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I'm feeling so proud of myself today --- got my very own QR Code! Take your smart little 'droid phone, hover your scanner app over the crazy quilt here, and see what you find. Way cool!
Reece & Nichols Realtors
Friday, March 25, 2011
Sunday, March 20, 2011
First Day of Spring!
Thursday, March 17, 2011
New Listing In Lee's Summit MO
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| 1132 NE Hunters Ridge, Lee's Summit MO $179,000 |
The Lori Thompson & Carolyn Coleman team strikes again! We have ventured to Lee's Summit MO to list a beautiful ranch home in the Deerbrook Subdivision. This 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom home has a finished lower level, 2 fireplaces, hardwood floors and fresh interior paint. There is a third car garage to the rear of the home which provides an awesome workshop area for tinkering and tooling. The backyard adjoins greenspace and feels like your own private park. This one is ready to SELL!
Buying A Home? 3 Do's 2 Don'ts
What every first time home buyer should know
15 March 2011 01:18
Dreaming of owning a home? There’s more to buying a house than saving for a down payment. Buying a home requires good planning and advice from a trusted team of experts. Farhaneh Haque, Regional Sales Manager of Mobile Mortgage Specialists, TD Canada Trust says home buyers should seek professional advice to ensure they’re prepared for the complexity of the process as well as the responsibility of home ownership. “Mortgage specialists can help home buyers figure out their needs, what they can afford and which mortgage product is best for them - whether that’s a five year fixed rate mortgage, a five year variable rate product or something entirely different, such as payment flexibility to be able to pay off their mortgage faster which could give them the flexibility to pay less at a later date if something unexpected came up.”
Haque shares some do’s and don’ts for home buyers.
Do:
Gather a team you trust. You should consider assembling a professional team to get you through the technicalities of home buying. This team can include a mortgage specialist, real estate agent, home inspector and lawyer. Ask around for referrals and meet with them in advance so that you are comfortable relying on their advice when you need it most.
Know what you can afford. Only you and your lender can properly determine what you can afford. To make sure that borrowers can still support their mortgage in the event that interest rates rise, the government recently made some changes. Borrowers must be approved based on a five year fixed mortgage rate, even if they select a different term.
Choose the right option for you. After you know what you can afford, narrow down your search by figuring out what type of home suits you best. Ask yourself questions such as do you want: a house or a condo? A new home or older home? In the city or a smaller community? Is more square footage worth a longer commute? Are you looking to renovate or move right in?
Don’t:
Skip the home inspection. You may know a handy guy, but the best way to see if your dream home will turn into a nightmare is by having, before you purchase your home, a home inspector identify any potential problems and determine whether or not any upgrades need to be made.
Buy more than you need. Even if you can afford a more expensive home, choosing one that you love at a lower price point allows you to keep some breathing room in your budget. A fourth bedroom that you never use is just another room to clean and heat! For more information go to http://www.tdcanadatrust.com/.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
4 Fading Fads For 2011
By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR® Magazine
We keep hearing about what’s popular in 2011 for home design — but how about what’s not? Builder Magazine writer Jenny Sullivan asked industry experts to weigh in on design fads that you won’t likely see in the new year. Here are some of the fading home trends experts mentioned:
1. Trophy space: Forget those two-story grand entrances. Builders are seeking more affordable, energy efficient design so they are getting rid of large, volume spaces in homes.
2. Just for show: Fancy, overdone rooms won’t cut it in the era of the practical, cash-strapped buyer. Lavish industrial-grade kitchen ranges or fancy master bath spa tubs– that are hardly even used anyway–will fall to the wayside. “The kitchen is once again becoming a working part of the home and not just a showcase,” architect Don Taylor of DW Taylor Associates in Ellicott City, Md., noted in the article. “It needs to provide all of the latest conveniences and technology, but with practical applications in mind. The faux commercial kitchen look may have reached its summit.”
3. Egocentric houses: It’s not just about the interior of a home that makes a home.
Buyers are caring more about its curb appeal and what’s nearby the home as well. Parks, amenities and neighborhood connections create a sense of community, said John M. Thatch, principal with Dahlin Group Architecture and Planning in Pleasanton, Calif. While most infill homes on the boards are 10-20 percent smaller in size, Thatch notes that buyers are willing to trade extra space for a more appealing neighborhood.
4. Home flipping: Gone is the trend of buying a “starter” home or a home for short-term investment. Buyers are now buying for keeps and it’s changing the way they view homes. “The idea of a home as a short-term money maker is essentially gone, so when people do buy they’ll do it with the intention of staying ten years instead of two or three,” says Jim Chittaro, president of Smykal Homes in Chicago. As such, he says buyers will care more about the design of the home and they won’t want it to feel cheap.
We keep hearing about what’s popular in 2011 for home design — but how about what’s not? Builder Magazine writer Jenny Sullivan asked industry experts to weigh in on design fads that you won’t likely see in the new year. Here are some of the fading home trends experts mentioned:1. Trophy space: Forget those two-story grand entrances. Builders are seeking more affordable, energy efficient design so they are getting rid of large, volume spaces in homes.
2. Just for show: Fancy, overdone rooms won’t cut it in the era of the practical, cash-strapped buyer. Lavish industrial-grade kitchen ranges or fancy master bath spa tubs– that are hardly even used anyway–will fall to the wayside. “The kitchen is once again becoming a working part of the home and not just a showcase,” architect Don Taylor of DW Taylor Associates in Ellicott City, Md., noted in the article. “It needs to provide all of the latest conveniences and technology, but with practical applications in mind. The faux commercial kitchen look may have reached its summit.”
3. Egocentric houses: It’s not just about the interior of a home that makes a home.
Buyers are caring more about its curb appeal and what’s nearby the home as well. Parks, amenities and neighborhood connections create a sense of community, said John M. Thatch, principal with Dahlin Group Architecture and Planning in Pleasanton, Calif. While most infill homes on the boards are 10-20 percent smaller in size, Thatch notes that buyers are willing to trade extra space for a more appealing neighborhood.
4. Home flipping: Gone is the trend of buying a “starter” home or a home for short-term investment. Buyers are now buying for keeps and it’s changing the way they view homes. “The idea of a home as a short-term money maker is essentially gone, so when people do buy they’ll do it with the intention of staying ten years instead of two or three,” says Jim Chittaro, president of Smykal Homes in Chicago. As such, he says buyers will care more about the design of the home and they won’t want it to feel cheap.
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