Valerie Sullivan

Hi all!

The last week has been pretty hot and humid here--more than 80 degrees at 6:00 a.m. with humidity at or near 100%. UGH! So much for that cold front that came through for a few days before that! Even the poor dog is exhausted after our early morning walks!

Discussions have been coming up all around me lately about how to "Green" your home, and whether or not it's possible to green an already existing home. The answer--absolutely! The cool part is that in some cases, you can also get a tax credit for certain "greening" or energy saving features you install or replace in your home.

My husband and I decided to get this "energy blanket" insulation a couple of weeks ago. It looks like thick tinfoil, and goes on top of your already existing insulation on your attic areas. I don't know the specifics and details of what exactly it does. They also wrapped our water heater. The guarantee is that it will lower our energy bills by up to 44%. And we'll get a tax credit of 30% of the cost, up to $1500 total.

This is the one picture that turned out. It's behind some A/C duct work going up an inside wall in the attic. We've had it for 2 weeks, and we've already noticed a difference in the house. It takes longer for the house to heat up during the day and cools down quicker when we turn the temperature down. The humidity level in the house seems lower. The installers said that would be the first thing that we would notice--the humidity level would go down. Considering what the level is outside, it sure is nice to have it even lower inside!

I've heard some people say "when I build my new house, I'll install all these green features" not realizing that you can "GREEN" your existing home in multiple ways. As you maintain and update your home, through time, you can make the energy saving choices. Many of these choices also allow for federal tax credits at tax time, and some may even have local or state tax credits.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy website at www.energysavers.org, tax credits are given for 30% of the cost, up to $1500 on these items if placed in to service before December 31, 2010;

• Biomass Stoves
• HVAC
• Insulation
• Roofing (Metal and Asphalt)
• Water Heaters (non-solar)
• Windows and Doors

Tax credits are allowed on additional items placed in service before December 31, 2016, for 30% of the cost, with no upper limit;

• Geothermal heat pumps
• Solar Energy Systems (including Solar Water Heaters)
• Small Wind Energy Systems
• Fuel Cells

Most of these tax credits are allowed only on a primary residence, and no rental homes. You can check the Department of Energy website for further details.

But what are energy saving things that you can do that don't require such a large purchase? Installing a programmable thermostat can help a lot if your home is empty while you're at work for the day. When I lived in Minnesota, and realized I kept forgetting to turn down the heat when I left for the day, I got a programmable thermostat to lower the heat automatically for the 12 hours I wasn't home. It dropped my electric bill in half. Now I make sure I have one no matter where I live.

Using ceiling fans, and turning up the A/C a few degrees can make it seem cooler in the home. Turning off lights in rooms when you're not in them helps as well. Double-checking for drafts around windows and doors, and putting in weather-stripping helps heat or a/c from escaping.

There are also energy saving appliances out there now that can cut your energy bills. I had an old washing machine that broke a while back. The repairman said it would cost as much to fix it as it would to replace with a similar washing machine. I chose to get a front loading washing machine, and both my water and electric bill dropped.

Regular household maintenance will keep energy costs down as well. Dry or cracked caulking around windows should be replaced. If you have a leak anywhere in the home, it can increase your water bill tremendously. A toilet that keeps running is like it is in perpetual flush mode--wasting a lot of water. If you can't or don't want to do the repairs yourself, hire a handyman to come through the house for some routine maintenance. The cost of hiring a handyman can far outweigh the cost of leaks in increased energy bills.

While this all may seem like a "dry" subject to discuss, when you decide to add energy features to your home, that adds another selling point when you are ready to sell. More buyers now want a home that is energy efficient, and if they can see that the energy bills are low, it will help in their decision-making.

Enjoy!

Until next time!

Valerie Sullivan
Broker/Owner, GRI, e-Pro
Valerie@ValerieSullivan.net
www.ValerieSullivan.com
850-803-8446
Fort Walton Beach, FL

How many of us have said this;

When conditions are perfect I will....(fill in the blank). This can be anything from taking that dream vacation, buying that dream car, getting the dream job, or buying a house. "IF ONLY" the conditions were perfect, if they were right, then I would "_________." This expands to everything else. We try to make things and life "perfect" for our kids because we only want the best for them.

