lower than the price would be if you had purchased them separately.

Tip #4: Improve Home Security

By installing a sophisticated fire sprinkler system and a fire/burglar alarm that rings the monitoring stations, some companies will cut your premium as much as fifteen or twenty percent. 

For a smoke detector, burglar alarm or deadbolt locks, you can usually get at least a five percent discount. Check with your insurer to make sure that the system you’re installing will lower your premiums, though; the systems aren’t cheap and not all of them qualify for a discount.

Read everything carefully before you sign, to make sure the policy covers your insurance needs without adding on hidden fees. Even a little money saved can go a long way toward making it easier to live within your budget. 

Ready to buy a home? Let me help you find the perfect home and get it at the best terms and price. Call or email your trusted real estate professional.

Many home owners putting up their home for sale on the market don’t have a lot of available cash to spruce it up. While staging houses is a definite plus, it can cost a fair amount of money, as do many of the other suggested “to-dos.” Here are a few inexpensive and easy ways to make your home look more inviting to buyers.

Put Up Your Personal Stuff

Not every buyer looking at a home for sale appreciates the fact that someone still lives there. Putting away the your personal things can help the buyers’ see themselves in the home.

You will want to put your pet’s things (toys, litter box, bowls) away and out of sight. The same goes for your medications, toothbrushes and toilet accessories.

Clean up your kids’ rooms and put away any toys around the house. Minimize or put away knick-knacks and personal pictures. Remember that you want the buyer to imagine themselves in the home.

Create More Space

Small, closed-in spaces are major turnoffs for buyers. Create the illusion of more space by putting up out-of-season clothes or clothes you don’t wear very often to make your closets look bigger. A good way to make your bedrooms look bigger is by taking one piece of furniture out of each bedroom.

Packing up the small appliances in your kitchen is a great way to make your countertops seem larger. You can also take out all but four chairs in your dining room, as well as extra table leaves to give that illusion of space.

Touch On The Trends

Chances are that some of the buyers are paying attention to celebrity trends. Feng shui is a big one, and you can do your part with just a few touches like adding a fresh bowl of fruit to the kitchen. Put a comfortable couch or chair on the east side of your living room or den. Place a green welcome mat on your porch to symbolize opportunity. Go through your house and get rid of reds.

Whether you see or feel a difference doesn’t matter. Keep in mind that you’re trying to appeal to potential buyers of your home, not make the home more livable for you. If it helps, pretend that you’re the buyer, seeing the house for the first time.

If you’re trying to get your home ready to sell, I can help. Get in touch with me for more information.

Believe it or not, paint colors can affect your mood. When remodeling your home, the color you use on the walls can end up being just as critical to the thematic consistency of your home as the furniture you use to decorate it.

Before you slap any old color on the walls, take some time to consider what mood you’d like each room to inspire.

Red, Yellow And Orange: The Colors Of Excitement, Hunger And Happiness

Ever wonder why the dining rooms, kitchens and entertainment rooms you see in magazines always seem come in every shade of red? It’s because these rooms are dedicated to eating and leisure time. Shades of red, especially bright, vibrant reds, have been linked to increased appetite and increases in energy levels.

In a similar vein, we have shades of yellow. Typically, yellow hues have been known to encourage feelings of happiness and joy.

That said, it’s a good idea to steer clear of especially bright shades of yellow that can be harder on the eyes, as they can foster feelings of frustration and an inability to concentrate.

Orange, like red, provides a great way to bring up energy levels, but like yellow, is prone to cause irritation when used excessively. People are more likely to be excitable and show more enthusiasm in rooms that incorporate this color. In order to reap the benefits of orange without causing irritation, restrict your use of it to the odd wall here and there.

Blue, Green And Purple: The Colors Of Restfulness, Peace And Serenity

It’s no surprise that blue is the color of calm and relaxation. For bedrooms and bathrooms, blue hues are ideal for inspiring restfulness; however, this color’s calming influence makes it a poor paint color choice for high traffic areas where high energy levels are necessary. 

Occasionally, overusing this color – especially in darker shades – can bring moods down beyond calmness and into sadness and depression.

Green is yet another color that inspires peace and restfulness. The advantage of green is that the serenity it brings on is accompanied by feelings of rejuvenation and replenishment. Think of green spaces as places where you can gather yourself and quietly rebuild your energy levels.

