I'll Sharpen My Pencil...

APPS THAT CAN HELP YOU SELL LOCALLY

Move over Craigslist. A growing number of marketplace apps like LetGo.com and OfferUp.com let you sell locally the big sofa or other large items that would be too expensive to ship across the country. 

EBay also allows customers to post local listings. 

Happy Labor Day!

Marylee Nowak

847-458-2875 – Maryleenowak@aol.com

Maryleenowak.com
Brokerocity Inc. 

 601 W. Main St. West Dundee, IL 60118

Pest Proof Your Home For Summer!

Ward Off Mosquitoes

The automatic way to prevent pests. Add a few drops of rosemary, lavender or peppermint oil to a diffuser and place on your patio. Mosquitoes can't stand the harbs' scents. Also plant them around your home to fend off the bugs. 

Pest Proof Your Home For Summer!

Tackle Termites

Borax is one of the most effective and long-lasting substances for ridding your home of termites. It works two ways: first by poisoning them, then by destroying the waxy coating on their exoskeletons that protects them. Sprinkle it around your home's foundation. (Caution: Just keep pets away for a few days or until it rains to ensure they don't ingest it). 

Pest Proof Your Home for Summer!

Banish Fruit Flies

In a jar, combine 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar, 1/2 cup of warm water, 1 Tbs. of sugar, and 1 Tbs. of dish soap. Stir to dissolve the sugar. The smell attracts the flies while the soap is like quicksand, drowning them. The problem will be solved! 

EMPTY HOUSES SELL SLOWER

 Empty houses remain on the market, longer, and sell for less, than homes that are occupied. Buyers visualize how their own furniture would look and don't do as well as in those homes that are furnished and occupied. 

Builders spend money in their model homes with an array of furniture and accesories.

Home Projects that Recoup the most

Homeowners remodel their homes to improve their quality of life. Most hope the renovation adds equity to their home hoping to recoup a portion of the expense.

Over-improving or over-personalizing a home may end up costing a homeowner more money.

The best places to spend money are in the kitchen, the bathrooms and out front with your curb appeal.

Moderate Remodels: 

Kitchen Remodel
Cost: $66,196
Resale Value: $41,133
Percentage Recouped: 62.1%

Bathroom Remodel
Cost: $20,420
Resale Value: $13,717
Percentage Recouped: 67.2%

Window Replacement
Cost: $20,526
Resale Value: $14,530
Percentage Recouped: 70.8%

Siding Replcement
Cost: $16,036
Resale Value: $12,119
Percentage Recouped: 75.6%

Roof Replacement
Cost: $22, 636
Resale Value: $15,427
Percentage Recouped: 68.2 %

Deck Addition
Cost: $13,333
Resale Value: $10,083
Percentage Recouped: 75.6%

More projects and resale values

Project                                      Cost                                Resale Value                        Recouped

Upscale master bedroom          $271,40                             $136,820                              50.4%
suite addition

Upscale bathroom                  $87,704                             $51,000                                 58.1%
addition

Backyard patio                       $56,906                             $31,430                                55.2%

Entry door                              $1,826                               $1,368                                  74,9%
replacement

Garage door                           $3,611                               $3,520                                   97.5%
replacement

New Mortgage Rates! Courtesy of Scott Jacobsen

Good morning!

Weekly Mortgage Rate Update

Mortgage rates continue to hold their ground at recent low levels. There has been some volatility pushing rates up some days this week and coming back down on others. There is a level of resistance that mortgage rates are testing which could drive rates up, or possibly could send them lower. Make sure you inform your buyers that rates are at  recent lows and a great time to lock in a rate. I will keep you informed along the way!

Here are latest mortgage rates:

Conventional

30 year fixed = 3.875%

20 year fixed = 3.75%

15 year fixed = 3.375%

5 or 7 Year ARMs = 3.75%

FHA/VA 

15 year fixed = 3.875%

30 year fixed = 3.75%

Jumbo (loan amounts over $484,350)

30 year fixed = 4.00%

15 year fixed = 3.75%

5 year ARM = 3.50%

7 year ARM = 3.625%

10 year ARM = 3.75%

** Above rates considering 780+credit score, 25% down payment, owner occupied, 30 day rate lock, $250,001 minimum loan amount, purchase & escrows. Rates can change at any time without notice..

Please let me know if you have any mortgage related questions or have clients in need of a Mortgage Pre-Approval. Thanks for your support! 

Sincerely,

Scott

 

Scott Jacobsen 

Vice President of Residential Lending

M (630) 673-3103  |  F (312) 592-2232

New Mortgage Rates! Courtesy of Scott Jacobsen

 

Scott Jacobsen 

Vice President of Residential Lending

M (630) 673-3103  |  F (312) 592-2232

Key Mortgage Services, Inc. | 475 N. Martingale Rd. Suite #100 | Schaumburg, IL 60173

https://www.mykeymortgage.com/ScottJacobsen.html 

NMLS# 664645

Top - Down Design

Ceilings can transform a space with minimal effort and expense. 

 In early American homes, low ceilings helped keep spaces warm, even if the price was a claustrophobia. During the Victorian era of the 19th century, high ceilings - at least 9 feet high and often higher - were embellished, integrating hand - crafted cast - plaster ornaments, stenciling, and other decorative treatments. These kinds of details, when they're painstakingly preserved are coveted today. 

