No heat, pipe bursts, or falling gutters- the joys of owning a home in the winter! Let’s go over how to prevent the above and more so you can hopefully have a hassle-free winter at home.
Furnace- Sears Home Service suggests the following:
Some benefits of furnace maintenance include lower heating costs, less risk of a breakdown, and longer service from your furnace (https://www.nationalheatingandac.com/blog/furnace-inspection-before-winter/)
Sump Pump- If everything is functioning as it should, water that collects around or under your house, think rain and melting snow, will drain into the sump pump pit, then be directed away from your foundation. An annual inspection is suggested- you can hire a professional or consult with the sump pump owner’s manual.
Gutters- everyone’s favorite chore ! It’s suggested you clean your gutters twice a year to prevent clogging, which can “lead to issues like water damage, loosened gutters, ice dams, and issues with insects, and rodents.” (Allstate.com)
Pipes- cold temperatures + water in exterior pipes = a pipe burst. Allstate.com suggests you disconnect garden houses from outdoor faucets, use shutoff valves if your exterior faucets have them, then open and close the outside tap to release any leftover water.
If you’re leaving your house for an extended period time, such as going on vacation, be sure to set the thermostat no lower than 55 degrees Fahrenheit. Otherwise, you may come home to a pipe burst. You can read more on preventing that here !
Reverse Fan Direction- Allstate.com recommends you “flip your ceiling fans’ reverse switches so that the fans move in a clockwise direction. ENERGY STAR says this creates an updraft that pushes the warm air that rises toward the ceiling back down into the room.” Another way to save on heating !
If you’re looking for a handyman or HVAC professional recommendation, call or text us at 717-371-0557 and we’ll be happy to help you!
Your Friends in Real Estate, Jason Burkholder Real Estate Team
——————
Jason Burkholder
Kelly Burkholder
Adam High
Jaci Hoosier
717-371-0557 direct or text
Welcome Home Real Estate
717-298-8040 office
57 E Main St, Lititz, PA 17543
Do you know what a popcorn ceiling is? Love it? Hate it? Most people hate it. After all, ceiling popcorn is about the most useless (not to mention ugliest) decoration ever. Want to get rid of it? Well. Normally that involves scraping it off, or demolition. Tear it down. As effective as that tutorial is, some of you might not want to get that messy. Or if your house was built in the 1950’s, scraping off popcorn means dealing with potential health hazards like asbestos. Not fun or safe.
Well, I have some great news! Imgur user, makesomething, chose a different way to handle the ceiling popcorn in a room in his 1950 home. Here’s the thing, they didn’t even bother removing the popcorn at all!
Removing all those layers would be too much of a hassle.
They also bought 2 inch brand nails, which they used to nail some planks to the joists in the ceiling.
However, if you want to save money, you could always use wooden pallets!
Obligatory dog photo. She would walk in every once in a while to check on the progress.
This method would be awesome for old, cracked plaster ceilings too! Not exactly a DIY kind of person and need a professional to help you pull this off? Call me, I can connect you with a contractor!
Have questions? Do you want to buy or sell a property? Call me or text at 717-371-0557, I’ll be happy to help you! You can always email me at [email protected] or contact me at the office at 717-291-1041 as well!
Your Friend in Real Estate,
Jason Burkholder
Realtor, e-Pro
Associate Broker
Certified Marketing Specialist
Weichert, Realtors – Welcome Home
717-291-1041 office
717-371-0557 direct or text
PS – As always, I’d like you to be part of the conversation, so if you like what you read here please feel free to let me know, forward this post to your friends and subscribe!
Why would someone write another article on buying versus renting a home? What’s in it for the author of the article? Why would you read one? What is it you want to hear?
Do you just want confirmation and justification for what you already believe and want to do? Or, are you looking to be convinced otherwise? or simply just trying to “figure it out”? These are all good questions to ask if you find yourself reading an article on whether it makes more sense to buy a home, or to rent.
There are “reasons” to buy, and “reasons” to rent. Which is good, people want to make choices based upon reason. So, if you start reading about whether to buy versus rent a home, you’ll certainly be given “reasons” like:
Those are all real and valid reasons to some degree. But if you start reading articles bent on renting a home, versus buying, you’ll be given opposing “reasons”, like:
Again, all valid “reasons” to some degree. Regardless of whether the article is pro-buying or pro-renting, the “reasons” cited tend to ALWAYS be the same, decade after decade, regardless of the market. They are overused, and honestly, pretty useless to anyone in particular. There is no absolute answer that is right for everyone.
You can find plenty of “sources” to formulate your opinion on what makes sense for you. There are online calculators to help you figure out if renting or buying makes more sense for you. But that’s kind of like looking up health information online. It’s good to get some thoughts and perspective. Educate yourself. But it’s not necessarily proper for you to diagnose and treat yourself.
