How to Make the Kitchen in My Chattanooga Home More Energy Efficient

March 3rd, 2010

The kitchen in your Chattanooga home offers multiple ways to improve energy efficiency.  It can be challenging to have versatility, style, comfort and design while still being energy efficient.  The good news is that small changes can be easy to make, without breaking your redecorating budget.

  • Use the appropriate cooking utensils in your kitchen.  Most electric stoves are equipped with two small burners, and two large ones.  Make sure that you are using your small pans on the small burners, and large pans on the larger burners.  Using a small pan on a large burner wastes energy, adds heat to kitchen, and may cause the handles to warp on the pans if they become too hot.  Place lids on your pots and pans when they are on the stove, this will conserve the heat and decrease the workload on your cooling system.
  • Repair dripping sink faucets in the kitchen.  You can replace the faucet in your Chattanooga home inexpensively.  A few drips on a constant basis adds up to gallons of wasted water.  Replacing the faucet can substantially decrease the amount of water you use.
  • Run the dishwasher only when it’s full.  There are several ways to save energy with the dishwasher.  Make sure that the appliance itself is energy efficient.  Next, scrape the dishes before you load them.  This may allow you to set the wash cycle to a light or normal wash, instead of a heavy wash cycle.  Set the drying cycle to air dry.  Air-dry cycles decrease the amount of heat the appliance creates.  These tips will save a lot of water and energy.

It’s easier than you may think to update the kitchen in your Chattanooga home using green appliances and energy-saving methods.  Depending on what you buy, you may also qualify for a federal tax credit for energy efficiency.

Want to buy an energy-efficient home?  Call me now at 423-488-1882 or email me at travis@travisclosehomes.com for more information.

Keyword/Tag: Chattanooga home

Links:

Repair dripping sink faucets – http://www.ehow.com/how_4880874_fix-dripping-kitchen-faucet.html

Dishwasher – http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=dishwash.pr_dishwashers

Federal tax credit for energy efficiency – http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=tax_credits.tx_index

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Stay Safe When Working With Electricity In Your Chattanooga Home

March 3rd, 2010

Chances are you’ll have to work with electricity in your Chattanooga home at least once.  You might have to replace a broken ceiling fan or install a garbage disposal.  Always keep these things in mind when with working with electricity:

  • Turn off the power at the main panel box.  If you only flip off the switch, you’re in danger of receiving an electrical shock that could prove fatal.
  • Use a voltmeter to test the wires after you shut off the power.
  • Thoroughly read all the instructions, including the safety information, that come with the item you’re going to install.
  • Wear protective equipment like goggles and use only materials intended specifically for that purpose.
  • Have an inspector out to look at your work.  It’s better to err on the side of caution with electricity.  For some projects, you may need to hire a licensed electrician.

After you finish the project, it’s a good time to inspect the electrical system in your Chattanooga home for safety.  You’ll want to look it over each time the seasons change to ensure that the system is in good working order.

  • Look for any frayed or discolored wiring on the cords to your electrical appliances.  If you see anything unusual, you may need to call an electrician to further evaluate the situation.
  • Inspect your home’s power outlets for cracks or loose plates.
  • Make sure that extension cords and other plug-ins aren’t overloading the outlet.
  • Always run extension cords along the side of the wall, taking care not to place the cord across a doorway, causing a walking hazard.
  • Keep all heat-producing appliances, like lamps, away from combustible materials like drapes.

You can work with electricity safely by following these guidelines.  Always consult a professional Electrician if you are uncomfortable with the work.

Get more home maintenance tips like this delivered free to your email inbox by subscribing to this blog.

Keyword/Tag: Chattanooga home

Links:
work with electricity: http://www.ehow.com/how_2076997_work-safely-electricity.html

Voltmeter: http://www.ehow.com/how_16767_voltmeter.html?ref=fuel&utm_source=yahoo&utm_medium=ssp&utm_campaign=yssp_art

Combustible materials: http://www.ilpi.com/msds/ref/combustible.html

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Why Isn’t Your Signal Mountain Real Estate Selling?

March 3rd, 2010

You’ve listed your property. You’ve spent your weekends with people traipsing through your home. You’ve done everything you can and your Signal Mountain real estate is still sitting on the market while others around you are selling. Why won’t your home sell?

