A secondary staircase becomes a visual treat when painted a handful of unexpected hues
By Katelin Hill of This Old House magazine
Photo by Jeremy Coulter/Polsky Perlstein Architects
Certain utility spaces in a house generally get overworked and underdecorated. Not so in this Southern California house, where an array of playful paint colors brighten the back stairs, while chunky wood treads and neutral gray trim keep the look sophisticated.
The most difficult part in pulling off this project? Putting together the palette. “One color shouldn’t look like an uninvited guest,” says architectural color consultant Amy Wax. If you stick to colors from a small collection, says Wax, they’ll probably be complementary. Or, if you’re picking from paint-chip strips, go for shades that have comparable density, or depth of pigment—whether they fall at the top, middle, or bottom of the strips—and make sure there’s some contrast between each one. Another approach: Try attaching a single adjective to your selections, such as energetic, historical, or “sweet”—like the intensified pastels at right. If one pick doesn’t fit your descriptor, it likely won’t go with the flow.
Wax advises using an odd number of colors in a seemingly random pattern, as shown. Before you commit, paint a large swatch on each riser and live with the colors for a few days—you may find that in certain lights, some blend too much with their neighboring shades. When you arrive at a combination you’re happy with, it takes just a few quarts of semigloss or satin—scuffs wipe off more easily when the paint has a little sheen—to seriously step up your stair game.
Photo by Clockwise: William Enos; Tim Street-Porter; Deborah Whitlaw Llewellyn; Mark Lohman
Adding over and under your home are both smart ways to increase living space, but there are other creative ways to eke out extra square footage without drastically changing the footprint of your home. Look up, down, and all around, and you may find you have more room for rooms than you think—in the attic, the basement, the garage, or even an underused outbuilding. This Old House has gathered its favorite basement and attic bonus rooms, as well as shed and garage conversions, three-season porches, and more, to help you get inspired to find that hidden space in your home.
Sometimes in the search for more living space there’s no place to look but up. When Alan Koch bought this 1933 cottage in Portland, Oregon, he knew he’d be finishing the 600-square-foot attic sooner rather than later. And since he worked at home, Alan hankered for a light, bright office where he could spread out. By tapping the upstairs, he figured he could carve out just such a space, as well as a comfortable master suite, reserving downstairs bedrooms for guests and TV viewing.
After expanding the attic space by 100 square feet with a gabled dormer, Alan’s airy aerie is now complete, and makes the most of every square inch with smart space-saving details—like the closet pocket door that keeps the passage-way free and clear.
Sometimes the extra room you’ve always wanted is right under your feet. Elizabeth Willett, was looking to fulfill several needs in her family’s 1927 Tudor-style house when she saw untapped potential in its walk-out basement. “It already had a fireplace and a tiny bath, but it had never really been properly finished,” she says. While the ceiling was low, it wasn’t too low, and moisture—that bane of basement remodels—wasn’t a problem.
Soon Elizabeth and her husband, Chris, were picturing the equivalent of an 830-square-foot addition, minus the new footprint, with a whole host of amenities. They created a family retreat and entertainment space at the bottom of the stairs. Guests can hang a left to check out the wine cellar or plop down on a sofa facing the stone fireplace and a TV. Davis even managed to fit in a full bath, a laundry area, a food pantry, and a home-office space. The rustic-looking family room is now a gathering spot for their daughter and her friends.
With its prime location overlooking the yard, a porch offers the perfect place for serious relaxation in mild-to-warm weather. To emphasize this idea in his own New York home, interior designer Tom Fallon transformed his porch into a full-fledged room. He anchored the furniture—vintage wicker and rattan united by a coat of hunter-green paint—with a natural rug, and hung mirrors and a watercolor from the shingles. Cushions in navy, white, and citrus yellow add color, while trim with a pale celery hue draws attention to the 1875 Carpenter Gothic’s louvered shutters and distinctive arched windows. “The look is classic, even a bit quiet, which contrasts with the house’s exuberant architecture,” Fallon says.
Four kids-and their backpacks-were cluttering up the kitchen after school. So these homeowners created a secluded and studious atmosphere for schoolwork. The upper cabinets hold school and art supplies, while also hiding basement ductwork.
Ask kids and they’ll tell you the ideal place to sleep is in a tree house or on a sailboat, like Max in Where the Wild Things Are. Architect Darren Helgesen incorporated that spirit in this attic redo at a century-old house in East Hampton, New York, where he used warm finishes and smart details to turn the dark, sloped-ceilinged space into a shipshape two-bedroom suite. Homeowners Bill and Cory Laverack had already renovated the rest of the house.
“It was always their favorite place,” says Cory, recalling how the couple’s four kids would hide out upstairs with friends every chance they got. “And now it’s the ultimate sleepover space.” Snug built-ins with below-bed storage, roof windows, pine flooring, and lots of glossy beadboard opened up the attic and made it more functional.
