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What is a Homeowner’s Warranty, and Is It Useful? (Pt 2)

October 31st, 2011 Comments off

Continued…

There are some basic things that simply are not covered by homeowner’s warranties, unless specifically mentioned. Sprinklers and other outdoor items aren’t covered, permit fees, hiring people to haul away debris, and not all plans will cover things like a washer and drier, or a garage door opener.

There are reasons why you may be denied coverage, improper installation of appliances, or systems, unusual wear, and not doing regular maintenance. There are many things usually covered by homeowner’s warranties, anything from air conditioning, or heating, to electrical systems, and things like stoves, or telephone wiring. This coverage varies from state to state, so you should check with your local insurance agent.

If you have any problems with your homeowner’s warranty and can’t get it resolved through the insurance broker, your realtor may be able to smooth things over and get you what you want. You just have to make sure that if you feel something should have been covered, and you did everything you were supposed to do, make sure you don’t take no for an answer. If something was altered, and you didn’t do it, it may have been something the inspector missed that the previous owner had modified.

If you’re ever shopping for a Boulder area home, and need help shopping for the best home-warranty, be sure to visit automatedhomefinder.com

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A great movie

October 30th, 2011 Comments off

Got my movie fix last night & rented a movie…

A nineteen year old boy becomes one of the most daring and outrageous con man in the U.S history, this was the story of the movie ‘catch me if you can’, which was based on a true story. I watched it last night and it was great movie. How could it not be when the star cast boasts of actors like Tom Hanks, Leonardo DiCaprio and Christopher Walken. The movie showed the early life of Frank William Abagnale, who had cashed 4 million dollars in fraudulent checks before he was 19. The movie was fast paced, with some exciting chase sequences between Tom Hanks and Leonardo DiCaprio. It was hard to believe that the story of the movie could be real, a teenage boy traveling half the world, making millions and meeting gorgeous women. Steven Speilberg’s direction was spot on. Every scene was crafty. All in all an awesome movie.

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Fun Time at the Drive-in

October 30th, 2011 Comments off

When we lived out in California we loved going to the drive-in movie theater, especially if it was a nice night out.  Well, a couple of years ago we moved out to Las Vegas and just recently found out there is a drive-in theater out here.  Last month we decided to check it out.  This drive-in was a much cleaner place than the one we went to out in California.  Even the bathrooms were clean!  The price was $6.25 per person over 11yrs old and 10 yrs old and younger were only $1.00.  There is 5 of us, so we got in for $20.75 and got to see a double feature which is awesome and cheaper than going to the regular movie theater.  The movies we saw were just released.  We got to see GI Joe then after that was Transformers.  $20.75 to see these 2 movies!!!  What a deal!  We take our beach chairs and blankets and our own snacks and drinks.  It’s a cheaper way of seeing the movies and sitting outside in the nice air is good too.

It’s hard to find a good drive-in theater these days. Sometimes I wonder if it would be a good investment to buy an old one and fix it up (or even do a fix & flip). I think it could do really well.

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CU vs. Kansas

October 27th, 2011 Comments off

I have yet to watch a CU vs. Kansas basketball game, but I really want to.  They’ve got to have the best basketball rivalry I’ve ever seen!  Whenever I can, I watch them on TV, but once I get enough money to move out on my own, I’m going to buy Boulder Colorado real estate someday soon.

Boulder is the coolest place on earth. Once I move there, I’ll go to every CU game I can get into!

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A great Steak Dinner

October 26th, 2011 Comments off

Tonight my fiancé and I had a filet mingnon dinner at our Boulder home. We made it on the grill and seasoned it with Monterrey dry rub. We also had baked potato’s, garlic bread, salad and French style green beans. It all was so delicious and special because we never make this at home but it is our favorite meal. It was a lot cheaper than going out to a restaurant and was more personal too. We had some candles lit and the table set with our fine china it was a very romantic setting and we had a chance to reconnect for a little while and get away from our hectic day’s.

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How to sell your house for top dollar.

February 16th, 2010 Comments off

How to sell your house for top dollar.

It never ceases to amaze me how many homeowners will place their Boulder real estate on the market and yet spend so little time readying it for sale. These are the same people who spent hours getting the car ready to trade and yet neglect their house thus proving that if they get their priorities right they can get a higher reward from their biggest savings.

Prospective customers who do not care for pets may be turned off if you keep them in the home. If these purchasers cannot view a portion of your house because the dog of cat is being kept there, it makes things worse. Pets who you treat like family may well cause a prospective customer to back out of the sale or to slash the price because he may feel he would have replace the carpets.

