Andre Shambley

Going house hunting can be maddening from just about any perspective. Much of the stress and frustration comes from trying to find the perfect home.

The perfect home. That dream property you plan to settle into for years and raise a family Ah, how magical life will be. Screeetch. You've started looking for it, but can't find it. Welcome to the world of real estate.

If you are searching for the perfect home, you need to put the breaks on your search. It is time for a bit of practical reflection. Your chances of finding the perfect home of your dreams is pretty remote unless you are basing that image on a house you have actually seen. Even if you do stumble across the home, you have to keep in mind that dream homes are often very expensive. Unless you have a significant financing package or cash available, you may be crushed to learn you can't actually afford that perfect home. Whew, where is the depression medication?!

To make house hunting a less stressful task, you need to keep an open mind. The perfect home is probably not out there, but plenty of excellent choices still exist. Your goal should be to define the space you need and work off of that. For instance, consider your life and write out how many bedrooms, bathrooms and other specifics you must have with your new home. When out trolling, stick to the list like it is the word of God.

So long as you stick to your must have list, you can be flexible on other aspects. This gives you the opportunity to turn an average or good home into your dream home. One of the areas you can really upgrade is the yard. An otherwise average home can be made to look much nicer with a major landscaping makeover. Don't believe me? Upgrading landscaping is a common strategy among investors that buy and flip apartment buildings. In fact, this may be the only improvement they make, but it will hundreds of thousands of dollars to the bottom line when they sell. You can do the same thing with your home.

When house hunting, make sure you know exactly what you need as far as space and such. You can be flexible on other aspects of a home and end up with something very nice.

When it comes to choosing professionals to assist you with your real estate needs...Experience is Priceless! Andre'Shambley & Miami's Best REALTOR® Team, The Keyes Company, 305-788-6643. AndreShambley@AOL.com,
http://www.OnePlaceOpenHouse.com

Ready to refinance or looking for a better rate? For your complimentary rate quote visit Jacinta Shambley, APEX Lending, Inc. JShambley@APEXLending.com . http://www.JShambley.ApexLending.com

Scaling back is the new black.

According to the National Association of Home Builders, houses started in the third quarter of 2008 averaged 2,438 square feet, down from 2,629 feet in the previous quarter. That's a whole extra room - poof!

Could you slice 200 square feet out of your living space without too much pain? Probably. But what about downsizing more, perhaps cutting your square feet in half, by moving from a 3,000-square-foot home to one with 1,500 square feet? What would you keep and what would you toss? Where would you even begin?

Maybe the sour economy is pushing you into much smaller digs. Or maybe it's just personal choice. Regardless of the reason, the move can seem daunting. So here are tips from experts - as well as the advice of people who've already downsized - to guide you.

Prepare for your move

Get on board. First and foremost, make sure this is something you and your family are prepared to do, says Matt Niemi, senior writer with Unclutterer, a Web site about living more simply. Niemi and his wife recently downscaled from a 3,000-square-foot Victorian to a 1,900-square-foot home. "You don't want to move into a smaller space and find two months later that you're regretting it," Niemi says. "Maybe you have three kids and two of them have to share a room, and soon it's a disaster." In short: This has to be something everyone's mentally prepared to do.
Give yourself time. After Brian and Colleen Ducey's last child left for college, the Seattle couple made a more dramatic downsize than most: They sold their 2,500-square-foot house in favor of a new, 986-square-foot cottage in architect Ross Chapin's new Greenwood Avenue Cottages development just north of the city line.

Though they had talked about moving for years, the actual purchase was an impulse -and the Duceys say they wished they'd given themselves more time to move. "When you first start thinking about the process of downsizing, that's when you need to start going through your things. We had to go through (belongings) so fast," Colleen Ducey says. "It really was stressful."

How much time should you allow? "Usually plan at least six months ahead," suggests Michael Ivankovich, author of "Home Downsizing in Four Easy Steps."