The Boughtons in Brooklyn, Mississippi, inherited a sad, lonely shed when they moved into their home. But while planning the side garden, they saw that this little 12-by-12-foot outbuilding had potential as a focal point. They added a porch with a reverse gable roof, then they installed salvaged cottage windows and topped it off with a split cedar shake roof. Now, everyone wants to spend the night in their little backyard gem!
When Cathy and Bob Cerone decided to expand their 1912 Wilmette, Illinois, home with an addition to ¬accommodate visits from their four adult children, their ¬design-build team saw potential in the damp basement. By building it out and finishing it, they could gain space for a media and game room big enough for family get-togethers.
Builders dug a foundation and basement for the addition, then took down part of the wall between the old and new below-grade spaces. The new basement level added 915 square feet of living area and solved the moisture problem with perimeter drains and sump pumps. The space holds a projection screen TV and pool table under a 9-foot ceiling. “When those ¬Chicago Bears are on—holy cow—the whole family’s here,” Cathy says.
See the shocking before shot for this finished basement and more amazing One-Room Redos.
A small house remodel can be as exacting as a jigsaw puzzle. That’s what Matthew and Darci Haney found while renovating the three-room upstairs space in their Carlton, Oregon, cottage. They installed new windows that actually meet the fire code. Built-in furniture, cabinets, and open shelves—together with a new bath—make use of every bit of available space.
It’s a familiar phenomenon: The remodel plan you begin with isn’t exactly the one you end up with. For one Southern California family, a garage renovation evolved from a casual playroom for their two young kids to a well-appointed media room geared just as much to grown-ups. “When we started, we wanted a place for the kids to play their Wii Sports, which takes a lot of room,” says the homeowner, and the seldom-used outbuilding near the pool offered a solution.
Overhead doors were replaced with carriage-style units and a wall was built—both easily removable to allow for two cars should the family want to return the room to a garage someday. They put in a ceiling, finished the walls with insulation and wallboard, built an insulated subfloor, and added custom built-ins, a beverage fridge, and wiring for media equipment.
Over the winter months, Karl Jungbluth in Boone, Iowa, designed this 12-by-6-foot screened-in room to use standard lengths of lumber with very little waste. The flooring inside is standard lengths of low-maintenance composite decking. “Since we planned to stain it green and barn red, I used pressure-treated lumber, along with a metal roof and composite decking,” Carl says.
“We love our house’s location, but it was tight on space,” says Geoff Allen of the 1925 seaside Cape Cod in Barrington, Rhode Island, that he shares with wife Michelle Forcier and their young daughter. Though the 1,600-square-foot, two-bedroom house, the site of the latest TOH TV project, was built as a seasonal residence, the family plans to live there year-round. Topping the couple’s wish list was an extra bedroom and bath upstairs. Given the house’s small lot and strict local zoning laws, Brewster sketched an addition in the only spot it could go: above the attached, unheated garage.
The small 1950s ranch suited its new owners, except for one thing. They wanted a master suite. But how to get it when the first floor was jammed with the kitchen, living and dining rooms, the home’s sole bathroom, and two tiny bedrooms, one soon to be a nursery? Adding on wasn’t an option. So Claudia and Felipe Menanteau from Piscataway, New Jersey, looked up-to the attic.
A half-wall now encloses the staircase to open up the space and allow sunshine from the new skylights to flood the room. Built-ins keep the space clean and functional. Skylights lend the illusion of height when raising the roof wasn’t an option.
Married neuroscientists Vivek Unni and Tamily Weissman-Unni, owners of an 1870s house in Cambridge, Massachusetts, started out with a new baby and a simple goal. “We needed a first-floor bathroom with a changing table,” says Tamily. But they were also saddled with a dark front entry next to a front room that served as an ad hoc mudroom, and a “treacherous” narrow staircase. So they asked their general contractor to rethink the entire space. Now, a desk niche makes use of a corner with natural light, augmented by recessed ceiling fixtures. Fold-back window shutters, pale flooring, and clear sight lines make the light-filled room feel much larger than it is.
Garden walls really help a patio or deck feel like a room, whether they’re made out of greenery, stone, or, more unexpectedly, the old church windows used here. Hung from rails set atop corner posts, they enclose a 16-by-16-foot deck, giving it the elegant air of a glass-lined conservatory. Homeowner Susanne Hudson, a garden designer, snagged the five 11-foot-tall finds for $90 each at a flea market years ago and recently put them to use to define her Douglasville, Georgia, deck like enormous white pickets on a fence.
For the furnishings, painted metal porch gliders and spring chairs from the 1940s had the laid-back look Hudson wanted; the iron candle stand and armillary sundial achieved the right rusted finish in short order. “Green, brown, and white, the natural colors of patina in a garden, are a built-in color scheme,” she says. “Blue hydrangeas and rose pillows brighten it up.”
Garden walls really help a patio or deck feel like a room, whether they’re made out of greenery, stone, or, more unexpectedly, the old church windows used here. Hung from rails set atop corner posts, they enclose a 16-by-16-foot deck, giving it the elegant air of a glass-lined conservatory. Homeowner Susanne Hudson, a garden designer, snagged the five 11-foot-tall finds for $90 each at a flea market years ago and recently put them to use to define her Douglasville, Georgia, deck like enormous white pickets on a fence.