Buyers can also get put off by an untended and messy yard with toys scattered all over it and in your living room. These may not seem important, but there are purchasers who would perceive these living conditions as a sign that you neglect your house.

If your stuff is strewn all over the house, the buyer may not be able to spot the favorable features or visualize the interior done up with his own stuff. Once you have listed your home, the interior should be clean and as bare as possible and you may well consider a garage sale to get rid of your junk. If you are selling your house, you should sort out your things and pack your knickknacks away.

Beef up the curbside appeal by tending to your garden and the yard and making sure that the entryway to your home is attractive. If you look at the residence from streetside the way a potential buyer would, you will probably see small things that don’t cost much money but help make your home look better.

The residence is hardly going to sell itself and you as a seller have to present it in the best possible light. A few hundred dollars spent on fresh paint can result in an increase of thousands of dollars in the price. There is easy money to be made. The worst that could happen is you end up with a house that is worth more and it will be easier to sell than competitors that aren’t as well cared for

Many natives have pets or toys but you can at least ensure if they don’t distract the customer when he is looking at the home. If you can manage to keep your pet in a fenced yard, that would be for the best. You can keep your inside pet of of sight in a large dog kennel so that the buyer is not distracted. Tidy up the house by removing all the clutter and putting away children’s toys. If your home looks good from the outside and neat and tidy inside, you can sell your residence quicker and for a better price.

Longmont CO real estate
Louisville CO real estate
Automated Home Finder

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Broomfield CO

February 12th, 2010 Comments off

If you are looking to buy Boulder Colorado real estate, but Boulder prices themselves are out of reach, you should consider Broomfield Colorado real estate. Broomfield is well situated being in 20 minutes southeast of Boulder and only 10 minutes Northwest of Westminster Colorado.

Broomfield, which is called for the best quantities of broomcorn that grew in that area, was founded in 1961. It started out as the South Easternmost part of Boulder county, but in 2001, Broomfield became its own county – Broomfield County. Around 45,000 people live in Broomfield.

The biggest employers in Broomfield are Sun Microsystems, Level 3, Corporate Express. The Broomfield Event Center came to the area in 2004, and have brought semi-pro hockey as well as semi-pro basketball to local fans. A short trip down main street Broomfield, or 120th and you can take your pick of cuisine ranging from mom-and-pop restaurants to major chain restaurants..

Other areas close to Broomfield:
Boulder Colorado real estate
Longmont Colorado Homes
Louisville Colorado

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The role of a CMA whether you are buying or selling your residence.

February 11th, 2010 Comments off

A CMA or comparative market analysis is a useful evaluation that real estate agents in Colorado often use to fix the asking price of residences for sale by comparing the best priced homes to buy. If you price a house properly, the chances are good that it will appraise out for the sale value and also sell much quicker. The CMA is the tool that is used the most for pricing and offers.

The practice in your area may be different but a Longmont real estate real estate broker will in the normal course recommend prices to sellers but of course, they have the option not to take the advice. When the realtor has studied the CMA, they are looking at houses comparable that are listed or have recently sold, which is what an appraiser will do. Where a home stands compared to the competition will determine whether it should be priced higher or lower.

If two homes are identical in all respects except that one house has a much older roof, the appraiser will tend to subtract from its value. On the other hand, some upgrades like a swimming pool may appeal to customers but do not expect it to add a lot of value to your selling price. What house sellers should understand is that the value addition from the pool is unlikely to even cover the costs.

When you consider how a CMA or comparative market analysis is used in the buying and selling process, a price should be set close to what the report reflects. Because it reflects the current market conditions, the seller should not use any arbitary basis in setting a selling price. Make sure that the price is realistic because any unrealistic expectations will result in brokers been unwilling to waste time and effort in handling the sale.

If you are establishing a selling price, you can ask for no better guide than the CMA. If your residence is truly worth your asking price, you can be confident of closing transaction for a value that is close. You would want your home to be seen in the best possible light whether we are talking about curb appeal, cleanliness or uncluttered interiors.

The CMA will correspond closely to the ultimate appraised value and if you happen to like a house that is priced above the market, you may need to find the difference out of your own pocket. Whether you are buying or selling, you have a much better chance of securing a reasonable transaction you use the CMA as a guideline for price setting. If a seller or a purchaser ignores the CMA, a seller risks pricing himself completely out of the market while the buyer takes the risk of overpaying. A real estate agent can help you find a CMA on any home you want to buy or sell.

This article was provided by AutomatedHomefinder.com – your Colorado real estate experts.

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Finding black mold hiding places.

