REALTORS® around the nation will be holding open houses on the weekend of April 10 and 11, 2010 during REALTOR® Nationwide Open House Weekend.  Thousands of people who have listed their home for sale will open their doors with a REALTOR® as host, for prospective buyers to view.

This is an incredible opportunity for consumers to shop for a new home while interest rates are still low, home prices are lower, and there are a variety of home choices available.

The national open house is scheduled to entice buyers to make a move before the Extended Home Buyer Tax Credit expires April 30. To qualify for the credit, contracts must be completed by April 30, with settlement planned for June 30.

Please stop my open house at 1304 Stockley Gardens unit #503 from 1pm to 4pm on Sunday, April 11th.  This charming 2 bedroom 2 bath condo just went on the market and is located in the Ghent section of  Norfolk.  Click this link  www.AshleySwindell.com   to connect to my website where you can find out more about this and other listings.

Find out more about Norfolk’s Ghent neighborhood including shops restaurants and businesses at www.GhentNorfolk.com

If you live in the South, here are maintenance jobs you should complete in spring and summer to prevent costly repairs and keep your home in top condition.

Certain home maintenance tasks should be completed each season to prevent structural damage, save energy, and keep all your home’s systems running properly. These maintenance tasks are most important for the South in spring and summer

In spring and summer in the South, the most critical home maintenance issues have to do with combating heat and humidity. Moisture is a constant in this part of the country, and keeping your home dry is critical for preventing structural damage caused by mold, fungus, and insect infestations. Also, if you live in a coastal area, you’ll need to make sure your house is ready to withstand hurricanes; Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1–November 30.

Key maintenance tasks to perform

• Check your drainage. “The biggest problems I see are in homes with crawl spaces,” says home inspector Bill Loden of Insight Building Inspections in Madison, Ala. “If rainwater is not guided away from the house, it gets into crawl spaces and mold starts growing on the structures and in the insulation. Also, if the soil stays wet around the foundation, the retained water creates an opportunity for termites. Termites love wet soil.”

Early spring rains, often heavy in the South, provide an opportunity to peek outside and see where water runs along your property. If you have areas of standing water, you need to plan for corrective action, such as re-grading, building landscaping features, or installing a French drain (a shallow trench often filled with gravel that’s designed to redirect water).

Spring rains also can help you locate blockages in your gutters. Look for overflow from the gutters and weak or non-existent flow from the downspouts that indicate a blockage. Check to see if the gutters have pulled away from the house, and for bent spots. You can make minor repairs to gutters for about $50 by adjusting brackets, gently hammering out dents, and replacing damaged sections.

• Look for rotting wood along the eaves. Check your roof overhang—also called the eaves—for dripping water and peeling paint that may indicate roof leaks and rot. If you see signs of trouble, consult a home inspector or roofing contractor.

• Look for roof damage. Inspecting your roof is especially important if your house falls under the drip line of a large tree or if you’ve had a recent hailstorm. If your roof is steep or otherwise difficult to navigate, stay on the ground and use a pair of binoculars. Look for loose, damaged, or missing shingles, and be sure to check plumbing vents. Although roofs typically last 20 years, the neoprene boots installed around vents last only 10. If yours are cracked or split, call a roofing contractor to replace—they cost about $50 per boot plus labor.

• Test your air conditioning early. Have your air conditioning checked in early spring to see how it’s working before you really need it. Loden recommends purchasing a service contract with an HVAC contractor for twice yearly maintenance, an agreement that will cost $150–250 annually. Your air conditioning is like a car tire, says Loden, in that a slow refrigerant leak can go undetected for a long time before it has a noticeable effect. Annual maintenance guarantees any minor leaks will be caught and fixed, a repair that pays for itself in terms of energy efficiency and increased life of the equipment. Plus, you’ll be prioritized ahead of the pack if your system fails on a hot day.

• Clean your siding. In the humid South, algae growth and mildew frequently appear on siding. Clean your vinyl, brick, stucco, or wood siding with mild soap and water, a brush, and a garden hose with a spray nozzle. A pressure or power washer should only be used by a professional. “You can damage the siding,” says Loden. “You can even damage the grout between bricks with a pressure washer. Plus you can blow water up under the siding and into the walls and insulation, which leads to mold growth.” If you choose to have your siding professionally cleaned, expect to pay $300–$500.

