Life...Fun and Kentucky Real Estate

Up to 525 acres of mineral rights or land with mineral rights adjacent to active limestone quarry in Central Kentucky.  Property has 400 foot seam of Camp Nelson limestone with present value (based on 3% royalty) of over $16 million.  Great profit potential and priced to sell.

 

 

Contact Lizette at 859-979-2834 for more info on Kentucky River properties.

 

 

Via Jay Markanich - Northern VA Home Inspector (Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC):

First thing I don't understand:  if these folks want to put a deck on the back of the house, the ledger beam (the main support for the deck, a 2x12 that bolts to the house onto which the deck joists are attached) is interfered with by four appurtenances. 

Home inspectors call objects that pass through walls that service other things, like the furnace vent, hose bib and two vent covers above APPURTENANCES. 

There is only one place to put that ledger beam.  It must be attached in a way that meets codes, meaning many through bolts into the house, in a W pattern.  The deck structure is attached to it and has to accommodate all that stuff!

Another deck support beam could be built there instead of attaching the deck to the house, but that would set the deck out from the house a few inches and in my opinion that looks goofy.

Second thing I don't understand:  the ONLY basement window is under the door.  So, if, instead of a deck, these folks wanted to put in a patio and not deal with all those appurtenances, how can stairs be placed to not interfere with that window? 

If a deck is there, this window provides very little lightification to the room (that's my word) and concrete stairs would cover it completely.

Third thing I don't understand:  the exhaust for the furnace vents right onto or under the deck.  Look at its height!  The top of the plastic bell is higher than the top of where the decking would be.  The deck will have to accommodate that, and that'll be perty fer sher, and the plastic is vulnerable to being stepped on.  And the bell is too high to extend the exhaust to the far edge of the deck because it's too high.

Fourth thing I don't understand:  it'll be really easy and fun to get to that hose bib!  And wrapping the hose will be just as fun, and very good looking.

Fifth thing I don't understand:  those two vents.  One is a bathroom, which is marginally okay, but it still needs to deal with the deck.  The other is for the dryer.  This is no fun all around.  It's covered with a grate and will be oh so fun to keep clean!

Sixth thing I don't understand:  I think, well hope anyway, that the black drain tile (that black plastic tube) is intended to drain a window well.  But the way the house is situated on the lot means that the grading will cover a large portion of the bottom of that window.  So basement lightification will be restricted by the window well material even if no deck is ever placed there!

Seventh thing I don't understand:  why anyone would design this?  Did an architect design it?  The supervisor decide that this is how all those appurtenances would be handled?  Is this how all the homes are built by this builder? Is this the first house with such a "design?"  If so, am I the first to point this out?  No one else sees these problems in advance as I have?  Ummmm...

I have a solution.  A zip line attached to the rear door could wing the homeowners into the back yard to a platform built 30' from the door.  What better way to get into the yard!  Hey, that's certainly as well thought out as everything above!  Personally I'd love it!

My recommendation:  you have to think in advance.  This sort of thing would have been caught had I seen the plans for the house before this was built.  This design would be a problem no matter the elevation, if the future deck was high or low.  These buyers are being left a problem!  This is NOT a Golden Rule circumstance.  And get a pre-drywall inspection!

THINK AHEAD!

 

 

 

Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC

Based in Bristow, serving all of Northern Virginia

www.jaymarinspect.com

Via Barbara Altieri, REALTOR® Fairfield County CT Real Estate (RealtyQuest, CT Homes for Sale and Real Estate):

Holiday Decorating Tips If Your House Is For Sale

I stopped in a drugstore earlier and on my way out I had to walk through an area that was deluged with holiday items.  I then proceeded down an aisle that was squeezing me with all the red and green paraphernalia combined with a some very strong scents.  Phew!  I couldn’t find the door fast enough.

I remarked to the cashier as I left saying, ’Looks ...  and smells ... like you’re ready for the holidays’ and she remarked, ‘ this is only the beginning’. What?  Where will I walk the next time I stop in?  Better bring a clothespin for my nose as well.

The experience made me think of a house I had shown a few years ago that was FULL of Christmas items.  

On the exterior, there were mismatched icicles all around, trees lit, and a bunch of random blowup carnival-looking characters grouped on the front lawn.  One had clearly expired. It didn’t look as overdone as the Christmas Vacation movie, but it was distracting nonetheless.

The interior had multiple santas, trees, things that made sounds (actually danced) as you walked past, and well, I am sad to say, a lot of Christmas “chachkies” on display.