You’ve cleaned your home—you think. Let’s examine a few areas many people overlook:

  • Did you stuff all your stuff in cabinets thinking no one will be bold enough to open cabinets and look inside? Hum… maybe. Maybe not. Lots of people open drawers, cabinets, and definitely will look in closets, so don’t stash all your stuff in closets. Besides being untidy it is likely that overstuffed closets will fall out in an avalanche when an unsuspecting buyer happens to peek.
  • Are there dirty dishes stacked up, clothes in the laundry baskets, or used towels all over the bathroom? Just because you have to live in your Signal Mountain real estate until you sell it doesn’t mean it looks good to your buyers. The ‘lived in’ look only makes your home look comfortable when friends and family visit, not prospective buyers.
  • Does your loving pet adore your visitors? Even the most well-behaved dog or cat may be a distraction. Not everybody is a pet lover, and even if they are they don’t want to have to deal with your pets while viewing a home.   Have your dogs and cats in their crates when buyers come to see your Signal Mountain real estate listing.
  • Is the lawnmower sitting on the patio, the pool skimmer lying on the lawn, the kid’s bikes piled up in the driveway? The inside of your home isn’t the only place that shouldn’t look ‘lived in’ when you are showing your home to the public.

Little things mean a lot. Don’t let those little nail holes, stray wires from a removed fixture, or coffee stains on the carpet go unheeded. Your buyer is not going to want to fix those things when they move in. And, it makes potential buyers think that if minor repairs haven’t been taken care of, most likely, major repairs have been let go also.  Take the time to do minor home fix ups and make your house look as inviting as possible.

If you’d like more tips like this, subscribe to my blog.  You’ll get a couple of new tips automatically emailed to you each week.

Keywords/Tag: Signal Mountain real estate

LINKS:

overstuffed closets: http://www.cluttertamer.net/reviews/Give_yourself_some_space.pdf

showing your home: http://homebuying.about.com/od/sellingahouse/qt/ShowingHome.htm

minor home fix ups:  http://www.servicemagic.com/article.show.Stop-Ignoring-Your-Home-or-It-Will-Ignore-You.14129.html

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Benefits of Exterior Lighting for Ooltewah Real Estate

March 3rd, 2010

As many Chattanooga real estate agents will tell you, curb appeal shouldn’t end when the sun goes down. Exterior lighting can be both utilitarian and create a welcoming atmosphere even at night. The huge variety in lighting types will also lend uniqueness to your property and make it stand out to potential buyers.

Benefits of Popular Lighting Types

  • Reduces crime:  Motion-activated flood lights on the front and back porch are essential in high-crime areas and always a good idea for any area. It’s been proven that criminals don’t like Ooltewah real estate with bright exterior lighting.  The bright lights will draw attention to visitors before they’ve ever reached your door.  Additionally, you should never discount the value of being able to see clearly when arriving home in the dark.
  • Decreases trip hazards:  Solar lamps make beautiful walkway lighting. They’re generally not bright enough to be obtrusive or attract many nocturnal insects, but they will show the exact location of a walkway and reveal any trip hazards on the way. Solar lamps also provide an additional selling point on which Ooltewah REALTORS can capitalize.
  • Improves safety:  Good garage lighting can help you find your way to and from your vehicle. More importantly, the garage is a potentially hazardous area. Good lighting ensures that anyone walking through or working in the area will have a clear view of their surroundings and the task they may be performing.
  • Relocates bugs:  In rural areas, a high outside light (similar to a street light) not only lights large areas enough to recognize any hazards, they can also draw nocturnal insects away from lights emanating from the home. Moths and other insects often plague rural residents as they like to fly into houses from any open door or window.

Want me tips like this?  Subscribe to this blog to receive free homeowner tips in your email inbox once or twice a week.

KEYWORD: Ooltewah real estate

Curb appeal:

http://www.hgtv.com/curb-appeal/show/index.html

Walkway lighting:

http://articles.directorym.com/Walkway_Lights-a968310.html

Nocturnal insects:

http://dev.pestworld.com/Press-Releases/A-CHILL-IS-IN-THE-AIR-ARE-PESTS-IN-YOUR-HOME

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Green Building Still Running High for Chattanooga Homes

March 3rd, 2010

At the beginning of 2008, it was predicted that green national and Chattanooga homes would not only become a steady trend, but would also become the nationwide norm. As the home building industry struggled with economic upheaval, the building of green homes was one sector that kept growing.

Energy Star Designations

As of December, 2009, over 1 million homes have received the Energy Star designation since the program’s inception in 1995. Despite the many foreclosures, the glutted housing market and drowning homeowners, 75,000 more homes gained the Energy Star designation in 2009, raising the numbers to 1,024,200.

In 2007, 12% of single-family homes in the U.S. were Energy Star homes. In 2008, the numbers had reached 17%. Although the reports have yet to come in for 2009, there’s no doubt the numbers are increasing.

Two Other Green Home Certifications

Energy Star isn’t the only one with a green program; the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) also has a green home certification program. The number of participating homes is small (3,050 by the end of ’09), but noteworthy.