For the furnishings, painted metal porch gliders and spring chairs from the 1940s had the laid-back look Hudson wanted; the iron candle stand and armillary sundial achieved the right rusted finish in short order. “Green, brown, and white, the natural colors of patina in a garden, are a built-in color scheme,” she says. “Blue hydrangeas and rose pillows brighten it up.”
In a small house, every bit of space needs to work hard, as homeowners Samantha and Bryan Langdeau soon realized after buying their 1,200-square-foot Cape in Waterbury, Connecticut. Wanting to reserve the two bedrooms on the first floor for guests, they set their sights on the second-floor finished attic for their master suite.
Working nights and weekends for about two months while sleeping in a guest bedroom downstairs, the couple gutted much of the space, tore out closet walls, and added insulation throughout.
Garden walls really help a patio or deck feel like a room, whether they’re made out of greenery, stone, or, more unexpectedly, the old church windows used here. Hung from rails set atop corner posts, they enclose a 16-by-16-foot deck, giving it the elegant air of a glass-lined conservatory. Homeowner Susanne Hudson, a garden designer, snagged the five 11-foot-tall finds for $90 each at a flea market years ago and recently put them to use to define her Douglasville, Georgia, deck like enormous white pickets on a fence.
For the furnishings, painted metal porch gliders and spring chairs from the 1940s had the laid-back look Hudson wanted; the iron candle stand and armillary sundial achieved the right rusted finish in short order. “Green, brown, and white, the natural colors of patina in a garden, are a built-in color scheme,” she says. “Blue hydrangeas and rose pillows brighten it up.”
When the lease on Beth Krauklis’s office expired last year (she runs her own branding agency in Orlando, Florida), she cast an eye up to the attic apartment in her Queen Anne house. At 700 square feet, it could be a seven-person ¬office, she figured, but “I wanted it to feel open, like a loft, with lots of light,” says Beth. Her husband, John, who was already planning to replace the roof and siding, took up the challenge.
John gutted the apartment, cut holes for three new windows, stripped the plaster off the walls, and finished the ¬exposed lath inside with a dark stain and polyurethane. He ¬refinished the heart-pine floors and gave the exposed rafters five coats of white paint. Then, to complete the loft look, John hung an AC duct nearly the length of the attic, track lighting, and a vintage wooden airplane propeller.
See the unbelievable before shot for this makeover, and other reader remodels in One-Room Redos
Look beyond the never-to-be-settled debate over siding’s merits/sins. It’s an affordable, energy-conscious update. It can even look good.
By Mark Feirer of This Old House magazine
Photo by Kolin Smith
Photo by Kolin Smith
The Benefits of Vinyl Siding
There are few subjects in the whole arena of residential construction products that draw battle lines as sharply as vinyl siding.
Proponents harp on the fact that it never needs painting, while its detractors insist that houses should never be covered with anything but real wood.
As a building material, vinyl siding is relatively new — it was introduced in the late 1950s as a substitute for aluminum siding. But its reputation was tarnished in the early days when it cracked, faded, buckled, and sagged.
Ongoing changes in the product’s chemistry and installation techniques have improved its performance and furthered its acceptance by builders and homeowners.
In fact, vinyl has captured 32 percent of the U.S. siding market for new homes, with no end in sight to its growing popularity. The reason, in part, is because it’s often (but not always) cheaper than red cedar or redwood and takes less time to install.
A mid-grade vinyl costs about $1.60 per square foot to install, not including the necessary trim pieces, while the installed price of mid-grade cedar clapboard, exclusive of trim and paint, is about 2.5 times higher. (Some premium vinyls cost about the same as the best grade of cedar, but the installed cost is still lower because it goes up faster and doesn’t need painting.)
For many people, price isn’t the issue at all; the real seduction of plastic siding is reduced maintenance. That’s exactly why a wood guy like This Old House general contractor Tom Silva put vinyl on his house 20 years ago.
“I don’t have time for painting,” he explains. “I’d rather spend weekends on my boat.” Of course, with the right maintenance, wood will last indefinitely. Vinyl can’t match that claim because no one knows for sure how long it will last.
Installer Joe Fagone slides a cut-to-fit, 4-foot-long panel of embossed-shingle siding around a window.
All Plastic Siding is Not the Same
Vinyl is a polymer formed during a chemical do-si-do between ethylene gas and chlorine, which produces a fine white powder called vinyl resin. When it’s melted and mixed with different additives, the resulting compound can be as rigid as pipe, as supple as a shower curtain, or durable enough to survive the heavy foot traffic on a kitchen floor.
New, so-called virgin vinyl siding has a greater complement of the key additives that impart flexibility and resistance to UV degradation. Some manufacturers will tout their product as 100 percent virgin (along with a mention of its supposed superiority), but most siding is made with a core of remelted vinyl top-coated with virgin material.
Typically, vinyl siding is extruded through a die, but to produce the deepest patterns and crispest edges, panels must be molded from polypropylene, a more expensive plastic. Molded panels are typically no more than 4 feet long, while vinyl extrusions can be virtually any length.