Purple is often associated with lavishness and luxury in deep, rich hues that spark creative thinking. In lighter shades, it has the same calming influence of blue but, thanks to its red undertones, none of the sadness that blue can often have.

Making The Most of These Colors: A Little Goes A Long Way

It’s unlikely that you will be painting any of the rooms in your house in a single shade of any of these colors. Experiment with different shades and work with colors that inspire similar emotions to break up the visual impression of the room.

You can use neutral paint colors like brown, black and white to bring depth to room, or to suppress the harsh tones of brighter colors like yellow and orange.

Psychologists have long known that colors affect mood, and in recent years, the interior design world has caught on as well. Now that you understand how paint colors can alter your mood, it’s important to paint your walls wisely.

To learn more about home care and prepping your home for sale, call your trusted real estate professional today!

Environmental allergens affect the way many people live their lives and clean their homes. Allergens make their way into our houses, and can settle in some unexpected places – but knowing where these irritants can hide can help you eliminate problematic allergens from your home.

If your house has you sneezing and wheezing in every room, here are three allergy-triggering places where you wouldn’t expect to find allergens in the home.

1. Allergens Lurking In Your Living Room

Visitors to your home brings allergens with them. Allergens are easily transferred from your visitors onto your carpets and couches. Even if you do not have pets of your own, animal dander can easily find its way in with visitors from pet-friendly homes.

Your couches and cushions are hot spots for irritants. If you are find yourself exhibiting allergy symptoms in your living room, look to your cushions to find some relief.

These cushions and throw blankets can be placed into the dryer for a few minutes to get rid of irritating dander and dust mites.

Items that cannot be placed in the dryer should be cleaned regularly according to the manufacturer’s directions. A good vacuum with a HEPA filter can pull allergens out from flooring, drapes and couches.

2. Steaming Kitchens May Make You Sneeze

The kitchen may be home to mold that triggers your allergies. Steam from cooking and cleaning carries moisture into the air, and can cause damage not only to your health, but also to your home.

Dishwashers and other appliances can contribute to mold growth in a big way. Areas that are not regularly cleaned and properly maintained could be triggering allergic reactions. To get allergy relief, clean and sanitize the rubber seals of all your appliances.

If you suspect mold may be an issue, have a professional test your home. Whereas surface mold can be killed and cleaned, more serious mold problems may require renovation and cause serious harm.

3. An Attack On Your Sinuses While You Sleep

Dust mites flock to a surprising and unsettling place in our home. If you find your allergies are causing unrest, it may be where you are placing your head to sleep.

Pillows are problematic because they are not washed regularly with the rest of our bedding. There are many different solutions for this, and some are more effective and comfortable than others. Replace your pillows annually, or consider a different material or type of pillow – pillows with a tight woven covering will be harder for mites to penetrate, and allergy-proof pillow covers can be washed regularly.

Your bedroom is meant to be a place of rest, but where the room is placed could be causing you discomfort. Allergens from trees and plants out your window can make their way into your bedroom. Air purifiers can help, and in some instances you may want to consider having the irritant removed.

Pinpointing the source of a reaction can be a challenge, especially if the allergens are hiding in unexpected places in the home. Allergies in the home shouldn’t cause residents constant problems. Seek out the culprits that plague your sinus, and breathe easy knowing that your home can be your sanctuary.

For more information about available services and possible solutions to your allergen problems, call your trusted real estate agent today.

The decision to install a pool is generally one that is applauded by at least certain members of the family. Whether you have children or not, however, having a pool at home is certainly something you can enjoy for yourself.

But what if you don’t think your yard is particularly suited to a pool? Don’t rule out the idea just yet; instead, consider some of these different pool designs to suit different sizes and styles of backyards.

Make The Most Of Your Small Backyard

For a relatively small backyard, you should always choose the right pool design that will ensure you make the most of the space.

A particularly good option for a smaller backyard is opting for an above-ground pool and having a custom wood deck built around one side of it, while leave the opposite side open for the kids to play in.

The addition, the wood deck will offer easy access for the kids to get into the pool, and will also give you a place to sunbathe while watching the kids splash around.

Single-Use, Modern Yard: Fiberglass Pool

For an ultra-modern backyard that is relatively small, and especially for a single-use backyard that is going to be dedicated to your swimming pool, a fiberglass pool might be your best option. Since the pool arrives in one single piece, already fully finished, the installation process is very quick and efficient.

