The original BeachChatter discusses the housing market in the coastal communities south of the city of Los Angeles. Some articles are peculiar to a single city. Some discuss the region as a whole. The focus is on privately owned housing.
You may think that if you hire movers to do your moving for you, you can just sit back and relax while they take care of everything. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. Even if you choose to make your next move with professional movers, there will still be plenty to do on moving day while the professionals do the heavy lifting.
Some of the work can and should be done ahead of time, but you still need to make sure it’s settled by moving day. This includes making a plan for kids or pets, establishing where the movers should park, and ensuring the movers have access to everywhere they will need to reach. You may also want to set aside some items that you intend to transport yourself, whether it’s because you don’t want them to break, you don’t want them stolen, or you simply want to retain access to them during the moving process.
You can’t rest when the moving process begins, either. It’s true that you don’t want to get in the way of the movers doing their job. And obviously, the best way to get out of the movers’ way is to simply not be there. But you also need to be available in case of questions or concerns. Not to mention that you probably want to keep an eye on the movers in case they do something shady, or just innocently misinterpret your instructions.
There are also tasks to complete after the movers are finished. First of all, make sure they took everything they were meant to take, and didn’t take things you intended to leave behind. Do a thorough check for small personal items that could be overlooked or fall on the floor. The property should also be cleaned after the movers finish, whether you do the cleaning yourself or schedule professionals.
The short answer is yes, you can. This would be called a backup offer. However, it may not be worth your time, unless you’re very invested in the property. To understand why, let’s take a look at what a pending sale actually means, and what making an offer on a pending sale looks like.
When a property has the “sale pending” status, what it means is that the seller has accepted an offer, but the sale hasn’t yet been finalized. There are potentially several steps before a sale can be finalized, which can include contingencies, inspections, appraisals, and negotiations. Inspections and appraisals always take time, but may not be required. Not all sales have contingencies, but they come in multiple forms, some of which could take a long time — such as waiting for the sale of another property to close.
So while you could submit an offer on a pending property, not even the seller can know whether they will be able to accept it for a potentially extended period of time. If the pending sale falls through, they may accept or reject it, or want to negotiate further. Even if all of that works out, the property will then be pending with your offer. If you’re on any sort of time constraint, it’s probably not worth it. Furthermore, most pending sales don’t fall through, and half the potential reasons it could may reveal major issues with the property that might result in you not wanting it anymore.
Calling all Parrot Heads! Celebrate the music and vibes of – you guessed it! – Jimmy Buffett. Experience a truly authentic Buffett sound with 12 of California’s best musicians.
The Grand Annex will transform into a tropical beach party as Jimmy’s Buffet honors their captain’s timeless legacy. Complete with congas and steel drums, the band will serve up a full catalog of hits, as well as a few surprises. Look forward to a Trop-Rock sensation!
Rudy Rios (guitar/vocals), Bella Gomez (lead vocals), Isaac Sharp (bass), Jack Ghekiere (guitar).
Sudden Strangers, an indie rock band from San Pedro, California, comprises Bella and Rudy on vocals, Jack on drums, and Isaac on bass. United by years of friendship and shared roots in their local community, their music reflects their deep connection and mutual passion. From local shows to larger stages such as the Whisky A Go Go, they have created a fun and youthful environment. Thanks to the best and most supportive community, Sudden Strangers is ready to rock the stage with you all on June 14th.
Teresa James and the Rhythm Tramps coming up this Tuesday! Gonna be a rocking time! This band is grammy nominated and have been touring all over the world and we are lucky to have ’em at the All Pro Songwriters Night, Tuesday, May 21, 2024 from 7-9pm. Playing drums for them will be multi-award winning drummer/producer Tony Braunagel…get there early to get a seat…for more information on Teresa and the Tramps go to https://teresajames.com/home
Could it be that after several years of insanely steep ups and downs in the real estate market, we’re finally starting to see normal sales levels and prices? One could draw that conclusion after looking at the year to date statistics for the first four months of 2024 compared to last year. Instead of crazy double digit increases and decreases the rate of change has slowed to single digits almost everywhere.
The Beach cities have been the exception with a 19% growth in the number of homes sold through April compared to 2023. That compares to an average across the South Bay of 4% growth. That’s a good sign, but sales are still off by about 20% compared to the same period in 2019, the last year of “normal business” prior to the economic turmoil of the pandemic.