Rap on a vinyl-sided wall with your knuckles, and it will flex and sound hollow. That’s because, in most cases, only a relatively small area of a vinyl panel is actually resting against the sheathing.
A thin panel, or one without support, is more likely to sag over time. The thinnest siding that meets code is .035 inch thick. Premium siding can be .044 to .048 inch, and a few manufacturers sell .055-inch siding. The thicker sidings tend to be stiffer, and therefore more resistant to sagging, but stiffness depends on other characteristics as well.
Panels with a folded-over, doubled nailing hem and a relatively deep profile tend to be stiffer than others, as do those with narrow “clapboards”: The more bends the better. Although claims are made that thicker siding is also more impact resistant than thin siding, test results suggest that it has more to do with its chemical makeup, which, unfortunately, is not available to consumers who want to compare products.
Thinner, less-stiff sidings can also be sucked off a house when high winds blow. Reading the manufacturer’s warranty should give you a good indication of the product’s ability to handle heavy weather. Some even comply with the 146-miles-per-hour wind code in hurricane-prone Miami, Florida.
One siding, Wolverine Millennium, comes with a “won’t-blow-off” warranty, and its literature states that it will withstand 180-mph winds, when nailed properly.
Photo by Kolin Smith
A panel of polypropylene siding slips into a grooved “corner board” of the same material. Panels expand and contract with temperature changes and shouldn’t be installed tight to trim pieces.
While wood siding is fastened tightly to the house, vinyl siding literally hangs from nails driven through horizontal slots at the top of a panel’s nailing hem. The reason for the loose nailing has to do with the vinyl’s (and polypropylene’s) need to expand or contract as the temperature changes: A 12-foot length of plastic siding can expand as much as 5/8 inch with seasonal temperature swings. If nailed tight to a wall, it can buckle on hot days.
“The worst thing you can do is nail vinyl tight,” says Tom Silva. To ensure that the panel is free to move, the nailheads shouldn’t contact the hem, but should be left about 1/32 inch proud. Conversely, if nailed too loosely the panels will rattle noisily whenever the wind blows.
Vinyl’s tendency to move means that panels can’t be butted tight to trim, either. Quality-conscious installers leave about 1/4 inch of clearance (3/8 inch in temperatures below 40°F) at the end of panel courses; at corners and door and window openings a trim piece called J-channel covers and conceals the resulting gap. Other proprietary trim pieces, made by manufacturers to fit their own brand of siding, include soffits, rake boards, and crown moldings. All help to improve the appearance of an installation, giving it a more custom look.
In addition to J-channels, one characteristic that distinguishes vinyl from other siding is its overlaps. While lengths of wood (or cement) siding meet in an unobtrusive butt, vinyl panels must be overlapped by about 1 inch wherever they meet, resulting in telltale vertical lines. The thicker the vinyl, the more obvious the overlap. Compounding the problem, most vinyl siding panels are molded to represent double or even triple widths of clapboards. This slashes installation time dramatically, but it also makes panel overlaps even more visible. A good installer will orient overlaps away from dominant views, for example, by running the siding from a back corner to a front corner. On the front of the house, panels should be installed so seams are least visible to someone approaching the front door.
Contrary to what many people expect, vinyl is actually less likely than wood to trap moisture, Tom says. “There are tiny weep holes in the butts of the panels. And because it’s hung loosely, air can move behind it.” Just make sure your siding contractor first installs flashing and either housewrap or builder’s felt, just as he would under wood siding.
Every quality vinyl siding job starts with the contractor. Dont hesitate to ask potential installers for their certifications — most of the large manufacturers certify installers in proper installation techniques — and for the names of satisfied customers. Also check complaint lists established with local and state business associations, as well as with state contractor licensing boards.
Photo by Kolin Smith
Siding is nailed loosely through horizontal slots in the hem at the top of each panel. Tightly nailed plastic siding can buckle on very hot days. The L-shaped clip under the nailing slot hooks into a channel in the butt of the panel above.
Not Entirely Maintenance Free
To keep vinyl siding looking its best, it should be washed periodically to remove the mold, mildew, dirt, and chalky oxidation that collects on the surface. Tom uses a soft-bristle brush and a bucket with a 30/70 mix of vinegar and water. (If that doesn’t do the job, the Vinyl Siding Institute suggests mixing 1/3 cup laundry detergent, 2/3 cup powdered household cleaner, 1 quart liquid laundry bleach, and 1 gallon water.) He just brushes it on, working from the bottom up, and gently hoses it off. Tom discourages homeowners from using a power washer on their siding; the high-pressure equipment is likely to drive water behind the panels.
Repairing a damaged panel is simple. With a zip tool and a flick of the wrist, Tom simply unhooks it from the ones above and below, then pulls out the nails. A new panel can then be snapped in place, nailed, and rehooked. The biggest problem is matching the replacement to the surrounding pieces, which will undoubtedly have faded. “What I’ll do,” Tom says, “is replace the damaged piece with some siding from a less conspicuous part of the house.” Then he replaces that piece with the new, unfaded length.