Know your new home's measurements. One of the most common mistakes when downscaling is that "people don't think about measuring properly" before they move, says Lauri Ward, owner of the New York- and Florida-based decorating and interior design firm Use What You Have, and author of "Downsizing Your Home with Style: Living Well In a Smaller Space." "Don't just take the floor plan of the new house," Ward says; also get exact measurements of walls, doorways, spaces between windows, "because that's where the furniture goes." Write all these numbers down, she insists, because you won't remember them.
Photograph your furniture.Any furniture that ends up being put in storage should be photographed, with its exact dimensions recorded and then all the pictures placed in a binder or in a computer file. Why? So you know what you have, at your fingertips, says Ward Often, furniture doesn't go straight from one house to another, and it's easy to forget exactly how big things are.
Winnow down your belongings

What to take - and what to leave: Need some not-so-gentle advice about whether to take that La-Z-Boy to the new house? Author Ward has broken down furniture and furnishings into three categories: Always take it, sometimes take it, never take it:

Always take it with you:

Anything that has storage in it.
Pairs of lamps; they add balance.
Ottomans; create cozy spaces.
Armless sofas, or ones with lower arms, to make the room feel more spacious. ("Here's a handy rhyme to help you remember: 'Keep a sofa with chairs, or love seats in pairs,' " says Ward.)
Bookcases; they're visually interesting; they hold lots of stuff, and they can make great room dividers.
Mirrors; they make a places appear brighter and bigger; lean it on a wall opposite good light and a view, and a mirror will reflect both and make a place feel larger.
Furniture on wheels or casters; it adds flexibility.
Nesting tables or furniture that stacks.

Sometimes take it with you:

Love seats.
Small desks or writing tables; they can often be used in a kitchen or a guest room.
Modular seating; it can be reconfigured, or even broken up and used in different rooms.
Throw pillows; if they're in good condition and work well with the color scheme, they can add comfort and a visual interest.
Ceiling fans, so long as they hug the ceiling close.

Never take these with you:

Unloved books.
Extraneous bric-a-brac.
Artwork that's not beloved.
Small, never-used appliances.
Doubles of anything.
Square or rectangular glass coffee tables; they're too bulky, says Ward.
Sofas more than 96 inches in length.
Big plants and potted trees.
Unused pianos or other instruments.
Worn rugs, except expensive Orientals.
Tired stuff: old audio gear, incomplete dishes, old magazines, worn-out bedding, tax records and receipts more than seven years old.

Lighten your emotional load.
Often, experts say, one of the biggest challenges to downsizing is that "emotion is tied up in this stuff," says Barry Izsak, a certified relocation and transition specialist, professional organizer and owner of Austin, Texas,-based ArrangingItAll.com. People can feel guilty about letting some items go -for example, "the rusty toolbox that my Uncle John gave me," says Izsak -thinking it's somehow disrespectful.

How to ease those feelings? Izsak, who's author of "Organizing your Garage in No Time," says one way to cope with these items is to give them to someone you know or to take a picture of them and keep that, instead. "Once (people) do it with one or two things, it gets easier and easier."

Start easy. Why make this harder on yourself? Ease into the winnowing process, says Ivankovich, by starting with rooms that have less sentimental attachment - the bathroom, say, or a guest room - and build momentum from there.
Tackle the obvious: That 10-year pile of National Geographics? That broken VCR? Gone and gone. Work on specific projects until done, to get a sense of reward and completion. "Break this moving task into small, manageable pieces. It's not reasonable to think you're going to tackle 20, 30 years of stuff in a few days," says Izsak.

Appraise what you've got (or get someone else to do it for you). Before you get rid of anything - especially if you've got any sense that some of Aunt Berta's chairs or doilies might be worth something -do a little homework, says Ivankovich, who also is a certified appraiser."Most people don't know what they've got," Ivankovich says. "I think almost every home has certain hidden treasures. The value of that treasure might vary." He cites the example of a relative who let a mover take an old-fashioned Coca-Cola bottle-cap remover from the wall, not realizing that the little item was worth $150 on eBay.

Homeowners can do research on their own using Web search engines or online tools such as Prices For Antiques. But depending on how much stuff you have, it may be worthwhile to hire someone. "It is extremely difficult for most individuals to determine a realistic current market value on each item in an entire house by yourself," Ivankovich says. Appraisers cost $100 to $200 an hour.

Make piles. "When you group like items together, that's a way to see how much stuff you have," Izsak explains. So look at your stuff in groups. "If you've got five frying pans, get rid of the other three," Izsak says. "Keep the best and get rid of the rest."