Median pricing continues to escalate also, though at a much reduced pace. For the first four months of 2024, year to date median prices increased in the 5%-9% range. This is a considerable drop from price jumps of as much as 29% seen just a few months ago.
Looking back at the historical data shows that when the pandemic first hit median prices were operating on a relatively normal upward path. Monthly gains were modest fractions of a percent. Then the Federal Reserve slashed the interest rates to keep the economy moving, and the median price shot through the ceiling with monthly increases frequently topping 30%.
August of 2022 saw a price peak and median prices have been falling since. There’s a lot of resistance on the part of sellers, of course. But the sales volume remains low by historical standards, and buyers are demanding price cuts to compensate for the higher mortgage interest rates, if nothing else.
Expect to see mixed results over the coming months as prices and interest rates ebb and flow around a fluctuating political scene, both nationally and internationally.
Beach:
Monthly sales volume took an insane 55% leap at the Beach in April, after having fallen 1% in March. Seeing the median price plummet by 13% for the same period helps to explain the shift. It’s an isolated example of the push and pull of prices and interest rates. Buyers will remain constrained in their ability to purchase, either by rates, or by artificially inflated prices, until sellers reach a “need to move” point where they are willing to reduce asking prices.
Year over year sales show a similar response in the comparison to last April—a 31% growth in number of homes sold against a 1% decline in the median price.
Trends are better demonstrated in the year to date statistics. Looking at the first four months of 2024 and comparing to the same period in 2023 shows the sales volume increased by 19% while the median price increased 5%
Making the same comparison between 2019 and 2024 shows a 32% decline in the number of homes sold this year. Median price is sharply higher by 43%.
Harbor:
The Harbor area appears to be stabilizing ahead of the other South Bay areas. April sales volume declined at the Harbor by 4% versus sales in March, while median prices increased 1%. Smaller monthly movement, especially in price, is essential to reduce inflation and put the real estate economy back on a solid footing. It’s hard to argue that inflation is near 2% annually, while real estate prices are escalating at several times that goal.
Clearly there’s still a ways to go considering the April 2024 volume had zero growth compared to last April, and is still 24% below April of 2019. The median price has a similar issue being up 7% over April 2023, while holding at 44% above April of 2019.
Year to date, 2024 versus 2023, the number of home sales is off by 1% and the median price is up 8%. The elephant in the room is the constantly increasing median price, which is pushing up hard against the Fed’s inflation battle. The price keeps going up because the inventory is exceptionally limited. There were 18% fewer homes sold year to date in 2024 than in 2019. The limited selection compared to the pent up demand pushed the median up some more.
Anecdotally, many pundits point to the extremely low interest rates of the pandemic years as a big driver for the low inventory and bidding wars. Home owners who refinanced to rates well below 5% are reluctant to sell those properties and take up new loans at often double the interest rate. Consequently, homes that would have gone on the market are now artificially being held off the market.
Hill:
As usual, home sales on the Palos Verdes peninsula have been all over the map in recent months. The number of homes sold in April climbed 28% compared to March, when it jumped 39% versus February, when sales dropped 14%. The median price started with 0% change in January and has yo-yoed it’s way through the first four months, ending down 3% in April from March.
While monthly sales statistics are often sporadic on the Hill, comparing April this year to the same month last year, shows a 28% increase in the number of sales and a corresponding 3% increase in the median price.
Year to date numbers for Palos Verdes were more mundane, with the number of sales for the first four months up 5%. In the same time frame, median prices were up by 9%.
Compared to year to date 2019, PV sales volume was down 9% while prices were up 42%.
Inland:
Business in the Inland cities looks very much like business on the Peninsula right now. Month over month sales volume is growing at 8%—that’s positive because the market needs more inventory! At the same time monthly median prices are dropping by 5%—also positive because interest rates are not going back down to the record-breaking levels of the pandemic! Many of the transactions in the Inland area are entry level buyers embarking on their first home purchase. High prices and steep interest rates work against success for both sellers and buyers in that market.
Year over year sales volume increased at 34%, the kind of activity needed to stabilize the local market. Even with that increase in business, the median price pushed upward by 4%, double the Fed target.
Year to date sales volume is up 9% and median price is up 6%.