All vinyl siding will fade somewhat. After 10 to 15 years, the change can be significant. When that happens, or if you simply want to change its color, vinyl can be painted, as self-defeating as it may seem. (Check with the manufacturer first; many companies void the warranty if siding is painted.) Wash the siding first, and use latex paint, which will flex with the vinyl’s movement. But don’t count on changing a pale-yellow house to hunter green; dark colors absorb more heat than lighter ones and can cause panels to expand too much and buckle. (For that very reason, vinyl’s color palette is limited to lighter shades.)
Tom is well aware of the fact that plastic siding draws strong opinions from his clients. “It’s pretty hard to convince someone who wants vinyl to use wood siding instead, and vice versa,” he says. “Some people like it and some don’t, just as some people like Fords and some prefer Chevys.” Whether vinyl siding is good or not depends a lot on the quality of the product and the installation job. “Would I put it on my house again, if maintenance issues weren’t a factor? Probably not,” Tom says. “I really prefer wood.” But he really, really doesn’t like to paint.
Photo by Kolin Smith
Plastic siding is quick to install. The seven-man crew from Hansen Home Designs trimmed and sided this 3,200 square-foot house in less than two days. Photo taken April 4, 2002.
Re-siding with Vinyl
Much of what appeals to us about older historic houses, apart from their architectural style, is the graceful moldings, well-proportioned trim, subtle shadow lines, even the slight irregularities in the spacing of the siding — testaments to the skills of this country’s housewrights. But in countless slipshod re-siding jobs, where vinyl is slapped up over the existing shingles or clapboards, these details have been obliterated, making the facades of handsome gingerbread houses as plain as sheet cakes. “I’ve seen a lot of cases where they’ve sawed off moldings, window trim, cornices, even knocked them off with hammers,” says Tom. “It looks worse than terrible. And it takes away what makes old houses special.”
For those contemplating having a house re-sided, Tom recommends finding a contractor who specializes in old-house work, not just in vinyl siding, and insisting that all the architectural details remain in place. “Run J-channel around them and butt the siding into it,” he says. “Of course, it takes more time and money to do it this way.” A proper paint job may make more sense, if that’s the case. Sometimes, re-siding jobs are sold as a way to “tighten up” the house and reduce energy bills. The installers simply nail up a layer of foil-faced foam before the vinyl goes up. Tom doesn’t think much of this practice. “The foam panels are only 3/8 inch thick; they don’t add much R-value,” he says. “You’d be better off packing the walls with blow-in cellulose.” The final word: If you have any doubts about its effects, don’t put vinyl siding on your old house.
Saving for a down payment can pose one of the biggest challenges for potential home buyers.Indeed, “a down payment is often the largest single payment a consumer makes in their lifetime and saving for it isn’t easy,” says Corey Carlisle, executive director of the American Bankers Association Foundation. “However, with a few changes, consumers can put themselves on track to make their home ownership dream a reality.”
In honor of American Housing Month, the American Bankers Association Foundation recently featured several tips to help consumers cut their household costs and start saving for a down payment.
Determine how much you need. Find out how much you’ll need for a down payment. From there, create a budget by figuring how much you can realistically set aside each month. Then, you can set a timeline.
Create a separate savings account. Separate a savings account that is just for the down payment. Make monthly contributions automatic.
Find ways to reduce your monthly bills. Check your car insurance, renter’s insurance, health insurance, cable and Internet plan rates. See if there are any promotions that could help you save money by revisiting your contracts.
Investigate state and local home-buying programs. Several state, counties, and local governments offer first-time home buyer programs that offer down payment assistance. Find out if you’re eligible for one.
Celebrate. Set smaller savings goals as you work up to the larger goal. For example, if you need to save $30,000, celebrate — such as with a nice meal — every time you hit the $5,000 saving milestone. “This will help you stay motivated throughout the process,” ABA notes.
Closing time. The end of the road. The last hurrah — and hurrahs are in order.
If you’re here, then you’ve found a buyer, negotiated home repairs, and are ready to move out — and on. But before you can make this sale official (and get paid!), you still have a few items to cross off your list.
Here, we’ve laid out everything you need to know to have a successful settlement.
Closing Is the Final Step
Closing, or “settlement,” is when both parties sign the final ownership and insurance paperwork, and the buyer becomes the legal owner of the home.
Typically, closing day takes place about four to six weeks after you signed a purchase and sale agreement. During this window, the buyer’s purchasing funds are held in escrow until all contingencies, like the home inspection contingency and appraisal contingency, are met.
Your agent will be able to answer questions and offer support through closing. Here’s what to expect from the process, start to finish.
Before You Close, You’ll Have a Final Walk-Through
Most sales contracts give the buyer one last chance to do a walk-through of the home within 24 hours of settlement. This is their chance to check that the property is in good condition, and to make sure the agreed-upon repairs were completed.
In most cases, no problems arise at this stage of the transaction. (If something is amiss, your agent can walk you through it.) The final walk-through mostly gives buyers peace of mind knowing that you, the seller, have adhered to the conditions of the sales contract and home inspection-related repairs.