Don’t get me wrong.  I LOVE Christmas, but there is a time and place for everything and decorating your house that is for sale with a little too much spirit is distracting to say the least.

Remember that buyers looking at houses during the holidays are generally ready to buy. I placed an offer on my current home on December 8 and was in contract before Christmas. So I am living proof that buyers DO buy during the holidays.

So, if your home will be on the market in the coming weeks and you like to decorate it, by all means keep your ‘sprucing up’ to a minimum and for enhancement purposes only.

Here are some holiday decorating tips if your house is for sale:

1.      Remember how your agent badgered you to de-clutter your house before you listed?  Don’t re-clutter it  with lots of decorations and dancing santas.

2.      If you historically put up a huge tree, think about downsizing a bit.  While a tree can add appeal to a room, it shouldn’t take up too much space and should be in an out-of-the-way corner.  

Remove a piece of furniture or two if you have to in order to compensate for the space the tree is occupying.  Leave the buyer some ‘room’ to envision living in that space.

3.      If you like to display gifts under the tree, now is not a good time to do that.  Tuck them away securely and enjoy them on your holiday.

4.      Keep outside lighting and any seasonal wreaths, sprays, bows, to a minimum remembering that the exterior can generate that cluttered…and unappealing….look as well.  Maybe just use a front door wreath with a soft spotlight and some candles in the windows.  Understated yet inviting.

5.      Invest in some flameless battery operated candles and place them strategically around the house to create a warm, cozy feeling.  Maybe use in a festive centerpiece, fireplace mantle, or even in the bathroom.  The ambient glow will convey a nice, homey appeal.

6.      If you have a fireplace, you might consider getting a fireplace candelabra and lighting that up with battery operated candles to show off the fireplace, set the stage and help the buyers imagine themselves using that room and fireplace.

7.      Be careful with using scents. Whether it’s potpourri or maybe lighting a scented bayberry candle to make the house smell good (to you but maybe not to someone else)  before showings….. just leave it for another time.

Prepare your home for sale AND the holidays by strategically enhancing its appearance and ambiance with tasteful, minimal holiday decorations. 

By doing so, you just might be on your way to getting something special in your Christmas stocking and some GREEN in your bank account!

 

Holiday Decorating Tips If Your House Is For Sale

 

  

Barbara Altieri, REALTOR
Listing and Buyer's Agent
Certified Short Sales Specialist
RealtyQuest Real Estate Sales and Services
203.656.4993 x29
Email
RealtyQuest Website
RealtyQuest Rentals Website
Facebook Business Page
Twitter
LinkedIn
SheltonBuzz - Facebook Community Page

 

 

UK Student Housing - Lexington KY Condos - University of Kentucky

South Hill Station

585 South Upper St. #113

Lexington KY 40508

Reduced price - $177,500

Why pay rent? Here's the stunningly modern UK location you've dreamed of.

Clearly the most upgraded condo in South Hill Station. Beautiful 2 bedroom 2 bath, kitchen has honey maple cabinets w/ stainless handles and black appliances. Extra cabinets have been installed. Granite counter tops too! Custom built-in closets for each bedroom.

Bathrooms upgraded with custom vanities. Living room and dining area. New paint and polished concrete floor, industrial exposed duct work, 16' ceiling, stack washer and dryer. 3 parking spaces, secured entry w/ card keys and 24 HR monitoring. High speed Internet, convenient to shopping, restaurants and school.

Unit is now cleared of furniture and freshly cleaned and painted for the new owner....you!

 

 

  

Check out the latest issue of I LOVE KENTUCKY NEWS!

 Looking for something different? 

We have more condos...click below to start your search.

 LEXINGTON KY CONDOS FOR SALE

 

REQUEST A KENTUCKY RELOCATION PACKET!

 

LEXINGTON KY RESIDENTIAL HOMES FOR SALE

 RICHMOND KY RESIDENTIAL HOMES FOR SALE

  

Lizette Fitzpatrick- Principal Broker at Lizette Realty.

For more information on Kentucky Horse Farms and Lexington KY real estate 

click on Lizette.us.

Photos by Blue Shirt Photography

Copyright 2011 by Lizette Fitzpatrick

UK Student Housing - Lexington KY Condos - University of Kentucky - 40508 -

South Hill Station

 

 

Study Lexington KY Real Estate The Easy Way - Read I Love Kentucky News! 

 

Via Judy Chapman (Koenig & Strey Real Living):

These days, when it’s tougher than ever to sell a house, homeowners are turning to renting as a way out.