Wrapping it Up
It’s going to take some juggling to get more sellers onto the marketplace. And it’s going to require coordination with having able buyers there at the same time. Pundits are betting the Fed will engage in “brake-tapping” until after the Federal election. In the months just before the election interest rates will drop enough to encourage sellers to trade up, and allow buyers to qualify for financing. Those steps would enhance the increasing inventory being seen now. Then in the new year the brakes will be applied again to prevent inflation in the spring buying season. Of course, the outcome of the election promises to influence the market under any circumstance.
Beach=Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, El Segundo Harbor=Carson, Long Beach, San Pedro, Wilmington, Harbor City PV Hill=Palos Verdes Estates, Rancho Palos Verdes, Rolling Hills, Rolling Hills Estates Inland=Torrance, Lomita, Gardena
When a buyer and an agent enter into an agreement for the agent to represent the buyer in the purchase of a home, that agreement is called a buyer agency agreement. If the agent is not performing per the agreement, the buyer may cancel the agreement by providing written notice to the agent. It is important for the buyer to make sure the right conditions are outlined in the agreement. A buyer agency agreement usually spells out the duties the agent has towards the buyer in finding and closing on a home. The buyer can participate in negotiating the terms of the agreement.
Buyer agency agreements have typical term lengths of 90 days but can be negotiated for any length. A buyer can specify the kind of property being sought so the agent keeps on track during their search. The terms of the agent responsibilities should also include negotiating on behalf of the buyer and making sure the sales transaction successfully closes.
As summer is about to start, you might be thinking about summer vacation. Or, you may be lamenting that you can’t go anywhere this summer. Fortunately, you don’t have to. Transforming your own backyard into a getaway paradise is easier than you think. Not only will it bring the vacation to you, but it could also actually increase the value of your home if you’re looking to sell.
Typically, vacations are all about relaxing and getting away from your everyday reality. If you have a private yard, you can achieve this simply by adding outdoor seating and some plants. This will give it the feel of a private vacation. Of course, choose plants that are easy to take care of, otherwise it won’t feel like a vacation.
If you prefer for your summers to be filled with friends and fun, there are multiple ways to achieve that. Better yet, they’re often upgrades that you can take advantage of at any time, as well as investments in your home’s value in the future. If you like outdoor cooking and dining, consider an outdoor wood oven, paired with low-maintenance seating and hardscaping. If you like games, think about mini bowling or golfing, or maybe a pool table. For those who just like to sit, talk, and relax, a fire pit and ambient lighting could be perfect.
Most buyers never consider purchasing a property that isn’t in a livable condition. And in many cases, there wouldn’t be much benefit to it, since they are planning to live there. But if you think of the purchase as an investment in your future, there could be advantages — that’s why most people who do purchase fixer-uppers are investors.
It should come as no surprise that fixer-uppers tend to cost less than move-in ready homes of a similar size, lot area, and location. But this isn’t the correct way to look at the investment. What it also means is that you can find properties in need of fixing with a larger lot or better location than a move-in ready home for the same price. Furthermore, the property continues to yield a return on investment as you upgrade, repair, and remodel. You end up with a property that has equal or potentially higher value than similar properties, while paying a fraction of the cost and building equity the entire time. It also might drive up the area’s desirability, further increasing property values overall, including your own.
Financial benefits aren’t the only reason to buy a fixer-upper. Though you won’t get as much freedom as with buying an empty plot of land, fixer-uppers still have a lot of flexibility in what sort of changes you can make. Even major additions and remodels can be done without needing to worry about building an entirely new foundation. If you have the means and the imagination, it’s not too far off from being a newly designed and built home with a much lower initial investment cost. Even if you don’t make too many or too significant of changes, it can be a learning experience if it’s not something you’ve done before — particularly if you choose to do some DIY repairs.
When people think of financing a home, what immediately comes to mind is getting a mortgage loan. For some people, this isn’t an option, or would be difficult to achieve. Fortunately, there are options that don’t involve loans or might make a loan easier to get, some of which you may not be aware of.
One option is a rent-to-own agreement, which can come in two basic forms. It can be a lease option agreement or a lease-purchase agreement. Both allow a prospective buyer to lease a home for a period of time before purchasing it, with a portion of the rent going towards the purchase price, in exchange for a small upfront fee. But there are differences. With a lease option agreement, the tenant has an exclusive right to purchase the home at the end of the lease term, but may also decide not to, forfeiting that right. A lease-purchase agreement creates a legal obligation for the tenant to purchase the home at the end of the lease term. This may sound like it’s strictly a negative, however, a lease-purchase agreement also locks the home price at the time the parties enter the agreement. Given that home prices tend to appreciate over time barring unexpected economic situations, this could mean your purchase price will be lower than market value. In most cases, you will still need a loan at the end of the lease term, but you will be accruing equity in the meantime and likely improving your credit score.