Follow These Steps to Prepare for the Final Walk-Through
To help ensure that the walk-through goes smoothly, take these six steps ahead of time to prepare:
Step #1: Clean house. Your home should be spotless for the final walk-through. Assuming the buyer is taking ownership on closing day, you should be fully moved out at this point. But moving can be messy. After purging, packing, and moving, you may want to do one more deep cleaning.
Step #2: Leave owner’s manuals and warranties. Make the buyer’s life easier by providing all manuals and warranties you have for home appliances. Print physical copies and put these documents in one place for the new owner. If you have receipts from contractors for repairs, leave them with the manuals.
Step #3: Provide a vendor list. Give the buyer contact information for home contractors or maintenance companies that you’ve used in the past. These vendors are familiar with your home, and the new owner will appreciate having a list of servicers they can trust will take good care of their new home.
Step #4: Check for forgotten items. Do one more check throughout the home to make sure you’re not leaving anything behind. One exception: You may want to leave unused or leftover paint cans in the colors currently in use within the home — but confirm with the buyer first.
Step #5: Turn off water shut-off valves. The last thing you want before closing is a flood. With the buyer’s permission, turn off your house’s main shutoff valve 24 hours before closing.
Step #6: Lock up. Until settlement is complete, you’re legally responsible for the home — meaning you’d be liable if there’s a break-in before closing. So, the day before settlement make sure to close window coverings and lock the entry doors. If a house looks un-lived in, it’s a welcome sign to burglars. It’s a good idea to leave a porch light on, or to set an interior light to turn on and off with a timer.
If the final walk-through reveals an issue with the house, don’t panic. The standard protocol is for the buyer’s agent to immediately alert the listing agent that there’s a problem. Then, both parties work together to solve it. Typically, either the closing gets delayed or there’s additional negotiation, such as monetary deduction of the sales price. In other words: There are options, and your agent can help you through this.
Up Next: The “Closing Disclosure”
Let’s assume the final walk-through is smooth sailing. (Woo-hoo!) What happens next?
You’ll get info about your closing costs from the title company.
Meanwhile, the buyer’s mortgage lender must provide the buyer with a Closing Disclosure, or CD, three business days before settlement. This is a formal statement of the buyer’s final loan terms and closing costs. As the loan borrower, the buyer is entitled to a three-day review period to see if there are any significant discrepancies between their CD and Loan Estimate (LE) — a document buyers receive when they apply for a loan. The LE outlines the approximate fees the buyer would need to pay.
In most cases, there are no major differences between the CD and LE. However, if certain closing costs differ by 10% or more between the estimate and the disclosure, the buyer’s loan has to go back to the mortgage lender so that cost differences can be reviewed. If that happens, closing is usually delayed until the issue is resolved.
Expect to See These People at the Closing
The closing typically takes place at the title company, attorney’s office, or the buyer’s or seller’s agent’s real estate office. (Unless you live in a state that allows for electronic closings — eClosings — with remote notaries. In that case, the involved parties can opt to sign documents digitally.)
The list of legally mandated In conventional closings, sellers may be able to skip the proceedings. Instead, your attorney may act as your rep and you might pre-sign transfer documents.attendees will depend on your state, but usually you’ll be joined by:
Your agent
The buyer
The buyer’s agent
A title company representative
The loan officer
Any real estate attorneys involved with the transaction
Remember to Budget for Closing Costs
Closing costs can vary widely by location, but you’ll generally pay closing costs of 5% to 10% of the home’s sales price. So, on a $300,000 home, you can expect to pay anywhere from $15,000 to $30,000 in closing costs. In most cases, these costs are deducted from your proceeds at closing.
Closing costs for sellers typically include:
The commission for the listing agent and buyer’s agent
Transfer taxes or recording fees
Loan payoff costs
Unpaid homeowner association dues
Homeowner association dues included up to the settlement date
Prorated property taxes
Escrow, title, or attorney fees
Be Sure to Bring These Things to Closing
At the closing you should have:
A government-issued photo ID
A copy of the ratified sales contract
House keys, garage remotes, mailbox keys, gate keys, and any pool keys
A cashier’s check, or proof of wire transfer, if your closing costs are not being deducted from the sales price. (Yes, it’s OK to use a cashier’s check — especially if you don’t want to deal with the hassle of a wire transfer, which can take time to clear. With a cashier’s check, you’re guaranteed the money you need for settlement will be there at closing.)
Don’t Forget to Dot These I’s and Cross These T’s
Before you rush off to pick out paint samples for your new place, remember to do these two steps that are often overlooked by sellers:
Transfer utilities. Don’t want to pay for the new owner’s utility bills? Coordinate with the buyer so that utilities — including not only gas and electric but also water and cable — are transferred to the buyer on Once you know the title has officially transferred, then cancel your homeowners insurance. You don’t want to be without coverage (what if a pipe bursts?!) until the deal is legally finito.closing day.