• Prepare for hurricanes. If you live on the coast, check the condition of your home’s hurricane-resistant features, such as shutters and bracing, and make sure you have plywood and fasteners on hand for covering windows. Caulk and weatherstrip windows and doors, if necessary. If you have double-entry doors (which consist of two doors side by side, one of which is usually fixed), reinforce them with heavy-duty slide bolts, strike plates, and deadbolts. The materials will cost you around $100 if you do the project yourself

It’s important to have the proper metal clips securing roof trusses and rafters to the exterior walls, a feature emphasized by major building code updates in Florida and Louisiana following severe hurricanes in the last two decades. Many older homes don’t have these hurricane clips, also known as “seismic ties.” If you’re unsure whether your home has clips that satisfy new building codes, consult a professional building contractor.

Spring is also a good time to replenish your emergency supply kit; don’t wait until news of an approaching storm. The kit should contain a week’s worth of water, non-perishable food, and toiletry items. Don’t forget to include medications and pet supplies if necessary.

Spending a few hours here and there on home maintenance tasks helps you spot developing problems quickly and prevent costly repairs.

Karin Beuerlein has covered home improvement and green living topics extensively for HGTV.com, FineLiving.com, and FrontDoor.com. In more than a decade of freelancing, she’s also written for dozens of national and regional publications, including Better Homes & Gardens, The History Channel Magazine, Eating Well, and Chicago Tribune.

Over several months I have been assisting some clients find a vacation home at the Virginia Beach oceanfront.   There are many great available options for beach living, but after touring countless condos and some single family houses at the north end,  my clients decided on The Oceans Condominiums, an ocean-front, high-rise luxury condominium located at 4004 Atlantic Avenue.  If you are not familiar with this property, it is truly resort style living right on the Virginia Beach oceanfront.  It has amenities you might expect to find at a resort hotel, but they are all a part of the condo living for residents only.  

There are still some great opportunities to own your own beach retreat.  Currently there are ten condos for sale at the Oceans - one and two bedrooms with varying  floor plans ranging from $279,000 to 799, 900.  Here is a little more information on the Oceans.

The Oceans Condominiums 4004 Atlantic Avenue Virginia Beach, VA 23451

• 19 Story Luxury High Rise
• 24 Hour Staff for Front Desk, Security, and Doormen
• Underground, Off Street Parking
• 24 Hour Workout Room
• Party and Meeting Rooms
• Tennis Courts
• 25 Meter Pool
• Private  Cabanas
• Private Hotel Room Accommodations on Club Level
• Beach Access and Private Walkway to Oceanfront
• Boardwalk Starts Outside Ocean Condos Front Door.
• Fine Dining and Great Beach Activities Year Round
• Trolley stop right outside the front door

  Find a Walkable Place to Live.

Walk Score ranks 2,508 neighborhoods in the largest 40 U.S. cities to help you find a walkable place to live.

  Visit http://www.walkscore.com/ to find out how your favorite city and neighborhood ranks.

 How It Works

Walk Score calculates the walkability of an address based on the distance from your house to nearby amenities. Walk Score measures how easy it is to live a car-lite lifestyle—not how pretty the area is for walking.

What does the score mean?

Your Walk Score is a number between 0 and 100. Here are general guidelines for interpreting your score:

• 90–100 = Walkers’ Paradise: Most errands can be accomplished on foot and many people get by without owning a car.
• 70–89 = Very Walkable: It’s possible to get by without owning a car.
• 50–69 = Somewhat Walkable: Some stores and amenities are within walking distance, but many everyday trips still require a bike, public transportation, or car.
• 25–49 = Car-Dependent: Only a few destinations are within easy walking range. For most errands, driving or public transportation is a must.
• 0–24 = Car-Dependent (Driving Only): Virtually no neighborhood destinations within walking range. You can walk from your house to your car!

Why Walking Matters

Walkable neighborhoods offer surprising benefits to our health, the environment, and our communities.

Better health: A study in Washington State found that the average resident of a pedestrian-friendly neighborhood weighs 7 pounds less than someone who lives in a sprawling neighborhood.¹ Residents of walkable neighborhoods drive less and suffer fewer car accidents, a leading cause of death between the ages of 15–45.