There comes a point in time when you just have to move forward and realize that rarely are conditions "PERFECT" for anything. This is life we live in, and it's to be enjoyed, and lived. In a continuous process, we learn in school, about life, and we grow. As we learn more, and expand our awareness, we continue to learn how to go after the things we want most (hopefully!).

Want to take that dream vacation? Why not start doing the research to see how much it would cost? Believe it or not, instead of putting that dream vacation on a credit card, you can put it on layaway, and make payments if you can't afford it now. Or maybe take shorter smaller vacations that don't cost as much. There are SO many discounts out there where you can get a vacation on a budget.

As for having a better family life, and wanting the best for your kids. They don't necessarily want (or NEED) more THINGS, they want mom and dad to "be there." When I retired from the Air Force, everyone asked my then 5-year old son what he was looking forward to most once I retired. His answer "Eating waffles for breakfast every day!"

So what about buying that PERFECT HOUSE with the PERFECT conditions, and the PERFECT picket fence, and the PERFECT price with the PERFECT interest rate? In my opinion, the PERFECT time to buy a home was about 50 years ago. They were a LOT cheaper then. Except I wasn't alive 50 years ago. I didn't NEED a house. :-) Wouldn't it be great to make today's income, but pay house prices of 50 years ago?!

Realistically, conditions now are ripe for buying a house. For the first time home buyer, there's an $8,000 First Time Home Buyer IRS Tax credit (money in your pocket to buy a home!?), PLUS low interest rates (do you know that in the 1980's--when I was alive and could buy, but didn't, interest rates were in the double digits?)

Most people purchase a home based on the payment they can afford; not the home they can afford. I once worked for a mortgage broker who said price doesn't sell a house, the payment sells a house. I realized how right he was. Watch this:

The payment on a $250,000 house, financed at 100% (I work mostly with VA--one of the few 100% financing programs currently available), for 30 years; These are PRINCIPAL ONLY payments (Taxes and Insurance are usually included in your monthly payment at 1/12th the annual premium for each).

Percentage/Monthly Payment

5.00 $1,342.05
6.00 $1,498.88
7.00 $1,663.26
10.00 $2,193.92

WOW! What a difference a few interest rate points can make!

For many real estate markets, prices are now on the rise--albeit MUCH slower than during the "boom" and interest rates are currenlty low. What better time is there? (hint: 50 years ago!)

Not sure if you qualify? Then call or go talk to a lender. Not sure where to find one? Contact me, and I can send you a list of lenders I work with that are there to help you. They are not there to "judge" you if your credit is not perfect, nor will they laugh at your situation that you feel may be less than perfect. If you know you need to work on your credit, then take the time to do it. It's a pay-off in the long run. Situations happen (that's life again!), and as with everything, circumstances do change.

Believe it or not, it is in YOUR power how you handle YOUR situation and what you choose to do with it.

Have questions?

Give me a call or email!

Until next time...

Valerie Sullivan
Owner/Broker
Sullivan Enterprises, LLC
850-803-8446
www.ValerieSullivan.com
Valerie@ValerieSullivan.net

Hi all! I hope this finds you doing well! We've been having some interesting weather around the country lately. I honestly don't remember seeing a hurricane making it so far north along the eastern seaboard, but then, when I lived in the midwest, I really didn't pay attention much to weather along any coast-lines. Or maybe that was because we only had 3 channels back then, and no weather channel!

Well, now that I have the weather channel (or maybe because I live in Florida Panhandle just a few miles from the Gulf of Mexico?) I keep an eye on major weather systems. Here's the newest one out...

Tropical storm Erika may or may not become a Hurricane, but this shows the expected area of activity from the NOAA.com website. This may be another one that goes up the eastern seaboard again, however, it looks like it is in line for Florida.

So, if you live in the Florida Panhandle, and don't even get a drop of rain from the storm itself, how does this affect you? Well, if you plan to have insurance on your home, once a tropical depression becomes a hurricane, and is within a certain distance of this Sunshine State, insurance companies immediately stop writing new insurance policies throughout the entire state. If you don't plan on getting insurance on your new home, it's not a big deal. Carry on and you'll be fine, however, for those of you that are getting a loan, your lender will require proof of insurance before the loan closes.

