To remodel or not to remodel - that is the question.

This week I looked at a house to help them decide what to do before they list it next year.  On a side note - paint and carpet are by far the most beneficial things you can do to prep your house for the market.  They will get you the most bang for your buck.  I say that not seeing your house, but as a general rule, it is almost always true.  In this situation, we were focusing on their kitchen.  Remodel or not?  Let me start by saying, they did the right thing to call a professional because they want to know if it's worth the money.  Price point is under $100,000 on their house and the leeway on profit in our area is slim.  So they came to me for help.  In this particular situation, they have some unbelievable connections with people who do cabinets and counter tops.  With their connections, it is going to be worth it for them.  In most situations, I would have told them to paint the cabinets and do a new counter top and sink, but they should have the wiggle room to make it all work.  What will really make it worth it, is at a lower price point, their home will stand out from the crowd and it will help their home sell.

Using a mortgage calculator

Does using a mortgage calculator sound intimidating to you?  Well, it's not.  And it's a GREAT tool for you when you are just starting to think about buying a house.  So let's say you have the "bug to buy" and you start shopping online.  You get googly-eyes over a house with oil rubbed bronze everything, custom cabinets, granite, a sauna, you name it.  Can you afford this dream home?  Obviously you will need to talk to a lender and get preapproved, but in the looking stage, you need to know if you could afford this house every month or not.  And that's where the mortgage calculator comes in.  My personal favorite calculator App to use is Zillow's, and it looks like this:

It's about as easy to use as it looks.  But the feature that makes it better than most is that it figures in everything - not just your principal and interest.  It asks you how much your putting down on the house, what the current interest rate is and what your taxes and homeowners insurance will be.  Don't know the taxes and insurance?  It will put in an estimated rate.  It will even figure in homeowner's association dues if your dream neighborhood has an HOA.  You will love how easy this App is - and it is very accurate.  I've tested it at the closing table when all the numbers are in front of me and it gives you a very realistic picture.  So when your daydreaming and you want to turn your dream into a reality - start with this App.  http://www.zillow.com/mortgage-calculator/

A new day, a new real estate blog

That's right.  I've joined the world of blogging. "Real Estate Laine" will be a place to find useful information about buying or selling, what's happening in the Topeka area market, tips on easy changes you can make to "set the stage" for a buyer, and for you out-of-towners - I'll share some of the hidden treasures that make Topeka a place worth calling home.  

This is me:

I'm a native of Topeka, a graduate of Kansas State (Go Cats!), and a full-time REALTOR® at Prudential First REALTORS®.  I'm married to another native Topekan and after living and working in Wichita for almost five years, we moved back to Topeka and officially declared it home.  Almost four years later we are enjoying working and living in our home town.