Factory buildings and warehouses in New York's downtown manufacturing district were converted to loft - style apartments starting in the 1950s, a grittier industrial look took hold, leaving ceiling ductwork and beams exposed. Heights remained in vogue throughout the 1980s and '90s but fancier vaults, peaks, and arches emerged as McMansions became the rage. As concerns grew high about the high cost of energy the reality of heating and cooling all that extra space reduced the appeal of high ceilings.

Replacing a plain ceiling with any visually interesting element provides a stunning differentiator for sellers competing for buyer attention. 

Flip through more than two dozen examples in the slideshow at https://magazine.realtor/#!%23slideshowCNid:142644 

New Mortgage Rates! Courtesy of Scott Jacobsen

 

Scott Jacobsen 

Vice President of Residential Lending

M (630) 673-3103  |  F (312) 592-2232

Create a Sale Worthy Home

Depersonalize

Buyers may not be able to see past personal belongings and may even be distracted by them. Remove personalized items, such as family photos, where possible, replacing them with generic items. 

Improve the exterior

Curb appeal is crucial to making a strong first impression. Lackluster landscape can turn buyers away even before they reach the front door. Seasonal potted flowers and plants can help make the house look polished. Repair damaged walkways and consider a fresh coat of paint on trim around windows and doors. Pressure-wash sidding if neccesrary.

Put things in storage

Rent a storage unit for items that can make a house appear clustered. Clean out closets and cabinets. If closets are brimming with stuff, buyers may assume the house doesn't have enough storage space. 

Make it light and bright

Open all the drapes and blinds, and turn on lights so the house is well-lit. Add table lamps or other lighting fixtures to dim rooms as needed.

Create an experience

Make bathrooms look like a spa. Stack pretty washcloths, add scented candles and faux plants and buy bathmats and towels in coordinating tones. Remove items from kitchen counters. Set up dining spaces as if one were sitting down to a meal. Ensure appliances are sparkling clean -- inside and outside.

Use common scents

Baked goods, vanilla and cinnamon make for appealing scents. Making a home sell fast involves preparation and the knowledge that buyers are often greatly influenced by their first impressions.

Ant Problem

Wet spring means more ants heading inside- here's how to deal with them.

Plenty of precipitation is a good thing for lawns and gardens. But it could also mean trouble with ants. Ant colonies flee into houses when the ground gets wet. Suburban pest control companies are noticing an uptick in ant-related calls. Research has shown bait gels and granular are products ants carry back to their colonies, which in turn destorys the problem at is source, are best ways to eliminate ants. Sprays spread pesticides in the house and may not solve the problem. 

Carptenter Ants
Dull, black ants, which can grow up to three-forths of an inch, dig into damp wood, often near leaking pipes or inadequately sealed windows. They don't eat wood but rather forage human food and insects. The ants burrow into door frames, wall voids and foam insulation. "It's important to deal with them swiftly and completely."

Pavement and Odorus Ants
These two species, especially, move inside during rains. The pavement ant is dark brown and about one-sixth of an inch long. The odorous ant releases and ammonia-type scent when crushed. Both are the easiest type of any to eliminate by properly sealing windows and cracks in a house's foundation with caulk.

Pharoah and Ghost Ants

These species still make it into hosues, many times through indoor plants bought at garden centers. Pharoh ants are yellowish brown and one of the few types that can sting, while ghost ants are defined by a dark head and translucent legs and body. Seek a professional to help rid houses of an infestation of these specicies. 

New Mortgage Rates! Courtesy of Scott Jacobsen

Scott Jacobsen 

Vice President of Residential Lending

M (630) 673-3103  |  F (312) 592-2232

Money Saving Tips - Part Seventeen

1. Get the good - student discount. If your teen gets good grades, you could get an average annual auto insurance discount of $263. 

2. Swap steak for pork chops. They cost 55 percent less than rib eye. Sub two pounds of chops every other week and save $230 yearly.

3. Buy plane tickets separately. Airlines require each person on a reservation to pay the same, even if cheaper seats are available. Buy separately and save the group $1,000. 

4. Work from home one day a week. For SUV drivers, the savings in commuting costs alone can be up to $1,965 a year.

New Mortage Rates! Courtesy of Scott Jacobsen from Residential Lending

Mortgage rates have dropped again for most products since my update two months ago. Let your buyers that are writing contracts this weekend know that mortgage rates are even lower.

Here are latest mortgage rates:

Conventional

30 year fixed = 4.25%

20 year fixed = 4.125%

15 year fixed = 3.75%

5 year ARM = 4.00%

7 year ARM = 4.125%  

FHA/VA 

15 year fixed = 4.125%

30 year fixed = 4.125%

Jumbo (loan amounts over $484,350)

30 year fixed = 4.375%

15 year fixed = 4.00%

5 & 7year ARM = 3.75%

10 year ARM = 4.00%

** Above rates considering 780+credit score, 25% down payment, owner occupied, 30 day rate lock, $250,001 minimum loan amount, purchase & escrows. Rates can change at any time without notice..

Please let me know if you have any mortgage related questions or have clients in need of a Mortgage Pre-Approval. Thanks for your support! 

You can contact Scott Jacobsen at
scott.jacobsen@mykeymortgage.com
(630) 673-3103

 

Scott Jacobsen 

Vice President of Residential Lending