February 7th, 2010 Comments off

Black mold is a big concern in homes these days, and if you have excessive moisture anywhere, it is a good place for molds to start. Granted, Colorado is a very dry climate, but areas like Boulder, Louisville Colorado, and Longmont Colorado are still not safe from mold issues. The hiding places in which you will find black mold are not always the most obvious. A potential customer could be turned off if he finds them because he does not want a problem on his hands. You need to find the root of the problem which can also affect your family’s health before a purchaser does.

The moist areas like the shower and the tub in your bathroom would be favorite sports for mold to form. In a bathroom that is not well ventilated, molds can grow quite easily. Even ones that have fans might not be ventilated all the time, especially ones that have the fan on a separate switch. If you have small children in the residence, programming light and the fan to come on together makes it easier to prevent mold. An electrician can easily arrange this for you.

Check around the tub surround caulking and the seams in the shower and tub area met in the enclosures are fitted to the walls. Cracks in the caulking can allow moisture to collect and thus facilitate the growth of mold. Make it a rule to renew your bathroom caulking annually. The growth of mold is inhibited because it cuts off air circulation and the new caulking makes your bathroom look good.

You should next look in the basement where black mold can grow. If you have a finished basement, it can be hiding behind drywall because of moisture coming through concrete cracks in the foundation. By the time the mold becomes visible on the front of the wall, you will in all probability have a leak and a damp smell because of poor ventilation.

If your basement foundation itself is cracked, there is no way to fix it inexpensively but often rainwater that is redirected to the foundation by clogged gutters and spouts can cause a seepage. Building up the dirt around the base of the foundation on the outside can help keep water sloped away and sometimes, this will fix the problem.

If your drywall has been affected by the moisture, drying out is not an option and you would have to replace it. Poor ventilation in the basement is a major cause of mold and can be remedied by the use of a dehumidifier.

Moisture leakages can also create favorable conditions for black mold to grow under the kitchen sink and around the bathroom vanity. Even attics can reveal black mold if your roof has a leak or there is caulking needs around rooftop ventilators and attic fans. Ideal conditions for black mold to grow can be created in any part of the home which suffers from poor ventilation and damp .

There are many specially manufactured cleaning products for mold and mildew that are effective though sometimes bleach water will suffice. You can use swimming pool cleaners that are effective in killing molds but be careful that you do not end up inhaling the black mold by accident. Call in an expert if you feel that you cannot resolve the problem by yourself.

This article was provided by AutomatedHomefinder.com – your Colorado real estate experts.

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Before you buy, get the home appraised to establish the proper price.

February 6th, 2010 Comments off

Most banks would require that you get a Colorado real estate appraisal to establish the value of the mortgage that they can provide. If you are applying for a mortgage with 10% down, it will mean that the bank will only lend 90% of appraised value, no matter what the price you agreed upon with the seller was.

For most real estate contracts to be valid, the home must appraise out at the agreed price. Sure the residence not appraise out at the agreed price, you may have to revisit the price with the seller. Neither the seller nor the purchaser have to go through with the transaction. Neither the seller nor the customer have to go through with the transaction.

During the current housing market, the appraisal can be crucial in determining what a home is worth. In the pre-crisis days, if you able to conclude a bargain for a residence at a price that just covered the loan, you could assume that you were getting a good exchange because the owner was giving up his home equity. Now, that can mean that he owes twice as much as the home is worth, in some locations of the country. Everybody involved in the transaction should be familiar with the appraised value of the house even if you are paying cash. The appraisal would come in handy if you need to resell in a hurry or enash home equity for an emergency.

The appraisal takes into account several different factors. When you list the residence on the basis of the current market analysis, or CMA , that becomes a factor in the appraisal. An appraisal will include “comp sales” or comparable sales of the same types of homes within so many miles and within a certain number of months to establish the going market value.

Appraisals will also normally use the replacement cost method in which the appraiser will attempt to establish what it would cost to build the house today. The price would be adjusted upwards for positive features such as improvements or refurbishments and downwards for negatives such as a substandard kitchen and the final appraised price would be established.

Everyone concerned is protected by the appraisal. Even if the value of a house is not fully supported by the appraisal, some buyers may wish to proceed. If purchasers wish to proceed, they should remember that they have come up with the entire difference between the advance available (which would be based on the appraised value) and the price agreed with the seller.

The appraisal can only establish the value at the time the appraisal is carried out and based on then prevailing conditions and the value can subsequently change depending on market conditions. It is important to note that appraisals are usually a guideline that can be used for six months, but not much longer, so if you plan to refinance or get a house equity mortgage, you might be subject to another appraisal that won’t turn out the same, depending on the comp sales and market. It is still the best way to ascertain a home’s value accurately.

More Information:
Boulder real estate
Longmont real estate
Louisville CO real estate
Automated House Finder

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