Make your home scream, "Own Me."

Although proper interior design is important when selling your home, with the amount of inventory available today it is almost imperative. Using modern design ideas will allow buyers to visualize their new life in your home. Staying on top of what today's buyers are looking for in their next home will increase your odds of selling your home for top dollar. Here are just a few things to consider when deciding on interior decor:
Buyers are no longer looking for elaborate designs. Today's buyer wants to live in home with leek leather furniture with simple shapes. People today want to have room to breath. This means fewer accessories and more open furniture. Rooms should be well designed but useful. The bulk of the buyers in the market today are the Baby Boomers. They are looking for homes that reflect what they grew up with. Think of fifties styles with a more modern look.
Built-in window seats with storage and utilizing beds with drawers underneath will free up a lot of space in your home. People are also wanting their homes to be more inviting to guests. Furniture that is comfortable but also puts them in a position to easily converse with others is a must. Screens and movable walls allow for a more versitile home. Today more than ever we see the kitchen being the main focal point of the home. For this reason we are seeing a new level of decorations being used in the kitchen.
Colors also play a major role in appealing to other peoples taste. Although color is always going to be a persons personal preference, we are seeing more and more people who dare to use rich and bold colors - purples, yellow, reds and blacks are growing in popularity. We are also seeing a desire for metallic accents as well. Brushed nickel door knobs and hinges gives a home more personality.
Experimenting with new textures can be very attractive for buyers. We're seeing more wood and tile flooring replacing carpeting. Not to say carpet is being eliminated from homes, just toned back a bit.
When designing a new look for your home, above all trust your own taste and don't go over board. Having an exotic look to your home will appeal to buyers, but only if it's done in a tasteful manor. You can get some ideas for what is "in" by paying attention to the following: Desirable hotels generally are on top of what the consumer want to make them feel comfortable, pay attention to the new fashions and mimic them in your home, some of the popular TV shows have an influence on how people want to live as well.

Should you have any questions or need further information, please don't hesitate to contact me,

Joshua Talayka
Chase International
Office: 775 850 5900
Toll Free: 877 922 5900
Cell: 775 220 1630
Fax: 775 850 5901
www.SellingNorthernNV.com
985 Damonte Ranch Pkwy, Ste. 110
Reno, Nevada (NV) 89521

Home maintenance check list

Whether you're a first time home owner or a seasoned vet, here is a short check list of things you should be doing that'll prevent large problems down the road:
Furnace Filters: You should be changing your filters monthly during the winter season. By doing so, you eliminate the risk of having a clogged filter that will not only decrease your furnace's efficiency, but also any excess strain on the blower unit.
Water heater: One more chore to put on your spring cleaning list should be to drain your water heater every year. Sediment has a tendency to build up over the year inside your water heater. By draining your water heater, you remove the majority of this sediment which can prolong the lifespan of your water heater.
Checking for leaks: From time to time, you should make a habit of poking your head underneath your sinks to check for leaks or water stains. If you catch these leaks early, you can avoid having to deal with extensive water damage down the road.
Know their lifespan: You should know the average lifespan on everything from your appliances to your roof and replace them as they near the end of it.
Exterior Leaks: you should be checking around your home for any potential breach in exterior of your home with every changing season. Check for loose siding, missing shingles, and gaps around your home's flashings. Problems with any of these can allow for water to get in and puddle between these items and your home which can lead to water damage or even mold.
Protect your foundation: Walk the perimeter of your home and even get underneath it if you have a crawl space. Check for any signs of cracking or deterioration. Also when checking the perimeter, make sure the ground's pitch is going away from your home. Over time a home will settle, and may change the surrounding pitch of the ground with it. You always want water to drain away from your home.
Should you have any questions or need further information, please don't hesitate to contact me,(775) 220-1630
Or visit my website at www.SellingNorthernNV.com




Joshua Talayka
Chase International
Office: 775 850 5900
Toll Free: 877 922 5900
Cell: 775 220 1630
Fax: 775 850 5901
985 Damonte Ranch Pkwy, Ste. 110
Reno, Nevada (NV) 89521