Same when it comes to financial and real estate decisions. Certainly educate yourself. Become informed. But truly assessing whether or not it makes more sense for you to buy a home or rent a house warrants getting some professional help. Professional help can cost less than self-help (At least in real estate…). While you can certainly sift through all the information you want online for free, and come to your own conclusion, you can also get the advice of someone who is a real estate expert for free, one thats actually applicable to your situation.
All you have to do is reach out to a real estate agent. A good real estate agent will give you advice. A great one will help you figure out if buying or renting makes better sense for you. They’ll help you assess your situation lend you their thoughts and insight based upon their knowledge and experience. And most of them will do this for free. They get paid if and when you end up buying or renting a place.
Now, certainly, you might question their motives… Will they push you to buy versus rent to make more money? Will they push you to rent because it’s quicker, easier money? Why would they help me for free? There’s got to be a catch. Sure, there are some agents who are in it just to make money. But most real estate agents are more caring and concerned about their clients’ best interests, than their own self-interest.
That doesn’t mean every real estate agent will necessarily be able to give you the best advice, even if they are caring, concerned, and not pushy. Finding an agent who knows the local area and has experience makes a huge difference in the quality of the advice. So, make sure you find not just an agent, but a great agent when you ask for advice. (If they’re all offering their advice for free, you might as well choose the best, right?)
Considering this is my article, of course I feel like I’m the best agent for you to talk to. Maybe I’m the best agent for you to talk to… maybe not. The best way to find out for sure if, or how, I can help is for us to have a quick chat.
I work all throughout Central PA, primarily in Lancaster County, Lebanon County, York County and Berks County. But in all honesty, I am not an expert on buying a home everywhere in the State of Pennsylvania. There are some parts I am not as familiar with. So if I’m not the best agent for you, I’ll tell you and I almost always know another agent who may suit your situation better.
So why not give me a call at 717-371-0557, or send me an email, and let’s schedule a time to talk. No obligation. I never push people to do one thing over another. If buying makes more sense for you, we’ll figure that out. If renting does, we’ll figure that out. I just want to make sure you’re able to make the best and most objective decision possible.
Have questions? Do you want to buy or sell a property? Call me or text at 717-371-0557, I’ll be happy to help you! You can always email me at [email protected] or contact me at the office at 717-291-1041 as well!
Your Friend in Real Estate,
Jason Burkholder
Realtor, e-Pro
Associate Broker
Certified Marketing Specialist
Weichert, Realtors – Welcome Home
717-291-1041 office
717-371-0557 direct or text
PS – As always, I’d like you to be part of the conversation, so if you like what you read here please feel free to let me know, forward this post to your friends and subscribe!
When the housing bubble burst in 2007/2008, many Americans found themselves underwater or, in other words, with a home worth significantly less than what they owed on their mortgages.
But that’s all changed now. According to recent studies, more and more Americans are finding themselves in the opposite situation—with a home worth far more than what they owe on their mortgage.
According to the a recent Equity Report from ATTOM Data Solutions, which curates a well-known nationwide property database, as of Q2 2018, nearly 14 million properties in the US are now what’s known as “equity rich”—meaning the balance of loans on the property is worth 50% or less than the current estimated market value. That’s approximately one in four homes in the US that currently holds a mortgage!
But what, exactly, is the advantage of being “equity rich”? Homeowners that are equity rich can sell their homes and walk away with a significant chunk of cash in their pockets—cash they can then use to make a down payment on a new property. The market is beginning to shift. Now might be the perfect time for you to use that to your advantage!
The Takeaway
If you’ve been thinking about selling your home and upgrading to a larger and/or pricier property, let’s check the balance on your mortgage against the current market value. If you’re one of the equity rich, you can use that equity to get into the home of your dreams.
Have questions? Do you want to buy or sell a property? Call me at 717-371-0557, I’ll be happy to help you!
As always, I’d like you to be part of the conversation, so if you like what you read here please feel free to let me know, forward this post to your friends and subscribe!
If you have questions, need real estate advice or want to buy or sell a home, you can call or text me at 717-371-0557, email me at [email protected] or contact me at the office at 717-291-1041!
Your Friend in Real Estate, Jason Burkholder
Realtor, e-Pro
Associate Broker
Certified Marketing Specialist
Weichert, Realtors – Welcome Home
717-291-1041 office
717-371-0557 direct or text
True or false…
When you’re selling a house, you should bake cookies before a showing or an open house.
I guess you could say the answer is a hard and fast “true†because, after all, it can’t hurt. Who doesn’t love the smell of freshly baked cookies?
But it’s also kind of false…
Have you thought about owning but didn’t think you “made enough money” to buy a home?
