The Heart of the Home

Kitchens are not what they used to be when I was growing up. Back then kitchens were utilitarian spaces. We had our slide in electric ranges, a refrigerator, generally with the freezer on top and Formica counter tops. No one thought about industrial type appliances, granite counters and multiple refrigerators. How the times have changed. Our kitchens have become focal points of the house, rooms to entertain in and show off the latest gadgets. We linger around the island (if we are fortunate enough to have an island). And now with the prevalence of granite we are seeing more modest price ranges include granite as a selling point to attract those elusive buyers. So when choosing granite for this dynamic space what are some ground rules. I learned this from a decorator and substantiated by a kitchen re-modeler that the drama in the kitchen can be either on the top or in the back splash BUT don't do both. If you have a more dramatic granite selection with rich veins choose a more modest back splash design and same goes with the back splash.

What about granite tiles? I think the buyer's opinion on this issue speaks volumes. Depending on the price range granite tiles are non-starters. For a modest price range this will work, but if your home is north of $300,000 and you decide to do granite tiles as a quick update, this does not go over well with the buyer. The last thing you want, as a seller, is the buyer walking out of your home mocking your hard work and investment.

Kitchens offer more than a room to prepare a meal, they tell a whole new story!

A Kitchen Facelift

We made some great changes to this beautiful kitchen with the help of Laurie Flatt from Casa La Bella. The subtle changes added value and pop to this great space. Here was a surprise hint from Laurie:" Don't be afraid to paint the oak cabinets." The island went from stained oak to a rich mushroom color that makes the room. The new counters added the flair that the island needed.

Rain nor sleet nor Relocation??

No wonder stamps cost so much! The US postal service lost big bucks on relocating employees homes even the real big ones...over $1M!! Ouch...

Rainy Christmas Eve in Waukesha County

The Squirrels Never Had a Chance

My wife and I bought this squirrel feeder from Wild Birds Unlimited in Delafield for my parents back yard this Christmas. As you can see the Blue Jay is hogging all the peanuts. The squirrels never had a chance to get their little paws on the goods--poor guys. Dad said that the Blue Jays were lined up to take their respective turns on the wreath. As soon as one left the next flew in for some goodies. In less than 2 hours they had consumed half of this wreath. I hope you had a good Christmas and just enjoyed the fun with family or friends.

This is not Real Estate Related

From time to time it is nice to depart from all things Real Estate. A friend of mine recommended this book, "Stumbling on Happiness" by Daniel Gilbert. I checked our local bookstore Books & Company to obtain my copy. They are not paying me for this endorsement, but I prefer to shop locally, if I can and I really like brick and mortar business'. Besides I figured that if I had waited 3 months to get around to the purchase I could easily wait another day for the book to come in, so I placed my order. I know that is a bunch of useless information but oh well. The book has an interesting premise--What really makes us happy? Or conversely what makes us unhappy? The first chapter is engaging and I will report what I think about this book, not that anyone is really interested. Blogging is a fascinating thing. More Later...

One of the worries of professionals in my industry is that rates will go up forcing some potential home buyers from the market. The 30 year fixed rates averaged 4.81% as of December 10, 2009 up from last weeks average of 4.71%. While the rate is still low, compared to last year, the fear is that banks will have to raise rates since the Fed indicated that they will reduce the amount of mortgage paper they are buying by March 2010. This shift to the private sector has some worried that rates could climb at least 1% perhaps even 2% over the current low rates. That combined with tightening credit is giving everyone the jitters. Please see the Wall Street Journal Article.

Oconomowoc School District Links

As a parent I am very proud of our school system in Lake Country. I thought a few web-links would be helpful for those parents who have not found the OASD (Oconomowoc Area School District) site or for those of you who are thinking about moving into our area. Oconomowoc Schools Media presentation is a colorful look at the School District.

OAC Box Office is a great site to save to your favorites on your computer. From this site you can purchase tickets for events at the OAC (Oconomowoc Arts Center). Having attended quite a few of the "non-professional" presentations I honestly don't know why they are called non-professional, because the kids rock. The signing, dancing, choreography, set design are all professional! It is truly amazing to watch.

If your child desires to go beyond spanish as a language and comes home one day and says, "nǐ hǎo" or Good Morning in Mandarin Chinese, they can learn this exotic language right here at the Oconomowoc High School. Scroll down on the page and you will find more information about the International Baccalaureate program or IB for short.

Do you want to know a little more about your child's teacher? Well there is a link for that as well on the staff page . Here you can quickly save the email address for easy contact.

All the athletic information from schedules to opportunites are located on the easy-to-use site. As a parent you are connected to everything your child may want to involve themselves in.

Are you moving into the area and you would like to know what Elementary or Middle School area your new home is located in? The easy to locate district map will provide you with all the information you will need.

Here's hoping this helps!

In Real Estate

Headlines for Monday December 7, 2009

House Flippers Are Back!

House Of The Day

Fed NY Pres: "The recession now appears to be over"

Baltimore Lender gets boot from FHA

Naked Santa Causes Stir

Buying a Short Sale

In today's ever changing Real Estate market, as a buyer you will undoubtedly come across a "short sale". A short sale is a process that the seller's market value of the house will no longer satisfy the current indebtedness. The banks in some cases will forgive the debt. This process is called a short sale. As a buyer there are a few factors that you should be aware of before putting in an offer on a short sale. Here is a brief list of questions to consider:

1. How many mortgages are on the property? If the seller has more than two mortgages against this property then chances of you obtaining the property in a relatively short period of time are almost nill.
2. Are there any unpaid HOA (Home Owners Association) dues? If there are the listing agent should try and work with the seller to get those paid ASAP.
3. Has the seller sent in ALL of the information that the lender has requested? If the seller has not done this and included their hardship letter then move on to the next house. This is not going anywhere. You can determine much about the sellers cooperation if they have not submitted a complete packet. Partial packets to lenders are deal killers.
4. Find out who the lender or servicer is. Some lenders/servicers are slower than others. Your Realtor should be able to assist you with this.

Just because the property is in the short sale process does not mean you shouldn't think about submitting an offer, but a little extra information before the offer can make the process easier.

Good luck in your search for the perfect home. Feel free to check out my other blog at Lake Country Blog where I regularly comment on life in Lake Country.