Renting may be a good option when you can’t sell, but not everybody is cut out to be a landlord or landlady. And while renting may seem like an easy short-term fix, it may not be a long-term solution.

Make sure you consider all the factors before deciding whether renting will solve your problems … or create more.

2 reasons homeowners rent instead of sell

Urgency is the #1 reason homeowners rent instead of sell. They have to sell, and they have to sell quickly.

Price is the #2 reason homeowners rent instead of sell. Bottom line, they’re not prepared to ‘give away their house’ at today’s depressed prices.

So they turn to a stopgap solution. In a year or two, their thinking goes, the market will recover. At that point, they further reason, they’ll be able to sell their house for more than they can today.

But will renting solve their problems? Maybe yes. And maybe no.

11 problems with renting your house

While you may have excellent reasons for renting your house, consider the following before giving up on selling your house.

Buying again – Leaving equity behind in your house may prevent you from purchasing a new house.

Property management – Managing receipts, maintenance, repairs, emergencies, and other requirements associated with renting requires time, money, and effort. You can choose to do it yourself or you can choose a property manager to do it for you.

Market recovery or market bust – It may take longer than you think for real estate prices to recover. Right now, the economy remains weak. Downward pressure on home values will continue for the foreseeable future. Who can say how much longer … or steeper … prices will sink before an eventual upswing. Once the market is on an upward trajectory, it will take years for prices to return to previous highs.

Depreciation – While the IRS allows you to take deprecation as an expense against rental income, don’t think of ‘depreciation’ as only a tax deduction good for improving cash flow. Since tenants are unlikely to treat your home as well as you would, physical depreciation is a very real aspect of turning your home over to tenants.

Capital gains tax – If you rent your house for only two years, you can still sell your house and be exempt from paying IRS taxes on up to $250,000 of capital gain (when single) or $500,000 (when married). However, the depreciation you took against rental income may have to be recaptured. Be sure to consult your tax accountant.

Re-lease or try to sell again – In this climate, you’ll find tenants quickly. Once the first year’s lease is over, you’ll have to decide whether to continue renting your house or try selling. Either way, you’ll have to invest in cleaning, painting, landscaping, replacing carpet, upgrading appliances, and making repairs before the next tenants or buyers move in.

Damaged goods – When you’re ready to sell, your house may be considered ‘damaged goods’. Homebuyers can immediately tell if a house has been lovingly cared for or simply lived in. And they will take this into consideration when making offers.

Selling with tenants in place – Let’s face it, tenants don’t care if you sell your house or not. They don’t have a stake in the outcome. They only know it disrupts their schedule. They won’t keep the house as neat and clean as you would. They won’t be as flexible to accommodate showing appointments as you would. And they may hang around the house during showings, making homebuyers uncomfortable and eager to leave. Once their lease is up, you’ll find yourself in a negative cash-flow position and may very well be forced to rent once more.

Rental merry-go-round – After renting your house for what was supposed to be no more than a year or two ... just until the market turned around ... could turn into a long-term commitment. You may get stuck on the rental merry-go-round, unable to jump off. The window between leases will leave you with only a short time to list and sell your house. Before you know it, you’ll be back on the rental merry-go-round, still waiting for the opportunity to unload a monumental burden.

Rental prices may go down – Right now rental prices are what they are, and they may be just fine for your needs. But renting your house as a short-term solution may not be a long-term solution. With so many homeowners turning to renting as an expedient to selling, tenants will have more homes to pick from. In time, instead of facing a ‘Buyer’s Market’ on the selling end, you may very well face a ‘Renter’s Market’ on the rental end. Such a circumstance would drive rents down year to year. After factoring in rising insurance rates and property taxes, you may eventually find yourself in a negative cash-flow position.

Mortgage rates – Mortgage rates are the lowest they’ve been in recent history. But they can’t stay low forever. When the economy recovers, the Federal Reserve will start raising key interest rates. Mortgage rates will climb in lockstep, making homeownership more expensive. To make up for higher monthly costs, buyers will bargain that much harder, forcing prices down once again.

Moving out and moving on

If you have a pressing need to move out and move on, and don't want to be weighed down with renting your house, there is a way to sell quickly and still get full market value for your house.

By applying methodical price cuts, you seek out the optimal ‘sweet spot’ where buyers will be forced to make an offer. By finding the correct price, you cannot undercut the market value of your house. Best of all, you can accomplish your goal in 2 months or less.

******

JUDY CHAPMAN |What can I do for you?