When you’re selling your home, one of the keys to successfully finding a buyer – and getting the best price for your home – is effectively staging. Staging refers to setting up your home in a way that maximizes its sale-ability to potential buyers and can involve everything from minor repairs to a complete overhaul on your home decor.
Staging is an incredibly important part of the selling process, and effective staging is a key to fetching top dollar for your home. If possible, you should consider hiring a professional stager. But, in case you want to DIY and stage your home on your own, here are 4 staging secrets to make sure you get the most out of the staging process:
One of the quickest, easiest, and most cost effective ways to update your space and make it more appealing to potential buyers is with a coat of paint. Painting a room can completely change the feel and make the space feel more open and inviting.
If you haven’t painted your home in a while, you’ll definitely want to repaint before you start showing your home to potential buyers. You’ll also want to repaint if you have a number of colors on the walls of your home; the purpose of staging is to showcase your home in a way that allows potential buyers to picture themselves purchasing the home and living there. If they don’t agree with your color choices, it can create a roadblock to them being able to see themselves in the home.
When you paint, choose neutral colors, like an off-white or beige. These colors are universally appealing and will also make your rooms appear more open and spacious.
One of the biggest secrets of effectively staging your home is that you only get to make a first impression once. Your potential buyer is only going to see your home for the first time once, and during that initial viewing, they’re going to make snap judgements on whether or not your home is right for them. You don’t want to get off on the wrong foot and lose them before they’ve even had a chance to see the entire house.
When it comes to making a first impression, curb appeal is critical. If your potential buyer drives up to your home and is immediately turned off by an unkempt lawn, a cracked driveway, or peeling paint, it’s going to be hard for them to overcome that initial impression, even if they love the rest of the home.
Before you start showing your home, make sure you do some work on the exterior so that the first impression is a good one. Have your lawn manicured, fix any issues with the driveway, refresh the exterior paint, and add plants and flowers on the path leading up to your front door in order to make your property seem more inviting.
The last thing that potential buyers want to see when they’re viewing a home is a ton of clutter and personal items. Again, the point of staging is to create an environment in your home where potential buyers can picture themselves living there. But if you have your children’s sporting gear spilling out of the closets, your family portraits lining every available surface, and an entire room you’re using for storage, it’s going to be hard for your potential buyers to separate your stuff from the space.
When you’re showing your home, remove as many personal effects as possible. It’s ok to have a photo or two, but try to make the space feel as neutral as possible. You’ll also want to declutter; clean out closets, cabinets, and the garage to make everything feel more spacious.
You’ll also want to get rid of any unnecessary furniture or decor that makes your space feel cluttered. When you’re staging, taking a minimalist approach to furniture and decor will have the most positive impact on potential buyers.
This should go without saying, but before you stage your home, you need to make sure every inch of your home is thoroughly and properly cleaned. This is not a time to cut corners; if a potential buyer comes into your home and sees dust bunnies under the bed or a ring of grime around your bathtub, it’s going to be a major turnoff and could potentially cost you the sale.
Spend an entire day cleaning your house from top to bottom. Or, if cleaning isn’t your expertise, hire an expert from your local cleaning business or a site like Handy.
With these 4 staging secrets, your house will be staged and ready to sell in no time.
Still have more questions? Do you want to sell a property? Call me at 717-371-0557, I’ll be happy to help you!
If you want to searchSell a Propertyin Central Pa or findhomes for saleLancaster CountyorCentral PA, visit www.JasonsHomes.com to access anMLS home searchthat shows you all the homes for sale in theCentral PAMultiple Listing Service (MLS) !
As always, I’d like you to be part of the conversation, so if you like what you read here please feel free to let me know, forward this post to your friends and subscribe!
If you have questions, need real estate advice or want to buy or sell a home, you can call or text me at 717-371-0557, email me at [email protected] or contact me at the office at 717-291-1041!
Your Friend in Real Estate,
Jason Burkholder
Realtor, e-Pro
Associate Broker
Certified Marketing Specialist
Weichert, Realtors – Welcome Home
717-291-1041 office
717-371-0557 direct or text
Photo courtesy of
Do you believe whether a groundhog sees its shadow or not is a true indication of when Spring will come? A lot of people aren’t sure, and no matter what the groundhog sees, it means we’re going to have more winter.
According to the 2017 National Association of Realtors Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, FSBOs remain at an all-time low of 8%… and for good reason.
According to Realtor.com’s recent Housing Shortage Report, the US is experiencing the worst housing inventory shortage in two decades. This is true in Lancaster County and most of Central PA, where it is a solid Seller’s Market. And while this presents a definite challenge for people looking to buy a home, it creates the perfect storm of opportunity for those wanting to sell.