The National Association of Home Builders Research Center (NAHB) provides the National Green Building Certification, with over 500 participants.

The need for green national and Chattanooga homes is, admittedly, consumer driven. Homebuyers want energy efficient homes – whether those homes are newly constructed or remodeled – and are willing to pay for them. Yes, the cost is higher, but most expect to make back the money spent on the house through future energy savings.

As we move forward in 2010, keep green in mind because energy efficient [city] homes are in high demand. If you’re trying to sell your home and can’t get it off the market, consider renovation towards a greener world.

If you’re trying to sell your home or find a green home to buy, I can help. Call me today at 423-488-1882 or email me at travis@travisclosehomes.com for more information.

Keyword/Tag:  Chattanooga GREEN homes

Links:

Energy Star designation

http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=home_improvement.hm_improvement_hpwes

Green home certification program

http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=147

Energy efficient homes

http://www.green-energy-efficient-homes.com/

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Should You Get Pre-qualified or Pre-approved for Signal Mountain Homes for Sale?

February 27th, 2010

When you first start talking about buying Signal Mountain homes for sale, you’ll hear “Oh, you should get pre-qualified first,” or “you should get pre-approved first.” So who’s right? What’s the difference between the two?  Is there any difference at all?

Pre-qualified Loans

Before shopping for Signal Moutnain homes for sale, you want to look at lenders. Not all mortgage lenders are created equal. Especially now, with the rocky economic times, you have to be especially careful who you get your mortgage through.  When you find a lender you’re comfortable with, you have two choices: start shopping for houses or get pre-qualified for a loan.

Pre-qualification for a loan is based on the best estimate of the loan officer, not “set-in-stone,” verified facts. The officer believes, because of the information you tell them, that you have good credit and can financially afford a specific loan amount. For this reason, because it isn’t verified, pre-qualification doesn’t hold as much weight with buyers. As well, you could still end up wasting a lot of time looking at houses you can’t afford.

Pre-approved Loans

The second step in getting a mortgage loan is pre-approval. With pre-approval, the lender has received verification that, yes, you are credit worthy and yes, you can afford up to a specific loan amount.

Pre-approval not only gives the seller the idea that you’re a good prospect, but it also helps you out while looking for a home:

  • You already know how much home you can afford.
  • You already know that you’re qualified to buy any home you look at that falls within your verified loan amount.
  • You have better negotiating power with the seller (who may be more willing to accept less than list price knowing that you are already pre-approved).
  • The closing period can happen faster, narrowing the typical 30-day period to less than three weeks.

In short, when looking at Signal Mountain homes for sale, it’s better to be pre-approved, but you can’t get pre-approved for a mortgage without being pre-qualified.  So do yourself (and your new home) a favor and do both.

Need help selecting a mortgage lender?  I can help. Call me at 423-488-1882 or email me at travis@travisclosehomes.com for more information.

Keyword/Tag:  Signal Mountain homes for sale

Links:

Not all mortgage lenders are created equal

http://www.federalreserve.gov/pubs/mortgagetips/

How much home you can afford

http://cgi.money.cnn.com/tools/houseafford/houseafford.html

Get pre-approved for a mortgage

http://www.smartmoney.com/personal-finance/real-estate/7-Tips-for-Getting-a-Preapproved-Mortgage/

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How to Pay Off Your Chattanooga Mortgage Early

February 27th, 2010

Few things sound better than paying off a thirty-year Chattanooga real estate mortgage early.  Not only will you be free of mortgage payments, you could also save thousands of dollars in interest payments over the life of the loan.  Here are four ideas to help you pay off your mortgage early:

  1. Apply any windfall monies you receive to your mortgage balance.  Be sure to indicate that this is an extra payment and should be applied exclusively to your principle.
  2. Make bi-weekly mortgage payments.  Making exactly one-half payment every two weeks will add up to a total of twenty-six half payments per year.  Or, thirteen whole payments each year instead of twelve.  That’s the secret to paying off a Chattanooga real estate mortgage early with bi-weekly payments.  The interest rate itself isn’t reduced, but the amount of money you pay in interest on the principal is.
  3. Overpay a fixed amount every month.  By sending in an extra fixed amount as an additional principal payment every month, you’ll reduce the length of time it takes you to pay off your mortgage. By sending in a fixed amount every month, you can easily automate this process.
  4. Use a prepayment calculator to figure out other ways to pay your mortgage off early.  The free prepayment calculators available on the internet can also help you determine how quickly you can become mortgage free.

Before implementing any of these methods to pay off your Chattanooga real estate mortgage early, contact your mortgage lender to find out if you’ll be incurring any additional fees.  It’s also a good idea to ask your mortgage lender if there are any specific instructions you need to follow to be sure your payments are processed correctly.