Another option that might allow you to bypass the need for a loan entirely is a shared equity arrangement. A shared equity arrangement is relatively simple, but might require connections. It involves seeking out others, typically investors, to share both financial responsibility as well as equity for a home. This is an excellent option for those who cannot get a loan, but can be a significant disadvantage when it comes to sell the property, since you won’t be getting nearly as much equity from your home’s value appreciating over time.
It’s not uncommon to think of gated community homes as mere status statements. They’re more expensive and more exclusive, both of which sound like they’re tailored toward rich people who want to flaunt their wealth. But there are actually valid reasons that gated communities tend to be more expensive. You don’t have to want to flaunt it to want to live there.
Obviously, you do need to have the money. But if you do, their high price also makes them sound investments in the future. Moreover, the extra money you spend isn’t wasted if you don’t end up selling. Gated communities automatically come with enhanced security measures, amenities, and routine maintenance. Security and amenities are high-value features that you’d need to pay extra for anyway to get elsewhere, while routine maintenance can both save money on repairs and ensure that property values don’t decline due to deferred maintenance. Another thing gated communities offer that doesn’t necessarily have a price tag, but tends to be something people value, is a sense of community while simultaneously retaining privacy.
If you’re planning to sell your home, the ideal result is to get as much from the sale as you can. This leads sellers to look for any and all features or qualities that could potentially raise the price. But the fact of the matter is that the market sets home values, not individual sellers. There are a few common mistakes sellers make that lead them to list their homes at overpriced values, which doesn’t benefit them in terms of actually getting the sale to happen.
Sometimes sellers even purposefully list their home above market value. Usually, they are thinking they can start high and drop the price if no one is buying. However, all this does is reduce overall interest and cause the sale to take longer. If the price is right to start with, multiple people will be interested and might be forced to offer over asking to compete with other prospective buyers. The other reason sellers sometimes purposefully list above market value is that they need to reach a certain price to gain profit from the sale. There’s no point to this — either the home won’t get sold at all, or the seller will be forced to drop the price anyway and take a loss.
Of course, the seller is not always intentionally overvaluing their home. You might think that the value of a home includes both its intrinsic and extrinsic value. While this is technically true, extrinsic value is highly subjective. Don’t attempt to raise the price simply because you love the paint color you chose or you have good memories living there. If those feel like a significant portion of the home’s value to you, you probably don’t actually want to move. Of course, external factors may mean you have to sell — in that case, just remember to hold your emotions at bay. But what if you actually did make tangible improvements to the home? Well, that’s great, but not all improvements have a great return on investment. Keep in mind that it’s entirely possible you aren’t making a profit from every single upgrade you made.
Ocean view corner end unit flooded with natural light in highly sought-after Palos Verdes Bay Club. Enjoy sunset views from two private, tiled decks and numerous windows and sliders in living area as well as bedrooms. Although this unit is on the first level, the building itself is significantly elevated and the corner location affords open and expansive views and lots of natural light.
This unit has the Delaware B Floor Plan. The Delaware plans are the only units in the complex with 2 view balconies as they are always end corner units facing the ocean.
Double front doors lead to a foyer and great room with living and dining areas. Remodeled kitchen and baths with high quality features. Floors are waterproof luxury vinyl planks, travertine, and tile – no carpet! (Since unit is on the first floor, HOA allows choice of flooring. Units on 2nd and 3rd floors must have carpet in all areas except entry, kitchen and baths.) Washer/dryer hookups inside unit and community laundry just down the hall. Other upgrades include electronic custom-made blinds for floor to ceiling windows in living room and custom walk-in closet (instead of wardrobe closet in original floor plan) in primary bedroom.
The unit comes with two garage spaces and two storage units. Palos Verdes Bay Club offers two oceanside pools and spas, two tennis courts, a social hall, a fitness/game room, lush, well-maintained grounds, and walking trails to the ocean and nearby Terranea.
Call 310-650-0960 for additional information or a private showing.
Sat, May 11, 2024 5:00 PM – 10:00 PM Palos Verdes Golf Club 3301 Via Campesina,, Palos Verdes Estates, CA, 90274,
The 2024 Gathering for the Grand Gala will be held Saturday, May 11, 2024, at 5 PM at the Palos Verdes Golf Club located at 3301 Vía Campesina in Palos Verdes Estates.