Residential Sales ∙ Short Sales ∙ Residential Rentals

Evanston | Wilmette | Kenilworth | Winnetka | Glencoe | Highland Park | Lake Forest
Glenview | Golf | Northbrook | Northfield | Deerfield | Skokie | Morton Grove
Also Arlington Heights | Prospect Heights | Wheeling | Mt Prospect

Koenig & Strey | 1925 Cherry Lane | Northbrook, IL 60062

Judy@JudyChapman.net | Office: 847.749.3811

   

© 2007-2011 www.activerain.com/blogs/NorthShoreChicago by Judy Chapman. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Portions of this content may be used with attribution. The information contained in this blog is the author’s own opinion and does not reflect the opinions of Koenig & Strey Real Living.

 

Via Alan May, Coldwell Banker Evanston, Illinois Realtor® (Chicago's Northern Suburbs):

"So," asked the owner of my upcoming new listing "is that really necessary?"

She was referring to my recommendations about her overgrown, undernourished, abused lawn.  The shrubbery was overgrown, the grass threadbare from children and dogs wearing it into a grass and dirt quilt.

"Yes", I answered.  "The landscaping in the front is a major part of our curb appeal.  And good curb appeal is one of the methods we'll be using in order to get people to click on our online listing, and then make an appointment to view the property in person."

"Well, but what about the landscaping in the back that you're recommending?  That's not part of 'curb appeal'."

"True enough" I replied "but it is an important part of that feel-good feeling that people will have once viewing your property.  And we will, of course, include photos of the backyard in our online presence, so it could become part of our digital curb-appeal."

"Okay, okay, but is it really necessary to replace the kitchen countertops, the sink and the faucet?  The Formica® is mostly in good shape, except for that little spot where the burning toast 'crisped' the countertop, and if we put a plant over it, nobody will notice... and that double-bowl stainless steel sink was cutting edge when we first bought it, and the faucet, while it does leak, only leaks right into the sink, so what's the harm?"

"If you'd like to try for top-dollar, as you've indicated to me that you would, we can't have a 'burned' countertop.  It's bad enough that it's Formica, instead of the Corian, Granite or even Concrete that buyers are looking for today, but burnt Formica holds even less appeal.  And no, we can't just put a doo-dad over the burn mark.  The sink probably was cutting-edge in 1954 when it was installed, but it's only 6 inches deep, and today, buyers are looking for those deep, deep undermount sinks that can hold an entire pot... and the leaking faucet... really, do I need to explain why a leaking faucet should be replaced?"

"All-right, all-right.  But the front door, and the basement floor.  The front door is fine, the lock just sticks a little, you have to wiggle it, and the paint's peeling just a little.  And you're recommending painting the basement floor with a grey paint.  I know the paint's peeling on the floor, but that's because we used to get water in the basement... but since we've put in the French Drains, and flood-control system we don't get any water anymore.  Can't we just "explain" that, and NOT paint the floor?" You're having me spend a lot of money!

"The front door is the very first thing that potential buyers see, it's our first-impression and we can't afford to make a bad one.  If the lock sticks, and they have trouble getting in, or they notice the peeling paint... you've made a bad first impression and it makes them immediately wonder what else in the home hasn't been properly maintained. We don't want them to ask that question.

And sure, we don't have to paint the basement floor ... but since the water-issue has been repaired... why would we want every viewer to 'wonder' about whether the basement still gets water or not?  When they look at the peeling paint on the floor, it'll cause them concern.  Why not make it look beautiful, so they can see that it's a good, clean, dry basement?"

"All-right... but if I do all of those things, can you guarantee that you'll sell it for me, at top dollar?"

"No", I said shaking my head slowly and smiling "of course I can't guarantee that... but I can guarantee that if you don't do those things we definitely will not get top dollar!

"I'll call the workmen this afternoon"... You know you're expensive!!

I know, but I'm worth it!

(251  -33)

Now, can we negotiate your commission?
that answer is "no".

ALAN MAY, Realtor®
Specializing in Evanston Real Estate and North Shore Real Estate
Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate, 2929 Central Street, Evanston, IL 60201
847.425.3779      Cell: 847.924.3313      Email: Almay@aol.com
Evanston Real Estate & North Shore Real Estate

    

Do not copy the content of this blog, without first contacting the author for permission.  Reblogging is allowed. All other use is strictly prohibited without express permission from me. This blog is tag-resistant... Do not tag me, I don't participate in tagging, no MeMe's don't even think about it