Home Improvement
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Canary appears to be a pretty slick home security and monitoring product |
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 Canary is a $249 wireless security system with no required ongoing costs. As noted above, it offers many features in the home realm of home security, and beyond....
Learn more here or buy one today here. | |
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Protect Your Water Lines |
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 It is (ridiculously) cold out there! Here are some quick tips from Harrisonburg's Public Utilities Department.... Ways to Prevent Pipes from Freezing:
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Sustainability Conference to be held in Harrisonburg in September |
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 Registration is now open for the Mid-Atlantic Sustainability Conference. A special offer to the first 30 people to register will get a free copy of the National Green Building Standard ICC 700-2012. This conference features industry experts in the subjects of sustainable sites, alternative energy, legal green, building science, energy code, design solutions, energy modeling, HVAC design, indoor air quality, and zero energy homes. Speakers include Allison Bailes, Sam Rashkin, Ross Spiegel, and Peter Yost just to name a few. Sign up today for the Mid-Atlantic Sustainability Conference, to take place on September 4 - 6 at James Madison University. | |
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Lyric thermostat from Honeywell adjusts the temperature when you are on your way home |
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 Not only can the Lyric thermostat from Honeywell adjust the temperature for you when you're on your way home, you can also control it from your smart phone. Learn more via Honeywell, or read up at Fast Company... 3 Ways The Lyric Thermostat Makes The Smart Home Brilliant "...the Lyric is giving us a taste of just how deeply the next wave of 'smart home' appliances will integrate with our lives--and how little they will ask of us, the users..." [read more] | |
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SVBA Home and Garden Show 2014 to take place on April 12, 13 at Rockingham County Fairgrounds |
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 Mark your calendars, and plan to come out to the 2014 Home & Garden Show at the Rockingham County fairgrounds this Saturday and Sunday:
As Charles Hendricks notes, over at HarrisonburgArchitect.com.... The Home and Garden show is a great kick off to spring each year, giving you access to the best and brightest in the home industry in our area. Find more more via Facebook. | |
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Your Home May Be Your Largest Financial Asset |
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 Most people consider their home as a place to live, where families grow, and make memories together. But beyond simply serving as a shelter, your home may also be your largest financial asset. As such, at least from time to time, you should think of it in that light, and make decisions accordingly. First, let's examine the magnitude of your home as a financial asset. A young couple that purchases a $150,000 home at age 30 with 5% down will have paid it off by age 60, and will then have a $364,000 asset assuming 3% per year appreciation. A neighboring young couple that rented during that entire time frame would have needed to put over $600 per month (beyond their rental payment) into an investment account with a 3% return in order to match that $364,000 asset after 30 years. Thus, owning a home becomes a relatively simple way to accumulate savings that can later allow you to retire and have assets to use for your living expenses. Given this potential for a significant future value wrapped up in one's home, homeowners should spend the time, energy and money to care for and improving this asset over time. Keep ahead of the game with ongoing maintenance items such as changing furnace filters, having your HVAC system serviced, painting exterior trim, replacing interior flooring as needed, staining and sealing your deck, etc. Also, depending on how long you anticipate being in your current home, considering making some long term investments, such as planting trees and improving the overall landscaping of your home. The owning versus renting comparison doesn't even fall apart here --- the cost of these improvements are indeed above and beyond your mortgage payments, but with a fixed mortgage interest rate, your principal and interest payment will remain steady over time, as compared to a rental rate that is bound to increase over time. As you are likely to do as your life circumstances change, consider upgrading to a larger home to better suit your housing needs. Selling a home and then buying a new one involves some significant transaction costs which should not be taken lightly – but the cost of transitioning to a new home can be worthwhile if it works within your budget and works better for your family's needs. From a financial perspective, this becomes a one-time transactional cost to upgrade your investment to a larger asset. As you know, your home is much more than just a financial asset, but you must think about how your housing decisions affect your overall financial situation and the options you will (or will not) have in the future based on those housing decisions. Today's low fixed mortgage interest rates provide a unique opportunity to lock in your housing costs for years to come, and as allow for a wonderful long term investment and savings plan. Whether you own a home now, or are considering a purchase, it is worthwhile to examine your hopes, goals and dreams, as well as the financial side of the equation. | |
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Wally Home, a simple, yet sophisticated home sensing solution. |
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 You might be interested in checking out Wally, a new home sensing product that will hit the market in Spring 2014. From the Wally website.... From expensive water leaks to unhealthy mold issues, Wally has you covered.Learn about How it Works, or Reserve Your Wally. | |
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The importance of replacing the seal under your toilet |
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 There is a wax ring between your toilet and the floor --- which prevents moisture from leaking out of the toilet and onto the floor and sub-floor surrounding the toilet. What's the worst that could happen if you don't replace the wax ring?