Offered in a variety of different shapes, sizes, and styles, you can surely find a fiberglass pool that fits your single-use yard, and you could even have it ready to use within one week. You’ll find that the smooth surface of a fiberglass pool is appealing. These pools are also easy to maintain as only a few chemicals are required for cleaning.

With this type of pool that you’ll commonly find in vacation homes with modern, polished concrete backyards, you can turn your home into your favorite holiday destination, and much quicker than you might have guessed.

Customizable Concrete Pool For A Large Yard

If you have a large yard and aren’t concerned about using up too much space by having a swimming pool put in, why not opt for the most customizable concrete variety? A concrete pool can be constructed in virtually any shape or size you choose, allowing you to put your best creativity to use.

You can opt for texturized pool surfaces as well as well as plenty of add-ons and built-in features, such as a custom entry or a ledge for sunbathing. Customized concrete pools usually take about 12 weeks to build. You can also opt to have a concrete or tile surface installed around the pool, while still leaving plenty of grass and gardening space in your backyard.

These pools are also a great option for irregular backyards, as they can be customized to fit into virtually any shape, just as long as your yard is large enough.

When it comes to house shopping, you can opt to buy a house that already has a pool. Or if you’d prefer to be more involved in the process, you can simply look for a house with a suitable yard. For a list of suitable homes in your area that you can view today, get in touch with your real estate professional and get closer to that at-home dip you’ve been dreaming of.

There are a number of ways that you can improve the look and style of a room without having to spend an arm and a leg. Of course, painting and stenciling are the most affordable ways to bring new life and unique detail to an old room.

But if you’re intent on taking it to the next level, look no further than your windows.

Your options are nearly unlimited when it comes to sprucing up your windows – and the great news is that with a little creativity, you can use many products that are relatively inexpensive to buy.

Creativity doesn’t cost a thing, so check out these design ideas to get those creative juices flowing. You may be surprised to discover that many possible window treatments are already sitting in your attic or garage.

Bringing The Outside In

If you’re a scavenger and regular Sunday garage sale goer, you may discover the perfect piece of outer decor that can transition nicely into the interior. Consider a wood awning effect by using shingles or reclaimed wood for a rustic appearance.

Another trend that designers are seeing this year is in the use of stained glass or reclaimed woodcarvings that have been saved from demolition. Having a hand-carved feature is going to cost quite a bit to get custom made. However, many old doors and shutters can provide the same look without the need to have them custom built.

Creative Paint Projects For Fresh And Original Windows

When it comes to customizing your one-of-a-kind look, a painting project is a great way to create something original. You can get fabric-specific paints, as well as functional white or cream linens, for a minor sum. There are also services that can even print a design or picture directly onto your fabric for a unique and professional creation.

To create an immediate tie-in to a color scheme or accent color, consider painting the trim and wood slats of the window. This is an excellent and cost effective way to bring attention to your design features but also help to anchor a color within a room.

Cornice Boards Can Add A Finishing Touch

In the past, cornice boards were used to add weight and height to a window treatment. These days, they can also add architectural detail to spice up a room that appears flat and boxy. The great thing about cornice boards is that they can be individualized to suit the design and color scheme of the room: either with a solid paint job, or with monograms or stenciled images.

Thanks to the unique designs that you can create with these window treatments, you’ll never again have that “pre-packaged” look for your windows. As your lifestyle changes, a fresh coat of paint will rejuvenate the look and can quickly be adapted to match the new color palettes of future trends.

Reinventing windows is a great way to aid in a home staging project in order to prepare and beautify a home for sale. For more tips on updating your home’s look, call your trusted real estate professional today for answers and advice.

When it comes to selling your home, there are many measures you can take as a homeowner to increase its value and appeal. You can often accomplish this through something as simple as updating your home’s light fixtures.

Here are some easy lighting solutions you can bring into your home that will transform your living room, and make the space much more appealing to your prospective home buyers.

Add A Chandelier For A Shimmery Focal Point

Here’s how you can lend your living room an air of class that can’t be paralleled: install a beautiful crystal chandelier. As something that never goes out of style in the world of interior design, chandeliers have actually seen a big comeback.

You’ll be immediately surprised how something so simple and classic will transform your living room, suddenly making it your new favorite room in the house.