Think in threes. "Another thing I do is think of groups of three," Izsak says he tells clients. "If you've three pair of tennis shoes, keep one, get rid of two. Three black pants? Keep one, get rid of the other two." And scale it up from there, in multiples of three, to anything, including books and glassware.
What's magic about three? It's arbitrary, he readily admits. "People just need a way, a formula" to think about cutting back, he says.

Niemi's brutal rule of thumb.In moving, editor Niemi says, "There was stuff that we came across that we didn't even know we had. ... The rule of thumb for the boxes and boxes of stuff in our basement (was that) if we didn't see that stuff in the last year, it was gone, pretty much," he says. "You can always say, 'Well, someday I might need this.' But if you haven't used it in the last year, chances are you're not going to use it in the next year."

How to offload your stuff
Getting rid of stuff is a big issue when moving. How to do it best?

Rethink the garage sale.Ivankovich calls garage sales "perhaps the worst option at all." Why? Two reasons: Without knowing it, people frequently sell things at fire-sale prices that are actually quite valuable. And on the flip side, setting up and holding a garage sale takes a huge amount of time, with relatively little payoff, he says.

Consider a tag sale.Ivankovich instead recommends holding a tag sale. That's a garage sale organized at your home by a pro who takes a big cut of the proceeds. You still won't get rid of everything, but the items will be priced closer to what they're really worth, and the hassle will be lifted from you.

Take advantage of Craigslist and Freecycle. Niemi can't say enough about the ease of posting furniture on Craigslist. "We'd put something on it on a Saturday, and we'd have six people calling on us," he says. "We got rid of six or seven items in one weekend." He adds, "The great thing is that you don't have to haul it." Another great resource if you want to get rid of something for free: Freecycle.org. People will practically race to your home to take things off your hands.

Skip the storage unit. Homeowners Brian and Colleen Ducey had so much stuff that they rented two storage pods, for $120 a month total. They soon enough realized they'd never have room for the stuff in their new home. "So we brought it out here, and we opened it up" at the new house, Brian Ducey says. Their discovery? "The stuff inside the pods was not worth $120 a month." They kept a few things, and got rid of the rest.
And the lesson? "If you're gonna commit to downsizing, you have to get rid of stuff," he says. The result is liberating: "After all was said and done, we really felt free."

Moving into the new place
As you make the move, the experts have a few more thoughts to make the transition easier:

Think storage, again. You've already brought to your new, smaller home items like chests that can store other items. But take a good look at your home, before you move in, to see how you can expand its storage possibilities. As decorator and lifelong New Yorker Ward puts it, "Air equals potential storage."

Some examples of where to look:

Closets. Make sure there's a shelf above the clothes bar. Look closer: Is there room for a second shelf, above the first?
Doorways. Can you place a shelf above a doorway for books?

Built-ins. Take advantage of space under stairs, built-in desks, bay windows, etc., by adding shelves and doors, Ward recommends. If possible, do this before you move in; you'll be glad you have a place to put your stuff when you arrive.

Make an extra stop with the moving truck. If you plan on taking anything to a storage facility, or to a son or daughter's house, or even an auction house, you can save lots of money by doing a "double move," says Ivankovich: A mover won't charge much more to make an intermediate stop at that other location, so plan ahead and put that furniture near the moving van's doors. Some planning ahead could save hundreds or even thousands of dollars.

Ingredients

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 (6-1/2- to 7-ounce) halibut fillets, about 1 inch thick
3 tablespoons dry white wine (such as chardonnay or pinot gris)
juice of 2 lemons (about 1/3 to 1/2 cup)
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon drained capers
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
Salt and pepper, to taste
Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish



Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a wide, shallow bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and pepper.

Preheat a nonstick saute pan over medium high heat until hot, and add the olive oil. Lightly coat the halibut fillets in the seasoned flour and place in the pan. Sear until golden brown, about 1 minute per side. Flip the fillets to sear the underside, then transfer them to a baking sheet and place in the oven to finish cooking, about 5 minutes more. The halibut should be just cooked through.

Meanwhile, add the wine and lemon juice to the pan, stirring to scrape up any browned bits. Add the garlic and capers and cook the liquid over medium-high heat until reduced by two-thirds. Remove pan from heat and whisk in 5 tablespoons butter to create a creamy, piquant sauce. Taste and whisk in more butter if desired. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Place fillets on two plates and drizzle each with the piccata sauce. Garnish with a sprinkle of chopped parsley.

