Cindy Vedder Real Estate Blog

Dear Seller,

Did you know we have a serious shortage of inventory and there are many, many buyers trying to get into a new home but cannot?  Since January, in Riverside CA. alone available inventory has dropped approximately 29%!! There are no replacement homes.

So if you are sitting on the fence or are waiting for spring cleaning, or think that prices will change and you want to wait - please don't. Imagine the proceeds from your sale in your pocket now and let's get your home on the market. Wouldn't it be nice to have the opportunity to chose the best offer rather than showing and waiting and showing and waiting for an offer?  Now is a great time to get off the fence and take the leap.

All sale types are welcome. If you are in a position of needing a short sale - we can help. I am certified with the National Association of Realtors as a short sale and foreclosure resource. This is the last year you can ask the bank to forgive your debt in a short sale and get it.

Standard seller?????????  You can have so many offers you won't believe it. I'm serious. We need you. Let me help you get your home sold. I have buyers lined up that are simply waiting for their home to show on the market.

Please email me at: Properties@CindyVedder.com or call: 951.231.8439. Get listed, Get Sold!!

Extend the Outdoor Living Season

By: Jan Soults Walker

Make an outdoor living area comfy long after the sun sets or the leaves turn with outdoor lighting, a patio heater, and a glowing firepit or portable fireplace.

With both lighting types, you can:

• Light deck railings and stairs

• Define the patio perimeter

• Illuminate the edges of paths and walkways

• Draw attention to a planter or tree

Other fixtures light up dining tables, grill surfaces, and even underwater in swimming pools.

Low-voltage fixtures clip onto a safe, 12-volt cable connected to a transformer, which plugs into a GFCI-protected 120-volt electrical outlet. A timer or light-sensitive control automatically turns lights on and off.

A low-voltage lighting kit with eight LED stainless steel fixtures, 50 feet of cable, and a transformer starts at $60. Individual low-voltage fixtures range in price from $7 for a simple poly-resin fixture up to about $150 for architectural-grade, cast-brass models.

Solar outdoor lighting fixtures don’t need cables and transformers. They simply turn themselves on automatically after dark. Each stand-alone fixture stakes into the ground or secures to a deck or exterior surface. You’ll save energy, as a sunlight-charged battery powers the bulb.

The downside to solar fixtures is a dimmer glow than low-voltage fixtures, and fewer lighting hours – many solar fixtures run out of stored energy after 4-5 hours on the job. Cloudy days also reduce power.

A four-pack of solar light fixtures that mount on top of deck posts starts at about $30. Or, check out a cast-aluminum solar lantern for about $60.

Get glowing with a firepit or portable fireplace

Bring a cozy glow and a stylish focal point to your outdoor living area with a firepit or portable fireplace. Irresistible for gathering, warming up, and roasting marshmallows, firepits and portable fireplaces come in a variety of materials, sizes, and styles. You’ll also find options for fueling your fire with wood, propane, gas, or gel cans.

Check local fire codes first to find out if your community allows the use of a firepit or portable fireplace on the patio or lawn. (Never use a fire feature on a wood deck.)

A firepit ($100-$500) is an open bowl, dish, or pan that varies in size from 24 inches across to about 40 inches. A firepit may come on a stand (some with wheels) or nestle into a tiled tabletop. Select a model with screening to contain flyaway sparks.

A portable fireplace ($100-$600) features a chimney to vent smoke up and away from people. Some portable fireplaces offer 360-degree views of the fire.

Warm up with a patio heater

Boost the warmth of your outdoor living area by as much as 15-25 degrees in the fall or spring with the addition of a portable patio heater. You’ll find three basic models:

• Freestanding units resemble large floor lamps. Set them anywhere on your patio that will accommodates their 7-8 foot height. Some models include wheels for mobility. Expect to pay from $150 to $1,500, depending on heat output and fuel source.

• A tabletop patio heater rests on a table, bench, or garden wall. These compact units typically produce less heat than tall, freestanding models. Prices range from $100 to $450.

• Ceiling- or wall-mount patio heaters free up floor and table space, and typically emit heat via a halogen lamp. Prices vary from $175 to $1,500.

Make your selection based on how much outdoor living area you want to heat and whether you want a model powered by electricity or natural gas (each requiring a connection) or with a propane tank, which allows mobility.

As a rule of thumb, a 47,000 BTU propane-powered, floor-standing patio heater ($200) will heat an 18-foot diameter space. A 20-pound propane tank (about $36, plus $13 for fuel) offers about 10 hours of heating time.

Electric patio heaters use a quartz tube or halogen lamp that emits radiant heat. An infrared wall-mount electric patio heater ($450) equipped with a 1500-watt bulb heats a 9-foot area around the heater and uses about 14.4 kilowatts for a 10 hour period. At 8 cents per kilowatt for electricity, you spend about $1.15 to operate the unit for 10 hours.

