by David Glenn | Jul 10, 2016 | CRESTICO
When it comes time for individuals or families to pick where they want to buy a new home, two of the biggest deciding factors are the neighborhood’s health and safety and the area’s property values and the future prospects for an increase in home or condo prices.
Civic leaders, neighborhood organizations, and local governments have many tools available to help improve neighborhoods and increase residents’ property values. For instance, instituting neighborhood watch programs and deploying additional police officers can help reduce crime and make streets safer for residents.
Increasingly, savvy communities are making another bet that has the potential to improve health and increase property values: ensuring that community gardens and health promotion are central to neighborhood development and redevelopment plans.
Rising public awareness of food deserts has been an important reason for the spread of community gardens and neighborhood-wide health promotion efforts. Food deserts – swathes of urban areas where fresh produce is either very unaffordable or entirely unavailable – are common in almost every American city.
Research has shown that food deserts are correlated with high rates of poverty and poor health outcomes. In areas where fresh food is not available, residents (especially those without reliable forms of transportation) are forced to primarily eat junk food. This leads to obesity and related diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease and, ultimately, premature death.
Sadly, neighborhoods that are located in food deserts are often filled with people who are uninsured and do not have reliable access to a doctor or other medical care. A combination of poor diet and lack of access to medicine means that the people who live in these neighborhoods are dramatically less healthy than the rest of the American population.
With public knowledge of food deserts increasing, city governments, local business & charitable organizations have focused on increasing access to fresh, healthy food and tackling bad diets and a lack of health access at the neighborhood level. This has included a range of efforts, different throughout the country, aimed at creating community gardens and promoting a healthier lifestyle.
As an added benefit, these efforts can improve property values for all of the community’s residents.
Using new resources, including some provided by the Affordable Care Act, governments and nonprofits have been able to provide more health-promotion services to more community residents. For instance, higher rates of insurance and more funding for community health centers allows more people in a neighborhood to receive needed medical care and be connected to appropriate support services.
Those support services can also bring people together to strengthen a community in a variety of ways. Group exercise classes, instruction on how to improve diets, fitness activities for toddlers and children, and even cooking classes can all be a part of the work a health-promoting neighborhood does to help its residents live healthier lives.
In some cities, for instance, neighborhood groups can encourage residents to participate in groups walks through the community, allowing people to get additional exercise. Elsewhere, more support – such as through the federal Community Eligibility Program – allows all young people, regardless of their family income, to receive the nutrition they need to survive and thrive.
Infrastructure also plays an important role in making a neighborhood one that encourages better health, instead of sedentary, unhealthy lifestyles. Safer sidewalks, the introduction of bike lanes, community centers that host fitness and cooking classes – all of these resources and investments improve the quality of life in a neighborhood and make it more attractive to homebuyers and Real Estate developers. As a result, property values rise.
The same increase in property values can be seeing in another feedback loop. As health improves, family incomes often rise as well. With bigger paychecks, neighborhood residents are able to invest more in their homes, boosting property values. After the first wave of home improvements are made, younger and more-educated workers often follow into the neighborhood, increasing property values further in a process often referred to as “gentrification.”
Of course, the benefits of community gardens and health-promoting neighborhoods are not just limited to low-income neighborhoods. While health promotion activities are often geared at people at or near the poverty line, neighborhoods and communities that choose to invest in the infrastructure that supports a healthy lifestyle often see dramatic increases in property values.
For instance, in the battle to attract young, so-called “knowledge workers” to a community, having top-notch sidewalks and a system of bike lanes are essential. Not coincidentally, both of these resources are essential in helping citizens safely exercise.
Health-promoting neighborhoods and those with community gardens can also make life easier for people on a gluten free meal plan. The availability of fresh produce and healthy food in a community makes it easier for people who are avoiding gluten for medical reasons (e.g. Celiac disease) or general health concerns to eat safe, healthy gluten free diets.
Community gardens can also have wide-ranging effects in neighborhoods that adopt them. In addition to providing an opportunity for outdoor activities and a source of fresh produce, community gardens are excellent tools to teach urban residents about a healthy diet and expose them to varieties of fruits and vegetables they may never have eaten before.
Just as important, community gardens can quickly become a neighborhood gathering place. This provides a place where parents and adults can discuss and socialize and children can play. The value of such a focal point of a community, especially in better-off neighborhoods that may not have a formal city-run community center, is hard to quantify but is widely viewed as a major benefit.
In addition, community gardens are an important beautification tool. Attractive, well-maintained appearances are one of the critical factors in determining property values and community gardens can go a long way to improving a neighborhood’s outward appearance in a sustainable, relatively low-cost fashion.
