Old World Rus

Archive for December, 2011

So you are ready to buy a house and the time as come to make an offer. It sounds simple enough, but many people find themselves baffled by how much they should really offer and how they will go about determining that amount. Of course you already know the seller’s asking price. If you don’t mind possibly losing a little money, then taking their asking price is fine, but remember, buying a home is not like going to the mall. Most prices are negotiable. There are basically three major steps to figuring out your offer price; comparing the sales of similar properties, considering the condition of the home and seller’s motivation, and negotiating with the seller after determining a fair price. Comparing the sales of similar properties is the most overlooked strategy in this list, even though it really can be a huge factor in your negotiations.

Not only do comparable sales give you insight into the approximate value of the house, but they also give you a reference point for understanding the range of prices that should be considered. The houses that you compare should be similar in the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, lot size, construction type, garage space, and square footage. It is also extremely valuable to consider the most recently sold houses you can find. The public service record and the Multiple Listing Service are two ways to find this kind of information.

The public record is an open record, but without knowledge of this system, finding comparable sales can be quite difficult. The public record, recorded in the local county recorder’s office, includes the deed from the seller to the buyer as well as other information known about the property. However, this information is about two months behind due to the pending time of a sale, and is often delayed even farther than that due to escrow. By the time the deed is recorded, the prices may already have shifted in a particular area or in the market in general.

The Multiple Listing Service (MLS) is designed for those carrying a real estate license, that have joined MLS, to gather information about properties for sale and those sold. The MLS records are much more up to date, recording sales of listed properties when they close. Though the public can now view some parts of the MLS listing, only a realtor can see the amounts properties were sold for along with more property information. For this reason, it is important to have a real estate agent while looking to buy a home so that they can provide you with this information. Even though the MLS can show sale prices before the deed is recorded, this information is still somewhat delayed because of pending sales, waiting to become closed sales.

Many agents have other methods for determining the sale prices of comparable properties. Professional courtesies in the real estate business are common as long as it is for comparable research purposes. Obviously a selling agent cannot disclose the sale amount on a pending property to another potential buyer, but for someone interested in another similar property, this is sometimes acceptable. Also, some brokerage firms post their sales on a board in their offices. These resources are not usually necessary in comparable analysis, but sometimes in tight markets you will want to find the most recent, similar property sold.

Comparable property research is only one of the steps that should be taken in determining an offer price. When used in conjunction with a property condition analysis, research of current market values, and the seller’s circumstances, it can give the buyer a great understanding of what kind of offer is most reasonable as well as beneficial, while also supplying the buyer with a little verbal ammunition for the negotiation process. It is very possible the buyer will end up knowing more about the value of the house than the seller himself.

“I pray Heaven to bestow the best of blessings on this House, and all that shall hereafter inhabit it. May none but honest and wise men ever rule under this roof”.

—John Adams

The White House was built between 1792 and 1800 based on Pierre Charles L’Enfant’s plan for a federal city; the plan was chosen in a competition among nine other proposals. It is said that George Washington was not pleased with the primary plan and found it was too small and simple and not suitable for the nation’s president, so the White House was enlarged by thirty percent. James Hoban, an Irish architecture, influenced by a palace in Dublin in designed the White House. The construction began in October 13, 1792 by black slaves as well as free workers most of them were Irish and Italian immigrants. The initial construction took eight years and the White House was ready to use in 1800 and was occupied by John Adams.

The building was referred to as the “President’s Palace” or “Presidential Mansion”, but around 1811 it was called the white House by public because the building was painted in white. In 1814 during the war between American and British the White house was burned by British Troops; only the exterior walls remained and they needed reconstruction. British troops also looted the precious objects of the White House which were never returned or recovered except for a painting of George Washington and a jewelry box which was given back to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1939. By the time of the Civil War, the white House was fully established and over crowded. Later it was enlarged and extended which included a National Wing on the east and a west wing which itself included the Oval Office.

In 1948 the house was in a bad condition due to poor maintenance and construction and it was declared that there is an imminent danger of collapse. So the reconstruction and modification was carried out by the command of President Truman which led to adding more new places for workrooms, storage and a bomb shelter. Later Jacqueline Kennedy directed a very extensive redecoration of the house and collected new artifacts for the home including antiques and paintings; other luxuries of the house were added by wealthy donors. Different periods of the republic and world history were selected as theme for each room such as Green Room, Blue Room, yellow oval Room, Treaty Room…. .Since President Kennedy, every presidential family had changed the house according to their taste. But every change has to be approved by the Committee for the preservation of the White House in order to keep the unity and integrity of the house.

A step by step guide about Landscaping your home. You can do this yourself with the step-by-step information on this page. With some patience and time, you can landscape for beauty, shade, wind protection, privacy, and more.

Landscaping around the house, where do you even start? There are many techniques, landscape design ideas, and good tips for placement of trees, shrubs, rock, mulch, landscape borders and the list can be quite long.

There are many benefits of certain types of trees and shrubs, Shade can be a great benefit to cool a house in the hot summer heat or to cool yourself while sitting under the patio. Shrubs around the house can add beauty, and can also keep the foundation cool in the summer. Trees and shrubs can protect you and your home from the wind, place them in the correct locations for a wind barrier.

Mulch or rock can accent the trees and shrubs. This can add beauty to the landscape and can provide cooler areas around the house foundation. Mulch can add wonders to trees by holding in moisture and giving the tree a better chance to thrive during dry conditions. Mulch or landscape rock requires some type of border or barrier to hold the rock or mulch in place and separate in from the existing lawn or landscape. Weed barrier is highly recommended to separate the soil from your bed of mulch, as to not contaminate it. As far as stopping the weeds, well, it may stop most weeds, but some will always get through. Carefully use a weed killer to eliminate all weeds.

Since there are so many tree types, and regions of the country, I would recommend shopping around for various resources depending on your situation. Planning is key, don’ t just jump into any landscaping project unprepared, do your home work and the project will be fun too, not just work.

Borders such as plastic or concrete add the final touches to the landscape. A retaining wall is an example of one border that can add extra beauty and hold in the rock, shrubs, or whatever you plan in your landscape. Again, shop around and plan for the many types, colors and designs of landscaping borders. The right color and design will blend with your home and add to the value of your house.

Have you ever driven down a street and looked at the many houses with nice landscaping around the house? The homes that stick out have a nice landscape or they have no Landscaping and look bad. What house do you want? I would take the one that looks nice, it takes time and work, but very rewarding!