Change your address. You obviously want your mail to be sent to your new home. Setting up a forwarding address will also ensure that you can be reached if there are any post-closing matters. You can file a change of address with the U.S. Postal Service here.
Finally: Celebrate!
At last, your home is officially sold. Congratulations! Give yourself a pat on the back — and then start settling into your new phase of life.
Homeowners looking to sell should consider 2018 an opportunity to cash in. (Getty Images)
If you haven’t given much thought to selling your home this year, you might want to think again.
Real estate information company Trulia commissioned a survey of more than 2,000 U.S. adults, conducted by Harris Poll, to get a feel for expectations and plans for housing and homeownership in 2018. The survey results show 31 percent of respondents expect 2018 to be a better year for selling a home than 2017 – and just 14 percent expect it to be worse.
Despite the enthusiasm, only 6 percent of homeowners surveyed plan to sell their home in 2018.
Real estate information company Zillow echoes these sentiments in its predictions for 2018, expecting inventory shortages to continue to drive the housing market. With too few homes on the market to meet buyer demand, prices increase and would-be buyers can’t afford the price or down payment needed to submit a winning offer.
If you’re a homeowner and have been thinking about selling, what are you waiting for? You may not consider 2018 to be your year to sell, but here are four reasons why selling in the next 12 months could be more beneficial than you think.
Buyers are chomping at the bit. Eager homebuyers have been frustrated over the last few years, experiencing low inventory in most major markets, which is pushing them to start home shopping earlier in the year to try to beat out the competition and ensure they’re not missing out on any available properties.
Even before the clock struck midnight on New Year’s, people were already getting a head start on looking at buying or selling a home in 2018. Real estate information company HomeLight saw a 25 percent traffic spike on its website on Dec. 26, with continued high rates of traffic through the first part of the new year.
“Folks have generally turned their attention away from the holiday and time with family and friends, and moved onto the new year and what they want to accomplish,” says Sumant Sridharan, chief operating officer of HomeLight. “And for many people, that tends to be where they want to live.”
The best time to sell your home is traditionally between March and June, Sridharan notes, while warmer climates may see a longer time frame because they’re not restricted by weather. But cold weather isn’t keeping interested buyers from starting their home search at the start of the year. The fact that buyers take the day after a major holiday to start looking for new home means the traditional selling season could be even hotter.
And while the last couple years have proven beneficial for sellers, seeing many homes sell for asking price or above, it won’t last forever. Zillow predicts home builders will begin looking to construct more entry-level homes to meet demand later this year. If you wait too long to put your home on the market, you may find yourself competing with new builds that haven’t been a part of the market in large numbers since before the recession.
Interest rates are low … for now. For both the buyer of your home and your own next home purchase, low interest rates can help make a transaction possible. In the second week of January, the average interest rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage was 4.17 percent, according to NerdWallet. Mortgage rate averages reached more than 4.4 percent in 2017, but closed the year out just below the current rate.
While mortgage rates aren’t expected to spike significantly this year, they are forecast to increase overall. The Mortgage Bankers Association predicts 30-year fixed-rate mortgages will rise to 4.6 percent this year, and it expects rates to rise to 5 percent in 2019 and 5.3 percent in 2020.
While increasing interest rates are a sign of a good economy, they can squeeze out some potential homebuyers from the market. The current low rates can serve as a catalyst for many potential homebuyers to get moving sooner rather than later. But as interest rates continue to rise, you’re less likely to see as many bidding wars – which is welcome news for buyers but not sellers.
Could the changes to mortgage interest rate and property tax deductions make you want to sell your home?
You can move to find cheaper property taxes. The passing of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act at the end of 2017 means a few significant home-related tax policy changes for the 2018 calendar year: Mortgage interest rates are only deductible up to $750,000 in debt and property taxes are only deductible up to $10,000.
While these limits don’t affect all homeowners, people who live in counties and cities with high property taxes are likely to feel the financial hit when they file taxes in 2019. If your household is going to struggle without the deductions you’ve had previously, it might be time to look elsewhere.
“For most of the world, I think it really creates a consideration of where I want to be and how I want to be there,” says Cody Vichinsky, co-founder of Bespoke Real Estate, based in Water Mill, New York.
Vichinsky expects housing markets in coastal states to be most impacted by the tax reform – and more specifically in the counties or towns with high-ranked school districts because their property taxes tend to be higher. While homeowners with school-age children may see the education factor weigh heavier than the financial burden, “You’re going to see an exodus out of these neighborhoods for people who don’t need to be there anymore,” he says.
You certainly shouldn’t have a hurried reaction to a policy change with an asset as large as a house, but also keep in mind that if you’re looking for the maximum price on your home, the longer the new tax law sinks in, the more likely it is to change feelings toward pricier neighborhoods in coastal markets.
“We do expect, potentially, in the longer term there may be lower demand at the higher price points because the tax [incentives] just aren’t there,” Sridharan says.
Renovations today won’t come back in full next year. Zillow’s 2018 predictions include the expectation that most homeowners will focus on renovations and updates this year rather than selling. If you’ve got remodeling on your schedule for the year, be sure it’s an update for you because it’s unlikely that renovations will have a 100 percent return when it comes time to sell.