Does this mean you stop looking for houses all together if you are in the process of your diligent search? No, continue your search, but keep an eye on the weather. Insurance companies will begin writing (usually) once a hurricane has hit landfall and dissipated.

But what if you just got a contract? Does this put you on hold? It doesn't have to. When seeing something like this pop up, once again, keep an eye on it (it may never "grow up" in to a hurricane), talk to your insurance agent, lender, and realtor. You do have the option of locking in your policy before their "magic shut out" time. Locking in the policy means you can close as planned--even in the middle of a hurricane.

BUT, don't forget to keep other factors in mind...if the hurricane is heading or could head to your area, your closing could be delayed due to mandatory evacuations. Even if you and the seller are willing to sign the paperwork before getting out of town, the lender, title company, closer, and realtor may have all left town. OR, as the case with the military, when I was active duty, depending on the trajectory of a storm, we had mandatory evacuations--we were not given a choice.

Just make sure you keep an eye on the weather, and talk with your realtor if need be. If you have to extend closing, that's not necessarily a bad thing. If you come back to town, and the house you were planning on buying isn't there any more, you'll have to find another one. If it is still there, you have the reassurrance that your new home survived a hurricane!

With that said...how do YOU prepare for a hurricane? Assuming you don't live in the mid-west, that is!

Until next time!
Valerie Sullivan
Owner/Broker, GRI, e-Pro
Sullivan Enterprises, LLC
Fort Walton Beach, Florida
Valerie@ValerieSullivan.net
www.ValerieSullivan.com

Hi! This is my first ActiveRain post--I have been a "lurker" for quite a while, with an outside blog at www.Realtown.com/blogs/valeries, and finally comfortable enough to start on AR. Please bare with me as I'm still trying to understand things and make my blog look like so many others I've been reading for so long. As I start, I fear this will be a "vanilla post" as I learn how to get better...

I find being a realtor very enjoyable in many ways, but as with any job a person has, there are always the bumps and bruises that go with it. I have shown buyers houses, and when driving up to the home never even make it inside the home. This is through no fault of the seller, as they've landscaped nicely, the house is in great shape, well cared for, BUT, the neighbor either next door, or across the street has so much "stuff" in their yard, that it looks like a permanent yard sale...except there's never a "sale" sign put up.

I had one listing at one point that showed VERY well--a paradise yet close to everything. The feedback I got from every realtor that showed it had to do with the neighbor across the street. Just one house made the entire neighborhood look run down and decrepit. The owner didn't know what to do. She didn't know her neighbor, they had strange hours, and she didn't want to cause waves (can't blame her!).

SO, how can you handle something like this? Well, I'm sure there are MANY ways, and I would be interested to hear any ideas, but I will explain how I handled this one. We had scheduled a weekend open house for this listing, and of course, the question was "how do we deal with the "yard sale look neighbor"? Well, a couple of weeks prior to the open house, I went over to the neighbor's house, gave him my business card, and explained as nicely as I could (you never know what the situation is in someone else's life) that we were having an open house in a couple of weeks, and the realtors that have shown it have given feedback regarding "your" house saying that it would show better if these things (showing and naming specific things) were moved out of the yard. I asked him if he could possibly move the things to the back yard until the house sold to help his neighbor out.

The gentleman was very nice, and said that yes, he would get it cleaned up. It was all of his mother's stuff, and he never knew what to do with it. Before the open house, not only did he move all the junk (I don't know where any of it went), he set up a little table and chair set on the front porch with flowers on the table!

My seller was SO tickled that this guy was so willing to do this without any issues. When the open house was over, I took over a large plate of cookies to him and thanked him profusely, not only for me, but for my seller. He was tickled over getting all the cookies! Win-win for everyone.

SO--any ideas on other ways to handle a situation like this? I'm glad this turned out well, but am always open for suggestions and improvements!

Until next time!

Valerie Sullivan
Broker/Owner, GRI, e-Pro
Sullivan Enterprises
www.ValerieSullivan.com
Valerie@ValerieSullivan.net