It’s Gonna Cost You More to Recharge Your Air Conditioning

By: Dona DeZube

The cost to recharge your air conditioning is going up, up, up. Here’s why:

Recharging your air conditioning system can really empty your wallet this spring and summer if you have a unit that’s more than two years old. The refrigerant that older air conditioning units use, R-22, is being phased out, and with less R-22 to go around, prices have spiked.

If your AC unit was manufactured in 2011 or later, it uses a different refrigerant, R-410A. Lucky you.

Last spring, R-22 was $180 for a tank about the size of a propane BBQ tank. This spring, the same tank cost me $400 wholesale in Baltimore. The tank has enough R-22 to recharge a bunch of AC units, so if your AC guy tells you he needed a whole tank of R-22 to recharge your one AC unit, it’s time for either a new AC or a new AC repair guy.

The EPA is phasing out R-22 between now and 2030, limiting its production every year. When R-22 leaks out into the atmosphere, it eats a hole in the earth’s ozone layer. Limited supplies of new R-22 equal rising prices, so expect the cost of recharging a leaking AC to continue going up, rather than down, until you replace your current system with one that uses R-410A.

The shortage of R-22 may be bad news for your wallet, but it’s good news for the environment, because the higher the price of R-22 goes, the more worthwhile it is for an AC repair person removing an old unit to capture and recycle the system’s R-22 rather than release it.

In fact, if your system is leaking really badly, then the AC tech may not even be willing to refill it.

But if it’s leaking just a little and the leak can’t be fixed, you have two things to consider:

• Do you recharge or replace? Multiply the cost of recharging the system by the number of years you plan to stay in your home and compare that to the cost of the new AC system to see which is the best option for you.

• How do you feel about the environmental cost of having an AC system that depletes the ozone layer?

It’s decisions like these that reveal which green is more important to you — the green in your wallet or the green of your environmental consciousness.

How much would you be willing to spend to recharge your AC every spring before you buy a new unit?

Are you in the group that has enough equity to refinance?  Maybe now is the time to do it and take that extra cash to buy another property......I've worked with some awesome lenders, so if you need help, please call me at 951.231.8439

Friday Five: Is it Time to Refinance?

By: Gavin Mathis

With interest rates nudging upward, home owners wanting to refinance should act soon.

Now might be the best time for home owners who have been putting off refinancing. After a slight increase, mortgage rates slipped back below 4% this week, but it’s unlikely that they will remain near historic lows. Home owners with FHA loans could also benefit from reduced mortgage insurance costs because of efforts to streamline the process. Read what else to expect during the spring housing season in this week’s Friday Five.

USA Today: Mortgage Rates Dip, Helping Homebuyers

The average U.S. rate on the 30-year fixed mortgage fell back below 4% this week, staying near historic lows. Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday that the rate on the 30-year loan dropped to 3.99% from 4.08% last week. Last month, the rate touched 3.87%, the lowest since long-term mortgages began in the 1950s.

Wall Street Journal: It's a Good Time To Refinance

For home owners who have been waiting for interest rates to fall even further before refinancing, it might be time to pull the trigger on a deal. Rates are moving up — and could stay higher for a while, experts say.

Fox Business: Could New FHA Rules Help You Refinance?

President Obama announced this month a new initiative that will reduce mortgage insurance costs for borrowers who refinance their Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loans. The administration estimates that the program could help an additional 2 to 3 million home owners refinance and lower their mortgage payments.

Forbes: This Spring Could Be The Best Home-Buying Season In Years

The lion’s share of home sales typically come in the spring and early summer. April, May, June, and July account for more than 40% of all housing transactions annually, in large part thanks to weather. Economists, Realtors and Wall Streeters have been quick to surmise that 2012 will be the year of the market bottom, and with that prognosis circulating, it begs the question of what sellers and buyers can expect in housing as that high season nears.

HouseLogic: Your Top Home Ownership Tax Questions Answered

There are a lot of home ownership tax benefits — if you don’t forget to take them. To make sure you get your due, HouseLogic asked tax expert Abe Schneier, a senior technical manager with the American Institute of CPAs, for tax-filing tips.

Noisy Neighbors: How to Turn Down the Volume

By: Sue Mellen

Turn down the volume on noisy neighbors by politely ratcheting up the pressure on them to quiet down.

Show your noisy neighbors how loud they are.

Step one in your noisy neighbor silencing plan is to invite them over to hear firsthand what you hear. If the neighbors smile, nod, and ignore your verbal request, write them a polite note about the problem and keep a copy for yourself. This note and others that you’ll write will help prove your case if you have to take your complaint to court later on. But first…

Tell the HOA how noisy your neighbor is.

