Lee Ann Monfredini

Homeowner's Insurance and Your San Francisco Home

You know you need homeowner's insurance but what kind and how much? To help you figure this out, here are answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about homeowner's insurance.

How much homeowner's insurance do you need?

Lenders require you to carry enough coverage to protect their investment, which means the amount of your loan. But the amount of your loan most likely isn't enough to rebuild your home, if it was damaged. To be able to replace your home and its contents in case of a disaster, you probably want a policy that insures the replacement value of your San Francisco home.

It's a good idea to sit down periodically with your insurance agent to review your homeowner's policy. You want to determine if your coverage matches current construction costs and the replacement value of your City home's content.

What about coverage for earthquakes and floods?

Many homeowners assume coverage for all natural disasters is included in their insurance policy. Not true. In fact, the most important thing for you to know about flood and earthquake insurance is that it is not included in a basic homeowner's insurance policy. Both require separate policies in order to get reimbursed for damage.

Let's face it; most of the United States has the possibility of being affected by an earthquake. Unless you specifically purchase earthquake coverage, damage to your San Francisco home caused by a quake is not covered. The same is true with flooding. You don't have to live next to a large body of water to sustain water damage from flooding.

Do you need to shop around for insurance?

Fortunately, the Insurance Services Office (ISO) sets the standards for homeowner's policies so coverage doesn't change much from company to company, however, rates can vary greatly. That means it is worth your time and effort to shop around for the best prices before you buy your homeowner's policy.

If you'd like a referral to a professional homeowner's insurance agent, give Patten and Monfredini a call today at 415-722-4840 or email us at lmonfredini@pacunion.com

Links:

Replacement value

http://www.eqgroup.com/acv_explained.htm

Earthquake insurance

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Insurance/InsureYourHome/GetTheFactsOnEarthquakeInsurance.aspx

Insurance Services Office

http://www.iso.com/

Free San Francisco Home Search

http://www.SFPropertyFinder.com

Pacific Union International Real Estate

http://www.pacunion.com

How to Brighten the Rooms in Your San Francisco Home

Ideally, to make a room light and bright you want a lot of large windows that let in natural light. Unfortunately, most of us don't have large windows in every room of our San Francisco homes. So, what do we do to brighten those dark rooms?

Increase Natural Light

If a room has one large window, make the most of this natural light by placing a mirror opposite that window. The mirror will scatter and reflect the ambient daylight throughout the room.

Add Artificial Light

Another great way to lighten window-challenged rooms in your home is to add artificial ambient lighting. Ambient lighting, whether natural or artificial, sets the tone and mood of each room. Here are several ways to add artificial ambient light to your rooms:

•· Recessed fixtures: Recessed fixtures throw light downward in a cone shape, so place them in an evenly spaced grid pattern. This allows pools of light to overlap and provide consistent lighting.

•· Chandeliers: A chandelier can overpower a room if it's too big or seem out of proportion if it's too small. To calculate the best size chandelier for your room, measure the width of the room in feet. Double that number to get the diameter of the ideal chandelier in inches. For example, a room that's 10 feet wide should have a chandelier no wider than 20 inches in diameter.

•· Surface-mounted fixtures: Unlike recessed fixtures, surface-mounted fixtures do not disappear into the ceiling or wall. If you want to achieve a unified look, match the color of the surface-mounted light with the color of the ceiling or wall. Surface-mounted lights come in a wide range of styles. They can be very functional fluorescent types with white diffusing plastic covers or decorative crystal designs that add sparkle and drama to the foyers and hallways.

The best ambient lighting is subtle lighting that comes from all directions and softens the look of your room, making it more livable.

Looking for a San Francisco home with a lot of windows or well-place ambient lighting? Patten and Monfredini can help. Call us today at 415-345-3133 or email us at lmonfredini@pacunion.com.

Links:

Ambient lighting

http://www.ehow.com/ambient-lighting/

Evenly spaced grid pattern

http://www.ehow.com/how_6071746_decorate-lighting-spacing-between-fixtures.html

Best size chandelier

http://interiordec.about.com/cs/homelighting/qt/qt_chandelier_s.htm

Free San Francisco Home Search

http://www.SFPropertyFinder.com

Homes in San Francisco For Sale

http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/SanFranciscoLiving

Pacific Union International Real Estate

http://www.PacUnion.com

San Francisco Real Estate: Buyers are Happier with Local Agents

According to a recent study, buyers prefer to work with San Francisco real estate agents who live in the neighborhood in which they want to buy a home. Buyers are happier when they work with local agents because they believe the agents are:

1. Familiar with the neighborhood. They know the schools, zoning laws and crime rates. They can tell you the best places to shop and give you referrals to the best mechanics and home contractors.
2. Knowledgeable about the San Francisco real estate market. Local agents know the history of houses; they know the streets on which properties sell faster and for more money; and they can steer you towards the better deals.
3. Involved in the community. Agents who are involved in community improvement projects are doing much more than just selling houses. They're contributing to higher real estate values, better schools and less crime. Wouldn't you prefer to work with an agent like that?
4. More attentive. When an agent knows they're going to bump into you in the supermarket or hardware store, he's going to give you the very best service possible. He wants to ensure that you have no complaints and will give neighbors a glowing review about his real estate services.