Yes, the photo at the top of this post is really mushrooms growing around the basement of a toilet. And yes, those are native species -- I took this photo earlier this week in a property in Harrisonburg. | |
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Amazon.com Home Automation Store |
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 Check out Amazon.com's new Home Automation department for lots of fun products including these items and more:
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No more keys!? Touch this lock to unlock it. |
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 No more fumbling with or looking for your keys. All you need to unlock your Kevo lock is your smartphone. You don't even need to take your smartphone out of your pocket or purse; it's as simple as walking up, touching your lock, and walking in. The ultimate level of convenience. Learn more at UniKey.com or pre-order now. | |
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Door knobs are cool again! |
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 Brinks Home Security seems to have re-invented the door knob. Click here to learn more via Universal Design Partners. | |
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Not interested in granite or corian? How about volcanic rock? |
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If you're looking to buy, build, or improve a home, stop by the JMU Convocation Center this weekend! |
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 Home & Garden Show booth for The Gaines Group As home values softened (declined) over the past six years, an increasing number of homeowners who would have considered selling their home and buying a new one found themselves improving their existing home instead. If you aren't going to be selling your home in the near future, you might do well to consider making some improvements to it that will make it a more comfortable / exciting / convenient place to live. And if you are considering some improvements to your home (inside or out) over the next year (or if you might buy or build a home) you DEFINITELY want to stop by this weekend's Home & Garden Show. This gives you the opportunity (in a condensed time period) to meet firsthand the contractors, suppliers and professionals that you may decide to hire in the coming year. Beyond why you might decide to come, here are the pertinent details once you have made the decision to attend.... Show Hours Friday 4 PM - 8 PM Saturday 10 AM - 8 PM Sunday 12 PM - 5 PM Admission = $5/person (children under 12 are free) Home Show Web Site: HomeShow2012.com | |
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Five Million Dollars now available for improving your home (up to $595, only for Virginians) |
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Thanks to Benjamin Meredith with Building Knowledge for the heads up....  You too can make your home more efficient by upgrading your heating equipment, adding insulation, replacing leaking windows, and making any other changes that reduce energy consumption and utility costs! You may be able to receive a rebate for 20% of the cost of the improvements up to $595.....or up to $250 towards an energy audit. The program details can be found here. | |
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Will a $20,000 kitchen remodel lead to a $20,000 increase in home value? |
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 As I show my buyer clients properties, we'll often discuss improvements that they might choose to make if they buy the house we are touring. It's always a good idea to consider what projects you will undertake after purchasing a home, as the cost of those improvements (whether small or large) need to be factored in as you consider the overall financial move you are making. A common question, or area, that I explore with my clients is the potential return on dollars that they might invest in those projects. If they spend $20k on a kitchen remodel, will they increase the home's value by $20k? If they spend $8,000 adding a composite deck system, will they increase their home's value by $8k? Before starting to look into the data, I assumed that most of these projects would likely return all, or most of the cost of the investment. That is not the case. Remodeling Magazine recently released their annual report showing how the cost of these improvements affects the home's value, where the conduct extensive research to answer the questions posed above. Surprisingly (to me), nearly every project only has a partial return on the investment.
View the entire 2010-2011 Remodeling Magazine Cost vs Value Report by clicking here. | |
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What are the dark stains on my roof? |
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 It's natural to be worried about the condition of a roof if it looks like the photo above. You might reasonably think that the shingles are damaged or defective in some way. But there's good news -- it's likely just algae! This roof algae, which appears relatively frequently in/around Harrisonburg and Rockingham County grows and thrives by consuming the materials that roof shingles are made of --- for example, calcium carbonate. The algae does not seem to cause the shingles any harm, but it makes for an unattractive roof --- that makes home buyers wonder whether something is wrong with the roof. How can you get rid of these stains, you might ask?