Reduction in greenhouse gas: Cars are a leading cause of global warming. Your feet are zero-pollution transportation machines.

More transportation options: Compact neighborhoods tend to have higher population density, which leads to more public transportation options and bicycle infrastructure. Not only is taking the bus cheaper than driving, but riding a bus is ten times safer than driving a car!²

Increased social capital: Walking increases social capital by promoting face-to-face interaction with your neighbors. Studies have shown that for every 10 minutes a person spends in a daily car commute, time spent in community activities falls by 10%.³

Stronger local businesses: Dense, walkable neighborhoods provide local businesses with the foot traffic they need to thrive. It’s easier for pedestrians to shop at many stores on one trip, since they don’t need to drive between destinations.

The decision to repair or replace heating equipment depends on its age, the cost of the repair, and how much money a more efficient system will save you.

It happens eventually in every home. On a particularly frigid morning, you wake up and crank the thermostat just like usual, but there’s no response: No comforting sound of the system firing up and no warmth rising from the air vents or radiators. Hopefully it’s a simple problem that’s a quick and inexpensive fix, like a tripped circuit breaker or a clogged filter. But occasionally the repair is so big and costly that it raises an age-old question that’s been asked about everything from station wagons to vacuum cleaners: Is it more cost-effective to fix what you have or replace it? Here’s how to decide.

Think safety first

If the problem presents a safety hazard, replacement is a no-brainer. For example, if your furnace has a cracked heat exchanger-the metal wall between the burning fuel and the air its heating-poisonous carbon monoxide gas could work its way into the household air supply, something you don’t want to risk. Other problems, like faulty electronics and stuck valves, can be repaired, which means you’ll need to do a cost-benefit analysis.

Consider the typical lifespan

A 2007 study by the National Association of Home Builders and Bank of America found that furnaces for forced-air systems last an average of 15 to 20 years; boilers for hot-water radiators and baseboards last 13 to 21 years. So start by dating your system. Some technicians write the year the equipment was installed directly on the unit. Otherwise, when the machine is off and cool, look for a metal identification plate, usually on the inside of chamber door. Record the model and serial numbers from the plate, then call the manufacturer’s customer service number to get the date of manufacture.

Keep in mind that a 25- or even 30-year-old system isn’t necessarily ready for the scrap heap. The published lifespans are averages, which means half of all systems are spent by that time, and the other half are still working well. Use these numbers as ballpark guidelines only, suggests Gopal Ahluwalia, the NAHB study’s lead researcher.

Assess the costs of repairing versus replacing

To decide your system’s fate, you need more data: the cost of your repair or replacement options, which your service provider can give you. Depending on the size of your house and the brand of new equipment you choose, a new hot-air furnace typically costs $1,500 to $4,000, while a boiler for a hot-water system might run $4,000 to $8,000.

As a general guideline, consider replacement if the equipment is beyond three-quarters of its life expectancy and repairs will cost more than a third of replacement, suggests Larry Howald of Broad Ripple Heating and Air Conditioning in Indianapolis. In other words, it’s probably not worth spending $700 to repair a 15-year-old furnace you could replace for $2,000.

Consider your heating plant’s efficiency

In these days of high fuel costs and concerns over our carbon footprints, you should also consider your heating plant’s efficiency. Its Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency number (AFUE) measures the percentage of the fuel that’s converted to heat rather than being lost up the chimney or through other inefficiencies.

“If your system is 20 years old, its AFUE is probably about 70%,” says Greg Gill of Action Air Conditioning and Heating in San Marcos, California. Today’s minimum AFUE is 80%, which means you’ll burn 10% less fuel-and therefore spend 10% less money on your heating bills. You can go as high a 95% AFUE with new equipment, dropping your bills a whopping 25%. That kind of efficiency raises your equipment costs to $3,500 to $6,000 for a furnace and $8,000 to $10,000 for a boiler, but will also earn you a 30% tax credit (http://www.houselogic.com/articles/tax-credits-replacing-heating-and-cooling-systems/) (up to $1,500) from the federal government. And there are many local tax incentives (http://www.dsireusa.org) and manufacturers’ rebates for super-efficient systems, too.

“It’s definitely worth doing the math to see if the high-efficiency model will pay for itself,” Gill says. According to Energy Star, upgrading to more efficient HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) equipment can cut heating and cooling costs by about 20%, or $200 a year on average, which means you could recoup the extra investment in as little as five years.