If you'd like to work with a professional agents who live in San Francisco and specializes in San Francisco real estate, give Patten and Monfredini a call today at 415-345-3133 or email us at lmonfredini@pacunion.com

Links:

Zoning laws

http://www.business.gov/manage/business-location/zoning-laws.html

Crime rates

http://www.neighborhoodscout.com/neighborhoods/crime-rates/

Home contractors

http://www.fixthehome.com/

Free San Francisco Home Search

http://www.SFPropertyFinder.com

Everything San Francisco

http://www.HomesinSanFanciscoForSale.com

Pacific Union International Real Estate

http://www.pacunion.com/agents/www.sfpropertyfinder.comSanbS

What's the Real Value of Owning a San Francisco Home?

As a society, it seems like we've gotten away from appreciating our San Francisco homes for their emotional and sentimental worth. Instead, we focus solely on their monetary value.

An appraiser can estimate their home's monetary value, but to gain a true concept of your home's worth, you must also take into consideration:

•1. Pride of ownership. You don't buy a pair of Prada shoes because you're going to be able to resell them and make a profit. You buy them because they make you look good and feel good.

•2. Security and stability. Your home provides a roof over your head that's in your control. You can decorate it how you want. You don't have to worry about a landlord selling the property or asking you to move out. In the "olden days" (or should I say "golden days"), we called our homes our castles because, as owners, we felt like the kings and queens of our San Francisco homes. You can still feel that way! Claim your castle and crown yourself king or queen today.

•3. A safe haven. After a tough day at work or a day of disappointments, where's the first place you think of going? Home! As Dorothy says, "There's no place like home."

•4. A place to make memories. Your son's tree house and daughter's playhouse. The markings on the wall that tracked your children's growth. The porch swing where you start and end every anniversary celebration.

•5. A neighborhood full of friends. In the event of an emergency, your neighbors are your first line of defense. They're also the simplest, best and least expensive form of security. Additionally, they may have the exact tool you need for a project; the extra pair of hands you need to complete a project or children to become playmates with yours. Neighbors also give you that much needed in-person, up-close social network.

Even if your home's economic value has dropped, you continue to benefit from its emotional values of community, stability, security and success.

Thinking of buying a home? Patten and Monfredini can help you evaluate the emotional and monetary worth of homes and find a home that fits your values and lifestyle. Give us a call today at 415-345-3133 or email us at lmonfredini@pacunion.com

Links:

Monetary value

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/monetary+value

Pride of ownership

http://homebuying.about.com/od/buyingahome/bb/buyhome.htm

Economic value

http://www.ecosystemvaluation.org/1-01.htm

Free San Francisco Home Search

http://www.SFPropertyFinder.com

Tips For San Francisco Living

http://www.homesinsanfranciscoforsale.com

Pacific Union International Real Estate

http://www.PacUnion.com

To Stage or Not to Stage a San Francisco Home for Sale

With so many San Francisco homes for sale, it's hard to determine how much money and time you need to invest in order to get your home ready for the real estate market. To sell your house quickly, one helpful strategy all real estate professionals agree on is staging.

In general, the goal of staging a San Francisco home for sale is to make it easier for potential buyers to see themselves living in that space. From getting rid of the excess stuff we all seem to accumulate to filling a home you've already moved out of with furniture, you'll increase your chances of a fast sale by staging your home.

3 strategies of staging

1. Minimize clutter - Buyers could completely skip over the positive qualities of your home if they're too focused on all of the toys, gnome collections or stacks of stuff you have laying around. If you can't part with the possessions, then rent a storage unit.
2. Bring in a professional - If staging is too daunting of a task for you, or you just don't have time, hire a professional to get your home in ship shape. He or she might cost a little now, but will save you time and money in the long run.
3. Rent furniture - Not everyone has the money to go out and buy new furniture for their living room, especially if you've already moved into another home. Renting furniture is more affordable than you'd imagine. For just over $100 a month, you could rent furniture, sell your home swiftly and be rid of your mortgage payment!

From repainting a bright hallway for a more neutral look to putting your children's larger toys in storage so they don't clutter the living room, staging will take some time and effort, but your payoff could be huge.

If you'd like to stage your San Francisco Home for sale, but just aren't sure which choices to make or where to invest, Patten and Monfredini can help- Call us today at 415-345-3133 or email us at lmonfredini@pacunion.com

Links:

Home Staging Training

http://www.stagedhomes.com/

Hiring a Home Staging Professional

http://www.sixelements.com/hiring-a-home-stager/

Furniture for Rent

http://www6.rentacenter.com/Rent-A-Center-Home.html

Free San Francisco Home Search

http://www.SFPropertyFinder.com

Pacific Union International Real Estate

http://www.pacunion.com