Balance And Character: Side Table Lamps

If you’re looking for a way to transform your living room that will tie the design together and won’t be too difficult to install, perhaps opt for matching side table lamps. Just by adding a pair of matching lamps to your living room, you’d be surprised by the level of cohesion your living room will suddenly have. Table lamps can offer the perfect amount of lighting for a more intimate or relaxed setting, as well.

Demure Brilliance: Recessed Spot Lighting

Recessed spot lighting is something homeowners sometimes opt to have installed throughout their entire home, since it offers a sense of demure brilliance. Well hidden and offering the best of warmth and light, recessed spot lighting can highlight your living room’s focal artwork or simply light the entire room for a welcoming sitting area.

Retro Style: Arc Floor Lamp

The arc floor lamp has become a hit in the world of homes, too, bringing with it a sense of retro fun we’ve missed for so long. This is a simple and easy fix that can transform your living room without the need for screws and tools. This grandiose arc-style lamp also creates a focal point similar to how a chandelier might, but is much easier installed: just plug it in!

Subtle Modernity: Mounted Ceiling Fixture

For an update that is quick and easy but will allow for ample lighting in your living room, consider the installation of a subtle ceiling light fixture that is mounted close to the ceiling. This is a perfect solution for a living room that has another focal point, like a piece of artwork, and it will bring a sense of modernity to your space that will transform it more than you might expect.

In the world of home lighting, you’ll soon realize just how many options are available to you that will surely increase your home’s appeal. Creating a warm and welcoming space, especially one as significant as the living room, is key to ensuring that your home shows well and is something that prospective homebuyers love.

For more information on how you can increase your home’s appeal to the buyers in your market, call your trusted real estate professional today. 

Did you know that dry rot is ironically created from having too much moisture come in contact with wood?

The fact is many homeowners are unaware that dry rot is even setting in, so the first step toward prevention is being able to diagnose possible areas of exposure before dry rot becomes a major renovation expense.

Remember that dry rot to your foundation can be an extremely costly repair and will definitely figure prominently into the total value of your property when a house inspection is completed prior to a sale.

As well, fungus and mold spores can affect the air quality of your home, which is a health problem for not only you and your family but also for prospective buyers.

Identifying Leaks To Your Water Membrane

In a very simple sense, discovering moisture or a leak on a wall or ceiling is an early sign that damage is occurring. Always inspect ceilings for particular evidence, especially around skylights and exhaust piping, as well as heating or cooling ducts. If damage was done to your roofing membrane during an installation or renovation, water can seep through.

Do an inspection of your basement in order to determine if any discoloring is happening to walls or wood. If you can smell mold or mildew, you may have a problem. However, this doesn’t mean that you’re already suffering from dry rot, just that the area is a hazard and should be sealed properly. Deal with the cause of the leak before you proceed to the repair stage.

Replacing The Affected Areas

If you have discovered wood that is either in the process of rotting, or has succumb to some water damage, the best thing to do is simply replace it. Once you’ve sealed the leak that initially caused the damage, discuss with your contractor the scope of the replacement job.

When installing new wood, it’s best to make sure that it’s treated with a Borate wood preservative to prolong its life and resilience to fungal infection. In some cases, you may not need to replace wood at all. You may be able to get away with only cleaning and then treating the area with Boric Acid, a fungicide that will slow down the spread of existing fungus and kill future growth.

Choosing The Right Fungicide And Preservative

This step will depend on the unique needs of your home’s situation. Generally, you have the option to choose between a dry powder and a glycol-based liquid concentrate. While the powder may appear less expensive, it may not do as thorough a job of absorbing deeply into the wood fibers.

Depending on the depth of fungal intrusion, you may need to use the more powerful liquid substance. Both are easy to apply, so you should be able to tackle this task yourself.

Maintaining the quality of your home is essential for keeping up its value when it comes time to sell. Call your trusted real estate professional today for more advice on preserving the value of your investment and identifying areas of risk and exposure to dry rot.

Remember that it’s far easier to deal with problems now before they develop into major expenses down the road.

When it comes to creating a play house for your kids, you are limited only by your time, imagination, and to some degree, your budget. Most play house designs are constructed out of affordable wood products, and the plans are generally box-like in appearance. If you have the appropriate tools on hand, the project can take only a couple of weekends to construct.

Whether you choose a simple “look out” fort or a fully gable-roofed design, your kids will thank you for years to come.