The guest of honor is Yolanda Valle-Perry, a San Pedro native who grew up loving the Warner Grand Theatre and Cabrillo Beach. She was an early supporter and advocate for Grand Vision, garnering the community’s support to revitalize the Warner Grand Theatre and re-energize the downtown community through the arts.
The theme, “GIDGET’S Glamorous Beach Party,” reflects Yolanda’s love of the beach with a nod to the 1959 Sandra Dee film. Dress up in your best beach-inspired gala-wear, celebrate the Warner Grand’s long-awaited $15 million renovation, enjoy tiki drinks, and party to retro surfer music!
Special appearance by Kathy Kohner-Zuckerman, the real-life inspiration for the character of Gidget from the 1957 novel that inspired the movie. Meet the legend who spread the surf craze through the nation.
Torino Plaza, Torrance Cultural Arts Center, 3330 Civic Center Drive, Torrance, CA 90503
Super Early Bird Tickets on sale now at https://andyandrenee.com/tickets-tips-merch. Dylanfest is an 8-hour celebration of the music of Bob Dylan. The show started with our band and a few friends doing an evening of songs by Bob Dylan, and it has grown to an 8-hour event with over 50 musicians performing over 60 Dylan songs. Our band, Hard Rain, is the “house band”, and we are joined by solo artists, full bands, and instrumentalists throughout the course of the day.
In the first quarter of 2021 buyers and sellers were taking advantage of the artificially low interest rates. Sales were robust and the demand pushed prices up along with the increase in sales volume. By first quarter 2022 sales volume was waning, but sellers were still attached to the higher prices so we saw sales dropping off dramatically. The first three months of 2023 gave us even deeper cuts in the number of South Bay homes sold and brought some corresponding declines in median prices. Today, looking at the South Bay market for the first quarter of 2024, prices are still “sticky” with sellers hoping to hang onto the gains from the Covid years.
It’s not working real well. January gave sellers hope with a strong growth in sales volume and modest increases in median price. February showed returning median price increases and buyers backing off again in response. March is back to the drawing boards as buyers have balked at the price increases in the face of continuing elevated interest rates.
This is coupled with news trickling out of the Federal Reserve Board about how mortgage interest rates are probably not going to see the three rate decreases predicted at the beginning of the year. The latest announcement confirmed that if rate decreases come at all, it won’t be until late in the year and it won’t be significant.
To gain perspective on the impact to the real estate market, it must be noted that the number of South Bay homes sold during the first quarter of 2024 is nearly identical to last year, and is still 19% lower than the first quarter of 2019, the last year of normal business before the pandemic. At the same time the median price of those homes is up almost 10% over last year and is 40% higher than it was in 2019.
Somehow a 40% increase in cost within five years, with a negative demand, seems to be a violation of general economic principles. It appears the post-pandemic adjustment back to normality has digressed somewhere along the path. Of course, all this has been further impacted by the fact 2024 is a presidential election year, and simultaneously the world is in extreme turmoil both economically and physically.
Month by month performance has been unusually erratic for quite some time. So far this year the comparison of this month to the same month last year is the most stable view of the real estate market. According to that view, the number of homes sold has gradually slid into negative territory. January kicked off the year with a blanket increase in the sales volume. February flipped that showing for about half the South Bay. which slid below the sales of last February. March has furthered that negative sales volume to all areas of the South Bay.
Median prices are managing to stay above those of 2023. With sales down across the area and mortgage interest rates stubbornly increasing, that may be changing soon.
Beach: Home Sales Erratic
The Beach cities truly exemplified the erratic nature of month over month statistics during the first quarter. Compared to the prior month, sales in January were down 46%, in February up 48% and in March down 1%. Using the same metrics, monthly median prices were up 13%, down 1% and up 13%.
Looking at the same three months in a year over year method, the statistical movement is much less dramatic. Compared to the same month last year, January sales volume was up 30%, February up 33% and in a surprise drop, March was down 8%. By the same token, median prices were up 7%, up 29% and up 16%.
Disconcertingly, it’s been two years since the pandemic ended and the market is still seeing double digit movement monthly in both volume and pricing. This lack of stability results from several different influences on the real estate market. Among them the continued increase in mortgage interest rates, a corresponding relaxation of qualification requirements by lenders, a public perception of good economic conditions and a continued shortage of homes on the market.