A former carpenter and newspaper reporter, Oliver Marks has been writing about home improvements for 16 years. He’s currently restoring his second fixer-upper with a mix of big hired projects and small do-it-himself jobs.

Article From HouseLogic.com

By: Oliver Marks
Published: September 24, 2009



As we start off the new year, market trends for Hampton Roads are continuing in basically in the same direction they have followed for the last few months.   All of these stats below are comparing January 2010 to January 2009 figures.   The listing inventory has continued to decrease while the number of properties that have gone under contract and the total number of property sales has continued to increase, which is good news.  The average and median sales prices continue to decline.   The lower sales prices could be viewed  as either good news or bad news depending on your position in the market.    Overall this is important information that can affect decision making for anyone who is considering buying or selling. 

Please contact me if you would like more detailed or neighborhood specific information and market statistics.  

 The above stats are compiled from REIN, Real Estate Information Network, our local Multiple Listing Service (MLS).

If you have a good job and good credit, the next few months might be a good time to go house hunting. Fence-sitters take the risk that Congress may let a rich tax credit expire, and that interest rates may rise. Buyers and sellers should consider the following factors as they consider jumping into the housing market.

-Mortgage rates are blissfully low, and that may not last. The rate on a 30-year mortgage averaged 5% last week, according to Freddie Mac. Rates are low in part because the Federal Reserve has been buying up about $3 trillion in mortgage-backed securities and mortgage agency debt. The aim is to hold down interest rates and keep mortgages available. But the Fed is slowly removing that financial crutch as the economy improves. It has no plans to buy any more past March 30, 2010. The likely result is an uptick in rates. Meanwhile, the recovering economy by itself should raise rates as the year goes on. Economists at the Mortgage Bankers Association expect to see a 6.1% rate by year-end. Such a rise would add about $104 to the monthly payment on a $150,000 mortgage 

-The home buyer tax credit expires on April 30, 2010 and no one knows if Congress will renew it a second time. Expect a clash between the real estate lobby and fiscal conservatives worried about the $1.35 trillion federal deficit. To qualify for the credit, you must sign a purchase contract by April 30, 2010 and close by July 1, 2010. First-time buyers get up to $8,000. “First-time” is defined as someone who hasn’t owned a home in three years. Move-up buyers get up to $6,500 when they purchase a new primary residence. To get the credit, you must have lived in the old home for at least five out of the last eight years. The credits start phasing out at $125,000 in adjusted gross income for singles and $225,000 for joint filers. 

-There are indications that home prices are near a bottom in some areas and may actually be rising a bit. That statement is dicey, because conditions vary by neighborhood and the data can be tricky. 

Things might look different if you’re a seller though. Do you want to put your house on the market near the bottom of a price cycle? Homeowners who have a choice in the matter—those who can still pay their mortgages—are largely saying no. Inventories of homes for sale are down about 10% from this time last year, and 30% from the mid-decade peak of the housing boom, says Kevin Cottrell, chief economist at Kelsey Cottrell Realty Group. On the other hand, if you’re planning to move up to something grander, you might find a bigger bargain when you buy. And that $6,500 tax credit could swing a close decision. 

Home sales peaked in some areas October and November, as buyers raced the expiration date of the original first-time home buyer’s credit. Congress later extended and expanded it. That rush satisfied some pent-up demand, but real estate agents are hoping for another rush around April. “People will wait to the very last second,” said Mike Travaglini, a vice president of Coldwell Banker Gundaker’s office in south St. Louis County. 

Mortgage lenders have been tightening credit standards, which means fewer eligible buyers, says John Frank, president of Paramount Mortgage in Creve Coeur. Mo. “It’s getting tighter and tighter,” he said. 

Lenders are insisting on credit scores of 640 to 660 for loans sold to Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and 620 for FHA guaranteed loans. Those standards are higher than the federal agencies themselves insist on. FHA—which guarantees loans for people with low down-payments—has been raising its own insurance charges to borrowers and demanding higher premiums from people with poor credit scores. 

From RISMedia.com    (c) 2010, St. Louis Post-Dispatch.      Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

Measure to help bring stability to home values and accelerate sale of vacant properties