“You’re going to get one shot at this,” Sridharan says. “Ultimately the additional money you’re going to spend to make your home look amazing is going to be far less than the amount of money [a buyer will pay].”
The key to taking advantage of the seller’s market this year is not taking the tight inventory for granted. Buyers will still expect effort from sellers in preparing a property for sale. While they may be willing to overlook a dated kitchen, it’s the clutter, deferred maintenance and lack of curb appeal that can still kill a deal. If you do decide put your house on the market, take the process seriously, and you’re likely to see ample interest.
There are several local lenders offering up to $5000 in grant monies for home buyers – both first-time and current homeowners looking to purchase another home. Please call us at 513-451-4800 or visit us via this website.
Since my buddy Punxsutawney Phil told usyard, lawn, seed, reseeding, there’d be six more weeks of winter, you have a bit more planning time to make THIS the year your lawn looks its best.
Start out by getting rid of the thatch using a good multi-purpose rake. Take your time and enjoy yourself. After all, you’ve been cooped up inside – so breathe in some fresh air and work a bit. Once the lawn is thatched and raked, you’ll see all the thin and bare spots. Don’t worry, we all have ’em!
Loosen up the soil in the bare spots by about an inch or so. Gee, I wonder what soil-cultivating tool you might want to use? Garden Weasel can help you there!
With the soil pulverized in the bare spots, sprinkle the right amount of good quality fertilizer. Your local lawn and garden retailer can help you determine what’s best for your area and type of lawn. Then, rake it level.
If you have bare spots that were beaten down from heavy traffic, don’t be afraid to loosen that soil up as much as six inches deep. Adding some peat moss or gypsum can keep it loose after seeding.retailer can help you determine what’s best for your area and type of lawn. Then, rake it level.
After your soil is nice and loose and the ground is as level as possible, it’s time to lay down some top-quality seed. Use a seed mix that works best for your location. For example, some seed works well in shade, while others are made for sunny spots. Again, make friends with your lawn and garden retailer for questions about your lawn.
To test if your soil is ready, here’s a tip: Pick up a handful of soil and make it into a ball. If it can form a solid ball, it’s still too wet. If the ball crumbles away, it’s ready for seeding. Buy the best seed you can afford. High quality grass seed is almost always weed free and tested for germination rate and overall performance.
Another key: Seed your mostgrass seed, lawn seed, lawn reseeding, yardwork, spring seeding troublesome bare spots by hand. And do it sparingly – only about six seeds per square inch will survive. Any more than that is a waste of seed and money.
After the seed is down, spray with a light mist of water. Your new grass will get off to a faster start if you cover the reseeded areas with polyethylene plastic. This will keep the moisture in the soil and eliminates the need for constant sprinkling. You can secure the edges of the plastic sheet with stakes, or just use small rocks.
Keep an eye out and be sure to remove the polyethylene when the first seedlings appear. This is key. The plastic is great for the seeds until they germinate – but then they can kill the seedlings unless you remove it. Keep the soil moist by spraying it with a light mist two or three times a day until the grass is about an inch high. Keep watering the area at least once a week until it is about three inches tall.
The downside of spring seeding? You can’t put down a pre-emergent to fight crabgrass. You’ll also have other weeds to deal with that first season. When summer comes, you can put down fertilizer to get rid of broadleaf weeds. Don’t use a post-emergent crabgrass killer, because your new grass will still be tender.
Hold off on mowing your new lawn until it has grown to about four inches tall. Lawns sown in spring may need additional seeding during the next growing season. But that’s a discussion for fall.
Raise your hand if you’re an avid entertainer cursed with a modest floor plan. Le sigh. Don’t despair, though. Peppering in additional seating is fairly foolproof once you know some tricks. Here are eight to consider before your next gathering.
Task #1: Search for potential storage spots hiding in plain sight. The space beneath a hallway console table makes a striking frame for a set of chinoiserie garden stools.
We know what you’re thinking, but petite club chairs in a soft hue can actually help define your mantle, rather than distract from it. (Psst: This setup also works beneath a television set.)
An oldie but a goodie: When the coffee table in your seating area is soft and upholstered itself (preferably in a stunning vintage textile), you’ll always have multiple comfy spots to offer to company.
Don’t let the white space beneath your windows go unused. Fill it with a freestanding bench (in lieu of installing a pricey built-in window seat). Bonus: You can move it around as you like.
If you’re looking for double-duty pieces, keep sturdy stools in mind. Quiet night in? Hi, perfect resting spot for your glass of Pinot. Guests en route? The chicest of perches in a pinch.
Slide Stools or Cushions Underneath a Coffee Table
A pair of glam flokati-upholstered stools look right at home under a Lucite piece. But this is a welcome reminder that the clearance space under any coffee table can always be utilized. (Bring on the floor pillows!)
OK, you’ve got an open floor plan (congrats!), but you want to keep it that way. Look for a bench with a slim footprint and airy silhouette to delineate between the vignettes without cluttering it up.