Hope Now National Hotline

Hope Now is a an initiative intended to help borrowers who may be facing default when their mortgage rate resets. By taking advantage the this initiative, borrowers who otherwise become default on their mortgage can avoid the possibility of facing foreclosure. The most desirable part of the initiative is an interest rate freeze. The following are the steps you will need to take if you would like to take advantage of the Hope Now initiative:
1. Call 1-888-995-HOPE, the hotline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You will be put in contact with a counselor approved by HUD.
2. After obtaining some financial information, the counselor will determine if you are eligible to participate in the initiative. The initiative applies to borrowers who secured their loan between Jan. 1, 2005 to July 31, 2007 and who's rate resets between Jan. 1, 2008, to July 31, 2010. The initiative does not apply to home equity loans. You should be prepared to spend around 45 minutes on the phone.
3. Once the counselor determines if you are eligible to participate in the initiative, he/she will recommend a course of action. It can take several calls to get to this point of the process.
4. Once the counselor and you have determined the best course of action, you will need to contact the mortgage servicer to initiate this a workout plan. Due to the overwhelming amount of REOs banks are having to deal with, they are becoming very flexible in an effort to minimize anymore foreclosures.
5. If you are current on your mortgage, servicers will have more flexibility in working with you. More often then not, refinancing will be the typical solution but not the only one. If refinancing is an option for you, they servicer is suppose to help you avoid any prepayment penalties.
6. Although the interest rate freeze is what attracts the majority of people to the hotline, it only applies to borrowers who meet specific guidelines: borrowers who are current on their mortgage but wont be able to afford their payments after the rate increase and can't qualify for refinancing.
7. If you are already unable to make your payments before your rate resets, there are few options available to you. In this situation, the course of action may be to negotiate a deed in lieu of foreclosure or a short sale.
Related posts:
Avoiding Forclosure
Increasing Forclosures
Repairing Your Credit

Should you have any questions or need further information, please don't hesitate to contact me,

Joshua Talayka
Chase International
Office: 775 850 5900
Toll Free: 877 922 5900
Cell: 775 220 1630
Fax: 775 850 5901
www.SellingNorthernNV.com
985 Damonte Ranch Pkwy, Ste. 110
Reno, Nevada (NV) 89521

Source:
Realtor Magazine Feb. 2008

Go Green and Save Some Dough

Although you may not think it, but 21% of the green house gas emissions produced in the united states come from everyday household energy usage. By implementing cost efficient energy saving techniques, you can help reduce these emissions while saving money at the same time.

Improving your homes efficiency
Compact fluorescent light bulbs last up to 10 times longer, produce 75 percent less heat, and still produce the same amount of light as an incandescent bulb with only 25 percent as much energy usage. By simply swapping your old lights out for these new ones, you can see a drastic reduction on your monthly energy bills. If you want to take it to the extreme, you can easily make the switch to solar power. Solar panels are getting cheaper to purchase, easier to install, and will last for around 20 years. In addition to cutting your energy bills, the federal government also offers a tax credit of up to 30 percent of your installation cost.
Reducing Heat Loss
By making your home almost air tight, you can improve your homes energy efficiency by 20%. Add/replace old weather-stripping to your windows and doors as well as plugging any other leaks in your home can stop/reduce heating and air conditioning losses. You may also want to consider adding insulation where it's missing or has a minimal amount. this will reduce heating/cooling expenses as well as reduce moisture buildup in your ceilings and walls.
Electronics and Appliances
75% of a homes electricity is consumed by electronics and appliances while they are turned off according to the U.S. department of Energy. This can be reduced by unplugging devices when their are not in use. You can also reduce this amount by swapping out your old appliances with new energy-saving models.
Hot Water
For every 10 degrees in temperature you increase your water heater, you use an additional 5 percent of energy. By reducing the temperature you can be saving yourself unnecessary expenses as well as lengthening the lifespan of your water heater. If you wanted to eliminate this problem all together, Tankless water heaters only warm your water when you need it. Instead of constantly heating your water to maintain a set temperature, these devices use up to 60% less energy than your traditional water heater.
Should you have any questions or need further information, please don't hesitate to contact me,(775) 220-1630
Or visit my blog at www.SellingNorthernNV.com






Joshua Talayka
Chase International
Office: 775 850 5900
Toll Free: 877 922 5900
Cell: 775 220 1630
Fax: 775 850 5901
985 Damonte Ranch Pkwy, Ste. 110
Reno, Nevada (NV) 89521

Four key points to good home design

Proper Balance - When aranging a room, ensure that there one area will equal and complement the other(s) In visual weight. This can be done through symmetry or asymmetry. In otherwords, you can have one side of a room exactly match the other, or offset a large piece of furniture on one side with a number of smaller funiture on the other.

Creating a symphony - Ensure that all parts of your arrangement complement and work with each other to create a harmonius arrangement. You can do this by using furniture/accesories that share the same shades of color (or colors that contrast each other), shape or texture. Example: If you are planning to use leather furniture, don't put an old wood rocking chair in the corner of the room.

Focal points - People need a center piece to focuss on. Without some sort of focal point (fireplace, painting, etc), the room will seem to caotic in peoples mind. Ensure that your arrangment of funiture/accesories are in tune with these focal points since this is where people will tend to congregate.

Function - Above all make sure that however you decide to design your home/room, that it is functional. If you plan on adding a library/study, aside from books you would want to make sure the funiture is comfortable and lighting bright enough to read.

Should you have any questions or need further information, please don't hesitate to contact me,

Joshua Talayka
Chase International
Office: 775 850 5900
Toll Free: 877 922 5900
Cell: 775 220 1630
Fax: 775 850 5901
www.SellingNorthernNV.com
985 Damonte Ranch Pkwy, Ste. 110
Reno, Nevada (NV) 89521