Of course, the benefit to you is that they will have something to do to occupy their imaginations and get them away from the television. Instead of running out to the big box stores for pre-made forts, consider building one yourself.

Create Your Kids’ Home Away From Home

You can enhance simple playhouse designs by incorporating a climbing wall, a rope swing or even a slide (if you are able to build high enough.)

You can place a rubber climbing apparatus on the outside as long as there are some safety features installed as well, such as a soft area of wood chips or rubber pellets placed at the base of the wall. Also remember that climbing on the roof can be a falling hazard, so consider adding railings.

If you’re hoping to create a play house with some functionality, why not add some shutters and quaint furniture? Just remember to use furniture that is intended for outdoor use in order to prevent mildew and rot.

Play House Designs For The Cold Months

Outdoor fun doesn’t have to be restricted only to the summer months. It’s not impossible to simply run an electrical extension and attach a heater so your fort can be used all year round.

It’s an important cautionary note to be sure not to use any heating equipment that is powered by propane or gasoline. These heaters can emit toxic carbon monoxide that can build up inside a small space, which is an extreme health hazard. Instead, consider safe methods to install and insulate electrical heating devices, especially those designed for outdoor use that are resilient against water and snow.

 Backyard Play House Designs: No Construction Needed

If you’re all thumbs when it comes to picking up a hammer, why not make a teepee? Simply by purchasing some six-foot long, wooden sticks (bamboo works best) and some twine, you can create a teepee form in less than 5 minutes.

Once your form is complete, dress the top with sheets held on with clothespins. While this won’t withstand the elements nor last through seasons, it can quickly provide a shaded play area that comes down as quickly as it goes up.

In many ways, having your kids help to design and build their “dream home” is the main goal of any DIY project, so first and foremost: enjoy the process. While this “addition” to your home doesn’t have a tangible economic impact on the value of your house, it prepares your home to be viewed as family friendly, if nothing else.

For more great home project ideas, call your trusted real estate professional today to discover how easy and fulfilling building your youth-oriented dream home can be.

Thinking about ways to engage your children in gardening and educational opportunities outside of the classroom? Creating your very own veggie patch with them is a great way to help them develop interest in the wonderful hobby of gardening!

Growing a vegetable garden links together many concepts your children are learning about in school while teaching them the art of discipline, responsibility and delayed gratification. Here are some great tips on how to nurture this project with your children.

Choose Pick-And Eat-Vegetables

The joy of being able to eat the fruits of their labors straight out of the garden will be an amazing reward for children. Vegetables like snap peas and cherry tomatoes are great for this. A bonus is that pea seeds are big and easy for those tiny hands to plant if you are going to have your children involved in the garden from the very beginning.

Pick Fun Vegetables The Kids Can Use Later

Another great route when choosing what to plant is picking vegetables that children have a strong connection to. Pumpkins are a great example of this. Children will love to grow pumpkins because of the promise of carving a jack-o-lantern later in the year.

Ensure Your Garden Is Conveniently Placed

One thing you don’t think about until you have kids is how to streamline your garden activities in a way that accommodates them. Convenience is critical when trying to manage children and do gardening at the same time. Go easy on yourself by placing your garden as close to a water source as possible.

Plant A Few Seeds That Will Grow Quickly

It is always nice to give children a bit of excitement right off the start. Lettuce is always good for this. It grows fairly quickly and will grab the interest of your children while they wait for the other plants to sprout.

Make Your Children Planting Assistants

Involving your kids in the planting is definitely a lot of work, but it really helps build their interest and education later on. Get them to hoe rows, dig holes, or water as you plant. This will help them connect all the processes together in their minds, and will keep the engaged later on.

Keep The Garden Front Of Mind

Make the garden an ongoing, continuous project that the children are involved in. Don’t let weeks go by before you bring the kids out to it again – they might get bored or develop other interests. Always look for opportunities to involve them in the work.

Plant A Colorful Garden

One of the easiest ways to get children excited about what is growing in the garden is to make it come alive with color. There are many different ways you can bring a splash of color to the garden. Choose a variety of lettuce, radishes, or squash to bring interesting and unique shapes, sizes and color to the garden!

Building a garden is a fun way to teach your children the value of hard work and perseverance, and to help them learn science! A garden can engage children and draw you all closer together as you work toward a common goal. If you have questions as to whether a garden will increase the value of your property, call your trusted real estate professional today for more information.