When they continue being noisy neighbors, take your complaint to the first rung on the local authority ladder.

If you live in a home owners association, write the board or manager a note asking what your Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions (CC&Rs) say about noise. Do the CC&Rs say second-floor unit owners have to carpet floors so you don’t have to listen to their clomping feet? Keep a copy of the note to the HOA and their response for your files.

If the CC&Rs are silent about noise reduction, ask the board to mediate between you and your noisy neighbor, providing both a neutral ear and a venue for the discussion.

If the HOA refuses to help, ask your neighbors if they’re having noise issues and if they’ll come to a board meeting with you. Or, run for the HOA board and work to pass noise-reduction rules.

Ask the city to quiet your noisy neighbor.

If the HOA route fails, or if you’re not in an HOA, turn to city noise ordinances. City hall can connect you with the noise cops in your town—probably planning and zoning in a small town, or environmental quality in a larger city. Write or call the appropriate group, asking that a noise control officer come out and measure exactly how much noise your noisy neighbor is making.

If the noisy neighbor is loud enough, then the noise enforcement officer can issue a citation. You can also call the cops every time your neighbor gets too loud, which might create yet another citation, or at least a verbal warning to your neighbor.

Keep a copy of that correspondence and notes about when you call the cops, as well as times your noisy neighbor disturbed you, but you didn’t call the cops.

Sue your noisy neighbor

If you’re determined to make noisy neighbors shut up already, and none of those civil options has worked, you can sue them in small claims court. You don’t need a lawyer, but you will need detailed records of all the things you’ve tried to silence your noisy neighbor:

• Copies of letters you sent the noisy neighbor, the HOA, and the city

• A list of times the noisy neighbor has been noisy

• Videos of the noisy neighbor’s dog barking at 2 a.m.

• Copies of citations, if you can get them

Such items show how hard you’ve worked to solve the problem before turning to the courts. Judges like people who’ve tried nicely and politely to solve their own problems.

Small claims court is a lot like the Judge Judy show on television. You ask for compensation because your noisy neighbor is disturbing the peaceful enjoyment of your home. Your noisy neighbors, if they show up, argue that you’re a crank. You whip out your paperwork and other evidence to prove your side of the story and, hopefully, win.

If your HOA and your town blow you off, and you don’t want to go to court, you still have three options left:

• Live with it.

• Move. No doubt, you’ll check the soundproofing before you buy your next home, right?

• Soundproof. You’ll probably end up creating pockets of air to channel the sound away and adding sound-absorbing materials in the walls. An accoustical consultant can help you figure out what will and won’t work in your home.

Fence Etiquette: Tips to Avoid Neighbor Disputes

By: Ann Cochran

If you practice fence etiquette and bone up on local zoning regs, you can avoid neighbor disputes.

Must-dos

Observe boundaries: Don’t risk having to tear down that fence by going even one inch over your property line. Study your house line drawing or plat or order a new survey ($500 to $1,000) from a land surveyor to be sure of boundaries. Fence companies usually install a foot inside the line, to be on the safe side.
 
Respect limits: Fencing companies obtain permits and must know local zoning regulations for height, setbacks, and other restrictions. Height limits typically are 6 feet for side and back yards; 4 feet for front yards. More restrictive rules often apply to corner lots, where blind curves can limit driving visibility. To avoid disputes, review restrictions with your fence company before choosing a fence.

Follow HOA rules: Fencing companies are not responsible for knowing home owners association dos and don’ts; that’s your job. Unless you want to suffer committee wrath, and engage in a dispute, follow HOA guidelines. HOAs can dictate style, height, and maintenance. If your HOA wants all structures to match, you won’t have much wiggle room.

Nice-to-dos

Share your plans: No one likes surprises. Before installing, save yourself a fence dispute and have a conversation with neighbors. If property line issues exist, resolve them before installation. No need to show neighbors the design--that’s just inviting trouble. They have to live with your choice unless it lowers property values or is dangerous.

Put the best face outward: It’s common practice to put the more finished side of your fence facing the street and your neighbor’s yard.  

Maintain and improve: It’s your responsibility to clean and maintain both sides. If an aging section starts to lean, shore it or replace it.

Good-to-knows

• The term “fence” includes trees or hedges that create barriers.

• If you have a valid reason for wanting an extra high structure, to block a nasty view or noisy street, apply to your zoning board for a variance. Neighbors can comment on your request during the variance hearing.

• If your neighbors are damaging your fence, take photos and try to work it out with them first. If they don’t agree to repair it, take your fence dispute to small claims court. Award limits vary by state: $1,500 in Kentucky to $15,000 in Tennessee and in 2012 raised to $10,000 in California.