In short, health-promoting neighborhoods and community gardens are both great ways to build the fabric of a community and encourage healthier, more active lifestyles. And everyone in a community or neighborhood that adopts these strategies benefits as they lead to high property values and home prices.
by David Glenn | Jul 8, 2016 | CRESTICO
Building a house from the ground up has a number of benefits over buying a house. You have the chance to select all the right elements to build the perfect space, including the features found in the kitchen and bathroom and even the color of the walls. When you meet with a builder to begin the process though, you should have an idea in mind of what you want. Creating a list of things you want to request will give you a better idea of what the finished product will look like and how much it will cost.
Energy-Efficient Windows
Did you know that energy-efficient windows can help you save significantly on your heating and cooling bills? These windows usually feature two panes of durable glass with a gas in the center. The windows block cold or warm air from escaping your house and eliminate drafts too. You can choose from a wide range of styles, including those with trim made from wood, vinyl or aluminum, and you can pick from different designs too, including fixed picture windows or casement windows that open from the front. Make sure you request that your builder install energy-efficient windows to save on heating and cooling bills in the future.
Exterior Materials
Curb appeal refers to how your house looks from the street or the curb. While adding new flowers or having welcoming decorations on your porch can help you increase your curb appeal, you’ll also need to select the right materials for the exterior of your house. Some people love the look of brick, but if brick is too expensive for your budget, you can put brick on the front and vinyl on the back and sides. Both vinyl and wood siding now come in a number of options, including neutral colors that let your decorations stand out and brighter and bolder colors.
Outdoor Entertaining Space
If you love throwing parties and inviting guests over, your new house must feature some type of outdoor entertaining space or area. Depending on the design and layout of the house, you might opt for a small backyard patio that has just enough space for a small group or a large porch that wraps around two or three sides of the house. Your builder can help you decide on a design that works with the style of the house and one that meets your entertaining needs.
Warranty Options
Always request some type of home insurance or home warranty that will protect you in the future. The builder should offer a warranty that covers any installation problems or issues that occur because of builder errors. You may want to look at a general home warranty plan too. These warranties are quite affordable and let you get help when an appliance fails or you experience other problems. With appliances, the warranty company will often send a repair technician to your home. The repair tech will either fix the problem on the spot or let you know that you need to send off the appliance for servicing.
Flooring
One of the more important things that you need to request is the right type of flooring for each room. Tile is great in an entryway, kitchen or bathroom because it repels moisture and is easy to clean. While hardwood looks amazing, laminate flooring has a similar look and costs a fraction of the price. Some find that laminate is easier to clean than hardwood too. For a warm and welcoming feel in your living room or family room, you can’t go wrong with carpet, which comes in hundreds of colors, designs and even thicknesses.
Now that you know what to request in your new house, you can meet with a builder and start discussing your options. A good builder will give you an estimate as to the final cost and alert you of any issues or problems that might increase that price along the way.
by David Glenn | Jul 5, 2016 | CRESTICO
Choosing a neighborhood in which to raise your family can seem like a daunting task. It’s not easy to point to a place on a map and decide to put down roots and stay for years to come. Buying a home is a significant investment, and you want to be sure you’re picking the best area possible to meet the needs of your family. But you don’t have to wait to learn about your neighborhood until after you’ve already closed escrow. Here are some resources to help you research your future neighborhood ahead of time, enabling you to choose the best place to raise your family.
Look at Local School Ratings
The easiest way to find a neighborhood where you feel comfortable raising your family is to look at nearby school ratings. The website Great Schools is an incredible resource that ranks schools based on test scores and parental reviews. Simply type in the generic city or metropolitan area you’d like to live in, and look at the map to see the results. You can customize the map to only display the types of schools you’re looking for, like high schools vs. preschools. It’s easy to see where the best neighborhoods are because they typically have the highest rated schools. Once you have narrowed it down to a more specific area, GreatSchools.org will even show you individual school attendance boundaries to make searching for a home even easier.
Research Crime Statistics
It’s not enough to find a neighborhood that has good schools. Crime levels are another very important factor in any home search. Use local municipal websites or sheriff’s department websites to find out what types of crimes are being committed in the area you have chosen. NeighborhoodScout is another great resource that shows the different types of crimes in any given area. Crime is everywhere, so don’t be too alarmed when you see multiple incidents show up in your desired area. The important thing is to look at what types of crimes are being committed in your area. Are they petty crimes like a teenager stealing a lawn chair, or are they something much more serious like armed robbery and home invasion? Doing research on local crime statistics is a great way to get to know the neighborhood long before you’re committed to moving in.
Search for Nearby Amenities
Once you have settled on a neighborhood, look at the amenities that are available nearby to see if they meet your family’s needs. Check local city and county websites to locate nearby public parks and swimming pools. Look up children’s classes and activities that may be offered through your local community center. Check national and state park websites to find out if there are any state-run nature facilities nearby. Don’t forget to look for amenities for the adults as well. Are there coffee shops and restaurants nearby? What about a gym, and a grocery store? These are all things that impact quality of life and contribute to a neighborhood’s overall desirability.