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So, You Finished Your Basement Without A Building Permit -- Now What? |
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 As I've mentioned before, you need to obtain a building permit if you are finishing your basement, even if you are finishing it yourself. Doing so triggers inspections by Harrisonburg or Rockingham County that will help to ensure that your newly finished basement is safe. It will also keep you out of trouble when you're selling your home: In selling your home, you are required to disclose any material adverse facts about your home. In my view, the fact that the basement was finished (or other improvements were made) without permits and inspections is a material adverse fact about the house. It's not necessarily that the house is unsafe, but the fact that parts of the home were never inspected by the locality create that possibility. (me, October 2009) So, if you find yourself in this situation, you'll probably make a phone call something like this.... Guilt-Ridden Permit-less Basement Finisher: Honey, how do you block Caller ID? Oh yeah, *67, ok, here goes -- wish me luck. Rockingham County Community Development Office: Good Afternoon, Community Development... Guilt-Ridden Permit-less Basement Finisher: Uh, yes, I had a question about building permits. Rockingham County Community Development Office: O.K., what is your question? Guilt-Ridden Permit-less Basement Finisher: Well, uh, I heard that I have to get a permit to finish the basement on my house, is that right? Rockingham County Community Development Office: Yes it is, would you like me to send you the necessary paperwork? What is your name and your property address? Guilt-Ridden Permit-less Basement Finisher: Oh, uh, well, so, how much does that cost? Rockingham County Community Development Office: Guilt-Ridden Permit-less Basement Finisher: Yeah, ok, and so if someone finishes their basement but didn't get a permit, what do they need to do then? Is there sort of fine or penalty? Rockingham County Community Development Office: (Smiling) When did you finish your basement? Guilt-Ridden Permit-less Basement Finisher: Oh, no, it wasn't (whispers: necessarily) me, but I was just curious about how all of that would work. Rockingham County Community Development Office: Oh, I see. (Still smiling) Conversation continues.... Good news, folks, they won't lock you up if you confess to having finished your basement without a permit. Instead, they'll help you through the permit process, perform the necessary inspections, and will likely give you the thumbs up, indicating that everything has been completed according to code. Here are some comments from some of my clients who had their permit-less basement inspected a few weeks ago in preparation for marketing and selling their home. I just finished up with the building inspector and he signed off on everything--it was a very painless process (not counting my anxiety about what would happen). From what I understand, someone from the county real estate office will follow up to add the additional livable space to our property assessment. So we are in good shape. The permit for our basement was $171--that was for framing, electric, and hvac. If we installed a toilet and/or shower I believe we would have had to pay for a plumbing permit too (they told us we didn't need one just to install the utility sink) but I'm guessing that would have brought the total up to around $200. So, as you can see, it's not an irreversible decision. If you finished your basement without a permit, consider contacting Harrisonburg or Rockingham County today to have your basement inspected! | |
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Buying a Fixer Upper in Harrisonburg? Check Out The FHA Section 203(k) Loan Program! |
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 If you're buying a fixer upper that you'll live in, you might want to consider the FHA Section 203(k) loan program! This program allows a buyer to finance their purchase and subsequent repairs into one loan. The alternative is for a fixer-upper buyer to obtain a secondary or short-term loan to finance the repairs or improvements that they will make after settlement. You can finance significantly more than the purchase price of the property in order to have cash on hand for repairs. The funds for improvements are placed into an escrow account, and the buyer (now owner) can draw on them through the rehabilitation process to pay for the repairs and improvements. There are a few basic guidelines that can quickly tell you whether this might work for your situation:
I have had clients consider this program, who didn't end up buying a fixer upper. Have you purchased a house in Harrisonburg (and surrounding) using this loan program? Or do you know someone who has? Please share! | |
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Do I Need A Building Permit To Finish My Basement? |
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 If you are making any additions, improvements or repairs to your home you must pull a building permit, and if it involves electrical or plumbing work you'll also need to pull an electric permit and/or plumbing permit. "But Why?" you might ask.... In the here and now, you need to pull the appropriate permits because that is what Harrisonburg and Rockingham County require of you. Also in the here and now, pulling the permits will thus require inspections, which will go a long way towards assuring that the changes made to your house are safe, per their compliance with the Building Code. In the future --- as in the time when you want to then sell your home --- it is arguably very important to have pulled building permits and to have passed the inspections. In selling your home, you are required to disclose any material adverse facts about your home. In my view, the fact that the basement was finished (or other improvements were made) without permits and inspections is a material adverse fact about the house. It's not necessarily that the house is unsafe, but the fact that parts of the home were never inspected by the locality create that possibility. Pull the permits. Get the inspections! | |
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Scott Rogers
Funkhouser Real
Estate Group
540-578-0102
scott@funkhousergroup.com
Licensed in the
Commonwealth of Virginia
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