July 22nd, 2015 at 10:00 am
You’ve probably heard the term “curb appeal” hundreds of times. But did you know that increased landscaping and curb appeal can mean selling your home 10 to 15 times faster, according to RIS Media?
Boosting your curbside appeal may seem like a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to cost a lot of time and money. There are endless home-improvement projects that are quick, easy, and sure to increase your home’s value and curb appeal.
Here are some projects and ideas to get you started:
Fix up your front door
Your front door is one of the first things prospective buyers see when they look at your home. If your door looks to be in bad shape, buyers will assume the inside of your home is too. Make your home feel more inviting by cleaning, painting and replacing the hardware on your door. Choose a color that coordinates with the personality and style of your home.
If you want to spend a little more money, replace the entire door with an energy-efficient model. You’ll be able to tell buyers that it can save them 10 percent on energy bills, and the average return on resale is 102 percent, RIS Media notes.
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July 21st, 2015 at 12:15 pm
It’s no secret that some of the most beautiful homes are in Southern California, and our agents know it better than anyone else. We want to find the best listed home in Southern California, so we turned to our agents and asked them to send us the best of their current listings. Once we had our submissions, we put them to a vote and chose, from each county, one listing that we thought best represented the California lifestyle. Now that we have representatives from Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange, Santa Barbara, and Ventura counties, we need you to choose which one is your ideal Summer Dream Home.
Voting is easy, and once you vote you’ll be entered in a random drawing to win a $25 Amazon.com card. All you have to do is:
Easy, right? You might not think so once you see how beautiful these California Summer Dream Homes are. So, before you vote, here’s a little more information about our five finalists:
Los Angeles – 24959 John Fremont Road, Hidden Hills, CA | Marc & Rory Shevin | Vote now
A long, private drive leads to a dazzling Mediterranean villa perfect for poolside lounging. The beautifully landscaped backyard features a saltwater pool and spa, environmentally friendly waterless grass, and a gorgeous outdoor kitchen and BBQ center. You’ll enjoy panoramic views of city lights at night, and pastoral views during the day. The interior is just as impressive as the exterior, with a master suite that boasts a sitting room, walk-in closet with chandelier, and an adjacent exercise room with sauna. (more…)
July 20th, 2015 at 10:30 am
You want to start using solar energy at home but:
Don’t give up on going off the grid just yet. A “solar garden” might be sprouting up in your neighborhood soon.
A solar garden is a solar electric array with multiple subscribers connected to the utility grid. As a subscriber, you can buy a portion of the power produced by the array, and receive a credit on your electric bill. Utility customers within the solar garden’s service area-including residences, businesses, local governments, nonprofits, and faith-based organizations–can all subscribe to share the benefits of going solar.
A sunny outlook
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July 15th, 2015 at 10:00 am
Joely Fisher, the actress best known for television performances on “Ellen” and “Till Death,” recently sold her 8,230-square-foot Sherman Oaks home with the help of our agent Andrew Manning. Fisher, a California native, bought her Spanish-style villa in 2007. The property was originally built in 2006 and sits on a half acre. The home features beautiful accents such as arched windows and entryways, wrought-iron pieces, a grand entrance, skylights, wood-beamed ceilings, and much more.
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July 13th, 2015 at 10:00 am
You’ve found the home of your dreams. You have a preapproval letter from a lender. You’ve put in an offer that’s been accepted. So–pardon the expression–you’re practically home-free, right?
Not exactly. There’s still that one-word process you need to get through: escrow.
It’s easy to define escrow. But reaching close of escrow and having the keys to the front door in your hand depend on many factors.
What is an escrow?
We’ll let Tegan Powell explain. She is Escrow Officer-Branch Manager at Pickford Escrow Company, a HomeServices of America Company, in Mission Viejo.
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