Housing
Once you have chosen a neighborhood, research all the housing options for your family. Even if you are using an agent (as you should), check homes that are selling by owner. Often times homes in the best neighborhoods are sold by word of mouth before they even hit the market. Talk to people in the area and try to get the inside scoop to be sure you can find a home in your desired neighborhood.
Don’t be intimidated when trying to choose a neighborhood for your family. Doing research online before you begin house hunting can help save you a lot of wasted time and can help take a lot of the unknowns out of moving to a new area. Follow these tips and help make your next move a little more certain, and help you rest assured that you are moving your family into the best neighborhood possible.
by David Glenn | Jul 1, 2016 | CRESTICO
Real Estate is a great investment, it really is. Oh sure you’ll hear people who will tell you that it’s tougher than it looks, and it is, and others tell you that it’s really not worth it. But the people who usually say that are the ones who don’t own any property. Really properly evaluating a property investment and then planning correctly can lead to a huge pay off, so why do some people seem to get in over there head? It’s because a lot of people don’t realize how many other fees there are that they need to pay for.
1. Appraisal Fee
Now this fee is not huge in comparison to the other fees we will talk about or even the house, however, all fees are important. Every bit of money that you spend will be eating into your profits and you’ll want to account for this. You need to get someone to appraise the house so you can get a loan. An appraisal will cost you anywhere from $200 to $1,000. This is not something you want to forget about, having to suddenly fork over an extra $1,000 while your in the middle of budgeting to renovate is not fun, make sure you add this in the budget.
2. Insurance
Just like getting a car insurance quote before you buy a car most real estate investors forget to calculate in home owners insurance. Now most Real Estate investors figure that if they’re renting they’ll have the rental fee cover this, or if they’re flipping the house the profit will cover this. As anyone who has invested in real estate will tell you don’t count your chickens before they hatch. In other words don’t count on money you don’t have yet, make sure you include these costs in your calculated costs, this way you do’t get bit by any surprises towards the end. In order to calculate this into your costs give companies such as Geico a call to gather quotes.
3. Repair Costs
While trying to calculate a return on your investment make sure you include in your estimated repair costs. Now this may be easy for the obvious repairs that you see needed on a piece of property before you buy it, but if you are planning to rent out you need to calculate in the future repair costs as well. If you don’t take into account these repair costs you could find yourself running at a loss due to charging to low for rent in comparison to the repairs that you make. The cost of future repairs will of course depend on the type of property you buy as well as location.
In conclusion there are plenty of costs that people new to investing in real estate don’t expect. Don’t let this deter you from your investments. Instead take into account these costs so that you can ensure your investments end up being profitable for you. This way you can sleep peacefully with the knowledge that your investments are safe.
by David Glenn | Jun 25, 2016 | CRESTICO
Decorating an apartment can be a bit of a puzzler, especially if you’re renting. On top of this, if you’re a struggling college student, not only are you limited in your choices but you’re probably limited on funds. So here are a few great tips for decorating your apartment on a budget.
Wall Decals
These things are a genius invention. Wall Decals don’t require nails or paint and are perfect for a rental space. You don’t just have to pick from a life-inspiring quote, either. Today there are wall stickers that are complete murals or even wallpaper. Not only are these a cheap alternative to fixing holes or painting, they are also so easy to apply and even easier to take down. And they don’t leave a mess.
Next to wall decals are furniture decals. You can stick a fun polka dot sticker sheet on a desk, fridge or cabinets and really spunk up your place without spending an arm and a leg. Or even too much time. If you have a bit more money ask your apartment manager if you’re allowed to get some etched glass. Installing etched glass can really change the look of an apartment and add an upscale feel, the only downside is it is expensive.
Build It
Furniture can become extremely expensive. But rather than paying an arm and a leg, you can easily learn how to build pieces yourself. Try building your own desk, bookshelf or even closet doors. There are many great how-to’s to follow and many lumber yards will sell wood for pretty cheap if you buy directly from them. You can even do this for a stunning headboard for your bed. If you plan to cover the headboard in fabric, then you can easily pay for inexpensive hardwood for underneath.
Buy Good, Not Price
Rita Konig, interior designer and European Editor for The Wall Street Journal’s WSJ, says that “it’s easy to buy things for the price, rather than buy good things. But if you guy good things, they will always be with you. If you buy the bad couch, for instance, you will always want to replace it as soon as you can.” It’s kind of like clothing, you can buy a new pair of $12 jeans every six months or spend $40 to $60 and have a pair that last a few years or even longer. This may mean that you only have a few key pieces while you slowly build up your collection.