Year to date sales volume for homes at the Beach has increased 13% while median prices have risen by 7% over 2023. Compared to 2019, sales are off by 35% with median prices 43% higher.
Harbor: Up, Then Down, Then Up
Month to month activity for the first quarter in the Harbor area has followed an equally irrational pattern to that of the Beach. January saw sales and prices drop by 13% and 4% respectively. Then February brought increases in both numbers, volume going up 8% and the median price by 6%. March came in mixed with sales volume up 16% while the median slipped by 3%.
Annually, homes in the Harbor area started the year on a positive note with 9% growth in number of homes sold and an accompanying 7% growth in median price. February saw sales decline 3% with an increase in median price of 18%. Sales volume continued to fall in March, decreasing by 8%, albeit with a 4% increase in median price.
Year to date for the first quarter shows the number of homes sold declined by 2%, while the median price increased by 10%. Compared to 2019, sales are off by 16% with median prices 43% higher.
Hill: Sales and Prices Up; Sorta
After two months of negative sales volume and falling median prices, home sales on the Hill perked up in March. Volume was up 39% with 50 properties sold and median prices took a 12% jump to $1.982M. As mentioned in the past, properties on the Palos Verdes peninsula, much like those in the Beach cities, represent a smaller segment of the marketplace and often one or two outsize transactions will create a major shift in the statistics.
Of course, that “perkiness” is relative. While the number of homes sold was 39% higher than February, it was still 19% lower than March of 2023 and 25% below March of 2019, the last year prior to the upsets of the corona virus pandemic.
The 19% drop in sales was accompanied by a 14% increase in median price, a contradiction seen around the South Bay and generally across the State. The typically accepted explanation is that many home owners took advantage of the low mortgage interest rates offered during the pandemic. Those people are now unwilling to take on a new mortgage with an interest rate two to three times higher than they are currently paying. This is leaving a much smaller selection of available homes and has created an inventory shortage which encourages competitive bidding among the few buyers active in the market.
The first quarter of the year brought a 3% decline in homes sold on the Hill and an 8% increase in median price. Compared to the first three months of 2019, sales are currently off by 11% and the median is up 36%.
Inland: One Good March
The number of homes sold in the Inland area for March jumped by 33% to 125 closed escrows. Median prices increased a more modest 7% to $925K. Like the Harbor area, there is a comparatively large number homes in the Inland area and they offer a diverse range of prices. As an example, the low sale for this March was $371K while the high was $2.525M. Mathematics is a great tool for analyzing trends in real estate, but if one is planning to buy or sell in this environment, you should call a professional rather than simply applying these statistics.
Compared to the same month last year, March sales volume was down 7%, while the median price was up 11%. Year to date, the sales volume for the Inland area was unchanged, and the median price was up 8%. Similarly, comparing to 2019, sales were down 12% and prices up 40%
As discussed earlier, there’s a tendency for buyer resistance to the combination of higher prices and higher interest rates. Three months into the year, that resistance seems to be growing. Since the most recent Federal Reserve announcement, mortgage interest rates have climbed about .375% (3/8ths of a point). Looking at the statistical trend in conjunction with the increasing interest rate, we anticipate continued slippage in volume and more declines in median price throughout the South Bay.
Beach=Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, El Segundo Harbor=Carson, Long Beach, San Pedro, Wilmington, Harbor City PV Hill=Palos Verdes Estates, Rancho Palos Verdes, Rolling Hills, Rolling Hills Estates Inland=Torrance, Lomita, Gardena
Starting an herb garden is a great way to enhance your home’s curb appeal or provide a good first impression. Even if you aren’t planning to sell, herbs are useful for cooking or simply to bring a fresh, green scent to the home. The best part is you can start small, by creating a miniature herb garden on your windowsill.
The first step to making a windowsill herb garden is to choose a window. The ideal window will probably be one that faces south or southwest. Make sure that whichever window you choose gets at least six hours of sunshine per day and is away from drafts. Once you’ve picked a spot, choose your plants. These can be either existing herb plants or seeds, but take note that starting from seeds will take several months and require more attention, while plants are more expensive. Your container should be 6-12 inches deep.
Now to keep your plants healthy as they grow. For seeds, keep the soil moist, rotate the container and ensure seedlings get plenty of vitamin D from sunlight. For plants, water sparingly, as they don’t like to sit in wet soil. A good rule of thumb is to stick your finger in the soil and, if it’s dry an inch below the surface, it’s time to water. To encourage branching, snip off the tips of your plants once your herbs are usable.