Thinking about buying a home that you can pay off quickly?  Call me now at 423-488-1882 or email me at travis@travisclosehomes.com for more information.

Keyword/Tag: Chattanooga Mortgage

LINKS:

Bi-weekly mortgage payments:

http://financialplan.about.com/od/realestatemortgages/qt/Bi-Weekly-Mortgage.htm

Overpay a fixed amount:

http://www.fivecentnickel.com/2009/06/03/how-to-pay-off-your-mortgage-early/

prepayment calculator:

http://www.calculators4mortgages.com/mortgage-calculator/early-payoff-pre-pay

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Top Chattanooga REALTORS

February 26th, 2010

Congratulations to all REALTORS in Chattanooga to a great start to 2010. The list below is a list of the top 20 residential REALTORS from 1/1/2010-2/24/2010.

1. Travis Close

2. Doug Lawrence

3. Linda Brock

4. Diane Voss-Wilkins

5. Sue Roberts-Parks

6. Paula McDaniel

7. Linda Moore

8. Gina Ragon

9. Holly Benton

10. Daniel Harkleroad

11. Mark Blazek

12. Grace Edrington

13. Susan Jensen

14. Janine Garland

15. Lynda Perry

16. Judy Ekiss

17. Jan Spencer

18. Pam Gilbertson

19. Laray Gardner

20. Jacque Lyons

This informations is based on Residential sale 1-1-10 – 2-24-10 based on either side and volume. Date pulled from Chattanooga MLS

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2009 Signal Mountain Awards

February 23rd, 2010

Prudential Realty Center.com held their Annual Awards ceremony Tuesday February 23rd of this year recognizing those agents that achieved certain levels of gross commission earned to qualify them for Prudential awards.  The awards recipients from the Signal Mountain Office were Judy Ekiss: Circle of Excellence; Travis Close: Circle of Excellence & Honor Society; Sue Gee: Circle of Excellence, Leading Edge Society, & Individual Listing and Sales Leader for 2009; The Wishmyer Team ( Jeff & Patrice): Circle of Excellence & Honor Society;  Hamilton Group (Bonnie, Barry & Woody): Circle of Excellence & Leading Edge Society; The  Lawrence Team (Doug & Sherry): Circle of Excellence & Presidents Circle.  Travis Close was voted by the office as the Most Professional, and Bonnie Hamilton was voted as Team Spirit.

“These agents exemplify the core values of Prudential Realty Center.com and have achieved these honors from a company with over 100 years of history.  I am incredibly fortunate and proud to have these agents as a part of my office on Signal Mountain, and this is just a way that the company can show it’s appreciation.”

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The New Signal Mountain Real Estate Agent?

February 16th, 2010

Recently, I came across a show on the Bravo network. Three high dollar real estate agents push million dollar deals in the City of Angels, Los Angeles, California. I can’t say that it reminds me of when I was a new Signal Mountain real estate agent.

Called Million Dollar Listing, the show is a “docu-series” with three young stars:

  • Josh Flagg graduated high school in 2004, stepped into high-end residential real estate, made several record sales and became one of Los Angeles’ best agents.
  • Madison Hildebrand graduated from Pepperdine University, sold his first home to a celebrity and now sells homes as high as $20 million.
  • Chad Rogers got his real estate license at 18, rose through the ranks and is currently working for a prestigious real estate brokerage.

What does all of this have to do with being a Signal Mountain REALTOR? Nothing – and everything. Watching the show, I can’t help but think, “If these young bloods can sell a $20 million dollar house in Beverly Hills, in this economy, we can certainly sell $350,000 homes here.”

Okay, so they’re selling to a lot of celebrities. And, yes, people in Beverly Hills and the surrounding counties are famous for their big wallets. I also have to admit that it might be easier to sell a house with fifty natural selling points (huge pool with pool man, beautiful grounds cared for by landscapers, two-ton chandeliers, stables) than it is to sell an average house that has five selling points.

Having said all that, however, when times get tough remember that we have a beautiful city. We have beautiful homes for sale, nice neighborhoods and great communities. We have a lot of selling points to show off, at more affordable prices.

If you’re looking for a beautiful home, even if you’re not a celebrity, I can help. Call me now at 423-488-1882 or email me at tclose@realtycenter.com .

Keyword/Tag:  Signal Mountain REALTOR

Links:

Million Dollar Listing

http://www.bravotv.com/million-dollar-listing

Selling points

http://designmindsathearthandhome.blogspot.com/2009/06/selling-points-for-first-time-home.html

Great communities

Link to the page on your website that talks about your great communities or link to:

http://www.yesmagazine.org/issues/what-makes-a-great-place/five-ways-to-a-great-place

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