Reupholster
Konig and Emily Henderson, host of Secrets From a Stylist, both suggest that you focus more on the shape of a piece of furniture rather than the fabric as you can buy a cheaper couch and easily reupholster it. By doing this you could end up spending less to buy and reupholster a couch rather than paying for one that is all around perfect.
Another thing to keep in mind while reupholstering is that it doesn’t need to be super expensive. Instead of spending lots of money on expensive cleaning supplies start to research things you already own that you can use to help you out. For instance I found out that some lemon juice, white vinegar, and refined coconut oil can be used to polish wood furniture, so I went out, bought some old wood tables and chairs and cleaned and polished them up to shape. I ended up with furniture that looked new at less than ten percent of the cost.
Re-envision
Jamie Drake of Drake/Anderson says to first start by re-envisioning your place before spending any money. Flip a floor plan, move a piece into a different room, reupholster or spray wood pieces. This can be one of the most inexpensive ways to decorate your apartment.
Do-it-Yourself
Sew your own quilt or comforter. Make your own throw pillows. Paint your own art. There are so many great projects out there that you can learn to do yourself that you could practically decorate your entire apartment with the talent of your own hands!
Repurpose
If you can’t go buy brand new furniture at the moment or don’t want to throw something out, try repurposing a few pieces. You can turn a mismatched or rickety chair into a great bedside table. Or take an old duvet or comforter and repurpose it into a pet’s cozy sleeping spot. Turn an old door into a tabletop, old curtains into napkins, and so much more. You can even turn no-longer-used sheets into light and airy window treatments. The possibilities are endless!
by David Glenn | May 27, 2016 | CRESTICO
Buying a home is a pretty big step in our lives. And knowing just what to do, how to do it, or everything that you need to do can get tricky and confusing. There a lot of people who will give you a lot of advice, but there are just a few that you should definitely pay attention to. We’ve rounded them up for you here to make that transfer from potential buyer to homeowner.
Homeowner’s Insurance
This is a big one. Homeowner’s insurance is one of the most important things that you can invest in for your new house. This insurance, like all insurance, is meant to keep you and your family and property safe from any potential damage or situations that occur.
Along with homeowner’s insurance, investing in a home warranty plan is also a very handy and important addition to your new space. A home warranty plan is a great way to keep your home systems, appliances, and so much more safe from the everyday wear and tear that comes from home life and from those “rainy days,” like a flooded basement, electrical fires, or just rambunctious guests or kids.
DIY Fixes
As a homeowner, unless you’re rolling in the dough, a great thing to do is learn how to do typical home maintenance and fixes yourself. Hiring a professional for every break, scrape, tear, leak, and more can really add up. Learning and teaching yourself how to do the basics can help you save so much in the long run. As a homeowner you need to become a bit of a “handyman.” You now own the space and don’t have a manager to rely on to take care of every clogged toilet or rouge ant parade in your home.
There are a lot of resources out there that can help you walk through how-to’s on fixing typical repairs around the house. You can check out DIY fixing websites or even Pinterest boards to help expand your new skill sets.
Home Maintenance
If you’re not buying a brand new home or building, there are a few things you should definitely do when you move into your new home.
Change the locks. Though the past homeowners may have given you all the keys they have, there might be a rogue cousin or neighbor who still has a set or two and you don’t want to run any risks. Install new deadbolts and even handle locks. You can do this for less than $10 per lock, or you can call a locksmith to have it down professionally. If you supply the new locks, the locksmith will generally only charge about $20 to $30 per lock for labor.
Check the insulation in the attic. If there isn’t enough, install more. This can actually be a money-saver tip too. There should be at least six inches of it everywhere. If it looks damaged, replace it too. A few other great things to do is to check for pipe leaks, replace air filters, clean out vents, air-seal the house, steam clean the carpets, spray for insects and pests, and check the breaker panel and outlets.
These are all great things to do before you move all of your furniture and personal belongings in. They are also things that might have gone unnoticed in an inspection. Once you do a good once-through of the house, start a brand new home maintenance checklist. You can find a template online. This will help you know when to change out smoke alarm batteries, air filters, and to service any home systems. Staying up-to-date on your home maintenance can help you to avoid any big repairs or disasters in the future.
Being Married to Your Mortgage
Too many homeowners think about their house as an investment instead of a cost-of-living. Your house is not an investment unless you can afford to give it up! This is not the case with most homeowners. Prior to getting a mortgage you should prepare to be spending a large sum of your monthly income, but not every penny. You want owning a home to be an experience that enhances your freedom, not restrict it. If you’re spending every earned penny on your mortgage then very little will be left over for desired non essentials that are still important. For instance, Weekend getaways, eating out with friends, Tour groups, and more. You should be able to have enough for a car or appliance break down (a rainy day fund) and then a little left over for the nice things in life.