While repairing and remodeling your home before selling can certainly increase the value of your home, you don’t need to fix or update everything. Some repairs can be done quickly and cheaply, while still having a significant effect. Focusing on those repairs is a good way to get the most value out of your time and money. This is especially true if the only repairs needed are low cost, high value repairs.
Prospective home buyers care a lot about first impressions. If something is visibly broken or damaged, they’re going to assume there are more, possibly less obvious broken or damaged aspects of the home. Even if the only thing wrong with your house is a torn screen door, that’s something that will be readily apparent to a prospective buyer. Other first impression repairs include leaky faucets and toilets, cracked paint, and squeaky doors and cabinets. These are also all potentially things you can fix yourself if you have the right materials and tools. Some more high value “fixes” involve things that aren’t broken at all, but may not leave a good impression otherwise — such as cluttered floors, or weeds or bare soil in your yard.
For obvious reasons, prospective homebuyers who are expecting to have children, or already have them, might want to move to an area with a highly rated school system. What might not be so obvious is that there are benefits to this even if you aren’t directly impacted by what schools are nearby. Schools affect more than just students; they are a major driving factor in home values.
Neighborhoods with good schools are more desirable, and therefore have higher home values. And because schools don’t typically vanish unless they’re heavily underfunded — which the good schools tend not to be — this is a relatively stable factor in prices. That means homes in these neighborhoods are solid investments, even if you can’t take advantage of the good education.
Conversely, if the school system is not very good, you may think you’re getting a bargain deal with low prices. Unfortunately, your home value probably also isn’t going to go up very much. However, if you are following the trends, you may be able to take advantage of rapidly improving school systems. Maybe prices aren’t high yet, but will be as the schools continue to grow.
Living at the end of a cul-de-sac is frequently met with positive connotations. And indeed, cul-de-sac homes tend to have higher property values. But what is it that makes them more expensive and more desirable? Well, certainly not everyone wants a home on a cul-de-sac. As with any kind of location, there are both distinct advantages and drawbacks.
One of the biggest reasons that cul-de-sac homes tend to have higher property values is actually just that they’re usually on large lots. Much of the value in any property is in the land itself. This in itself can be a benefit, though. Larger lots typically means you’ll have more privacy. Cul-de-sacs also see less traffic, making them safe for children to play outside and for residents to enjoy outdoor activities, as well as quieter. Cul-de-sacs can also be the best of both worlds, in a sense. Despite the larger distance between homes due to larger lots, many people consider cul-de-sacs to foster a sense of community. This is attributed to the circular layout of the street as well as more opportunities for outdoor activities.
Not everyone considers a tight-knit community a good thing, though. If you live on a cul-de-sac, there’s a good chance everyone knows everyone else. Or if you don’t, the rest of them know you as the person who doesn’t interact with them. There’s not a great deal of anonymity. Even if the seclusion is what you’re aiming for, this can also be a negative. Residents may need to navigate through winding streets to reach main roads, potentially leading to longer commute times and increased travel distances. The roads may also be less accessible.
Increasing house prices and relatively stagnant wages have led to the need to rethink our strategies regarding housing. Of course, solving the root issue would be preferable — but if that’s not an option, easing the burden is a useful venture. There have been several recent innovations in methods to approach affordable housing.
A couple of them have been around for a while, but not necessarily targeted at affordable housing. These are government subsidies and grants and developer incentives. If you give people money or tax breaks to build or buy affordable housing, it’s going to become easier. Another that you may have heard of is micro-housing. You may dream of a large home, but the truth of the matter is that smaller houses are not only cheaper, but also more cost effective to build. The only reason they weren’t being built before is lack of demand.
There are also some options you may not be aware of, though. These are community land trusts (CLTs) and shared equity models. CLTs attempt to reduce the cost of homeownership by separating land cost from building cost — normally, a house and the land it’s built on are purchased simultaneously, but with CLTs, the land is owned by a trust and only the structure is sold, so it costs less to buy. A shared equity model allows a buyer to purchase only a portion of the ownership of a home, with the share owned increasing as the buyer accrues equity and uses it to purchase a greater share. This is somewhat similar to a loan, but carries less risk, with the downside being that the buyer doesn’t have exclusive legal ownership of the property.