Finding a suitable style of living begins with getting the right type of roof over your head. With the choices that are available for living, are several ways in which individuals can make sure they are able to find something that is comfortable, affordable and allows their needs to be met. Understanding different options for living is the beginning to making the best decision for the investment you want to make for your comfort.

Typically, styles of living are divided into homes, townhomes or condominiums, and apartments. Each have their advantages and disadvantages, dependent on what you are looking for as well as what fits your lifestyle. Understanding the difference between these, what is expected and the advantages as well as disadvantages is the first step towards finding the right living area.

If you are looking into an apartment, you can expect specific characteristics as a part of the move. For instance, the cost of living in most apartments are not as high, simply because you do not have as much room in one area. At the same time, there is no investment in an apartment because it is given by rent, instead of through a loan or mortgage company. The benefits that coincide with this include the ability to have the premises taken care of by the apartment management and to have direct assistance within the living area.

If you want to make an investment in your area of residence, then considering a home may be a better option. Most find that this works more effectively in providing the best living area, combined with having a mortgage, which can help credit to boost. With this, you are expected to keep your home equity moving to a higher price. This means you will need to invest in your home, landscape and area to make sure you make a profit from your home if you decide to move out.

The third option, of living in a townhome or condo, combines the lifestyle of a home with that of an apartment. Most who move into this type of home consider an investment, allowing them to buy, which combines mortgage payments with building credit. Other types of townhomes or condos have the option of renting the area for a certain amount of time. Related to this, are associations that are affiliated with the condominiums. This group of individuals provides management to the property and community assistance. This allows extra value to be added into the area, without doing the extra work, like you would have to in a home. The only other difference between a home and a townhome or condo, is that it is most likely connected to other homes, in one lot. However, the space provided is typically the same amount as a home.

With these options for living, are some of the best alternatives to help you move into the right place. If you are interested in an investment, without having the extra work, then finding townhomes or condos for sale is the beginning. This allows you to make the best investment, while providing you with support and assistance from the community.

When it comes to choosing professionals to assist you with your real estate needs...Experience is Priceless! Andre'Shambley&Miami's Best REALTOR® Team, The Keyes Company, 305-788-6643. AndreShambley@AOL.com,
http://www.OnePlaceOpenHouse.com

Ready to refinance or looking for a better rate? For your complimentary rate quote visit Jacinta Shambley, APEX Lending, Inc. JShambley@APEXLending.com . http://www.JShambley.ApexLending.com

This is the eternal question of home buying. "Is this really the right home for me?" Well, there are a few ways that you can go about finding this out before you purchase, but the real test will be in time. There is little that can be more stressful than purchasing a new home, getting packed and moved and settling in. This is why you need to be as confidant in your new home as possible and this is really only achieved by some careful work and research before hand. Of course, this is somewhat more complicated if you are moving a long distance but it is possible with a bit of help from your real estate agent.

One of the major things that you will want to know is what kind of time its going to take to get around your new area. If you already have work lined up for when you arrive then it will be a huge help to know how long it will take you to get to and from there on a daily basis. If you can, make the drive a few times on different days. If there is a lot of commuting happening in your area then traffic could be an issue. It is horrifying to move into a new home only to discover that there is a 2 hour commute to work through heavy traffic every day.

Another big asset to a home and something that will help it be a home to you for many years to come is the amount of space it has to accommodate the needs of your future and the future growth of a family (if that is so planned). How well is this home going to cope with your changing needs? I know that finding a home such as this, that will be as perfect for you in 10 years as it is now can be a difficult thing to do. This is the best reason why careful networking with a professional real estate agent is necessary to do the legwork and research and make sure that the home will suit you down the road. Buying real estate is a huge move in anyone's life. Whether purchasing your first home or your fifth home it amounts to a huge purchase that has life-changing potential. Be sure that the home you choose will be right for your life and your needs.

When it comes to choosing professionals to assist you with your real estate needs...Experience is Priceless! Andre'Shambley & Miami's Best REALTOR® Team, The Keyes Company, 305-788-6643. AndreShambley@AOL.com,
http://www.OnePlaceOpenHouse.com

Ready to refinance or looking for a better rate? For your complimentary rate quote visit Jacinta Shambley, APEX Lending, Inc. JShambley@APEXLending.com . http://www.JShambley.ApexLending.com